Journey into the Unknown and the Hero's Emergence

[At the Travel Station – Bus Boarding Moment]

The bus engine's rumble began to rise, breaking the silence that hung over the area.

Sira was the first to board, her last glances at the buildings behind her were mixed... a quiet farewell seeping from behind her eyes.

She sat next to Rina, by the window. She put on her headphones, but the sound of the past continued to whisper in her mind. Rina held her phone, but her eyes searched for something else... something like reassurance.

Eileen sat next to her mother, her feet trembling with excitement, as if she carried an entire city in her small heart.

The mother, in a warm, tired tone, said:

"We have a long journey ahead..."

Eileen, laughing softly and reaching her hand towards the window:

"No, another world awaits us!"

Rina, leaning her head against the seat:

"She'll go crazy from excitement... and we'll go crazy with her."

Sira, in a low voice as if talking to herself:

"We don't know what the days hold for us there... but we're going anyway."

Izora: The Night Sky Beckons

[At the Same Moment – In the City of Izora]

Light spring breezes wafted through the alleys, silently and warmly announcing the arrival of summer. In the air, the scent of jasmine mingled with night dew, carrying something of nostalgia, and something of vague promises.

The city of Izora was not asleep; rather, it pulsed with lights... gleaming like a true jewel, reflecting its glow on the pavements, on the windows of crowded cafes, and in the eyes of passersby.

Aiden stood there, on his motorcycle, at the street corner, as if he didn't belong to the place even though he was a part of it.

His black hair, tinged with blue, scattered over his forehead in rebellious disarray. His eyes, that strange mix of night's blackness and sky's blueness, were still... but they concealed a suppressed rage behind them, like an ember under ashes.

His small black earrings gleamed whenever light passed from a streetlamp or car window. He grasped his helmet, slowly lowered it onto his head, then leaned his body slightly forward, looking at the street ahead as one looks at an inescapable fate.

He started the engine...

Suddenly, the motorcycle's roar echoed through the city, deep, rough, like a growl born from the chest of a wounded animal. It shook the silence around him, reverberated between the walls, and startled the quiet of the back alleys.

Then...

Aiden sped off on his motorcycle, leaving behind small sparks and a trail of grey smoke, as if his voice was saying:

I am here... even if you don't see me.

Beside a giant skyscraper, reaching towards the sky as if trying to touch the clouds, circular balconies were distributed across its facade like layers of a glass halo, reflecting the city's twinkling lights. Below, Aiden's motorcycle stopped, quietly roaring like a mechanical beast not yet turned off. Before he dismounted, his mobile phone rang, a sharp ringtone cutting the silence like a blade.

He raised the phone to his ear, his voice confident, calm, yet not without sternness:

Aiden (in a dry, clear voice):

"I'm working tonight. I'll be leaving shortly. And before morning, I'll stop at the cafe... I don't want to see any mess or mistakes like last time. Is that understood?"

A brief silence on the other end... then he hung up without waiting for a reply.

Terror on the Road

Hours later...

The first light of dawn began to shyly creep into the sky, painting delicate violet streaks mingled with gold, as if the horizon was wearing a light-embroidered garment. The sky's color transformed into a cool blue, touching hearts and announcing the start of a new day in a city unlike any other: Izora.

Eileen, overwhelmed with excitement, pushed her small body towards the window, her eyes sparkling:

Eileen (shaking her mother's shoulder):

"Mom! Mom, wake up, it's Izora! How can anyone sleep amidst this beauty?!"

Rina replied from the adjacent seat, without opening her eyes:

Rina (lazily):

"That's because excitement has made you lose your mind, little Eileen..."

In the back seat, directly behind Sira, a cold smile spread across the man's face... a smile that held no cheer, but something demonic, twisted... like a crack in a dead face.

Slowly, he pulled a gleaming knife from his jacket pocket. The bus's pale light spilled onto it, making it shimmer as if whispering of violence. His breaths were eerily calm, and his eyes wide with a thirst for blood.

As if the moment was disconnected from time, he coldly placed the knife on Sira's neck. She felt the prick of cold on her skin, as if an icy blade had embedded itself beneath her skin.

He brought his mouth close to her ear and whispered in a hoarse voice with a strange tremor of ecstasy:

"Tell the driver to stop the bus... or I'll rip your throat out now."

Sira's features froze. Her eyes widened, but her voice came out strained, as if the words were being pulled from the bottom of a dark well:

"Sir... stop the bus... please."

Rina, her sister sitting next to her, looked at her in surprise:

"Why?"

Before she could finish the word, she turned to see the silver glint behind her sister's neck. She screamed hysterically, falling from her seat, dragging her dress and running backward in shock.

In an instant, balance was lost. The mother and Eileen gasped, while the passengers stood as if waking from a living nightmare, terror covering their faces, and the bus swayed violently as it devoured the road.

The man violently pulled Sira, and she fell onto the bus floor. The sharpness of the knife cut her skin, leaving a thin wound extending from her neck. Drops of warm blood began to slide down her pale skin.

And the moment the bus passed the city's eastern gate, a sudden whistle echoed.

The sound of violent engines roared from behind—a police car chasing them, and from its side, a motorcycle swooped like a storm, its sound piercing the air as if an arrow shot from anger.

The man whispered into Sira's ear again, his voice this time filled with anger and madness:

"Did you think you could escape... after what you saw?"

The mother screamed from her seat, her eyes brimming with tears. She ran towards the front of the bus, pleading in collapse:

"Please... leave my daughter... take me! Kill me, just... let her go!"

The driver, his forehead wet with sweat, began to slow down until the bus gradually stopped in the middle of the road, and the door automatically opened, letting in breaths of cold air.

"If anyone comes closer now... I'll cut her throat!" the man shouted, his voice shaking the walls and stifling the air.

Cars surrounded the bus, policemen emerged with their weapons, and behind them, the radio's voice echoed in a stern tone:

"You are surrounded... surrender immediately!"

In the back, Aiden was preparing his weapon.

One of the policemen said in a disturbed voice, placing a hand on Aiden's shoulder:

"Don't do it... The place is full of passengers. What if you miss? What if you hit her?"

But Aiden didn't answer him. He looked at him with one eye, then shook his head with determination. Without uttering a word, he entered the bus, step... after step, his sound echoing on the ground under his shoes, steady, confident.

The man screamed again:

"If you take one step closer, I'll—"

Aiden didn't wait. He raised his weapon, closed one eye to aim, then fired.

A Rescuer Arrives

A first shot pierced the criminal's shoulder—a resounding cry of pain. A second shot hit his leg—he collapsed to the ground, the knife falling from his hand.

Sira, with wide, pale eyes, felt everything happening in a terrible slow motion. The shots passed beside her face; she felt their heat pass through the air. She trembled, then fell unconscious.

Aiden stretched out his arms and caught her before she hit the ground, gently holding her to his chest, her closed eyes resting beneath his gaze, and the faint blood from her neck wound seeping onto his shirt.

Their gazes met for a moment before she faded.

He gently placed her on the ground, then the police stepped back to allow the mother, Rina, and Eileen to rush towards her.

Her mother embraced her, crying, while the police restrained the criminal, who was groaning in pain, then led him outside under the shocked gaze of the passengers.

As for Aiden... he left the bus in silence, but his last look at Sira was not a fleeting one.

Despite the gravity of what happened, the family decided to turn the page. Not many words were spoken, but their glances silently agreed that the past would not be stirred up.