Sunlight seeped through the window blinds and into Nox's room, bathing his face in a gentle glow.“Oourrnggh!” He stretched all four limbs in opposite directions. Then he pulled them back in, snatched the pillow, and wrapped his arms and legs around it. “Oooooum.”Although he felt he needed to get up, he had not slept this well in a long time. ‘Five more minutes,’ he thought as he snuggled deeper into the bed. Then his eyes slowly opened. ‘Wait… bed? How did I get here? Why am I on a bed?’He jolted upright into a sitting position, stretched again until his bones cracked, and let out a massive yawn. “Haaaaawn!” He wiped drool from his face. “How did I get here, anyway?”His feet were bare. His shoes sat neatly by the door in a shoe rack. Near the bed was a pair of flip-flops. He had no idea what they were, but they looked like footwear, so he slipped them on.‘Hmm. These are comfy,’ he thought as he wiggled his toes. His clothes had changed too. He remembered wearing a sweater, but no

The earth groaned beneath the trembling march.But it was not the march of ten thousand soldiers.It was the charge of two hundred cavalrymen — two hundred men who had already accepted death.BOOM.They crashed into the Alliance’s front lines like a meteor strike. Horses shrieked as they collided with shields and spears. The sheer force of the suicidal charge tore a hole straight through the first line.The shield wall barely managed to stop a single horse. The rest surged through, riders swinging their swords left and right, cutting men down without hesitation. For soldiers who had already accepted their deaths, they were determined to take as many enemies with them as possible.Rios rode at the very front.Iora reverberated through his entire body. With a single swing of his sword, dozens of men were split apart — limbs severed, bodies torn in pieces.But the sea of heads was endless.Eventually, the momentum slowed.His men still fought like demon-possessed warriors.An arrow whist

The Iora that passed through Rios gave him mad excitement. He was in an ecstatic mood; he felt like he could do anything, be anything. His whole body was jittery. He ripped the armor off his skin—he felt it hindered him—every armored plate on his elbows and ankles.This act greatly infuriated the alliance army. ‘Is he looking down on us?’ The soldiers gritted their teeth; they were angry at his actions and theirs, because they could not approach Rios. If they carelessly attacked him, they would forfeit their lives.Men trampled on men, crushing them beneath their boots, just to get out of Rios's range. Rios just stood in the middle of this multitude, carefree and in a position where he could easily be attacked.The swords had retracted, but fear still gnawed at their throats and stepped on their feet. They could not breathe or move.The commander of the alliance shook his head; terror was written on his face. He called his subordinate. “What do you think of this young commander?” he a

VOOM!Rios blasted himself forward in the direction of the general. His single slashes separated men in two, and while the main camp retreated, the soldier who had given Rios the cold stare steadily crept toward him, inch by inch.Back in Skyra, he and his brother were known as ‘Ghost Step’ because of their ability to kill silently. They were assassins—some of the gifted who possessed the power of Iora but no innate ability. They were trained specifically for killing, working for whoever could pay the most.People in their line of work rarely rose to positions of power. However, they were inspired by a certain man who had broken the system and risen above it all. Even though he had started out just like them, he was now powerful enough to stand beside the king. Having done the dirty work all their lives, they felt it was time to get clean and rise.To achieve that power, they first had to rise above their servant status. If they wanted to ascend without owing the powerful men they wor

As they walked through the gates into the next town, a bustling scene unfolded before them. People thronged the paved streets, some tending stalls filled with fruit and various wares. It felt like a normal town, yet strangely futuristic, with a thin veil of dust lingering in the air.To Nox and Soren, the locals’ attire looked bizarre. Storefronts made of glass displayed clothes and shoes far fancier than anything they wore. Both boys stood frozen, mouths agape as they took in the sights.Eventually, their attention locked onto a display case showcasing a pair of shoes that looked nothing short of miraculous. They were black with high, sturdy soles and golden laces that gleamed under the light.Lynxe turned back, noticing the distance between them. “Hey! What are you two doing back there? Let’s go!”Soren had seen enough. He marched toward Lynxe, dragging Nox along by the collar. “Let’s go already,” Soren muttered through gritted teeth, struggling against the dead weight of his compan