Chapter 1: A Life Left Behind
The city never sleeps, its neon glow reflecting on the rain-soaked streets. But inside a quiet apartment on the 42nd floor of a high-rise, Kuroda Azein sat alone, staring at the fading photograph of a life he once knew. The walls were sparse—just a desk, a single chair, and a bed. No distractions. Nothing that would remind him of the man he used to be.
He had earned his reputation as Code Name 001 in the clandestine world of mercenaries. A shadow in the night, a ghost that struck fear into the hearts of criminals. Kuroda had once thrived in chaos, leaving behind a trail of destruction wherever his mission led. But that life ended the moment he chose peace.
A soft knock echoed at the door. Kuroda didn't flinch; he didn't move. The knock came again, insistent.
"Who is it?" he called.
"Delivery," a voice said.
Kuroda opened the door to find a small box with no return address. Inside, resting atop black velvet, was a single key and a note:
"Some debts cannot die with you. They find their way home."
He dropped the box, heart sinking. He had left that world behind. Or so he thought.
That night, a sound shattered the quiet—glass breaking in the apartment below. Footsteps. He grabbed his coat and weapons from a hidden compartment. His old instincts surged, cold and precise. Every movement, every calculation, honed over years of training, kicked in without thought.
By the time the intruders reached his apartment, it was already too late. Kuroda moved like a shadow, swift and lethal. He took down three men with silent efficiency, his calm demeanor betraying the violence unfolding. By dawn, the apartment was still again, save for a single drop of blood on the floor and a phone buzzing on the desk.
A message lit up the screen:
"Kuroda Azein, Code Name 001. They are coming. Will you fight, or will you run?"
For the first time in years, the man who had left the world behind felt the familiar stirrings of a life he thought he had abandoned.
The quiet apartment no longer felt like home.
It felt like a battlefield.