"Souls… the core of a human… tell me… why don't you have one…?"
"Who knows… maybe not everyone deserves to have one… don't you think?"
***
Erick was frustrated. He stood in front of the vendor, who seemed completely unbothered by his desperation.
"Grr… What do you mean the stock is gone?!" Erick shouted, eyes burning with anger as he glared at the man.
"Sorry, kid… you showed up too late, heh…" the vendor replied with a lazy, indifferent grin, clearly used to these kinds of scenes.
Erick let out a long, heavy sigh. He could feel everything starting to fall apart around him.
After a tiring walk back to the village of North, Erick finally reached home. The moment he opened the door, he was met with Louis—his little brother—staring at him with a serious, almost angry expression.
"Where's my present, nii-san?" Louis asked in a low voice full of expectation.
"Sorry… I couldn't afford it…" Erick answered quietly, unable to meet his brother's eyes.
Louis huffed and shook his head.
"Honestly… I knew you wouldn't be able to. What a disappointment…"
Erick tried to brush it off, forcing a weak smile at his brother's mocking tone.
"Hmm… Aren't you getting a bit too old to care about that kind of thing?"
"T-that has nothing to do with it!" Louis snapped, cheeks flushing in embarrassment—his over-the-top reaction completely clashing with Erick's tired nonchalance.
That night, the two lay in bed, but Erick couldn't sleep. A strange, haunting nightmare gripped him.
He found himself in a garden—but not a normal one. The grass was dry and brittle, the flowers wilted and dead. A suffocating silence pressed down on everything. Then voices began echoing inside his head, accusing him.
"You brought the end to all of us… you cursed humanity!"
"No…" Erick whispered, a crushing weight settling on his chest.
"There's no place for you! You'll bring ruin to everyone you love!"
"No!"
Erick jolted awake with a scream, drenched in cold sweat, chest heaving wildly. The despair still clung to him.
"Nii… another nightmare?" Louis was already sitting up, voice soft with worry.
"Yeah… sorry for waking you…" Erick managed, still catching his breath.
"Don't worry, nii. I'm here. I'll always be by your side…"
Louis squeezed his hand tightly. The touch was warm and comforting, but it couldn't completely chase away the uneasy feeling gnawing at Erick's heart.
***
"Aaaah!!"
Dawn broke with a desperate scream.
Erick and Louis rushed outside to find two couples arguing furiously with a visibly broken groom, his eyes red and swollen from crying.
"How could you do this to her?!"
"We trusted our daughter to you! How could you…?!"
Erick stared in shock at the young woman lying motionless on the ground. She looked… dead. Her body was lifeless, empty. A heavy silence hung over the scene.
"It must be hard for him… losing someone he loves…" Erick murmured.
But Louis pointed at the body, eyes suddenly bright with hope.
"Nii… she's still alive, look!"
Erick glanced over—and a chill ran down his spine. The woman was slowly fading, as if her very life was being drained away, even though her body still lay there, strangely alive yet not.
Without hesitation, Erick ran to her side. Louis, full of determination, went straight to the groom.
"Don't give up! She's still alive! My brother will save her—I promise!" Louis said with unshakable confidence.
The groom looked at him, stunned. "Why should I believe you two…? I'm just a stranger to you…"
Louis gave him a calm, almost radiant smile.
"Because he always keeps his promises."
Those simple words seemed to rekindle something inside the man.
While Louis held back the furious parents who tried to stop Erick—
"Hey, you brat! What do you think you're doing to my daughter?!"
—Erick focused everything on the girl. But nothing was working.
"Damn it… nothing's happening… What else can I do…?"
Then a voice echoed inside his mind.
"W-what do you think you're doing to my body?! Stop it!"
Erick ignored it. He pushed harder.
"This is it… my last chance…"
With a shout, lightning crackled from his hands.
"100 volts—now!"
He slammed both palms against her chest. A blinding explosion of light erupted, illuminating the entire field. The force was so great that Erick collapsed, unconscious.
When he came to, Louis was gripping his hand tightly, face pale with worry.
"Nii, are you okay? You didn't get hurt, right?"
"I'm… fine… just really tired…" Erick rasped, struggling to sit up.
The moment he did, the young woman slowly opened her eyes.
"Wh-what… happened…?"
The groom rushed to her, tears streaming down his face as he embraced her tightly.
"Hina! I don't know what I would've done without you… Thank you—thank you so much for saving her!"
Erick managed a tired smile, but before he could speak, Hina's parents shoved past him to hug their daughter.
"You're welcome…" he muttered under his breath, crossing his arms.
Hina's father, wearing a regretful expression, approached the groom and, with his head lowered, apologized for everything he had said.
