Chapter 1 – Shadow in the Lost City

Five years have passed since that dark day.

Kyle—the boy formerly known as Wataru—is now a five-year-old living in an abandoned facility at the heart of a city ruined by war: Lost City.

The building ruins stand like giant stone tombs, while the night wind rustles, carrying the scent of rust and dust. Amid all that loneliness, Kyle slowly learned to survive.

With dusty books he found in a collapsed library, he taught himself to read. With broken kitchen utensils, he learned how to cook a meager meal. And with his small body, he trained every day, mimicking martial arts movements from a video that remained in the Nexus data.

“Your body is weak, but if you keep training it, you will become strong. I will be watching.” — Nexus

Time passed quickly. When he reached the age of 22, Kyle was no longer a weak boy. His body was muscular, his eyes were as sharp as a wolf's, and his mind had been forged by the strategies and battle simulations that Nexus provided.

That night, he stood in front of the Mecha-Wolf, a giant war machine from a bygone era. The steel body gleamed faintly under the moonlight, its red eyes glowing like a hungry predator.

Kyle looked at it with a determined gaze.

“Father… Mother… the time has come. Seventeen years ago I promised… I would protect it. Now… it’s time for me to act.”

His hand touched the cockpit, and the door opened slowly. As he entered, the digital panel lit up, welcoming its rightful master.

SYSTEM ONLINE. WELCOME BACK, PILOT: KYLE.

The roar of the machine thundered. That was the beginning of eight full months—the days Kyle honed his skills with the Mecha-Wolf. He fought against simulations, tested weapons, and even battled failure countless times.

And finally, that day came.

A military convoy from Trigia passed far from the city. Their heavy vehicles groaned on the cracked asphalt road, carrying elite troops and fully armed Mecha-Knights.

“Whoa! So this is what they call Lost City?” exclaimed a young man named Andou, his eyes widening as he saw the magnificent city ruins from behind the glass.

“Oi, Andou! Focus on the wheel! Stop being a wimp!” snapped a short-haired woman with fiery green eyes. Her name was Kiki, a young pilot in a neat military uniform.

“But senpai! Don’t you know anything?! This city is full of mysteries! Reconnaissance drones from Trigia and Tregear always disappear when they enter here!” Andou trembled, his voice shaking with fear.

Kiki scoffed. “Are you a coward, Andou-kun?”

“Of course I’m scared! Besides… they say there’s a haunted mech here! Its nickname is ‘Grim Reaper’! They say the mech moves on its own without a pilot!” Andou babbled dramatically, making some of the other soldiers chuckle.

“Tch! What a loser. That's just a stupid myth.” Kiki shot him a flat look.

But a stern voice suddenly interrupted.

“That's enough, both of you. Focus on the mission.”

A long-haired woman with blood-red eyes sat in the back seat. Her authority immediately silenced all conversation. She was Lady Emmy, one of Trigia's strongest pilots.

“Andou! Kiki!” she barked.

“Yes, Lady Emmy!!” they both answered in unison, rigid.

But they did not realize… from behind the hill, in the silence, Kyle's Mecha-Wolf was watching them. The red lights of its eyes glowed, like a wolf stalking its prey.

In the cockpit, Kyle whispered softly.

“You have come… but this is my territory. A wolf never lets sheep roam free.”