Fate is the cruelest chain ever forged… it is invisible… inevitable… written long before our first breath… It drags us in silence, repeating every gesture as if the world were nothing more than a play rehearsed a thousand times… But… what would happen if that chain were to fracture?... What would happen if that chain were pulled tighter?… What would happen… if someone became aware of that chain… and sought to break it…?
. . .
A dream is normally a quiet, peaceful place, showing us things we want or desire. But this dream was different… It was peaceful, luminous, the beige light brushing the only two things in that dreamlike space: the dark hair of a boy, and a colossal birdcage.
The cage reflected in the boy's dark eyes. He didn't want to approach the metallic giant, but something inside him pushed him forward, a knot in his heart—inevitable yet warm. He had no choice but to approach the cage. After all, for him it was just a dream—what bad could possibly happen?
Step… step… —the boy walked across the transparent water of his dream toward the cage.
The grayish cage was enormous, around seven meters tall. Its interior couldn't be seen; a curtain of smoke veiled it, seeping through the bars and staining the water around it.
The knot in his chest grew tighter, the warmth in his body rising even more. The boy still wondered what this dream was, and why his body reacted this way.
From the cage came a soft breeze, carrying ash that brushed gently against his dark hair. For the boy, that breeze was like breathing. He stopped before the cage's door, and on it there was a symbol: a strange diamond-shaped stone… He raised his right hand, ready to touch the door. The ash inside seemed to yearn for his touch. The knot tightened, the heat inside him grew rapidly, the tension built—and just as he was about to touch the door—
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! —An alarm blared, so loud it felt like torture.
"Ughhh…" —the boy woke up, frowning. His infernal alarm had ruined his dream, which for him, had felt like an omen…
Annoyed, he slammed at the alarm clock on his nightstand until it shut up, making plenty of noise.
"8:02 a.m…" —he stared at the clock as if facing a life-or-death decision— "…just a few more minutes…" He lay back down.
LUKAS CROWN! —shouted an angry middle-aged woman, kicking open the door of the boy's room. Lukas jumped, more irritated than ever by the intrusion.
The woman had chestnut hair with strands of gray, matching her eyes. She was tall and slim, with a few wrinkles on her face—Lukas's mother.
"I understand you're stressed, still adjusting to your home here in Korea…" —she scolded, moving through the room to open the curtains, letting crimson sunlight flood in— "…but that doesn't mean you can stay up late and laze around! Now go eat breakfast with your sister so you can get to school on time!"
His mother left the room. Before getting out of bed, Lukas stared out the window, wondering about the meaning of that dream.
"…It felt so real…" —he whispered, looking at his right hand with concern—the same hand he had almost used to touch the cage's door. "…Guess this'll be another bothersome day… Can't things ever change to be less predictable?"
. . .
The apartment where Lukas lived seemed quiet. A typical eastern-style apartment: three rooms, two bathrooms, one balcony, and a kitchen connected to the dining area.
[Breaking news] Information released by the South Korean government has confirmed that a 5.7 magnitude earthquake is expected, along with an event described as "cosmic" happening at the same time. Scientists claim this is no coincidence—something big is coming…
"Oh, God… kids, please be careful when you go out. I don't want anything bad happening to you. Call if you need to…" —said Hanabit, worried, as she placed bread into the toaster.
"Mom, it's probably just a comet or something. And about the quake, don't worry. But—didn't I warn you about getting up early whenever our saintly mother Choi Hanabit is home, Lukas?" —said Lukas's older sister, Choi Yeona, pretending to be serious while hiding a teasing smile behind her coffee mug.
Like their mother, Yeona was tall and slender, with the same chestnut-brown hair and eyes. She was younger, already dressed for work.
"If you keep this up, Mom's gonna end up waking you with a bucket of cold water over your head." —Yeona teased, finishing her breakfast quickly before leaving for work.
"You damn witch…" —Lukas yawned as he entered the kitchen, already dressed, ready for breakfast.
"Don't say that about your sister Yeona, Lukas." —said Hanabit, trying not to laugh at Yeona's words. "She teases you, but it's because she cares. Don't be cruel to her."
Hanabit prepared breakfast and set it in front of Lukas. He sat at the table, still with that distant look. He couldn't stop thinking about that dream. The knot in his chest slowly began to grow again.
