Yoko ran, while bullets tore through the air around her. One shot passed beside her ear, another carved the ground near her feet, but she didn't stop. She kept running without knowing how long she had been doing it, until she finally stopped behind a broken wall at the edge of the city. She gently placed Ken on the ground, then collapsed beside him, completely exhausted, crying silently.
Heavy moments passed… then Ken moved. First his fingers trembled, then he gasped sharply, and his eyes opened suddenly as if someone dragged him back from death.
His voice burst out of him broken:
"Daaaan!!! Dan!!! Noooo!!!"
His scream echoed between the ruined walls. Yoko rushed towards him, tears were filling her eyes, and she threw herself on him, hugging him tightly.
She said with a trembling voice, placing his head against her chest:
"I'm here… Ken, I'm with you… please, just breathe…"
Ken trembled in her arms, his sobs coming out uneven, like a child who forgot how to cry. He slowly raised his head, his eyes were pale. Then he turned left, and his breath stopped.
"Father…?"
Akako's body was lying on the ground, half covered with dirt and blood. There was a deep hole in his chest, and his face looked pale, like someone who already returned from death. But he was still breathing very slowly.
Ken crawled toward him on his hands and knees, until he knelt beside him. His voice came out filled with everything left inside his heart:
"Dad… are you going to die and leave me too?! This is enough… please, don't do this to me too!"
Akako opened his eyes slowly, his gaze was heavy, a faint tired smile forming on his worn face. He whispered weakly:
"Ken… come closer."
Ken leaned closer and collapsed onto his chest. Tears streamed from his eyes endlessly. Akako raised his trembling hand and placed it on Ken's hair, just like he always used to.
"My son… I don't have much time left, but you must know the truth before I go…"
Ken trembled and held his hand tightly:
"Don't say that! Don't say goodbye! Don't leave me alone, dad! I don't want to live in this hell without you!"
Akako coughed, the blood was dripping from his mouth, and with every breath his voice grew weaker:
"I'm sorry, Ken… but listen carefully… King Cirrus… he is not only the reason behind this war… he is my brother… your uncle."
Ken froze. The words hung in the air like a cold blade.
"My… uncle…?"
Akako closed his eyes for a moment, as if the memory pulled him back to a place he never wanted to return to.
"I was a prince in the Kingdom of Kaji… but I was exiled. I ran away from my brother's cruelty and evil. I thought I could build a new life far away from him…"
Ken's tears flowed again, and he said with a cracked voice:
"Why didn't you tell me before?!"
Akako answered weakly, gripping his hand:
"I wanted you to live peacefully… to stay a child who didn't know hatred. But now… there is no peace anymore."
He coughed violently, blood staining his chin. Then he squeezed Ken's hand with whatever strength he had left.
"Listen carefully… inside you is a great power… the Yukaji flame runs in your blood. When it awakens, you will understand… and you will know what you must do."
Ken screamed with a broken voice:
"Father, please… don't go, just stay a little longer…"
Akako smiled warmly despite the pain, and whispered:
"If you want revenge… do it for those who died unjustly, not for anger alone. And don't let hatred eat your heart… live to remember us with love, not with darkness… this is all I want from you, my son."
Then he exhaled his final breath. His chest became still, and his hand slid off Ken's hair. Time froze. Ken screamed, breaking the entire silence:
"FATHER!!!"
His voice echoed between the ruins, and among smoke and ash, Ken held his father's body, crying until his tears dried.
Ken shook his father's body violently, his voice cracked from agony:
"Dad!! Please wake up!! Don't do this to me!! Don't leave me now… don't leave me alone!!"
Then he leaned over his father's body, his voice choking between broken sobs:
"Will… will you make me an orphan too?! They took Mom… Emily… Dan… even my unborn siblings! You can't leave too… you can't…"
He raised his head and screamed again, the cry didn't come from his body only, but from his soul. It was a scream of a child who was no longer a child, and a man who wasn't born yet.
He buried his face in his father's chest, whispering:
"Father… you were the one I loved most in this world… how am I supposed to live without you? How?!"
