The sky split open into nothingness.
A cosmic black hole collapsed and detonated—not with sound, but with a pressure that crushed space itself. Cosmic particles scattered like shards of light, dancing between dimensional fractures that slowly tore wider.
At the heart of the devastation, a woman descended.
She was breathtakingly beautiful. Her luminous white hair flowed like strands of moonlight, and her clear blue eyes held the depth of entire galaxies. Her gown rippled without wind, as though reality itself bowed to her presence.
Before her stood a man clad in a black shirt and a long black coat. A star-shaped pendant hung from his neck, glimmering faintly against the surrounding darkness. A black earring adorned his ear—an insignificant detail that remained untouched even as the universe crumbled around them.
The woman moved closer.
She pressed her forehead gently against his.
Her hand rose slowly, brushing the star pendant… then resting against his chest.
Light erupted from her palm.
A brilliant white-blue radiance engulfed them both. The pendant at his neck flared intensely, as if answering a call long buried within his soul.
The mysterious Goddess smiled faintly.
A smile both tender… and filled with farewell.
With a gentle push, she sent him falling.
His body shot through layers of the cosmos, carving a streak of light across the void as he plummeted toward a planet known as Starlight-2.
The Goddess watched him with eyes full of warmth.
Then she vanished with the remnants of the cosmic explosion.
His body tore through the atmosphere.
Fire ignited the air around him. He fell… and fell… until he finally struck the ocean with a thunderous impact that shook the water's surface.
He floated.
In the distance, a coastline stretched in bleak desolation—cracked earth and monstrous silhouettes standing in eerie stillness. Their forms were black-purple, their eyes glowing violet, curved horns rising sharply from their heads.
But the man did not move.
Darkness claimed him once more.
"Ahh, you're awake. Thank goodness."
A gentle voice pulled him back.
The man opened his eyes. The sky above him was no longer a cosmic abyss, but gray clouds hanging over the outskirts of a ruined city.
A beautiful girl with wavy black hair and soft bangs gazed at him in relief.
Another young woman with short crimson hair approached cheerfully, brimming with energy.
"Ahhh, thank goodness you're awake! We found you here unconscious," she said excitedly.
The man held his head. The world felt unfamiliar.
"What… what happened? And where am I?" he asked in confusion.
"We're at the outskirts of Aeterna City. We found you collapsed here. We were worried and tried performing CPR on you—fortunately, you woke up," explained the black-haired girl.
"Then… who are you?" he asked, his expression blank.
"My name is Lyra," the wavy-haired girl replied.
"I'm Caelia, a patrol officer of Aeterna City. Nice to meet you. And what's your name?" the red-haired woman asked brightly.
The question left him silent.
He tried to remember.
Nothing.
"What's your name? Don't you know your own name?" Caelia pressed.
"You don't seem to be from around here," Lyra added gently.
"I… I don't remember anything," he muttered, gripping his head as if forcing memories to surface.
"I see. It seems you've lost your memory," Caelia said thoughtfully.
"In that case, how about we call you Vane for now? Until you remember," Lyra offered with a smile.
"Not bad. For now, you can call me that," Vane replied with quiet acceptance.
"Alright then. To make sure you're truly okay, come with us to see Eyon. She was the one who found you and checked your condition earlier. We should examine you again," Lyra said warmly.
They walked along the city's edge.
Modern buildings stood fractured. Cables dangled overhead. The wind carried the scent of metal and dust.
"You can ask anything you'd like," Lyra said.
"What exactly happened here? Why are the clouds suddenly dark?" Vane asked.
"A Void Fracture appeared in this area," Lyra explained.
"A Void Fracture?" Vane echoed.
"Yes. A Void Fracture is like a crack in the earth—like shattered glass. Monsters slip out from between those cracks. We call them Aberrants," Caelia answered.
Suddenly, the ground trembled.
A glowing violet fissure split the earth.
From within emerged a towering humanoid figure—its body black-purple, horns curved sharply, violet eyes blazing.
