Seriously? Of all people, me?

"You will never be like your father."
That hurts, doesn’t it? Well — that’s what Kaito heard his whole life. For him, though, it was a compliment: the farther he drifted from his father’s image, the better.
A carriage lumbered along, carrying a gigantic cage that gave off an odd glow of white petals. In the center of it, Kaito knelt, wearing rags.
Around him, an escort — men in black cloaks with white lamb masks. They carried spears of pure metal that reflected the sun.
The pounding of the horses shook the ground. The coachman, nervous, lashed the reins harder. The horses whinnied in pain. The escort struggled to keep up.
“Faster, you useless beast, I won’t risk any more time!”
They crossed an old stone bridge. A small twig unbalanced the cart right in the middle of the span. For a single instant, the white petals vanished from the cage.
Kaito lifted his head. “That’s enough.”
The coachman and the escort felt a blue aura wrap around them. The air became hard to breathe. Sparkles hung in the air like stars. Everything dimmed. Kaito’s eyes shone blue. A rising crackle of energy filled the air.
Pshhhhhhwwaaaa
The youth erupted in power. The cage writhed with the carriage, the bridge cracked. The sound of stones plunging into the water was swallowed by the screams of the escort.
Kaito grabbed at the stone to avoid being pulled away by the current. The coachman, in a last-ditch effort, seized Kaito’s leg.
He begged, “Forgive me— I swear it wasn’t personal, it was just business, boy!”
Kaito didn’t even look. “Don’t get in my way, worm.” One kick sent the man tumbling into the torrent.
The coachman was swept away. Kaito hauled himself up and looked around. He needed to figure out where he was. In the distance he saw a city ringed by walls. The sun was rising, so he set off walking.
Meanwhile, inside the city, in a small clock shop on the main avenue…
The shopkeeper pushed the jewel back to the girl. “Sorry, I can’t take this. I don’t know where it came from.”
The girl shoved the jewel toward him again. “Huh? That face — come on!” She thrust the stone at him. “Look properly — this isn’t some market trinket, okay? This thing shines brighter than me.” She struck a smug pose. “It practically outshines me.”
The shopkeeper stepped back. “I can’t accept royal items. I don’t know their origin.”
She muttered, “Old piece of crap…”
“What did you say?”
She left the store. “Nothing… Have a good day.”
How am I supposed to get past that gate if no one wants what I offer?
She adjusted her gloves — white as snow, threaded with gold. In that sinful city, those gloves were the only thing that radiated purity.
Three lamb-masked men passed down the street. When they saw the girl’s gloves, their eyes lit up. They rushed, ripping the gloves off her hands. Distracted, she had no reaction.
She tried to chase after them. “AHHH, NICE, BUT SERIOUSLY?!”
At the same time, Kaito reached the city gate. A wave of nausea hit him; dizziness blurred his vision. He staggered.
Those white petals… they’re still affecting me…
Kaito fell. Before blacking out, he saw the silhouette of a hunched old woman with a cane approaching. Tuc, tuc, tuc. That was what Kaito heard as he slipped away.
He woke to the cane tapping him. When he lifted his eyes, the old woman was poking him lightly.
She kept prodding. “Get up, young one, don’t die on the wall steps.”
Kaito rose quickly. “Forgive me, oh lady.”
“Oh… finally awake, poor traveler. What brings you to these lands?”
“I’m not just a traveler — I’m Kaito, the Stellar Scourge.”
“Oh… a Named. What brings you here?”
“I was captured by masked men. They tore me from my homeland and brought me here.”
“Named beings are rare here… that must be why they took you.”
Kaito tapped his temple. “Do you know who they are?”
“The Lambs? Guards of Máavar. This is a waystation city… many outsiders used to pass through, but thieves did too. The Lambs used to keep the people safe.”
At last, Kaito stopped feeling dizzy. “If they were such honorable warriors, what made them change like that?”
The old woman faltered. “One day… they simply woke up and destroyed everything outside the third wall.”
That’s strange — soldiers don’t just change their minds like that, especially government troops.
“My husband and my son… they joined a rebellion against those monsters and marched toward the Citadel… and they never came back…”
The Citadel must have something to do with it.
Kaito stretched. “I suppose the Citadel is inside the third wall?”
“Yes… are you planning to go there?”
“You’re right to suppose that.”
The woman tried to hold back her tears. “Don’t go, young man… you have much ahead of you.”
“I’m not doing this for you. I’m doing it for myself. I need to know why they wanted me captured.”
She wiped her face. “I see I can’t stop you… then take this.”
She handed him a necklace of red pearls. It thrummed with an energy Kaito could sense.
She smiled weakly. “I know they’re probably gone… but if you find them — even if it’s only their bodies — place this with them.”
“I’ll light your wish, noble lady.”
Kaito passed through the gates. The stench of rot hit him — beggars with blackened sores, rats stealing bread, children wailing. A thick fog clung to the streets.
He wondered how the city still stood. The negativity in the air felt almost tangible. The polluted breath made it hard to breathe.
Without thinking, Kaito slipped into an alley and was confronted by three drunk men. The stench of beer rose. The alley was damp; the silence revealed the drip of a broken pipe.
One leveled a knife. “Hey… hand over whatever you got, beggar.”
Kaito turned, furious. “You called me a qu—”
Before he could act, a yellow aura flooded the alley, breaking the heavy negative energy. Strangely, Kaito felt an inexplicable comfort.
