Wrath devoured my body.
I hated the entire world.
All the colors of my life vanished in a single moment—as if someone had erased them with a rough stroke, leaving behind nothing but gray.
How unbearably hard it is to watch the burial of someone you love…
The same scream echoed in my head over and over again:
Why you, Grandpa?
Why not someone else?
I hated this place.
I hated the people around me.
Their pity-filled faces hurt to look at.
To hell with all of you.
Just go away.
"I'm sorry for your loss, Kairen…" they said.
All the same words.
The same hollow, powerless phrases.
I couldn't take it anymore.
My emotions crashed over me like a wild, uncontrollable wave.
And then… emptiness.
The coffin began to descend.
"No…" escaped my chest.
I lunged forward, but strong hands grabbed me.
"Let go!" I screamed, thrashing in Kagrym's grip. "He's still alive! You bastards! He's alive! Why are you burying him?!"
I heard my own voice, yet I didn't recognize it.
The words poured out on their own—twisted by pain.
Tears flooded my eyes.
The world blurred.
What's wrong with me…?
Is this really me saying these things…?
Pain.
Pain.
Pain.
It wouldn't fade.
Right before my eyes, they buried my grandfather.
He was gone.
I couldn't accept it.
I didn't want to.
And maybe I never will.
My fingers dug into the earth. I clenched it as if I wanted to tear it apart.
This wasn't just pain.
It was wrath.
Who killed him?
Why is that bastard still alive?
They will all go home.
But he won't.
What am I supposed to do at home alone?
It's empty there.
Kagrym tried to calm me down—said something, put a hand on my shoulder.
I stared straight through him.
His words passed by without leaving a trace.
Eventually, everyone left.
I remained alone by my grandfather's grave.
Silence filled my head.
Not peace.
And a dark, cold emptiness—one where not a single thought existed.
"Kairen…"
The voice came from behind me.
"I did what you asked."
I didn't turn around.
I knew who it was. And I didn't care.
"Kai… what are you going to do?" Levan stepped in front of me.
I remained silent for another minute.
Then, slowly, I lifted my gaze from the grave.
"What I must," I said. "Let's go."
I turned away from the earth beneath which my grandfather lay.
My eyes were fixed on a single point.
Every choice has consequences.
I knew that.
But I was certain—it was worth it.
Only this way could I dull the pain of loss, even a little.
We reached the guardhouse.
Stopped. Listened.
Silence.
"Here," Levan whispered. "I hid it here."
He slid a plank aside—and I saw the weapon.
The metal gleamed coldly in the darkness.
"No one saw you?" I asked without looking away.
"No. I'm sure."
"Good."
I picked up the long gun. The weight was familiar. Too familiar.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Levan said quietly. Tension crept into his voice.
"You don't have to come with me," I replied coldly. "And if you do—don't ask stupid questions."
He exhaled heavily.
That was his answer.
There were no guards.
A narrow window of time—and I had to make it count.
We opened the door.
Darkness.
The smell of damp stone and blood.
I moved forward. I knew where he was.
Each step pounded against my temples.
"Visitors…" a cold, piercing voice echoed.
My blood boiled.
"Well, well, brat," he stared straight at me through the bars. "What did you come for?"
I didn't answer.
I raised the weapon and aimed it at him.
"Any last words, bastard."
"I'm glad the old man's dead," he laughed. "Ha-ha."
The shot rang out.
The bullet passed by his ear.
He didn't even flinch.
His smile only widened.
"You can't shoot," he mocked. "Your hands are shaking."
"You got lucky," I said, reloading. "There won't be a second time."
"Hurry it up," Levan hissed, glancing around. "They definitely heard the shot."
"I know."
I took aim.
"Come on, kid," the leader tapped a finger against his forehead. "Aim properly."
Click.
The weapon jammed.
He burst into laughter.
"Oh—unlucky. You want me dead?" His voice was sweet, poisonous. "Go on. If you've got the guts."
I took a step forward.
"Don't even think about it!" Levan grabbed me sharply. "He's provoking you on purpose. We're leaving. Now."
But I…
I couldn't.
I couldn't walk away.
"I'll do it…"
My gaze fell on the key.
It must be this one.
Lucky me.
I inserted the key.
Turned it.
Click.
The lock opened.
"Don't do this…" Levan tried to stop me again.
I stepped into the cage.
The leader's gaze pierced straight through me.
One step.
Another.
He was bound in chains.
I was certain—he was helpless.
"Scared?" he grinned. "First time? Come closer. I'll teach you…"
My stare froze.
I drew the knife.
A swing.
A moment.
A strike.
He kicked me away—I was thrown aside.
