Volume 1: The Man From Another World
Arc 1: Welcome to Ozrail
Carbon-Knights: A term given to modified humans granted immense speed, incredible strength, and bodies as hard as diamond—all enhanced by a fossilized Giant found in a crater on Earth.
Series 1 Subjects:
Subject A: Alberto
Subject B: Baleng
Subject C: Carter
Subject D: Donna
Subject E: ???
Only Subject C survived the training, becoming a living weapon for the U.S. Army.
"Carter White... I repeat, Carter White!" shouted a female soldier.
A handsome man with an angelic face turns and winks at the camera. "For you, Honey," Carter says before jumping from the plane.
"Yoffie!" he screams, cannonballing toward the Earth. He lands unscathed. The pressure creates a massive crater.
"Nuclear!" Carter shouts, completely naked.
"Carter! You destroyed our diamond Fabrin!" Honey yells.
"For you, Honey... my PP!" the 19-year-old Carter says from the crater.
The Present
At 35, Carter returns from deployment. It's a rainy night. The town is gray, foggy, lifeless. Only the raindrops disturb the silence.
He opens his door to a quiet, clean apartment. Too quiet.
He grabs cereal and stares blankly, remembering his wife, Honey—her red hair, green eyes, and the sunshine-like warmth she brought.
"Hey baby... I hope our child has your blue eyes and my red hair. Then I'll name him Red," Honey had once said.
Now Carter is alone. Wife dead. Son gone. He's seen as a monster, a weapon, despite saving lives. Even his angelic face can't erase the fear in others' eyes.
"Just take what you need, sir," says a cashier.
"I'm not going to do anything," Carter replies. The man pulls a gun and fires. Carter catches the bullet and crushes the weapon.
"Don't piss me off."
The cashier runs. A child watches in awe.
"Wow, that was cool!"
Carter smiles, but the boy's mother yanks him away.
"Stay away from him, Rey! They're not like us. They're dangerous," she warns.
Suddenly, the ground beneath Carter collapses.
He falls.
Chapter 1: Out of This World
Carter wakes up wet and cold beside a crystalline lake, reflective like a sea of mirrors.
"Huh?" he murmurs.
Before him stands a 5-foot, blue-gray mouseman with a gem horn.
"Hello there, furry fella!"
"Hello! I'm Blue. Blue Garnet," the creature replies.
"You look like a guinea pig."
"What's a guinea pig?"
"A cute, tailless rodent."
Above them, floating islands drift. A red fortress looms.
"I'm sorry... I hope someday we meet again," Blue says, his eyes glowing blue. He hurls Carter into the lake.
Carter crashes through the lake bottom and floats toward the surface. He sees a giant garnet ratfish and—
A man who looks just like him, in red garnet armor with black eyes and glowing red pupils. A full-box beard marks his chin.
"What the... I have King Charl Black's body! Who are you?!"
"You seem like bad news," Carter mutters.
The armored man vanishes, reappears in a flash, and punches him.
Carter retaliates. Their punches crack the garnet armor.
Red aura bursts from the man as he morphs into a 50-meter red garnet centaur-rat with fins.
He hurls Carter off the ratfish, cracking it in half.
Carter hits the sea, unconscious. The garnet enemy disintegrates into red sand.
"We will meet again, human."
Carter awakens on a tree net.
"Where am I?"
"You're in Oz-Trail territory," says an Elf.
"Is that... King Charl?" another whispers.
"Stop. We saw him die in that war last year," says a catwoman.
"I won't hurt anyone," Carter promises.
They release the net.
"Ahhh... AHHH... AHHH!" Carter glows.
"ACHOO!" he sneezes, creating a minor explosion.
Later: At the Cathedral Bar
Carter is naked. Everyone looks away.
"ACHOO!" Another explosion.
"You destroyed a Grade 10 magic barrier!" yells a tuxedo-wearing, 6-foot talking penguin.
"Principal Blissfoot, calm down," the catwoman says.
