The morning came quietly.No sunlight broke through the clouds — only a dull, gray haze that blanketed the city in silence. The wind carried a chill, brushing through the broken windows of Aryan's apartment.
He stood by the mirror, adjusting his jacket, his reflection staring back with hollow eyes that seemed older than his years.Eighteen, yet he looked like someone who had already lived a lifetime of grief.
His backpack sat by the door — packed with what little he owned. A few tools, some rations, his family photo carefully wrapped in cloth. He took one last look around the room — the cracked walls, the dusty floor, the quiet knife still lying where it had fallen the day before.
This was the place where he had almost ended his story.Now, it was where his new one began.
A faint knock came at the door.
When he opened it, Raj stood there with his usual grin — a sword strapped across his side , the steel handle gleaming in the dim morning light. Beside him, Alice was already double-checking the equipment in his portable scanner bag, his glasses catching the faint light as he adjusted them.
"Morning, sleepyhead," Raj said. "Ready for adventure?"
Aryan gave a small nod. "You two are early."
"Of course," Alice replied, his tone calm as ever. "You're the one who insisted we move at sunrise."
Raj yawned. "Yeah, and I hate mornings, so let's get moving before I change my mind."
Aryan's eyes fell on the sword slung across Raj's back. "You're really serious about carrying that thing everywhere?"
Raj smirked. "Hey, this isn't 'that thing.' This sword's my partner. My dream's to be the world's greatest swordsman — might as well start acting like it, right?"
Alice raised an eyebrow. "You do realize swords aren't particularly effective against automatic defense drones, yes?"
Raj shrugged. "Then I'll just slice them before they shoot."
Alice sighed. "Brilliant. Truly brilliant."
Aryan almost smiled. Their banter — loud, reckless, and oddly comforting — made the heavy morning feel just a bit lighter.
Alice glanced around. "Where's Sora?"
Before Aryan could answer, a soft voice came from behind them."I'm here."
They turned to see her walking up the cracked street — white hair flowing gently in the wind, eyes sharp as ever. She wore a short, dark coat now, with faint lines of energy pulsing under the fabric. There was something otherworldly about her presence, as if she were a part of the mist itself.
Raj gave a short whistle. "Always dramatic, aren't you?"
Sora ignored him. "Is everyone ready?"
"Yeah," Aryan said. "Where are we going first?"
Before anyone could answer, Alice's terminal beeped softly. He tapped the screen, bringing up a glowing holographic map. The digital lines shimmered faintly in the air between them.
"Our destination," Alice said, pointing at the map, "is Vantara City."
Raj's eyes widened instantly. "Wait—what?! Did you just say Vantara City?"
Aryan looked confused. "What's wrong with that place?"
Raj turned to him, disbelief in his face. "Bro, are you serious? That's the Vantara City — the one everyone calls the 'City of the Dead.' No one goes there. It's been abandoned for decades!"
Alice nodded calmly. "Precisely. Which is exactly why we're going."
Sora's brows furrowed. "Explain."
Alice zoomed in on the hologram, revealing a cluster of glowing ruins near the city's center. "The Council of Nations had several secret facilities across the world. But their main experimental division was located beneath Vantara City — a massive underground lab. It was destroyed during the 'incident' thirty years ago, and the city was evacuated soon after."
Raj frowned. "Destroyed? By what?"
"No one knows," Alice said. "Officially, it was called a containment failure. But if we can access the systems still buried beneath the ruins, we might find records — possibly even files connected to the Nine Core."
Sora crossed her arms. "And you're sure it's still there?"
"As sure as I can be without getting killed," Alice replied dryly.
Raj groaned, running a hand through his hair. "Man, of all the places… You want us to go to a ghost city filled with broken machines and who knows what else?"
"Yes," Alice said simply.
Raj stared at him for a long moment. "You really suck at pep talks."
Sora tilted her head. "But he's right. A city with no life means no interference. No witnesses. If the Council has eyes everywhere else, that's the one place we might actually be invisible."
Alice nodded. "Exactly."
Aryan looked between them, silent for a moment. Then he turned toward his apartment one last time.The cracked window. The scattered memories. The faint smell of dust and old metal.
This was where his world had ended.Now, he was stepping into the unknown to rebuild it.
"Let's go," he said quietly.
Raj grinned. "Finally. The adventure begins!"
Alice adjusted his glasses. "Then let's move before we attract attention."
Sora gave Aryan a long look, her expression unreadable. "You're sure you're ready for this?"
He met her gaze firmly. "I've been ready for two years."
She gave a faint nod — approval, maybe. "Then let's see if your resolve can survive what's coming."
The four of them began walking down the empty road that led out of the city.The morning wind carried the faint scent of rust and rain. The sky above was a blanket of gray, thick and unmoving, as if the world itself were holding its breath.
Raj hummed softly as he walked, his sword tapping lightly against his back with each step."So," he said, "just to make this official — we've got one vengeful hero," he pointed at Aryan, "one genius with an ego," he nodded at Alice, "one mysterious girl with secrets," he gestured at Sora, "and one future world-class swordsman — that's me."
Alice sighed. "I fear for our survival already."
Sora ignored both of them, her eyes scanning the horizon. "It's a long journey to Vantara. We'll need to avoid the main roads — the Council still patrols some sectors with drones."
Aryan adjusted his bag. "Lead the way."
And so they walked — through the crumbling outskirts, where old machines lay half-buried in sand and wires poked from the ground like dead veins. The road stretched endlessly ahead, fading into fog and ruin.
Raj kept talking, of course."My dream, you know," he said suddenly, "isn't just to fight. I want to face the strongest people in the world — swordsmen, soldiers, whoever. I want to stand at the top one day."
Alice glanced at him. "You realize most of those people are probably dead?"
"Then I'll beat whatever's left of them," Raj said with a grin. "Simple."
Aryan smiled faintly. "You never change."
"That's the plan, bro," Raj said, flashing a thumbs-up. "Someone's gotta keep this team fun while you three brood in silence."
Sora's lips curved just slightly — not quite a smile, but close. "Fun, huh? Let's see how long that lasts once we reach Vantara."
One searching for the truth behind his family's death.One chasing his dream to become the world's greatest swordsman.One seeking the mystery of the Nine Core.And one carrying a duty no one yet understood.
Their journey — the path that would unravel the world's darkest secrets — had just begun.