Darkness.
That's all Kaito could feel—an endless sea of black, heavy and suffocating. Then, a faint shimmer appeared.
He stood in the middle of a vast field under a bright, endless sky. The air was warm, and for the first time in what felt like forever, he could breathe without pain. In the distance, two familiar figures played—Ren and Lira. They looked alive, laughing as if the world hadn't fallen apart.
"Lira! Ren!" Kaito called out, his heart filling with joy as he ran toward them. "It's me, Kaito!"
But then, something changed.
The laughter stopped. Their heads turned toward him in perfect sync, their faces pale, their eyes hollow—empty shells without light or warmth.
"You should run, Kaito," they spoke together in one haunting voice. "Or Velar will find you…"
A shiver crawled down his spine. The once-blue sky bled into red. The sun vanished behind dark clouds, replaced by a massive, blood-colored moon. The wind froze. The field cracked open beneath him, turning to black water.
"What—what's happening?!" Kaito screamed.
From the dark water rose Velar, his twisted grin glowing under the blood moon. His hand gripped Kaito by the throat, forcing him underwater.
"You're just a failed experiment," Velar hissed, voice echoing through the void.
Kaito struggled, bubbles escaping his mouth. His lungs screamed. His vision blurred.
"Someone… please… help me!"
And then—
He jolted awake.
Kaito gasped for air, clutching his throat. Sweat ran down his face, his body trembling. His chest heaved, but he was breathing. The nightmare was over.
"Wait… it was all just a dream."
His voice cracked.
He looked around. The room was dimly lit, small, and old—wooden walls patched with worn fabric to block the cold. The scent of herbs mixed with smoke hung in the air. He realized he was covered in bandages from head to toe.
"Did someone… rescue me?" he whispered.
Before he could think more, footsteps echoed outside the door—two sets. Kaito tensed.
The door creaked open. A man in his thirties stepped in, his clothes worn but clean, followed by a young girl with short dark hair and curious eyes.
"Oh! He's awake, Father!" the girl said with a bright smile, rushing to his side.
"Well, I'll be," the man said, placing down a wooden bowl of soup. "We thought you weren't going to make it, son. You were half-dead when we found you."
Kaito blinked, trying to sit up. "You… found me?"
The girl nodded. "You were lying by the riverbank. We couldn't just leave you there. I'm Elena, and this is my father, Darius."
"I… I don't know what to say." Kaito's voice shook. "Thank you—for saving me. I owe you my life."
Darius smiled kindly. "You don't owe us anything. As long as you're breathing, that's enough."
Kaito felt warmth spread through his chest. It had been so long since anyone had spoken to him with kindness.
After resting a while, he asked softly, "Where am I?"
Elena looked up. "You're in Zolderheim, an abandoned city. Survivors like us come here to hide. It's far from the war, or at least… it used to be."
"The war…I had already forgotten about that." Kaito murmured, remembering his father's face and the lab.
Darius sighed. "Things are getting worse. The other nations have united against Velmar. They say Velmar's preparing some kind of weapon… something monstrous. The attack will happen soon—maybe even tomorrow. That's why we plan to leave tonight."
"Wait," Kaito said, his voice tightening. "You said tomorrow?"
Elena nodded. "Yeah, reports said the attack will happen within forty-eight hours."
Kaito froze. His hands trembled as memories flashed in his mind—the injection, the screams, the experiments.
"Two days…" he whispered. "That means everything that happened to me… all that pain… was only two days?"
His breath grew uneven. "Lira… she's dead. And Ren…" His fists clenched, veins pulsing on his temples. "Velar… I'll kill you. All of you."
Elena placed a hand on his shoulder, her voice gentle. "Hey… it's okay. You're safe now."
Her touch snapped him back. He exhaled slowly, forcing a faint smile. "Yeah. Sorry… I didn't mean to scare you."
"Can you stand?" she asked.
Kaito nodded, surprised that his body obeyed. The pain was gone.
Elena grinned. "You heal fast. That's kind of amazing."
"It's nothing."he said
They stepped outside together, leaving Darius behind to prepare supplies.
The sight that greeted Kaito stunned him—Zolderheim was alive. Flowers bloomed between the cracks of old buildings. People smiled as they shared food, children played, and the golden light of the setting sun painted everything in hope.
"I'm sorry you'll have to leave this place," Kaito said softly. "It's… beautiful."
Elena smiled faintly. "Yeah, it is. But sometimes you have to leave even beautiful things behind."
She tugged on his arm. "Come on! I want to show you something."
They walked through a quiet forest trail until the trees opened up to a shimmering river.
"This is where we found you," Elena said.
Kaito stepped closer, feeling the cool water brush against his feet. It was calm—nothing like the freezing, merciless water of the lab. Slowly, he began removing his bandages.
"W-wait! What are you doing?!" Elena gasped, rushing to stop him. But when she saw his bare skin, her eyes widened.
Every wound… was gone. His body was unscarred, perfect—as if reborn.
"How is that possible?" she whispered.
Kaito touched his neck. The triangular metal embedded there glowed faintly blue.
"That thing on your neck—it was shining when we found you," Elena said softly. "What is it?"
Kaito's expression darkened. "It's… nothing. Just something my father gave me...and my siblings."
She sensed the pain behind his words and, instead of pushing, splashed him with water.
"Huh?!" Kaito blinked as cold water hit his face.
Elena giggled. "You were getting too serious!"
Kaito smiled—an honest, rare smile—and splashed her back. Soon, laughter filled the air. For a moment, the world didn't feel broken.
When night fell, they sat by the riverbank, watching the stars.
"They're beautiful," Elena whispered.
"Yeah," Kaito said quietly. "Almost makes you forget the world's burning."
"Let's head back," she said, standing up and offering him a hand. "Father might be worried."
He took it. "You're right—"
BOOM!
The ground shook. A blinding flash erupted from the direction of Zolderheim.
"What was that?!" Elena yelled.
Kaito's instincts kicked in. "Down!" he shouted, pulling her to the ground as debris rained from the sky. Smoke billowed in the distance—thick, black, and rising fast.
They ran toward the city. When they arrived, Kaito's breath caught in his throat.
Zolderheim was burning.
Flames devoured everything—the flowers, the laughter, the peace. People screamed as they ran for their lives.
"No… Father!" Elena screamed, breaking into a sprint.
"Elena, wait!" Kaito ran after her, dodging collapsing beams and fire. They reached their home—only to freeze.
Darius was in the air, choking, held up by something metallic.
A humanoid figure stood there—female in shape but clearly not human. Her silver body gleamed under the firelight, her eyes glowing a chilling red.
"Let him go!" Elena screamed, rushing forward—only to be struck aside like a doll. She hit the wall hard and fell unconscious.
"Elena!" Kaito's heart raced. He runned were she was and knelt beside her. She was breathing, that was good.
But in that moment Something inside him snapped.
He saw Lira's face in Elena's.
And out of know where,deep inside him,His anger boiled, veins pulsing as the triangular mark on his neck began to glow—first blue, then bright, burning red. His eyes followed.
"You're going to pay for this…" he growled.
The machine tilted her head, almost curious, and dropped Darius to the ground like garbage.
"Oh?" Her voice was calm, almost mocking. "Before I destroy you, I have a question."
Kaito stood tall, trembling with rage. "What?"
The machine's red eyes narrowed. "Are you… a Human Evolution Project?"
Kaito froze.
"Human… Evolution Project?"
The words echoed in his mind like a curse.
End of chapter 4:The survivor's down.