Earth had once experienced its golden age hundreds of years ago, when civilization transformed into something luxurious and highly modern. If you went to the city center back then, you wouldn't find any color other than aluminum.
Yeah, that was the era when Earth reached its peak. Unfortunately, the more advanced technology became, the more humans grew greedy and abused the knowledge they possessed.
Ninety years ago, a massive destruction occurred, shattering Earth into nine Continents. It all began with humanity's greed—the desire to dominate Earth and reshape the World's order under their control.
Because of that destruction, Earth suffered great losses. Fortunately, the number of casualties wasn't too high. That was thanks to the advanced technology at the time, which allowed a sophisticated device to predict the catastrophe long before it happened.
Even so, humanity still had to rebuild the World's entire system from scratch.
At a press conference in the year 4718, scientists proposed a crazy idea—one that, unfortunately, was approved by the higher-ups and key government officials.
It was an idea to explore other planets and search for something called "magic." It wasn't without reason that they agreed to it. After years of research, they found that the use of magic could at least minimize destruction compared to the use of technology centuries ago.
Since then, the leading figures of the HBA (Heroic Bureau of Amerion) began leaving Earth one by one in search of that mystical force known as magic. From that moment on, the use of technology on Earth was drastically reduced and gradually eliminated.
Humanity returned to a way of life similar to thousands of years ago—long before the age of technology. Though certain essential technologies deemed harmless were still permitted to operate, they were heavily regulated.
Unfortunately, the decision to "steal" magical energy from other planets didn't make Earth any better than when it relied on technology.
Year 4812...
The present day.
"Shh! Lower your voices."
After hearing Caspian's instruction—a man dressed entirely in black—the other two only nodded and followed his command.
The three of them, wearing outfits resembling those of ancient humans—layers of cloth like mythical beings—were currently hiding behind the crumbling wall of an old futuristic structure.
From their appearance alone, one could tell they were heroes from the HBA (Heroic Bureau of Amerion), a massive organization founded centuries ago to serve as Earth's elite defense force.
Their duty was to maintain security, peace, and to stand as the front line against anything that threatened humanity or Earth's existence.
"So here's the plan." Caspian gave further instructions, forming a small circle with his two companions as they discussed their strategy.
"Valen, you'll hypnotize that creature and give me time to knock it down." He looked at Valen, who nodded, then shifted his gaze to the man beside her. "And you, Lucien. Once I bring it down, you'll trap the monster's body in your ice confinement. When it's frozen, I'll use the Star Shard Hammer to finish it off."
"Understood?" Caspian glanced between the two.
Lucien remained silent at first, but when he saw Valencia—a red-haired girl—nod, he had no choice but to nod as well, though uneasiness began to grow inside him.
Moments later, Valencia dashed forward at lightning speed, leaving behind a crimson aura near Lucien and Caspian. In just the blink of an eye, she was already behind a three-headed serpent monster.
At a glance, the creature looked like an ordinary hydra—except one of its heads was at its tail. The beast seemed to have no end, as both its top and bottom were heads.
That was what made the monster, known as the Bio-Hydra, immediately sense Valencia's presence. It stared sharply, flicked its long tongue, and flared the hood on its head.
Valencia didn't move. She stood still, alert. Then her ocean-blue eyes turned pink. "Mirage Veil, activate!"
Right after she shouted that, the monster's eyes reflected the same pink light, and its body stiffened completely. The Bio-Hydra stood frozen, unable to move.
It was one of Valencia's basic skills—she, the illusion master, could manipulate and trap her enemy's mind within her illusion. Unfortunately, it only lasted fifteen seconds.
"Caspian, hurry!" Valencia shouted.
The man nodded, leaping forward and landing right in front of the monster. As his muscular hand rose, a metallic gauntlet instantly encased his fist.
He glared at the immobilized Bio-Hydra, then jumped again, throwing a powerful punch toward the massive five-meter-tall creature. "Thunder Fist!"
Sparks of lightning crackled across the monster's body, but to his dismay, it didn't fall. The creature still stood unmoving in its place.
"Only ten seconds left!" Valencia yelled.
Running out of time, Caspian raised both hands, electricity coursing from his fists to his shoulders. He rolled his shoulders to warm up, then leapt once more.
This time, Caspian used both fists, slamming them down hard on the monster's head with a fierce roar. "Double Thunder Fist!"
A thunderous roar echoed as Valencia swiftly pulled Caspian's body away with a movement as fast as light, distancing them from the falling debris caused by the monster's collapse.
"Cough! Cough!"
Both of them coughed as the filthy pollution entered their lungs.
Lucien, who was watching from behind the ruins, could only swallow hard as he muttered to himself, "Oh my god, is it my turn now? How am I supposed to tell them that my freezing magic isn't even complete yet? I haven't even tried it before."
"Ah, damn it! In a world as chaotic as this, I should've spent my time sleeping and relaxing at home, not risking my life to save people who don't even know whether I live or die," Lucien continued.
"Lucien, now!" Valencia shouted.
The shout snapped Lucien out of his thoughts. He nodded and started walking slowly toward them, but Caspian's voice rang in his ears again.
"Faster, Lucien! We only have a few seconds left!"
Without waiting any longer, Lucien finally jumped and extended both hands forward, right above the fallen monster.
He closed his eyes and muttered, "System, help me."
