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Great Mystic World

Dragonbreath
7
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Chapter 1 - Chapter 1: Introduction

Chapter 1:

The clock was a torture device.

Akira stared at his wrist, his eyes burning with a focus so intense it looked like he was staring down an enemy on a battlefield. To any outsider, he was just a student in a classroom. To Akira, every tick of the second hand felt like a drumbeat in a war that hadn't started yet.

One hour.

2:00 PM.

"Today, students, we will discuss a turning point in our history," the teacher's voice droned on, cutting through the stagnant air of the room. "The Second World War."

Akira didn't blink. What's important about that? he thought bitterly. The past is dead. The present is moving too slow.

"Everything began when a man named Lawrence Mark, the leader of the Cestic Graph Feral Alliance—the CGF—attempted to seize the Tunland Islands," the teacher continued, his chalk screeching against the board as he drew a jagged coastline. "The Tunland soldiers fought bravely, but they weren't fighting men. They were fighting an ending. They were eliminated to the last soul."

Only five minutes? Akira's grip tightened on his pen. It felt like an hour. Why is time stretching? Why does the air feel so heavy?

The lecture became a blur of dates and names.

2:30 PM. Thirty minutes left. Halfway through the cage.

2:45 PM. Fifteen minutes. Just fifteen more.

2:55 PM. Five. Four. Three. Two...

3:00 PM.

The bell screamed. It was the most beautiful sound Akira had heard all day.

"We will continue the second half of the CGF conquest next week," the teacher called out over the rustle of bags and scraping chairs.

Akira was already at the door. He didn't just walk out; he escaped.

"Oye, Kenji," Akira said as the group made their way down the familiar path from school. Beside him walked his brother, Shinji, and their circle of friends: Shiro, Takashi, Riko, and the perpetually confused Kenji.

Kenji looked up. "What?"

"How many fingers do I have?" Akira asked, his face deadpan.

Kenji blinked, looking at Akira's hands. "Five... no, ten. Obviously."

Akira sighed, a look of mock pity crossing his face. "And that is exactly why you got a zero on the test, you idiot."

"Hey! I have ten fingers! Everyone has ten fingers!" Kenji barked, turning to the others for backup.

Akira turned to Takashi. "Tell him. How many do we have?"

Takashi didn't even look up from his stride. "We have twenty. Five on each hand, and five on each foot. You didn't specify 'hand fingers,' Kenji. You're losing your edge."

"I thought he meant—!"

Suddenly, the banter died. Akira stopped mid-sentence. His eyes went wide, the pupils shrinking to pinpricks. The world around him didn't just slow down; it turned gray.

"Akira?" Shinji reached out, but his brother was already falling.

He hit the ground with a dull thud, unconscious before he even touched the dirt.

The hospital was a blur of white lights and sterile smells. When the doctor finally emerged, he looked more confused than worried.

"I don't know why he collapsed," the doctor admitted, scratching his head. "But his vitals... they're impossible. He isn't just healthy; he's optimal. His cellular density, his heart rate—he's the most perfect specimen of a human I've ever seen. He should live for a hundred and fifty years at this rate."

But at Shinji's house, the mood was dark. Their mother, Maki, hovered over Akira's sleeping form while their grandmother fretted about him being hungry.

Unable to stand the tension, Shinji and the others headed toward the outskirts of town, seeking the quiet of the forest to clear their heads.

"He's fine, right?" Riko whispered, kicking a stone. "He just... collapsed."

"We'll find out when he wakes up," Shinji said, though his eyes remained troubled. "Look, let's just see if there are any new animals out today. Anything to take our minds off—"

He stopped. In a clearing ahead, a strange boy stood alone.

Then, the shadows moved. A massive, twisted creature lunged from the brush, its claws aimed at the stranger's throat.

The boy didn't flinch.

"Golden Hand."

A shimmer of light, then a massive, translucent golden palm materialized in the air. It didn't just hit the beast; it flattened it. The creature tried to snarl, to block, but the golden force was absolute.

"These little animals," the boy muttered, his voice cold. "Always so hungry."

The stranger turned, his eyes narrowing as he sensed the eyes on him. "Who's there?"

Shinji and the others froze. The boy's language was strange—guttural and melodic at the same time. They couldn't understand a word.

The boy realized this, reaching for a small, metallic device on his belt. He pressed a button, and a soft hum filled the air. "I said... who is there?" This time, the words translated perfectly in their minds.

The group stepped out from the bushes, hands raised instinctively.

"I am Haruto," the boy said, dusting off his jacket. "The Golden Star. And you are trespassing on a live combat zone."

"So what?" Shiro challenged, though his voice wavered.

"So what?" Haruto smirked. "You just saw me crush a beast with my will, and you ask 'so what'? You're either very brave or very stupid."

"That hand..." Takashi stepped forward. "Was that magic?"

"Magic? No. This is Ki," Haruto explained, his tone shifting to that of a teacher. "The lifeforce of the universe. We use it to fight, to build, to transcend. There is Basic Ki, which anyone can learn, and Special Ki—like my Golden Hand—which you are either born with or you aren't."

He looked them over with a calculating gaze. "Every human has 365 Pin Points in their body. They are the gates for Ki. Since you're from this backwater world, you've probably only ever had one open."

Haruto checked a device on his wrist. "Trustworthy enough. Fine. Consider this a gift from the Golden Star."

He moved with blinding speed. Before Shinji or Takashi could blink, Haruto's hands were pressed against their foreheads.

"I'll open every gate your body can handle," Haruto muttered.

A surge of heat exploded in Shinji's chest. It felt like a dam breaking, a roar of energy rushing through his veins that made his vision turn white. When the light faded, Haruto was stumbling back, his jaw dropped in pure disbelief.

"What... what are you people?" Haruto gasped, staring at his scanner. "100 Pin Points? Both of you? And a Heavenly Grade Talent?"

Shinji looked at his hands. He could see the air vibrating. He could hear the heartbeat of the trees. The world was no longer gray.

"So," Shinji whispered, feeling a power that felt like it could shatter mountains. "This is Ki."

[End of Chapter 1]