"Please…" A woman's soft voice rang in the young man's mind.
"…?"
"Help…us. I…"
The young man still couldn't see who was pleading. "…who are you?" the young man asked.
"I…believe…in you."
A point of white light began to illuminate the darkness he saw.
A woman appeared before him. A beautiful woman with long, blonde hair. Her large, blue eyes stared intently at me. She wore a sky-blue dress. Her pink lips parted again, saying something.
"I…believe in your strength…Mr. Kira. Say…my name…then…"
"…name?"
The young man was speechless for two reasons: her beauty and confusion about what she meant.
"…I will…be your partner…"
The young man could only hear part of her words. Curiosity overwhelmed him, so he called out to her to say his name.
"My name…"
"KIRA!" shouted a man in his 30s right in the young man's ear.
The loud, shrill scream managed to awaken the young man named Kira. Kira looked around: the dirty and clean dishes, the sink, his hands covered in soap suds, and...his boss, Vahn.
"Are you daydreaming while washing dishes? That's great. The number of orders is overflowing, leave the dishwashing to Donny and help me cook here! Hurry!" Vahn ordered.
His chef's attire suited him well, even though he was already 32 years old. His slick hair and thin mustache gave him the appearance of a dashing man.
"...oh, uh-okay," Kira said as he washed his arms and put on his special apron. Kira immediately took some of the ingredients Vahn had prepared for him to prepare.
"Table 2's order, one portion of Crab Cakes. Kira can handle it, right?"
"Yes, boss."
This was Kira's life. Even though Kira was hired as a cleaner at this cafe, I was always asked to help cook in the kitchen. Kira happened to be a skilled cook, and her boss recognized her culinary skills.
At the age of 21, Kira often wondered if it was time to find a permanent job or start her own business. Unfortunately, Kira's savings were limited. His father had passed away, and he and her mother were barely surviving on his severance pay. Therefore, Kira had to find a side job to help her mother.
"Oh yeah. Kira, your mother told you to pick her up at the Malaya bank at 2:10 PM," Vahn said.
"2:10 PM…?! That's 30 minutes away! Why didn't she call me right away?" Kira asked, surprised after looking at the clock.
"She's called you countless times. But you were daydreaming like someone possessed. So she gave me a message."
"Ah, boss, that's right… so… can I go?"
"Finish the orders for tables 2, 3, and 5, and I'll let you go."
"Okay…"
That was Kira's first time cooking three different dishes at once.
*
The order was finally completed. Kira immediately headed to the employee lounge and put on her fur jacket. In the two-meter-high mirror in the room, she saw a man about 172 cm tall, with long black hair and a sharp nose. He was wearing a white T-shirt, blue jeans, and a fur jacket. His eyes were red—giving the impression of eye-catching contact lenses—but that was actually his natural color.
Yes. That was him. Kira Rainhard.
"Okay… well, I'll be going now, sir! Thank you for today!" Kira said hurriedly, straightening her jacket. She immediately left the cafe after seeing five missed calls from her mother on her phone.
"You're welcome. Be safe on your way, Kira," Vahn replied, as relaxed as ever.
Bank Malaya, 2:10 PM. Right on time!
Kira stopped right in front of the Bank Malaya doors to catch her breath. Riding a bike at top speed to cover three kilometers in ten minutes was insane. Whatever it was—as long as she didn't keep her mother waiting too long—it all felt worth it.
The first floor of Bank Malaya was very spacious, approximately one hundred square meters. Ten security guards, equipped with batons and short-barreled pistols, patrolled various corners. CCTV cameras were installed at certain points, monitoring all activities.
It was understandable. This bank was the second largest after the state bank.
Kira saw the gentle figure of a woman in her fifties talking to a bank officer. The woman was her mother. The softness of her face—for some reason—reminded Kira of a woman she had recently encountered in her daydream: the mysterious woman. Who was she?
Her mother looked at Kira and waved softly. Kira just smiled faintly and walked over.
