The year was 3205, the 40th day of the month of Kamira. The morning sun had just begun to bleed over the horizon of the Northern Continent, a vast landmass known as Zylo. In this era, Zylo was the sovereign territory of the Aster Government, but it was also the ancestral home of a race that stood apart from common humanity: the High Humans.
In the city of Haichi, located within the High Human kingdom of Hokaya, the air was always thick with elemental resonance. High Humans were not a single monolith; they were divided into eight distinct lineages based on their elemental affinity. Each lineage bore the physical marks of their power.
The Fire Lineage possessed skin and hair the color of dancing flames—vibrant orange and deep crimson. The Wind Lineage, like the clouds they commanded, had skin as pale as alabaster, hair of pure white, and eyes like clear glass. The Earth Lineage were sturdy with skin the color of rich loam, while the Water Lineage bore hair like the deep ocean. The Lightning Lineage sparked with red-hued vitality, the Leaf Lineage thrived with verdant green traits, the Light Lineage glowed with golden brilliance, and the Darkness Lineage was as obsidian as the midnight sky.
These beings were blessed with longevity, capable of living for thousands of years, though they reached maturity at the age of eighteen, much like common humans. They were a race of nature-lovers, peaceful by design, yet their history was written in blood. Despite their power, the kingdom of Hokaya was perpetually at war with neighboring human nations. In the continent of Zylo, the divide between "Human" and "Other" was a chasm filled with hatred. In the dark corners of the world, a High Human was not seen as a person, but as a luxury commodity.
"Don't scream, little one," a slave trader would hiss in the shadowed black markets of the north. "A specimen like you will fetch a fortune from the right noble." Racial discrimination was not just a social ill in Zylo; it was an industry.
One fateful morning on the outskirts of Haichi, a young Wind High Human named Luki was gathering herbs when he found a girl collapsed in the dirt. Her clothes were torn, her skin bruised, and she was far from her own kind. Luki, possessing the gentle heart characteristic of the Wind Lineage, didn't see an enemy or a stranger; he saw a soul in pain. He carried her to his modest home and tended to her wounds with the patience of the breeze.
When she finally blinked her eyes open, she was met with Luki's strikingly handsome, snow-white features.
"Where... where am I?" she whispered, her voice trembling.
"You're safe," Luki replied softly. "I'm Luki. I found you unconscious near the city limits."
The girl stared at his white hair and ethereal eyes, her breath hitching. "You... you're a High Human?"
Luki's expression dimmed slightly. "I am. Does that scare you? Will you treat me like a monster, as the others do?"
The girl shook her head, tears welling in her eyes. "I could never hate the person who saved my life. My name is Laya."
Laya remained hidden in Luki's home. She was a "Common Human," and in Haichi, her presence was as dangerous as Luki's would be in a human city. As weeks turned into months, she shared her story. She was the daughter of a prominent City Lord from a border territory. While traveling, her caravan had been ambushed by bandits—hired assassins, she suspected, sent by her father's political rivals. She had run until her legs gave out, ending up in the one place she was taught to fear.
But in the quiet of that small house, fear turned into friendship, and friendship blossomed into a deep, forbidden love. They were two outcasts from warring worlds, finding peace in each other's arms.
However, the world is rarely kind to such unions. One afternoon, while Luki was in the forest using his Wind-Element Circulation to effortlessly fell trees for firewood, a group of Haichi citizens passed nearby. They caught a glimpse of Laya through the window of the cabin.
"A human! There is a human spy in the Wind-Dweller's house!" they screamed, racing back to the city.
When Luki returned, he found Laya trembling. "Luki, they saw me. We have to go."
Luki's face paled. "If the High Human Council finds out, they will execute you. They hate humans for the way your people hunt us for the slave trade. We have to leave Aster's northern territories entirely."
"Where can we go?" Laya asked.
"South," Luki said firmly. "To Vinlanthira, the continent of neutrality. There is a kingdom there called Veliet that doesn't care about bloodlines. We will go to a small town called Billy."
They packed their few belongings and fled under the cover of a storm. They crossed treacherous mountain ranges and sailed across the churning, violent seas that separated the continents. Finally, they reached the southern tip of Veliet and settled in the peaceful, secluded town of Billy.
