After the temporal flashback ended… night fell with its dark serenity.
Ten and his brother walked through a narrow alley, as dark as the depths of the human soul, where shadows flickered along the walls with the dim, scattered light of the street lamps.
Ten's eyes blazed with a silent, burning anger—a spark igniting in the core of his heart.
On either side of the street, the old houses stood in line, each door adorned with a bag containing sweets and flowers, as if the city itself were trying to dress its sorrow in the guise of innocence. On the rooftops, incense smoke slowly curled into the air, ghostlike echoes of the past, glowing with hidden wrath.
Ten no longer trusted his brother; his body was tense, his voice cold, reflecting his inner restraint. His brother, on the other hand, walked with calm, measured steps, as if the storms could not touch him.
---
We move to a new flashback…
Morning had arrived.
Ten returned home to find his mother immersed in a sea of tears, his heart choking at the sight.
He rushed to her, tense, anxiety coursing through him.
Ten (voice filled with panic):
"Why are you crying?!"
Mother (sobbing):
"Your brother… he ran away… he took the money…"
Ten froze in place, the shock rooting him to the spot, his mouth opening in wordless disbelief. His mother extended her left hand, offering him a piece of paper.
Mother:
"Look… if you don't believe me."
Ten took the paper and began to read. Its contents weighed heavily on his heart:
> Mother, sister, little brother… I'm sorry for taking the money.
I feel nothing but shame… I stole the money meant for my sister's treatment.
I wish I had never been born… I have caused you all so much pain… Ever since I became involved, I have regretted everything.
Ten clenched the paper tightly; his fingers began to tremble. His face twisted with anger, his arm shaking, his heartbeat roaring like thunder in the silent night.
Ten (with suppressed rage):
"I will never forgive you… my brother…"
Days passed… and his sister died.
A heavy cloud of grief and despair settled over Ten's heart, and in his eyes, his brother was the cause of all suffering.
After her burial, his mother sank into a deep depressive coma, leaving young Ten to bear the weight of life alone.
At the age of eight, Ten began working in markets and construction sites, searching for a livelihood. But death did not cease; one day, he returned home, smiling with the hope of having earned enough, only to find his mother dead on the floor. He buried her with his own small hands, his heart laden with abandonment.
Then their wooden house was destroyed, punished by what was called "the laws of nature."
Yet despair was not absolute, for he discovered the old house his uncle had left him—a fragile symbol of survival and hope.
---
Back in the present…
Ten's eyes burned with suspicion and doubt, following his brother's steps.
Ten (serious, astonished):
"Where are you taking me?"
They arrived at a massive residential building, surrounded by a dark black fence. The iron gate at the center stood like a silent sentinel.
The seller opened the gate without a word and led them inside.
Ten (frowning, apprehensive):
"This… is your home?"
Seller:
"Yes… come inside, I will explain everything."
---
The camera pans to the palace of the leader of Thunder Village, where a yellow gate leads to a green garden, adorned with blooming red flowers and roses.
The palace is vast, its windows reflecting sunlight, and its wooden door exudes grandeur and authority.
Inside the office, Harn, a man in his thirties with blonde hair tied back, green eyes, and a luxurious red outfit gleaming under the light, stands.
Kazuma, Rin, and Harry stand before him, the air thick with tension and awe.
Harn (with a strange smile):
"Welcome to our beautiful village."
Kazuma (nervously, lips tight):
"Thank you, sir."
Harn (calmly):
"You know why Nelson sent you here."
Rin:
"Yes, it concerns a secret box."
Harn (relaxing in his chair):
"Exactly."
Kazuma:
"What is inside that box?"
Harn (cold and direct):
"I am 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 (warningly):
"Our village is under surveillance, day and night."
Rin (her body trembling as shock washes over her):
"Who is watching you? Do we know them?"
Harn:
"We know nothing about them. They monitor everyone who enters and leaves. We just want to protect our village, which is why we sold the books to Nelson."
Harn (gravely):
"We've heard that their leader is terrifyingly strong… he erased an entire clan without mercy."
Harry (astonished):
"Did you at least find out who he is?"
Harn:
"No… unknown. We don't know his goal."
Harn opened a drawer and placed a letter on the desk. Kazuma, Rin, and Harry approached to read it; the letter carried a direct threat:
> If you do not remove your books from the village, we will act immediately.
I am the danger itself… if you mock me, remember—
I erased an entire clan without mercy.
Kazuma (eyes wide in horror):
"Who wrote this…?"
Rin (whispering, mind unable to grasp it):
"My mind… cannot comprehend this."
Harry (cautiously):
"He is truly dangerous…"
Kazuma raised his hand, pausing:
"I have a question."
Harn:
"Go ahead."
Kazuma:
"How did you obtain what's inside the box?"
Harn, with measured confidence:
"Alright… I will tell you."
---
Flashback: Two months earlier…
A scientist, wearing a white coat, rushed into Harn's office, panting as if chased by time.
Harn sat behind his desk, writing calmly on papers.
Harn (quietly, without looking up):
"You didn't knock."
The scientist, slightly bowed:
"Sorry, sir… it's urgent."
Scientist (clearly anxious):
"It's… strange… we found a box."
Harn, unshaken, raised an eyebrow slightly:
"And…?"
Scientist:
"The terrifying thing is… it was placed in front of the laboratory door."
Flashback within a flashback:
A massive laboratory, a metallic dome reflecting faint light, a green door.
Before it, a medium-sized black box with a sealed envelope atop.
The scientist stepped forward slowly, eyes wide with amazement, then glanced to the left corner, as if the space itself whispered to him.
Scientist (astonished):
"Huh? What is this box?"
He approached cautiously, picked up the envelope, and read the message inside:
> "A man, like a father to me, gave me this box, but we quarreled… I wronged him, and I know he is angry.
The box is not mine—it was entrusted to me to deliver to someone specific, but it reached the wrong person.
This box will bring trouble… but no matter what, do not reach it.
It contains a code… I will not give it to you. That code is with someone dear to me… and he is still angry with me."
---
Back to the present:
Harn, frowning:
"Since the box arrived, someone has been watching us. That's why I sold it to Nelson."
Kazuma, astonished:
"This… is truly terrifying."
Harn, firmly:
"I don't care what's inside. All that matters… is protecting my village."
---
Elsewhere…
Ten returned from his meeting with his brother, though what passed between them remained unknown.
He now stood in a street lit by torches on either side, the flickering light dancing on his grim face.
He sat on a stone edge, holding the cipher his uncle had given him, eyes fixed on it in silence, every movement of his fingers telling a story of inner struggle.
---
Flashback:
When Ten and his brother arrived at the house,
the door opened onto a polished wooden corridor, warmly lit, offering a fleeting sense of safety.
To the left, a wooden staircase disappeared into the shadows. Then the seller's wife appeared, and Ten's pupils dilated in surprise.
Brother:
"Please, come in."
Ten stepped forward and bowed to remove his shoes, careful, precise, as if navigating new terrain after a long struggle.
Wife (gently):
"Welcome."
Ten did not respond.
Brother:
"Come."
They walked by the staircase into a room on the right, sat on the couch, the air
heavy with silence.
Brother:
"Would you like something to drink?"
Ten (firmly, with a sharp gaze):
"No. Just tell me what you have."
His brother looked at the ceiling, then began telling his story, each word moving through time.