Kalyven, Old Market
Excited, the "Voice of the Blind" grabbed Byeol's hand and led him to her house.
It was an old structure, barely standing, hidden behind her stall.
From the outside, the walls were cracked and stained by time.
Inside, it was even worse: dark, suffocating, with worn furniture and a heavy moldy smell that seemed to cling to the skin.
Cats were scattered everywhere—some approached seeking affection, others fled in fear at the presence of strangers.
Byeol followed her, uneasy about what might happen. He didn't like the situation at all.
Still, he knew they needed that information. And for that, he was willing to pay the price… to make the sacrifice.
The problem?
This would be the first massage of his life.
Despite having been to night bars and exchanged glances with several women, Byeol had never truly managed to approach one.
And now, he was about to… do this.
How was he supposed to get through it?
As they entered the room, the old woman, without a hint of shame, began lowering her dress until it resembled little more than a skirt.
Then she lay face down on the bed.
Byeol immediately looked away, completely flustered.
"Come on, sweetheart… the cream's right there. You can start."
He swallowed hard.
As he approached, he noticed it.
A huge wart on her back.
Covered in hair.
Byeol nearly fainted.
A cold shiver ran down his spine, followed by cold sweat. His strength seemed to slowly leave his body.
Still, he stepped closer.
He tried to keep as much distance as possible, averting his gaze whenever he could—seeing just enough to know where he was, but never enough to truly focus on what lay in front of him.
His hands moved, but his mind was elsewhere.
He massaged… reluctantly.
Very reluctantly.
After a few minutes, the old woman let out a satisfied sigh.
Pleased, she decided to make one last request:
"Seems like the back is good…" —she paused— "How about we move to the front?"
Byeol froze.
She began turning over slowly.
Every second felt like an eternity.
Panic set in.
In a fraction of a second, his mind raced, searching for a way out.
Think… think!
Then—
An idea.
Byeol "accidentally" tripped over the bed and let himself fall backward. At the moment of impact, he positioned his hand carefully—
Crack.
He dislocated one of his fingers.
The pain was real.
But so was the plan.
He shut his eyes and twisted his body, pretending to be in even greater agony.
"AHH!"
The old woman quickly got up, pulling her dress back up, and rushed toward him.
"What happened?!"
"I think… I think I broke my finger…" he said, breathless. "I need to go to the hospital…"
With the woman behind him, Byeol left the house and looked at Haneul.
"I really think I need to go to the hospital…" —he subtly gestured toward the old woman.
Haneul understood immediately.
Inside, he almost laughed.
'Seriously?'
Haneul and Byeol knew each other perfectly. He understood the signal—get the information from the old woman.
"We'll go right after," he replied, "but first… can you give us the information we asked for?"
The old woman fell silent for a moment.
Surprisingly, she went along with the act and burst into laughter.
"You're clever, boy… not quite the massage I expected, but fine… it worked."
She crossed her arms.
"A few weeks ago, a mysterious man showed up here. He had several Iluminence stones… said he needed to get rid of them before returning to Vireya… the former capital of the Empire."
She paused.
"I only managed to buy one. The rest… he took with him."
Before they could process the information, a loud noise echoed and the ground trembled.
Guards from the Kingdom of Solstium appeared in the distance, advancing quickly. Metallic armor. Energy spears in hand.
They attacked without warning.
A spear was launched at high speed.
Haneul reacted instantly, pulling Byeol aside.
The spear passed within inches of him.
Haneul thanked the Voice of the Blind and turned to Byeol.
"We have to go!"
They began running in the opposite direction, leaving the market behind.
They reached a wider area, filled with storage crates from the vendors.
They stopped.
They were surrounded. There was no escape.
"You two! Surrender immediately!"
"On your knees, hands behind your heads!" another soldier shouted.
Byeol stepped forward.
"Make us."
Haneul sighed.
"You really don't know when to shut up…"
The soldiers advanced.
And in that same instant—
So did Byeol.
The distance closed in seconds. One of the soldiers didn't even have time to react—Byeol drove a knee straight into his face.
On the other side, Haneul stayed further back.
Defensive.
Observant.
The soldiers split—half against Byeol, half against Haneul.
Byeol was pure offense.
Punches, kicks, takedowns—he dropped them one by one without hesitation.
Haneul was precision.
He moved little, but every action was calculated. Clean, efficient counters. Not a single strike wasted.
The soldiers kept pushing.
Fists, batons, charges.
Nothing worked.
But then—They regrouped.
Surrounded them again.
Attacked together.
Fatal mistake.
The two knew each other perfectly. They exchanged a single glance, and with synchronized movements, took them down once more.
Escape seemed possible.
"Follow me!" Haneul said.
He scanned the different routes, turning his head.
Something caught his attention.
He doubled back to the previous street.
