The ground beneath Rain's feet cracked as he stared at the man standing before him. The words he had just heard weren't just information—they were a dagger piercing the very core of his existence.
"I am the one who was meant to take your place."
How could that be true? Who was this man? And why did he also possess a black butterfly?
Rain didn't give himself time to think. The moment the man finished speaking, black energy erupted from Rain's body, surging toward him like a devastating storm.
But the man didn't move.
Instead, the black butterfly hovering above him spread its wings, and in an instant, Rain's energy vanished into thin air as if it had never existed.
Rain's eyes widened.
"What?"
"Are you surprised?" the man said calmly. "Did you never wonder why your power is so unique?"
He took a step forward, and the air around him began to distort.
"You are not the only one with this power, Rain."
"Who are you?" Rain asked, his voice no longer just filled with anger but something else—deadly doubt.
"My name no longer matters," the man replied. "But I was the one meant to inherit this power before it was stolen from me."
"Stolen?"
"Yes."
At that moment, the black butterfly above the man spread its wings again, and black lines formed in the air, as if tearing reality itself.
"Before your father's death, another was chosen to carry his legacy."
"Another person?"
"Me."
A heavy silence filled the space before the man continued in a low voice:
"But you… stole it from me."
Rain didn't respond immediately, but his mind was racing.
"I stole his power?"
It didn't make sense, but he couldn't deny the strange feeling creeping into him.
"You're lying," he finally said, but his voice wasn't as strong as he wanted it to be.
The man smiled but neither confirmed nor denied it.
"Am I? Or are you just afraid to face the truth?"
At that moment, the black butterfly hovering above Rain sensed his turmoil, flapping its wings as if warning him.
But it was already too late.
In the blink of an eye, the man vanished.
Rain felt a chilling warning, but before he could react, the man's hand was already gripping his throat with an unimaginable force.
"It's time to take back what's mine."
Then, darkness began to consume Rain.
To be continued…
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