"Helppp!! There are too many!!"
A Sal shouted, stumbling backward, his sword trembling in his hand.
Okay… first of all:
What is a Sal?
Sal are fighters. Protectors of humanity.
Twelve years ago… magical powers awakened in every human.
Everyone has them now.
Some use them for good.
Some do nothing.
And others… use them for evil.
The Sals — they are the guardians.
The balance.
There are different ranks:
From lowest to highest:
Sal -1, Sal 0, Sal 1, Sal 2, Sal B, Sal A, Sal S.
But you can't just choose your rank.
It's not about training or desire.
Each person has a limited amount of magic.
And each has unique abilities.
Often passed down through families.
Mother: Crystal Magic
Daughter: Ice Crystals
Daughter of the daughter:—
"THAT'S ENOUGH!!"
someone suddenly yelled from the crowd.
"Help! There are too many!!"
A Rank 2 Sal shouted.
Behind him stood two Rank 1s and eight Rank 2s.
They were fighting the so-called Suls —
the ones who use magic for evil.
Usually, you can feel it from the heart.
Because magic comes from the heart.
Most Suls use Shadow Magic —
one of the four ancient forces:
Shadow – Water – Fire – Light.
In the middle of the city:
"The Suls are advancing! We have to push them back!!"
yelled the Rank 2 Sal.
"Move aside. I'll handle this."
He faced off against a Sul.
"Last warning… I will atta—"
Before he could finish,
multiple shadow hands shot toward him.
"LIGHT SHIELD!!"
he screamed.
The Tank of the group reacted just in time —
blocking the attack.
But then…
A loud explosion!
Both squads looked up —
and saw him.
A massive black dragon hovered above the city.
Riding it was a man…
a scar across his right eye.
A red cloak.
Everything else – pitch black.
Red eyes.
A sword with a red gem at its center.
"FIREBORN is here!! Go, dragon! DESTROY EVERYTHING!!"
the man roared.
The Dark King had arrived.
An S-Rank Sal stepped forward.
"Who are you?" he asked.
The man replied:
"Fireborn."
"The new king of mankind."
The S-Rank narrowed his eyes.
"I doubt that."
They fought.
But the battle was… one-sided.
Fireborn brought the S-Rank Sal to his knees.
Blood dripped from his wounds.
"You haven't seen my real power yet…"
the Sal whispered, barely breathing.
"I can only use it once every five years. But for this moment… I'll give everything I have."
"Sealing Magic… SHADOWLAND!!"
A black sphere formed —
it sucked Fireborn inside, like a vortex.
But the S-Rank couldn't survive.
He collapsed — drained of all blood and magic.
Fireborn was gone.
But his dragon escaped.
And with it came the change:
Since that day,
seven portals appear in the city every week.
The Sals fight tirelessly to protect humanity.
But no one knows…
if Fireborn still lives.
5 AM.
Beep beep beeeep—
The sound came from a phone. It was an alarm.
A boy woke up slowly.
"Oh man… the last day here in this apartment they gave me. No idea why."
he muttered.
"My name's Mike Tyl.
I lost my parents in a car accident a few years ago.
Now I only have one thing left from them: this weird necklace from my mom."**
He looked at the necklace thoughtfully.
"To be honest, I've almost forgotten them. I don't remember much… I have no friends. I don't belong anywhere. But I don't care. I have a dream."
He sat up.
"I want to become Rank S. Sals are so cool!
I mean, who wouldn't want to be strong?
I'm 14 and I'm supposed to awaken soon.**
Any moment now!**
Magic usually awakens between ages 14 and 16.
Everyone older gets their magic instantly — so unfair!**
And magic just… appeared. It came out of nowhere? Nobody knows why."**
Mike turned off the alarm and jumped out of bed.
"Alright, to wake up: 35 push-ups and a 5-kilometer run."
he whispered and started moving.
7 AM.
Mike ran through the city.
"Ahhh, I love mornings," he said with a smile.
He entered the drink shop.
A girl greeted him warmly:
"Hey Mike!"
"Hey Lasa," he replied.
Lasa wasn't a friend — not really.
But since I come here every morning to her dad's drink shop, I see her all the time.
Mike bought a magical broth that supposedly improves magic power.
But this morning was different.
Just as he was about to pay, they heard a loud bang.
People screamed.
"A portal!!"
looked out the shop window—
there really was a portal.
The ground trembled. Then—an explosion.
But only one being stepped out of the portal:
A black knight holding a massive sword.
And flying beside him… a wolf with one red eye and one blue eye.
I turned to Lasa.
"Run! The Sals will be here any second!"
And we did.
We ran.
But the knight threw his sword—
It pierced right through me.
I saw red.
But… I was still alive.
Somehow.
I woke up.
Everything felt warm…
but strange.
I looked around—
A land of darkness.
Dead, twisted black trees… and in the distance:
A massive black castle.
Then I heard a voice—
Not out loud.
In my head.
It was the wolf.
"You have potential. Trust me.
You're in danger. This land… it's evil.
But I don't come from here.
Everyone here is pathetic.
Give me the necklace around your neck.
Let me seal myself inside it."
I hesitated.
"…Looks like I don't have a choice."
I nodded slowly.
A small shock ran through my chest.
The necklace around my neck glowed briefly.
Then I heard the knight's voice.
"Hey, you.
We're here, you bastard."
I was thrown to the ground.
He kicked me hard.
Everything went blurry.
Through the haze, I saw a man…
a deep scar across his face.
A red cloak.
Laughing.
"So you're his kid?
What a weakling."
I tried to speak—
but then I heard the wolf's voice again.
"Stop. Don't talk yet."
The man stood tall.
"Soon I'll return.
Are there any strong Sals left on Earth?"
I replied weakly:
"Yes… me.
I'll become the strongest."
He laughed.
"Hahaha! Like your father?
No…
You won't."
I stared at him.
"My father… You knew hi—"
Suddenly, he drove a sword through my chest.
Blood gushed.
Everything went black.
The last thing I heard:
"No… it's not over.
But everything will change."
Beep beep beep—
My alarm.
My phone.
I jolted upright, gasping.
Sat still for a moment, catching my breath.
"What… happened?
A bad dream…?"