For a time, life was perfect. The townspeople of Billy were kind and accepting. In the year 3207, their first child was born—a boy they named Luke. Interestingly, Luke inherited his mother's vibrant green hair, a trait rare among the Wind High Humans but common in Laya's family. A few years later, a daughter followed, a beautiful girl named Lera, who also bore the emerald hair of her mother.
For ten years, Luke grew up in a house filled with laughter and the scent of the forest. He learned the basics of Atara from his father and the kindness of humanity from his mother. But the shadows of the north eventually stretched even to the peaceful south.
In the year 3217, when Luke was ten and Lera was only five, a day of fire and blood arrived. A massive band of ruthless bandits, hearing rumors of a High Human living in the remote town, descended upon Billy. They razed the village, setting homes ablaze and slaughtering anyone who stood in their way.
The bandits kicked in the door of Luki's home. "Well, well," the leader growled, eyeing Luki's white hair. "A High Human specimen. The northern markets will pay a king's ransom for your head."
"Leave my family alone!" Luki roared, stepping forward.
Laya threw herself in front of her husband. "Don't touch him! Take me instead!"
"Out of the way, wench!" the bandit snarled, swinging his heavy blade.
Luki reacted instinctively, shoving Laya aside and taking the blow himself. The blade buried itself deep in his chest. Luki tried to manifest his wind energy, but the wound was mortal. He fell to the floor, the light fading from his eyes.
From the shadows of the hallway, Luke and Lera watched in horror.
"Run!" Laya screamed, her voice breaking. "Luke, take your sister and RUN!"
Luke, his eyes streaming with tears, grabbed his five-year-old sister's hand. With his father's final scream echoing in his ears, he sprinted into the dark forest, his small heart pounding with a mixture of grief and a new, cold determination.
Back in the house, the bandit leader looked at his partner. "You idiot! Why did you kill him? He was worth millions!"
"He got in the way!" the other replied. "And so is this woman!" In a fit of senseless rage, he brought his sword down on Laya as she wept over Luki's body.
Luke and Lera survived in the woods for days, joining a small group of refugees. When they finally crept back to the remains of Billy the following morning, they found nothing but ash and the cold bodies of their parents.
"Brother... are Mommy and Daddy not coming back?" Lera asked, her voice small and trembling.
Luke knelt in the dirt, clutching his sister tightly. The boy who loved the forest died that day. "No, Lera. They're gone. But I promise you... as long as I draw breath, I will protect you. No one will ever hurt us again."
They eventually made their way to the bustling city of Boro. For years, Luke lived in the gutters, doing whatever it took to keep Lera fed. He registered as a Slayer at the age of ten, using his father's Wind Circulation and his own burgeoning Blue Fire to climb the ranks. He moved from sleeping in alleys to renting a small room, and finally, to becoming a respected warrior.
Present Day: 3220, The Bairoya Tournament
The flashback faded as the reality of the arena returned. Luke stood in the center of the cracked, smoking stage, his blue flames flickering with a renewed intensity. He wasn't just fighting for a trophy or a seat at the Academy. He was fighting for the memory of a white-haired man who loved a human woman, and for a sister who was waiting for him at home.
Beside him stood Kaelo, the boy who defied logic; Charlotte, the fierce warrior with the giant axe; and across from them, the monster known as Tholac.
Thorlac held his darkness-shrouded blade, his eyes cold. He represented everything Luke's father had fled from—the cruelty of the strong over the weak.
"Three on one?" Tholac laughed, the dark energy swirling around him like a shroud. "It doesn't matter how many of you ants crawl together. The darkness consumes all."
Kaelo tightened his gauntlets. "We'll see about that. Luke, Charlotte... let's show him what happens when the 'weak' decide they've had enough."
The final battle of the Bairoya was no longer a sport. It was a clash of destinies.
Notes: The Chronology of Luke
3205: Luki (High Human) and Laya (Common Human) meet in Haichi.
3207: Luke is born in the town of Billy, Veliet.
3212: Lera is born.
3217: Bandits attack Billy. Luki and Laya are killed. Luke (10) and Lera (5) flee to Boro.
3220 (Current): Luke (13) is an SR 2 Slayer competing in the tournament.