[ < EPISODE 1 - The Chase > ]
Smoke curled through the night like a living thing, thick and choking. The prison yard was a graveyard of charred bodies and shattered concrete. Akio stepped carefully through the wreckage, his boots crunching over scorched debris. The air reeked of death and fire.
He knelt beside a corpse, its flesh blackened and brittle. Burnt alive. The precision of it was chilling.
"Someone did this," he murmured. "Someone powerful."
Even the guards hadn't stood a chance. Whoever had come through here hadn't just killed, they'd made a statement.
Akio's eyes narrowed. He was still out there.
This was bad.
The city pulsed with neon and noise. A motorcycle screamed down the boulevard, its rider hunched low, eyes scanning the horizon. Ethan Hayes. The silhouette was unmistakable.
Akio's heart kicked into gear. He checked the photo in his hand. No doubt. Jackpot.
He sprinted, cutting through alleys and traffic, closing the distance. Ethan glanced back, startled.
"Who the hell-?"
Akio launched forward, fist like a cannonball. Ethan flew off the bike, skidding across the pavement in a shower of sparks.
"Bingo," Akio said coldly.
Ethan groaned, rising with a grin that didn't reach his eyes. "Picking a fight, huh? Fine by me, brat."
"That was the idea."
"You punch like a truck," Ethan spat blood, "but it's gonna take more than that. I'll burn you down and laugh over the ashes."
"Big talk," Akio replied. "Let's see you back it up."
Ethan's hand darted to his belt. A button clicked.
BOOM.
The explosion hurled Akio backward. Dust and flame engulfed the street.
"Fair fight?" Ethan shouted. "In your dreams!"
Akio fired his revolver mid-fall. The bullet missed by inches.
"No dream," he growled. "Just bad aim."
Ethan looked down at his bleeding hand, then up with a snarl. Another bullet sliced through the air. He swung his fire axe, cleaving it mid-flight.
"Your little tricks?" he sneered. "They're useless."
Grenades flew. Akio dodged like lightning, but the final blast caught him, he slammed into a rooftop, coughing blood.
Dammit, he thought. This guy, his throws are unreal.
So, this was the "Walking Disaster." or... "The Moss Trigger"
Wherever Ethan went, destruction followed.
"You're one hell of a smart-aleck," Akio muttered.
Ethan talked back. "Appreciate it, deadbeat priest."
"How come, every damn time, you've got the upper hand?"
Ethan's grin widened. "Simple. Because I am the upper hand."
Another explosion. Akio's footing vanished beneath him.
"That's enough, dammit!"
"Oh, I'm just warming up," Ethan said. "This fight? It ends when the sun rises, and you're buried in my shadow."
He charged, axe raised.
Time slowed.
Inside Akio's bloodstream, adrenaline surged like a tidal wave. Cells screamed. Muscles tensed.
Ethan swung. Akio dodged. Again. And again.
"Not bad…" Ethan muttered.
"How the hell…" he growled, frustrated.
Akio countered with a punch to the jaw, then a flurry of strikes. Ethan caught his fist mid-barrage and hurled a grenade between them.
BOOM.
Akio staggered, then steadied.
Ethan slashed. Akio dropped to one knee, blood dripping from his mouth.
"You're really starting to piss me off…"
He raised his revolver, fired at a building, RICHOCHET, the bullet slammed into Ethan's arm.
"Not bad… again."
Akio aimed again. Click. Empty.
"Damn it…"
Ethan knocked the gun away. "Enough of the toys."
He discarded his bombs and switches.
"Fight me fair, Child of God. Show me your divine wrath."
Akio pulled a tanto blade from his cloak. "I like that spirit, you damn brat."
They charged. Ethan swung. Akio dodged, countered. The blade sank into Ethan's back.
Ethan retaliated with wild chops, missing. Akio blinked, teleported behind him.
Ethan sensed it, parried, unleashed a storm of slashes. Akio staggered, riddled with fresh wounds.
"You're older," Ethan mocked, "but I expected way more…"
Akio landed a brutal punch. They both stood, bloodied.
"You look good in red," Ethan said. "Keep it that way…"
"Why do you want me dead so badly?" he asked. "What did poor little me ever do?"
"You've committed countless crimes," Akio said coldly. "You deserve the flame."
"I didn't even know. Ignorance is my crime?"
"Blindness is no excuse."
