"Are you angry, Reinhart?"
The voice was muffled, filtered through the thick material of a black mask.
The man stood cloaked entirely in black, save for a single, stark emblem stitched onto his arm: a crimson skull with snakes slithering out of its empty sockets and jaw. It was the mark of the most dangerous, most feared organization in the world.
"…"
The black-haired boy said nothing.
Around him, his world had been reduced to ash and ruin. Buildings that had stood for generations were nothing but smoking timber. The nauseating stench of scorched flesh and burnt mana hung so thick in the air it could likely be smelled from the next town over.
The boy's blue eyes were hollow. He had already cried until there were no tears left to shed.
Lying in the dirt in front of him were three corpses. Another lay just behind him.
Their blood pooled together, seeping into the dry earth and staining it a deep, rusty crimson.
"Take them," the masked leader ordered, gesturing casually. "Their blood may be useful."
Four subordinates, dressed identically to their leader, stepped forward to drag the three bodies away.
The boy finally moved. His arm shot out, fingers grasping desperately at the dirt.
"No."
The leader smiled beneath his mask and casually kicked the boy's outstretched hand.
The boy groaned, collapsing forward and clutching his bruised fingers to his chest.
"Cough!"
A faint, wet gasp sounded from behind him.
The boy spun around. It was his younger brother, the one he had been certain was already dead.
"Jo—Josua!"
The boy scrambled back, grabbing his brother's small shoulders and shaking him gently.
"Oh? He's alive?" The leader tilted his head, amused. "Kill him."
"N-No!"
The boy threw himself over his younger brother, shielding the frail body with his own, refusing to let anyone near him.
"It's a cruel world, brat."
The leader's voice held no sympathy but just some twisted amusement.
"They are dead because of you."
"...!"
"Curse Eden for giving you life."
The moment the masked man spoke those words, a blinding, brilliant blue light erupted from the boy's chest, expanding outward and swallowing the ruined town whole.
***
"…"
Jayden looked up at the faded wooden sign above the door.
[Noyden Orphanage]
He pushed the door open and stepped inside.
"Oh, Jayden! You're here early today."
The receptionist, who was used to seeing him only in the late afternoons, looked up from her desk in surprise.
Jayden offered her a warm smile.
"Did you forget? Today's the day I start school."
"Oh my, yes, of course! Our Jayden is joining the prestigious Royal Eden Academy!" She clapped her hands together, beaming. "Thanks to you, our orphanage will undoubtedly get more funding and recognition than ever before."
"Don't tease me, Auntie."
Jayden scratched the back of his neck, embarrassed, and headed for the stairs. He held a large plastic bag in his hand, stuffed to the brim with sweets.
"Don't spoil them too much," the receptionist called after him. "You won't be around to deal with the sugar rushes!"
"I know."
Jayden spent the next hour walking the halls, greeting every child he had grown up with. He handed out the candies and pastries, accepting their tight hugs, cheers, and bright parting words. The older kids slapped his back; the younger ones clung to his legs.
Finally, he made his way to the second floor, stopping in front of a specific, quiet room at the end of the hall.
He knocked four times. Waited.
"Enter."
Hearing the familiar voice, Jayden smiled and pushed the door open.
"Brot—"
"Ron," Jayden cut in before the boy sitting in the wheelchair by the window could finish the word.
"O-Oh, Jayden. It's been a while. How have you been?"
The black-haired boy, who looked about two years younger than Jayden, smiled up at him brightly.
"I'm fine, Ron. I hope you're actually taking the medicine Auntie gives you."
"Of course I am. Don't worry about me." Ron puffed out his chest, flexing a comically non-existent bicep.
Jayden smirked, walking over and ruffling the boy's hair.
"At the academy, they're giving me a full scholarship," Jayden said softly. "I'm also going to challenge the Enigma Dungeon while I'm there. With enough prize money, I can renovate the orphanage. And I can hire a top-tier healer for your legs."
"Don't spend your money on me, Jayden," Ron said immediately, shaking his head. "As long as you help the orphanage, I'm good. Really."
"…"
Jayden stared down at Ron's smiling, earnest face.
He slowly lowered his head, biting the inside of his lip so hard he tasted iron.
After a long minute of heavy silence, Jayden patted Ron's shoulder one last time, turned, and walked toward the door.
But before he pulled it shut, he stopped and looked back over his shoulder.
"I give you my word."
His hand gripped the metal door handle so tightly his knuckles turned white.
His eyes were still gentle as he looked at Ron, but his voice was filled with a dark hatred.
"They will all pay."
'The academy will make me strong…'
He stepped out into the hallway and pulled the door shut, leaning the back of his head against the wood.
His warm smile vanished instantly, replaced by a cold, hardened stare.
"…and deliver retribution."