CHAPTER 1: The Unfinished Chapter
In a suburban cafe reduced to ruins by a mercenary raid, Vane sat calmly on one of the few remaining wooden chairs. In his left hand, he held an old, black leather-bound pocketbook. His right hand gripped a cup of coffee that had long since gone cold.
His weary eyes were focused on the pages. He paid no mind to the screams of the people or the staccato of gunfire echoing outside.CRASH!
The cafe door was kicked open. Five heavily armed men burst in, their breath ragged. "Hey! Are you deaf?! Get out and hand over everything you have!" barked one mercenary, a man twice Vane's size.
Vane didn't look up. He simply turned a page with a steady hand. "Just a moment. I have two pages left. Can you wait?" he said flatly. His nonchalant voice made the tension in the room even thicker."You're asking for death!"
The mercenary swung a giant axe toward Vane's head.
SWISH—THUD!
Without ever taking his eyes off his book, Vane raised his right leg in a movement so fluid yet lightning-fast. His heel slammed into the mercenary's jaw from below.The man didn't just fly back; his head hit the cafe ceiling with enough force to crack the concrete before his body slumped to the floor like rotten fruit. Dead instantly, without even a chance to scream.
Vane lowered his leg and returned to his seat. His tied-back hair swayed slightly, but his expression remained weary and cold. No anger. No adrenaline.
"One..." Vane muttered softly, still reading.The four remaining mercenaries froze. They watched their comrade die from a single, casual kick from a man who hadn't even looked at them.
"Y-YOU BASTARD! KILL HIM!"
They fired their automatic rifles blindly. Vane stood up, slipping the book into his jacket pocket. He moved through the hail of bullets like a ghost—not dodging in a panic, but simply shifting his body by a few millimeters with each step.He appeared instantly in front of the second soldier.
BOOM!
A straight front kick landed squarely on the man's chest. The sound of shattering ribs was sickeningly clear. The mercenary was sent flying out of the cafe, smashing into an armored vehicle until the metal buckled.
Vane paused for a moment, tightening his ponytail which had loosened slightly. He stared at the three remaining men with thosedeadly, weary eyes.
Vane stood amidst the ruins, alone. He took his small book back out, blew the dust off the cover, and walked out with a relaxed stride.