Chapter 1: "The Beginning of Desolation"

Chapter 1

In the deep darkness of the night, the moon cast a faint, sickly glow over a desolate land, enveloped in a suffocating silence, broken only by the sound of wind sweeping through the rubble. The ruined buildings stood as the remnants of a recent past, their debris scattered across the city, while the cracked earth beneath Suero's feet was littered with human corpses. It was as if the disaster that had struck had wiped everything out in the blink of an eye. Everything around him bore witness to death and destruction, as though life had abandoned this patch of earth.

Amidst this horrifying scene, Suero stood motionless, his breath coming in ragged gasps, his tattered clothes a testament to the intensity of the battle he had fought. His eyes, filled with shock, gazed at the nightmare that had become his reality, as if the world around him had lost all meaning. A city that was once teeming with life now reduced to nothing more than empty ruins.

He tried to breathe deeply, but it felt as though the air had lost its significance. Tears fell to the barren ground beneath his hands. "He... he killed them all!" he whispered between broken breaths, as though the words couldn't bear the weight of his pain.

He cried out like a child lost in a strange world, pounding the earth with his fists in a desperate struggle against reality. His voice rose in muffled sobs:

"He... he eradicated everyone! I... I couldn't do anything!"

He screamed in bitter anguish, his voice echoing through the ruins as his tears soaked the dry earth, leaving yet another mark of his suffering. But in the midst of this mental turmoil, an unfamiliar shadow appeared on the ground.

Spailo descended quietly from the sky, as though the world around him mattered little. He landed softly, hands in his pockets, wearing a sarcastic smile. He looked at Suero and said mockingly:

"Did your feelings get hurt, boy?"

Suero slowly raised his head, his eyes burning with fury, tears still falling. "You killed them! You killed all my friends!" he yelled, his voice raw with grief and a thirst for vengeance.

Spailo raised an eyebrow, responding indifferently, "Really? But they were just pests." His words cut into Suero like knives, making him feel as though he were burning from the inside. He tried to steady himself despite the weakness that gripped him, clenching his teeth and saying:

"Don't mock human lives!"

Suddenly, Suero exploded into a sprint, his blue energy flaring around him like a challenge to the dark energy that had overtaken the place. He ran with all his might, his scream filling the air, but Spailo remained unmoving, observing calmly, as if he didn't care about any of it. Suero attempted to strike him, but Spailo simply tilted his head, dodging the punch as if he had anticipated every move.

Suero continued his attacks, but each time, Spailo avoided them effortlessly, as though every effort he made was in vain. Finally, Spailo gripped his hand firmly, freezing Suero in place, stunned. He looked into Spailo's eyes, his anxiety growing, while Spailo wore a mocking smile and said: "Is this all you've got, boy?" Then, with ease, Spailo lifted Suero and tossed him into the air, sending him crashing into the ground with tremendous force, so hard that the earth itself cracked beneath his fall.

Blood began to drip from Suero's nose as he regained consciousness, staring at the scene as if unable to believe it. With Spailo's heavy footsteps approaching, Suero lifted his eyes to the sky and whispered to himself in despair:

"W-where did all of this begin?"

—

Flashback (One Hour Ago)

The city bustled with life. Its markets were teeming with shoppers, and the lights of the buildings illuminated the horizon, signaling a constant flow of activity. Suero walked alongside his mentor, Kamasi, who seemed at ease with the surroundings. Suero, eyes wide with wonder, exclaimed:

"This place is incredible!"

Kamasi responded calmly, his gaze sweeping over the scene:

"Indeed. It's alive with energy."

Suero smiled, his curiosity piqued, and asked:

"So, what exactly are we doing here?"

Kamasi took a moment, his tone turning serious as he replied:

"Suero, are you from one of the three major clans?"

Suero grinned confidently and shook his head:

"Of course not."

Kamasi's expression grew more serious:

"But... when Spailo was a student under Sbyam Brius, I heard he possessed the Unlimited Technique."

Suero's eyes widened in shock, and he spoke in astonishment:

"I haven't seen my brother Spailo since we were children!"

Kamasi leaned in, his voice dropping to a whisper as he gave Suero a knowing look:

"Ah, I see."

Suddenly, a massive explosion tore through one end of the city. Flames shot into the sky, casting a crimson glow across the horizon, while the ground shook violently beneath their feet. Suero and Kamasi turned toward the source of the explosion, and Suero, his voice filled with anxiety, asked:

"What's going on over there?"

Before either of them could respond, the air was pierced by an eerie, malevolent laugh. Spailo's sinister laughter echoed across the area, shattering the silence and reverberating through every corner, shaking the very ground beneath them.

Kamasi froze, his eyes wide with shock, while Suero felt a deep emptiness stir within him. He whispered in disbelief:

"Is it... him?"

Without another word, Kamasi bolted toward the site of the explosion, and Suero, his voice trembling, quickly followed:

"My brother...?"

At the explosion site, flames consumed everything in their path. Spailo floated above the destruction, grinning in dark satisfaction. The terrified crowd fled in every direction, collapsing under the weight of the chaos. Amidst the inferno, a small child watched in horror as the flames engulfed his mother's lifeless body, silently screaming:

"Mom...?"

