How did everything come to this?
Not long ago, we were together — smiling, laughing, believing the worst had passed.
We were just young souls living moments that felt eternal.But because of our failures… now we stand on the brink of ruin.
The screams. The pain.The blood.The deaths.I can feel it all…
A few months earlier.In a dimension cataloged as Kaeatsu — also known as The Red Earth.
A simple mission was assigned. Nothing unusual. Just a reconnaissance operation.Three young warriors departed together: Dan, Stella, and Tekio — training partners, friends.
At first, everything went smoothly. The terrain was hostile but stable.The energies of the region were within expected levels.Until they weren't.
Threats that didn't belong to that plane appeared without warning — unpredictable, distorted.And there, on the scarlet soil of Kaeatsu, the battle began.
Chaos.
The trio was separated…
And they had to fight for their lives.
The scars still burned. Not the ones on my body — those I'd long grown used to.But the others: the echoes of screams, the blurred visions of battle, the metallic taste of failure.The curse that had haunted me since childhood seemed to have finally awakened… and dragged me down with it.
"Tekio, are you listening?"
Mei's voice cut through the haze like a ray of light in a storm.She always appeared like that — when everything seemed to be falling apart.
Months ago, things were different.Mei was always there — constant, like a flame that never went out.Her strength was fierce, but her care… almost gentle.Behind the feared captain stood someone I admired more than anyone else.
"How many times do I have to tell you not to push yourself so hard?" she sighed, her tone annoyed yet almost affectionate. "Every time you get into a serious fight, I arrive and you're unconscious. It's frustrating. But… at least you woke up this time. And you left a few marks on that guy. Though, from the look of it, he wanted more."
"Captain…?" My voice came out rough, weak. Each word weighed heavily.
"You fought well, Tekio," she said firmly, her golden eyes scanning me carefully. "Now leave the rest to me."
She turned — and the battlefield welcomed her as if it already knew her name.Mei danced among the enemies like an untamed flame.The air itself seemed to pulse with her presence.Every step, every strike, was both art and destruction.
Her red hair flowed like a war banner, and her foes fell before they could even touch her.
"Let's head back," she said once it was over. Her voice, despite the ruin surrounding us, was soft — almost soothing.
"You've got another bruise, as usual," Dan remarked when he found us. "Good thing Mei arrived in time. Stella and I heard the destruction from afar. Hard not to imagine the worst."
"Stella was really worried," he added, his expression serious yet relieved.
I thanked him silently. Walking back to camp should have brought me peace, but everything inside me screamed the opposite.A fierce unease grew with each step.Something had changed.Something within me.
Later, alone in my tent, I stared at the ceiling while my thoughts churned.I never had any special gifts — only discipline, hard training, and spiritual control.Aisha said I was promising, and my progress was real… but what happened today went beyond that.It was as if… something had awakened.
Klev — the opponent I fought — seemed to know.He spoke as if he recognized me.As if he knew someone inside me.If I had been more alert, maybe I would've understood what he meant.But now, only doubt remained — and the urgency to uncover the truth.
And the only person who could help me… was Mei.
Morning came softly, with the scent of fresh coffee and dust still hanging in the air from battle.I sat with Mei beside a small improvised campfire, trying to gather my thoughts.
"Tell me everything," she said, holding her mug with both hands, her eyes fixed on mine. "How was your fight with Klev?"
"Unusual," I began, hesitating. "He seemed… to know something. Said he could feel an energy inside me. Called me a disappointment. After that, he got more aggressive. I was losing control. Then… I felt something new. My body got lighter, my senses sharper. It was like… something inside me was pulling, growing — a force I'd never known."
Mei didn't answer right away. She took a sip of coffee, thoughtful.
"That confirms what I suspected," she said finally. "You might be going through an awakening. Something beyond the spiritual energy you've trained to control. It could be tied to your soul… or something even deeper."
"You think I'm… evolving?" I asked, trying to grasp it.
"Yes. Or maybe merging with something that's always been part of you."She set her mug down and met my gaze."Tekio, you have potential. That's always been clear. But there's something in you that goes beyond effort and training. That mark on your back… what you felt… it might be the beginning of a revelation."
"But why now? Why during a fight like that?"
"Sometimes it takes pressure to reveal what's hidden. Like a diamond — it only forms under immense weight. Don't fight it. Observe it, understand it. And above all, don't be afraid."
I nodded, trying to calm the storm inside me.
"Klev seemed to know. He knew more than he said."
"Unfortunately, he took his own life before we could get any information," she said, her tone hardening. "But what he said might mean… you carry more than one soul. There could be another presence within you. Something ancient. That would explain a lot. But it also means we must be cautious."
"So, this mark…"
"Could be proof of that fusion," she finished. "We'll investigate — carefully. From now on, every manifestation you experience must be studied. But don't worry. You're not alone in this."
Mei's words, firm yet deeply human, quieted something within me.No matter how uncertain the future was, for the first time, I had direction.A starting point.
As the sun climbed higher and the smoke of battle faded into the sky, I knew new conflicts would come — greater, harsher.But now I understood: something inside me had awakened.And I could no longer ignore it.
To be continued...