Chapter 1: The Weapon Seller
Earth-178, Year 2046
Five years.
Five years of pain, blood, and darkness. Five years since Kiara Hughes had vanished without a trace.
And today, she was finally going home.
The helicopter shook as it climbed into the night sky, its rotors pounding against the cold air. Far below, the island burned beneath a sea of flames. Buildings collapsed, explosions tore through the compound, and thick black smoke swallowed the stars. The ocean stretched endlessly around the dying island, swallowing the echoes of a place that should never have existed.
Kiara sat against the cold metal wall, wrapped in an oversized jacket. Fresh bandages covered her arms, and old scars peeked out from beneath her torn sleeves. Her body ached with every movement, but she barely noticed. After five years behind locked doors, beneath blinding lights, listening to screams that still haunted her dreams, even pain felt like proof that she was alive.
A medic crouched beside her and checked the bandage around her forearm.
"Does it hurt?"
Kiara looked at him for a moment before shaking her head. "No."
It was a lie, but she had learned long ago that pain was easier to endure when nobody asked questions about it.
The medic gave her a tired nod and moved toward another wounded soldier. Kiara turned toward the open helicopter door and watched the burning island shrink into the darkness.
A faint smile touched her cracked lips.
"It's finally over..."
For the first time in five years, she could see the sky without bars blocking her view. She could breathe without waiting for someone to order her to do so. She could close her eyes without fearing what would happen when she opened them again.
She was free.
Heavy boots stopped in front of her.
Kiara looked up.
Captain Adrian stood before her, his uniform stained with blood and soot. He was the man who had fought his way through the burning compound to reach her, dragging wounded soldiers to safety while bullets tore through the walls around him. Without him, she would still be trapped on that island.
Her smile grew a little warmer.
"Thank you, Cap."
Adrian looked down at her, his face unreadable. "You don't have to thank me."
"I do." She tightened her fingers around the blanket draped across her lap. "I thought... I thought nobody was coming for me."
For the briefest moment, something flickered in his eyes. Regret, perhaps. Guilt. She couldn't tell before the expression disappeared.
Then his hand moved toward his waist.
Kiara barely registered the motion until the cold metal of a handgun caught the cabin lights.
The barrel stopped directly between her eyes.
Her smile froze.
"Cap?"
Nobody moved.
The medic lowered his gaze. The soldiers sitting along the cabin walls stared at their boots or turned toward the darkness outside. Even the young soldier who had given Kiara water earlier clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white.
The warmth inside her chest began to fade.
"What are you doing?"
A sharp click broke through the steady roar of the helicopter.
Adrian had switched off the safety.
Kiara stared at him, waiting for him to lower the gun, waiting for someone to laugh and explain that this was some terrible mistake. She forced out a shaky chuckle.
"Come on. This isn't funny."
Nobody laughed.
The captain's voice remained calm, almost painfully so.
"There's only one reason we came for you, Kiara. Project Nexus."
Her eyebrows drew together.
"What? That project was terminated years ago. And it's not like I'm against it. What are you..."
"Our orders are clear," Adrian interrupted. "All personnel connected to Project Nexus are to be eliminated. Except for you, everyone is gone."
For several seconds, Kiara could only stare at him.
Then she laughed. It was a short, confused sound, the kind that escaped someone who desperately wanted to believe the world hadn't just turned upside down.
"You're joking. Right?"
Silence answered her.
Slowly, the smile disappeared from her face.
"You're serious."
She looked around the cabin, searching for a single person willing to meet her eyes. Nobody did. They had all known before the helicopter landed on the island. They had come prepared to kill her, and the rescue had been nothing more than a convenient way to bring her within reach.
The realization struck deeper than any wound she had suffered during those five years.
"Why?" Her voice cracked. "What did I do?"
Bang!
The gunshot swallowed her question.
Pain exploded through her shoulder. The impact threw her sideways, and she crashed against the metal floor. Blood spread beneath her torn jacket, warm against her skin, while a piercing ring filled her ears.
"Argh!"
She tried to push herself up, but her left arm refused to respond. Blood dripped onto the floor as she struggled to move, each breath sending another sharp wave of pain through her body.
Adrian's gun remained pointed at her.
Steady.
Cold.
Unmoving.
Beyond the open door, the ocean waited beneath the dark sky.
