The moon cast its pale light over the dark forest as crickets chirped, filling the night with their song. Leaves swayed in the night breeze as stars twinkled overhead. Nocturnal creatures awoke as the forest filled with quiet activity.
Atop a cliff, two dark figures could be seen. One—a shadowy figure—knelt respectfully, head low and posture unassuming. The other stood tall despite their small stature, their hood hiding their identity.
The hooded figure took a few steps back, arms crossed. They sat on a nearby boulder and turned toward the shadow.
Their tone was high-pitched and commanding, almost childlike.
"Tell me what you've found out about our targets."
The shadow slowly lifted its head, its skin absorbing the moonlight.
"The blonde boy seems to be able to summon unusual weapons and uses them for combat. He didn't seem to notice me as I watched him walk back to camp, so I suggest we ambush him when he's alone."
The figure placed a hand on its chin. "Okay, that can be done."
The shadow spoke up.
"The white-haired boy seems to have control over microwaves. He could also have control of the rest of the electromagnetic spectrum."
The figure paused to think, their hood swaying gently in the night breeze. He placed a hand on his chin and looked over at the shadow.
"Um… can you explain to me what the electromagnetic spectrum is?"
The shadow shifted slightly and cleared its throat before speaking.
"The electromagnetic spectrum is basically all the different kinds of light energy in the world. Some we can see, but most we can't. These lights are actually waves that move at the speed of light. Think of it like piano keys, each key makes a different sound—high or low-pitched—"
"Okay, okay, I get it. Stop explaining it to me like I'm a child."
The shadow deadpanned.
"…But you are a child."
The figure raised a hand and cupped their ear. "Did you say something?"
"No, sir."
"That's what I thought."
The stars shimmered in the night sky above them as the figure shifted atop the boulder and crossed their arms.
"What about the other two?"
"The brown-haired boy immediately noticed me watching him and even called me out, but luckily a Burrowfang attacked him before anything happened."
The figure tilted their head slightly. Their blue hair peeked from the hood as it caught the moonlight. "What about his Resonance? Or does he have an Authority already?"
The shadow opened its mouth, then closed it again, unable to say anything. It looked around at the rocky cliff, hoping the rocks could offer an answer. It turned to the figure and lowered its head.
"Sorry, sir, but… I don't have an answer to that."
The figure stared at the shadow curiously, head tilted to the side.
'Huh…'
His loyal shadow had never failed to uncover any information he desired in the past. Now, however, it knelt before him without an answer. He gazed into the distance, the night sky filled with bright stars as the moon hung high above the forest.
His gaze eventually settled on his target's camp, curiosity flickering in his eyes.
'An unknown variable. That shouldn't be a problem. I'll just kill them and the people of Kell Village before I make my way to the capital.'
A sinister smile formed on his face as bloodlust poured out of him.
'The people of this country don't understand the value of a person's life.'
The smile slowly faded as something darker replaced it. The breeze blew the hood off, revealing a young boy with ocean-blue hair and eyes. His half-lidded, sky-blue eyes sparkled in the night light as he stared intensely at his targets.
The air pressure around him dropped, and even his loyal shadow shifted back slightly, sensing its master's change in mood.
'So I'll make them understand. I'll make them understand the feeling of losing someone they love. I'll make them feel all the pain and loneliness the world showed me. And I'll teach them that I'm no longer going to let the world bully me anymore.'
The shadow snapped its fingers, pulling the boy out of his thoughts.
It slowly lowered its head and spoke.
"Should I tell you about the last target?"
The boy hopped off the boulder and put on his hood. He placed his hands in his pockets and began walking away from the cliff.
"No. I'm no longer in the mood. We just came here to scout Kell Village, nothing more."
The shadow stood up and began following its master.
"So when do we attack?"
The boy stopped, his blue hair swayed in the wind as it caught the moonlight.
"After we kill everyone in my hometown."
His voice came out low, laced with malice as he continued walking.
The shadow followed along. "Which will take some time to complete."
"I know," the boy said.
—
"WHY AREN'T YOU IN HELL?!"
"You think you deserve to live peacefully?! Bullshit!"
"You killed us all, but you weren't punished? What a joke."
"Please don't kill me."
"YOU'RE A MONSTER!!"
"Why would I trust a murderer like you?"
"WHY HAVEN'T YOU KILLED YOUR FRIENDS YET?"
…
Damian opened his eyes and stared at the damp cave ceiling. Green patches of moss grew in the darkest, most hidden part of the rocky ceiling as water dripped down nearby. Morning light leaked into the cave as birds chirped and branches swayed in the morning breeze.
Damian turned his head toward the entrance, watching golden rays of sunlight pierce through the forest canopy as the forest slowly came to life.
He let out a sigh and stood up. With a detached expression, he stretched his arms before leaving the cave.
Omari, Savien, and Jackson sat in front of the extinguished campfire, deep in conversation.
"He killed half the town's population before we stepped in and took him out," Jackson said.
Savien raised a brow. "You let him take out half a town's population before intervening?"
"Well, yeah. It didn't benefit us to help the people of Viona. They eventually paid us to help them kill him, which we did."
"Damn!" Omari said. "Your version of Jack the Ripper makes mine look like a fraud!"
Omari turned to Damian, who was still stretching as he walked toward them.
He raised a hand. "Yo, sleepyhead. You're finally awake."
Savien crossed his arms and looked at Damian. "It's very unusual for you to wake up last. You're usually up first."
Damian's thoughts returned to the voices he had heard while he was asleep. They had belonged to a few people he had killed and others he had known.
But the last voice belonged to someone he had never expected to dream about.
The one person he hated most.
The person who had forced him to become the ultimate weapon.
I taught you to kill, not to make friends!
The very thought of him caused Damian to clench his fists. Rage filled his mind, but his expression remained flat.
"I had a hard time sleeping last night," he said.
Omari jabbed a finger at Jackson. "Of course you wouldn't be able to sleep, this guy snores loud as hell."
"I DON'T SNORE!!" Jackson exclaimed.
Savien stood up and looked at Damian. "So what are we doing today?"
Damian walked past them and toward the forest. "We're doing hand-to-hand combat today."
He turned his head as he kept walking. "But first we need to eat breakfast."
Jackson shot up with a smile on his face. He stretched out his arms in celebration as he walked behind Damian. "Finally, something I'm good at."
Savien calmly stood up and followed along, hands in pockets.
Omari sighed as he stood up. His arms hung low as he dragged his legs along. "Man, I hate this."