"Calm?! This man looks, sounds, and acts like King Charl—but he's EXPLODING! Thank Crey he's not wearing Manaclothes or we'd be toast!"
"Mr. Happy fe—"
"It's BLISSFOOT, dammit!"
Suddenly, a royal procession arrives.
"Your Highness, Empress Glycemia has arrived!"
A masked woman with a headdress steps forward, her ID reading: Glycemia Ozman, Empress of Oz-Trail.
She peers at Carter.
"Charl...?"
"No. I'm Carter. Carter White."
She removes her mask.
"Honey?" Carter whispers.
The crowd gasps.
"It moved!" yells the catwoman, pointing at Carter's exposed... situation.
Glycemia bursts into laughter.
"Please dress this man."
As she turns to leave—
"Honey, wait!"
She freezes.
"It's Glycemia. Only my King called me 'Honey.'"
"I'm not your King, Your Highness. But... will you give me a chance? I... I liked you at first sight."
She slaps him. Tears fall.
"Don't. My husband died a year ago. Saving me. Because I wasn't strong enough."
"I lost my wife and child in a war that wasn't mine," Carter replies softly.
"Please, let me just... look at your face. I always dreamed of seeing Honey again."
Carter punches the cage. Magic circles shatter.
He takes out a flag, wraps it around himself, and collapses, bleeding.
In the Infirmary
"Your Highness... he's something else," says the Grand Wizard Vermilion.
"Half-human. Half-Gemlord Nephilim. Like you."
The doctor removes garnet shards.
"Not just human. His blood has micro-polymers and a strange energy wave. He's absorbing mana—like he was starving for it."
"Guess what, Empress?"
"What?"
"His DNA... is 99.9% a match to King Charl Black. Even their names rhyme."
"He might be from another world—like the ancient summoning experiments."
Glycemia holds Carter's hand.
"In a way... you're back, Charl."
She kisses his hand.
"I prayed to the Creator to see you again..."
"Honey," Carter says.
"Wanna date?" he grins.
She laughs.
"Fine. One date."
Later
Carter wears a brown leather jacket and turtleneck. Glycemia waits.
"Where's my child?"
A red-haired boy with blue eyes approaches.
"Prince Red. This man—he's not your father, but... another version."
Red and Carter mirror each other's posture.
"You sure you're not my father?"
"Nope. I'm Sergeant Carter White. But if I had a son, he'd look like you."
"Can I hug you? I miss my dad."
"Sure. I'll be your dad soon anyway," Carter winks.
Red hugs him. A magic circle flickers on Carter's jacket.
They stroll through town. Spring is in full bloom—cherry blossoms, plum trees, soft warm colors everywhere.
Carter stares lovingly.
"Stop looking at me like that, My Crey," Glycemia says.
"You're so beautiful."
They sit at a restaurant: Mermaid Tail Stew.
"Please don't move too much," Glycemia warns. "That wound carries the Impaler's Curse."
"I'll be fine."
"Hey!" shouts Vermilion and the Ranger Trio.
"No longer sneezy?" the catwoman asks.
"All good," Carter replies.
"I can't read this menu!"
Vermilion hands him a ring.
It bites him, draws blood, turns cyan.
"Ah, a scholar type!" the ring says.
"Oh, an A.I.!" Carter grins.
The menu translates to English.
"Let's get baked young sunflower cob, rainbow tulip salad, roasted chicken-rex, cheesy chili garlic bread (Grande), and buffalo oxtail curry stew," Glycemia orders.
The dwarven waiter stares.
"Did the King get a haircut? Wait... who are you?"
"Seshen, meet Carter. Carter, this is Seshen Ernstrom, chef of Mermaid Tail Stew."
"Vermilion... cloning again?"
"No, no... and we gotta go."
The food is served. Glycemia and Carter eat, smiling at each other.
Watchtower
Red watches the screen. Vermilion and the Rangers teleport in.
"Thank you, Prince Red. We don't know what danger this man brings, but better to be..."
"...safe than sorry," Vermilion finishes.
He presses a rune.
Carter's ring lights up.
Then dims.