Two days after he left the Wazabi Domain.
Benine, the map folded in his hands, sighed. "Hmm… according to this map I'm completely lost. And I've already gone through all my food in two days… Great."
A calm voice sounded behind him. "So, you're the Wazabi guardian?"
Benine spun around quickly. "Who, me? I'm just a humble traveler, haha…"
The masked man stepped forward. His dark cloak bore the twin-swallow emblem. "Cut the act. That symbol belongs to the leader of the Wazabi clan. Yet your clan was annihilated two days ago!"
Silence fell, heavy and oppressive. Anger burned in Benine's temples. "Get ready. You're going to die."
The stranger smiled, cold as ice. "Nice to meet you. I'm Axel, a member of Sentinel Zero. And you… Wazabi? What's your name?"
"No need to know," Benine spat. "These are your last moments on Earth."
The two men lunged at each other. Fists slammed with incredible speed and violence. Each impact echoed across the mountain.
Axel took a step back, watching Benine with an eerie calm. (Why aren't you drawing your sword?) You're supposed to use your fists as your main weapon, right?
"Shut up!" Benine shouted.
A lightning-fast blow struck Axel, sending him crashing into a tree. He groaned but pushed himself up, wiping blood from his face. "You're strong… really strong. I'll have to use my Burst."
"You've got quite the face on you for a blond bastard."
"Thanks for the compliment!" Axel said, tossing what remained of his mask aside.
He rose, his eyes glowing with an electric light. With a quick motion he produced a metal bat. Benine sneered. "That little stick won't take me down!"
Then, in a flash, Axel vanished from Benine's peripheral vision and reappeared right in front of him. Benine, startled, exclaimed, "Shit! He's too fast!"
The bat came down. The impact rattled his teeth; pain detonated throughout his body. Everything went white before his eyes.
Axel murmured, "Burst… Ryndar, the celestial lightning-rod. Let the heavens judge me… and strike me down."
The sky seemed to answer. A bolt of lightning split the air and slammed into Axel. The explosion shook the entire mountain. Electricity coursed through his body and ran along the bat he held… and then struck Benine.
In a flash of awareness, Benine finally understood:
> The Burst is not an energy you control. It's an inner fracture, unique to each person, born where the soul meets unstable reality. For some, that fracture becomes a fascinating… but dangerous power. Each Burst reflects its bearer's essence — and the price to use it is always proportional to its strength.
When the smoke cleared, Axel stood upright, his clothes ruined. Benine lay on the ground, his body charred, struggling to breathe.
Axel cast a cold look at him. "Poor boy. You didn't stand a chance. My Burst is called Ryndar. It draws the sky's wrath onto its wielder. I'm not safe from it either: every use pushes my heart closer to total desynchronization. But as long as it still beats, I strike faster than light!!"
--- The End ---