Kamasi and Suero arrived at the scene, surrounded by the devastation. Flames fell like torrential rain, the air thick with smoke. Spailo, still smiling, hovered above, watching the carnage unfold as though he were witnessing a private show. The child, his face etched with helplessness, continued to stare at the flames consuming his mother.

Suddenly, Spailo descended and landed before them, still grinning:

"Suero...?"

Suero, taken aback by the sight of his brother, narrowed his eyes and, with rising anger, demanded:

"What are you doing here?"

Spailo's smile remained unshaken as Kamasi, watching from a distance, stood paralyzed with fear. Kamasi then, hesitantly, spoke up:

"Why? Why did you leave the Sorcerer's Organization?"

Spailo shot him a contemptuous look and replied coldly:

"Do you really want me to stay with you? In the Sorcerer's Organization? What a joke."

At that moment, a bright light flared up behind Suero and Kamasi. A fast-moving spark shot toward Spailo, exploding violently in a burst of energy behind him.

Suddenly, a sorcerer named Shinbo appeared in front of Suero and Kamasi. Suero's eyes lit up with recognition, and he exclaimed with excitement:

"Commander Shinbo?"

Shinbo's gaze was fixed sharply on Spailo, who responded with a sneer of contempt:

"Who are you?"

Suero observed Shinbo's presence with growing respect, thinking to himself:

"He's from the B-rank! He's powerful!"

Shinbo spoke firmly, his voice unwavering:

"You're Spailo Rashid, aren't you?"

Spailo raised an eyebrow, his tone defiantly casual:

"So what?"

Shinbo's confidence remained unshaken as he replied:

"That means you're Suero's brother. I heard you were trained by Sbyam Brius. Is that true?"

Spailo muttered under his breath, his eyes distant:

"Sbyam Brius... The strongest sorcerer... Why didn't he come?"

Shinbo, steadying himself, answered with cold resolve:

"Because I'm here to kill you now."

Spailo sighed in boredom, clearly unfazed. In a flash, Shinbo lunged toward him with incredible speed, signaling that a decisive battle was about to unfold.

But in a sudden, unexpected moment, blood sprayed from Shinbo's neck, and his head was severed in an instant. The lifeless body collapsed, its blood staining the streets, a grim testament to the chaos.

Spailo walked forward calmly, approaching Suero and Kamasi. With unshaken confidence, he spoke:

"You're exempted."

Suero stared at him in shock, his voice trembling with disbelief:

"What?"

Spailo's eyes suddenly glowed a fierce red, and his voice dropped to a low, terrifying tone:

"Realm Expansion: The Unlimited Realm!"

The city trembled violently, as if weighed down by an invisible force. A dark barrier descended over the entire area. As the darkness deepened, it began to smother every corner, eventually covering the sky itself in a blanket of deep black, as if it were collapsing onto the earth. The ground beneath Suero's feet felt as though it might crush him at any moment, and his heart nearly stopped from the sheer shock of it.

As the darkness swallowed everything, Spailo lifted his head, relishing the palpable tension in the air. Then, with deliberate calm, he raised his hands, pointing them at the surrounding space as he spoke in a low, ominous voice:

"Destroy everything in your path!"

His words echoed in the silence, and in the next moment, small crimson shards began to materialize out of nowhere. They darted through the air with terrifying speed, like strands of red lightning, slicing through everything in their path. Whatever they touched was left in utter ruin.

Buildings crumbled under the weight of these shards. Massive chunks of earth were severed and hurled into the air. The fleeing crowd fell to the ground, their bodies torn apart as if fragile pieces of wood ripped from their roots by a violent storm. Blood gushed from the wounded, and the anguished screams of the innocent filled the air. Kamasi, who stood beside Suero, began to crumble under the overwhelming weight of fear as the shards closed in on him.

It didn't take long before Kamasi's body was completely shredded. The crimson shards pierced through him with brutal force, and with every strike, the ground beneath them trembled.

Suero watched the horrifying scene unfold, his eyes brimming with tears. He was helpless, unable to move or respond.

—

In the Present...

Suero lay on the ground, his gaze fixed on the dark sky as though waiting for the final moment to arrive. He looked at Spailo, his eyes brimming with despair, tears streaming down his face. In a barely audible whisper, he muttered to himself:

"Is this what the world has become? Is this my fate?"

Suddenly, out of the shadows, Spailo appeared before him. His voice was soft yet laden with an eerie calm:

"Suero, you need to try harder to keep up with me. If you want to save the world... you must become stronger."

Suero met his gaze, his eyes heavy with hopelessness. Then, in a voice tinged with exhaustion, he whispered:

"Why did you leave the Mana Organization?"

A moment of silence hung in the air before Spailo responded coldly:

"It doesn't matter. What matters now is that you show your stubbornness to become stronger!"

Without another word, Spailo turned and began to walk away, leaving Suero with a storm of questions that had no answers. As he stared at the endless darkness, which seemed to devour everything, Suero's voice cracked, barely more than a whisper:

"Why is it this way?... Why?"

When he looked back at Spailo, he realized his brother had completely vanished. Only the consuming darkness remained, enveloping everything in its wake.

Suero slowly shook his head, closing his eyes. His voice, faint and broken, barely reached the air:

"Master Sbyam... what should I do now?"

And with that, the chapter closed, leaving Suero in utter confusion, standing alone amidst the devastation, lost in the search for a path through the darkness that lay ahead.

End of Chapter.