The Storm Belt was roaring.
Waves like black mountains rose and fell in the distance, smashing against each other with thunderous booms that shook the tiny fishing village of Ostin Reef. The world was loud, yet inside a small wooden hut by the pier, there was only silence and the sound of controlled breathing.
A boy stood in the center of the room—bare feet on dusty floorboards, fists clenched, sweat sliding from his chin.
His name was Ryu Soryu.
Fourteen years old.
Unknown parents.
A boy who should've been ordinary.
But he wasn't.
Because at that moment, as he inhaled slowly, the air around him shifted. Dust swirled upward. The lantern flame in the corner flickered violently.
Ryu opened his eyes.
A thin layer of faint silver aura wrapped around his arms—visible, unstable, but undeniably Nen.
He exhaled sharply.
And the aura shattered like weak sparks.
"Damn it… again."
Ryu's hands trembled, not from fear, but from frustration. He had awakened Nen only two months ago—accidentally—during a storm that nearly swallowed Ostin Reef whole. He remembered the moment too clearly: the sky splitting open with a white crack, a tornado of ocean water rising, and within it… something looking back at him.
Something enormous.
Something ancient.
He remembered waking up on the shore three days later, with no injuries except a strange mark burned across his right forearm—a swirling symbol shaped like a dragon's eye.
He didn't tell anyone.
Not the fishermen who raised him.
Not the local medic.
Not even the traveling Hunter who visited the village last year and taught basic aura theory to curious villagers.
Ryu whispered, "Why can't I control this aura…? What did I see that night?"
He sealed his aura, dropping into total silence.
Knock. Knock.
"Ryu! Hey! You awake?" a cheerful, young voice called from outside.
Ryu slid the door open to find Lio, his childhood friend, balancing a basket of fish on his shoulder, grinning like a fool.
"You're sweating again," Lio smirked. "Practicing that aura stuff?"
"No," Ryu lied immediately.
Lio raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, sure. And I'm secretly a Twelve Zodiac."
Ryu cracked a brief smile. "What do you want?"
"The Captain's looking for you. Big news. Something about a visitor."
"A visitor?" Ryu blinked. "To this village?"
"Yeah. A Hunter." Lio leaned in dramatically. "A real one."
Ryu's heart skipped.
Another Hunter? Now?
Had they sensed something?
Had they come because of him?
He quickly shook the thought off and followed Lio to the pier.
The usual sight of old fishermen preparing nets and boats greeted them—except today, everyone was gathered in a circle around a newcomer.
A tall man with black hair tied into a ponytail.
Muscular.
Wearing a long coat with the Hunter Association emblem on the sleeve.
A large metal suitcase rested at his feet.
He was smiling gently, yet the air around him felt… sharp.
When Ryu stepped closer, the man looked straight at him, as if he had been waiting.
"You must be Ryu Soryu," the man said. "I've heard rumors about you."
Ryu stiffened. "From who?"
"Your village captain," the man replied calmly. "But also…"
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"…from the Nen signature you've been trying to hide."
Ryu's breath caught in his throat.
The villagers looked confused—few of them even understood what Nen was. But Ryu felt it instantly:
The Hunter was releasing a calm, gentle aura… but beneath it was something massive and monstrous, like a sleeping beast.
The man extended a hand.
"I'm Kailan Voss. A Triple-Star Hunter. I specialize in unique aura phenomena… and I believe you're connected to one."
Ryu didn't take the hand.
"I don't know what you mean."
Kailan laughed softly. "Playing dumb, huh? Fine. Then tell me this: two months ago, during the Black Storm—did you see something in the sky?"
Ryu's blood went cold.
"How did you know?"
"Because I was investigating that storm myself." Kailan's voice deepened. "And because that phenomenon… matches signs of a Primordial Nen Entity."
The murmurs among the fishermen grew restless, though most had no idea what Kailan meant.
Ryu spoke slowly.
"What is a Primordial Nen Entity?"
Kailan looked toward the sea, eyes darkening.
"A creature older than every known Nen beast. Older than human Nen itself. Something that existed before aura was even 'aura.' Something the Association has kept classified for decades."
He met Ryu's gaze again.
"And according to my readings… one of them awakened the night you survived the storm."
