All the city lights had turned off.

  The entire city had surrendered itself to sleep, as though it had collectively decided that nothing more was worth witnessing that night. Darkness stretched over rooftops and narrow streets alike. Windows that once glowed faintly now reflected nothing but the distant silver of the moon. There was barely any light left. Only the occasional flicker from a forgotten lantern far below, trembling against the quiet wind. Eroan stood at the entrance of the mountain cave, staring blankly at the city beneath him. His eyes were gloomy.There was no reflection in them. No spark. No curiosity. Just a hollow stillness, as though even the night had failed to reach him.

  A voice called out from behind him.

  “For how long are you going to stand there?”

  Footsteps approached casually over stone. The sound was relaxed, unhurried. The man walked into the faint moonlight wearing a black sweatshirt, dark-tinted blue glasses covering his eyes. His posture was loose, almost lazy, as if nothing in the world truly concerned him.

  Eroan paid no attention to him. He practically ignored him. The man sighed quietly and tossed a water bottle toward Eroan. The bottle spun once in the air before Eroan caught it effortlessly without even looking back.“Take it,” he said calmly. “You must be thirsty by now.” Eroan said nothing.The man turned his back toward him. “Come and eat whenever you want. After all…” he paused slightly, glancing over his shoulder, “…you’re going to be staying here until morning.”

  With that, he walked into the inner chamber of the cave. Inside, there was a girl standing beside the wall, waiting.She had warm honey-blonde hair that caught the faint cave light, framing her face softly. Her hazel eyes gleamed with flecks of gold and green, shifting subtly whenever she moved. Her pale skin seemed almost luminous against the crisp colors she wore. A cozy white sweater draped over her shoulders, tucked slightly into a vibrant red skirt. Her legs were fully covered by opaque black tights stretching from waist to toe, and on her feet were simple, polished loafers--warm, composed, yet striking. As the man passed by her, she called out: “You’re playing with the boy. Aren’t you, Nish?”

  Her voice carried quiet certainty.

  He lowered his gaze slightly, adjusting his glasses.“I didn’t notice you were here, Frisha.”

  His tone was teasing. Calm. Light.

  Frisha was not amused.

  “Cut it out,” she replied, folding her arms across her chest. She bent one knee, leaning her back against the wall with one foot resting lightly against the stone. “You know it’s serious.” she said it.

  The cave was silent for a moment except for the distant whisper of wind slipping past the entrance.

  “At that moment,” she continued, her eyes narrowing slightly, “you purposely let him live. You tossed the coin in the direction you swung the sword, predicting it would hit the blade. You lowered the force. You used the coin to hide it all—absorbing the light.” She spoke as if she had been there. As if she had seen it unfold. She stepped forward closer to the entrance. “You know that when the time comes… he’ll be another dead weight.” Nish smiled faintly.

  “You got me, How kind of you to care for someone!” he said lightly.

  Frisha told him“It’s awareness rather than kindness.”

  She lifted her hand and waved it casually. Instantly, a second entrance appeared along the cave wall and it's outline forming in shimmering lines before solidifying into an open passage.

  There were two entrances in the cave now.

  Seeing her walk toward it, Nish called after her.

  “Going for a walk at this time wouldn’t be fun.”

  She did not turn around.

  “Oh,” she replied coldly as she stepped through the entrance, “it would.”

  Outside, she walked toward the edge of the mountain. The night wind tugged at her sweater slightly as she extended her arms. Golden sparks flickered at her fingertips slightly at first, then brighter. The light spread across her palms like flowing threads.Without hesitation, she leaped from the mountain’s edge. For a brief moment, gravity claimed her. Then she stopped halfway in air.

  She floated in the night sky, golden light shimmering around her silhouette like a second dawn suspended in darkness. Then she descended below, vanishing into the sleeping world.

  Back in the forest, everything was ash. No light. No color. No life. It was hell but without the fire. The air itself felt suffocating, heavy with soot and decay. Burnt trees stood like skeletal remains reaching toward a sky that offered no comfort. Kause carried Crest on his back.Even though he himself was injured. His body ached with every step, yet he refused to stop. There had only been one herbal potion in his bag. Only one. And he had used it on Crest without hesitation. He had not slept all night.Danger lurked in every direction. He could feel it, like unseen eyes waiting for the moment he would falter. For hours he walked in his exhausted state. It was not enough. Every step demanded more energy than he had left. He forced sparks of light from his remaining reserves, using them as faint beacons to guide his way through the darkness.