…Hanabit glanced back at him, noticing the worry in her son's eyes. Wanting to console him, she spoke softly:
"You know, Lukas… we both love having you here. We don't tease you to see you suffer. You've always been the emotional anchor that guides us to happiness…"
She placed his toast and coffee gently in front of him.
"…So don't feel bad. I know you still blame yourself for what happened that day, but we always tell you—he didn't hesitate a second to save you. He didn't care about anything else but rescuing you. There was nothing you could have done but run and not look back. So live one more day for him, Lukas… because his sacrifice gave us our greatest joy… you."
His mother knelt beside him, kissed the top of his head, then wrapped him in a warm hug. A tear slipped down her cheek as she remembered that fateful day…
"…Mom…" —Lukas closed his eyes, letting himself accept her warmth. For a moment, it dulled the burning knot in his chest.
As his fingers brushed the scar running from his collarbone to beneath his jaw, echoes of alarms, screams, and panic flooded his mind—a traumatic memory.
"Enough with the sentimentality." —Hanabit cut the moment on purpose, smiling warmly as she let go. "Go to school now. I'm sure Gayeon will meet you at the gate. Send her my regards—or should I say, my daughter-in-l—friend."
"I'll pretend I didn't hear that." —Lukas chuckled, leaving.
SLAM! —The door shut behind him, shaking the walls.
"…Where does that boy get so much strength?" Hanabit muttered, straightening a picture frame on the wall. Her eyes fell on a photo of a man smiling widely. "…Surely from you… right?" —she whispered nostalgically.
. . .
"Hup!" —Lukas hopped down the stairs.
"Thank God this is my last year of high school. I just hope nothing goes wrong." —he thought.
"Over here!" —shouted a girl with dark hair tipped purple. It was Gayeon.
"Why shout? I always pass this way." —Lukas muttered, annoyed.
"And why the long face when you're surrounded by cheerful people like me?" —she grinned proudly.
"That's exactly why I look like this." —he teased back.
The two walked on together.
. . .
"By the way, Lukas… did you see the news?" —Gayeon asked seriously.
"You mean the cosmic event? Of course!" —Lukas replied, with a spark of excitement.
"No, idiot, I meant the quake. Isn't it strange they didn't cancel classes after something like that?" —she crossed her arms, uneasy.
"…You're right…" Lukas fell silent. "There's something strange about all this… We'll find out later… I suppose."
. . .
Class went on as usual. Lukas sat at the back, in the last seat of the middle row. Literature class—today they were discussing King Arthur. Normally, Lukas would be half-asleep, but something was different. The same strange feeling from his dream had returned. And something in the story tugged at that feeling, as if it had a will of its own.
For the first time all year, Lukas raised his hand.
"…Professor, may I ask a question?" —he asked, almost anxious, staring intently at the teacher.
"Go ahead, Lukas. Any question can be answered in my class, hahahaha!" —the teacher laughed, surprised.
The whole class stared. Gayeon's eyes widened. Lukas never participated. Everyone held their breath, waiting to see what this lazy classmate would ask.
Lukas took a deep breath. His chest burned, alarms echoing in his mind. He spoke with determination.
"…In the story of King Arthur… does the king… manage to change his destiny?"
The classroom fell into complete silence. No one expected such a profound question from Lukas. No one laughed. Even the professor froze, trying to find the right words.
"…Change his destiny, huh?" —the professor touched his chin, thinking carefully. Then, with firm seriousness, he replied:
"Arthur could not change his destiny. His end was written before he even raised Excalibur. That is how destiny works. No one can choose what will happen."
"But then…" —Lukas's chest tightened. His knuckles turned white against the desk. The alarms in his head grew louder. Heat surged through him as he stood abruptly, nearly desperate.
"…Then how did King Arthur get the ending he did? What did he do for things to turn out that way?!"
The professor looked at Lukas, baffled by his intensity. Still, he answered, solemnly:
"…Arthur knew his destiny could not be changed. The point was not to escape fate, but how he faced it. He died as a man, but chose to become a legend. For him, there were only two choices… wait patiently for prophecy to fulfill itself… or fight against it to try to change it, even a little."
Lukas's heart raced. His mouth fell open, overwhelmed. That warmth inside him boiled over, mixing with excitement.
