Part 1 - The King Of Light (Chapter 1)

— Morning Sounds

| Birds chirp. People laugh outside. Pens click. |

| A group of hooded figures slip into an alleyway, silent as shadows. |

??: Wait... are they—?

— The School

Teacher: "And that is how you do complex fractions! Any questions? ...Vael?"

Vael blinks. His pencil is still spinning between his fingers. "OH! Uhhh... Hmmm—"

The teacher crosses her arms. "Do you even know what I just said?"

Vael stares at his blank notebook. "I—"

"Listen next time."

"Okay. Can I go to the bathroom? Please??"

The teacher sighs. "Sure, not like you'll come back. Just like last time."

| The class erupts in laughter. |

Classmate 1: "He's gonna go home again!!" Laughs

Classmate 2: "For sure!!" Laughs

Vael smirks. "Look behind you."

Classmates: "Huh?"

Splash.

They whip around, dripping wet.

Vael laughs. "Worth it."

Teacher: "VAEL!"

He's already running.

— The Alleyway

Vael skids to a stop. "STOP RIGHT THERE!" His voice is muffled inside his makeshift water jug.

The two criminals look at each other.

Criminal 1: "And this is...?"

Criminal 2: "Why is he wearing a jug on his head?"

Criminal 1: "How is he even breathing?"

Vael plants his feet. "I am... The Hydrate!"

Silence.

Then, laughter.

Criminal 1: Wiping a tear. "That's your name?"

Vael: "Yeah!"

Criminal 2: "Just shoot him."

Both guns click into place.

Vael flinches.

Instinct kicks in. He throws.

| The half-empty water bottle spins midair. |

| Plop. |

Click. Click.

Nothing.

Criminal 1: "Why isn't it firing?!"

Criminal 2: "It was fine a second ago—!"

Vael grins. "Your bullets are soaked. No dry gunpowder? No bang."

The criminals glare.

Criminal 1: "Cute trick. Too bad—"

Vael raises his arms. The nearby puddles tremble. The water in his bottles rises, spiraling into the air. It surges around him, forming a translucent hand.

"TAKE THIS!"

The water fist slams through them.

Nothing.

The criminals blink. Look down. No injuries. just wet.

Criminal 1: "Get a load of this guy."

Criminal 2: Claps sarcastically. "He really thought that'd work!"

Criminal 3: "Whats the laughter about?" He sees The Hydrate and laughs

Vael's heart drops. Second fight ever. First guy laughed himself unconscious. I really need a plan.

Then—a metallic clink.

Vael stiffens.

A Grenade.

Criminal 3 laughs, finger on the pin. "No more hero time."

Vael swallows. "H-Hey now, let's talk this out—"

Shing.

Blood splashes the alley walls.

Criminal 3's scream shatters the silence.

The Hooded Man laughs "Hey now. You'll alert those useless cops."

His hands—gone.

Vael stares. His stomach twists. Severed fingers twitch on the ground, the grenade still nestled in their grip.

Criminal 2: "WHAT THE FUCK?!"

The second criminal is shot in half.

Criminal 1 grabs another gun and shoots himself.

A figure steps forward.

| Dark cloak. Red eyes. A sword and gun combined. |

The air shifts.

Vael barely breathes.

The cloaked man lifts his weapon.

Vael sees the barrel aim.

His mind screams—MOVE.

He throws up a thick water wall.

"Theres no way you can shoot through this..." He says while panting.

BOOM.

The bullet rips through the wall. Through the brick buildings behind him.

Vael doesn't look back. He sprints.

The cloaked man speaks, voice calm. "A magic user."

Vael's breath is ragged. He barely hears himself say it: "Please don't kill me."

The man grips his sword.

"I'm afraid I cannot."

Vael sprints faster going from alleyway through alleyway.

Vael's legs burn. The guy is too fast.

He whips around, hurling a water droplet at his eyes.

Direct hit.

The cloaked man winces. "Gah—"

Vael throws a punch. A clean right hook.

The guy's head snaps back—but his eyes flash open.

Vael barely sees it before it lands—a livershot.

Pain erupts through his side. His vision blurs.

Before he can recover, his body lifts off the ground.

The guy flips him over and slams him down.

| Thud. |

Vael gasps for air. Shit—

A sword extends—shattering stone beside his head.

Vael freezes.

"WAIT! We might be fighting for the same reason!"

A pause.

The sword doesn't move.

"...And that is?"

Vael breathes hard.

"I heard you mention the useless cops... is it corruption?"

The cloaked man nods. "Correct."

Vael swallows. "Which side are you from?"

"Noctros."

Vael blinks. "I want to save Noctros. I'll be king and bring us both equality."

The guy watches him.

"How? The immortal Light King is strong."

Vael clenches his fists. "I don't know."

"You're weak. But we'll see. My name is Osk."

Vael exhales. "What does Osk mean?"

"A wish. A desire."

Vael nods. "Fitting. What's that thing on your wrist?"

Osk lifts his arm. "The Star of Noctros."

Vael's eyes widen. "YOU'RE THE PRINCE?!"

Osk tilts his head. "Correct."

Vael stares. "Do you have magic?"

"No."

"...How?"

"I don't know either."

Silence.

Vael grins. "Okay! If we wanna team up, rule one: no killing—"

Osk immediately turns. "Team-up over."

"OH, COME ON!"

Osk glares. "It has to be done."

Vael clenches his fists. "Everyone deserves second chances! You don't know what happens to them—"

"THEY DON'T LEARN!"

Osk's voice echoes.

"They never do. I've seen it. You give them a chance, they destroy everything you love. They gorge. They take."

Vael breathes in.

"Then let's make them learn. If we don't give them a chance to change, they never will."

He steps forward.