Later, as they walked home, Erick rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"Hey, Louis… don't you think it's kind of weird that only we could see her soul outside her body…?"
Louis smiled, but there was a faint shadow in his eyes.
"It doesn't matter right now, nii. Let's just go home."
As the brothers walked away, a hooded figure watched them silently from the shadows of the dense forest. Its eyes gleamed with a dark, distant purpose.
***
That night, under a full moon bathing the mountains in silver light, the same hooded man reappeared in the center of the village. In his hands was an ancient scroll.
"The moon… so beautiful from here," he murmured coldly.
He unfurled the scroll.
Instantly, rifts tore open in the air around him, radiating sinister energy.
"Kill them all."
From the rifts poured monstrous, relentless creatures. They descended upon the villagers in seconds. Screams shattered the peaceful night. No mage, no matter how powerful, could stop them. The slaughter was swift and merciless.
"Wake up, nii-san!" Louis shook Erick desperately.
"Huh…? Louis? What's wrong…?" Erick mumbled groggily.
Deafening screams came from outside.
They rushed to the door. When it opened, pure horror greeted them.
The once peaceful village had become a slaughterhouse. Mangled bodies lay everywhere, blood pooling in the streets. Louis froze when he recognized one face—the groom they had helped earlier, now hanging from the fountain, body crushed and broken, blood staining the water dark red.
"Why… why did this have to happen?!" Louis's hands trembled as tears began to fall.
Further south, a family tried to flee.
"Run with our daughter! I'll buy you time!" the father shouted, pushing his wife and child away.
The creatures pounced on the mother, tearing her clothes and flesh apart as she screamed in agony in front of her daughter.
"YOU BASTARDS! I'LL KILL YOU ALL!" the man roared—only to have his head crushed and devoured moments later.
The little girl sobbed in terror as one of the monsters seized her by the throat.
Just before the worst could happen, a burst of energy freed her. She fell into Erick's arms.
"Are you okay? I'm sorry I didn't get here sooner… I'm so sorry…" Erick clenched his fists, heart heavy with guilt.
"Papa… Mama…" the girl cried, trembling.
A creature rose behind him, roaring, and charged.
"Louis, take her somewhere safe. Now!"
Louis frowned.
"What about you, nii?"
"I'll be fine… I promise. Just go."
Reluctantly, Louis took the girl's hand and ran, casting one last tearful glance back.
"Please… don't die…" he whispered.
Erick faced the monster.
"Let's see what you've got, big guy!"
He charged fearlessly, dodging attacks and landing a powerful energy-charged strike. Light flared brightly.
"Got it!"
But his smile vanished when he saw the creature completely unharmed. Before he could react, it grabbed his leg and slammed him into a house. Bones cracked—ribs, right arm—pain exploded through him.
"Gah!"
His eyes locked onto another creature cornering Louis, claws raised.
"Louis… no…"
With the last of his strength, he tried to stand and attack again—but the monster blocked effortlessly and threw him down. A spear pierced through his abdomen, pinning him to the ground.
Louis's eyes widened in horror.
"Nii-san!!" he screamed, voice breaking as tears streamed down his face.
"S-sorry… Louis… Looks like… I couldn't keep my promise…"
The village was lost. Screams, blood, destruction. No one was spared.
"I just wish things were different... If only I were a little stronger..."
Then, in an instant, the head of one of the creatures near Louis was torn clean off.
"Wha—"
Five figures appeared.
The leader, an imposing man, glanced down at Erick.
"You're pretty much done for, huh… Well, let's finish this quickly."
In the blink of an eye, the strangers vanished and reappeared, slaughtering every creature in the village with terrifying efficiency.
When it was over, the leader walked to Erick and yanked the spear out without warning. Erick screamed in pain.
"Hey! What the hell are you doing?!" Louis shouted, but the man's overwhelming aura silenced him instantly.
A girl beside the leader healed Erick's wounds in moments.
"I… I'm alive?"
"Nii!" Louis ran and hugged him tightly, sobbing with relief. "I thought I was going to lose you…"
Erick's expression softened. He hugged his brother back fiercely before letting go with a tired sigh.
The leader watched him intently.
Erick looked away, almost embarrassed.
"Interesting… very interesting. What's your name, kid?"
"It's… Erick, sir…"
The man smiled and extended his hand.
"Well, Erick, how about joining my group?"
The others looked surprised by the sudden offer.
Erick hesitated.
"I'd love to… but I'm not going anywhere without my brother."
Louis squeezed his hand.
"I'll always be with you, nii."
"So cute—two brothers who care so much about each other! Then it's settled. Welcome to the team! Now let's get the hell out of this nightmare."
With a snap of his fingers, the group was instantly teleported to a massive, castle-like base.
"Welcome to your new home, rookies!"