It was afternoon.
In the western region, two ten-year-old boys were happily playing together.
One of them was Kian Singerin.
The other was Arlo Whittaker.
Arlo belonged to the Whittaker family—the same family that Julian Arkwright came from.
The two boys were playing a simple game.
One of them would run anywhere he wanted while the other tried to catch him.
At that moment, Kian was running as fast as he could.
"Catch me if you can!"
Arlo chased after him.
"I'll catch you!"
Both boys were laughing and smiling.
For them, it was nothing more than a fun afternoon.
Suddenly—
Arlo managed to catch Kian.
"Yes! Finally, I caught you!"
"Hahaha!"
Arlo laughed innocently.
"Now it's my turn to run!"
Kian smiled.
"Huhh..."
"However, I'll catch you fast!"
Arlo immediately ran away.
"Then try to catch me fast!"
Kian chased him.
But suddenly—
SPLASH!
Arlo slipped on some mud.
He fell to the ground, and his clothes became dirty.
Kian stopped immediately.
"Hey! Are you okay?"
Arlo looked at his dirty clothes.
"No..."
"I'm not okay."
"Please help me stand up."
Kian reached out his hand.
"Okay."
As Kian grabbed Arlo's hand and tried to pull him up—
Arlo suddenly pulled Kian's hand away.
"Eh?!"
Kian lost his balance.
SPLASH!
He also fell into the mud.
His clothes became dirty too.
Arlo stared at him for a moment.
Then he smiled.
"Hahaha!"
"Yeah! Now we wear the same clothes!"
Kian looked at himself.
Then he started laughing too.
"Hahaha!"
The two boys began throwing mud at each other.
"Take this!"
"No, you take this!"
They continued laughing.
But suddenly—
A horse-supported vehicle approached them.
A young woman stepped out.
The moment she saw Arlo covered in mud, her expression changed.
"ARLO!"
Her angry voice made both boys stop.
The young woman walked toward them.
"You ran away from home..."
"And now you're playing with this bastard kid?"
She pointed toward Kian.
"You even made your clothes dirty!"
"You'll pay for this!"
Arlo immediately became angry.
"My friend isn't a bastard!"
"Big sister!"
"You don't know anything about my friend!"
The young woman was Aeili Whittaker, Arlo's twenty-one-year-old older sister.
Aeili glared at him.
"Shut up."
"I don't like misbehavior."
"You should remember that I'm your big sister."
Arlo crossed his arms.
"And you should remember that my friend isn't a bastard like you!"
Aeili's expression darkened.
Suddenly, Arlo grabbed Kian's hand.
"Come on! Let's run!"
The two boys tried to escape.
"Hey!"
"Don't run!"
Aeili sighed.
"Huhh..."
"This kid..."
Her eyes suddenly turned purple.
At that instant—
The entire surrounding area changed.
Everything became purple.
The ground.
The surroundings.
Even the atmosphere seemed different.
Kian and Arlo suddenly became extremely slow.
Their bodies could barely move.
A moment later, both boys collapsed.
They became unconscious.
Aeili looked at them.
"You weak kids."
"Huhh."
She walked toward Arlo and picked him up.
Then she carried him back toward the horse-supported vehicle.
Aeili looked at him.
"I don't know why you want to play with that bastard kid."
"Huhh..."
"Oh."
"Looks like you're completely unconscious."
She placed Arlo inside the vehicle and returned toward the Whittaker Palace.
Kian's Nightmare
Meanwhile, Kian remained unconscious on the ground.
The magic Aeili had used affected his mind.
Kian began dreaming.
In his nightmare, he saw his family standing before him.
They looked disappointed.
They told him that he was weak.
That he was useless.
That his weakness had damaged their reputation.
Kian desperately tried to defend himself.
Then suddenly—
Arlo appeared.
"You are a bastard kid."
Kian's eyes widened.
"No..."
"No!"
