Darkness did not vanish.
It loosened its hold.
Slowly.
Almost reluctantly.
Like something that had ruled for too long… finally stepping back.
At first, nothing changed.
Then—something subtle.
A faint shift in the horizon.
We built peace carefully.
Patiently.
Colours followed.
A pale blue stretched across the sky like a breath held too long. the
Soft gold touched the edges of the world.
The earth turned, steady and silent, welcoming another morning as if nothing had ever been wrong.
The sky widened.
Endless.
Still.
Watching.
Then—
Something spoke.
Not a voice.
Not sound.
But something deeper.
Something that existed between thought and feeling.
"Tell me…"
The air grew heavier.
"We call ourselves human."
A pause.
"Living beings."
Another pause.
"Creators of peace…"
The light flickered.
"…yet we fight among ourselves."
The brightness dimmed slightly.
"We built peace."
A faint echo.
"And yet… we forget it."
Silence.
Then—
"We chase power instead."
The world darkened just a little.
Not enough to return to the night.
But enough to feel… uneasy.
"What a shame…"
The presence continued.
"In the past… we fought for something."
"For protection."
"For belief."
"For meaning."
A breath.
"But now…"
The wind slowed.
"…we don't even remember why it started."
The silence deepened.
"It was good once."
Soft.
Distant.
"…and it was meant to stay that way."
The world did not answer.
Because it couldn't.
It was never that simple.
This world—
was not made of a single truth.
It was made of contradictions.
Fear and hope.
Peace and violence.
Kindness and cruelty.
They all existed together.
Like threads tangled into something impossible to separate.
Nothing was completely pure.
Nothing was completely evil.
"Hello."
The voice softened.
"I am not important."
A strange honesty rested in those words.
"What matters… is what I choose."
"What I believe."
"What I seek."
A pause.
"I will tell you a story."
The world listened.
"Not about lies…"
"…but about the truth."
Images formed.
Forests—alive, breathing, whispering secrets.
Seas—stretching endlessly beyond understanding.
Mountains—silent, unmoving, ancient.
Animals lived freely.
Humans… struggled.
Time moved forward.
It never stopped.
Not for pain.
Not for joy.
From far away—
Everything looked peaceful.
Perfect.
Like a world without flaws.
But distance hides truth.
If you looked closer—
really looked—
you would begin to see it.
Suffering.
Hatred.
Fear.
Humans… hurting humans.
And then—
a question would rise.
Is this world truly perfect?
If creation was perfect—
Why was there pain?
If peace was real—
Why did it always feel temporary?
Why did the weak bow… to the strong?
"I do not hate God."
The voice remained calm.
"I only have a question."
"I am human."
A simple truth.
"I live in a peaceful world…"
A pause.
"…yet this peace feels borrowed."
Not earned.
Not stable.
Just… temporary.
"We smile."
Soft.
"But inside… we fight."
"We promise… and then we betray."
"We speak of peace…"
A breath.
"…but prepare for war."
Silence followed.
Heavy.
Real.
"And still…"
Something shifted.
"…we move forward."
"Fighting for good."
"Fighting for meaning."
"Fighting for freedom."
A long pause.
"And so…"
The beginning.
"Not with anger."
"Not with hatred."
A final breath—
"But with a smile."
A land appeared.
Slowly.
Gently.
Birds flew across a soft blue sky.
Leaves danced under a calm wind.
Animals moved without fear.
The air felt warm.
Alive.
Peaceful.
A boy stood in the middle of it all.
Small.
Yet… complete.
He laughed.
Softly.
Naturally.
A bird rested on his hand.
Another perched near his shoulder.
His eyes shone.
Pure.
Innocent.
Untouched.
For a moment—
Everything felt right.
Like the world had no flaws.
Like nothing could break it.
Then—
a shadow appeared.
Small.
Unnoticed at first.
But growing.
Slowly.
Silently.
Darkness spread.
