The training field behind the academy shimmered under the noon sun. Tetsu grinned, tossing a practice spear from hand to hand.
"Come on, Kael! You're getting too slow!" he teased, flashing that same reckless smile he always wore.
Kael panted, adjusting his stance. "Easy for you to say when you've got a body made of steel…"
Before Kael could retort, a deep rumble shook the earth beneath them.
Both boys froze.
The trees lining the field split apart as something massive burst through—a hulking beast, at least three times the size of a man. Its hide was cracked and oozing with dark energy. Red eyes locked onto them, and its breath came out in low, guttural growls.
A Fracture Beast.
One that had somehow slipped past the academy's defenses.
Tetsu instinctively stepped forward, placing himself between Kael and the monster. "Get help!" he barked.
But Kael didn't move.
His legs wouldn't respond.
The beast lunged.
Tetsu met it head-on, skin hardening into steel just in time to deflect the first blow. Sparks flew. Dust choked the air.
Kael watched, heart hammering, fists clenched uselessly at his sides. He wanted to move, to fight, to help—but there was nothing.
No Will. No power. Just a scared, powerless boy.
Tetsu roared, landing a heavy punch against the beast's jaw, but it barely flinched. It swung its massive tail, slamming Tetsu into the ground with a sickening crack.
"TETSU!" Kael screamed.
Blood splattered the dirt.
Tetsu tried to rise but collapsed, coughing violently, armor flickering.
The beast turned toward Kael now, slow and deliberate, savoring the kill.
Kael stumbled backward.
Move. Move, damn it!
The beast charged.
Kael closed his eyes.
And then he heard it—not a voice, but something deeper. A pressure building inside his chest, like a dam cracking under a flood.
"You cannot save anyone if you remain as you are."
Images flashed through his mind: his brother disappearing into the depths… Tetsu bleeding out in front of him…
No more.
Something shattered inside him.
Black and violet energy erupted from his body, the ground around him fracturing in a perfect circle. The beast recoiled, snarling.
Kael opened his eyes—and for the first time, the shadows bent toward him, swirling like loyal hounds.
His body moved on instinct.
He vanished—no, stepped—through the shadows, reappearing above the beast.
Voidstep.
Before the creature could react, Kael slammed his foot into its skull, sending it crashing into the earth.
He hit the ground softly, shadows coiling around his fists.
The beast struggled to rise—but Kael moved again, faster than thought, striking with precision. The shadows lanced out, piercing the creature's joints.
It let out one final, agonized shriek before crumpling into the dirt, unmoving.
Silence fell.
Kael stood there, trembling, feeling the raw, unstable energy coursing through his veins.
Behind him, Tetsu groaned.
Kael rushed to his side, the shadows fading.
Tetsu grinned weakly, blood staining his teeth. "Took you long enough, dumbass..."
Kael let out a broken laugh, relief flooding him.
But deep inside, a terrible certainty took root.
This was only the beginning.
Above the academy, storm clouds gathered — as if the world itself had sensed the awakening of something ancient, something dangerous.
The Last Will had been born.