"I am not a bastard kid!"
"My parents aren't bad people!"
"They're kind!"
Kian suddenly screamed.
"NO!"
He opened his eyes.
He was breathing heavily.
For several seconds, Kian looked around in confusion.
Then he realized—
It had only been a nightmare.
The afternoon had already disappeared.
It was now evening.
Kian slowly sat up.
Then he noticed something behind him.
A huge man wearing a Knight mask was standing there.
Kian immediately turned around.
"Huhh?"
"Who are you?"
The masked man calmly looked at him.
It was Black ViSage.
Black ViSage raised one hand.
"Hey."
"Don't be scared."
"I'm not a bad person."
"I didn't harm you."
"I only saw you unconscious on the ground."
"I came here to confirm whether you were alive or dead."
Kian's nervous expression relaxed.
"Huhh..."
"Okay."
Black ViSage extended his hand toward him.
"Come on."
"Stand up now."
Kian grabbed his hand.
Black ViSage pulled him up.
"I'll take you to your home."
"So tell me."
"Where is your home?"
Kian pointed toward the distance.
"My home is there."
"West Palata Village."
Black ViSage nodded.
"Oh."
"Okay."
"Then I'll take you home."
Kian shook his head.
"Thanks."
"But I can go alone."
Kian suddenly remembered what had happened.
"I was playing with Arlo..."
"Then that unknown woman came and took him."
"She called herself his big sister..."
"So she was probably Arlo's sister."
"I should go home now."
"I'll meet Arlo tomorrow afternoon."
"My parents must be worried about me."
Black ViSage looked at Kian.
"I know you can go alone."
"But listen."
"It's evening now."
"There are many wolf Marrowbanes and rabbit Marrowbanes in this area."
"So, for your protection..."
"I'll go with you."
Black ViSage genuinely cared about the child.
"What if this kid gets attacked by Marrowbanes?"
He didn't want to leave Kian alone.
"Don't worry."
"I won't enter your home."
Kian nodded.
"Okay."
"I have no problem with that."
He looked at Black ViSage.
"And I can feel that you're not a bad person."
"Because if you were bad..."
"You wouldn't waste your time talking to me."
"You would've kidnapped me immediately."
Black ViSage nodded.
"Good."
"You're an intelligent boy."
"What is your name?"
Kian answered,
"My name is Kian Singerin."
"Okay, then."
"Let's go, Kian."
Black ViSage deliberately tried to act friendly.
He didn't want to frighten the child.
The two began walking toward West Palata Village.
Marrowbanes
Kian soon realized that Black ViSage had been telling the truth.
Several rabbit Marrowbanes appeared.
They suddenly attacked.
Kian became frightened.
But Black ViSage calmly drew a single Dark Black Dagger.
With one swift movement—
The rabbit Marrowbanes were struck.
Normally, Marrowbanes could heal extremely quickly.
But the Dark Black Dagger had a special effect.
Their healing became extremely slow.
Their movements also became sluggish.
Because of that, Black ViSage and Kian could easily continue walking.
"Don't worry."
"They aren't dangerous."
"Let's go."
Kian looked at him curiously.
"Hey, Mr."
"What is your name?"
Black ViSage answered,
"My name is Black ViSage."
"Ooh."
Kian tilted his head.
"But it looks like that isn't your real name."
Black ViSage nodded.
"Yeah."
"It's not my real name."
Kian asked,
"So your real name?"
"Sorry."
"It's a secret."
"I don't want to tell you my name."
"However, you can call me Black ViSage."
Kian nodded.
"Huhh."
"If you don't want to tell me your real name, okay."
"No problem."
"I'll call you Black ViSage."
Kian looked around.
"By the way, Mr. Black ViSage..."
"Why is the ground purple?"
Black ViSage knew the truth.
But he didn't want to reveal it.
"Oh."
"I think this ground has become poisonous."
Kian accepted the explanation.