"Maybe I have a reason. Maybe not. Just like you."
Akio stiffened.
"We're spitting image," Ethan said.
"I… I…"
"Say it."
"I don't care."
Akio vanished, reappeared mid-strike. A barrage of stabs faster than the eye could follow.
"I'm ending this."
Ethan groaned, ripped the blade from his own wound, tossed it back.
"Greedy pig. Gold-chaser. Trickster hunter."
He hurled the fire axe. Akio dodged.
"I'm out of tricks… You win…"
Akio smirked, ready to finish it.
"OVER MY DEAD BODY!" Ethan roared.
He bolted, then halted, holding a fire grenade.
"Are you planning to roast yourself?"
"Just you."
He dropped the grenade.
WILDFIRE ERUPTED.
Akio watched from afar, smoke curling around him.
"Looks like I won."
A loud blast shattered the silence, BOOM! Ethan surged from the shadows, fists ablaze, the fire licking up his arms like living serpents.
Akio spun, barely in time. "Why the hell do your fists burn?"
Ethan's eyes gleamed with fury. "I fused fire into them," he growled. "Now... I am the walking wildfire."
Akio scoffed, wiping soot from his cheek. "Getting cocky, huh?"
Ethan didn't answer. He lunged.
The punch landed like a meteor. Akio reeled, tried to counter, but Ethan was faster, he chopped down on Akio's arm, then drove an uppercut into his jaw that sent him flying. Akio crashed into the dirt, skidding across the battlefield like a ragdoll.
Blood dripped from his mouth. He spat, rose slowly. "A fistfight, then?"
They circled each other, breath ragged, eyes locked. Flames danced around Ethan's knuckles. Akio's body trembled, not from fear, but from the surge of adrenaline.
They rose into mirrored stances. Two warriors. Two infernos.
[ < EPISODE 2 - How it Was > ]
The world slowed.
Smoke curled around Ethan's fists as he lunged from the shadows, flames coating his knuckles like molten armor. The explosion behind him was deafening, a thunderclap that shattered the silence.
Akio spun, eyes narrowing. "Why the hell do your fists burn?"
Ethan's voice was low, fierce. "I fused fire into them. Now…" He stepped forward, flames licking his forearms. "I am the walking wildfire."
Akio scoffed. "Getting cocky, huh?"
Ethan didn't wait. His punch landed like a sledgehammer. Akio reeled, tried to counter, but Ethan chopped down on his arm, then drove an uppercut into his chin that launched him across the battlefield.
Akio hit the ground hard, blood spraying from his mouth. He wiped it away, rising slowly. "A fistfight, then?"
They retreated, circling each other like predators. Flames flickered around Ethan's fists. Akio's body trembled, not from fear, but from the surge of adrenaline.
They mirrored each other's stance.
The battlefield fell silent.
Music swelled in Akio's mind, a rhythm of war, of memory. They clashed again, fists flying, each strike brutal and precise. Akio stumbled, dropped to his knees. His breath slowed. Something ancient stirred inside him.
A stillness within chaos.
The Flow.
His mind shed all distractions, locked on a single truth: destroy Ethan.
Akio rose. His eyes sharpened. The fight reignited.
They exchanged blows like titans, each strike echoing with pain, history, and resolve. Akio landed a devastating punch. Ethan flew backward, crashing into the dirt.
Dust settled. Silence.
Ethan groaned, clutching his ribs. Even flame-infused fists weren't enough.
He reached for a smoke grenade.
Time for my last card…
Smoke erupted, thick and blinding. Akio coughed, eyes scanning the fog.
"Can you see me now, loser?" Ethan's voice echoed.
"Nope," Akio replied. "But when I do... you're finished."
"That's why I chose the mist."
Ethan darted through the fog like a phantom, landing punches unseen. Akio staggered, absorbing hit after hit, until he seized Ethan's arm mid-strike. Locked it. Pulled him in.
Liver punch.
Ethan gasped, crumpling.
Akio stepped forward, ready to end it, but Ethan vanished into the smoke again.
"This is your end," Ethan hissed from the shadows. "Greedy little priest."
Flames flickered in his palm. The smoke turned volatile.
"Let your soul burn like the midday sun… bound fool."
The mist ignited into a roaring inferno. Ethan turned his back, assuming victory.
GUNSHOT.
Ethan dropped, clutching his arm.
