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Arc 1 - Blind Faith
Blind Faith - Old Friend.
Written by - Ellien S. Vorein
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The floor and walls were gone—only a sea of white remained.
It wasn't light.It wasn't fog.Just white—so absolute it erased depth itself.
Suspended within it, a small island of stone drifted like a thought that refused to fade.Rocks hovered around the platform, fragments of a world that once had weight.
There was no wind.No sound.No temperature.
The only thing that existed was breath—your own.
And yet, faintly, somewhere beyond the blank horizon—a sound.
A clock.
The gentle rhythm of something old and forgotten.
Tick.Tick.Tick.
A hooded man stepped forward.His cloak hung loose over his frame — a deep grey, once regal, now dulled and frayed at the edges.Threads drifted from the hem like faint strands of smoke, each movement whispering of centuries that had already forgotten his name.
The hood's shadow hid his face completely, yet the shape beneath it felt unmistakably human — tired shoulders, a quiet, mortal stillness.
Across from him knelt a figure — human in shape, yet wrapped in thousands of golden chains.They converged behind him into a vast triangular seal — three radiant points linked by rivers of molten gold, forming a perfect geometry that pulsed faintly through the whiteness.
Every chain was drawn into it, binding the figure at its centre as though the shape itself defined his prison.Each link shimmered with quiet divinity, heavy enough to bend the air around it.
The sealed figure was almost a shadow — pitch-black, featureless —and yet its eyes glowed like miniature white holes.
The man stopped at the platform's edge.He stood for a long moment, the sound of his breathing rough and uneven,then spoke — low, hoarse, almost hesitant,each word dragging through the air like gravel through dust.
"I don't blame you… for your choice,"he said, voice rasped thin by years of silence.A pause; the faintest breath."Old friend."
The shadow didn't answer.He lifted his head slowly, as though the weight of time itself pressed down on him.
Their faces stayed hidden, but their silence met in understanding —two silhouettes, equal in height, divided by eternity.
When the hooded man spoke again, his tone softened,the rasp curling into something gentler — tired, but sincere.
"It's beginning, isn't it?"His voice cracked, almost swallowed by the white."The Pulse…"A slow exhale, heavy and final."It should start… any time now."
Far across the endless white, the void trembled.Tiny distortions flickered in the distance —black circles blooming one after another,the birth of black holes, forming like tears in paper.
Tick.Tick.Tick.
The chained figure turned his gaze toward them,watched the horizon fold in on itself,then looked back.
The hooded man was gone.
Only the golden chains remained,humming faintly in the silence,their glow pulsing like a heartbeat that refused to die.
And somewhere beyond the whiteness —the Leviathan grew restless,and mourned.
- - -
The sun rose over the hills — warm and pale, brushing gold across the fields.Light spilled over Elyra's skin, soft enough to make it shimmer.The air was clean; the kind that carried the scent of wet grass and distant rivers.Tiny rabbits darted between the bushes as she walked beside Kairo, humming under her breath.
He glanced at her — at the way her crown caught the light — before speaking."Wait… you don't know your last name?"
Elyra stopped.For a moment, she didn't answer.Her smile faltered; her eyes dropped.
"…No."
Her voice was gentle — almost ashamed, like someone waking from a dream they didn't understand.
Kairo frowned slightly."You really meant it, huh? When you said you only remembered your name."
She looked up suddenly."No, that's not true."
Before he could respond, she reached for his hand — her fingers light, her tone desperate to prove something.Her pink hair brushed against his silver fringe as she leaned closer, her breath warm against his cheek.
"Kairo," she said, her eyes bright."How old are you?"
The question caught him completely off guard.Where did that come from?
"…Seventeen," he said finally.
Her lips curved into a soft, blooming smile — one that made the sunlight seem a little brighter."So that means I'm older than you. I'm—"
She stopped.Her voice cracked mid-word.A flicker of confusion crossed her face, like something inside her had short-circuited.
"I'm… I am nineteen."
The last words came out faint, distant, as if she were remembering something that didn't belong to her.
Kairo's eyes narrowed slightly.Before he could say anything, another voice cut through the morning air.
"Aren't you two adorable."
The sound came from between them.Kairo froze.
When did he—
His hand went straight to the hilt of his katana.The blade sang as he drew it, turning sharply towards the stranger.
The man stepped back — not startled, just calm — a lazy smile half-hidden beneath a mess of black hair.He looked older than Kairo expected, maybe in his thirties, eyes dull with exhaustion and framed by dark circles.His cloak was old, travel-worn, the colour faded from too many days in the sun.
