A crowd had begun to gather at the entrance of Stonevale College.
It started small - a few whispers, some curious eyes - but quickly turned into a full circle of students with their phones out, all staring at the center.
Two stood there.
One was Leon - fair-skinned, tall, and slightly unkempt. A scar cut through his left eyebrow. His hair was jet-black, messy, and windswept. But what captured most was his crimson eyes - cold, blood-like, and impossibly still. Once feared as a school delinquent and rebel, Leon now simply stood with both hands in his pockets, unmoving.
The other was Audry Challow.
The campus belle.
Perfect grades. Rich parents. Everyone's favorite idol.
She used to be his girlfriend.
Now, she stood across from him in a carefully practiced posture, voice soft and sweet - as if she rehearsed this.
"Leon... even though I wanted us to work , let's break up. We both know we're not meant for each other."
There it was.
She smiled like a noble handing down a kind verdict.
"My parents would never accept you, anyway. So... why the hassle?"
Gasps.
Murmurs.
The crowd whispered like a hive of bees.
"Serves him right."
"That guy's a creep."
"Tch. He should've known better..."
Leon said nothing.
His hands remained in his pockets. His expression? Still. His posture? Unchanged. No hint of sadness. No surprise. Not even boredom.
Then, calmly - almost carelessly - he said:
"Seems right."
A short phrase.
Flat and emotionless.
Yet it silenced the crowd like a whip crack.
Audry blinked. That wasn't the reaction she expected.
Before she could reply, Leon turned his back to her and began walking away. No anger. No final glance. Just the sound of his boots against pavement.
And the storm clouds rolling in above.
"Hey! Say something, you imbecile!"
A bottle flew.
It was open - half full of milk. It struck his shoulder and splashed across his cheek, staining his uniform and dripping through his hair.
Laughter. A few gasps. One of Audry's friends stood there, red-faced, trembling with righteous fury.
Leon paused.
Slowly, he turned back.
His crimson eyes locked onto her - emotionless, sharp, bottomless.
Like a pond of blood so deep it had turned black.
"Don't get ahead of yourself, princess," he said - voice like ice.
No one dared speak. His gaze cut through them like a blade.
He turned again. And walked away.
Silence hung in the air like fog.
Then- smack!
Audry's palm struck her friend across the face. The girl stumbled and fell.
"I told you," Audry hissed. "Never interfere when I'm speaking."
Her voice was low, dangerous.
The girl lay on the ground, stunned. Audry stared down at her - not with anger, but indifference. As if she were looking at an insect that could be crushed at any moment.
The family car pulled up at the gate. She stepped inside without another word.
Her friend scrambled after her.
---
Meanwhile, Leon continued walking.
While he was walking someone approched him from behind .
"Daaamn, bro! That was cold!" said a voice behind him.
A lanky boy with a white coat, rectangular glasses, and a ridiculous grin threw his arm around Leon's shoulder. Kevin - his self-proclaimed brother. A genius with a taste for explosions, science fiction, and bad jokes.
"We should celebrate," Kevin grinned. "You just made that bitch eat her own drama."
Leon didn't reply. But he didn't shake him off either.
They walked down the street, turned a corner, and entered an old restaurant - one of those half-forgotten places from a dying city.
Inside, the two of them ordered everything.
Rice platters, fried chicken, dumplings, old-world ramen, battered squid, grilled lamb skewers - the table soon overflowed.
Leon stared at the feast. Then closed his eyes and picked up a spoon.
He took a bite.
And smiled.
Not a happy smile. Not a sad one either. Just... real.
A taste of something warm.
"It's been years since I've tasted food like this," he murmured.
"Feels like home."
Kevin blinked. "You okay, man?"
Leon didn't answer.
His thoughts wandered - away from the food, away from the crowd - to the future.
Two years from now...
This world will burn.
No one saw it coming. The calamity. The gates. The monsters.
Portals ripped through the sky like torn paper, spilling creatures from some other realm. Humanity responded with nukes, drones, and lasers - but it wasn't enough.
It wasn't until scientists discovered the power in monster blood - the ability to genetically evolve - that the tide finally began to turn.
And Leon?
Leon would discover something else.
A breathing technique. One that defied logic. One that made you evolve through sheer will.
The Endless Evolution Breathing Technique.
By the age of 50, he would become a 5-star soldier - a man strong enough to stop a bullet train with his bare hands.
And yet... he would die.
But that is not today.
Today, it rains.
---
Leon paid the bill with a black debit card - a gift from his now ex-girlfriend. He considered it a farewell token. Nothing more.
Outside, the skies had turned a strange bluish-gray, laced with green.
The wind howled, carrying dust, petals, and forgotten wrappers.
Raindrops fell lightly - cold, but gentle.
Leon's hair danced in the wind. His coat fluttered behind him.
He walked forward, alone.
He didn't know why he had returned.
Didn't know if this was all real.
Or just a dream before the end.
Questions always were a mystery.
---
[To be continued...]