For Leon, living a carefree life had always been all that mattered. He had left home at just sixteen, convinced his life belonged anywhere—but not here.
Now, in his twenties and still struggling to make ends meet, the life he had once dreamed of felt farther away than he had imagined back then.
As an Uber driver, he was always moving—dropping passengers off, picking up new ones—but no matter how far he drove, he seemed to circle back to the same streets, the same familiar corners, the same life he was trying to escape.
It was nearing midnight, and Leon hadn't received a single call—or seen a passenger along the empty streets. He decided to pull into a lonely, familiar alley, one he knew well enough to trust that no one would try to hijack his car.
"Damn!" he muttered, slumping in the driver's seat. Three passengers all day. The pay? Not even close to covering gas.
"I really need to figure out a real career," he muttered, sliding open the lower dashboard cabinet and pulling out a chocolate bar.
"Mmm," he tasted it closing his eyes, smiling. "Nothing tastes better than a little sweetness on a long, lonely night," he whispered, letting the wrapper crinkle between his fingers.
He chuckled softly, shaking his head. "Maybe happiness is just these small things… chocolate, a quiet ride, and a few coins from strangers who trust me to get them home safely."
But as he savored the moment, a strange metallic hum began to ripple through the air. It wasn't like any sound he'd ever heard—low, vibrating, as if steel wires were being stretched across the sky, layered with a faint, almost melodic resonance that made his teeth tingle. The city noises seemed to fade around him, leaving only that impossible, otherworldly vibration, like reality itself was quivering.
At the instant he opened his eyes, a blinding blue light flashed before him—and a body came crashing onto the front of his car cracking the windscreen.
"What the fuck!" Leon scrambled with the seatbelt before yanking it free and jumping out of the car.
He didn't run. Instead, he kept his distance, eyes locked on the body sprawled across his windscreen.
The figure—a man, judging by the build—wore ragged clothes and lay completely still.
"Hey… sir, are you okay?" Leon called out, stepping closer, cautious.
"Uugh…" the man groaned, his limbs twitching.
Leon flinched, glancing around for anything he could grab—just in case.
"Yo, did you fall off a building or something?" he asked as the man slowly rolled off the car and hit the ground. Leon glanced up at the empty sky.
"Damn… this street is weird," he muttered, half-expecting another body to drop.
The man pushed himself up and stretched. "Aaah!"
"
Hey—I know karate, so don't even—"
Leon stopped.
The man was already walking, staggering away to the other way of the street.
Leon blinked, tension draining out of him. "…Seriously?" he exhaled.
Then his eyes shifted back to the car.
The broken windscreen, the spiderweb cracks spreading across the glass, the dent caving into the hood— Fixing all of this alone would take more than the money he can earn a week alone.
"…You've gotta be kidding me."
Leon didn't even stop to think. He rushed after the staggering man.
"Hey—where do you think you're going?" He grabbed his shoulder, but the man shoved him off.
"Leave me alone!" he snapped.
"Yeah, I will—right after you pay for the damage you just caused," Leon shot back. "Or I'm calling the police."
"Police?!" the man repeated, eyes widening. He looked around, disoriented. "What universe is this?"
Leon froze.
For a second, he just stared at him, trying to figure out if this guy was drunk, insane… or something else entirely.
"Tryin' to be funny, huh?" Leon said, narrowing his eyes. "'Cause I'm not in the mood."
The man turned to him slowly, his expression tightening—not confused this time… but serious.
"You don't understand," he said, voice low. "I'm not supposed to be–"
The man's words died mid-sentence as, behind Leon, a violent burst of orange light tore across the sky.
Leon spun around—but only caught the last flicker before it vanished.
"Listen to me." The man seized his shoulders, fingers digging in. "I don't have time. There's something I must entrust to you… promise me you'll keep it safe."
"O-kay…" Leon said, trying to pry the man's hands off his shoulders. "Yeah, I'm definitely calling the police now."
"Listen, kid," the man started, breath uneven. "I'm an Adventurer, and—"
"Yeah, right," Leon cut in, still struggling to break free. "Adventurers? What is this, history class? Those ended before the days of Napoleon Bonaparte, so—"
"I said listen!" the man snapped, his voice suddenly sharp, commanding.
Leon froze, his heart racing. For a split second, he wondered if he'd just grabbed the attention of a serial killer—or someone far worse.
The karate classes he'd taken years ago suddenly felt useless, slipping from his mind when he needed them most.
His throat tightened.
And for the first time, he couldn't think of any way out—except to scream for help.
"I'm in great danger," the man proclaimed.
"Huh?" Leon blinked, thrown off, his fear mixing with confusion.
"But it doesn't matter anymore," he continued, his voice weakening. "My body is failing me… and I'm healing too slowly. Soon, the Whiteman Origins will find me—and take the Code."
He tightened his grip slightly, desperation creeping in.
"I can't let that happen. It's the last of its kind."
Leon stared at him, completely unconvinced.
"Yeah… you're definitely talking to the wrong guy," Leon said, shaking his head.
"Of course I know that," the man replied, his gaze flicking past Leon's shoulder, tense and alert. "But I'm out of time."
He stepped closer, voice dropping, urgent.
"There's no other way. I have to entrust my Cortian Code to someone—someone who can continue our quest… the quest of my brothers… to find the Omni Cosmic Drive."
Leon blinked, already backing away.
"Okay, yeah—this has definitely gone too far—"
"They're already here!" the man cut in—just as an explosion erupted behind Leon.
Leon spun around to find his car in flames.
Before he could fully process it, the man seized his hands.
"What are you doing?!" Leon panicked, struggling to break free. "That's my car! Let me go—I need to—"
His words faltered as blue streams of light began to spiral from the man's body, weaving around him and encasing him in a glowing, twisting cocoon.
A strange sensation washed over him.
Weightless.
No—he was floating.
The lights enveloped him completely, forming a glowing bubble that seemed to suspend him in midair, every inch of his body shimmering within its energy.
"What's happening?!" he shouted. "Why am I flying? What is this?!"
He looked at the man's battered face…and realized he was smiling.
Still holding his hands.
"Brace yourself, young man," he said softly. "This will surprize you."
The light surged.
And then he let go of his hands.