His heart kicked once, sharp.
Wait… he's quick.
"Tell you what," he said, voice gravelly but almost playful."If you manage to land a hit on me, boy, I'll leave you and the little lady alone."
Kairo's grip tightened."What—"
"But," the man interrupted, holding up a finger,"if you don't… in one minute, you tell me where you're heading."
Kairo's eyes sharpened.Elyra took a step back.
The tension in the air shifted — small, invisible, but heavy enough to make the breeze stop moving.
What disturbed Kairo most wasn't the man's speed.It was how relaxed he looked.Too relaxed.
Kairo whispered without turning his head, "Elyra, step back."He leaned close enough for her to hear the rest."This guy seems like bad news.If things get messy, please run."
The man yawned, pulling two rusty daggers from his belt."Ready?" he muttered."Or do you need a minut—"
Before Kairo could answer, he lunged forward — elbow first, aiming straight for the man's nose.
His strike met rust.The man had caught it — the dagger raised just in time.The impact jolted through Kairo's arm.
"Did your family never teach you manners?" the man said flatly.
Kairo recoiled, eyes narrowing.He ducked as the man's boot swung high, air slicing above his head.
Kairo countered with a quick kick to the ribs——but instead of the hard crack of bone, there was only a soft slap,the man brushing his leg aside with a parry so casual it felt insulting.
The hell…?
Kairo kept going.
He twisted into a crescent kick, foot arcing upward with perfect form—but the man flicked it away again, effortless, almost bored.
Kairo felt the impact through his leg, but the tension vanished on contact.The man's black trousers barely moved;It was like kicking into a wall that absorbed the force and gave nothing back.
Elyra watched them —fast, smooth, their movements almost like dance steps.A small, awed smile crept onto her face.
Kairo lunged in close again, driving his elbow toward Faran's jaw — a tight, efficient strike meant for real soldiers, not show.
The man lifted his forearm lazily, catching the elbow with a soft thud.No grunt.No shift in stance.No tension in his shoulders.Just a casual block.
Kairo's teeth clenched.
How is this guy… so relaxed?There's no openings — none. Not a single gap. Not even a breath I can slip through…
The man's eyes didn't change.Not amused.Not impressed.Simply calm — as if he were blocking a child throwing a tantrum.
"Kairo," she called out, voice bright despite the danger."You're… really cool, you know that?"
The man chuckled mid-swing."I wish I had an audience. Kairo, was it?"
Kairo's reply came through clenched teeth."Do you ever shut up?"
"Where's the fun in that?"
He closed the distance in a heartbeat.Kairo punched — a perfect strike —
His strike met rust.Rust kissed skin.
Kairo slammed his black boot against the ground, hard.
THUD.
Sand and dust erupted upward in a violent burst, swallowing the space around them in a sudden veil of grit.
The man reacted instantly, raising one dagger to block——but Kairo's foot sliced only through air, the strike missing intentionally.
Dust spiraled, thick and choking.For a moment, the world vanished into a beige haze.
The man's eyes narrowed.He looked around carefully.
He could see the pink-haired girl in the distance, her hands curled at her chest, eyes wide.
But the white-haired boy—
Gone.
CLANG.
Rust met metal once again.
Kairo stepped in hard, dragging his blade up from his left shoulder in a sharp upward arc — a real swing, clean and fast.
The man caught it with a single dagger, the steel screaming between them.
He smirked."You're not bad."
Kairo shifted forward again, stepping inside the man's guard.He thrust his palm toward Faran's chest — a clean, direct strike meant to break balance, not bones.
Elyra blinked, breath catching.Their movements were so smooth, so fluid, it looked less like a fight and more like a strange, dangerous dance.
The man smiled.He caught Kairo's wrist mid-strike — gently, almost playfully — as if accepting a partner's hand.
Kairo jerked his arm back, teeth clenched, stumbling a half-step from the force he didn't expect.
Kairo switched the katana from his right hand to his left in a blink, grip reversing smoothly.He dropped low and aimed an upward cut toward the man's shin — a vicious, fast strike designed to break stance and drop him instantly.
but the man dropped into a single, one-legged squat,his dagger flashing upward in the same motion.
CLANG.
The blade struck the katana's handle.It flew from Kairo's grip, spinning through the air until it hit a nearby tree with a dull thud.
Kairo froze.
The man rose effortlessly, daggers still in hand.He stepped forward —one dagger pressing lightly against Kairo's throat.
