Shin Kuroda

"Come on, hurry up and run!"

"I can't! We've been running for hours... I can't go on anymore!"

"Then heal yourself!"

"It doesn't work like that!"

On a freezing winter night, 10-year-old Marcus and Serena were running as if their lives depended on it.

"There they are! Catch them immediately!"

A few police officers began chasing after them.

"Stop right there and go back to the orphanage!"

"Never!"

Marcus used his powers to turn the snow beneath the officers' feet into ice, causing them to slip and fall. After a few more minutes of running, they finally managed to lose their pursuers. Serena collapsed onto the ground, breathing heavily.

"Because of you, we almost got caught!" Marcus shouted angrily, glaring at her.

"But you're the one who insisted on bringing me along! We've escaped from the orphanage, so what now? We don't have anywhere to go. Are we just going to live on the streets?"

Serena started crying, and Marcus's frustration grew.

"If you don't like it, then go back to the orphanage! Unless you'd prefer for them to keep experimenting on you. Otherwise, stop crying and be quiet!"

Serena wiped her tears, trying to stop crying.

"Do you think escaping the orphanage was a good idea?" Serena asked hesitantly.

"Of course it was! What other choice did we have? If we stayed, those experiments would have killed us! Have you already forgotten how much blood they took from you last time? You barely survived!"

Serena fell silent. She knew Marcus was right. The orphanage had been experimenting on them for a long time, and the experiments were becoming increasingly dangerous. One night, Marcus suddenly appeared in front of her and announced he was running away. When he insisted that she come along, she had no choice but to follow him. Marcus was the only person she could trust.

A week passed. Marcus and Serena did everything they could to survive on the streets in the harsh winter. Marcus often had to steal food. At night, they sometimes slept alone on the streets or sought shelter with other homeless people under bridges.

One day, Marcus went out to steal food as usual, but he didn't return for a long time. Worried, Serena decided to look for him.

She made her way to the part of the city where Marcus usually stole food. As she approached, she noticed people gathered and talking animatedly. She slipped quietly into the crowd, hoping to overhear their conversation.

"Did you hear? That kid who's been stealing constantly has been caught."

"Yeah, the one with the streak of blue hair, right? I heard they knocked him out when he resisted."

Serena felt a wave of panic. There was no doubt they were talking about Marcus.

"Where is he now? What did they do to him?" she asked.

"Apparently, they're holding him near Parker's grocery store. They've already called the police, so they'll be here soon."

Serena immediately recognized the store they were talking about and ran as fast as she could. She had no idea what she would do when she got there, but she knew she had to save Marcus. He was the only person she could rely on in this world.

As she rushed through the streets, she accidentally bumped into someone and fell to the ground. A young man with striking red eyes looked down at her in surprise and extended his hand to help her up. But Serena, too preoccupied to even glance at him, got up and kept running.

The 17-year-old boy watched her go, intrigued. What caught his attention wasn't her tearful face or frail body but the spiritual energy radiating from her—a kind of energy he thought only he possessed.

When Serena reached the grocery store, she saw several adults holding Marcus down. Marcus was trying to escape by using his ice powers, but he could only create small patches of ice. His lack of control over his abilities made it difficult to defend himself. Because of the snow-covered ground, the adults assumed he was just grabbing ice from the ground.

"You little brat!" one of the men yelled, grabbing Marcus by the arm and raising his hand to hit him.

Without thinking, Serena rushed forward.

"Stop it!" she cried.

The men turned to look at her. Marcus saw her and immediately shouted,

"What are you doing, you idiot?! Run away!"

"It looks like this girl is with him. Catch her too!" one of the men ordered.

The men began to approach Serena. As they reached out to grab her, they suddenly froze, noticing someone standing behind her. Confused, Serena turned around and saw a figure standing calmly. The first thing she noticed were his crimson-red eyes.

"Who the hell are you?" one of the men demanded.

"What's your problem with these kids?" the figure asked, his tone cold and composed.

"This doesn't concern you, kid. These brats have been stealing from us every day for the past week. Because of them—"

"If that's the issue, I'll pay for whatever they stole," he interrupted.

Everyone, including Serena and Marcus, stared at him in disbelief.

"What?" one of the men asked, confused.

"You heard me. Let the boy go," he ordered, unfazed.

The man hesitated for a moment but finally released Marcus. Wasting no time, Marcus grabbed Serena's hand, and they both bolted from the scene without looking back. After running a considerable distance, they finally stopped, both gasping for air. Neither of them spoke for a moment.

"Why do you think that guy helped us?" Serena asked, her voice trembling.

"Isn't it obvious? He wanted to use us in return for his so-called kindness. Good thing we ran when we did!" Marcus said sharply.

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps crunching on the snow reached their ears. They turned around quickly, only to see the same red-eyed man approaching them. Marcus panicked, clenching his fists as he tried to summon his ice powers.

"So, your ability is to create ice, huh? Not very impressive. You still lack control," the man said, unfazed by Marcus's attempt.

Marcus froze, surprised. Most people were scared or panicked when they noticed his powers. But this man seemed completely unfazed, even calm.

"...Who are you?!" Marcus demanded.

"My name is Shin...Shin Kuroda" the man said simply.

Then, Shin raised his hand, and his own shadow began to writhe and move as if it had come alive. Marcus and Serena stood frozen, wide-eyed. It was the first time they had ever seen someone else with powers like theirs.

"What are you...? What are we?" Marcus asked hesitantly.

"We're human, just like everyone else," Shin replied calmly.

Marcus stared at Shin, and suddenly, a memory flashed in his mind—the first time he had met this enigmatic figure. The air had felt heavy, and everyone around Shin had the same unspoken thought: This man is dangerous. Nobody moved, as if holding their breath, waiting for him to make the first move.

In that moment, Shin's spiritual energy was so overwhelming it seemed to fill the entire space. Even Kaji, who had always been sensitive to energy, could feel it more intensely than anyone else. Shin's presence was suffocating.

"Shin-nii!" the twins called out, their voices trembling with emotion.

Everyone turned to Shin with expressions of hope and relief. Finally, Shin moved, stepping toward Marcus.

When Marcus tried to stand up, Shin gently placed a hand on his shoulder, silently urging him to stay down. Then, Shin turned his gaze to Serena.

"You don't need to use your power anymore. Lower your shield and come here to heal him," Shin said in a soft but commanding tone.

Serena deactivated her shield and, along with the others, ran toward Marcus and Shin. The men who had been watching stood frozen in shock.

Peter, anger evident on his face, shouted, "What the hell are you waiting for?! Shoot!"

The moment he gave the command, the shadows of all the armed men began to move, wrapping around their bodies and constricting their throats until they lost consciousness.

Kaji moved quickly, flying high above the scene and illuminating the area with as much light as he could to weaken the shadows. Despite this, Shin didn't even glance in his direction. His full attention remained on Marcus.

Serena rushed forward, immediately starting to heal Marcus. Meanwhile, Marcus looked up at Shin, his voice shaky.

"Shin... I—"

"You did well, Marcus. Good job," Shin interrupted, his tone calm yet reassuring.

Marcus stared at him in shock, unsure of how to respond.

Shin finally turned his attention to Kaji.

"Rest now, Marcus. Leave the rest to me," Shin said.

With that, Shin began walking toward Kaji, his crimson eyes gleaming with quiet determination.