"Huhh..."
"Look, Mr. Black ViSage."
"There are too many wolf Marrowbanes!"
Black ViSage looked ahead.
There was indeed a large number of them.
"Hey, Kian."
"Can you please close your eyes?"
"Why?"
"Please do."
"If you want to get out of this situation safely."
Kian hesitated.
"Okay, okay."
He closed his eyes.
Black ViSage raised his hand.
A dark, enormous Black Hole appeared.
The wolf Marrowbanes were immediately pulled into it.
One after another, they disappeared inside.
Black ViSage then raised his hand again.
The Black Hole vanished.
"Now you can open your eyes."
Kian opened them.
His eyes widened.
A huge number of wolf Marrowbanes had disappeared.
"Someone cast a magic called Purple Area Lock."
Black ViSage looked around.
"Because of it, the Marrowbanes' powers are increased."
"Humans inside this area become weaker and slower."
He continued thinking.
"I think these Marrowbanes might belong to someone."
"They all came from the same direction."
"And they're only targeting us."
"But why did the rabbit Marrowbanes attack us too?"
"Rabbit Marrowbanes usually hunt birds..."
Before he could think further—
A young woman appeared.
It was Aeili Whittaker.
She looked at Black ViSage.
"I didn't think you could defeat my pets like that."
She glanced around.
"My Purple Area didn't even slow your speed."
"And that kid woke up from his nightmare too early."
She looked directly at Black ViSage.
"Because of you, Mr."
"You applied powerful purification magic to that kid."
"That's why he woke up too early."
"Huhh..."
Aeili crossed her arms.
"Okay."
"I'll give you one chance."
"Don't interfere here."
"Run away."
"I won't kill you if you run away."
"I'll give you ten seconds."
Black ViSage answered immediately.
"I don't need your offer."
"I don't need anything from you."
"I came here to take this kid to his home."
"And I'll give you one chance to run away."
"Because I'll take this kid home anyway."
Aeili smiled.
Then she started laughing.
"What a joke."
"I can't stop laughing!"
"Hahahahahahaha!"
"So that means you reject my offer..."
"And accept death?"
Black ViSage stared at her.
"Huhh."
"What do you want from that kid?"
Aeili noticed something.
Black ViSage's aura had changed.
"Your aura suddenly changed into darkness."
"You aren't normal."
"Now I understand."
"I can feel something strange from your presence."
She smiled.
"Oh."
"By the way..."
"The answer to your question is simple."
"I want to kill that kid."
Kian immediately became frightened.
"No!"
"Please protect me!"
Black ViSage remained calm.
"And why do you want to kill that kid?"
Aeili answered,
"Because of this bastard kid..."
"My little brother became impertinent."
"He doesn't listen to me."
"He even runs away from home."
"Killing this bastard kid is the solution."
"If I kill him, my brother won't become brainless because of him."
She looked at Black ViSage.
"Okay."
"So you've heard my reason."
"What can you do now, Mr.?"
Black ViSage answered without hesitation.
"I'll protect that kid."
"And I'll take him to his home."
Aeili smiled.
"Okay."
"Try."
The Battle
Aeili raised her hand.
"Violet Demonnation."
The magic activated.
Kian suddenly became sick.
He began vomiting, and the vomit had turned purple.
His breathing became difficult.
Kian struggled to remain conscious.
Aeili looked at Black ViSage.
"Listen, Mr."
"If I want to..."
"I can finish that kid from long range."
Black ViSage's expression became serious.
"So..."
"I have no choice."
He opened his Black Big Sword.
A strange and terrifying killing aura emerged from the weapon.
In an instant—
Black ViSage rushed toward Aeili.
CLANG!
Aeili immediately stepped backward and dodged.
"This man isn't weak."
"If I hadn't moved backward..."
"That sword would've cut me."
Aeili continued avoiding his attacks with all her effort.
