Ken, a 16-year-old boy with a caring, handsome, loving, and charming personality, lived alone with his mother. He had no siblings, and his father had been missing since before he was born. And now, his journey was about to begin.
A bright shaft of sunlight streamed through Ken's window. As the alarm blared at 8 o'clock, Ken woke up. A mysterious voice echoed in his mind, saying, "It's time."
Confused, Ken shook his head, thinking he was still dreaming. His mother called him down for breakfast. "Yes, Mommy," he replied and walked to the washbasin. As he splashed water on his face, he caught a glimpse of something sparkling on his forehead. "Must be my imagination," he muttered. "Probably because of the anime I watched last night."
As he headed downstairs, his mother asked him to go buy some eggs.
"What? This early?" Ken asked.
"Yes, this morning. Hurry up," she insisted.
Ken changed into a blue-black T-shirt and black trousers, grabbed the grocery bag, took the money from his mother, and stepped outside. On his way, he noticed a neighbor playing cards with a strange, unsettling smile. Ken found it weird but decided to ignore it.
At the convenience store, a news report on the TV caught his attention. A pandemic had broken out the night before. Victims of this strange affliction had playing cards attached to their bodies and wore disturbing smiles.
Suddenly, a group of infected individuals burst into the store. One customer confronted them, grabbing one by the collar. "What the hell are you doing, making all this noise—"
Before he could finish, a card shot from the victim's hand and pierced the customer's skull. Blood gushed out. Moments later, cards emerged from the man's head—he, too, became a victim. Panic erupted. Screams, cries, and chaos filled the store.
Ken stood frozen. "This can't be real. I must be dreaming," he whispered. But when a card slashed his hand, pain confirmed reality. He bolted toward the backdoor, heart pounding.
Ken ran for hours, through streets filled with chaos, destruction, and fear, his injured hand throbbing. Desperate to ensure his mother's safety, he finally reached home.
Inside, he saw a man with a horrific grin playing cards with his mother. But it wasn't normal. They were simply throwing cards onto the table. His mother smirked unnaturally. This wasn't her. Behind them, Ken saw monstrous images—twisted, devilish figures.
The man suddenly appeared behind Ken and began to crush him mercilessly. Ken struggled. A card from the man's leg moved toward Ken's chest. Instead of killing him, Ken's body absorbed it. He didn't transform—yet a loud heartbeat echoed from within.
Suddenly, fear spread across the man's face. Ken's form began to change. An ominous aura enveloped him. A horn sprouted from the top right of his head, curling upward. His left arm bore a red-black sword. Both eyes turned a dark reddish-black.
Terrified, the man couldn't speak. Ken's mother vanished instantly. The man exploded without warning. Ken, now unconscious and gravely injured, lay amid the rubble of his destroyed home.
As the sun rose again, a woman stepped through the shadows and said, "My lord, you can't die here. The Throne of Abyss is waiting for your presence."