"That day, my entire world collapsed in on itself."
Under a torrential downpour, accompanied by violent winds, a young Tomaru—dressed in noble clothing—stood motionless in front of a grave.
His gaze was lost.
Around him, several members of the nobility stood under umbrellas.
Tomaru held his stepfather's hand.
Without trembling.
No tears.
No expression.
But in his eyes…
a vast emptiness. Almost frightening.
Whispers began to rise.
— Poor boy… first his father, and now his mother… it's awful.
— Yes… left all alone at such a young age…
They kept whispering, without caring about his presence.
— Apparently, the culprit was a commoner… who wanted revenge against the Kira family.
— He supposedly infiltrated the estate… and stabbed his mother in the stomach… she died instantly… along with the baby she was carrying.
Tomaru's fingers tightened around his stepfather's hand.
He tried to ignore them.
But he heard everything.
…
A few hours later.
Inside a mansion.
In a large, dark hall, the nobles were discussing the situation.
Tomaru walked forward.
Still that empty gaze.
No one noticed him.
He stopped in front of a wall.
A photo.
His mother.
A young woman with long white hair and emerald green eyes.
A gentle smile. Warm.
Almost unreal.
The dim light from the window bathed the image.
Tomaru stood frozen.
Lost in that memory.
Then—
A sound.
At the end of the corridor.
Raised voices.
He approached.
In front of his stepfather's office.
The door suddenly opened.
A fist slammed onto the desk.
— WHO DO THEY THINK THEY ARE?!
His stepfather, furious.
— I did everything for them! I bent over backwards to fix this family's mistakes!
His nails dug into the wood.
— And how do they repay me?! They murder my wife and my son… just because I didn't meet their demands!
His voice trembled.
His eyes filled with burning tears.
— Damn peasants… you'll see… I swear to you…
Tomaru looked away.
He walked off.
He didn't want to hear anymore.
— Revenge… always revenge… why does everyone only think about that…?
He kept walking through the dark corridor.
— It's because of that… that my mother is no longer here…
Revenge doesn't fix anything… it doesn't change the past… so why keep going…?
His voice became almost a whisper.
— Why… if it's useless…?
His footsteps echoed.
Then faded.
Into the shadows.
…
Back to the present.
Tomaru watched Noa carefully.
— Yes… that's it… I wasn't wrong.
Noa moved forward.
One step.
Then another.
His pace quickened.
He rushed forward.
A projectile was launched.
Noa coated Absolute Slash with chaotic aura and sliced it in a single strike.
Tomaru prepared a second attack.
— A grade arcane weapon… huh…?
Noa remained cautious.
Even with a legendary weapon.
Tomaru dodged three sword strikes, then rose into the air.
Rocks lifted from the ground.
They rushed toward Noa.
But—
Some were destroyed by Nicolas.
He covered his movements.
Even though the chaotic energy transferred into his sword caused him no direct damage…
Noa had to stay focused.
— Noa! Your left!
A rock hit him.
He endured it, but was sent flying.
He needed extreme concentration.
He still hadn't fully mastered his power.
If he lost control…
The entire area could be destroyed.
Or worse.
Noa regained his footing.
Electric energy infused into his sword.
— Requiem.
The attack exploded.
All the rocks were reduced to dust.
— I only managed to partially limit the power… but I can't keep this up forever…
Tomaru didn't hesitate.
With a gesture—
The debris flew back toward Noa at full speed.
Noa unleashed Requiem again to counter.
But—
Tomaru appeared.
A violent kick.
Noa was pushed back.
He planted his sword into the ground to stabilize himself.
— My body… it hasn't recovered from the incident in the underground tunnels of the Empire…
Normally, he would have taken the advantage.
But now—
His movements were slowed.
His endurance reduced.
By half.
He stood up.
Then stepped back.
And started running in the opposite direction.
— I'll have to find another approach…
Next chapter: My little green sprout