Chapter 1:Silent promises

Life...

It can be so beautiful, yet cruel...

One moment, it's filled with laughter and warmth, a soft embrace that feels like home. The next, it slips through your fingers like water, leaving you cold and empty.

Why do we hold on so tightly to things that fade? Why do we dream of futures when the present feels so uncertain? The world keeps turning, people keep moving, but here he sits, lost in thoughts he can't explain. What's the purpose of all this?

His mother's death had sparked it all... Did he blame her? Yes, but he felt selfish for it. Did she love him? Did she love his father? If his father was such a monster, a murderer, why would she have stayed with him? Why would she have let him use her? Why hadn't she left? She killed herself, and now he, Joon-ah and his (adopted) older brother Tea-hyun were left behind to pick up the pieces.

Then his father went to prison. It wasn't surprising, but it still hurt. Is this what his mother had felt? Even someone so cruel—someone who had hurt them for so long—was still family. They'd known him for years. It was so hard to let go, so hard to let the past die. But he couldn't shake the bitterness. His mother had left them with him. She'd left them to the monster,he hurt them. Maybe "hate" was too strong a word maybe not,he just doesn't know anymore.

His older brother, who was 18 at the time, had taken him in. He had tried to be strong, to be what they both needed—to be at least something useful to his brother—but the weight of it all was suffocating. How do you carry the burden of a past like that? How do you heal when the wounds are so deep, when the anger and confusion never really go away? His brother was all he had now.

His older brother, despite everything, was the kind of person who would give you the shirt off his back, even if it meant he'd freeze in the process. But, damn, he could be overbearing.

"Hey, you need a jacket?" his brother would ask every time they stepped outside, even if it was 70 degrees and sunny. "You sure you're okay? You look pale. You didn't eat enough today, did you?" Every step, every moment, he was on him like a shadow.

It wasn't that his brother didn't care—it was the opposite. He cared too much. Sometimes it felt like he was trying to protect him from everything, as though he could shield him from the world's cruel side by wrapping him in a bubble of overprotectiveness.

One time, after a harmless tumble down the stairs, his brother nearly called an ambulance, even though it was more of a stumble than a fall. "You could have hurt yourself! What if you hit your head?!"

He rolled his eyes, but honestly, it was kind of sweet. His brother was a walking, talking cautionary tale, always ready with band-aids, advice, and a worried frown, even when he didn't need them. There were days he just wanted to tell him to relax—but deep down, he was grateful. Grateful that even when the world had turned upside down, his brother's care never wavered, even if it was a little too much at times.

They were a team—awkward, imperfect, and sometimes a little suffocating—but together, they were holding on,even if there was something's his brother didn't tell him but everyone has secrets, right?

.....

[3 years later]

Today was just the same. I'm so bored, I'm starting to think the walls are more interesting than anything else. And of course, I got an F on that test. How typical. Honestly, I don't even know why I try anymore. It's not like it matters. Another day, another disappointment mmm...at least I've got my bag of chip's...

He thought as he wrote it down in his diary, a hobby he had that no one really knew about except for his older brother—probably because he didn't really have many friends.

Joon-ha could already hear his brother's voice in his head, all the pep talks, the "It's okay, you'll get them next time" speeches. He doesn't get it. He's always been the smart one, the responsible one. I don't even know how he manages to be so... perfect all the time.

Joon-ha almost wished he could just crawl into a hole and hide from the world. He'd probably get some peace then.

Then, the door creaked open.

"Hey, how's it going in here?" His voice was warm, like it always was, but there was that unmistakable undercurrent of concern. He stood there, his face split with that smile that was both comforting and too knowing.

"Don't start," Joon-ha said, slumping further into his chair, knowing exactly what was coming.

"Start what?" Tea-hyun asked, though Joon-ha knew he had already seen the grade in his backpack. He always had this way of knowing when he was avoiding something.

"Don't give me that 'it's okay, you'll do better next time' crap," Joon muttered, looking at the paper again, the red ink a reminder of his failure.

Tea-hyun's smile faltered just slightly before he crossed the room and sat on the bed beside him. "I'm not going to do that," he said softly. "But you've got to stop thinking you're a failure every time something doesn't go perfectly."

Easy for him to say.

"I swear, you're like my personal guardian angel sometimes," Joon grumbled. "Except you never give me a break."

"Because you need it," he chuckled, nudging him lightly. "If I didn't watch out for you, who would?"

Joon didn't have an answer for that. He was right, as always. Even when it felt like the world was against him, he was always there, hovering over him like some kind of overly protective hawk.

"Alright," Joon said, the corners of his mouth twitching upwards despite himself, "You win this round."

"Good," he grinned. "Now, let's figure out how to make sure you don't get another F, huh?"

Joon rolled his eyes, but honestly, he wouldn't trade his older brother for the world. Even if he was way too involved in his life—but he would never in a million years admit that to his brother.

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He watched the door click shut behind his brother, his thoughts racing.

Suddenly, the atmosphere felt darker...

He knew what his brother did for a living. He knew the dangers, the risks, the kind of life his brother led—one that had nothing to do with anything normal or safe. His brother wasn't just any older sibling. He wasn't some guy working a regular 9-to-5.

He was a high-ranking monster hunter, an assassin who specialized in hunting down the things that went bump in the night. His job was dangerous, and he hated every second of it.

But even knowing this, he couldn't keep himself from caring. He knew his brother wasn't invincible. No one was.

"Stay safe..." he muttered, barely above a whisper, as if somehow the words could reach his brother, could keep him from walking into whatever dangerous situation was calling him away again.