Kiara looked at the black water below, and something inside her finally went still.
They had never planned to take her home.
The rescue had been nothing more than the cleanest way to erase the last remaining trace of Project Nexus.
How fucking ironic.
Five years in hell, only to be killed by the very people she had believed had come to save her.
A faint, bloodstained smile curved her lips.
"You know..." She raised her eyes to Adrian one last time. "I really believed you."
His jaw tightened.
"I'm sorry."
"I know."
Kiara did not wait for another word. Gathering what little strength remained in her body, she twisted away from him and threw herself through the open helicopter door.
For one brief moment, the cold night air rushed past her. Then the ocean swallowed her whole.
Freezing water closed around her body. The helicopter's noise faded into the distance as she sank beneath the surface, leaving a trail of blood behind her like crimson smoke.
Her limbs grew heavy. Her thoughts slowed, and the darkness around her seemed to stretch endlessly in every direction.
So this... is how it ends.
Her heartbeat weakened.
Slower.
Slower.
Until everything went black.
An unknown amount of time later...
[The Lost Soul has been found.]
[Synchronization in progress...]
[Synchronization complete.]
[Soul Merge complete.]
[Weapon Seller System successfully activated.]
One year later
Earth-43, Year 1785, Age of Ether
Southern Continent, Imperial Capital of the Phoenix Empire
A narrow alley lay hidden between the busy streets of the imperial capital, far from the grand avenues where noble carriages rolled past and wealthy merchants displayed their finest goods. Sunlight barely reached the damp stones, and most travelers passed the entrance without giving it a second glance.
At the end of the alley stood a small weapon shop.
Its wooden sign hung crookedly above the entrance, the paint faded and peeling. The old door creaked whenever someone opened it, while dust gathered along the window frames and the neglected display racks.
Every morning, the elderly owner dragged a chair outside and sat near the entrance to escape the damp chill inside. The neighboring shopkeepers often joined him, and together they complained about rising prices, aching joints, and grandchildren who rarely wrote home. Their laughter still filled the alley from time to time, but it had grown quieter over the years.
Business was not kind to an old man running a forgotten weapon shop.
Then, one morning, a young woman appeared at the mouth of the alley.
She paused to examine her surroundings before unfolding a scroll in her hand. After comparing the address with the faded sign above the shop, she gave a small nod.
"So this is the place."
She looked barely old enough to have entered adulthood. Her figure was slim, her clothes simple but well-made, and a pair of gloves covered her hands despite the mild weather. At the back of her neck, partly hidden by her hair, rested a faint birthmark shaped like an eye.
Her boots made soft sounds against the stone as she approached the group of elderly shopkeepers.
Several men looked up in surprise. Young, well-dressed customers rarely wandered this far into the alley, especially when the shop at its end had so little to offer.
The woman stopped before the elderly owner.
"Excuse me. Is the owner inside?"
The old man straightened so quickly that his chair nearly tipped backward. Hope flashed across his weathered face, raw and almost painful, as though he had been waiting for this moment for years.
"I'm the owner, Miss. Please, come in."
She followed him inside.
Thin shafts of sunlight filtered through the dusty windows, illuminating the weapons hanging along the walls. Spears, sabers, and swords filled the racks, some carefully polished while others showed clear signs of neglect. A few carried weak enchantments, but most were ordinary weapons that could be purchased in any modest shop.
The young woman moved through the store without hurry, studying the displays. The old man watched her closely. Most customers barely glanced at the merchandise before asking about prices, but this woman examined each weapon as though she were trying to understand its history.
Then she stopped.
Behind the counter, mounted on a dark oak panel, rested a single staff. At first glance, it appeared plain, but a faint sheen beneath the wood hinted at something unusual.
She stepped closer without touching it.
"Rosewood and hazelwood," she murmured. "Three parts to two. Not bad."
The old man's expression changed.
She continued in the same calm voice. "Midnight Wolf blood was mixed into the forging. It increases the weapon's power after sunset. Gold tier, with a sealed aura. The seal is incomplete, though, so its power is only sleeping."
The air inside the shop seemed to grow heavier.
The old man stared at her.
"How do you know that?"
She turned toward him, her expression calm and unreadable.
