The sun hung low in the sky, casting long shadows across the forest path. Birds flitted through the trees, their songs drifting on a cool breeze. A small group of travelers — men, women, and a few elderly — made their way toward the capital of the Belmon Empire. Among them was a young child, his small voice breaking the calm of the forest.
"Are we there yet?" he asked his father, dragging his feet along the sandy path.
"Almost, my son," the father replied with a smile. "Can you hold on a little longer?"
The boy looked up at him with pleading eyes. "Can you carry me, please? My feet hurt."
With a soft chuckle, the father lifted the boy onto his shoulders, and the group pressed on. The air was peaceful — yet no one noticed the forest growing unnaturally silent. The birds had stopped singing. The usual hum of life had vanished.
Suddenly, figures leapt from the bushes. Armed bandits instantly surrounded the group of travelers. Shock froze the group in place. A few tried to escape, but they were completely surrounded.
One man from the bandits stepped forward, calm but menacing. "Good evening, everyone. Listen to my orders and no one gets hurt. So hand over your valuables!"
A tall and thick bearded traveler shouted, "There's more of us than you! You can't—"
Before he could finish, the bandit's nails elongated into sharp claws. In one swift motion, he slashed the man's throat. The bearded man crumpled to the ground, gasping in pain while blood poured from the wound. The sight froze the travelers in terror.
The young child clutched his father. "I'm scared, Papa," he whispered.
A boy among the travelers narrowed his eyes, noticing the bandit that attacked the bearded man must be the leader of the bandit group. But this wasn't an ordinary banditleader—he was a SIN user. These are people who attained special powers by committing heinous sins. People like him often saw those without SIN powers as insects or tools. The boy's instincts warned him that he needed to act fast if he wanted to come out alive.
One bandit reached for the boy's belongings. "Hand over everything you've got, kid."
The boy stepped back, cold eyes fixed on the man and replied. "I've got nothing to give."
The bandit sneered. "Trying to be brave, eh, kid?"
With speed, the bandit attacked. The boy sidestepped, spun around, and struck his elbow into the bandit's throat. The man staggered back, clutching his neck.
The situation darkened, because the bandit leader grabbed a pregnant woman from the travelers, claws digging into her neck. A drop of blood trickled down her skin.
"You know," the leader said with a twisted grin, "actions have consequences."
The boy froze, realizing any sudden move could hurt her. Another bandit stepped forward, but the leader waved him off, passing the woman to his companion. He advanced toward the boy himself.
The boy stayed perfectly still. The leader shook a pouch taken from the boy's hip, hearing coins clink inside. "See? Listening wasn't so hard."
The boy remained silent.
A sharp sound echoed behind the leader. He turned in surprise — an old traveler had quietly stepped forward and thrown a dagger. The blade spun through the air towards him, but was deflected easily by the leader's claws.
The dagger stayed in the air. In one fluid motion, the boy jumped, catching it mid-air and drove it into the leader's eye through a blind spot.
The bandit leader screamed, collapsing to his knees.
The remaining bandits charged, but some travelers stepped forward to block them.
The leader, writhing in pain, roared curses. "You filthy insect! I'll kill every one of you!"
The boy, now joined by two armed travelers, stood over the fallen leader. But the leader struck first, claws swiping at the boy. A loud crack rang out as the strike was blocked.
From nowhere, a short man holding a short sword appeared. "Trying to kill a kid? That's low, even for you," he said.
The leader snarled. "Where on earth did you come from? You weren't with these travelers."
The short man grinned. "I'm Hector, a third-year student at the University of Belmon. And I'm not little — just average height."
The leader attacked again, but Hector blocked and countered every strike. Cuts appeared across the bandit's face and body. The leader fell to the ground, howling in pain. With their leader defeated, the remaining bandits scattered in haste.
Travellers breathed a sigh of relief as the bandits had fled with the arrival of Hector.
The boy walked toward the old traveler who had thrown the dagger. "Thank you… for the help."
The old man nodded. "Just try not to do something foolish like that again."
Hector approached the old man as well and saluted. "Didn't expect to find you here, sir."
The boy tilted his head. "Who are you guys?"
"Us?" the old man said with mild surprise. "I'm Professor Stoker. This young man, Hector, is a former student of mine."
Hector asked worriedly. "Professor, what were you doing out here alone?"
"I was searching for people who could help with my research," Stoker explained.
"Research? What kind?" the boy asked.
"Research no one in the Empire wants to get involved with. I look for people from outside the Empire. People with certain traits," Stoker answered. "And I think you'd be perfect to help."
The boy hesitated. "B-but… you want people from outside…"
Stoker chuckled. "I already know you're not from Belmon, kid. Everyone in the Empire knows Hector — and you didn't recognize him."
The boy glanced at the other travelers, who were talking and admiring Hector. "Oh…"
"Don't worry," Prof. Stoker said. "As long as you help me, no one will know."
Still unsure, the boy asked, "What will I get in return?"
Stoker and Hector exchanged surprised looks. Hector wondered where the boy had come from — outsiders can't enter the Empire, yet here he was, making requests.
Stoker's smile widened. "Whatever I can give."
"I came here to enter the Fresh Blood Tournament in the capital. Because I want to—"
Stoker laughed and cut him off. "That tournament? You need to be a student or a trainee soldier to enter. How were you planning on doing that?"
The boy scratched his head. "I hadn't really thought about it."
"Well, then it's your lucky day," Stoker said. "I'm head of the Innovation Division at the University of Belmon. I'll make sure you get in — with Hector's help."
Hector looked at the professor while raising an eyebrow. "Are you sure, Professor?"
"Of course. I need all the help I can get at this stage of the project. So, what do you say, kid?"
The boy hesitated, then nodded. "Alright, I'll help."
Hector smiled and slapped them both on the back. "Alright! Let's hit the road — night is falling and we've got work to do!"
The unknown boy journeyed alongside the two men and the travelers toward the capital of Belmon. Curiosity swirled inside him, wondering what kind of research the professor was working on — and what role he would play.
The road ahead was filled with mysteries. One thing was certain: this was only the beginning.