  His breathing was uneven.His vision occasionally blurred. Still, he moved forward.

  By now, they were too deep in the forest. Even if they abandoned their mission of reaching Set, turning back would be worse. They were closer to Set than to home. After walking mile after mile, Kause finally stopped and climbed onto a tree branch to rest. He placed Crest carefully against the trunk before activating an all-time barrier, channeling his remaining energy to form a protective shell around them. It drained him completely. For a while, he sat there in silence.

  Then there was slow sound of footsteps.It was heavy and it was definitely many people coming at his direction. Kause’s body stiffened. He lowered himself flat against the branch, pressing his ear against the bark and then to the ground below to hear more clearly. The vibrations traveled through the earth like distant thunder. His eyes widened slightly.“Could it be hundreds?” he whispered.He focused harder. “No… it’ll be at least a few thousand.”

  He did not express disbelief.

  Only disappointment at himself as how there was no escape. He began preparing a counter barrier—a reinforced structure meant to repel and reflect any incoming force with even greater impact. His hands trembled as he shaped it. But he did not stop because there was no time for that.

  Back at the mountain, Eroan entered the inner room, dragging his steps lightly across the stone floor. The cave air was warmer inside. Nish glanced at him.“I’m sure you have a lot of questions,” he said calmly, “and I’ll eventually answer them. But eat first.”On the table sat freshly prepared food, steam rising gently into the dim air.Eroan’s stomach reacted immediately.The cave was half normal built like a normal solid cave but the other half, the rest was structured like a modern house.“Thanks for the food,” he said. “Then I shall begin eating.”He dropped the formality almost instantly and began eating as if it were his own home. Bite after bite, he barely paused between mouthfuls.He asked for more and more unable to resist his hunger. Nish blinked. “Wow,” he said with mild surprise. “You must have been starving. You sure have a good appetite.”After finishing, Eroan asked for a tissue. Nish handed him one. He wiped his face, washed his hands, and stood.“As you said,” Eroan began, his tone shifting back to seriousness, “I really have some questions regarding everything.” Nish nodded at what he said. “Yes. I know. Then you shall ask.” Eroan inhaled slowly.

  “I have a few questions. First, I want to know how these people keep finding me. Then I want to know what Sapphire Energy is. And lastly… how is everything connected to this ring? What do you mean by ‘no longer human’?” Nish stood still grabbing his neck firmly brushing it with hand looking outside. Then he looked at Eroan and “You know,” he said, “that’s a lot of questions.”The cave air felt heavier for a second.“How about we break it down? I’ll answer them one by one.” He gestured for Eroan to sit. “First,how did they find you?” He began pacing slowly. “There’s a concept called a ‘Marker.’ It fuses with a person’s surrounding energy. It can locate anyone by distinguishing their body’s Sapphire Energy apart.”

  He paused for a moment. The wind outside brushed faintly against the cave entrance.“Think of it like DNA,” he continued, “but not of your body. Of your soul.”He turned slightly.

  “It can track you at any moment—as long as your energy is active. In most cases… until you’re dead.” Silence lingered between them.“That’s why it’s called an indicator.”

  He looked at Eroan’s ring.“Due to you having that ring on your index finger, which is a constant well of power… and the thing known as Sapphire Energy… it is full of it. Near unlimited.Though it varies depending on how much output your body can handle.The only way to stop the ring’s constant supply of power… is to kill the user. Or temporarily stop his heartbeat.” The cave seemed colder.

  “Because if the owner dies… the ring dies too. In your case, I stopped the marker by creating a forcefield that blocked any sound, power, or energy from leaking outside. A marker was placed on you a few days ago.Try to remember when. Not that it would be that useful.” He turned away saying,“I displaced it by making you register as dead to it. But if it’s placed again…” He adjusted his glasses.

  “No one knows what will happen.”

  Eroan just fell out of the sky as everything was going over his head, but he gradually processed the details and got it all. He finally understood after thinking it through.

  Then Nish told him, “You’ll get it eventually. It’s not that complicated. ”Eroan said, “So, this indicator can locate me by sensing my constant flow of energy due to the ring I have. The only reason to get away from the marker is to deem myself dead to it. I’d assume, if I can learn control and suppress my energy to near zero, then it won’t be able to locate anything. Right?” Nish was impressed at his understanding of the fundamentals. He responded in the affirmative, “Yeah, you sure can, but it’ll take insane mastery of Kai to perform that. It might take years, maybe even decades. Now there’s one question down.”