"We can change this world together. Your side. My side. Let's make it happen."

Osk exhales.

"Fine."

Vael sighs—

"WAIT, MY SCHOOL!"

He bolts back toward class.

— Outside the School

| Vael sprints down the street, his heart still racing. |

His clothes are damp, his scarf is still wet with blood, and his breathing is uneven.

"I was supposed to just go to the bathroom..."

He slows down as he reaches the school gates. Students are pouring out, laughing, chatting, completely unaware that he just fought for his life.

Vael adjusts his scarf and walks inside like nothing happened.

— Back in Class

Vael pushes open the classroom door.

Vael: "HEEEY!! Guys... hehe..."

| Silence. |

Classmate 1: "Took you long enough!" laughs

Teacher: "You should have just gone home again."

| The class giggles. |

Teacher: "Vael. The class ended."

Vael: "Wait... Really?"

| The school bell rings. |

Vael sighs, slouching into his seat. "All that running for nothing..."

— Vael's House

| A small apartment. Dimly lit. Papers, water bottles, and half-finished homework scatter across a desk. |

Vael shuts the door behind him, sighing. "Finally."

He kicks off his shoes and throws himself onto his worn-out couch.

| Silence. |

His body still feels like it's burning from the fight. His heart pounds in his chest.

Vael stares at the ceiling. "I almost died."

| His scarf is still damp with blood. |

| Not his. |

He sits up quickly and yanks it off. "Shit..."

His hands shake slightly. He takes a deep breath.

"No big deal. Just a little life-or-death situation. Happens all the time, right?"

He throws up.

He exhales and leans back, rubbing his eyes.

| Crash. |

| Glass shatters. |

Vael jumps up.

Something—no, someone—just broke through his window.

Vael grabs a nearby water bottle. "What the hell?!"

| A familiar voice. |

Osk: "Relax. It's just me."

Vael lowers the bottle, eyes wide. "DO YOU KNOW WHAT A FRONT DOOR IS?!"

Osk ignores him, stepping over the broken glass.

Vael groans. "You better fix that."

Osk crosses his arms. "Let's go."

Vael stares. "Go where?!"

Osk gives him a deadpan look. "Noctros."

Vael laughs. "Oh, yeah, let me just pack my bags real quick—ARE YOU FUCKING INSANE?"

Osk raises an eyebrow. "How do you think I got here?"

Vael stops.

"That's... a good point."

Osk laughs "Now, stop whining and move."

Vael sighs, grabs his scarf, and follows.

— The Mega Gate

| The city looms ahead—towering white walls, blindingly clean. |

Vael follows Osk down a narrow path. His heart still pounds from the fight.

Vael mutters, "Okay, so... how exactly are we getting into the most guarded place in the world?"

Osk doesn't even look at him. "Secret entrance."

Vael raises an eyebrow. "Secret entrance?"

Osk suddenly stops and kneels.

Vael frowns. "What are you doing?"

Osk slashes against the ground.

| Rumble. |

The stone beneath them shifts—revealing a hidden tunnel.

Vael's mouth parts slightly. "That is not secret. That is a gaping hole."

Osk deadpans. "You want me to kill you?"

Vael holds up his hands. "Okay, okay, relax, Prince No-Kingdom."

They descend.

— The Tunnels

| Damp air. The faint stench of mold. Torches flicker along the walls. |

Vael steps carefully. The ground is uneven, littered with debris. "What is this place?"

Osk moves ahead. "Old escape route from centuries ago. Noctros royalty built it in case of war."

Vael's brows knit. "So why don't people use it?"

Osk stops walking.

Vael nearly bumps into him. "Uh—?"

Osk gestures ahead.

| Webs. Not just normal ones. Thick, glowing white threads pulsing with veins of blue and pink. |

Vael freezes.

His throat tightens. "That's... Rot, isn't it?"

Osk nods. "Eldrot. Spreads slowly but never dies. It feeds on everything."

Vael swallows. "If I touch it?"

Osk glances at him. "You won't."

| They move carefully. |

— Noctros: The Shadowed Capital

| Thick fog. Heaviness in the air. The taste of rust. |

Vael shivers. "This place is..."

Osk's face is unreadable. "It's a graveyard."

The streets are nearly empty. Figures lurk in the alleys, their eyes hollow.

Vael tightens his scarf. "Aurelis doesn't have this curse?"

Osk's jaw clenches. "No. It only eats away at Noctros."

Vael exhales. "That's not fair."

Osk stares. "What part of this world is?"

Silence.

Osk: "Thats my house right there, come with me."

— Osk's House

| Cockroaches roam. Trash piles in corners. The bed is barely a bed. |

Vael wrinkles his nose. "Where's the throne? The servants? The riches?"

Osk doesn't even blink. "We're in Noctros."

Vael exhales. "A prince with no kingdom."

Osk tightens his jaw. "The Light King took it all. Hundreds of years ago, he slaughtered my ancestors and stole everything for Aurelis. He left Noctros with nothing."

He lifts his weapon.

"This is all I have left. Morticivus. It's alive."

Vael's brow furrows. "Alive?"

"It gets tired. Sometimes it just... stops working."

Vael steps closer, eyes gleaming. "Is it strong?"

Osk's lips curve slightly. "It can cut through anything. Even steel. And when I extend it—"

He grips the hilt. The blade extends—piercing straight through the ceiling.

Vael's jaw drops.

Osk smiles. "Weightless, too."

Vael stares. "That's like... 150 meters."

Osk nods.

Then—a knock.

They both freeze.

Osk grips Morticivus.

Vael whispers. "Who the hell is that?"

Osk's eyes narrow.

Another knock.

A third.

A voice, inaudible, mumbling.

| CHAPTER 1 – END. |