"…Does that answer your question, Lukas?" —the professor asked.
"Yes! Thank you, professor!" —Lukas answered, smiling with genuine excitement as he sat back down.
The professor sighed with relief, continuing the class.
"Psst, Lukas." —Gayeon whispered, still shocked. "What was that? What happened to my lazy friend?"
"I don't know… I just wanted to do it. My life has always been repetitive. And just for a moment, even if it was tiny… I wanted to change the destiny that's already been decided for me." —he said seriously, eyes burning with intensity.
"…What are you talking about? Did you already reach the age of dementia?" —Gayeon tried to cover her pride with sarcasm, smiling faintly as she recomposed herself.
"You'll never take me seriously, will you?" —Lukas smiled back, then stared at his right fist. "…Yes… I'll be like King Arthur… I…"
WOOOO! WOOOO! WOOOO! —sirens cut him off.
"What's happening!?" —the class cried out in panic.
Outside, military trucks arrived. Soldiers stormed the building.
"…What's this emotion?!" —Lukas groaned, clutching his chest. His heat grew unbearable. He collapsed.
"LUKAS!! Are you okay? You're burning!!" —Gayeon held him, panicked.
"…I-I'm fine… Just an anxiety attack…" —he gasped, trembling.
The quake struck. The sky darkened into a purple storm.
Then, a vision—like a nightmare tearing into reality. Their classroom shattered for a fraction of a second into ruins. The city destroyed. Gunfire in the distance. Monstrous roars. The end of the world.
And in his dream… the cage cracked.
Everyone froze in terror. The vision vanished, but the fear remained.
"LOOK AT THE SKY!!" —Gayeon screamed.
The heavens split open like glass. A screech echoed. For an instant, Lukas saw a shadow descend from the void. White orbs rose and patched the sky, erasing all traces.
"…No… This isn't coincidence…" —Lukas thought, trembling, his heat subsiding. "…My dream… this feeling… the vision… the cage… it fractured…"
. . .
Night fell. Chaos ruled the streets of Gangnam. News anchors asked the same thing the world now feared: Was this the end?
"…All I wanted was to get home and eat rice…" —Lukas muttered, lost in thought.
But explosions erupted. Smoke filled the air. Screams pierced the night.
"EVERYONE BACK!!" —a soldier shouted, firing into a moving curtain of smoke.
BOOM! CRASH! —Cars exploded. People ran.
Thud… thud… thud… Heavy steps approached. Not tremors—footsteps.
Through the smoke emerged a beast.
Four meters tall. Fur made of darkness. A bear-like muzzle, enormous and menacing. Bullets riddled its body but had done nothing. Its right arm was grotesquely oversized, gripping a bloodstained lamppost like a club. In its other hand—it held a dead soldier. A single eye gleamed white, its pupil gold.
It stopped before Lukas.
Gulp —he swallowed hard, paralyzed by fear. The heat inside him rose sharply.
The monster raised its weapon.
Thump… thump… —Lukas's heartbeat slowed.
Thump… thump… —Time itself stretched.
Thump… thump… thump… —Memories surged. His words to Gayeon: "Yes… I'll be like King Arthur… I…"
The sweat on his body evaporated from the heat. Steam rose from his back.
Thumpthumpthumpthumpthump —His pulse skyrocketed. The lamppost descended toward him.
Then—
A voice resounded within his mind.
You… chosen by the fire of will… warrior of the last loop… I ask you… will you face destiny?
"I…" —Lukas moved instinctively, body ready for battle, staring at the beast with determination.
Time unfroze.
WRAAAAHHHH!! —the monster swung its weapon with terrifying speed.
WHOOOSH! CLANG! —But Lukas struck its hand, forcing the lamppost to fly away.
The beast roared in pain.
"…I… I won't follow the path someone else wrote for me… Because I… will fight destiny!!"
Cracks spread further across the dream cage.
Then so be it—ELEMENTAL! —the voice cried with emotion.
From Lukas's back, fire exploded into the shape of wings. Flames wrapped his hands like clawed gauntlets. His black hair pushed back and streaked beige, glowing like the dream's light.
He stood tall, facing the monster with unshakable resolve.
Lukas... was ready to fight.