Chapter 1 : The Reborn Soul

**Whooosh… Whooosh… whoosh… whoosh…**  The sound of the wind howled through the high skies.  *Plop… Plop…*  The sound of raindrops falling heavily, occasionally interspersed with the booming cracks of thunder.
At 9 p.m., most of the company’s employees had likely gone home—some because they had finished their work, others because they were utterly exhausted. The security guards were in the midst of a shift change, and outside, the rain poured relentlessly, accompanied by the rumble of thunder. The scene could be described as “the perfect harmony of heaven, earth, and man” for a certain intention.
On the rooftop of the building, a man sat on the railing. He was dressed simply, his long, unkempt hair untouched by scissors for far too long. His eyes were shadowed with dark circles, staring blankly downward. The exhaustion of a day’s work was etched clearly on his face.
He loosely adjusted his dark tie, his wrinkled white dress shirt and black trousers adding to his weary appearance. His deep brown eyes, like an endless abyss, no longer reflected any trace of what could be called the light of hope or the desire to live—those things had long since faded within him.
The rain soaked his body, making him shiver uncontrollably in the cold December weather.
“From up here, everything below looks so small, doesn’t it?”
He spoke his final words, so softly and gently that the heavy rain nearly drowned them out. His voice, already faint, was almost inaudible.
The damp air of the storm filled his lungs, then slowly escaped. He relaxed his shoulders, which for years had borne the weight of immense debts. His eyes closed briefly, then opened again. His hands hung limply, and his body plummeted downward, falling alongside the raindrops.
*Thud! Crack!*
The sound of his body hitting the ground echoed, bones shattering. The aftermath of a five-second fall was gruesome—a pool of blood spread from his body. His head had struck the ground, his skull fractured, his spine crushed, his body grotesquely deformed.
The crimson liquid spread, creating a terrifying scene. The corpse lay in its own pool of blood.
The company was located on a quiet street, made even emptier by the rain. But for him, it didn’t matter. At least no children would have to witness this sight. The only question was… how long would it take for someone to discover the body?
Under the torrential rain, the blood gradually washed away, and the metallic stench of blood faded, leaving only a faint taste of iron on the tongue, like the final lingering note of existence.
Though dead, his eyes remained open—not wide and staring like in the movies, but slightly ajar. Was it regret for the world he left behind, hatred for himself, for life, or something else entirely?
“It… didn’t hurt too much, did it?” The thought flickered in his mind before fading into darkness, giving way to a reel of his life’s memories, where he was the only audience.
The process was swift, like fleeting moments flashing before his eyes. When the final frame froze, a blinding light erupted from the image. From within it, low, resonant voices echoed, like whispers from demons.
“Come with me, little human.”
“Come here quickly, and you’ll be freed from this place.”
“Trust me, I’ll take you to another world…”
For some reason, those voices held an inexplicable allure. He followed them instinctively, his soul drawn into the light, swallowed whole by its radiance.
Gradually, a warm sensation enveloped him, as if he were sinking into a gentle stream. The howling wind and falling rain vanished, replaced by silence. The pungent smell of blood was gone, giving way to a strange, fresh fragrance, indescribable yet invigorating.
In that ethereal glow, he saw six shadowy figures, their forms bizarre and terrifying. They were so immense that a human seemed like a grain of sand at their feet. Clearly, those voices came from these beings.
They lowered their gazes, staring directly at him—a soul that seemed to have “wandered astray.” Under the weight of their six gazes, an inescapable pressure bore down on him, making it hard to breathe, as if he might explode at any moment.
“Don’t be so afraid, little soul,” a gentle voice echoed in his mind, urging him toward one of the “monsters.”
As his soul and the entity touched, they began to dissolve into one another. The sensation… it wasn’t painful at all. On the contrary, it made him want to cry, to sob like a child.
That dissolving feeling was like an embrace—a gentle, warm embrace that warmed a heart long dead. It was both strange and familiar, the soothing peace he had craved for over a decade—the embrace of his mother, who was long gone.