Not from above.
But from somewhere deeper.
The light faded.
The warmth disappeared.
The animals fled.
The wind turned cold.
The boy froze.
Fear entered him.
Suddenly—
The storm began.
Violent.
Uncontrolled.
Everything shook.
"No…!"
His voice broke.
"No matter what happens to me now—!"
His eyes snapped open.
He was breathing heavily.
The dream vanished.
Morning light filled the room.
It was over.
Just a dream.
Leaf sat up slowly.
His chest rose and fell unevenly.
For a moment—
he didn't move.
I didn't think so.
Just… existed.
Then—
he stood.
He was playing with animals, laughing softly. His face carried a calm wonder, and his eyes shone with pure innocence. For a brief moment, the world felt complete—as if nothing was missing.
Then—
A shadow crept forward.
Darkness swallowed the light. Fear rushed toward him like a storm breaking the sky.
The boy screamed,
"No… no matter what happens to me now!"
His eyes snapped open.
He was awake.
Just a dream.
Morning light slowly filled the room. Leaf sat up on his bed, breathing quietly, letting the last fragments of the dream fade away.
After a moment, he stood, washed his face, and went to the dining table.
Breakfast was simple. Peaceful.
His mother spoke gently while he ate in silence.
After a while, Leaf looked up.
"Mom… I've been thinking about something for many days."
She smiled softly.
"What is it? Tell me, Leaf Delta."
Leaf sighed.
"Why do you always call me by my full name? It sounds so boring."
She chuckled lightly.
"You don't understand yet. Your full name is your honour, and your surname represents your clan. Respect is something we earn from society."
Leaf nodded slowly, but his expression changed.
"Mom… when will Dad come back?"
A pause.
"I haven't seen him for many years. The last time I saw him, I was seven… now I'm fifteen."
Her smile faded slightly.
"Yes… I think he will come soon."
She looked away for a moment before continuing,
"You must understand—your father is the Chief of the C-Delta army. He rarely gets time. And with the ongoing problems with C-Phi…"
She didn't finish the sentence.
Leaf looked down at his plate. His appetite disappeared.
After a few seconds, he stood up.
"Mom, I'm going to school."
He picked up his bag and walked toward the door.
"Bye, Mom."
"Take care of yourself," she replied gently.
"Okay… bye."
And with that, Leaf stepped outside—
Unaware that his quiet life was about to change.
You might be wondering—
What are C-Delta and C-Phi?
In this world, there are eight countries:
C-Alpha, C-Beta, C-Gamma, C-Delta, C-Phi, C-D Petro, C-D Coal, and C-D Gold.
And four great oceans:
Blue Lake, Red Lake, Dream Lake, and True Lake.
From these lands and waters, countless ambitions rise. Some seek power. Some seek control. Some… seek destruction.
And somewhere among all of this—
Something far more dangerous has already begun to move.
On the way to school—
Trouble found him.
A group of boys blocked his path.
"Hey, you useless brat."
They pushed him.
Once.
Twice.
Again.
Leaf stayed silent at first. But when one of them tried to hit him again—
He reacted.
A single punch.
Self-defense.
The boy staggered back, shocked.
Then his expression twisted.
"I see you… Be ready to face Neon."
The name alone was enough.
Leaf froze.
Fear spread through him instantly.
Neon—
The son of the C-Delta head chief.
Powerful. Untouchable. Known for his violent nature.
Someone who could ruin lives… just because he wanted to.
After that, the boys left.
But the fear stayed.
By the time Leaf reached school—
That fear had already settled deep inside him.
Classes passed normally.
First period.
Second.
Third.
Fourth.
Everything felt ordinary.
Until—
Recess.
That was when he saw it.
Neon.
Surrounded by his followers.
And in front of him—
A girl.
Moon.
They were bullying her.
No one stopped them.
Not the students.
Not even the teacher.
Leaf stepped forward.