"Damn it, we were just talking about them and now one shows up!" Caelia shouted.
"Do you think it heard us?" Lyra muttered.
An instinct stirred within Vane.
His hand reached for the rusted sword strapped to his back.
Sring—
The moment his fingers touched the blade, thin golden lines spread from his palm. Rust flaked away instantly, revealing a razor-sharp surface humming with high-frequency resonance.
The monster lunged like black lightning.
Vane moved without hesitation.
He slid low, pivoted—
ZING—!
A single clean slash.
Vane appeared behind the creature, landing on one knee.
The Aberrant froze.
Golden fractures spread across its body like shattered glass.
"Rest," Vane murmured.
CRASH!
The giant body shattered into thousands of black crystal fragments, dissolving into fine violet dust that vanished into the night wind.
The sword in Vane's hand returned to rusted iron.
"Wow, that was incredible, Vane! Even with amnesia, you still know how to fight!" Caelia exclaimed, practically jumping with excitement.
"You might be a Calibrator too," Lyra said as they walked toward a high hill overlooking the city.
"Calibrator?" Vane asked.
Caelia picked up a small stone.
"Do you know why this stone stays a stone and doesn't suddenly turn into water?"
Vane shook his head. "Because… that's just how it is?"
Caelia giggled. "Wrong. It's because the atoms inside it are holding hands very tightly. They obey the laws of the universe. But people like us? We can… bend those rules."
Silver lines glowed beneath her skin. The stone in her grasp burned red, then melted into molten liquid.
"That's called Calibration. The world is built from tiny blocks called atoms. Most people can only see the results. A Calibrator can touch the blocks directly."
"Wait," Vane interrupted. "So what I did earlier… I changed those blocks?"
"Exactly," Caelia said, tossing the molten residue aside. "You commanded the atoms in your sword to compress—making it sharper—or to vibrate faster, creating heat. We call it Atomic Tuning. But, Vane…"
She stared at his palm.
"Normal Calibrators need a 'mark' on their bodies as an engine. But you? You did it without any mark at all. That's like starting a car without a key. It's… impossible."
"And according to history, the only one capable of manipulating atoms without a mark or tool was the First Calibrator… who vanished twenty-five years ago," Lyra added.
"Don't tell me—you're that legendary First Calibrator?" Caelia gasped, grabbing Vane's hand excitedly.
Vane could only stare in confusion.
"But if that were true, he should be much older by now. Yet you look young," Lyra murmured thoughtfully.
Suddenly, their attention shifted below the hill.
A woman stood near a Void Fracture. Her straight hair framed her face with bangs, black fading into white.
"That's Eyon. Why is she standing near the fracture?" Caelia asked.
"Is a Void Fracture dangerous?" Vane questioned.
"Very. Where there's a Void Fracture, Aberrants are certain to appear."
"Then let's go," Vane said.
They leapt from the hill. Wing-like devices unfolded from their backs, glowing softly as they descended.
"You may have amnesia, but you still know how to use that," Caelia smiled.
They landed and approached her.
"Oii, Eyon!" Caelia called out.
Vane followed behind.
Eyon turned.
"So you're awake." Her eyes glowed gold as she scanned him. "Your condition is stable."
Before another word could be spoken—
The earth shook violently.
From the Void Fracture emerged a mid-tier Aberrant—towering, wielding a massive violet axe. Its black-purple body radiated oppressive darkness, its glowing eyes burning fiercely.
It roared.
"Move!" Eyon shouted.
They scattered just as the axe slammed into the ground, carving a crater into the earth.
"You remember how to fight, don't you, Vane? Let's take it down," Lyra said firmly.
Caelia retreated—she was only a patrol officer. Eyon stepped back as well, her powers focused on healing.
Now only Vane and Lyra stood before the creature.
The night wind whispered.
The violet axe rose.
And for the first time since awakening, something within Vane's chest trembled.
The true battle was about to begin.
To be continued…