The cold tone slipped from his lips as if it were nothing, steeped in sheer disgust. To him, the sight of Kael trembling—hands clamped over his ears—was nothing more than a pitiful display of weakness. A fragility too shameful to even tolerate.
The moment that word left his mouth, Noxis vanished from where he stood—moving so fast no ordinary eye could follow. His motion became a crimson flash tearing through the air, faster than light reflecting off the white walls.
And then—
BRUAKK!!
A brutal blow crashed straight into Kael's abdomen.
"Pathetic," he said.
Kael's body lifted slightly, his eyes bulging—
BLUGH!
A burst of dark red blood erupted from his mouth, splattering across the pristine white floor. The sound rang sharp, mixed with the violent rush of air from a strike far too brutal.
His body was driven backward for several seconds, as if all control had been stripped away. But Noxis didn't let that momentum fade. A violent gust followed, slamming Kael even farther back.
BOOOOMMM!!!
Kael was hurled like a discarded doll, sent flying toward the towering red cubic wall. But before he could crash into it—
A crimson flash overtook his vision.
Noxis was already behind him.
In an instant, the beaked mask twisted midair. A single merciless kick slammed into Kael's back with lethal force.
DUARR!!
"Ghhk—!"
Kael's body was flung once more, this time in the opposite direction, like a ball struck back with doubled force. In that violent arc, he grit his teeth, jaw tightening—as if the pain itself forced his consciousness to cling on, restraining the agony threatening to cripple him.
But… behind it all, his eyes slowly began to refocus.
With a low growl, Kael slammed his still-moving legs into the floor. His body twisted midair, searching desperately for footing. At last, both feet struck the slick white surface.
—SCREEEKK!
A harsh screech cut through the air as his boots dragged across the floor. He came to a halt in a half-crouch, body trembling, blood still dripping from his lips.
He raised the back of his hand and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.
"He… really is treating me like a toy," Kael muttered. His breathing was heavy, chest rising and falling, yet his gaze burned once more with lingering fury.
But before he could gauge the distance—or the situation—
SRET.
A cold hand lightly tapped his right shoulder from behind.
Kael's eyes flew wide open.
"Ah—!?"
Noxis was already there, as if he had teleported—though in truth, it was nothing more than speed that defied all laws. One hand rested lightly on Kael's shoulder, the other folded behind his back with arrogant ease.
"Shall I continue?" Noxis asked softly, his voice low, calm, brimming with mockery. "Or… would you rather surrender now and come home with me? Let all of this end quickly."
He leaned in slightly, lowering his voice, whispering venomous ridicule into Kael's ear.
"There's nothing waiting for you out there, Kael Vieron. Only emptiness. So tell me… why do you keep standing?"
Kael's eyes trembled violently. Yet beneath the shock, his anger surged higher. Both hands clenched into fists.
"Shut up…!!" he roared, his body finally moving on instinct.
Fueled by an explosive rush of emotion, Kael spun as fast as he could, swinging a powerful kick toward the left side of Noxis's neck.
SWOOOSH!!
The kick came within a hair's breadth. Calmly, Noxis raised his right hand, palm open—
BRAKK!
He knocked Kael's leg aside.
As though brushing away a child's attack.
The red lenses of his mask flickered briefly. His cold voice followed, lower now, flat—utterly bored.
"Boring. It seems you'll only submit… if I use more brutal methods."
Before Kael could pull his leg back, Noxis's palm clamped tightly around his ankle.
"I'll keep beating you until you can't even control your own breathing."
The words fell like a hammer. With a single rough motion, he hurled Kael's body to the side.
WHUUUMMM!!
Kael was flung to the right, spinning through the air. But instead of crashing helplessly, he twisted his body, searching for balance. With sharp agility, he landed on his feet, posture set for combat despite the overwhelming disadvantage.
Because before he could even draw a breath—Noxis was already in front of him again, streaking in like a living shadow. His right fist slammed straight toward Kael's chest.
Kael froze for a split second—then reacted on pure reflex, crossing both arms in front of his chest.
DUARRR!!
The impact sent him skidding backward, feet carving long trails across the floor. The shockwave whipped his hair wildly as his chest felt crushed from within.
Without giving him even a moment to breathe—Noxis vanished once more, reappearing behind him, his left leg swinging diagonally upward from below, aimed at Kael's blind spot.
But this time, Kael was faster.
He slipped out of the attack just before it landed, then twisted in one smooth motion, launching a counter—his kick snapping toward Noxis's head.
Yet in the same instant, Noxis did exactly what Kael had done.
As if he had already known.
The result—both kicks collided violently midair, the impact sending opposing shockwaves crashing outward.
BRUSSHHR!
From there—
The barrage began.
Both legs dropped. Noxis pressed in immediately. Punches, kicks, elbows, open-hand slashes, palm thrusts—everything collided in rapid succession.
BAAMM! BRAAKK! DUGGHH!
