The cold tone slipped from his lips as if it were nothing, steeped in sheer disgust. To him, the sight of Kael trembling—hands clamped tightly over his own ears—was nothing more than a pitiful display of weakness. A fragility so shameful it wasn't even worth tolerating.
And the moment that word left his mouth, Noxis's body vanished from where he stood—moving so fast that no ordinary eye could ever follow. His motion was a crimson flash tearing through the air, faster than light rebounding off the white walls of the room.
And then—
BRUAKK!!
A brutal blow crashed straight into Kael's abdomen.
"Pathetic," he said.
Kael's body lifted slightly, his eyes bulging—
BLUGH!
A burst of dark red blood exploded from his mouth, splattering across the pristine white floor. The sound of him vomiting blood rang sharply, mixed with the violent rush of air from a strike that was far too brutal.
His body was driven backward for several seconds, as if all control had been torn away. But Noxis didn't allow that momentum to fade so easily. A violent gust followed, slamming Kael's body even farther back.
BOOOOMMM!!!
Kael was hurled like a discarded doll, sent flying toward the towering red cubic wall. But before he could truly crash into it...
Once again, a crimson flash overtook his vision.
Noxis was already behind him.
In an instant, the beaked mask twisted in midair. A single merciless kick slammed into Kael's back with lethal force.
DUARR!!
"Ghhk—!"
Kael's body was flung once more, this time in the opposite direction, like a ball struck back with doubled force. In that violent arc, he grit his teeth, his jaw tightening—as if the pain itself forced his consciousness to cling on, restraining agony that threatened to cripple him.
But… behind it all, his eyes slowly began to refocus.
With a growling resolve, Kael slammed his still-moving legs into the floor. His body twisted midair, desperately searching for footing. At last, both feet struck the slick white surface.
—SCREEEKK!
A harsh screech cut through the air as his boots dragged across the floor. He came to a halt in a half-crouch, his body trembling, blood still dripping from his lips.
He raised the back of his hand and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.
"He… really is treating me like a toy," Kael muttered. His breathing was heavy, his chest rising and falling, yet his gaze burned once more with lingering fury.
But before he could properly grasp the distance—or the situation—
SRET.
A cold hand lightly tapped his right shoulder from behind.
Kael's eyes flew wide open.
"Ah—!?"
Noxis was already there, as if he had teleported—though in truth, it was nothing more than speed that defied all laws. One hand rested lightly on Kael's shoulder, while the other was folded behind his back with arrogant ease.
"Shall I continue?" Noxis asked softly, his voice low, calm, brimming with mockery. "Or… would you rather surrender now and come home with me? Let all of this end quickly."
He leaned in slightly, lowering his voice, whispering venomous ridicule directly into Kael's ear.
"There's nothing waiting for you out there, Kael Vieron. Only emptiness. So tell me… why do you keep standing?"
Kael's eyes trembled violently. Yet beneath the shock, his anger surged even higher. Both of his hands clenched into fists.
"Shut up…!!" he roared, his body finally moving on instinct.
Fueled by an explosive rush of emotion, Kael spun around as fast as he could, swinging a powerful kick toward the left side of Noxis's neck.
SWOOOSH!!
The kick came within a hair's breadth of its mark. But calmly—Noxis raised his right hand, palm open, and—
BRAKK!
He knocked Kael's leg aside.
As though brushing away the attack of a child.
The red lenses of his mask flickered briefly. His cold voice followed, lower now, flat—utterly bored with the struggle before him.
"Boring. It seems you'll only submit… if I use more brutal methods."
Before Kael could pull his leg back, Noxis's palm clamped tightly around his ankle.
"I'll keep beating you until you can't even control your own breathing."
The words fell like a hammer. And with a single rough motion, he hurled Kael's body to the side.
WHUUUMMM!!
Kael was flung to the right, spinning through the air. But instead of crashing helplessly, he twisted his body, searching for balance. With sharp agility, he landed on his feet, both soles hitting the floor, posture set for combat despite the overwhelming disadvantage.
Because before he could even draw a breath of relief—Noxis was already in front of him again, streaking in like a living shadow. His right fist slammed straight toward Kael's chest.
Kael froze for a split second—then reacted on pure reflex, crossing both arms in front of his chest.
DUARRR!!
The impact sent him skidding backward, his feet carving long trails across the floor. The shockwave of the blow whipped his hair wildly as his chest felt as though it were being crushed from within.
And without giving him even a moment to breathe—Noxis vanished from sight once more, only to reappear behind him, his left leg swinging diagonally upward from below, aimed to strike from Kael's blind spot.
But this time, Kael was faster.
He slipped out of the attack just before it could land, then twisted his body in one smooth motion, launching a counter—his kick snapping toward Noxis's head.
Yet at the very same instant, Noxis did exactly what Kael had done.
As if he had already known that movement would come.
The result—both of their kicks collided violently in midair, the impact sending opposing shockwaves of wind crashing outward.
BRUSSHHR!
From there—
The barrage began.
Both legs dropped. Noxis pressed in immediately. Punches, kicks, elbows, open-hand slashes, palm thrusts—everything collided in rapid succession.
