Crack—BOOM!
Thunder tore across the sky. For a split second, the city of Norus flickered between the storm clouds before darkness swallowed it again.
Inside one rundown apartment, a small, gloomy room sat in near darkness, lit only by a narrow window. The space felt suffocating old books and cracked stationery boxes cluttered every corner. A broken study desk leaned against the wall, and a narrow bed was buried under loose papers and scribbled notes. The air carried the smell of damp wood and days-old dust.
In the farthest corner, Perun sat curled on the cold floor, knees pulled tightly to his chest. Quiet sobs shook his body. He bit his lip to keep the sound in as tears kept falling, one after another. His eyes looked hollow tired of the room, tired of the world, tired of everything.
He stayed like that for a long moment…
until something inside him snapped.
He raised his head slowly, a sharp, burning thought rising behind his swollen eyes. He wiped his cheeks with a trembling hand and forced himself to stand. Moving toward the window, he stared out at the raging storm.
His voice cracked as he shouted into the thunder:
"Ahh! I didn't do anything wrong… yet this world treats me like garbage! If I ever get the chance—if fate gives me even a single moment—I'll destroy this world. I'll tear it all down!"
His anger filled the room like a curse thrown at the sky. The thunder outside felt small compared to the storm raging in his chest.
But the fury didn't last.
His shoulders sagged, the fire fading into a quiet hopelessness. He lowered his head and muttered under his breath:
"But what can I even do…? I'm just hopeless."
Silence returned.
Only the rain tapped gently against the window, indifferent to everything just like the world had always been.
Outside, the storm grew worse. Winds howled through the alleys, lightning slashed the sky, and rain hammered the rooftops with reckless force. Yet Perun's expression stayed cold and sharp, like a blizzard trapped inside a broken boy.
Minutes passed as he stared through the cracked glass, eyes searching for something—anything—far beyond the storm.
Then…
a voice.
A divine voice.
It echoed from the heavens, deep and resonant, rolling through the clouds above Norus. The storm twisted, forming a spiraling vortex. From that violent whirl, a mysterious presence emerged—a figure descending rapidly through rain and thunder, heading straight for Perun's room.
Perun froze.
Something was coming toward him
no… someone.
Instinct took over. He rushed to slam the window shut, but
Too late.
A violent gust burst through the opening as an unidentified figure crashed inside, slamming into Perun and throwing him to the ground. His head struck the floor hard.
Everything went black.
For a moment, he floated in a strange void weightless, drifting.
Then a hand shook his shoulder.
Again harder.
"Wake up," a deep voice murmured.
Perun groaned as pain shot through his skull. His eyelids twitched, slowly opening.
"Ahh… it hurts…"
When his vision cleared, he saw a man standing over him a figure with damp black hair, storm-sharp eyes, and an unreadable expression. No anger. No concern. Just calm observation.
Perun's instincts screamed. He scrambled backward.
"W-Who the hell are you?! And how did you come flying through my window?!"
The stranger didn't react. He straightened, answering with a calm, steady tone:
"My name is Vaelor. I am a fragment of a supreme power, from a realm far beyond this world."
He paused, meeting Perun's stunned, frightened gaze.
"Now… tell me about yourself."
Perun froze, stunned by the man standing before him. His heartbeat spiked, confusion and fear tightening every muscle in his body.
"What are you even saying?" he snapped, voice rising despite the tremor in it. "Who the hell are you? You look like some random thug. Is this some new scam trick or what?"
There was anger in his face, but the fear underneath it was obvious.
"If you don't leave right now," he warned, "I'm calling the cops."
Vaelor didn't react. Didn't blink. He simply tilted his head, as though evaluating Perun's panic rather than responding to it. A faint, unreadable smile touched his lips.
"As I said earlier… I am Vaelor, emissary from the Realm of Dominion."
His gaze shifted slightly, as if another thought slipped in.
"I've come here to gather some information for a report."
Perun instinctively stepped back again. His fingers twitched at his sides, caught between the urge to defend himself and the urge to bolt. His forced smile only grew more strained with every step.
"Oh, so let me guess," he muttered, sarcasm dripping through the fear, "you're from some different universe or whatever, and you came here to file a report. In my apartment. In the middle of a storm. Yeah… sure. That makes total sense."
Vaelor answered calmly.
"Not a different universe. A realm far beyond the reach of this world."
"Right…" Perun breathed, clearly unconvinced.
He inched backward, using the wall to guide himself toward the door. And by the time Vaelor finished speaking
Perun was already there.
He let out a shaky breath, flung the door open, darted outside, and slammed it shut behind him. His hands trembled as he locked it using the key from his pocket.
"Report, my ass," he muttered as he backed away. "You're just some thug. Because I'm alone and weak, you think I'm easy to push around…"
From inside the room, Vaelor's calm voice drifted out, muffled by the wooden door.
"I'm telling you the truth. Take your time."
Perun clenched his jaw.
"Oh no… what do I do now? Should I call the cops or handle him myself?" he thought, panic crawling through him.
He rushed to the apartment's exit door, where an old landline sat on a dusty cupboard. He grabbed the receiver—
No dial tone.
The line was dead.
Unpaid bills.
"Great… just perfect," he whispered harshly. "No phone, no one nearby, rain pouring outside… I'm screwed."
His eyes scanned the dim hallway until they stopped on a floor wiper leaning near the wall.
"…Should I just charge in and fight him?"
He grabbed the wiper, ripped off the cleaning head, and held the long metal rod like a makeshift weapon.
"This is better," he whispered to himself. "One-on-one. The room is pitch dark—he won't see me clearly. And I know every corner of my own apartment. If I hit first, I can knock him out."
Fueled by shaky determination, Perun crept back to his room. His footsteps were slow, careful. When he reached the door, his first instinct was to rush in
But then he looked at his thin arms and sighed.
"…Yeah, no. That's a terrible idea."
He crouched and peered through the keyhole instead.
Vaelor was still sitting calmly on the chair, the same faintly amused expression on his face, as if none of this chaos bothered him at all.
Perun scowled.
"How shameless is this guy?" he whispered. "A thug sitting like a saint after breaking in… does he think he can fool me?"
He straightened.
"I need to trick him. If I open the door normally, he'll be ready."
With a suddenly neutral tone, he called out:
"Hey, man… you still there? Vaelor?"
"Yes," Vaelor replied calmly.
Perun forced his voice to soften, pretending to believe him. "Look… after thinking about everything you said, I'm starting to believe you. Maybe you're not lying. The universe is big and unpredictable, right?"
Quietly, he slid the key into the lock and turned it.
A soft click.
"Huh… the door's stuck," Perun said, keeping his tone casual. "Come here and check it."
Inside, Vaelor stood. His slow, steady footsteps grew louder as he approached the door.
Perun tightened his grip on the metal rod, positioning it perfectly for a strike.
"This is going exactly how I need it to," he whispered, adrenaline rushing through him. "When he opens the door… I hit first. I overpower him. I tie him up. End of story."
The footsteps stopped just inches away.
Perun raised the rod.
His muscles tensed.
His breath slowed.
Vaelor was right behind the door.