He remembered that embrace, remembered his mother, the warmth of being held by her, the feeling of talking with her. That warmth… it was impossible to put into words. At that moment, he wanted nothing more than to live forever in that embrace, or rather, to live forever in that feeling.
His soul merged with the entity, and with it, that sensation faded. But at least, that lonely soul had found some solace.
A soul and an entity fused, gradually forming the shape of a newborn child, then vanishing.
“So, that Ark guy’s gone, huh?” one of the five remaining entities said.
“Yeah, he’s quick to claim his prey.”
“No helping it—he’s the strongest, after all. I was planning to lure that one, but he beat me to it.”
“Ugh, so frustrating. That guy’s despair was so potent…”
“Stop whining. Just wait for the next one. I bet there’ll be someone even stronger.”
“Hey! Why don’t we check on them now?” With that, the speaker conjured a virtual screen with a mere thought.
On the screen, a stormy day came into focus. Under the rain, an elderly woman, nearly sixty, cradled a three-month-old baby boy who was wriggling, crying, and wailing.
“Oh, an orphan!”
“Looks like it.”
“I wonder what this one’s future will be like. Bet he’ll be strong!”
“I’d rather he be weak. Easier to deal with that way.”
The chatter grew louder in the white void, the entities arguing over the child’s future. Amid the commotion, one who had been silent until now spoke up.
“Silence, all of you!”
Instantly, the air fell still. No one dared speak, for they all feared him—Noah, second only to Ark in strength, a being both powerful and ruthless.
“You’d do well to remember the Holy War begins in less than thirty years by human reckoning. Get serious and choose your candidates wisely.”
The Holy War, thirty years away—a long time for humans, but a mere blink for these entities. And so, time marched on. The infant, once cradled by the old woman, had grown.
He grew up loved by the elderly woman and the other children in the orphanage, yet also amidst the indifference of the world, the cold, disdainful gazes of those who looked down on children like him. But what did it matter? He had faced those looks before. He grew into a twenty-five-year-old young man, Kamiyama Rin.
*Beep… Beep… Beep…*
The electronic chime rang three times before stopping, shattering the characteristic silence of a cluttered room in a rundown apartment on the city’s outskirts, home to only one occupant—a young man. Rin frowned slightly, burrowing deeper into his blanket, surrounded by piles of snack wrappers and stacks of manga, four or five volumes high.
“Who’d come at this hour? I paid the rent for this month, didn’t I?”
He muttered softly, pulling the blanket over his ears, pretending not to hear. But the chime persisted.
“This bell… so annoying…”
With a sigh of resignation, Rin reluctantly sat up, his body sluggish, his long white hair covering half his face, revealing only sleep-deprived, bleary eyes.
“Hold on… I’m coming…” His slow voice, mixed with a long yawn, drifted out.
He shuffled to the door and opened it, greeted by a figure the complete opposite of himself—bright and full of energy, in stark contrast to his laziness.
Before him stood a young woman, tall with neatly trimmed black hair. Her pointed elf-like ears peeked through her bangs and the rim of her black glasses. Her large green eyes sparkled with mischief, radiating hope for a bright future, unburdened by worry.
She wore a white dress shirt and a jacket with her school’s logo, a large brown backpack slung over her shoulders, bulging as if it held a treasure trove.
She stood straight, her eyes scanning Rin from head to toe. For a moment, her face darkened, her smile fading, disappointment clear in her eyes as his appearance didn’t match her expectations.
“Who are you?” Rin asked gruffly, clearly not fond of the girl who had disrupted his lazy morning.
“You… You’re Kamiyama Rin, right?” she asked softly, her clear voice tinged with nervousness. “I’m Annie, Annie Cross from Setford Academy,” she continued.
“Yeah, come in,” Rin nodded, stepping aside with mild irritation, revealing the chaotic state of his room.
Annie stepped inside, her eyes darting over the mess—piles of garbage in the corner, half-eaten instant noodles on the table, scattered snack wrappers and soda cans.