"Ah, sorry, sir… our system suddenly went offline—"
"Really? In a bank like this? I don't believe it."
That brief conversation made Kira realize one thing: there was a system outage.
Then—without warning—several security guards looked panicked, whispering something with tense faces.
The system suddenly went offline… and so did the security system… the CCTV isn't working."
"This is bad! If there's an attack, we can't contact the police automatically!"
Something's wrong. Kira felt a chill creep up his chest. He quickened his pace toward her mother, eager to get out.
"…why, son? You look worried."
"It's okay, Mom. We better hurry home and—"
"SLAM!"
A Ranger with an extended front bumper slammed into the seven-millimeter-thick glass entrance of Bank Malaya. The car stopped in the middle of the first floor.
Six men wearing bulletproof vests and clown masks got out, carrying machine guns.
Within seconds, they began shooting at the security guards.
The people inside the bank immediately fell to the ground. Shouts of terror erupted everywhere.
"EVERYONE GET DOWN! ANYONE WHO RESISTS WILL BE SHOT DEAD!" shouted one of the gang members wearing a clown mask, his expression furious. He fired his short-barreled pistol once at the ceiling as a warning.
Armed robbery in broad daylight? Kira held his breath, trying to maintain logic amidst the chaos. The police would arrive sooner or later. The safest thing was to wait—not do anything stupid.
Holding his mother, Kira looked down, observing the frightened crowd. His gaze then fell on a young girl sitting casually in a waiting chair.
Her hair was long, red, tied back. She wore a school uniform complete with a blazer. Her body was well-proportioned, and… Kira tried to swallow his own thoughts, forcing himself to focus.
Strangely: the girl was too calm.
"…three more minutes. You two, go to the safe. You three stay with me to complete the second mission," said the masked gang member dryly.
The two masked men, each wearing a sad and a happy expression, headed for the basement.
The red-haired girl glanced at her watch, relaxed. She took some pill capsules from her blazer pocket and swallowed them.
"HEY, YOU! GET DOWN, YOU STUPID BRAT!" the masked man snapped angrily, aiming a machine gun at her.
"One more minute. You feel it too, right? Let's fight fairly…" The girl stood, glaring at the four remaining people.
Kira's body shivered. A strange sensation shot up his spine.
He looked out of the bank.
There—a black dome the size of a car appeared, surrounded by white writing. The dome grew larger and larger, penetrating everything in its path.
The black dome grew until it swallowed Bank Malaya.
And—it was closing in on Kira.
The world felt like it was collapsing. Reflexively, Kira closed his eyes and hugged his mother tighter.
Then, he felt like he was "entering" something.
When Kira dared to open his eyes, his breath hitched.
He was truly inside the dome—or rather, everyone in the bank, and perhaps even outside, was trapped. The dome was enormous; it was taller than the Alto skyscraper next to Bank Malaya.
The same white writing was written on its surface.
"CRAK!"
A crack sounded from a spot on the dome's surface. The crack widened, creating a large hole.
Behind it… a giant eyeball moved back and forth, as if observing everyone inside.
Kira felt like a chick in a dark cage, while the farmer peered through a hole in the ceiling.
Cold.
Kira's hand, which was holding her mother's body, suddenly froze. Slowly, she turned her head—her mother was as stiff as a statue, her body cold.
"Mom… Mom!" Kira shook her body. There was no response.
Kira looked around.
Everyone at Bank Malaya was the same—stiff as a statue—except herself, the red-haired girl, and the armed robbers.
"…meeting Engill's representative on our first attempt at Code: Doomsday. Interesting!" said the masked conspirator.
"Chief, I want to kill this arrogant brat!" his partner replied impatiently.
"Say the activation phrase…"
"Sub promisiuena diavolului! Zandayaraka!"
As soon as those words were shouted, their bodies ignited in black flames. Strangely, they didn't scream in pain. The flames grew, enveloping their entire bodies.
A few minutes later, the flames died down.
They transformed into fully armored knights, each wielding a different weapon: a sword, a shield, a bow, and a mace. They slowly walked toward the red-haired girl.
