Genzai was rescued by firefighters, but it was already too late for his parents. Their house burned recklessly.
"Are you okay, kid?" one of the firefighters asked. His voice was very gentle, but it didn't do anything to Genzai. His heart was beyond repair. The question "Are you okay?" was out of concern, but for him, it felt like mockery. A cruel reminder that he had truly lost his parents.
He didn't respond to the question.
"I'm very sorry for what happened to your parents," the firefighter said.
You should have arrived faster. You should have helped my parents. Why didn't anyone come to us immediately? Why did they let it happen?
"Yeah..." Genzai trailed off, his eyes finally meeting the firefighter's.
"The police are still investigating the case. But I'm sure they'll find out soon enough, so all you have to do for now is rest," the firefighter said kindly, patting Genzai's back.
Rest? How can you say that to me? How can I rest?
Genzai's mind was filled with extreme hatred, sadness, and loss. A single tear didn't leave his eyes, but there was a massive hole in his heart.
Who was the person behind this? What was the motive? Why my parents? What did we ever do? Why? Why? Why? Why?
They had lived in a quiet, secluded part of the city. It wasn't a place for the rich, but Genzai never felt poor. The warmth of his mother's embrace and the strength in his father's laughter were enough. In that small home, love made the walls feel like palaces.
But all of that vanished in one night.
—
Since that night, Genzai had been passed from one orphanage to another. Restless. Unruly. He was always breaking the rules. He would sneak out after curfew, pick fights with older children and steal small items that caught his eye. It wasn't because he was cruel or reckless; it was because he was searching. He didn't care about anyone at the orphanage, but there was one kid who he found interesting.
"Genzai, do you want to play with us?" another boy asked, his smile bright with excitement.
Genzai lifted his gaze for only a second before looking away, his expression cold and uninterested.
"You've got a bad personality! You never play with anyone," the boy snapped, his small fists tightening at his sides.
Genzai's black eyes shifted back to him, sharp and weary, as if they could cut straight through. "Are you trying to start a fight?"
And just like that, it began again. What started as words quickly turned into another fistfight, the kind Genzai purposely find himself in.
"Genzai, what's wrong with you?" the headmaster of one orphanage had scolded him, her arms crossed tightly over her chest. "Why do you keep fighting with the other children? If you continue like this, no orphanage will want you."
Her words didn't matter to him. That was the point. If no one kept him, he could keep moving. And the further he went, the closer he believed he'd get to finding the one he sought: the Blesser of Time.
Later, in yet another new orphanage, it was the same. "You disobedient fool!" the headmaster screamed when he was caught sneaking out again. "How many times have I told you, you cannot leave these grounds without permission?"
Genzai didn't flinch. He stood there, black eyes steady, unbothered by the punishment that would surely follow. His body was in that room, but his mind was far away, chasing a goal only he could see.
He wasn't running from the rules. He was running toward something bigger.
"You're not sorry at all, are you? How many orphanages have you been transferred to? Children like you would never be adopted by a good family," the headmaster said. She wasn't even trying to hide her disappointment from Genzai.
"I don't care. I don't need another family. I just need Mom and Dad. I will bring them back," Genzai thought to himself.
—
Genzai sat on his bed, hugging his knees. He had been transferred to another orphanage. Again.
He sat up and grabbed his notebook. He read the notes he had written ever since his parents died.
'First Blesser of Time: Albert Reiz. Blessed by Archeus. I must find Archaeus. I must bring back my parents.'
The page was crumpled, its edges worn and softened by countless readings. Genzai had returned to it many times, each word grounding him and reminding him of what he needed to do and why.
It spoke of a man named Albert. A year ago, the world had watched in awe as he became the first and only person to be blessed by Archeus, the Blesser of Time. With his extraordinary ability to manipulate time, Albert had saved lives, prevented disasters and given hope to countless people. For a while, it felt as though humanity had a true guardian.
But legends never last long.
Albert's story ended abruptly. He was murdered by an unknown assassin who slipped in and out of the shadows. A cursed man. A man who destroyed hope as easily as Albert had given it.
The cursed carried no guilt. They felt no remorse. They thrived in chaos; their powers were born of darkness itself. Someone like them : a Cursed had shattered Genzai's life all those years ago.
But what truly did it mean to be cursed?
By the year 2050, the world had already changed. Two divine forces had emerged, altering humanity's destiny: the Blessers and the Cursers.
The Blessers were covered in mystery, choosing only those who could withstand their sacred trials. Each trial was unique and designed to test a person's heart and soul. The usual trial had about three stages, and upon completion, the power of blessing would be granted, making you a blessed individual.
The Cursers were different. They required no ordeal or proof of worthiness. Instead, they granted power freely to those already steeped in corruption. They awakened darkness and, in doing so, unleashed chaos.
"Archaeus..." Genzai clutched the bedsheets and said, "I hope you will help me bring my parents back. I miss them so much." He whispered hoarsely. His eyes were filled with a loneliness and pain that one could not fathom.
The ten-year-old child, who had lost his parents in an instant, was fixated on the idea that becoming blessed would return what had been taken from him.
Time could bring them back. Time would complete them again.
Genzai looked at the moon outside. "Just like my mother's message to me. Everything will be alright. In the end, we will be a family again. Time will restart and set things right."