Chapter One: A Long Dream

Many years ago, in the dark of the night...

A young girl with glowing white skin, eyes, and hair, ran through a forest, trying to escape the humanoid shadow creatures chasing her.

She was barefoot and had a dress on, and she wore her hair in a ponytail.

"Help! Someone help!"

The creatures began to gain on her, knocking down trees in their wake. As soon as she could see light in the distance, a creature grabbed her by her hair and pulled her back.

"AHHHHHHH! SOMEONE HELP ME!"

WOOSH.

Just then, the creature's arm fell off, and it stood there, confused.

"What the hell—?"

Without a second's hesitation, someone grabbed the girl and began to take off through the trees.

"Come on, no time to waste!"

The creatures began to follow them, moving faster than before. The young girl looked up, seeing a young man who had glowing skin just like her, with icy hair and eyes. His outfit seemed to be akin to a military officer.

"Who are you?" she asked.

He looked down at her, winking.

"Kenshi Fujii, at your service! Everyone's favorite teenage prodigy!"

"Kenshi...Fujii?"

One of the shadow creatures caught up, attempting to grab Kenshi, but he extended his hand and a Katana made of ice came out of it, shocking the girl.

"What the hell? What did you do?"

Kenshi stopped and set the girl down. "Sweetheart, close your eyes."

He held the blade up, and the creatures began to laugh.

"Hahaha! Do you think a little icicle is gonna do something?"

"I bet he likes making snowmen!"

The shadow creature in the front walked forward, her frame distinctly feminine.

"Enough with the games. Kill them both."

She summoned a metal sword out of her hand, surprising both Kenshi and the little girl.

"You're...like me...!" Kenshi realized.

She raised her sword high, pointing it at Kenshi. "No. Nothing like you."

They began to clash blades, moving at speeds the young girl couldn't follow.

Kenshi tried to dodge her attacks, but eventually her speed started to surpass his, and she stabbed him in the middle of his chest.

The little girl screamed. "No!"

But to her confusion, when the blade was removed, Kenshi didn't fall over. Instead, he simply touched the ground, forming a giant wall of ice in between him and the shadow creatures.

Without missing a beat, he grabbed the young girl and ran. She stared at his chest, and it was fully healed.

"How aren't you dead?" she wondered. "I saw you get stabbed!"

Kenshi shrugged. "I'm invincible."

Just as the creatures broke through the ice, Kenshi and the young girl had already vanished from right.

The female creature walked forward, taking on a more humanoid form. Her skin was cracked and black, her hair was long and dark, and she had glowing gray eyes. Shadow armor covered her body.

"Damn it, they've vanished."

She rounded on one of the shadow beings behind her, sighing.

"Tell the Master that the champion has gotten away, and I've still found no signs of Deity."

They nodded and left. The woman sat down, staring at the massive technological nation in the distance.

"One day, we'll level you all from the ground up. You're all gonna die."

After she walked away, Kenshi and the girl jumped out of a nearby tree, landing on the ground.

Kenshi set her down, making sure no one else was around. "So, what were you doing in Asmana Forest anyway?"

She immediately blushed. "I came to gather fruit...for my family. They're not the richest, so I decided to help them out."

Kenshi knelt down next to her. "That's noble of you! What's your name, young one?"

The girl stared into his eyes. "My name is Aoki!"

Kenshi gave her a head pat. "Nice name! Are you from the mainland, Aoki?"

"Well...yeah..."

Kenshi stood up. "Well then, let's go back! I've got some food I can give to you and your family."

Aoki followed him as he left the forest. The nation in front of them was vast, with many skyscrapers and buildings shifting positioning and moving parts around.

"Home..." Aoki muttered.

Once they walked to the gates, glowing guards in white armor let Kenshi through, without any resistance.

"Good day, Sir," one spoke.

Kenshi gave him a pat on the shoulder as he walked inside. Aoki creeped behind him, entering the nation.

