Dust still lingered in the air from Kaien's battle. The arena was silent. No cheers. No rage. Just shock. The blue energy that had erupted from him moments ago had vanished, replaced by the eerie glow of his shattered Fate Chain.
The announcer stammered, "W-Winner… Slave #456…"
Kaien didn't flinch. He looked at the fallen beast, then up at the blood-red sun above. Something inside him had cracked open. Something he couldn't explain.
Before the crowd could recover, a new threat emerged. The arena gates creaked open again, and another figure stepped out. But this one wasn't a beast.
A boy. Around Kaien's age. Slender, dressed in elegant black robes laced with silver threads. His Fate Chain glowed pure white and curled behind him like a dragon.
"What is this?" Kaien muttered, instinctively shifting into a low stance.
The announcer gasped, "A representative of the Upper Tier? Why is he here?"
The boy bowed slightly, then spoke with a soft but commanding tone. "My name is Ryo of House Felis. I am here to test you."
Kaien frowned. "Test?"
Ryo didn't reply. Instead, he moved—fast. His chain struck like lightning, forcing Kaien to dodge backward.
Their chains clashed. Sparks flew. The crowd roared again, drawn back into the chaos.
Kaien was fast, but Ryo was fluid—unnaturally precise. Every movement was a technique. Every step calculated. It wasn't brute strength. It was mastery.
"Who are you people?" Kaien growled.
Ryo smiled. "Those who walk without fate. Like you."
Kaien's energy flared again. Blue light crackled from his palms. He summoned the instinct from earlier—the Void Step—but this time, he couldn't control it. The power surged too wildly.
Ryo took advantage, slamming him to the ground with a chain wrap. "You're not ready," he said. "But someone's waiting for you."
Before Kaien could respond, a flare fired from the arena wall. Chaos erupted. The slave camps outside caught fire. A riot.
"Now's your chance," Ryo said, releasing Kaien. "If you want to know what you are… run."
Kaien hesitated only for a second, then bolted toward the gate. Flames lit up the night sky. Guards were overwhelmed. Slaves broke their chains and fought back with stolen Animus crystals.
Kaien weaved through the chaos, his chain fragments floating beside him like ghostly wisps.
A guard swung an axe toward him. Kaien ducked, kicked the man into the fire, and kept moving.
He reached the outer ring. Smoke filled his lungs. Coughing, he climbed over a broken wall—and was met with silence.
The forest. Darkness. Freedom.
---
Hours passed. Kaien ran until his legs gave out. He collapsed near a small stream, face buried in the grass.
"…Not ready?" he muttered. "Then I'll get ready."
Suddenly, a rustle nearby.
Kaien jolted upright and prepared to fight. But an old man emerged from the shadows—tall, grizzled, with eyes that burned like coals.
"You're too loud for someone who just escaped," the old man said, tossing Kaien a waterskin.
Kaien caught it, cautious. "Who are you?"
"Name's Daz. And you're the kid with the shattered chain."
Kaien narrowed his eyes. "You know about that?"
Daz sat down on a rock and stretched. "More than you. I've broken mine twice."
"You can do that?" Kaien asked, stunned.
"Once by accident. Once by choice."
Kaien stared. Something about this man felt… ancient. Heavy. His presence alone felt like a storm held in a bottle.
Daz pulled a small crystal from his cloak. It pulsed with green Animus. "You wanna learn how to survive? Or you wanna die like the rest?"
Kaien stood up slowly. "I want to burn everything that put me in chains."
Daz smirked. "Good. Then training starts now."
---
Deep in the burning city, Ryo knelt before a robed figure in a cold chamber.
"He escaped," Ryo reported. "Just like you predicted."
The figure's eyes glowed behind the mask. "Then the cycle begins again."