Every clash birthed violent gusts of wind, as though each strike carried the weight of a thousand tons. Kael blocked, deflected, and at times could only evade by the narrowest margin.
Now and then, he fired back—spinning kicks, palm thrusts, sharp elbow strikes—but Noxis parried them as if he had read the movements long before Kael committed to them.
The white chamber roared, every cubic wall trembling from their impacts.
And that was where the bare-handed fight truly began—fast, brutal, unrelenting.
Next—
Kael burst forward at a speed that seemed to exceed his body's limits, his right fist driving toward his opponent's jaw, followed immediately by a diagonal swing of his left elbow.
Noxis deflected the punch with an open palm, then shifted just enough for Kael's elbow to carve through empty air. Kael spun, his leg snapping upward in a roundhouse kick. This time, Noxis merely dipped his head, letting the boot pass just overhead.
In response, Noxis launched a palm thrust toward Kael's chest.
DUGHH!
The air itself shuddered, as if the walls trembled. Kael staggered—but he grabbed Noxis's arm, twisting his body to the side, trying to lock him down. Noxis slid his foot, bent his knee, and drove a sharp elbow into Kael's ribs.
BRAKK!
The impact stole Kael's breath for a split second, his face contorting in pain.
But he didn't stop.
Instead, using the pain as momentum, he swung a fierce open-handed strike toward Noxis's face, followed by a stabbing finger thrust aimed at his opponent's shoulder.
Noxis tilted his head aside, letting the strike skim past, then effortlessly trapped Kael's fingers before they could land. A single twist of the wrist—and Kael was nearly wrenched off balance.
"Not fast enough," Noxis murmured flatly.
What he didn't notice—
Was Kael's knee already rising.
DUGHH!
Kael's knee slammed into Noxis's abdomen. Noxis bent forward slightly—just enough for Kael to break free.
Kael retreated in a flash, then surged forward again with a relentless sequence—an overhand hammer strike, an open-hand slash toward the side of the neck, followed by a double palm thrust.
WHAM! WHUUSH!
Each strike echoed sharply, the air seeming to tear apart around them. Noxis deflected them with almost no effort, every motion resembling a lethal dance.
Yet as it continued, one thing became clear—Kael was no longer merely defending.
He was beginning to read the rhythm of his opponent's attacks, adjusting his timing. Though his body still felt shattered, his spirit burned brighter with every exchange.
Every scrape of their feet across the white floor left fleeting streaks of light. Every collision of palms and fists birthed thin sparks, as though space itself could no longer contain the intensity of their duel.
The battle peaked.
Kael attacked again—rapid punches that shook the air, double palm thrusts that nearly broke through his opponent's guard. But Noxis remained calm, his eyes cold. His voice slipped out between clashes.
"Fast." He deflected Kael's strike, his shoulder rolling forward. "Strong." His elbow cut through the air, barely missing Kael's temple. "But hollow."
Kael growled, twisting his body and firing a low kick. Noxis hopped lightly, landing with a thin smile—closer to mockery than amusement.
"Your anger burns," he said, his voice heavy, flat, piercing into Kael's ears. "But it isn't yours alone."
"It's a fire nurtured by loss. You've known its taste for a long time already… haven't you?"
Kael hesitated—for a fraction of a second.
His movements slowed.
Noxis stepped forward, easily catching Kael's punch and pressing it aside with casual force.
"A friend," he said quietly. "The one you let fall."
Lira Envar.
The name slipped from his lips like a blade of ice.
Kael's eyes flew wide. His breathing faltered. His heart felt as though it had stopped.
"Yes," Noxis continued, pressing harder. "You can hate the system. You can blame the world. But in the end—wasn't it you who failed to hold onto her hand? You simply stood there… and watched her die."
Kael's body froze.
The roar of the crowd, the fog, the last look on Lira's face as she turned back toward him—everything rushed back at once. The barren chasm split open before his eyes, replacing the white floor.
And in an instant, Kael was dragged back into that memory.
The flash tore through his consciousness mid-battle, ripping him away without warning.
Inside it, the world revealed a time when Kael was still a child—his breath ragged, his feet caked in mud, being pulled along by Lira's small, bloodied hand.
The night was silent, yet filled with distant cheers and the heavy rhythm of pursuing footsteps behind them.
Dry clay cracked beneath their feet. Dead trees stood like gallows, their blackened branches stabbing into the rolling fog. The air was thin and cold, piercing his lungs.
Ahead of them yawned a massive chasm—bottomless, filled only with dense white mist, as though ready to swallow anything that fell in.
Kael halted for a moment. "Lira! What are you doing? Why are we running here?" His voice broke, eyes wide with confusion.
Lira glanced back halfway. Her face was pale, blond hair tangled and clinging to her sweat-soaked cheeks. Beneath her worn clothes, she clutched something tightly, hidden from view.
"Shhh… don't talk too much. I don't have much time. I—I found something, Kael." Her breathing was short, but her voice stayed firm.
