Rain poured from the heavens as if the world itself was mourning. A small village, once peaceful, now burned under the tyranny of war. Smoke coiled into the night sky, mixing with lightning as fate's cruel design unfolded.
"Everyone is born bound by a chain of fate." That was what the elders used to say.
Young Kaien watched from behind a crumbling wall, heart pounding, tears merging with the rain on his cheeks. His mother stood alone before the monstrous figure clad in dark armor—a Fatesworn Commander. The man's scythe glowed with an ethereal chain, dragging behind him like a serpent seeking prey.
"You will not take him!" she cried, igniting her Animus. Flames burst around her, wild and defiant.
Their weapons clashed. The sound was deafening. Sparks scattered. The air vibrated with power. But the battle was never fair. The Commander's blade slashed through the very essence of her existence, severing the glowing Fate Chain bound to her soul.
She vanished in an instant, consumed by light.
Kaien reached forward, silent. His scream lost to thunder.
A beam crashed down nearby. And everything turned to black.
---
Nine years later…
Kaien stood in the arena under a scorching sun. His wrists were chained. His gaze—calm and deadly. Dust danced around his bare feet as the announcer's voice echoed: "Next fight: Slave #456 versus Beast Unit X!"
He barely blinked when the beast entered. A hulking brute, veins pulsing with rage and red Animus. Chains wrapped tightly around his neck and limbs, his Fate Chain burning crimson.
"Just another fight," Kaien muttered. The crowd roared. He remained still.
The beast charged. Kaien stepped aside, narrowly dodging the attack. He was calculating every twitch, every step.
"Unstable energy flow… He's drugged," Kaien thought. "He won't last long."
His own Fate Chain, nearly broken, trembled around him.
Then it happened. A fatal strike came toward him. And something inside snapped.
Time slowed. Kaien's body moved on its own. His chain shattered. Blue energy burst from within. The world blurred.
He vanished from view. Reappeared behind the beast. One strike. The monster fell.
Silence fell over the crowd.
In the shadows, a Fatesworn watched. "We found one," he whispered.
Kaien stood amidst the dust and silence. The broken links of his Fate Chain floated into the sky, glowing like stars.
"What… am I?" he asked aloud.
And thus began the tale of the boy without fate—the one who would defy destiny itself.
Written by: ego.himself