BAAMM! BRAAKK! DUGGHH!
Every clash birthed violent gusts of wind, as though each of Noxis's strikes carried the weight of a thousand tons. Kael blocked, deflected, and at times could only evade by the narrowest margin.
Now and then, he fired back—spinning kicks, palm thrusts, sharp elbow strikes—but Noxis parried them as if he'd read the movements long before Kael even committed to them.
The white chamber roared, every cubic wall trembling from their impacts.
And that was where the bare-handed fight truly began—fast, brutal, and unrelenting.
Next—
Kael burst forward at a speed that felt as though it exceeded his body's limits, his right fist driving straight toward his opponent's jaw, followed immediately by a diagonal swing of his left elbow.
Noxis deflected the punch with an open palm, then shifted his body just enough for Kael's elbow to carve through empty air. Kael spun, his leg snapping upward in a roundhouse kick. This time, Noxis merely dipped his head slightly, letting Kael's boot pass just over him.
In response, Noxis launched a palm thrust toward Kael's chest.
DUGHH!
The air itself shuddered, as if the walls were shaking. Kael staggered—but he grabbed Noxis's arm, twisting his body to the side, attempting to lock him down. Noxis slid his foot, bent his knee, and drove a sharp elbow straight into Kael's ribs.
BRAKK!
The sound of bone colliding stole Kael's breath for a split second, his face contorting in pain.
But he didn't stop.
Instead, using the pain as momentum, he swung a fierce open-handed slap toward Noxis's face, followed by a stabbing finger strike that resembled a predatory peck aimed at his opponent's shoulder.
Noxis tilted his head aside, letting the slap skim past, then effortlessly trapped Kael's fingers before they could land. A single twist of the wrist—and Kael was nearly wrenched off balance.
"Not fast enough," Noxis murmured flatly.
What he didn't notice—
Was Kael's knee already rising.
DUGHH!
Kael's knee smashed hard into Noxis's abdomen. Noxis's body bent forward just slightly—just enough for Kael to break free.
Kael retreated in a flash, then surged forward again with a relentless sequence—an overhand hammer strike, an open-hand slash toward the side of the neck, followed by a double palm thrust.
WHAM! WHUUSH!
Each strike echoed sharply, the air seeming to tear apart around their movements. Noxis deflected them with almost no effort, every motion resembling a lethal dance.
Yet the longer it went on, the clearer it became—Kael was no longer merely defending.
He was beginning to read the rhythm of his opponent's attacks, adjusting his timing. And though his body still felt shattered, his spirit burned brighter with every exchange.
Every scrape of their feet across the white floor left fleeting streaks of light. Every collision of palms and fists birthed thin sparks, as though the space itself could no longer contain the intensity of their duel.
The battle peaked.
Kael attacked again—rapid punches that shook the air, double palm thrusts that nearly broke through his opponent's guard. But Noxis remained calm, his eyes cold. His voice finally slipped out between the clashes.
"Fast." He deflected Kael's strike, his shoulder rolling forward. "Strong." His elbow cut through the air, barely missing Kael's temple. "But hollow."
Kael growled, twisting his body and firing off a low kick. Noxis hopped lightly, landing with a thin smile that was closer to mockery than amusement.
"Your anger burns," he said, his voice heavy, flat, piercing straight into Kael's ears. "But it isn't yours alone."
"It's a fire nurtured by loss. You've known its taste for a long time already… haven't you?"
Kael hesitated—for a fraction of a second.
His movements slowed.
Noxis stepped forward, easily catching Kael's punch and pressing it aside with casual force.
"A friend," he said quietly. "The one you let fall."
Lira Envar.
The name slid from his lips like a blade of ice.
Kael's eyes flew wide. His breathing faltered. His heart felt as though it had stopped.
"Yes," Noxis continued, pressing harder. "You can hate the system. You can blame the world. But in the end—wasn't it you who failed to hold onto her hand? You simply stood there… and watched her die."
Kael's body froze.
The roar of the crowd, the fog, the last look on Lira's face as she turned back toward him—everything rushed back at once. The barren chasm split open before his eyes, replacing the white floor where they fought.
And in an instant, Kael was dragged back into that memory.
The flash tore through his consciousness mid-battle, ripping him away without warning.
Inside it, the world revealed a time when Kael was still a child—his breath ragged, his feet caked in mud, being pulled along by Lira's small hand, scratched and bleeding. The night was silent, yet filled with distant cheers and the heavy rhythm of pursuing footsteps behind them.
Dry clay cracked beneath their feet. Dead trees stood in rows like gallows, their broken, blackened branches stabbing into the rolling fog. The air was thin and cold, piercing his lungs. Ahead of them yawned a massive chasm—no bottom in sight, only a swirling mass of dense white mist, as though ready to swallow anything that fell in.
Kael halted for a moment. "Lira! What are you doing? Why are we running here?" His voice broke, eyes wide with confusion.
Lira glanced back halfway. Her face was pale, blond hair tangled and clinging to her sweat-soaked cheeks. Beneath her worn clothes, she was clutching something tightly, hidden from view.
