Hikari—the light that would never fade.
A name given to a child who carried the hopes of all.
Ten years ago, his world was nothing but gray.
He knew only one person: his grandfather,
the old warrior who became his mentor,
his warmth,
his reason to keep walking through life's cold, empty corridors.
His heart had frozen long ago—
trapped in a field of questions about his past,
questions no one could answer.
They lived in poverty,
and with nothing but his grandfather's experience as a magic knight,
Hikari chose to step into an Academy—
a place that would lead the boy toward his destined path.
Slowly, life began to change.
The laughter he had lost for so long
returned to grace his handsome face.
Hikari was no longer alone.
Hikari was no longer abandoned by the world.
He now had friends—
warm hands to pull him out of his winter of solitude.
Together they faced trials,
fought villains,
and clung to each other through every dawn and dusk.
"I must protect their smiles,"
Hikari whispered to the moon.
—Ten Years Later—
The world's light dimmed.
The sun surrendered,
devoured by a darkness that refused to relent— leaving behind souls who still longed for its warmth.
Across a barren wasteland stripped of life,
the sharp ringing of clashing steel echoed endlessly.
Cries of pain,
tears falling like broken prayers,
and whispered pleas to the heavens
became the rhythm that fueled one man's steps.
WOOSH!
A roaring wind swept through the battlefield,
pulling at a brown cloak stained with blood and torn by countless struggles—
the silent testament of the child who had walked far enough
to become a hero.
This was Hikari.
His eyes, cold and sharp as a honed blade.
His blond hair tied neatly behind him.
No words.
No greetings.
In that silence, one truth was clear:
There was no road left for Hikari to return.
"A fragile mortal dares to oppose destiny?
Why not join us instead?"
The creature spoke—
a being of shadows,
wearing a long black hat
and gripping four floating stones that pulsed with trapped, failing light.
The glow that once danced among those stones
was now crushed by the talons of darkness.
Hikari did not answer.
He kept walking.
Step by step.
Unwavering.
In his right hand, a sword shone—
a lone beacon,
as if it was the last surviving light in all existence.
"We may be fragile beings…"
his voice was calm—cold, yet certain.
"We are not eternal like you.
We do not possess your overwhelming strength…"
Each word carved itself into the heavens,
rekindling sparks of hope
for a world already drowning in ruin.
"But there is one thing you demons will never have."
His eyes blazed.
His heart roared.
"A heart.
And when our hearts unite—
when we lift each other up—
there is no darkness that can claim a place within us… NOT EVEN THE SMALLEST FRACTION OF IT!"
His cry tore through the battlefield,
summoning a divine radiance from the heavens.
Light wrapped around his body,
weaving him with sacred might.
His loyal blade erupted in spiritual mana,
casting waves of golden brilliance
like a newborn sun rising against despair.
"A foolish choice,"
the shadow murmured—
and with a single whisper,
the boundaries of dimensions cracked,
revealing the true silhouette of devastation.
That night, the world understood one thing:
Light and darkness would clash once more—
to seize one precious thing.
Freedom.