The morning started normal.
Jin Haru woke up early.
He washed his face, ate a small breakfast, and packed a lunch.
Then he walked to the hospital to visit his sister.
The sky was grey.
Clouds were thick.
The air felt heavy.
Like something was wrong.
---
At the hospital, the nurse greeted him.
"Good morning, Haru."
"Good morning, Nurse Ana."
He smiled weakly.
She gave him a worried look.
"Be careful today. Mana is acting strange."
"What do you mean?"
"There's a surge. Too much mana in the air. It can cause… problems."
---
Haru nodded.
He walked to his little sister's room.
She lay still, as always.
Machines beeped.
Her face was peaceful.
Haru sat beside her bed and held her hand.
"I found a mana crystal," he whispered.
"It's rare. I will sell it soon. We're close… I promise."
Then—
BANG!
A loud sound shook the hospital.
The windows trembled.
Lights flickered.
Alarms rang.
Haru stood up fast.
"What was that?"
---
Nurse Ana ran in, out of breath.
"Haru! Get away from the window!"
"Why?!"
"A dungeon glitch… a monster came out near the building!"
"What?! Here?!"
"Yes! The mana surge opened a small crack in space!"
---
Smoke filled the hospital.
People ran in panic.
The monster was big and strong.
It moved fast.
Its snake tail crashed into walls.
Its wolf head growled loudly.
Patients screamed.
Nurses cried.
Guards tried to fight but failed.
The bullets did nothing.
The monster was looking for mana.
---
Haru watched from a hallway corner.
He was hiding behind a medicine cart.
He clenched his fists.
"If I don't stop it now…" he whispered.
His mind thought of one thing:
His sister.
She was still in her room.
If the monster came upstairs…
She would die.
---
"I can't wait," Haru said.
He looked around.
No cameras.
No one watching.
His heart beat fast.
He stood up slowly.
Then he stretched out his right hand.
---
He whispered in a calm voice:
"Ignis Lance."
A long, burning spear of fire formed in the air.
It was thin, fast, and sharp.
The spell was silent.
It floated above his palm.
Then—
Whoosh!
He threw it.
---
The flaming spear flew through the air.
It hit the monster right in the back.
Boom!
The fire exploded inside the body.
The creature screamed.
Flames came out of its mouth.
Its snake tail slammed the floor again.
But its body shook.
It was weak now.
---
Haru stepped forward.
His eyes were calm.
His voice was soft.
"Fulmen Pierca."
(A lightning spell.)
A thin bolt of lightning shot out from his finger.
Zap!
It struck the beast in the head.
The monster stopped moving.
Smoke came from its mouth and nose.
Its red eyes turned dark.
Then—
Thud.
It fell to the ground.
Dead.
---
Silence.
Haru stood still.
The fire faded.
The lightning was gone.
He waited.
Then quickly ran back to the hallway.
He hid behind a shelf.
---
A minute later, the guard team arrived.
They saw the dead monster.
The leader looked around.
"Who did this?"
"Not us," one guard said.
"Then who?"
"No idea. But it was magic. Strong magic."
---
The hospital staff cheered.
People clapped.
"I thought we were dead!"
"Someone saved us!"
"An angel!"
But no one knew the truth.
No one saw Haru.
---
He walked back to his sister's room.
She was safe.
The machines still beeped slowly.
Haru sat beside her.
"I did it," he whispered.
"But I have to stay hidden. For now."
He looked out the window.
Smoke rose in the distance.
His flame had burned the monster.
But it also lit a question in people's minds.
Who was the mystery savior?
The monster was gone.
The hospital was safe again.
People were scared, but alive.
Guards checked the rooms.
Doctors helped the injured.
The news team arrived outside.
But Haru did not care about any of that.
He only cared about one thing.
His little sister.
---
He sat beside her bed.
His hand gently held hers.
Her face was calm, but her body was still.
Like always.
For many months, she did not move.
Not even once.
She was quiet.
No talking.
No smiling.
Only sleeping.
Like a deep, deep dream.
---
Haru looked at her with tired eyes.
He was so worried.
Every day, he visited her.
Every day, he hoped she would wake up.
He worked five jobs.
He risked his life in a dungeon.
He fought a monster today.
All for her.
His only family.
His little sister.
---
He lowered his head.
"I saved the hospital," he whispered.
"I used my magic... It was dangerous. But I had to."
He looked at her again.
"I promised to protect you."
He touched her hand.
"You must wake up one day. I miss your voice…"
---
Then something happened.
Something small.
Very small.
Her fingers… moved.
Just a little.
Just a twitch.
---
Haru blinked.
He looked again.
"Wait…?"
He leaned closer.
Her hand twitched again.
Only one time.
But it moved.
---
"Nurse!" Haru called out.
Nurse Ana ran inside.
"Haru? What is it?"
"She moved! Her hand moved!"
The nurse walked over quickly.
She checked the machines.
The heart rate was a little faster.
Just a little.
But different from before.
---
Nurse Ana smiled.
"This is good. This is very good."
"She's waking up?"
"Not yet. But maybe soon. Her body is changing. This is a sign."
---
Haru felt tears in his eyes.
He held her hand tighter.
---
Haru looked at his sister's face.
Still sleeping.
Still quiet.
But now he had hope.
She moved.
She felt something.
Maybe she heard his voice.
Maybe she felt his fire.
---
He smiled.
"I will keep going," he said.
"I will grow stronger."
"I will bring you back."
"Just wait for me a little longer."
---
The rain outside stopped.
Sunlight peeked through the window.
The sky was calm again.
Just like her face.
But this time...
Haru knew something had changed.
The hospital was quiet again.
The monster was gone.
The people were safe.
His sister moved her hand.
Haru felt hope in his heart.
But then… he felt something else too.
A burning feeling.
---
"Ouch," Haru whispered.
He looked down at his wrist.
His right wrist was hot.
Like it was on fire.
He rolled up his sleeve.
His eyes went wide.
---
There was a mark on his skin.
A strange symbol.
It looked like a circle with ten small stars inside.
Each star had a line connecting to the middle.
The center glowed softly, like red fire.
---
"What… is this?" Haru said.
He touched it.
It felt warm, but not painful.
The mark pulsed.
Like it was alive.
Like it was part of him now.
---
He remembered the fight.
The fire spear.
The lightning spell.
The magic from the past.
His power had returned.
But now this mark was here.
---
"Did this come from the book?" he thought.
"Or the dungeon?"
"Or… is it from my past life?"
---
He walked to the bathroom mirror.
He looked at the mark again.
It did not fade.
It stayed on his skin.
Clear. Bright. Alive.
---
"Someone might see this…" he said.
He pulled his sleeve down.
He had to hide it.
For now.
No one could know.
Not yet.
---
He walked outside the hospital.
The news vans were still there.
People talked about the monster.
They called it the "Hospital Beast."
And they all asked the same question:
"Who saved us?"
---
Some said it was a hidden hunter.
Others said it was a robot.
One little boy said, "I saw fire in the sky!"
They laughed.
But Haru stayed quiet.
He kept walking.
---
As he left, he felt the mark again.
It pulsed one time.
Thump.
Like a heartbeat.
---
He stopped and looked at the sky.
Dark clouds were coming again.
But he was not afraid.
"I'm changing," he said.
"And the world is watching."
---
Then, far away, in the dark forest…
A different man stood in the shadows.
He wore a black coat.
His eyes glowed yellow.
He smiled.
"He has awakened," the man whispered.
"And the brand has chosen."