"Because it's your family's heirloom. You've hidden its true quality from everyone else, but age leaves marks on everything, even secrets."
His eyes narrowed.
"It's not for sale."
"I know," she replied. "And I don't need it. I can't channel Ether anyway."
The words settled between them.
In this world, Ether was everything. It strengthened the body, powered skills, extended life, and awakened the power of ancient relics. Without Ether, a person could not use high-grade equipment, activate spatial rings, or walk the path of warriors and mages.
The old man studied her face, searching for a hint of deception. She met his gaze without flinching.
After a moment, he gestured toward the weapon racks.
"You can look at the ungraded weapons if you wish."
The woman shook her head gently.
"I didn't come here to browse, Master Rowan."
She handed him the scroll she had been carrying.
"I came to buy your shop. The Merchant Guild listed it for sale."
For a moment, the old man seemed unable to understand her words.
"You... want to buy it?"
"The listed price is one thousand gold coins. I don't negotiate." Her tone remained matter-of-fact. "The building and all the weapons are included. You can keep your staff. I have no interest in it."
Master Rowan stared at her.
Someone willing to buy a failing weapon shop without bargaining over the price was unusual enough. Someone who had identified his family's heirloom but showed no interest in taking it was even harder to understand.
He looked down at the document, his shoulders seeming to grow heavier as he considered the offer.
Perhaps he thought of his son and the quiet village far from the declining business and endless worries of the capital. Perhaps he had finally accepted that even the strongest old tree eventually needed to stop fighting the storm.
At last, he released a long breath and nodded.
He unlocked a drawer, took out the property deeds, and handed them to the young woman.
She extended one hand.
A leather pouch suddenly appeared in her palm.
There was no flash of light, no fluctuation of Ether, and no visible movement. One moment her hand was empty. The next, the pouch was simply there.
Master Rowan instinctively stepped back, his eyes widening.
The woman offered no explanation. She merely handed him the pouch.
He opened it and counted the coins carefully. Their weight and shine were genuine, and every single one was real.
Exactly one thousand gold coins.
The transaction was completed within minutes.
Master Rowan gathered his few belongings and carefully lifted the staff from its place behind the counter. He held it against his chest like an old friend before walking toward the door.
For a moment, he paused and looked around the shop one last time.
Then he stepped outside without looking back.
Whispers immediately spread among the neighboring shopkeepers. Curious glances followed the old man as he left, then shifted toward the young woman standing inside the newly purchased shop. Yet no one dared approach her.
Once she was alone, she closed the shutters one by one.
With each shutter, the noisy alley disappeared from view. The morning light faded, and the sounds of the imperial capital grew distant until only silence remained.
The warmth in her expression slowly vanished.
Her gentle smile disappeared, leaving behind a cold, controlled look as sharp as a blade.
"System," she said quietly. "Open character interface."
A translucent blue screen appeared before her, casting a faint glow across the dim room.
Name: Kiara (Kyra Phoenix)
Bloodline: N/A
Attribute: N/A
Spirit Path: N/A
Ether Quality: N/A
Ether Energy: N/A
Rank: Unawakened
Skills: None
Lifespan Limit: 80 years
Remaining: 60 years
Kiara read every line in silence.
Zero Ether. No spirit path. No bloodline. No rank.
She was weaker than the lowest apprentice in the imperial capital. Most ordinary people walking through the streets outside had brighter futures than the numbers staring back at her.
Yet the longer she studied those pathetic statistics, the more a faint smile formed on her lips.
Good, she thought. When you're already at the bottom, there's nowhere left to fall.
Another screen appeared.
[Main Quest: Acquire a Weapon Store]
Status: Completed
Reward: Weapon Creation (Select to receive)
[Side Quest: Earn 100 Gold Coins Through Weapon Sales]
Status: In Progress
Reward: System Store
Kiara's gaze lingered on the completed quest. The dusty shop around her looked ordinary, almost insignificant, but she knew that the first real step had been taken.
No powerful family stood behind her. No Ether flowed through her veins. No one was waiting to catch her if she fell.
She had nothing but a neglected weapon shop in a forgotten alley.
But every empire started with one brick. Every forest began with a single seed. And revenge began with one quiet step that nobody else noticed.
Kiara raised her hand and placed her finger over the reward.
Her lips curved into a cold smile.
"Let's begin."