Through the flame, Akio emerged, half-burned, eyes glowing with divine fury.
"In the name of the Lord…" he whispered.
"I am not done."
Ethan threw a desperate jab. Akio sidestepped, countered with surgical precision.
"PISS OFF!" Ethan roared.
Akio smirked. "Still dreaming of banks, huh?"
He stepped back, voice low and cutting. "Funny how those vaults are worth more than you. What kind of twisted monkey thinks he deserves that gold?"
Ethan laughed bitterly. "Funny how you try to brighten the mood with your cruel jokes…"
"It's the truth anyway."
Akio walked slowly toward him, eyes locked.
"I still got one more trick up my sleeve!" Ethan shouted.
He slapped a time bomb to his chest.
"This is my last resort… Let's see who wins. My masterpiece."
Akio tensed, ready to run.
Ethan set the timer, five minutes.
"Or your beliefs in your foolish god-"
Suddenly, a figure dropped from above, landing hard. The ground cracked beneath him.
"You…" Ethan growled.
Akio turned. "Huh?"
The newcomer glanced at Akio, voice cold. "Step aside, tough boy. I'll take him."
Akio blinked. "What are you spiraling about now? Who are you?!"
Ethan snapped. "Vandal… YOU BASTARD!"
Vandal smirked. "Yes, yes. Calling for duty."
Ethan charged. Vandal dodged elegantly, tossed a grenade. Ethan evaded the blast, shifting uneasily.
"You… You took everything from me, you sick, batshit insane fuckhead!"
"Did I?" Vandal cooed. "Aww… poor little soft-boy still missing your parents I killed off? You orphan. What are you gonna do? Take revenge on me?"
Akio bolted backward.
Ethan's voice dropped cold. "Revenge… is a knife only I have the right to wield. Against you."
"Funny how I could ruin someone's life this much," Vandal said. "Honestly, it makes me want to kill you even more."
He laughed maniacally unguarded.
Ethan struck.
Jabs. Punches. Fury unleashed.
Each hit landed with vengeance. Vandal stumbled, coughing blood.
"S-shit… You got stronger than before, I'll give you that… Soft boy…"
Ethan looked down at his bruised hands. "F-fuck…"
"Ran out of tricks and punches?" Vandal sneered. "That makes it easier to play you."
Ethan collapsed.
"My… legs… I can't stand…"
Vandal turned to Akio. "Thanks for draining him, tough boy. Now…"
He grabbed Ethan by the hair, yanking him up.
"Those punches hurt, y'know… Mind if I return the favor?"
He drove a fist into Ethan's stomach.
"F-FUCK…"
"Again… You said revenge is your knife?"
Another punch, his time to the face.
Vandal rushed forward, picked Ethan up again.
"I ain't DONE with you yet! Here comes the encore!"
A barrage of punches followed, relentless, savage.
As the beatdown continued, Ethan's mind spiraled into memory. Flashbacks of past fights. Of pain. Of Vandal Iscariot.
Years ago.
Ethan walked the quiet halls of the G.O facility.
"This place is… quiet as always…"
"Yo! 'The Disaster' of G.O!" a voice called.
Ethan turned. His blood ran cold.
Vandal.
The man who had taken everything.
"Remember me?" Vandal laughed.
"Dipshit… What do you want?"
"To see how the kid I tortured is living now…"
Ethan tensed. "FUCK OFF… WAIT… H-How are you here?!"
"Paid a lot of money to get in," Vandal said. "Mostly cash from banks and innocent people I robbed. Like your father."
"You brat…"
Ethan dropped into a fighting stance.
"Let's make a deal," Vandal said. "I win, I get your heritage. If I lose, I'll unalive myself."
Before Ethan could answer, Vandal struck.
Grenades flew. Explosions rocked the hall.
"You can die along with your relatives," Vandal sneered.
Ethan screamed in pain.
The beatdown lasted until Vandal grew bored.
"Your bodies like steel," he said. "But you're on the brink of death. How cute. You'll get to see your family soon."
[ < EPISODE 3 - Fly Freely > ]
SLOW MOTION – FADING TO BLACK
Flashback: Ethan's Defeat
Ethan lay sprawled on the cold ground, his body battered, his spirit broken. Blood pooled beneath him, and the taste of failure was bitter on his tongue.
Vandal stood over him, triumphant. "I won, dipshit. Now hand over your ranks."
