I face death with dignity.Through pain, my soul burns with rage.
My name is Gekirin.
I've always dreamed of passing the Selection.Of becoming a Watcher.
That dream...It used to shine so bright.Like a star I could almost touch.
But lately... something's been pressing in. A shadow I can't escape.
Sometimes, I feel it. Hands I can't see. Cold fingers reaching for me —Clawing at my thoughts, covering my eyes, my mouth...
What if this dream… was never really mine?
His hand flailed, grasping at empty air —blood trailing from where two fingers had been severed, raw and trembling.
"This dream... Will Die with me..."The words rang in his ears, twisted and hollow, spat from the edge of the cliff.
Three silhouettes stood above, still and silent. Eyes gleaming like voids in the dusk.
Blood blurred his vision.The right side of his face burned — torn, wet, leaking warmth down his jaw.
His mouth opened in a scream, but no sound came.
"Is this... the end?"
The wind howled around him. Gravity pulled him backwards. Darkness yawned below.
In a world bathed in Ether — that mystical energy that permeates all things — live countless creatures: strange, splendid... terrifying.
Humans, on the other hand, were merely an anomaly. Deprived of magic. Lacking strength. Almost insensitive to Ether.
A weakness that should have doomed them.
But, on the brink of extinction, humanity fought back. A machine was created, capable of giving certain chosen ones a unique weapon, born from their soul — a reflection of their instinct, their strength… and their flaws.
These chosen ones became the Watchers. An army united under the authority of five Emperors, each ruling one of the five great regions of the known world.
Protectors. Explorers.But Ether did not yield so easily.
The transformation tore through flesh. Ripped apart souls. Nine out of ten candidates died.
So, to limit the losses, the Watchers established the Selection : brutal trials, designed to break the weak and reveal the worthy...
But over the generations, the Watchers forgot their original mission.
Blinded by the power Ether gave them, some allowed themselves to be drawn into conflicts of human origin.
Etheric wars broke out.
Fratricidal. Devastating.They endangered the very balance of civilization.
Facing the chaos, the Order of the Watchers made a radical decision:to never again interfere in human affairs. To renounce all political authority. To devote themselves exclusively to the defense of humanity against Etheric threats.
Today, in this world as dangerous as it is enigmatic... A boy with Violet eyes, the last remnant of a forbidden power, is about to risk his life...unaware of what he will have to sacrifice.
He jolted upright, gasping, his face drenched in sweat.His heart was pounding wildly.
He closed his eyes.One breath. Then another.
"That nightmare… again."
He clenched his fists, trying to push away the images that haunted him.
A mechanical voice suddenly rose, muffled by the hum of the engine :— Last stop.
The bus slowed down with a metallic screech. Daylight pierced through the windows, casting pale beams that struggled against the darkness.
A strange silence settled inside him. Then, his stomach growled. Loudly.
He placed a hand on his belly, looking defeated. "Great… I'm starving. No way I'm doing the Selection on an empty stomach."
Gekirin stepped off the bus.
Outside, the muffled sounds of engines and honking horns floated through the heavy humidity. Just a few steps away, the Red Neko Burger sign blinked rapidly, casting an orange-red glow onto the sidewalk.
He hesitated for a moment, fully aware of the outrageous prices. But today, he made an exception. After all, this might be his last real meal.
"If I'm gonna die in the next few days, I might as well treat myself," he thought, pushing open the automatic doors.
A wave of sweet spices and grilled meat washed over him.Without wasting time, he walked up to the counter, where a cashier in a red apron and cap was waiting, blank-eyed, wearing a mechanical smile.
"Hi! I'll take an Eliot Burger, please!" he said cheerfully.
The cashier tapped on the screen without looking up, then handed him a metallic red token.
"Here's your Red Token. Anything else?" she asked in a flat voice.
Gekirin's eyes lit up. He remembered this system: ten tokens = one free drink ! A triumphant grin spread across his face. He pulled out his wallet and lined up his precious tokens on the counter.
Eyes sparkling:
"Perfect! One free drink, please!"
The cashier picked up the tokens one by one, inspecting them with bureaucratic slowness... then finally looked up.
"One of your tokens is expired. Sorry."
Gekirin froze. Annoyance surged through him.
"Expired? These stupid things have an expiration date?! That's total bullshit!"
He swallowed his frustration and forced a casual smile.
"Then… I'll take a second burger to get a new token," he said, with a mischievous tone.
The cashier shook her head gently.
"Token distribution is limited to one per visit. Sorry."
Gekirin frowned slightly.
"Is she gonna keep messing with me?"
"Alright," he replied, keeping his smile even as his irritation became harder to hide."I'll leave, come back in, and that counts as a new visit, right?"
"Sorry, it doesn't work like that, sir.Would you like to add a drink for 6.99 with your two burgers?" she asked, still in the same monotone.
He clenched his teeth.
"Goddamn, is she stupid or what?And she probably thinks I can't pay.I don't even want two burgers… but she'll see."
Wearing a wide, obviously fake smile, he answered :
"Yes, I'll take an iced tea."
Swelling with pride, he grabbed his card, paid for the two burgers and the drink, and left without looking back.
A few minutes later, he sat on a bench in a nearby park.As he bit into his burger, his gaze wandered over the scenery around him.
The park was perfectly maintained.To his left, flowers formed a dazzling mosaic of colors. Their scattered placement added a natural touch to the floral harmony. In front of him, a small path snaked through the trees, lined with neatly trimmed rosebushes. "They really took care of this place..." he thought, momentarily at peace.
He took another bite of his burger, then sighed :
"My stomach's gonna explode… No way I'm finishing this second burger."
He stretched slightly, trying to ease the feeling of fullness. The clear sky caught his attention. He looked up, letting his thoughts drift.
"The Selection's finally coming," he murmured. "I really need to make it through…Otherwise, I'll have to choose a specialization for school next year — and honestly… I've got no idea what I'd pick."
He ran a hand through his hair and grimaced.
"Aaah… Besides, being a Watcher is the dream. Great pay, free travel, and if you're assigned to the right regiment… you can even go beyond the borders. Girls must chase after you, and the female Watchers… they're usually super cute," he added with a crooked smile.
But even that thought wasn't enough to lighten the weight pressing on his heart.
He straightened up slightly and lowered his gaze to the ground.
"And… I made them a promise," he whispered.
His fists clenched. The memory of his parents' death surged back.The creature. The ruined neighborhood. And the beast… still nowhere to be found.
"If only I'd been stronger... I could've protected them."
The wind gently stirred the park's leaves, carrying his thoughts away.Gekirin sat still for a moment, then took a deep breath.
He stood up, turned on his heel, and left the park, determined. The bus stop was only a few steps away.
When he arrived, the bus was already there.He boarded, scanned his card, and slipped to the back, by the window.
The doors closed with a quiet hiss.The bus pulled away, leaving the city behind...