"Found what? We can talk about this at home!" Kael pleaded, tears welling in his eyes. "I can talk to your father, to the villagers. They'll surely—"
"No!" Lira cut him off, her voice cracking, eyes glassy with tears. "They've already chosen to stay silent. They're more afraid of the Tyrak system than they are willing to care about us as people." Her breath hitched, her body trembling—but her gaze locked onto Kael. "You'll see it for yourself soon."
And she was right.
Lantern lights surfaced through the fog. Dozens of villagers gathered—faces Kael had known since childhood—now standing behind a line of fully armed Tyrak soldiers. Their cheers tore through the night.
"Throw her away!"
"Cursed child!"
"She deserves to die in the chasm!"
The voices cut like knives.
Neighbors who once greeted him warmly at the market, merchants who had handed him bread—now shouted with strained eyes, as if Lira's death were a small price for their own safety.
Kael staggered. His body shook violently, his face drained of color. "Why… why are they doing this to you, Lira?" His voice shattered.
Lira drew a long breath, then gripped her worn clothes tightly. She loosened the fabric just enough to reveal a faint glint of a small black metal object—its surface etched with dim lines of light, pulsing like something alive.
A fragment of a Core Command Node.
"This is why," Lira whispered, so softly it nearly vanished into the wind. "I found it in the underground storage. They're hiding something from us… from everyone." She looked straight at Kael, her smile bitter, yet warm. "You won't understand now. But one day… you will know what it is you must protect."
Her small hand slipped the object into Kael's pocket—quick, hidden beneath the cloth. "Keep it. Don't let them find it."
"Hey! Stop right there, both of you!"
A harsh voice cut through the air, followed by the thud of a Tyrak soldier's spear striking the ground. Heavy footsteps closed in. Their eyes were cold, their voices brimming with threat.
"The order is clear. Throw the child into the fog."
Kael panicked and stepped forward, crashing into Lira's shoulder. "No! You can't! She did nothing wrong! It's my fault! I—"
"Quiet, brat. I know exactly who I'm looking for." The soldier shoved Kael aside roughly, forcing him to his knees. Another grabbed Lira by the shoulder while a second hand searched through her clothes with swift, practiced motions.
There was nothing.
The soldier's brow furrowed.
"Where did you put the thing you stole?" His voice was harsh, the spear's tip pressing dangerously close to Lira's throat.
Lira lifted her head. Tears brimmed in her eyes, yet her smile remained gentle—strangely so, as if she were still trying to steady Kael beside her.
"I threw it into the chasm," she said. "I know the rot you're trying to hide. And I know what your system does to people."
The soldier's gaze hardened. He tapped the communicator at his ear, his tone flat. "Target is empty. Fragment not found."
A heavy voice answered from the device, cold and without hesitation. "Dispose of the pest. Do not let it survive."
Kael jolted. "No! Don't! Throw me instead—don't touch her! Please!"
The soldier only exhaled sharply. Without hesitation, he kicked Lira toward the edge.
The crowd's roar surged, tearing through the night like a storm.
But just before she fell—
Time seemed to slow.
Lira turned her head.
In that instant—one that stretched into eternity for Kael—her sky-blue eyes were gentle, overflowing with love and pain intertwined. Her trembling hands reached out one last time, brushing toward Kael's face, as if trying to etch his image into her memory.
From above, Kael stretched out his hand. He screamed her name, his voice raw—but Lira did not hear it, as though she had already crossed a boundary he could never follow.
And deep within his young heart, a voice echoed:
Kael… live. For me. And for the Assassins who always walk the path of righteousness.
A violent shove ended everything.
Lira's small body was thrown into the chasm, vanishing into the swirling fog that snapped shut like the jaws of a monster.
"LIRAAAAA!!"
Kael's scream split the sky—hoarse, piercing, drenched in pain.
His outstretched hand grasped at nothing. The fog gave no answer. His knees slammed into the ground, his body shaking, his eyes burning with tears.
All that remained was the rolling mist, the savage cheers of the crowd, and the metallic clatter of soldiers turning away with empty faces. That cold silence crushed Kael's chest, carving a wound that would never truly heal.
Kael lay unsteady on the ground, his chest tight, the cheers behind him fading into a distant, nightmarish hum. His hands trembled, clutching at anything within reach.
And inside his pocket—the small black fragment Lira had slipped there—something stirred.
The young Kael felt it at once. He reached into his pocket and pulled the object free.
Resting in his open palm, he stared at it with eyes blurred by tears. For a moment, the faint lines etched across the metal pulsed softly, as if responding to the wound in his heart. A thin light seeped between his fingers—warm, yet heavy with secrets.
Kael kept staring, tears streaming down his face.
Then he closed his hand around it—tight.
His heart lay in ruins. Yet within that devastation, something else began to ignite: rage, resolve, and a vow born of loss—rising slowly into embers fed by hatred.
***