By the time I tried to get up, he was already on his feet.
A blow—straight to the head.
I didn't have time to react.
Levan lunged forward and took the hit instead.
"What a shame…" the leader sneered, grabbing him by the head. "The kid should've died first," he nodded in my direction.
I tried to rise again.
Useless.
A heavy strike to my jaw—the world blurred.
"No, no," he hissed. "You're going to watch. You have to see what your actions lead to."
His grip tightened around Levan's head.
Levan struggled.
In vain.
Get up.
Come on.
GET UP!
I screamed inside my head.
I couldn't.
Right before my eyes, he twisted Levan's head.
Crack.
The sound.
And after it—emptiness.
He let the body fall.
A dull thud against the cold stone floor.
Levan's empty, glassy eyes stared straight at me.
I crawled toward him.
"No… no, no, no…" my voice broke. "This can't be happening. Get up… please… get up…"
He didn't move.
The body was heavy.
Alien.
Dead.
"Adolescent selfishness," a voice sounded above me. "And look where it led. A body. Lifeless. Not breathing."
He stood over me.
"Well then," the leader smiled. "Time to finish you off too."
Something exploded inside my head.
Pain.
Rage.
Guilt.
Hatred toward myself.
And along with it—something else.
Deeper. Darker.
My spiritual energy—different from before—burst outward.
My eyes burned fiercely. The air around us trembled, as if the world itself had stopped breathing.
"Oh?" the leader tensed. "Now this is interesting…"
He lunged first.
His Heiku condensed in the air, forming a blade—dark, sharp, like death itself.
I didn't think.
My Heiku gathered into a sphere.
A surge.
The ground shook and exploded—stone spikes erupted upward, tearing through the floor, walls, and ceiling.
The building couldn't hold.
BOOM.
CRASH.
Everything around us was obliterated.
And only one place remained untouched.
Where I stood.
Amid the ruins.
Amid the silence.
With a rage that hadn't even begun to fade.
Souls.
Fueled by fury.
Dust. Ruins.
Everything was destroyed—just like my soul.
Levan's cold body lay before me.
"No… no… no…" I repeated like a spell. "You can't die. Not now…"
Voices came from the side. Many voices.
I could barely make them out.
But one I recognized immediately.
Niko.
He was pulling me back, trying to tear me away from the body.
But I wouldn't let go.
"Get up…" I shouted, clutching his cold hand. "You're not dead. You'll wake up…"
But he didn't.
Amid the chaos, in the wreckage of the building, they never found the leader's body.
He had escaped.
And that became yet another problem. The worst one.
Because at that moment, the imperial convoy arrived—the Kaidan Order.
The main prisoner, the reason they had come, was gone.
And by all appearances, he had been released.
Given the ruined building, the criminal's escape, and my breakdown…
I was the one blamed.
But I didn't care.
After everything I had done, punishment changed nothing.
The Kaidan commander was furious.
Her fiery temper was as vivid as her red hair.
She wanted to pass judgment immediately—swiftly, with the sword, like "in the good old days."
Blood would wash everything away.
At least, that's what she thought.
The only thing restraining her was Kagrim's authority and achievements.
Only because of him was I still breathing.
Though every breath I took seemed to ignite another spark of anger in her eyes.
They spoke for a long time.
Distantly, coldly—obviously about my future.
Time stretched, mocking me.
Eventually, they reached an agreement.
I would stay with Niko.
He tried to bring me back to my senses—awkwardly, in his own way.
"Listen…" he began, scratching the back of his neck. "I know it's unbearable sometimes. But don't give up… kid. We're here. You're not alone."
He spoke oddly. Words tangled.
But I understood—he was trying.
And maybe I should have said "thank you."
"This time we got lucky," Levan said. "But we won't follow your plan again. If we get this 'lucky' again—the world itself will turn upside down."
He laughed and patted me on the shoulder.
I barely smiled.
"Yes… you're right."
"Good," Niko said with relief.
At that moment, the door opened.
Kagrim entered with the Kaidan Order commander.
"Kyren," Kagrim said evenly. "You're going to Arvendal…"
He paused.
"Your future will be decided by the Conclave of Judges," she added coldly.
"Do what we agreed on, Meira," Kagrim said.
"I remember," she replied.
Meira stepped closer.
"What are you staring at? Get ready."
Her demeanor was sharp. Indifferent to everything except the order.
"Can I go with Levan?" I asked.
A silence fell.
"This isn't a matter of yes or no," I said, rising. "Whatever you decide—I'm not going alone."
I stepped outside.
Meira just looked at Kagrim.
One question read in her eyes:
"What have you gotten me into?"