In the blink of an eye, a green flame burning with golden edges shot out and struck one of the men. The thud of the body hitting the ground was dry. The others trembled.
A sweet voice cut through. “Leave. Please.”
One grabbed his friend’s body and ran. “Get out, it’s not worth it!”
The other hurried after. “Hey, wait up!”
Slow footsteps echoed slowly in the alley. The sole of a boot clicked. The fog thinned. Then Kaito saw her…
Platinum hair. Eyes clear as the sky — then they flashed golden. A scent of flowers followed her. Bronze skin smooth as porcelain. Fancy white clothes.
She looked Kaito up and down. “You’re welcome, by the way.”
He snapped back. “I didn’t ask for your help.”
“Wooooow, harsh much? Who are you anyway?”
He ground his teeth. “Kaito, the Stellar Scourge.”
“Scourge? Never heard of that.”
“And you? Who are you?”
She toyed with her hair as she stepped closer. “Akari — the Firefly Spark.”
“Firefly… never heard of that either.”
Akari started brushing dust off her clothes. “What drags such a handsome man to a dump like this?”
The way nobles talk will always irk him.
“I was captured by lamb-masked men who brought me to this cursed city.”
She blinked, surprised. “No way, the same thing happened to me!”
Kaito stepped back. “Tch… didn’t ask.”
“Man, you gotta stop being so rude, people’ll hate you if you keep that up.”
Kaito ignored her and was about to walk off, but she grabbed him. “Aiiiii… come here.” She put a hand on his shoulder. “Help me, please.”
Kaito froze. “What do you want?”
The girl scratched her head. “Kind of… like… this…”
Kaito cut in. “What do you want? Say it.”
She stuck her tongue out. “Stop being boring, man.” She continued, “I kinda let my Manifest get stolen.”
Kaito lost his composure. “WHAT? HOW?”
“Don’t yell at me! It happened so fast.”
“What sort of idiot walks around with their Manifest active?”
She flushed a little. “I… That’s not the point now!” She straightened. “Will you help me or not, prince?”
Kaito was about to refuse, but something nudged his head — she’ll pay me back.
He steadied himself. “Can you sense it from here?”
Akari closed her eyes, concentrated, breathed in. “It’s in a warehouse four streets away.”
Kaito stretched his legs. “Go ahead. Quickly — we don’t know how long they’ll stay.”
She took a deep breath. “Yes sir! Let’s go.”
Akari’s eyes gleamed golden. She ran with incredible speed, her steps light like dance — her run made no sound, as if the air refused to notice.
Kaito, on the other hand, climbed a building and watched her sprint. He readied himself and, with a burst of blue light, leapt between roofs, kicking dust into the air and smashing through whatever lay in his path.
The streets were almost empty except for beggars and rats fighting for scraps. Kaito could see the second and third walls in the horizon. There, in the center, a huge castle branched into multiple wings.
Akari’s voice sliced through his thoughts. “Aiiiii!”
Kaito glanced back. “You’re right there.”
In a blink he dove from the rooftop, tearing through the sky. His landing smashed the pavement.
She laughed. “Whoa — so delicate!”
They moved toward the warehouse. From outside, they heard the murmurs of thieves. The door was massive iron.
Akari tugged Kaito. “Hey… please… don’t kill anyone.”
“I won’t promise that.”
A blue aura filled the air. The criminals froze, clutching their weapons, sweating.
Pshhhhhhwwaaaa
The heavy door now had a huge hole. Shit! A Named One! Their cowardice was too strong to warn their comrades.
Kaito stepped through the broken doorway slowly. His footsteps were heavy. The thieves fought the urge to run.
He said softly, “Manifest.”
A living blue energy wrapped him. In an instant it shaped into a scythe. The ring of a forge echoed through the warehouse. The weapon stood there — a blade of unknown blue metal, its long shaft carved from wood.
Kaito advanced. In the dark, the only thing visible was the blue arc the scythe cut through the air. Bam. He bashed one man with the haft — out cold. Another got a brutal kick to the chest and slammed into the wall. The last dropped his weapon out of shock. Slash. Kaito moved forward almost cutting him in two.
Akari leapt into the fray. “Stop! I told you not to kill anyone!”
Kaito withdrew his blow. “Can you stop getting in the way?”
“You promised you wouldn’t kill anyone!”
“I never pro—”
Thud. The ground shook. Thud. Kaito yanked Akari away from the collapsing wall. It crumbled. A huge humanoid creature crashed in and landed.
A man stood behind it — thin, eyes rimmed as if he never slept, wearing a black cloak and holding a harp forged from bones.
Kaito blinked. “Lorenzo? What the hell are you doing here?”
Lorenzo spun around. “KAITO?!” He barreled forward to hug him.
Kaito dodged. “Answer my question first.”
Akari tried to say something. “Guys…” But they ignored her.
“Is that how you greet an old friend?”
“Since when are we friends?” Kaito snapped.
Lorenzo narrowed his eyes. “You narcissistic little shit—”
Akari cut in. “GUYS, LOOK AT THE MONSTER BEHIND YOU!”
The creature rose again, heavy and massive; every step made the warehouse shake. It roared, a sound so loud the rafters seemed to vibrate. Its skull gaped open — a rat scuttled inside its exposed brain.
Lorenzo lifted his bone harp. “Oh right… I almost forgot about you.”
Akari slid her gloves back on. “How disgusting.”
Kaito leveled his scythe. “What a waste of time.”