There was a huge castle far in the middle of the nation, and everywhere in sight there were people that resembled the two. As soon as Kenshi stepped foot inside, a huge crowd surrounded him.

"Hey! It's Kenshi Fujii!"

"THE Kenshi Fujii?"

"Dude he's like, at the TOP!"

Kenshi waved to the crowd, but immediately he got dog-piled and tackled to the ground. Aoki jumped back, watching the restless crowd.

"Woah, he must be like a celebrity!" she noted.

After a long time of attempting to escape, Kenshi finally got the bystanders off of him. They took notice of Aoki.

"Who's that girl? She looks so beat up!"

"Who cares? Unless she's Kenshi's sister or something she's irrelevant!"

"Aww, she seems scared!"

Kenshi held his hands out. "Well, me and little Aoki here should be heading off! Nice meeting you all!"

Before they could protest, Kenshi grabbed Aoki and jumped away.

But as they jumped away, a mysterious man approached the gate to the nation, prompting the guards to point their guns at him.

"Hey! Hands up! Who are you?"

The man had a face that could not be seen. His hands were dark and seemed to resemble shadows. As guards continued to aim at him, he stopped in his tracks.

"Hello..."

The guards pointed their guns at him. "Who are you? You a human? What are you?"

The man took a step forward, making the guards fire into the ground below his feet.

"Don't come any closer! We'll blast you!"

The man continued walking, unfazed. "Sure...do that..."

They began to fire at him. "We warned you! Die, human!"

But the blasts didn't seem to affect him. They just bounced off like they were rubber balls. The guards began to tremble as the man grabbed their guns and snapped them in two.

"Now...you pay..."

As they began to run and scream, dark tendrils came out of the man's back, grabbing and latching on to them. Before they could call for help, the man snapped his fingers, and a green light emitted out of both of them, turning them to dust.

"Your time…is up..."

He continued into the nation, and the busy streets didn't even seem to notice him walk in. "Where...where can it be...?"

While he stalked the streets, Kenshi and Aoki were residing in a giant mansion, just a couple of districts away.

"What's this place? Is this your home?"

Kenshi shrugged, plopping down on the couch. "It's more like a business home, since I am just that good. But it is kinda lonely."

Aoki looked at the couch, the walls, and the stairs, all of which seemed made of cutting-edge technology.

"I like it! But why is there no one here, if it's for business?"

Kenshi nervously laughed. "Well, it's because I haven't really gotten anyone to join the business yet, you know? Everyone else does, but I'm still looking for people to fit in!"

Aoki tapped her chin. "Can I join?"

Kenshi almost fell off the couch. "YOU? How old are you?"

Aoki folded her arms. "I'm almost ten!"

Kenshi began to laugh. "I appreciate the courage, but I don't think a nine year old girl is ready enough to fight dangerous opponents."

Aoki balled her fists. "Is that so? Give me a sword and let me show you!"

Kenshi stood up. "Why do you want to be a soldier anyway? There's many other jobs out there suited for young women."

Aoki looked down. "I don't want to be some damsel in distress. I want to be strong! Strong enough to support my family!"

Kenshi tilted his head. "Mmm. I see."

He went upstairs and came back down with a katana, giving it to Aoki. "Well, there's a training room down the hall, we could always go and see what you've got—-!"

BOOM.

"What was that?" Aoki asked.

Immediately, Kenshi opened the door and saw flames in the distance, and he heard the screams of people running away.

"Damn it! Aoki, stay here!"

Before she could ask why, he darted outside the door, heading down the driveway and down into the nearest district.

"I...I wanna come...!"

Back near the gate, people ran as shadowy monsters like the ones that attacked Aoki ran rampant, pouncing on any civilians in sight.

The woman who led the earlier charge stood in the center of the road, pointing her blade at the fleeing citizens.

"Kill them all! They're nothing more than heartless scumbags!"

Behind her, the man in the hood stood, having grown to nearly seven feet. He put a hand on her shoulder, speaking in a calm tone.