And then—He realized.
The real threat had just arrived.
General Makena.
An imposing woman, dark-skinned, with golden eyes carrying a faint orange glow, and braided hair. At her side, two dobermans with cybernetic implants growled low, tracking the scent of Iluminence.
"Finally found you…"
Her voice was cold.
"For years, I've been tasked with capturing the most ruthless visionaries on this continent…" —she paused briefly— "but there was one, in particular, who's been on my list for a long time."
Her eyes locked onto Byeol.
"The murderer of Vander… brother of the current Supreme Leader of Solstium… Lucien Voss."—killed the day Byeol awakened his powers after his grandmother died.
A heavy silence settled.
Byeol didn't react.
But Haneul… did.
The name hit him like a blow.
A throne bathed in blood.
A monster who killed his own father.
Lucien Voss.
One of the most powerful visionaries on the entire continent.
Maybe… the strongest.
The air grew dense.
Haneul thought:
'We're fucked… we need to get out of here. Now.'
"My name is Makena," she said. "And yours?" —as she spoke, the dobermans drooled, ready to attack.
"I have no reason to answer you!"
She smiled.
"Alright. Looks like you're not going to make this easy. Excellent."
"Then I won't have a problem being a little more aggressive."
"Maybe today you'll lose your tongue." —she tilted her head back slightly, revealing a deadly gaze.
The soldiers began getting up again.
They might not be on Byeol and Haneul's level, but most were rank D visionaries—and their armor made them far more resilient.
Makena raised her hand—
And hurled two electric kunai straight at Byeol's neck.
"Kill them. I want their heads."
The fight resumed.
More intense.
More chaotic.
"We gain nothing by dragging this out," Haneul said.
Byeol nodded.
"I'll handle her!" —he started moving toward Makena, taking down soldiers along the way.
Makena reacted instantly.
Her eyes flared.
Her bestial vision activated.
The dobermans snapped to attention.
"Those two… are the enemy."
Her voice was cold, controlled.
"Tear them apart."
The moment the order was given, the animals' cybernetic implants activated. Their pupils contracted, adjusting focus.
Thermal vision.
Absolute tracking capability.
Even in smoke. Even in darkness.
Nothing escaped them.
Both charged at high speed.
One lunged straight at Byeol, jaws wide open, ready to rip him apart.
Byeol realized instantly—he wouldn't be able to dodge.
With no other option, he activated his vision.
His eyes turned completely white, glowing intensely.
"Dimensional portal."
At the exact moment the doberman was about to strike, Byeol opened a portal right in front of him.
Large enough.
Precise enough.
The animal passed through it without even realizing.
At the same instant, a second portal opened near one of the massive storage crates.
The doberman was launched out and slammed violently into them.
Wood and metal shattered on impact.
It all happened in fractions of a second.
Byeol didn't waste time.
He immediately turned to the second doberman and advanced.
Makena reacted just as fast. She recognized the danger.
She raised her arm, ready to throw her kunai—but Haneul stepped between them.
Intercepted them midair.
"I'll take care of you."
Makena smiled slightly.
"You've got guts… for an old man with nowhere to fall dead."
"You're right," Haneul replied calmly. "I don't plan on dying anytime soon."
"We'll see if you keep that arrogance when you start bleeding."
Haneul smiled.
Behind him, Byeol was already in motion.
He created a portal directly beneath the second doberman.
The animal fell.
Vanished.
He prepared to throw a punch midair.
Another portal opened in front of him.
The doberman reappeared—Right in the path of the strike.
—Bammm!
Byeol's fist hit the animal's abdomen with full force.
The impact was brutal.
He thought he'd destroy it—but even after the hit, it reacted. It bit into Byeol's arm, tearing his shirt and catching flesh.
Blood.
Byeol gritted his teeth and stepped back slightly.
Even struggling to get up, the dog looked unchanged.
They didn't feel pain. They were made to be killing machines with no regard for anything in return.
Meanwhile, Haneul and Makena exchanged blows. They kept up with each other's movements, but Makena was gradually overpowering Haneul in endurance and aggression.
In the background, the soldiers intervened again.
Spears were launched toward Byeol and Haneul.
Both barely dodged.
Haneul changed his approach.
His movements became strange.
Deceptive.
He feinted attacks… but the impact landed elsewhere.
An irregular technique.
Hard to read.
Makena frowned slightly.
Haneul continued.
It was a technique he had learned from a former member of his group—Yǎnkōng Shíhuì.
Even without major effect, it distracted Makena.
Haneul seized the moment and pushed her back, immediately creating distance.
He retreated toward Byeol.
Haneul reached into his armor and pulled out two grenades.
Byeol positioned himself behind him, ready to fight.
Haneul's eyes glowed a deep emerald green.
His vision—had been activated.