Black ViSage looked at her.
"You know..."
"Battles aren't won by power alone."
"A battle can also be won through knowledge..."
"And equipment."
Aeili's eyes narrowed.
"What?"
Black ViSage opened his hand.
A strange flower appeared.
Its name was Beliphonis.
The flower had mixed red and white colors.
Black ViSage raised it into the air.
Suddenly—
Huge black clouds appeared.
Massive amounts of fog began spreading through the area.
Black ViSage looked at Aeili.
"You know what today's date is?"
"If you don't remember..."
"It's 1 December."
Aeili's expression suddenly changed.
She remembered.
Her eyes widened.
Black ViSage continued.
"1 December is the day of Vapour."
"A huge and massive amount of fog is released today."
"Even Nightglass Covenant is off today."
"The Vapour releases slowly."
"So I think that's why you didn't notice the strange fog."
"You were too focused on fighting."
He looked toward the sky.
"People become unconscious when this fog appears."
"I think you're wondering how Vapour suddenly appeared."
"The answer is simple."
"It comes here at 8 PM."
"This Beliphonis flower attracts the fog."
"And Vapour is typically a fog-type phenomenon."
Black ViSage stared at Aeili silently through his Black Knight mask.
There was no smile on his face—only his usual emotionless silence.
"From time to time, Beliphonis attracts Vapour."
"So..."
"Goodbye."
"Foolish human."
"See you next time."
Aeili suddenly struggled to breathe.
She dropped to the ground.
Kian also became weak and sat down.
Aeili looked terrified.
"Huhhhh..."
"No!"
"Please stop this!"
Black ViSage threw the flowers into the sky.
Then he carried Kian onto his back.
He immediately ran away from the area.
Aeili's consciousness faded.
She collapsed onto the ground.
Black ViSage looked at Kian.
"Sorry, Kian."
"But I had no other option."
He increased his speed.
-Arlo-
Meanwhile, back at the Whittaker Palace—
Arlo looked toward his mother.
"Hey, Mother."
"Where is Big Sister?"
"She took me home, but she didn't come inside."
Arlo's mother became silent.
She didn't tell him everything.
"Shut up."
"Because of you, my daughter had to leave home."
Arlo's mother then softened slightly.
"Your sister went to save your future."
Arlo lowered his head.
"My friend..."
"I don't know where he is now."
"But I want my sister to come home..."
"And I want my friend to return home safely."
Kian's Home
Kian finally opened his eyes.
He saw his mother and father beside him.
Both of them were crying.
His father immediately hugged him.
"Kian!"
"You're awake!"
"Huhh..."
"We were so worried about you!"
Kian's mother was crying quietly.
Kian looked at both of them.
He felt completely normal.
There was nothing strange in his body anymore.
"I'm fine, Mom."
"Dad."
"I'm totally okay."
"Don't worry about me."
His mother wiped her tears.
"We're happy that you don't have any critical health problems."
Kian smiled.
"Yeah."
Then he suddenly remembered something.
"By the way..."
"Where is that Knight-mask man?"
"Black ViSage?"
Kian's father looked confused.
"Huhh?"
"Who is that?"
Kian's eyes widened.
"Huhh?"
"You didn't see that Knight-mask man?"
"The man who carried me and brought me home?"
"He saved me!"
His father shook his head.
"No."
"We didn't see anyone like that."
"We only heard a huge noise near our balcony."
"So I opened the door."
"You were unconscious right outside."
"But there wasn't any man there."
He paused.
"Besides..."
"It's impossible for someone to come outside during Vapour Day."
"No one dares to go outside during Vapour."
Kian became silent.
"So he really kept his promise."
"He didn't enter my home."
Kian smiled slightly.
Meanwhile—
Outside, a huge amount of fog covered the trees and the ground.
The world disappeared beneath the thick Vapour.
And within that mysterious fog...
Black ViSage was walking straight ahead.