“Sit down. I’ll grab some snacks and water,” Rin said, heading to the kitchen. He returned with a glass of barley tea, placing it in front of Annie, and said indifferently, “Sorry, my place is a bit messy. Hope you don’t mind.”
“Oh, it’s fine…” Annie replied, taking a deep breath to muster the courage to start the conversation.
“I’m here… to talk about B.O.N.E.S.”
Rin had settled back onto his old mattress, a half-read manga in hand. He glanced up slightly, saying just loud enough for both to hear, “B.O.N.E.S? That organization as ancient as dinosaurs?” His tone carried no trace of interest.
Annie was taken aback by Rin’s indifference but quickly regained her composure. Adjusting her glasses, she said, “Mr. Kamiyama, you may not realize how important B.O.N.E.S is—not just historically, but in our lives today. They’ve been at the forefront, protecting humanity from what we call Arcanus—dangerous magical threats. Imagine what the world would be like if—”
“Oh, I know all about it,” Rin cut her off abruptly, his eyes still glued to the manga pages. “Monsters that can snap a human head in one bite, and those Guardians who love to fight them barehanded, right? What’s there to know? I’m a rank F myself. Probably no one even remembers or knows who I am,” he said with a wry, self-mocking smile.
“Living off government handouts, working nights at a convenience store, occasionally doing rank E missions for some cash—maybe I’m the shining example of B.O.N.E.S’ failure.”
“Mr. Kamiyama,” Annie sighed, “I’m not here to judge your past. I’m here to interview you for my thesis. It’s about ‘the importance of underestimated Guardians in major battles,’ and… your profile seemed kind of unique.”
“Unique… or pathetic?” Rin’s lips curled slightly, a mocking smile in his eyes as he looked directly at Annie. “An interview? So, what are you going to write about me? A failure of society, or something else?” Once again, that sardonic smile appeared.
Annie didn’t respond immediately. Her lips curved into a slight smile, her eyes serious as she looked at Rin. “I want to learn about someone with great potential who chose to give up on advancing, rather than what you’re saying.”
“Great potential? Advancing?” Rin echoed her words, inwardly dismissing the naive girl before him who clearly couldn’t read people. It almost made him laugh. “What you’re saying about me… it’s downright hilarious. I’m just a weak, failed guy who couldn’t protect anyone.”
“Some things, once they’re asleep, should stay asleep—like a princess in a fairy tale, never to wake again.”
“And if those ‘things’ wake up, what will you do? Run away again, or face them?”
“I’d still run. I don’t want to face them…” Unconsciously, Rin lowered his head, his fists clenching, nails digging into his palms. “I… don’t want to live in fear and guilt anymore. I’ll always be me… a weakling who can’t save anyone.”
His voice grew softer, almost inaudible, betraying a glimpse of the vulnerability he tried to hide.
But just as he finished speaking, a low, guttural roar echoed from outside, tearing through the air. The room trembled slightly, dust falling from the ceiling.
Rin’s smartphone, buried in a pile of books, vibrated frantically, its screen flashing a red warning symbol.
Rin frowned, grabbing the phone. “What’s this… a message from B.O.N.E.S?” His lazy demeanor vanished as he read the message, his face darkening.
“Emergency alert: A pack of lightning wolves (classified as Medium Arcanus) is showing signs of preparing to attack the city. Residents, evacuate immediately… blah… blah…”
“This message… it’s ten minutes late,” Rin muttered, his expression grim. He knew lightning wolves were among the fastest Medium-class creatures. Ten minutes was more than enough for them to reach the city—perhaps even too much time.
“Can we… still escape?” Annie’s voice trembled as she spoke.
Before she could finish, the wall behind her cracked and collapsed, revealing a dark void. Standing amidst the rubble was a lightning wolf, towering at 4.5 meters tall and 6 meters long. A fang-shaped mark adorned its forehead, a symbol of its pack. Its fur bore sharp, glowing blue patterns, and its eyes emitted a faint purple light.
From its throat came ferocious growls. It bared its razor-sharp yellow fangs, its claws crackling with electricity—a declaration from nature itself that Rin and Annie would die under its jaws.