The First Sin: Darkness of Reality

Continuation of the prologue events :

“And so… that’s how I ended up with this disability. It happened ten years ago.”

The man finished his story.
Across from him, a young boy sat listening with unusual fascination. To him, those old words were more precious than anything else.

The room was warm, inside a modest apartment overlooking the city. Three simple rooms, kept tidy despite their poverty.

From the kitchen stepped out a tall man—black hair streaked faintly with gray. Alex.

“Father, can you make it back to your room alone?” Alex asked softly.

The man nodded and left slowly.

Alex turned to his friend.

“Let’s go, Noah.”

The two boys walked out together, laughing and chatting idly, as though nothing in the world could disturb them.

The city outside was alive with people. Lights dim and weary, car horns echoing through the night. Their laughter scattered between the noise.

“Tell me, Alex,” Noah asked, “will you keep studying in college? Or… become a policeman, like your father?”

The mood shifted. His words hung heavy.

Alex shot back with sarcasm:
“And you? Got your acceptance letter yet?”

Noah smiled faintly.
“Nothing yet… but it’ll come. It has to.”

Hope glimmered in his eyes—shadowed by silent anxiety.

Alex looked at him, bitterness twisting in his chest. But he swallowed it down.
(He’s my brother. I’ll never find anyone like him.)

Later that night. [1:00 a.m.]
The streets had grown empty. Lights flickered weakly. Their footsteps echoed against the pavement.

“Noina got married. Yoshi’s in science school. Mira’s studying medicine…” Noah muttered, regret in his voice.

Alex added, “Ryo became a professional fighter. And Rioni’s a model now.”

Noah froze.
The name Rioni pierced his chest. Feelings buried for years clawed their way back.

Suddenly, he climbed a wall and shouted at the top of his lungs:

“I’ll get into the Special Agency! I’ll take Rioni back! Do you hear me?!”

Windows opened. Angry voices demanded silence.

Alex stood stunned—then burst into uncontrollable laughter.

Noah dropped back down. They ran through the alleys together. Noah’s cries tore the night apart, Alex’s laughter chasing after them.

For a fleeting moment, they thought the same thing:
(If only this could last forever.)

At the crossroads, they parted ways. Alex returned home.

He opened the door—
The stench of alcohol suffocated him. The apartment lay in ruins. Shattered glass. Furniture overturned.

His father slumped on the floor, muttering his late wife’s name.

Alex’s eyes caught a broken family photo: him, his mother, his father.
Something inside him cracked.

He kicked the cane aside. The man collapsed.

“How many times do I have to tell you?! Drinking won’t bring her back!”

His shout trembled with rage.

His father sobbed, then fainted.
Silence swallowed the room.

Breathing heavily, Alex carried him to bed, then cleaned up. While sweeping, his eyes froze on an old mark carved deep into the wall.

One word. Faded, but sharp:

JASHIN.

A chill ran down his spine. For the first time, he felt this word wasn’t just tied to the past… but to the future as well.

Morning.
Alex rose and checked his phone. No reply from Noah.

“Still asleep, huh?” he muttered.

Hours later, Noah still hadn’t shown up at the shop. Alex worried, then remembered: maybe he got accepted.

The thought lifted him. After his shift, he rushed to Noah’s house with a cake and drinks in hand.

At the doorstep, jealousy pricked at him again. But he pushed it aside and knocked.

Tak, tak, tak…

No answer.

The door was unlocked.

“Noah? It’s me, Alex.”

He stepped in. A folded paper lay near the door. He picked it up.
His heart froze.

“Noah, we regret to inform you… you have not been accepted into the Special Agency.”

His hands trembled. Slowly, he lifted his eyes—
Noah stood at the balcony’s edge, swaying.

“Noah!! What the hell are you doing?!”

Alex rushed forward, grabbing him at the last second, dragging him inside.
Noah collapsed, sobbing, broken.

“I… I wasn’t accepted. I’m a failure… a failure!”

Alex’s anger erupted. He slammed him against the wall.

“Enough! Is your life that worthless?! If they won’t take you, then somewhere else will!”

But Noah wasn’t listening. His voice cracked, hopeless:

“How can I pay my sister’s hospital bills now? How can I protect her?”

Alex’s chest ached. He forced the words out:
“We’ll find a way. We have to.”

But Noah gave a faint, eerie smile.
“I already found the way…”

Before Alex could ask—

BOOM.

The door shattered. Four men in black stormed in.

Alex lunged, reckless. He was beaten down instantly.
Through blurred vision, he saw Noah standing still. Not resisting.

