Ruigh jolted awake.
He was lying in a narrow bed in a small, unfamiliar room. His breathing was shallow, and as he lifted his head, he tried to remember.
What had happened?
Blood. Screams.
His mother.
Dead.
Tortured.
His chest rose faster. His eyes burned. Hot tears ran down his face.
Sobbing, he buried his face in his hands and cried without restraint.
Everything that had happened flowed away with his tears.
When the last tear dried, he lifted his head. His eyes stared blankly into the distance. Only one question echoed through his mind:
What now?
The door swung open.
A young man entered with a wide grin, carrying a tray full of food.
"Well, cried it all out, kid?" he laughed.
Ruigh stared at him, confused.
"Who are you?"
The man casually placed the tray beside the bed.
"I'm Uhra Ratara," he said, still smiling.
Ruigh's breathing calmed a little. He tried to assess the situation.
"Is this your place?"
Uhra nodded.
"Yeah. I brought you here. I found what you did... pretty interesting."
Ruigh swallowed.
"What... did I do?" he asked cautiously.
Uhra raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"You're really asking that? You managed to hold down an A-Class. Not for long, sure—but that's still impressive."
He clapped his hands sarcastically.
"But that's not important right now. Eat first, little one. We'll talk later.
Just come out when you're ready."
He turned and left the room, leaving Ruigh alone.
---
Once the door closed, Ruigh sat up fully.
His injuries... were gone.
Strangely healed.
> "He said something about powers," Ruigh thought.
"Does he mean powers like that guy Rero had?"
Just thinking that name made his insides twist.
Disgust. Hatred.
He shook his head, trying to focus.
His eyes fell on the tray of food.
Eat? Really?
But his stomach growled in response.
Slowly, he took a bite. The bread was dry, but it filled him. As he chewed, his thoughts spiraled.
> "What does all this mean?
Who is that Uhra guy?
What were those powers?
And when he said my powers... did he mean I have something like that too?"
There was... that presence.
Ruigh remembered the feeling—something had changed inside him.
Something dark. Something vast.
His gaze drifted to the door again.
> "Maybe Uhra has the answers."
Thoughtfully, he leaned back, tilting his head, chewing the last piece of bread.
A single thought crept into his heart:
Hope.
But the moment it formed, it was shattered again—by the image of his mother's lifeless body.
The future felt black. Empty.
His dreams—destroyed.
His life—over.
He opens the door
The room behind the door was also small — kitchen, dining area, and living room all in one.
Uhra sat on a worn-out sofa and looked up as Ruigh entered.
He nodded with a satisfied smile.
"Come on, kid. Sit down."
Ruigh sat beside him, dark eyes watching him cautiously.
"So," Uhra crossed one leg over the other, "I guess I should start from the beginning and tell you who I really am."
He grinned.
"I'm a killer. A supernatural knight of justice."
Ruigh sighed, visibly annoyed.
"Seriously?"
Uhra shook his head with a chuckle.
"Okay, not that noble. But one part is true—I am a killer."
Ruigh raised an eyebrow.
"A hitman?"
Uhra nodded.
"Almost. I work for an organization called Killer Liger."
Ruigh's eyes widened.
"Killer Liger?"
Uhra grinned.
"Exactly. We're an organization that hunts down criminals and dark individuals—for the safety of the world."
Ruigh frowned.
"Isn't that what the police or military are for?"
Uhra laughed.
"That's what most people think. But there's one key difference:
We deal with supernatural threats."
Ruigh's chest tightened.
Killer Liger. Supernatural threats...
His breathing grew faster.
"By supernatural threats... you mean people with supernatural powers?"
Uhra gave him a playful wink.
"Bingo. And unfortunately, most of them do very ugly things.
Like the one who wiped out your family."
Ruigh tensed. His fists clenched.
"You mean... Rero."
Uhra looked thoughtful.
"So that's his name. Rero.
Yeah—he's exactly the type we go after."
Ruigh stared at the floor, his eyes dark.
"But why did he do it?
Was he just a psychopath?
Or were my parents in his way?"
Uhra sighed heavily. His playful tone vanished.
"My guess?
They were just in the wrong place at the wrong time."
Ruigh felt a storm rise inside him—rage, grief, despair.
"He destroyed my life...
Everything I cared about is gone."
Uhra nodded slowly.
"You're already dead.
You don't have a life anymore."
He leaned forward, his tone serious.
"But I can offer you a way out."
Ruigh lifted his head, trembling.
Uhra continued.
"You've got nothing left.
So how about it?
Do you want to become a killer?"
Ruigh's eyes widened in disbelief.
"A killer...?
You mean... joining Killer Liger?"
Uhra smiled faintly.
"Exactly."
He stood up and walked to another door, hand on the handle.
"You don't have to answer now."
He paused, half-turning back.
"Oh, and...
I bet you want to know what happened to Rero."
Ruigh's heart skipped.
Is he dead?
Uhra stepped halfway into the next room.
"I don't know."
And with that, he disappeared behind the door.