He clutched his father's bloodied shirt, his grip tightening as if he was trying to force the heartbeat to return. But the chest remained still… and the warmth faded away.
Ken remained like that for more than an hour. That day, he didn't only lose his family, he lost his childhood, his voice, and his heart. When he finally raised his head, he slowly stood up, swaying, then looked at Yoko who was staring at the flames surrounding the alley, her eyes were wide, her body was shaking as if she's waiting for her death quietly.
Ken spoke with a hoarse broken voice:
"It seems our turn has come… maybe it's better if we all die together."
Yoko whispered desperately:
"No… don't say that… I don't want to die!"
But Ken didn't answer her. His eyes were swallowed by emptiness. He walked toward the flames surrounding them, staring at them with lifeless eyes.
"Everything is already burned… so why shouldn't I burn too?"
He extended his left hand toward the fire. Yoko screamed, reaching towards him, but Ken didn't pull away. He pushed his palm straight into the flames… slowly, steadily, without hesitation. Then something unexpected happened. Instead of consuming him… the flames embraced him.
The fire glowed around his hand like it knew him, like it had been waiting for him. Red sparks wrapped around his forearm, climbed to his shoulder, and his body filled with a strange warmth.
He whispered in broken awe:
"I… I can't feel any pain…"
Yoko stepped closer, her face pale, her voice was shaking in disbelief:
"Ken… your hand!!"
Ken looked at his palm. The fire was burning over it in perfect harmony, moving under his command.
He whispered with sudden life returning to him:
"Father… was right… it's the fire… it's the Vakin."
He raised his hand forward, his eyes burning with anger and resolve. In a moment, the flames exploded around him, surging like a red storm ripping hell apart, opening a path through the fire like the sea splitting in two.
Yoko gasped, her voice barely audible:
"It… it obeyed you!"
Ken answered, his voice was mixed with rage and tears:
"This power… it comes from my blood… from my family… from Yukaji. And I won't let anyone else die because of Cirrus ever again."
In the continent of Valoria, humans are not born equal. The absolute power known as Vakin is not chosen… it is inherited through blood. Vakin is not just energy. It is a rare essence that lives inside the veins of selected noble families, passed down from generation to generation without breaking.
Only noble bloodlines carry this legacy. Ordinary parents only produce ordinary children. But even among nobles, not every child awakens the power at birth. Sometimes the Vakin remains dormant… awakening only in moments of extreme crisis. Most often awakened by fear, sorrow, or pure anger. And this is exactly… what happened to Ken.
After some time passed, Ken and Yoko reached the shore. Midnight had arrived, and the air was filled with the scent of ash and salt. As they walked, a teenage boy around fifteen appeared sitting among the ruins. His blond hair was messy, his eyes pale green, and his body covered in scars and blood.
When he saw them, he stood with difficulty and walked toward them with unsteady steps, but his voice came out strangely warm:
"Hey… are you two alright? Can I help you?"
Ken answered weakly, his eyes heavy with exhaustion:
"We don't know where to go… our home was destroyed, and our families… they're all gone."
The boy replied in a quiet steady voice:
"The same thing happened to me… I thought I'd die under the rubble, but I crawled out. And when I got out… I didn't find anyone alive."
Yoko asked with a trembling voice:
"What are we going to do now? Will we go to an orphanage?"
The boy remained silent for a few seconds, then raised his eyes and said:
"Maybe… or we can escape. My name is Randy, and I have an idea. Orakano Island is close to here. I have a small wooden boat. If it's still intact, we can reach it."
Ken answered while staring at the burning city behind him:
"I don't think we have any other choice… this place is no longer fit for life."
Randy replied calmly:
"Then… follow me."
The three of them began making their way across the debris, avoiding looking back. Exhaustion ate away at their bodies, but their feet kept moving. After a short time, they reached the boat. Despite all the destruction, the shore seemed like it survived hell by a miracle. The small wooden boat was still standing against the waves.
They all boarded. Randy began rowing, and Ken and Yoko helped him despite their exhaustion. But soon their strength faded, and they fell asleep, leaning on Randy's shoulders. As for him, he remained awake, staring silently at the sea and the stars.