“Noah!! Fight back!!”

Noah shouted desperately:
“Leave him! He has nothing to do with this! I’m the one you want!”

They ignored him.
A blow to the head knocked Alex out.

When his eyes opened, white light blinded him.
He was strapped to a cold metal table. To his left—Noah, restrained the same way.

“Alex… I’m sorry,” Noah whispered. “I sold my Ezra energy… to save my sister. I was a fool.”

Before Alex could reply, the door creaked open.
A man in a long white coat entered, two syringes in hand.

“Let’s end this quickly. No need for fear—it’ll be over in an instant.”

The needles plunged into their veins.
Noah screamed, convulsing. Alex felt only dizziness.

Then—chaos.

Noah’s body twisted. Blood streamed from his eyes. A violet glow swallowed his pupils.
The restraints shattered.

The man in the coat gasped.
“Impossible… this wasn’t supposed to happen!”

He fled.

“Noah!! Stay with me!!” Alex cried.

But Noah was gone. His screams turned into hurricanes of power. The ground quaked with every step. Bullets from armed guards bounced off him like dust.

Alex struggled in his bonds, shouting:
“Noah!! Come back!! Don’t leave me behind!!”

But the creature no longer remembered his name.

The walls exploded.
The monster burst out—only to be slammed against the wall by the claws of a dragon.

From the shadows appeared a young woman, two serpentine dragons swirling around her.

“Stay calm,” she whispered, approaching.

But the beast roared. A violent column of wind tore upward.
One dragon was ripped apart instantly, dissolving into ash.

Her eyes widened.
“He’s mastered his power?! Damn it—this is bad!”

She summoned her last strength. Both dragons attacked together. The beast collapsed… but her energy was drained. She fell to her knees.

Gangsters poured in, grinning.
Alex staggered forward, shielding her. Fists and kicks pummeled him down.

Iron rang.

Clang… clang… clang…

From the darkness stepped a cloaked man. Crimson streaked with black.
In his hands—two iron rods.

Gangsters charged. Each one fell, crushed in seconds.

The last thug trembled, firing his gun.
The stranger clashed his rods. Darkness swallowed the street.
Bullets vanished. Footsteps drew closer… until a rod rammed into the thug’s mouth.

He dropped dead.

Alex and the girl froze. Savior… or demon?

But the monster rose again.
Frenzied. Stronger.

Alex carried the girl, whispering:
“Don’t die… don’t die…”

The beast ignored them, charging at the cloaked man.

The man cast aside his rods. Fought barehanded. Dodging. Striking.
Each blow thundered—but the beast stood.

Then, with sudden speed, the stranger seized a rod, plunged into the wind column, and shattered it.

The monster fell. Slowly, its form returned.
Noah.

“Noah!!” Alex cried, running toward him.

But the cloaked man was faster.
He stomped on Noah’s chest, striking his face mercilessly.

“Stop!! He’s back to normal!!”

Alex tried to pull him off, but failed.

The girl summoned a tiny dragon, sending it at the man.
He dodged, lunging at her—only for Alex to block.

With one move, the man threw Alex down.
Pinned, Alex smirked weakly.

“So… left-handed, huh?”

The man froze. His face twisted. He grabbed Alex’s throat, choking him.

“My name! Tell me my name!! What is the meaning of pain?! Answer meee!!”

Alex gasped—then the injection’s symptoms struck. His skin turned yellow. Blood poured from his mouth.

The girl screamed. Her dragon pointed at the man’s head.

“Let him go!”

The stranger released him, cold.
“He’ll be dead soon anyway.”

His words sealed Alex’s fate.

The girl trembled. She didn’t know what to do.

The man smirked.
“Two choices. Save them both… or lose them both.”

He cut into Alex’s flesh. Black smoke seeped from his hand into the wound. The symptoms eased—but didn’t fade.

Then he dragged the scientist into the shadows. His voice lingered:
“Why try to save him?”

The man grinned.
“It was a delightful night. I liked the boy’s eyes. Don’t let him die.”

They vanished.

The girl steadied herself, whispering:
“Come on, Fiora… you can do this.”

She summoned one small dragon to Noah, another to Alex. Energy threads linked them. She began transferring Ezra’s cells from Noah into Alex.

Alex convulsed, veins burning.
His scream split the night.

“Aaaaarghhhhhh!!!”

Tears streamed down her face.
“Please… hold on. Don’t die!”

The echo lingered in the darkness.

[To be continued…]

I haven't posted much, I know, but stay tuned. In two days I will post the second chapter, and then I will stick to a weekly schedule.