Episode 1: The Beginning - Chapter 1.1: Wake up

A light breeze swept up the dust particles, blanketing that dark and gray battlefield.

The clash of swords echoed fiercely, while battle cries pierced the air as a reminder that they were still alive. Blood spilled; swords slashed and tore; dreams vanished in the blink of an eye as warriors fell lifeless to the ground.

The flames sweeping across the battlefield devoured everything in their path: houses, weapons, humans, angels… Nothing was spared from the fires of vengeance.

Meanwhile, atop a mountain, a scarred man wielding a sword as bright as light itself and another as dark as the abyss, asked himself:

What did we do to come to this?

Millions of gazes, long bereft of any trace of life, stared at him like an executioner, seeking an answer to the sacrifice of their own lives. Like someone waiting to rest until that promise was fulfilled.

Before his eyes, filled with an incomprehensible fear, hundreds of demons began to soar through the sky toward him. Their roars were enough to shake the spirit of the bravest men.

But that man, filled with incalculable courage, gripped those two swords firmly... And with a powerful roar, he charged without hesitation toward his death.

…

—————

RING! RING!

As the alarm blared, a young, black-haired boy slowly began to open his eyes.

Those strange dreams again? the boy thought, his vision still blurry.

"Hm? Is it already time to get up?" he muttered, still half-asleep, seeing the clock read 07:30 AM.

He rose sluggishly, getting dressed without enthusiasm and combing his hair in front of the mirror. Outside, the sky was still dark.

How boring... he thought, looking at himself in the mirror as he brushed his hair. Every day is the same: classes, routine... nothing interesting ever happens.

"Eden, breakfast is ready!" his grandfather shouted from the kitchen.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming..." he replied, dragging his feet.

As soon as he reached the dining room, Eden was surprised to see a whole decorated cake in the center of the table.

"Grandpa?"

"Hm?"

"That cake... what is it for?"

"It's yours," his grandfather, Gen Yomi, said with a smile. "Did you forget it's your birthday today?"

"Oh... that's right. I've been so busy lately that I didn't even remember..."

"Well, now you have time to remember," he replied calmly.

"I don't have time for celebrations," Eden muttered, shaking his head. "I can't be late again."

"Relax, we have plenty of time."

"What are you talking about? It's already..." Eden turned his head, staring intently at the clock as if something didn't add up. "Wait a minute..." he muttered, a bit confused. "Grandpa..." he added with an ironic smile.

"What's wrong?"

"Why does the clock say five in the morning?"

"Because that's the time," Gen replied, shrugging. "What other reason would there be?"

"But... my alarm was supposed to go off at seven-thirty..."

"Ah, that's because I changed the time," he answered with utter seriousness.

"He, he, he... he, he, he..."

"You damn old geezer!" Eden exclaimed fiercely, lunging at his grandfather.

But Gen, without flinching, subdued him in the blink of an eye, pinning the boy beneath him.

"I did it for your own good. You're always late, so this time I was being nicer," Gen said with a mischievous laugh.

"For my own good?" he asked ironically. "You're only doing this for fun, you jerk."

"Do you remember that time you turned ten?"

"Hey, don't ignore me!"

"Such good memories from when we went to the zoo as a family," Gen babbled, immersing himself in his memories.

"As a family?" Eden asked ironically. "The only thing I remember is waking up surrounded by hungry lions..."

"And wasn't it fun?" he asked with a laugh.

"Fun? I could have died at any moment!"

"Well... originally I planned to leave you in the snake enclosure, but that door was locked."

"Is that supposed to make me feel relieved? No grandfather in his right mind would put his grandson through 'tests' like that as a birthday present."

"That's because other grandsons are weak. You are not," Gen stated, looking at his grandson seriously.

"Not this again..." Eden muttered, his gaze softening. "You've been saying that for as long as I can remember, and I still don't understand what it's supposed to mean."

"You'll understand when the time comes. You're not like the rest."

"…I don't know whether to take that as a compliment or a joke."

"Bah, whatever. Go on, sit down. This time I'll give you a 'normal' birthday present," he said, extending his hand toward his grandson.

"Grandpa..."

But when Eden took his hand, a massive jolt of electricity suddenly coursed through his entire body.

"Damn... old man," he muttered before falling weakly to the floor.

. . .

Hours passed, and Eden could be seen running through the streets at superhuman speed. He moved so fast that everything in his path shook.

Damn old man... he tricked me again, he thought as he ran. I didn't know he still kept all those prank toys.

I'll definitely get him back for this.

DING, DONG! The sound of the school bells echoed through the streets.

"Damn it! I'm late again...!"

Eden was about to cross the school gates at top speed when an authoritative voice exclaimed:

"Young Yomi, not aga—"

But before Professor Reo could finish his sentence, Eden blurred past him, shouting an apology.

"...He never learns," Reo sighed.

—————

The classroom door burst open. Eden rushed in, panting heavily, and bowed as he spoke:

"I'm sorry I'm late!"

...

Receiving no response, Eden looked up, only to find his classmates staring at him strangely.

"Huh? Is she not here?"

"Who are you apologizing to? The teacher hasn't arrived yet," his best friend, Miya, said with a smile.

"Huh? Really? Talk about good luck..." he muttered, sighing in relief.

"You've been cutting it close every single day lately, huh?"

"Yeah... It's just that I've been having the weirdest dreams lately," he confessed, as distorted images flashed through his mind. "Massive creatures; some look like angels, others don't even have a human shape..."

"I don't get it. They're getting more intense every time... It's like I'm actually there."

"Could it be that you're just watching too much anime?"

"Maybe..."

Eden nodded, and at that exact moment, the door opened again.

"Sorry for the delay, I had some matters to attend to," Professor Mei said as she walked in.

"Good morning, Professor!" everyone replied in unison.

"Good morning. By the way, young Yomi, Professor Reo asked me to give you this."

Mei extended a piece of paper toward Eden, who took it with a bewildered look.

"Th-Thank you..."

"Alright, guys, let's pick up where we left off yesterday," she said, opening a history book. "Turn to page 12; we'll be talking about the Greeks and their beliefs."

"Yes!" they all answered together.

However, Eden kept his eyes fixed on that note; something didn't add up about its message:

“Wake up.”

…

Suddenly, a chill began to run down Eden's spine. He slowly looked up, only to find a scene that made his eyes widen in sheer horror.

Runes, blood, bodies hacked to pieces, and a single, unblinking eye staring fixedly at Eden, as if deciding his fate.

Eden's breathing grew heavy, his eyes wide open, facing something that completely escaped his comprehension.