Ken clutched his shoulder tightly, his fingers trembling as blood trickled through them. The wound throbbed fiercely—hot, pulsing pain that spread through his entire arm. His vision was blurred, his thoughts foggy. He had no idea where he was or how he had ended up here.
All he remembered was running.
Then darkness.
Now... this place.
The world around him was like a forgotten graveyard—broken, desolate, and cold. Buildings lay in ruins, their skeletal remains casting long shadows beneath the gray sky. The air was thick with ash and silence, interrupted only by the eerie sound of something approaching.
Ken looked up—and froze.
The monstrous figure loomed in front of him. Its limbs were growing too long, its jaw starting to widen. The dusky, deformed skin peeled from its body, and yellow eyes gleamed with unnatural hunger. It stepped toward him slowly, savoring his weakness. Ken tried to move—tried to stand—but his legs refused to obey. The bite on his shoulder had sapped his strength.
"I can't... I can't fight this thing..." He muttered, while trying to put up a resistance.
The monster let out a low growl, lips curling back to reveal jagged teeth. It was ready to pounce.
Then—BOOM!!! A sudden burst of aura shook the surroundings, the monster which was about to devour me stood there, shaking and cowering in fear.
Then, a pair of heavy footsteps thundered through the broken ground. A shadow fell over them, larger than the monster itself. Ken turned his head with effort and saw a man—tall and broad, wearing a tattered cloak. An eyepatch covered his left eye, and a massive greatsword rested against his back. His face was rugged, carved from years of battle, and his expression was far from friendly.
"What the hell's going on here?" the man growled.
The monster still terrified, snarled and lunged toward him, claws extended. But before it could even make contact, the man unsheathed his sword in a blur and swung once.
A clean slice. The monster's head flew off its body and landed beside Ken with a sickening thud.
Ken's eyes widened in horror and awe.
The man turned toward him, glancing down with a scowl. "A kid? What're you doing here? This ain't no playground."
Ken tried to answer, his voice a dry whisper. "I... I don't know. I just... woke up here."
The man's single eye locked onto Ken's injury. His face darkened. A flicker of something—disgust, anger—passed through him. And then, without warning, he raised his sword again.
"Wait—" Ken gasped, fear freezing him in place.
The blade came down fast.
But before it could reach him—
"Move aside."
The voice was calm, almost bored—but it carried an authority that made the air go still.
The one-eyed man halted mid-strike, his sword mere inches from Ken's face. He turned slowly, muscles tense, and glared at the source of the voice.
Ken forced himself to look.
A young man stood several feet away, illuminated by a shaft of light that cut through the clouds above. His hair was a striking golden yellow with a orange shade, tousled by the breeze. Sharp, almost glowing eyes—matching the color of sunlight—watched them with quiet intensity. Dressed in a black, form-fitting outfit lined with silver edges, he looked nothing like a fighter ... but he radiated power.
The one-eyed man narrowed his eye. "You? Why are you here? to save this brat?"
"That kid's been bitten. You think I'll just let him walk?" he growled.
The golden-haired man sighed. "Thats's good. Now I don't need to explain everything"
"I don't have time to argue,Hand over the kid to me." He said with a commanding tone.
"What if I refu-"
But even before the bald guy could complete his sentence... In a blink, he moved.
Ken didn't even see the strike—just the result. The one-eyed man staggered back, then collapsed like a felled tree, unconscious.
Ken stared, stunned.
'Who was this guy?' He thought to himself.
Golden Hair walked up and looked at Ken silently. He pulled something from his pocket and tossed it toward him. "Catch."
Ken flinched, but his reflexes kicked in, and he grabbed the object—a smooth green stone, warm to the touch. The moment it touched his skin, a strange sensation spread through his body like a wave of sunlight. The pain in his shoulder faded, the bite mark sealing up as if it had never existed.
Ken gasped. "M-my wounds.... T-they're healed?"
The man gave a small nod. "Good. We're ready to move."
Before Ken could ask anything, the man knelt and effortlessly lifted him onto his back.
"W-Wait! Who are you? Where are we going!?" Ken asked, to which the Golden hair responded..
"Somewhere safer than here.You wanna come?"
Ken,who was already horrified & puzzled from the start, after seeing the man's gentle behaviour & actions, calmed down and decided to go along him.
Then, the man grabbed Ken and said
"Let's go, then!!"
As, before Ken could ask anything, the world around him blurred as the man ran, faster than anything human. Wind rushed past his face. The ruined city faded into dense forest, and soon they stopped before a small, wooden house nestled among tall trees.
---
The man stopped infront of a house, which somewhat reminded Ken of the old-style apartments from his world.
The man went inside with Ken, and put him down gently. "So,This is my house."
It was quiet here—no monsters, no ruins, no screams. Just wind rustling through leaves and the occasional chirp of distant birds. Ken followed him inside, still too overwhelmed to protest.
The house was modest but clean. A small fire crackled in the hearth. The man handed Ken a glass of water.
Ken sipped slowly, watching the man warily. "Mister Golden Hair, Why… are you helping me? You don't even know who I am."
The man sat across from him, arms crossed.
"First of all, I am not Mr. Golden Hair. I have a name, so call me by it."
Ken blinked. "Oh… sorry. So, what's your name?"
The man asked comedically "Wait What? I didn't tell you my name?"
But soon, the comic face transitioned into a faint smirk crossed the man's face, as he replied.
"I go by the name, Volt. Nice to meet you."