Ethan coughed, voice hoarse. "F-fucking hell… I failed again. Revenge… slipped through my fingers."
From the shadows, one of the Four Sentinels[1] approached, fury etched into every step. His gaze swept over the scene, demanding answers.
"Who caused this?"
Ethan opened his mouth to speak, but Vandel was faster.
"It was all Ethan!" he barked. "He picked a fight with a low-rank like me!"
"DON'T LISTEN TO HIM—!" Ethan shouted, but pain cut him short.
A jolt of electricity surged through his body. The electro shocker left him paralyzed, twitching. Moments later, he was dragged off, sentenced to prison.
Back to Present
The battlefield was scorched and trembling. Ethan's hand shot out, grabbing Vandel's arm with sudden strength.
"They wouldn't be happy if I didn't take you down first," he whispered. "If I'm going down… you're coming with me."
The timer on the bomb strapped to his chest ticked down: 1 minute, 20 seconds.
Vandal's eyes widened. "The fuck…"
"You're going down with me," Ethan growled.
Vandal backed away, panic rising. "Hell no. I ain't dying today, you bastard!"
Ethan charged. Vandal turned, mocking as he fled. "Rest in peace, Hayes! Tell them I wiped out the entire bloodline!"
Ethan saw the grenade in Vandal's hand, too late.
"OH, YOU'RE GOING NOWHERE—!"
But Vandal hurled it, blasting himself away in a cloud of smoke and debris.
Ethan stood frozen, staring at the sky. "I… I let him go. Again…"
His legs trembled. His heart sank. He was paralyzed, not by pain, but by regret.
Akio stepped forward, tanto blade gleaming in the moonlight.
Timer: 0:40
"Yo, Ethan," Akio said softly. "I saw all those shenanigans."
Ethan didn't turn. "He got away… again. And now I'm gonna die in seconds."
He laughed bitterly. "Fucking hell… I think I'm going to hell. I've done too many crimes…"
Akio interrupted, voice calm. "Now, now… I'm a priest. A messenger of God. And I know this."
He stepped closer. "You are forgiven."
Ethan turned, eyes wide. "Really?.. But…"
"This tanto," Akio said, lifting the blade, "is special. I can infuse it with holy energy by chanting scripture. It's used to send souls peacefully to heaven. For funerals… for release."
He paused. "I could use it on you, if you'd like."
Ethan chuckled, weakly. "Sounds like fairy tales… If this was me before, I'd laugh in your face. But now… I'm desperate."
Timer: 0:25
Akio nodded. "Any last words?"
Ethan looked up. "You'll… really send me to heaven peacefully?"
"Have faith in God," Akio said. "And I will."
Ethan smiled faintly. "Thanks then…"
Timer: 0:15
Akio raised the tanto and began to chant.
"Habakkuk 3:19," he whispered. "'The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights.'"
The blade glowed with divine light.
"Fly freely, my friend," Akio said. "You're free from suffering. Pain at ease, wrath deceased, and freedom released."
Timer: 0:05
Akio plunged the blade into Ethan's chest. Light erupted, pure, radiant, holy.
Akio pulled back, retreating as fast as he could.
Then,
BOOM.
The bomb detonated.
Flames engulfed the battlefield. Smoke billowed. The shockwave knocked Akio off his feet.
He groaned, limping through the haze. "F-fucking hell… That operative caused more pain than he ever deserved…"
He looked back.
"Rest in peace, Hayes."
Through the smoke, Ethan's body lay in ruin, limbs torn, flesh scorched, crumbling to dust.
Akio stared. "Holy shit…"
Ethan was gone.
EXT. CRATER – NIGHT
From the wreckage, a shimmering rift opened. Welt stepped through, calm and composed.
"There goes the first victim," he murmured.
He knelt beside Ethan's remains, hands glowing, trying to restore what was lost.
"Get up," he whispered. "You're not dead… please…"
A voice echoed behind him.
"Oi! Blue-brat!"
Aegis emerged, half-laughing. "What're you doing, 'old friend'? Mind stopping the interference before I make your life even more hell?"
Welt froze. "A-AEGIS?"
He opened a glowing portal and vanished, leaving Ethan's corpse behind.
Aegis sneered. "Coward… I'll make sure you don't escape next time."
<<<<<<<<<< CHAPTER ENDS
[1] The Four Sentinels are the founders of the Government Operatives.