Beneath the shadow of the night and its cold breath, where the waves of the sea crash against the rocks of a cliff overlooking it…
Inside a large black room, two chairs face each other with a burning candle between them. The atmosphere is cold, and the air is extremely harsh. Sitting on one of the chairs was a man with brown hair wearing a formal suit. He spoke in a calm tone:
"Do those nightmares still come to you?"
The other man replied—his hair white, his long clothes white, his pale face filled with traces of exhaustion:
"Yes… they still come to me."
The brown-haired man sighed, his voice carrying disappointment.
"Alright… I can't help you with this… unless you tell me what happened that day."
"Alright… I think… there's no problem with that."
…
"The sky was clear, the clouds white like silk, the wind strong, and the grass green. I was lying on the green grass when I heard:
'Eugene… Eugene… wake up!'
I opened my eyes, my voice heavy with sleep. 'Ren… what is it?'
'Come on! It's almost sunset.' Ren's tone was full of urgency.
My eyes widened slightly as I said in confusion, 'And what about it?'
'You idiot! Today is my mother's birthday!' he said angrily.
'Oh my God… I forgot to buy a gift.' My expression was a mix of shock and anxiety.
'Then what are you waiting for? Let's go buy my mother a gift!' His voice was filled with haste.
'Alright, alright… but wait! Why are you coming with me to the market?'
'What… I… I want to go with you to help you choose the gift.' His voice was filled with tension and embarrassment.
'Hahahaha! Don't tell me you forgot my mother's gift too!'
'What's wrong with that? It's normal to forget. I'm not an information archive, alright!' He crossed his arms while looking at Eugene.
'Fine. Let's stop mocking each other and go buy the gift.'"
…
After fifteen minutes, inside the market of the village of Iliso, located on the border of the Monian Empire, the market was crowded. The scent of bread filled the air, merchants' voices echoed from every corner, stone roads stretched long, and buildings were painted in red and blue.
Ren came out of a bookstore holding a cooking book and said,
"Hey, Eugene! Look, I bought a cooking book. What did you buy?"
"…Eugene… Eugene! Where did you go?!"
Ren began searching for him, running among townsfolk and merchants, until he found him staring at a book.
"Eugene! Hey! It's almost sunset—we need to hurry!"
Eugene looked at him with wide eyes full of happiness and excitement and said,
"Ren! Look! It's a book about farmers! I dream of becoming a farmer in the future!"
"What?! You, a farmer? Hahaha! Eugene, you don't have the talent, the genes, or the money to become a powerful farmer! Besides, my mother forbids us from becoming farmers. She says it's a dangerous, terrifying, and bloody world!"
"Yes! That's exactly why I want to become a farmer! To gain power, wealth, fame, and freedom! And it's not necessary to have talent or money to become a powerful farmer!" Eugene's voice radiated enthusiasm.
"Ding! Ding! Ding!" The sound of the sunset bell rang.
"Oh no! We're late!" Ren felt tense and rushed.
"Let's go! Hurry!" Eugene didn't waste a second.
He entered the nearby shop and bought a set of cooking utensils. Then Ren and I ran, imagining my mother's reaction to the gift and the delicious food. But fate, it seems, had other plans.
Life is a symphony between comfort and happiness… and sorrow, pain, and surprises.
We were running along the winding stone road climbing toward our home on the mountain, the sea appearing on our left from time to time. Suddenly…
The sky began turning black like a black hole, clouds gathering at its center.
"Ren! Why did you stop? Come on, hurry!" I looked at Ren and found his face filled with fear and tension. He trembled as he pointed at the sky and said,
"Eugene… look!"
I stared in confusion. What was happening?
Then I understood the reason for Ren's frozen fear: strange golden symbols, purple lightning, all converging with the clouds at the center of the sky. Before I could comprehend what was happening, a powerful beam shot down from the sky—directly into the heart of the village.
…Silence. Life slowed to a crawl.
BOOOOOOM!
In moments, everything vanished. Flames spread everywhere as the mysterious beam struck our house atop the mountain. Fire soared across the sky, forming a burning horizon as far as the eye could see.
Screams echoed from behind, ahead, and all directions.
Bodies, blood, fire… all became the orchestra of that day.
My thoughts stopped. A chill spread through my body, my face turning pale with terror.
Before I could understand anything, I heard running footsteps to my left.
"Eugene! Watch out!"
Before I could react, Ren grabbed my hand—
He shoved me toward the sea!
"Ren! What are you doing?!"
As I fell from the mountain cliff, my eyes painted a horrifying picture: fire, bodies, and screams behind me; my brother standing there with terrified eyes; and to my left, a massive rock that would have crushed me had he not pushed me away.
…What… no… Ren… Mother!
Tears gathered in my eyes like a volcano on the verge of eruption.
Time slowed inside my shocked mind: What's the point of living? Who would I live for? My family will die, my home is destroyed. If I die, that would be better.
As I fell rapidly, I glimpsed something that froze my blood: amid the flames, standing at the edge of the mountain with his back turned, was a man wearing a long black coat bearing the emblem of a headless man with six wings.
All I remember is crashing into a rock on the mountain… then losing consciousness.
…
I opened my heavy eyes, weighed down like the burdens of life.
I found myself in a dark room, my hands bound with chains, sitting on an iron chair. I couldn't remember what happened after seeing that mysterious man with the headless emblem.
"Ah! My head hurts so much! Wait—where am I? Where is Ren?!"
My mind replayed those memories in an instant. Fear and panic surged as I tried to break free from the chains.
Then a heavy metal door opened with a screech that filled the room. A person wearing investigator's clothes and a hat entered, sat on the chair opposite me, placed a file on the table, and said in a cold, calm voice:
"Eugene… we need to talk for a bit."
Fear… tension… disbelief… pain… sorrow… emotions like a merciless icy storm swept over my heart, freezing every remaining spark of hope—creating a single artwork titled:
"Eugene's Heart."
End of Chapter One