[Your magic is unstable. You cannot use freezing magic right now. If you force it, it will damage your mana.]
The man ignored the system's warning until blue light began to emit from both his palms. "Freezing Ray!"
[- 60 MP]
[Hit! 10 damage!]
"Only ten damage?" Lucien thought. Before he could even recover from his shock, a deafening roar hit his ears.
Moments later, Lucien's body was thrown back, rolling several meters away.
The monster had regained control of itself. It roared furiously, the sound impossible to describe, before glaring at Lucien's crumpled form among the ruins, grimacing in pain.
The Bio-Hydra slithered forward on its belly, its gaze hungry. There was no proper way to describe how the creature moved—what mattered was that it made Caspian and Valencia panic.
"Lucien!" Valencia screamed. She looked at Caspian frantically. "Hold off the Bio-Hydra! Give me time to save Lucien!"
"But—" Before the man could finish his words, Valencia had already teleported and pulled Lucien's body away.
Luckily, nothing could match Valencia's speed so far. By the time the monster unleashed a fireball, Lucien and Valencia were already in a safe spot.
But the monster didn't stop—it slithered swiftly toward Lucien. Fortunately, Caspian was already there to block it with his shield. "Thunder Hand Shield!"
Seeing that, Valencia only glared sharply at the man she had just set down. "How could this happen? Leader Eliot clearly said freezing magic was the only thing that could defeat the Bio-Hydra. So why did the opposite happen?"
"I'm sorry. But the truth is, I still can't fully control that magic." Lucien lowered his head, unable to look into Valencia's eyes, which always seemed terrifying to him.
"What?! You can't control your magic and yet you recklessly joined this mission with us? What if something happened to you and you endangered us? Lucien, this mission almost failed because of your carelessness!"
Look how terrifying Valencia was when she was angry. Ah, no. She was always terrifying to Lucien—Valencia was always emotional whenever she was near him. And honestly, it always ignited Lucien's temper as well.
Just like now, as Lucien returned her sharp gaze. "I never wanted to join this mission or save the world in the first place. It was your Leader who kept forcing me to do it."
Valencia's eyes widened at those words, then she nodded slowly. "Once this is over, I'll talk to the Leader about removing you from the team."
"But you'll have to be ready to lose your memories and your soul, along with your powers being taken back." She paused, staring coldly at Lucien. "Loser," Valencia whispered with venom.
Unwilling to wait for a reply, the girl dressed in red and black turned around and rejoined the fight with Caspian.
Unbeknownst to Valencia, that last word lingered in Lucien's mind, igniting something burning inside his chest. His hands clenched tightly on their own.
"Loser? Who does she think she is? She's just an arrogant, self-righteous girl who enjoys belittling others." As the fire of rage flared within him, Lucien stood up. "Fine then, let's see who the real loser is."
He lost control as flames began spreading across his entire body. Each step he took toward the battlefield left trails of burning fire beneath him.
His hazel eyes turned red, while the other one turned blue. Suddenly, Lucien seemed like someone empowered by the universe itself—or maybe that was just his imagination. Who knew?
Lucien no longer felt the pain from being thrown by the monster earlier.
His arrival on the battlefield—with such a terrifying aura—made Valencia, who had just received a scratch on her neck, smile faintly. A smile no one else could see, only she herself could feel.
Even Caspian, panting heavily, still had time to glance at Lucien with a puzzled frown. "What's with this burning aura that pierces to the bone?"
Caspian was even more shocked when a burst of fire shot past him—coming from Lucien, who had merely flicked his hand. "Fire Spear!"
[Hit! 85 damage!]
When Caspian turned around, he was stunned to see the Bio-Hydra almost devouring his head. He could only swallow hard as Lucien dashed past him, leaping forward, leaving trails of orange and blue flames.
"Infernal Ice Seal!" Lucien shouted.
[Hit! 270 damage!]
Both of his hands extended forward—flames erupted from his right hand, and freezing ice from his left. At that moment, the Bio-Hydra was trapped in a block of solid ice, engulfed in fire burning within it.
Yes, the monster was burning in Lucien's scorching flames. Amazingly, the fire couldn't melt the ice that trapped it. Everyone knew that fire should melt ice—yet this one didn't.
[Mission complete! You have gained 300 stat points!]
That horrifying yet magnificent sight left Caspian and Valencia frozen in place. A few seconds later, Caspian clapped enthusiastically. "You're incredible, Lucien! You've completed the mission!"
The monster was now reduced to ashes. Unfortunately, Lucien hadn't returned to normal. The fire that had been crawling on his body now engulfed him completely in blazing flames.
Even worse, Lucien began walking forward, his fiery steps setting small patches of ground ablaze. He approached Valencia, radiating intense heat.
[Warning! Your body is in danger! Regain control immediately!]
[You have lost control! Please regain control immediately!]
Seeing that, Valencia instinctively stepped back slowly, avoiding Lucien. "Oh my god, has he lost control? Is he trying to get revenge?"
"Hey, Lucien! Control yourself! You might hurt her!" Caspian shouted from afar, panic rising in his voice.
At that moment, Valencia gathered her courage to speak. "Lucien, calm yourself down. We've already won. You completed the mission."
But even when Valencia's back was pressed against the wall, Lucien didn't stop. He kept moving closer until the girl could feel her skin burning alive.
"LUCIEN!"