Darkness swallowed everything.
Roni stood in the middle of a battlefield. Screams echoed. Blood stained the ground. His hands trembled, yet the sword he held moved on its own, slashing, cutting—people falling at his feet.
"No! Stop!" he cried, trying to pull back, but his body ignored him.
A cold voice rang in his head, sharp as steel:
[HUNGER at 30%. Failure to feed= system override.]
[Five thousand years in the void… starving.]
[Resist, and you'll lose yourself.]
Every life he struck down burst into streams of light, rushing into his chest, burning like fire. He couldn't breathe. Couldn't stop. Faces began to appear in the chaos—not strangers anymore.
He saw Mirael.
He saw his grandmother.
He saw his friends.
The blade cut them down one by one. Their voices screamed his name before vanishing into nothing.
Roni's throat ripped with a scream—
—and he shot out of bed, drenched in sweat.
The door banged open.
"Roni! Roni!" His grandmother rushed in, wrapping her arms around him. "What happen ? She said smoothing her hand around his shoulder."
"Granny… it was just a nightmare," Roni said, still shaky from the dream.
"Okay, darling. I hope it wasn't too terrifying," she replied softly.
"No, Granny, it wasn't. Just the usual one," Roni lied. He didn't want her worrying. He still hadn't told her about the system or everything that had happened.
"Oh, my little boy, you're still having those nightmares," Granny said sadly, her gaze dropping. "Losing your mother was one of the hardest things I've ever faced…" Her voice cracked, but she forced a faint smile. "But you—you brought light back into my life after those dark days. So don't worry, everything will be fine."
She gave him a small squeeze before adding, "And by the way… today's her birthday." A soft laugh slipped through her heavy-hearted voice. "Happy birthday, Andreana."
"Happy birthday, Mom," Roni whispered.
Granny held him close. Neither spoke after that. They just stayed there, wrapped in silence.
"Granny…" Roni called softly, breaking the silence.
"Yes, my boy?" she replied.
"I know you don't like talking about it, but… I want to know. What really happened to my parents? How did they die?"
Granny took a deep breath, her eyes clouding with old memories. "It happened fifteen years ago. You were just three then. Your mom, and your dad… were part of the OCI. They made a team—one of the best back then."
Roni's eyes widened. "Wait—nobody told me Mom and Dad were part of the OCI?"
"Yes, they were," Granny nodded. "And not just members—they were among OCI's finest. Skilled, brave… everyone respected them. Life was beautiful and everything was fine, until one day a news came of a demon that has escaped from the Rift. This wasn't just any demon—it was different. Powerful. It could drain the very energy out of a human, leaving nothing but an empty shell."
Roni's heart skipped. His mind flashed back to the nightmare—the system feeding on people's energy. No… it's just a coincidence, he told himself quickly, shaking off the thought. It was only a dream.
"When the OCI heard about the threat, they sent out a squad of elite soldiers," Granny continued. "Your parents were among them. I begged your mother not to go. Even your father tried. But back then, she was the leader of her crew. She told us, 'What kind of leader would I be if I abandoned my team?' And so … they left you here with me." Her voice trembled.
"When they got there…" Granny's words grew heavier. "…it was a disaster. The demons were more than what any of them expected. They had already wiped out the guards at the Rift Tower. The battle was fierce. Some of those demons hurled blasts of dark energy, others… could control minds (Telepathic). If you weren't strong, you'd become their puppet. It was like nothing they had ever faced."
Roni listened in silence, his chest tightening.
"They lost comrades that day," Granny whispered. "But after a long, bloody fight… they finally pushed the demons back. They thought they'd won. But…" Her eyes watered. "…they didn't realize the Queen had survived. Her telepathic power was… unmatched. She took control of one of their own—a soldier with a dangerous system. Firestorm. His system was powered by a nuclear reactor. You can imagine what that meant."
Granny's lips quivered. "Your mother saw it first. She walked up to him, raised his visor… and his eyes were black as pitch. She shouted for the team to run. But it was too late. The Queen had completely overridden Firestorm's system. And then…" Her voice cracked. "…the explosion."
Roni's breath caught.
"The blast destroyed everything. Everyone died. Except… somehow, one of the team survived."
Roni leaned forward, his curiosity burning. "Who was it?"
"I… I think his name was… Shaw," Granny said at last.
"Shaw…" Roni whispered, almost tasting the name as it left his lips.
"Yes, Shaw was his name," Granny replied softly.
"How did he survive, when everyone else died?" Roni asked, his brows furrowing.
Granny let out a long sigh. "I think he was just… lucky. Though luck didn't spare him entirely. The fire burned part of his face—he wasn't able to speak barely for weeks."
Roni leaned forward, his voice low but steady. "And the demon? Was it ever caught?"
Granny shook her head slowly. "No. It was weeks later, when Shaw finally managed to speak, that we learned the truth. By then… the demon was already long gone."
Roni's chest tightened. He drew in a sharp breath. "So justice wasn't even served."
"No, my boy," Granny said, her tone both weary and tender. "But your parents… and the others … they were honored. Their names live on, even if the pain does too."
A heavy silence settled between them. Roni stared at the floor, while Granny reached up, dabbing the corner of her eyes with trembling fingers.
"So that's what happened, Roni," she said at last, her voice breaking slightly.