Elyra's eyes widened.Her voice cracked as she screamed—
"Don't!"
A burst of water exploded forward — not from her hands, but from the crystal jade-blue heart that had materialised beside her shoulder.It pulsed once, humming softly — then unleashed a wave that slammed into the man.
He didn't move.Didn't block.Didn't flinch.
He simply tanked it.The water splashed against him, rolling down his coat as if the world had just decided to give up on hurting him.
He sighed — genuinely bored — and raised his dagger again.The blade kissed Kairo's skin.A faint line appeared at his neck — a single drop forming.
Elyra's heart sank.Kairo's eyes shut tight.They both braced for the end.
Silence.
The man stepped back.
"And that's one minute."
He sheathed his dagger.
"So," he said, voice low but casual,"where are you heading?"
Kairo stayed still.His breath was ragged.His skin felt cold.
Am I dead..?
Am I dead..
Am I dead..
Elyra ran to him.Her hands trembled as she touched his neck — searching for the wound.There was none.Not even a mark.
The crystal heart was gone too —its light, its hum, everything.As though it had never been there.
"Kairo…" she whispered, terrified.
He reached up, fingers brushing his throat —smooth skin.No blood.No pain.Nothing.
He swallowed hard.His heartbeat was the only thing he could hear.
What the hell…What the hell is this guy's deal..?
He looked at Elyra.She stared back, confused and scared —
The man stood a few paces away, eyes half-closed.He looked over his shoulder at them,his tone calm, almost disinterested.
"Eh…"
He scratched the side of his neck, his voice breaking the silence — rough, but oddly human now.For the first time since appearing, the tension around him thinned.
"Well… name's Faran.""And you're Kairo, right?"
Kairo didn't move.He still felt the phantom chill where the blade had been, his body too tense to answer.
Faran continued, rubbing at the back of his head with a faint, sheepish smile."Not bad for your age. Bit reckless, though."
His eyes shifted towards Elyra."And you, little lady?"
Elyra hesitated.Her heartbeat hadn't slowed.Sweat clung faintly to her temple as she tried to find her voice.
"I–It's…" she stammered, her words trembling out of her throat.She swallowed hard."It's… Elyra."
Her voice was small — shy, fragile — as if even saying her name felt dangerous.
Faran nodded once."Elyra, huh…"
He exhaled through his nose, the last of the tension melting into quiet weariness.
"Never heard of it," he said, his tone half-sarcastic, half-teasing."You sure you didn't just make it up?"
Kairo shot him a sharp look, but Faran only smirked, amused by his reaction.
He shifted his weight, lifted the hem of his shirt slightly, and scratched lazily at his stomach.Then he yawned — long, unbothered, like someone who hadn't slept properly in days.
The air around him didn't carry any hostility now.Just fatigue.And something quietly human.
Before either of them could reply, he rolled his shoulders, the daggers already back at his belt.
"Anyway…"
He tilted his head, voice slipping back into that tired drawl.
"Kairo and Elyra — where are you two heading?"
Elyra blinked.Her voice came out soft, unsure.
"Where are we heading…?"
She tilted her head slightly, her tone curious — like a bundle of flowers trying to understand the wind.
"Is that what you want to know..?I… don't know," she said, smiling faintly through the uncertainty.
Kairo exhaled sharply."Halovium."
Faran raised an eyebrow."Halovium? Why there, of all places?"
Elyra turned to Kairo, confused."Halovium..?"
He nodded, his tone flat but heavy."It was one of my father's last wishes.""He told me there was something there I needed to meet."
A pause.Then, quietly—
"He's dead."
The words hit harder than any blade.
The air itself stilled.Even the trees seemed to stop moving.
For a moment, the world forgot how to breathe.
Faran's expression softened — barely, but enough.He looked down, then nodded once.
"I see."
Silence.
And then, slowly, the breeze returned — soft, uncertain, carrying the sound of distant leaves.The world exhaled.
Faran rolled his shoulders, brushing a bit of dirt from his sleeve.
"Relax," he said, the edge of a smile forming."What's the harm in having some company?"
He smiled at Elyra — a small, tired kind of warmth — then turned to Kairo with a faint glint of eagerness in his eyes.
He raised his hand, offering it for a handshake.
"Besides…"
His smirk widened just enough to feel like a challenge.
"I could teach you a thing or two."
The sunlight caught between them — the weary veteran, the guarded boy, and the girl who still didn't understand the weight of what she'd just seen.
For the first time since morning, the world felt a little less empty.