He pushed the thought away.

"I can't think like that..." he muttered to himself, standing up. He'll come back. He always does.

But deep down, he wasn't so sure.

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Joon-ha's feet moved almost on their own, following the familiar silhouette of his brother as he slipped through the streets of the city. It wasn't the first time Joon-ha had done this—sneaking out to follow Tea-hyun—but it was the first time he felt the tension in the air. The city seemed different tonight.

As his brother walked ahead, Joon-ha stayed back, slipping between alleyways, trying to stay hidden in the shadows. He was good at this by now, but he had a feeling his brother knew he was there. Tea-hyun always did. But tonight, it didn't matter. Joon-ha was determined to know what his brother's world really looked like.

The city was alive with sounds, but there was something off about it. A hum in the air, a crackling energy that vibrated through the ground beneath his feet. It was the kind of energy you couldn't see, but you could feel—like the world itself was pulsing with hidden power.

Joon-ha had always known about the world's powers—the magic, the technology—but seeing it in person still felt like stepping into a dream...

The rich and powerful held cores—artificially created crystals that granted their users abilities far beyond what most people could imagine. These cores weren't cheap, and only the wealthiest could afford them. But there were also those born with the gift—natural awakened, people born with powers without the need for a core. They were rare, and they were often hunted, exploited, or revered. Joon-ha's brother, Tea-hyun, wasn't one of them. He had no core, no natural awakening. But he was still dangerous and highly skilled.

Joon-ha pulled his jacket tighter around himself as he stepped into a brightly lit part of the city. The neon lights flickered above, casting strange shadows over the streets. Around him, people moved with a purpose—most of them didn't look twice at the quiet figures slipping through the darkness. But some... some people stood out.

Joon-ha's eyes darted around. In the distance, he saw a man with glowing blue eyes, his hands crackling with electricity, controlling the pulse of the city's power grid. He was a core user, no doubt, one of the rich elite who didn't need to hide his abilities. Joon-ha knew the type—wealthy, self-assured, and utterly untouchable. Power like that came with status, with privilege.

As he walked further, he saw another figure standing in an alley, but this one was different. The woman was dressed in a long, black coat, and her eyes glowed an eerie, unnatural green,oh...it was the naturally awakened woman the others were talking about,I mean word does spread fast.

People like her were a rare sight. Natural awakened individuals didn't need cores, but their powers were often more unpredictable, more dangerous. Joon-ha had heard about how the government and other guilds tracked these rare individuals to recruit them.

The woman caught his eye, and Joon-ha quickly looked away, not wanting to draw attention. But it was too late. She tilted her head, as if sensing something, and her eyes locked on him for a brief second. A flicker of recognition passed through her gaze, but then she turned and disappeared into the shadows.

He kept moving, careful to stay out of sight. The city was a maze of light and dark, of powerful figures and hidden dangers. But Tea-hyun moved through it with ease, like he belonged here in this chaotic world of magic and technology. He knew where to go, who to talk to, and who to avoid.

Joon-ha followed his brother through the streets, feeling the pulse of the city around him. As he walked, he noticed the advanced technology everywhere—holo-screens embedded in walls, drones flying above, scanning the streets for any sign of trouble. The rich and powerful didn't just control magic; they controlled everything. It was the future of the world, where money meant power, and power meant control.

And then, just as he was starting to feel overwhelmed by the sights and sounds, Tea-hyun stopped. Joon-ha ducked behind a nearby pillar, holding his breath, but his brother was already turning in his direction, his eyes scanning the dark alley.

"Are you really trying to follow me?" Tea-hyun's voice was quiet, but it carried in the stillness of the night.

Joon-ha froze, his heart skipping a beat as his brother was standing right in front of him with an expression almost like looking down disappointedly at a child that had broken something.

Oh,he was so in trouble

"I... I was just—"

"Just what?" Tea-hyun interrupted, his voice flat. "Just wandering around in the city where people with powers can snap you in half without a second thought?"

Joon-ha blinked, trying to mask the frustration that rose in his chest. "I'm not a kid anymore, Tea-hyun."

His brother's gaze softened, just slightly, but it was enough. "You don't get it, Joon-ha. You have no idea how dangerous this world is. These people with cores—those who can control magic, who can alter the fabric of reality—they don't care about you. You're just a kid in their eyes."

Joon-ha bristled. "I'm not helpless. I can handle myself."

"You think you can?" Tea-hyun asked, a dark edge creeping into his voice. "You've never seen what these people can do, the things they're capable of. You're not ready for this life."

Joon-ha wanted to argue, to shout that he was tired of being left in the dark. But he held his tongue, knowing that his brother was right, at least in some ways. He had no idea what these people could really do. But he was going to learn. Even if it meant following his brother into this dangerous world.

Tea-hyun turned to leave again, but paused. "Stay out of sight. Don't make me look for you."

Joon-ha nodded, watching his brother disappear into the city, swallowed by the night.

As the streets quieted again, Joon-ha stood in the shadows, his mind spinning. He wasn't sure what he was really hoping to find tonight. Maybe answers. Maybe a way to understand his brother's world. But as he turned and started walking back, the weight of what he'd just seen—the technology, the magic, the raw power that flowed through the city—settled heavily in his chest. This was a world full of danger, full of secrets. And for better or worse, he was already part of it.

Suddenly hen Joon-ha had tripped and barely managed to avoid getting his head slammed against the floor "just my luck..." He grumbled in annoyance as he took a step back "WHaT ThE fU-"he yelled as he felt himself falling into a dark abyss....