Ryu stepped back.
"No. That's impossible."
"Then show me your arm," Kailan said quietly. "The mark. The one shaped like a dragon's eye."
Ryu froze completely.
How did he—
Kailan lowered his voice so only Ryu could hear.
"That mark binds you to a fate you didn't choose. If you don't learn to control the power inside you, that thing—whatever it is—will reclaim you."
Ryu said nothing.
Kailan's tone hardened.
"I'm giving you a choice. Come with me to the Hunter Association. Begin real training. Understand what happened to you."
"Why me?" Ryu whispered.
Kailan's answer was simple.
"Because the world-changing level of Nen you brushed against isn't something a child should face alone… and because that Entity will soon awaken again."
A powerful gust of wind swept across the pier, almost on cue.
Ryu stared at his hand—trembling not from fear, but something deeper. A feeling he had tried to ignore. The hunger he felt the night of the storm… the pull.
The desire to know more.
Lio whispered beside him, "Ryu… you're actually thinking of going?"
Ryu closed his eyes.
His entire life, the world had been small—just the village, the waves, the wooden hut. But the night the sky cracked, he felt something enormous calling to him. A world beyond anything he had known.
When he opened his eyes again, they were clear.
"I'll go."
Kailan nodded approvingly. "Good."
But before anyone could relax—
BOOOOM!
A violent explosion erupted at the far end of the coast. Everyone turned in shock as a massive geyser of water shot into the air—along with a creature rising out of the sea.
Gray skin.
Glowing red eyes.
Claws like sharpened blades.
A mutated Sea Ravager—twice the size of any normal one.
Villagers screamed and ran.
Kailan's expression darkened. "This is too sudden… something is controlling it."
The beast roared and charged toward the pier.
Kailan reached for his suitcase.
But before he could open it—
Ryu moved.
Instinctively.
Recklessly.
Before his fear could catch up.
His aura burst to life—silver sparks igniting around his body.
"Ryu!!" Lio screamed.
Kailan's eyes widened.
So he can summon aura under fear… impressive.
Ryu sprinted straight toward the monster.
The Ravager swung its massive claw.
Ryu ducked under it, aura flaring wildly around him.
His fist clenched.
His muscles tightened.
And for a moment—just a moment—he felt something awaken within his core.
Like a sleeping heartbeat.
DOOM.
The silver aura around him sharpened, swirling like wind.
Ryu threw a punch.
It connected with the monster's jaw.
CRAAACK!
The Ravager reeled backward, stunned—its jaw cracked, blood spraying like mist.
Everyone, even Kailan, stood frozen.
This kid… he has the potential to rival top Hunters one day.
The Ravager roared again in fury and lunged.
Ryu gathered aura in his hands—but it flickered violently, unstable. He clenched his teeth. Not now. Not now. Don't disappear!
But the aura flickered out completely.
The claw descended.
Kailan appeared behind Ryu instantly—having moved faster than a blink.
His voice was calm.
"Step back."
He opened his suitcase, revealing a massive black gauntlet covered in runic metal plates. Kailan slipped it onto his right arm as aura poured into it.
"Buster Type Nen Weapon… Gauntlet: Ragnarok."
Kailan's aura flared—not gentle now, but ferocious, shaking the air.
The Ravager lunged.
Kailan punched once.
A shockwave of pure red aura erupted—the air ripped apart, water exploded outward, and the Ravager's entire upper body disintegrated into the sea with a thunderous boom.
Silence.
Everyone stared in shock.
Kailan lowered the gauntlet, exhaled slowly, then turned to Ryu.
"You're strong… but your aura is unstable. You're suppressing something deeper."
His eyes were sharp.
"We don't have time. If that creature appeared here, then something—or someone—is already looking for you."
Ryu stared at his trembling hands.
The burst of power he felt moments ago—he hadn't imagined it.
It was real. And terrifying.
Kailan placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Pack what you need. We're leaving at dawn."
Ryu nodded slowly.
But as he turned away, the mark on his arm pulsed once—faintly, but enough for Kailan to notice.
He didn't say anything.
But he recognized the symbol.
A Primordial Dragon's Sigil.
A mark that should not exist.
---
END OF CHAPTER 1