The archer knight immediately fired a barrage of arrows.
"Sunt un reprezentant de Aliniere!" the girl shouted.
Blue flames spread across her body. They briefly formed the silhouette of a man, then vanished. There was no significant change in her physical appearance, but blue embers gathered in her palms, forming black gloves with a purple crescent and star pattern. Her sneakers transformed into black boots.
The girl stomped once.
Several pieces of the floor rose and formed a shield, blocking the arrows.
She slammed her hand on the raised piece of floor—pushing it toward the knights.
"CRACK!"
The piece of floor shattered after hitting the ground.
The girl collided with the knight's shield.
Then the girl disappeared from their sight.
Up!
Kira saw the girl leap about three meters high, raising a blue fireball above her head.
"She's up there!" one of the knights shouted.
The blue fireball slammed down.
The explosion erupted with a burst of blue flames. Even though Kira was about twenty meters away, the heat was still intense.
A crater was created. The archer knight had no time to dodge. His armor melted along with his body, then disintegrated into black sand.
The girl glared murderously at the other knights.
The knights continued to advance: shield in front, mace in the middle, sword behind.
The girl jumped low and floated, circling them. Her path left a trail of blue flames in a circle, narrowing and enveloping the knights.
The blue flames grew, the heat overwhelming.
"...easy. I told you I'm strong," she said, stroking her bangs.
Kira, unconscious, stood up.
The girl stared at him, surprised. "You… are here? Are you Engill's representative too?"
"What?" Kira froze.
The blue flames enveloping the knights extinguished instantly. The knights who had nearly melted looked exhausted, but—they were still alive.
Half the shielded knight had melted into black sand. The knight with the mace forced himself to his feet and chased after the girl.
"Watch out! Behind you!" Kira shouted.
The girl panicked, spinning 180 degrees and stomping, trying to raise the ground as a shield—too late.
THUD!
The club blow shattered the shield, throwing the girl about four meters. Her arm was dislocated; she winced in pain.
The sword-wielding knight was already in front of her, raising his sword to slash.
The girl thrust her left hand forward. Instantly, her body was pushed back rapidly, as if a giant wind had pushed her. The slash failed.
But the thrust… was aimed at Kira.
Kira couldn't move freely because he was still holding his stiff mother.
THUD!
Kira and the girl crashed into the wall.
The girl forced herself to her feet. "Sorry for that unintended crash....Anyway, What are you going to do?"
"I… I have to save my mother!" Kira said, his voice trembling.
"Then don't interfere. I can handle it with my own strength!"
"Can't you see your condition? The number of knights has increased by two. Your blue flames have disappeared—it seems like one of their abilities!" Kira pointed to two new knights who had appeared. Kira guessed: they were the two who had gone to the safe.
"Two more… or five… or even a hundred… I'll take them!" The girl floated, launching herself at him.
"Stop moving or I'll cut this man!" the sword knight threatened, pointing his sword at Kira's mother.
The girl froze.
"W-wait! Don't cut my mother!" Kira cried out in panic.
The girl finally landed, extinguishing her blue flames.
The club knight approached. "Before I kill her, I want to teach her a lesson…"
A hard blow landed in the girl's stomach. She bent limply. A hard kick struck her chest.
The girl's screams rang out in pain.
Kira froze, crushed by his helplessness.
Then—a whispering voice.
"Lord Kira…"
Kira stiffened. It was the mysterious woman's voice.
"Do you need my power…?"
Kira wanted to answer "yes" with all his heart.
"Strengthen your heart… and say my name…"
"Hey! Wait a minute!" the sword knight shouted to his companion.
"What else? I want to kill him immediately!"
"Calm down… I want them to see this…"
The sword pierced Kira's mother's left chest.
Kira felt something fall from his own chest.
His mother's stiff body suddenly returned to "normal"—then pale, limp. She fell to the ground. From her body, a green light shot toward the giant eyeball outside the dome.
"NOOOO! MOTHER!"