"Runea...any sign...of the power...?"

She looked up at him, shaking her head. "They don't seem to have it! But maybe Kenshi Fujii might!"

The man looked around, scanning the crowd. "Then...we find him..."

As he stepped forward, he heard a voice behind him. "No need! You attack my home, then you're just asking me to show up!"

The man turned around, and saw a katana of ice pointed at his chest. "Oh..."

Kenshi stared at him with eyes that blazed with fury. "You bastards killed my father and stole away my mother, so SOMEONE has to answer for THAT!"

Immediately, he rushed at the man, attempting to slice his chest. Before his blade could make contact, Runea used her own blade to deflect it.

"Don't you dare touch him!"

Kenshi jumped back, and the two sized each other up, before Runea made the first move, slicing Kenshi in the neck before he could react.

"Crap...so damn fast!"

A few men and women dressed in military armor came to the scene, wielding what appeared to be technologically advanced rifles and shotguns. They pointed them at the ground.

"Hey, by order of the King, you are trespassing on this land!" one man spoke.

While Runea went in for another attack on Kenshi, the hooded man turned his attention to the others.

"Oh...is that so?"

Kenshi barely managed to catch a glimpse of it between his fierce duel with Runea. "Guys! Wait, don't do it!"

But they pulled the triggers. "FIRE!"

And immediately, the man opened what appeared to be portals that resembled space itself, and the blasts entered those portals and never came out.

And so did the soldiers, once the man dragged them inside of them with a swarm of dark tendrils.

"AHH! Kenshi, HELP!" one woman cried.

"Guys! Hang on!"

But before Kenshi could get to them, Runea kicked him in the chest. "What powers do you have?

"What you see is what you get!" Kenshi responded. "ANNIHILATE!"

Immediately, a giant ice wall appeared, trapping Runea inside. "So cold!"

The hooded man delivered one punch to the ice, and it collapsed, freeing Runea. The man reached out and caught her.

"Are...you okay...?" he asked.

"Y...yes, sir. Thank you," she replied.

As he set her down, they turned their attention back toward Kenshi, who looked between them.

"Isn't that cute? You care about each other!"

Runea prepared to grab her blade and swing it, but the man put a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Let me...save you...the trouble..."

He lifted a hand and a dark blast of energy, resembling the void of space, hit Kenshi's sword arm, and it swallowed it up.

"Ow!"

The man lifted his arm and prepared to launch another blast at Kenshi's chest, right where his heart was.

"Now...we finish this..."

But before he could fire it, a katana went flying at his head. Runea caught it, examining it.

"The hell?"

As she looked up, a girl grabbed the katana and slashed her arm with it.

"Take that!"

When they looked back at Kenshi, they saw Aoki standing in front of him, katana leveled at them.

"I feel so much better with a weapon in my hand!"

Kenshi looked up at her, shocked. "Aoki! I told you to stay inside the mansion!"

Aoki shrugged. "And I didn't listen!"

The hooded man lifted his hand, prepared to attack. "And that...was a big mistake."

Without another word, he fired off a purple blast that sent both Aoki and Kenshi flying backward.

Kenshi managed to grab onto a building, but he saw Aoki trapped under some rubble.

"I need to help her!" he thought. "But how?"

Just then, the man began to glow with a soft purple hue. "If none of you have what I seek, then you can all be disposed of..."

And with that, he unleashed a devastating blast that swallowed up the entire area. All Kenshi could do was reach out for Aoki as the blast got to the pair.

"Aoki, watch out—-!"

BOOM.

And when the damage was done, Runea and the man stood over it, staring at the smoke and various corpses on the ground.

"Well, sir? Where to next?" Runea asked.

"We'll search every land...every corner...every place imaginable...until we find the one..."

He looked at his hand. "...who possesses what we seek."

And just like that, the scene began to disappear, as a boy woke up from his dream, hundreds of years into the future.

——