Chapter 2: The Knight and the Seven
The sound of falling stones echoed through the ruined city.
Smoke rose into the orange sky, twisting and merging with dark clouds that hung low over the wasteland. What had once been a bustling kingdom now lay silent, its grand towers shattered, its streets littered with ash and glass.
Among the ruins, a faint cough broke the quiet.
A small hand pushed away broken bricks. Beneath the rubble, a boy—barely ten years old—gasped for air. Dust filled his lungs as he struggled to move. His legs were pinned, and his chest ached with every breath.
He tried to scream, but only a whimper came out.
"...Someone... please... help…"
The world around him seemed to blur. His vision flickered between darkness and light. The boy's fingers twitched weakly, reaching toward the gray sky he could barely see through the cracks of the debris.
Then—a metallic clang.
The rubble trembled. A sharp gust of wind swept away the dust. A shadow loomed above him.
A voice, calm yet full of life, spoke.
"Hold on, kid. You're not dying today."
A flash of silver light split through the smoke. In an instant, the rubble above him shattered as if struck by a hammer made of thunder. The boy flinched, expecting pain, but instead, a strong hand grabbed him by the collar and lifted him out effortlessly.
When his eyes adjusted, he saw a man.
Tall, broad-shouldered, with silver armor polished to a mirror shine. A red cape fluttered behind him, scorched at the ends but still majestic. His face was too handsome for someone surrounded by death — sharp jawline, faint smile, and eyes that gleamed with confidence. His hair, pale gold, shimmered like sunlight cutting through dust.
"...Who… who are you?" the boy whispered weakly.
The man brushed some rubble off his shoulder, grinned, and said,
"Name's Cain. Handsome knight extraordinaire."
He even gave a little twirl with his sword, as if posing for an invisible camera.
"Now, kid, what's your name?"
The boy blinked. "R-Ren… sir…"
"Ren, huh? Great name. Rolls off the tongue," Cain said, placing a hand on the boy's head. "You're lucky I was around. Most people here are too busy screaming to play hero."
Ren managed a weak laugh, even though tears still stained his dirt-covered cheeks. "...Thank you…"
Cain crouched beside him and looked him over. "You're a tough one, kid. Surviving a dimensional collapse? That's rare. Most people end up like, well…" He gestured vaguely toward a crushed cart nearby. "…flatter than my wallet."
Ren's lips twitched. He didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
"Alright," Cain said, standing up straight. "Let's get you somewhere safe."
He snapped his fingers, and seven glowing figures appeared in flashes of light behind him.
Ren's eyes widened.
They were all young—teenagers, like big brothers and sisters out of a dream. Each one wore unique armor or robes, radiating faint auras of different colors.
Cain turned to them with a proud smile. "Kids, meet our new guest."
The group stepped forward in unison, their presence immediately overwhelming the ruined landscape.
The first, a tall girl with short black hair and crimson eyes, gave a lazy wave. "Yo. I'm Iris. Don't mind my master's dramatic entrances. He does that every time."
"Hey," Cain protested. "I'm building reputation. You can't spell legendary without entrance!"
"Yeah, and you can't spell embarrassing without Cain either," Iris muttered, earning a few chuckles.
Next was a cheerful boy with messy brown hair and a huge sword strapped to his back. "I'm Theo! Future strongest swordsman! If you need someone to cut monsters in half, I'm your guy!"
A quiet girl stepped forward next, her hair white as snow, her expression calm and kind. "Luna. I specialize in healing. You're safe now."
After her came a short boy wearing goggles and a tool belt jingling with gears and glowing stones. "Call me Finch! I build stuff that explodes! Sometimes on purpose!"
The others followed — Mira, the twin-tailed mage who looked like she'd rather be sleeping; Vann, a stoic archer with a dry sense of humor; and lastly, Talia, a bright-eyed redhead who looked at Ren with sisterly warmth.
Ren stared at them in awe. He had never seen such people before — they radiated strength, light, and confidence. Heroes, through and through.
"You… you're all so amazing…" Ren whispered.
Cain crossed his arms proudly. "Of course we are! We're the Seven Disciples of Cain, the world's greatest knight, savior of realms, breaker of bad hair days—"
"—and king of self-promotion," Iris interrupted.
"Hey, Iris," Cain said flatly, "you're ruining my heroic narration."
"I'm improving it," she shot back.
Ren laughed quietly, a small sound that somehow lifted the heavy air around them.
Cain smiled at that. "Good. You can still laugh. That means you'll be fine."
The group stayed there for a while, helping the remaining survivors, using magic to lift rubble and heal the wounded. The city was still burning, but with them around, hope flickered again — small, fragile, but real.
---
That night, Ren sat by the campfire beside Cain's group.
Theo and Vann were roasting something suspiciously green over the fire while arguing whether it was edible. Mira was muttering sleep spells on her pillow. Finch's gadgets were exploding every five minutes. Luna was reading quietly, pretending not to notice Cain flexing his muscles at the firelight like he was in a shampoo commercial.
Ren couldn't help but smile. For the first time since the collapse, he felt safe.
Cain noticed and sat beside him, handing him a small wooden pendant shaped like a sword. "Keep it," he said. "A reminder that you're alive because you didn't give up."
Ren held it tightly. "Will I ever be strong like you, Sir Cain?"
Cain chuckled. "Of course. But strength isn't just about swinging a sword. It's about protecting something you care about. Remember that."
Ren nodded earnestly.
The others joined in, teasing Cain for being "accidentally wise." Iris joked, "Every time he says something smart, a star probably dies somewhere."
Cain rolled his eyes but laughed anyway. "Mock all you want, but when you're as handsome as me, wisdom just happens naturally."
Their laughter filled the ruins. For a moment, the world felt normal again.
---
Days turned into weeks.
Cain and his seven disciples became legends wherever they went. They cleared monster nests, restored villages, and protected travelers. The people called them "The Dawn of Salvation." And Ren followed them everywhere — training, learning, watching in awe as they faced every danger with courage and laughter.
One day, while walking through a forest glowing under twin moons, Ren noticed something strange.
Cain was staring at the sky, quiet for once.
"Sir Cain? Are you okay?" he asked.
Cain smiled faintly. "Yeah, kid. Just thinking."
"About what?"
He looked distant for a moment, eyes glimmering like the stars above. "About the things we'll have to give up someday."
Ren tilted his head. "What do you mean?"
But Cain just smiled and ruffled his hair. "Don't worry about it. You'll understand when you're older."
Ren didn't understand then — how could he?
He didn't know that this moment — this peaceful night with laughter, firelight, and warmth — would be the last time he saw them as heroes.
Because soon, the bright knight and his seven disciples would vanish.
Their names would disappear from history.
And when they returned, they would not be saviors… but heralds.
---
Far above, in another realm entirely, a man sat before a massive dimensional screen.
Thousands of glowing windows floated before him, each displaying different worlds — different lives. He scrolled lazily, sipping something that looked suspiciously like cosmic coffee.
Then his hand froze.
A small smirk appeared on his lips as he zoomed in on one particular world — Earth.
He saw a boy with messy brown hair and a perpetually unlucky aura walking to school, yawning and tripping over his own feet.
The man leaned closer, his crimson eyes gleaming.
"Finally found you…" he murmured.
"Big bro."
He smiled — the kind of smile that didn't belong to something human.
And somewhere, on that small, unsuspecting planet…
Ethan Reed sneezed for no reason on his way to school.
[End of Chapter 2: The Knight and the Seven]