"Leave her alone."
Silence.
Neon turned slowly.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then—
A punch.
Direct.
Leaf didn't dodge.
The impact echoed.
Before he could recover—
Another strike.
Then another.
Pain spread through his body as he fell to the ground.
Neon looked down at him.
"I ignored you yesterday," he said coldly, "because I don't involve myself in small matters."
A pause.
"But when you interfere…"
His eyes sharpened.
"I teach lessons."
When Neon left—
Silence returned.
But something had changed.
Moon ran toward him.
"Why… did you help me?"
Leaf looked at her.
And smiled.
Even now.
Even in pain.
"I want everyone to live with peace and freedom."
His voice was soft.
"But I'll help people… no matter what happens to me."
Moon froze.
She couldn't understand it.
How could someone smile like this?
She helped him to the medical room.
The nurse checked him quickly.
"Don't worry, he's alright. Take this medicine and rest for a while. You're brave."
"Thank you, miss," Leaf replied quietly.
After school, they walked together.
Neither spoke much.
But the silence wasn't uncomfortable.
It was… thoughtful.
When they reached near Moon's house—
Leaf stopped.
"Bye, Moon. See you tomorrow."
He turned and began walking away.
But something felt strange.
Moon frowned slightly.
He wasn't going home.
He was going somewhere else.
Curious, she followed him.
Quietly.
He walked into a nearby forest.
There—
Everything felt different.
Calm.
Alive.
Leaf sat down and began playing with birds and small animals, as if they trusted him completely.
"I saw you following me," he said without turning.
Moon froze.
Then slowly stepped forward.
"You knew?"
Leaf smiled faintly.
"I noticed."
She walked closer.
Thanked him properly.
Then sat beside him.
The wind was cool.
The forest was peaceful.
For the first time that day—
Her heart felt light.
After a while, she spoke.
"Leaf… why did you help me? Everyone else just watched. And how can you still smile… even after everything?"
Leaf thought for a moment.
Then shook his head slightly.
"I don't really know how to explain it."
Moon blinked.
"What?"
"I just… like helping people."
He looked at her.
"That's all."
She frowned.
"That doesn't make sense."
Leaf stood up.
Then said quietly,
"Look at your face."
Moon was confused.
"My face?"
"In your misery…"
He paused.
"I saw something."
She waited.
"…a small piece of happiness."
She didn't understand completely.
But she didn't reject it either.
By the time they reached her house, the sky had begun to change color.
"Bye. You should go home too," she said.
"Okay. See you tomorrow."
And before she could say anything—
He ran.
"Wait—hey! You idiot!"
Too late.
He was already gone.
That night—
Moon couldn't stop thinking.
About his words.
His smile.
His dream.
"That is my dream…"
She whispered to herself.
Slowly—
A small smile appeared on her face.
"I'll help you."
On the other side—
Leaf returned home quietly.
He hid his injuries carefully.
Not because he was afraid—
But because he didn't want his mother to worry.
Dinner passed.
Silence.
Normal conversation.
Nothing unusual.
Later that night—
He sat under a soft yellow light, doing his homework.
His mother watched him.
Then spoke,
"Leaf… what happened at school today?"
He froze.
"N-nothing… I'm fine—"
She touched his stomach.
He flinched.
Silence.
"I already know. The school called me."
Leaf panicked.
"I'm sorry! I'm really sorry!"
She looked at him.
Not just with anger—
But with concern.
And something else.
Pride.
"I'm not angry because you helped someone," she said softly.
"But don't hide things from me."
Leaf lowered his head.
"…Thank you, Mom."
"Now eat properly and go to sleep," she added. "And don't make me worry again."
Leaf smiled slightly.
"Okay."
That night—
He lay on his bed.
Staring at the ceiling.
Neon.
Moon.
His mother.
His dream.
Everything replayed.
Over and over.
Slowly—
His eyes closed.
And sleep took him again.