When Nobu's broken body was thrown into the garbage box, he could barely breathe. His vision flickered—darkness pulling him in—when suddenly a group of mysterious figures dressed entirely in black cloaks approached silently. Without a word, they lifted his almost lifeless body and disappeared into the shadows.
Back at the hideout, Beru woke up in panic.
"Nobu…?"
But Nobu was gone.
The moment Beru realized Nobu had gone alone, his heart froze.
He immediately gathered his entire gang and ordered them to search every road, every forest trail, every clan border—but Nobu was nowhere. Days passed. Then weeks. Then months. Yet there wasn't a single trace of him.
Meanwhile, the cloaked men took Nobu deep into an underground sanctuary. These were not normal humans. They were practitioners of forbidden, dark magic—people who had survived centuries through rituals.
One of them stepped toward Nobu and spoke in a cold voice:
"You were born cursed. Those who stay close to you… suffer. They die. You already know this, don't you, Nobu?"
Nobu's eyes trembled.
He did know.
Ever since childhood.
The cloaked man continued:
"We can remove your curse. But the price is half of your life… and your freedom. For the next 15 years, you will serve us. You will do whatever we command."
Nobu didn't even hesitate.
If it meant he could live with his wife…
If it meant he could see his sons grow up…
If it meant his presence wouldn't bring suffering—
Then half his life was nothing.
They gave him a strange medicine—something that slowed aging, keeping his appearance young. And then… the training began. Dark magic, forbidden skills, rituals that tore the body and mind apart.
15 years passed.
Beru searched until hope died inside him.
He believed Nobu had died long ago.
He built his own family… tried to move on… but deep inside, a scar never healed.
Meanwhile, in Nobu's clan, his parents manipulated everything.
They told Nobu's wife and sons:
"He abandoned you. He found another woman. He has a new family now. Forget him."
His sons slowly started believing the lies…
But his wife—her heart refused.
She felt something unexplainable.
A pull.
A belief.
A whisper in her chest—
"Nobu will come back."
And far away, deep underground, with chains binding his destiny…
Nobu whispered back:
"Just a little more… I'm coming home."