"Shhh… don't talk too much. I don't have much time. I—I found something, Kael." Her breathing was short, but her voice was firm.
"Found what? We can talk about this at home!" Kael pleaded, tears welling in his eyes. "I can talk to your father, to the villagers. They'll surely—"
"No!" Lira cut him off, her voice cracking, her eyes glassy with tears. "They've already chosen to stay silent. They're more afraid of the Tyrak system than they are willing to care about us as people." Her breath hitched, her body trembling—but her gaze stabbed straight into Kael's. "You'll see it for yourself soon."
And she was right.
Lantern lights began to surface through the fog. Dozens of villagers gathered, faces Kael had known since childhood now standing behind a line of fully armed Tyrak soldiers. Their cheers tore through the night.
"Throw her away!"
"Cursed child!"
"She deserves to die in the chasm!"
The voices were like knives.
Neighbors who once greeted him warmly at the market, merchants who had once handed him bread—now they shouted with strained eyes, as if Lira's death were a small price to pay for their own safety.
Kael staggered. His body shook violently, his face drained of color. "Why… why are they doing this to you, Lira?" His voice shattered.
Lira drew a long breath, then gripped her worn clothes tightly. She loosened the fabric just enough to reveal a brief glint of a small black metal object—its surface etched with faint lines of light, pulsing like a machine that was still alive.
A fragment of a Core Command Node.
"This is why," Lira whispered, so softly it nearly vanished into the wind. "I found it in the underground storage. They're hiding something from us… from everyone." She looked straight at Kael, her smile bitter, yet warm. "You won't understand now. But one day… you will know what it is you must protect."
Her small hand slipped the object into Kael's pocket—quickly, hidden beneath the cloth. "Keep it. Don't let them find it."
"Hey! Stop right there, both of you!"
A harsh voice cut through the air, accompanied by the thud of a Tyrak soldier's spear striking the ground. Heavy footsteps closed in. Their eyes were cold, their voices brimming with threat.
"The order is clear. Throw the child into the fog."
Kael panicked and stepped forward, crashing into Lira's shoulder. "No! You can't! She did nothing wrong! It's my fault! I—"
"Quiet, brat. I know exactly who I'm looking for." The soldier shoved Kael aside roughly, forcing him down onto his knees. Another grabbed Lira by the shoulder while a second hand searched through her clothes with swift, practiced motions.
There was nothing.
The soldier's brow furrowed.
"Where did you put the thing you stole?" His voice was harsh, the spear's tip pressing dangerously close to Lira's throat.
Lira lifted her head. Tears brimmed in her eyes, yet her smile was gentle—strangely so, as if she were still trying to steady Kael beside her.
"I threw it into the chasm," she said. "I know the rot you're trying to hide. And I know what your system does to people."
The soldier's gaze hardened. He tapped the communicator at his ear, his tone flat. "Target is empty. Fragment not found."
A heavy voice answered from the device, cold and without hesitation. "Dispose of the pest. Do not let it survive."
Kael jolted. "No! Don't! Throw me instead—don't touch her! Please!"
The soldier only exhaled sharply. Without a second thought, he kicked Lira toward the edge.
The crowd's roar surged, tearing through the night like a storm of arrows.
But just before she fell—
Time seemed to slow.
Lira turned her head.
In that instant—an instant that felt like eternity to Kael—her sky-blue eyes were gentle, overflowing with love and pain intertwined. Her trembling hands reached out one last time, brushing toward Kael's face, as if trying to carve his image into her memory.
From above, Kael stretched out his hand. He screamed her name, his voice raw—but Lira did not hear it, as though she had already crossed a boundary he could never follow.
And within the deepest corner of his young heart, a voice echoed:
Kael… live. For me. And for the Assassins who always walk the path of righteousness.
A violent shove ended everything.
Lira's small body was thrown into the chasm, vanishing into the swirling fog that snapped shut like the jaws of a monster.
"LIRAAAAA!!"
Kael's scream split the sky—hoarse, piercing, drenched in pain.
His outstretched hand grasped at nothing, the fog offering no answer. His knees slammed into the ground, his body shaking, his eyes burning and wet.
All that remained was the rolling mist, the savage cheers of the crowd, and the metallic clatter of soldiers turning away with empty faces. That cold silence crushed Kael's chest, carving a wound that would never truly heal.
Kael lay unsteady on the ground, his chest tight, the cheers behind him fading into a distant, nightmarish hum. His hands trembled, clutching at anything he could reach.
And inside his pocket—the small black fragment Lira had slipped there earlier—something suddenly stirred.
The young Kael felt it at once. He reached into his pocket and pulled the object free.
Resting in his open palm, he stared at it with eyes still blurred by tears. For a moment, the faint lines etched across the metal pulsed softly, as if responding to the wound in his heart. A thin light seeped between his fingers—warm, yet heavy with secrets.
Kael kept staring, tears streaming down his face.
Then he closed his hand around it—tight.
His heart lay in ruins. Yet within that devastation, something else began to ignite: rage, resolve, and a vow born of loss—rising slowly into embers fed by hatred.
***