In a completely different kingdom, far away from Kai's hometown, there lay a town reduced to ruins. The destruction was the result of relentless attacks from neighbouring kingdoms. Homes had been crushed, streets torn apart, and the air was thick with smoke and ash.
These attacks had claimed countless lives. Families were wiped out in moments, leaving behind only silence and grief.
One of those families was the family of a young boy named Raya.
Raya stood in the wreckage that had once been his home. Broken stone and splintered wood surrounded him. The place where laughter once echoed now felt hollow and cold.
He felt nothing at first. No tears. No anger. Just confusion and dread.
Why did this happen to us?Why my family?Why me?
His mind repeated the questions over and over, searching for answers that did not exist.
Then he saw it.
A hand was sticking out from the rubble.
For a brief moment, hope ignited in his chest. His breath caught as his body leaned forward, desperate to believe that someone had survived.
Then the hand slipped free and fell to the ground.
It wasn't attached to a body.
Raya froze. His hands began to shake as he stared at it. His eyes slowly moved to the bracelet wrapped around the wrist.
"Vira…"
The name barely left his mouth.
His heart clenched as he whispered it again. "Vira…"
The noise around him was overwhelming. People were crying, shouting, calling names. The same tragedy had struck everyone in the town. But Raya couldn't hear any of it anymore. The world faded into silence as his focus narrowed to what remained of his family.
An arm.His sister's arm.
He walked toward it slowly, each step heavy. When he reached it, he bent down and picked it up carefully, as if afraid it would disappear.
"Vira…" he whispered again, tears finally spilling down his face.
I should have been here.I should have been with you.
His body trembled as memories flooded his mind. He remembered why he hadn't been home when the attack happened. He had gone out to play with his friends.
Why wasn't I here?Why am I the one left alive?
The guilt crushed him. His breathing became uneven as his chest tightened painfully.
"Why me?" he screamed. "Why us? Why does this keep happening? Why my family? Why our town? Why this kingdom?"
His voice broke as he cried, clutching his sister's arm tightly. "I hate this… I hate this so much."
Suddenly, a rough hand grabbed his shoulder.
An older man stood before him, shaking him firmly, trying to pull him back to reality. Raya barely registered the movement. The man was saying something, but the words felt distant and unclear.
Slowly, the sound returned.
"You need to be strong."
Strong.
The word echoed in Raya's mind.
Strong for what?
His parents were gone. His sister was gone. Everything he loved had been buried under fire and stone. And this man was telling him to be strong.
Raya looked at the man with anger burning in his eyes. His fists clenched as hatred surged through him.
The man continued, his voice steady. "The people who did this are still hiding. You need to be strong so you can get justice for what they've done."
Raya's eyes widened. His teeth ground together as a new feeling took over his grief.
Yes.Justice.
"I need to avenge my family," he thought. "I need to kill the ones who did this."
His thoughts grew darker. These evil devils must die, and I will be the one to kill them.
The rage brought him back to himself, but only for a moment. As quickly as it came, another realisation followed.
He had no power.
Raya looked down at his trembling hands. He had no weapon. No strength. No way to destroy people capable of causing such devastation.
The man spoke again, reading the despair on his face. "You just need to find them. We will handle the rest. You kids only need to help us sniff them out. We will avenge your family with you."
Raya looked into the man's eyes and saw something familiar there. Grief. The difference was that this man had the power to act on it.
Raya wiped his tears, still holding his sister's arm. His voice was quiet but filled with determination.
"I will find them. I will find those bastards, even if it kills me."
The man looked at the arm in Raya's hands and said gently, "Why don't you leave that here? When everything is over, we can give it a proper burial."
Raya's head snapped up. His voice trembled with anger. "It is not an 'it'. That is Vira. She is my sister."
The man paused, then nodded and said i am sorry, you are right. "Then let me hold her for you. I will give her back to you safe and sound when everything calms down."
"No!" Raya shouted. "I am not leaving her again."
The man looked at him with pity. "Then take her with you."
He pointed toward the officials gathering survivors. "Meet them. They will tell you how to help."
Raya nodded and turned away, holding his sister's arm tightly as he walked toward the officials.
One of them knelt in front of him. "Are you okay, kid?"
Raya looked up. His eyes were empty, stripped of life. The official didn't need an answer. He knew exactly what had happened.
The official pulled Raya into a hug.
Raya froze for a second. Then his composure shattered. His heart finally broke open as sobs tore from his chest.
"They killed my sister," he cried. "My mom and dad… they killed everyone."
His cries grew louder. "I'm too weak to do anything."
The official didn't let go. He didn't interrupt. He just held him as Raya screamed, his grief pouring out uncontrollably.
"Why did they do this?" Raya shouted.
His voice cracked. Then everything went silent.
The official felt his weight shift. He exhaled slowly. "He's passed out."
The other officers nodded. One of them carefully lifted Raya and carried him toward the shelter.
"He passed out from stress," the officer told the nurses. "His body couldn't handle the pain."
The nurses nodded and took him in.
The officer turned and ran back to his captain.
This was their routine during attacks. One officer pulled survivors back from the edge. Another offered comfort, hoping to calm the rage before it turned dangerous.
People who suffered losses like this often became consumed by revenge. If that hatred wasn't controlled, it could destroy them and the cities they lived in.
Sometimes, containment was the only option.
But for now, Raya slept.
And somewhere deep inside him, something dark had begun to take shape, It was hatred.