The Dawn of the Frostborne

"The first arrow will always change the world."

The moon was barren. Cold, lifeless, and hollow, it hung in the vast expanse of space like a forgotten relic. The jagged rocks and craters sprawled out endlessly beneath the pale, unforgiving light, the atmosphere as still as the dead. There were no winds here, no sound, just the eerie quiet that stretched across the surface.

But that silence was broken by the weight of something much more than just sound. The tension in the air could be felt with every heartbeat. The Earth hung in the distance, suspended in space like a fragile blue jewel, casting its muted glow across the lifeless landscape.

And amidst the silence, two figures stood—facing each other like opposing forces of nature.

Ryuji's breath was shallow, his heart racing, as his hands gripped the ancient bow that had been passed down through the Frost Clan for generations. The weapon felt alive in his hands, the smooth wood warm despite the cold atmosphere, humming with an energy that was as old as time itself. He could feel the power of his ancestors within the bow—the weight of a legacy, of an untold history.

The bowstring was pulled taut, the arrow glowing faintly with a soft, otherworldly light. Magic pulsed around it, swirling in an ethereal dance as Ryuji steadied his aim. The arrow, forged in the deepest forges of his people, was a weapon like no other—capable of piercing even the hardest stone, capable of changing the very fabric of the world. But right now, it was aimed at the heart of the one person who had once been his closest friend.

Haruto.

Across from him, Haruto stood tall, the trident in his grasp crackling with energy. The weapon was a sight to behold—its dark, metallic surface gleaming under the faint light of the Earth. It was ancient, its origin shrouded in mystery, but its power was undeniable. Haruto's figure was silhouetted against the backdrop of the planet, his face unreadable, cold, and distant. He didn't even turn to face Ryuji as the tension built between them, his eyes fixed firmly on the Earth below, as if searching for something within its fragile surface.

The air between them vibrated with an unspoken understanding, the power they wielded like a living thing, waiting to tear them both apart. There was no turning back now.

"You were always too kind, Ryuji," Haruto said, his voice carrying an edge that wasn't there before—calm, but laced with something bitter. "You see the world through rose-colored glasses, thinking it can be saved. But look at it. Look at what it's become."

Ryuji's fingers tightened around the bow, his breath steadying as he fought to keep his emotions in check. The Earth below, the same planet they had both once called home, was now a fractured, dying world—consumed by greed, corruption, and endless suffering. The truth of it had settled in Ryuji's heart, but it didn't mean they should destroy it.

"I know," Ryuji said, his voice low, laced with sorrow. "I know the world is broken. But destroying it won't make it better. If we burn it all down, if we become like them, what happens next? What's left?"

Haruto's grip on the trident tightened, the weapon crackling with raw energy. He was silent for a long moment, his gaze still fixed on the Earth below. His jaw tightened, his muscles stiffened. When he spoke again, his words were sharp, like the bite of an icy wind.

"You don't understand, do you?" Haruto's voice was tinged with disgust. "That's the problem. You never have. To fix a broken world, you have to tear it apart first. You have to break it beyond repair before you can rebuild it into something better."

Ryuji's heart ached at the words. Haruto's voice wasn't the same as it used to be—there was no warmth in it, no light. Just a cold, unyielding resolve that Ryuji didn't recognize. The friend he had once known was slipping away, replaced by something darker.

"I don't want to fight you, Haruto," Ryuji said, his voice quieter now, almost a plea. "I don't want to be the one who stands against you. But if you do this… if you go through with it…"

Haruto's eyes finally turned, meeting Ryuji's gaze. There was no trace of the warmth they had once shared. Only coldness. Only the man he had become.

"If I go through with it?" Haruto scoffed, his voice growing louder, his anger bubbling to the surface. "You'll stand in my way, won't you? You'll try to stop me. You always have, Ryuji. You've never understood the true nature of power. That's why you'll never be strong enough to save this world. It has to be destroyed before it can be reborn."

Ryuji's fingers flexed around the bow, his heart pounding in his chest. This wasn't just a battle for the Earth. It was a battle for Haruto's soul. And Ryuji wasn't sure if he could save him.

"Haruto, please," Ryuji's voice cracked, the weight of his words heavy on his tongue. "This isn't the way. We were brothers. We fought together. We dreamed together. We can still fix this. Together."

Haruto's lips curled into a bitter smile, a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Brothers? You still think we're brothers? I stopped being your brother the moment you failed to see the truth. The moment you chose to stand against me."

The ground beneath them rumbled, a low, ominous growl as if the very moon itself was beginning to tremble. Ryuji could feel the power building in the air, the raw energy crackling between them, feeding off their emotions. The tension had reached its peak, and neither of them could hold back any longer.

Ryuji tightened his grip on the bowstring, the magic of his ancestors surging through him. The arrow pulsed with power, its light brightening, blinding. This was the moment. The final moment.

But before he could release the arrow, a shockwave of energy erupted from Haruto's trident. The force was so powerful, so sudden, that Ryuji barely had time to react. The moon's surface cracked, fissures running through the ground as the energy tore through the air, sending both of them stumbling backwards.

The bow flew from Ryuji's hands, the arrow slipping from his grasp as the shockwave knocked him off his feet. He hit the cold, unforgiving surface of the moon hard, his head spinning as the world around him shifted.

"What the hell?" Ryuji gasped, struggling to push himself up. The air was thick with power, the energy swirling in a chaotic storm around them. It wasn't just Haruto's power. It was something else, something darker.

Haruto stood, his trident crackling with energy, his face a mask of determination. But Ryuji could see the flicker of doubt in his eyes. It was brief, but it was there. Haruto wasn't as certain as he appeared. And that small flicker of doubt gave Ryuji hope.

But before he could say anything, the ground beneath them began to crack open. A deep, resonating sound filled the air, like the world was being torn apart. Ryuji's eyes widened in fear.

"No…" he whispered, his heart pounding in his chest. "What is happening?"

The shockwave of energy intensified, the moon trembling as if it were on the verge of collapsing. Ryuji's vision blurred, his mind overwhelmed by the power surging around him. He could barely hold himself up, the force of the energy pushing him back, threatening to knock him unconscious.

And then, in the midst of the chaos, everything went black.

To be continued…