The chapter begins...
After the flashback ends…
Night fell.
Ten and his brother were walking through a narrow alleyway.
Ten's eyes still burned with fury and resentment.
On either side of the street, houses stood aligned. Tied to every door was a bag containing sweets and flowers. On every rooftop, a lit incense stick glowed softly in the dark.
Ten still didn't trust his brother.
As for the brother, he remained calm, cold, composed.
---
We shift into a new flashback...
Morning came.
Ten returned home… only to find his mother sobbing uncontrollably.
He rushed to her, alarmed and confused.
Ten (panicked):
"Why are you crying?!"
Mother (sobbing):
"Your brother… he ran away… took the money…"
Ten froze.
His mouth opened in disbelief.
Ten:
"Are you… are you serious?"
Mother (handing him a note):
"Read this... if you don't believe me."
Ten took the note and began reading.
Letter content:
Mom, sister, little brother… I'm sorry I took the money.
All I feel is shame… I stole the money meant for my sister's treatment.
I wish I'd never been born. I've brought you all nothing but pain.
Since I got involved with them… I've regretted everything.
Ten clenched the letter in his right hand, his jaw tightening, his face twisting in rage.
His arm began to tremble.
Ten (angrily):
"I will never forgive you… brother…"
Days passed…
His sister died.
A heavy cloud of grief and despair hovered over him.
And in Ten's eyes, his brother was the cause.
After the burial, his mother sank into deep depression.
At just eight years old, Ten started working in markets and construction sites, trying to earn a living.
His mother never recovered from the loss of her daughter.
One day, Ten came home smiling—thinking he'd finally earned enough—
Only to find his mother lying dead on the floor.
He buried her with his own hands.
Later, their wooden house was demolished for "violating the laws of nature."
But Ten found the old home his uncle had left behind.
---
Back to the present...
Ten (his eyes filled with suspicion):
"Where are you taking me?"
They arrived at a massive residential building surrounded by a tall black fence.
At the center of the fence stood an iron gate.
The vendor opened it.
Ten (serious, astonished):
"This... is your house?"
Vendor:
"Yes."
Ten (stern, no trace of humor):
"How... did you get the money for this?"
Vendor (calmly):
"Come inside. I'll explain everything."
---
The camera shifts to the Thunder Village leader's palace.
A yellow gate surrounded by walls leads to a green garden blooming with red flowers and roses.
The palace is grand, filled with windows, and its wooden door is majestic.
Inside the leader's office...
We see Harn, thirty years old.
His blonde hair is tied back, his green eyes sharp, wearing a luxurious red robe that shimmers in the light.
Kazuma, Rin, and Harry stood before his desk.
Harn placed his hands on the table.
Harn (with an odd smile):
"Welcome to our beautiful village."
Kazuma (tense, lips tight):
"Thank you, sir."
Harn (calmly):
"You know why Nelson sent you here."
Rin:
"Yes. It's about a secret box."
Harn (leaning back):
"Exactly."
Kazuma:
"What's inside that box?"
Harn (coldly, directly):
"I'm the village leader… and I haven't opened it."
Harry (gruffly):
"Why not?"
Harn (seriously):
"You should know… Wilson bought the box from us."
Kazuma:
"We were going to ask… why did you sell it to him?"
Harn (narrowing his eyes):
"Our village is under constant surveillance. Day and night."
Rin (visibly shaken):
"Who's watching you? Do we know them?"
Harn:
"We know nothing about them.
They monitor everyone coming and going.
We just want to protect our village. That's why we sold the books to Nelson."
Harn (strictly warning):
"We heard their leader is terrifyingly strong...
He wiped out an entire clan without mercy."
Harry (shocked):
"Did you at least find out who he is?"
Harn:
"No… he's a complete mystery. We don't know his goal."
Harn opened a drawer and placed a letter on the desk.
Kazuma, Rin, and Harry stepped closer to read it.
Harn:
"This letter… is from their leader."
Letter content:
If you don't remove your books from the village, we'll begin immediately.
I am the very danger you fear. If you mock me, remember—
I erased an entire clan without mercy.
Kazuma (wide-eyed):
"Who wrote this…?"
Rin:
"My mind… can't process this."
Harry (warning):
"He's seriously dangerous…"
Kazuma (raising his hand):
"I have a question."
Harn:
"Go ahead."
Kazuma:
"How did you get what's inside the box?"
Harn (confidently):
"Well… I'll tell you how."
---
Flashback: Two months ago…
A scientist wearing a white coat rushed into Harn's office, breathless.
Harn was writing at his desk.
Harn (calmly):
"You didn't knock."
Scientist (bowing):
"Apologies, sir—this is urgent."
Scientist (nervously):
"We found a strange box…"
Harn (unbothered):
"And…?"
Scientist:
"What's terrifying… is that it was placed right outside the lab's door."
---
Flashback within a flashback:
A large lab with a metal dome. A green door.
In front of it... a medium-sized black box.
On top—a sealed envelope.
The scientist stepped outside and stared.
Scientist (looking to the left corner):
"Huh? What's this box?"
He approached and took the envelope.
Letter inside:
A man like a father to me gave me this box.
But we argued… I wronged him, and I know he's angry.
The box isn't mine—I was entrusted to deliver it to someone.
It will bring trouble… but whatever happens, don't give it to the wrong person.
Inside is a key… but I won't give you that.
That key is with someone dear to me… and he's still angry with me.
---
Back to the present.
Harn:
"Ever since that box reached us, we've been watched.
So I sold it to Nelson."
Kazuma (shocked):
"That's… truly terrifying."
Harn:
"I don't care what's inside.
All I
care about… is protecting my village."
---
Elsewhere…
Ten had returned from meeting his brother—
But we don't know what was said between them.
Ten now stood in a torch-lit street.
He sat on a ledge, holding the pendant his uncle had given him.
Staring at it in silence.