The sound of rain.
Was the most familiar sound to my life.
---
Two Years Ago
This night was unforgettable. Where the ultimate crossroad appeared in his life.
He stood outside his apartment building, staring up at the stained windows.
Inside, muffled shouting echoed through the thin wall. His parents again were fighting over basically problems with simply solution.
---
"WHO IS ELEANOR?!"
"WHY THE HELL WERE YOU GOING THROUGH MY PHONE?!"
"ANSWER THE QUESTION?"
Arthur clenched his fists. The sound of glass breaking followed by screaming.
Inside was chaos.
His father sat on the couch in a tank top, surrounded by empty bottles, one hand gripping a half-drunk beer.
His mother stood by the table, her hair tangled, face red with rage. She pointed the broken neck of a bottle toward him while holding his phone.
And enclosed in their shared bedroom, his older sister was adjusting her hair and posing for strangers dressed in nothing but her underwear.
Meanwhile, Arthur observed his family closing their paths in life.
Home never felt like home.
It was a place filled with ghosts who hadn't realized they were already dead.
Arthur shoved his hands in his jacket pockets and started walking away. It didn't matter where he went, as long as it was somewhere.
The rain picked up, soaking through his clothes, but he didn't care.
He wanted to disappear.
Far far, away.
---
A small café stood on the corner, its sign flickering in the rain.
Warm light spilled from the windows, and the smell of coffee cut through the damp air.
He stepped inside. Bells chimed above the door.
The place was nearly empty with only a few students hunched over laptops and a barista cleaning mugs behind the counter.
Arthur spotted a small table near the back and made his way there.
But just as he reached for the chair — another hand touched it.
He looked up.
A girl stood there — curly blonde hair, soft blue eyes, a nervous smile.
"Ah— I'm sorry! I didn't see you," she said quickly, her accent faintly French.
Arthur shook his head. "It's fine. You can take it."
But before he could turn away, she hesitated. "No, no— I don't mind sharing. There's enough room, non?"
Her voice was warm and comforting.
Arthur paused. Something about her tone — or maybe her eyes — made it impossible to say no.
He sat across from her and together they drank in silence for a while.
---
Gracie watched him from over her cup.
She hesitated, then leaned forward.
"You look… sad," she said softly. "Are you okay?"
Arthur gave a small, humorless laugh. "No I'm fine, am I going off that vibe?"
"A little," she admitted, then smiled. "You have the eyes of someone who hasn't been heard in a long time."
He didn't answer right away. He stared down at his cup.
"My family's a mess," he said finally. "They drive me insane all the time, but I can't do anything about it."
Gracie tilted her head. "Please don't give up on them."
He looked up at her.
She blushed a little but didn't look away. "No matter what… your family will be the most important people in your life. So be patient, they will change for the better."
Arthur smiled faintly for the first time that night. "You're strange."
"Merci," she said, pretending to be offended. "I need to ask, what's your name?"
"Arthur...Arthur Norton. And yours?"
"Gracie...my name is Gracie Rose."
That was the night Arthur Norton stopped walking alone.
---
Present Day
The memory vanished in an instant.
Arthur gasped awake, coughing out dust and water. His chest burned, his vision spinning.
Everfox stood a few feet away, crouched low, eyes fixed on him.
Without warning, the creature leapt.
A sphere of water formed midair — then exploded against Arthur's chest, throwing him backward.
"Stop—!" he shouted, rolling across the ground. The impact tore his shirt, the fabric clinging to his soaked skin.
Everfox didn't stop. A violent jet of water slamming into the wall behind him.
Arthur groaned, blood dripping from his nose. He dropped to one knee. "What do you want from me?!"
The fox snarled, circling him, blue mist spiraling around its tails.
Arthur reached for a broken stone, ready to defend himself — when suddenly, a deafening crack split the cave.
BOOM!
The ice wall shattered.
Arthur froze — not from fear, but from horror.
Gracie stood in the opening — blood spreading across her stomach. Her eyes were wide with shock, a faint gasp escaping her lips.
"Gracie?" His voice broke.
She stumbled forward, coughing up blood, and fell to her knees.
Behind her stepped a man dressed in black clean suit with a silver tie,
A serpent-like dragon, green-scaled and sharp-eyed, coiled lazily around his shoulders.
Todd Venice.
He brushed dust off his sleeve. "Apologies for the mess. I was aiming for a clean cut through the neck."
Arthur couldn't breathe. He crawled toward Gracie, hands trembling. "What… what did you do?!"
Todd's eyes were completely empty. "This world was never meant to be seen by anyone other than the Venice family. Anyone who invades this plane, must be set free."
Everfox growled and charged, water blades forming around its tails.
Todd didn't even flinch. "Dragonian," he said smoothly, "Mutilation Cut."
The serpent dragon lifted its head, eyes glowing green.
A flash — faster than lightning.
Blood sprayed across the stones as Frosttail crashed to the ground, whimpering.
Arthur screamed. "No! Stop—!"
Todd continued walking, calm, deliberate steps echoing through the cave. "It's nothing personal. The Scarlet World isn't meant for ordinary people."
He stopped in front of Arthur, who knelt over Gracie's body, shaking.
Todd smiled faintly. "Goodbye, Mr. Norton."
"Dragonian—Dragon Flare."
The dragon opened its mouth.
A sphere of fire formed, swirling with crimson and violet light.
Arthur barely looked up before the blast hit.
The explosion swallowed him whole — flame and shockwave tearing through the cavern, shattering rock, and filling the air with burning dust.
The ground collapsed beneath them.
Todd stepped back calmly, raising a hand. Dragonian wrapped around him, its wings folding to protect its master as they rose toward the crimson fissure above.
In Todd's hand was the Scarlet Canvas, glowing faintly.
"Let's go," he said. "We've cleaned enough today."
They vanished into the scarlet mist.
---
Silence.
The cave burned.
Arthur's body lay half-buried beneath stone, smoke rising from torn fabric and ash.
He tried to move — but pain anchored him in place.
The world spun.
His vision blurred until all that remained was the faint, trembling glow of blue light.
Everfox, broken and bleeding, crawled toward him. Its once-bright fur dimmed, tails dragging behind it.
Arthur reached out weakly.
The creature pressed its head to his hand, it's blood flow onto his palm.
For some reason, his eyes begun to glow.
Then, "I'm not going to die like this." said Everfox.
A sphere of water begun to form around them. Arthur was near death but felt further from it.
A big flash of light, then immediately the waters transform into ice.