  Eroan wanted to ask more questions. “What is Kai?” he said, but Nish put his hand on his forehead and told Eroan, “Ah, save it for later. Only one question at a time.”

  Stolen novel; please report.

  Then he started walking toward the entrance and waved his hand, telling him, “Come over here if you can keep up. It’ll be boring to just sit down answering questions flat out. I’ll humor you with a sparring.”

  Eroan saw it, and his gloomy look vanished completely. He smiled brightly at Nish. “Bring it on.”

  He got up and followed Nish to the entrance. “Where are you going to do the spar, Cowboy Bebop?” he asked.

  Nish slightly looked back at him, forcing a small smile. “Follow my lead.”

  He gripped the cave’s ceiling and swung back to the surface above. Eroan took a step and did the same, landing smoothly on the surface above. Nish jumped to another layer of the mountain, and upon seeing a big gap, he said, “Keep up. I’ll show you how to climb it.”

  He proceeded to climb the gap, finally reaching a flat surface with enough space to move freely without fear of falling. It wasn’t easy, but Eroan followed his lead and somehow managed to climb up as well.Nish was standing there, stretching his legs, still warming up. He looked at Eroan and said, “What’s your name? Apologies for not asking earlier.”

  Eroan said not to worry and replied, “Name’s Eroan. May I know yours, Cowboy hat guy?” he said it having a smirk on his face. Nish laughed at the nickname. Then after calming down he told him “I’m Nishe Fernknight. People may call me Nish. You have my honor, Eroan.”

  He then raised his hand and took his stance, planting his feet apart, spine straight, chin lowered just enough for his gaze to sharpen. His arm extended outward, palm facing up, unmoving. He moved two of his fingers as a way of signaling that the fight had begun while saying clearly, “Let the fight begin.” Eroan took a deep breath and, after taking his stance, yelled, “Yeah!”

  He launched at full speed, attacking with a jab aimed at Nish’s face. Nish stopped it with ease, taking a step back as Eroan tried for a direct hit.

  “You’re pretty good,” Nish said.

  Eroan then struck with a cross, but Nish blocked it as well and pushed him with his palm, applying pressure on his chest when Eroan tried a right hook.“Look for openings while being fully aware and find them while doing so,” Nish instructed.Eroan whispered to himself, “He’s strong.”

  He admired Nish’s strength, but he knew it was foolish to do so mid-battle. Eroan did not let him continue the push. He kept throwing hits one after another. Before becoming fully exhausted, he landed a hook kick, which Nish blocked with his elbow. Eroan attempted a roundhouse kick, though Nish deflected it with his own roundhouse kick. Eroan then threw another calf kick, which Nish blocked with his kick. Nish continued what he was saying “Waiting for the right moment to create an opportunity for yourself,” Nish said as they continued their sparring.Eroan stood still, breathing heavily. But he did not stop sparring. They continued striking and moving against each other. While moving, Nish began answering questions. “The thing called Sapphire Energy is an ancient, foreign force that does not belong to ordinary life. It has existed in the world since the creation of life. It was a forgotten catastrophe that fractured something far greater than humanity and shaped this soul-flowing current of life. The thing itself is not the energy that keeps people alive. It is a higher current of existence. Most who come into contact with it die because the human body is not built to contain it nor withstand high exposure from it. But if a person’s soul survives the exposure and adapts, it begins to resonate with that force. That resonance becomes ‘Kai.’ In simple terms: Sapphire Energy is the source. Kai is the controlled flow of that source through a human soul. It amplifies emotions, will, and desires, shaping itself according to the person bound by it.” After saying all of this, Nish was breathless. He took a pause, looking at Eroan’s puzzled, worried face. He tried to explain in simpler language, but it was complicated.

  He touched his forehead, nodded slightly, and said, “No, here we go again.” From the uphill surface above, the air was refreshing. Grass and trees stretched below the mountain, a shining river reflected the faint light, and the view was serene.“You don’t need to understand it,” Nish said. “Just feel it. You never know when it may turn into destiny.”

  Meanwhile, the forest. Kause was standing hopelessly, trapped with no escape. He saw a red light in the distance. Flames.The people advancing toward him held wooden sticks lit with fire to see clearly through the darkness.Kause prepared to keep Crest safe, placing him inside a powerful barrier. He modified the barrier by amplifying it with additional life force. Energy itself was a life force, replenishable by rest, but limited by how much the body could withstand.Kause refined his view of what was approaching. It was the entire Cannibal tribe. Some on foot, some riding giant animals, and some enormous themselves. The oxygen in that forest was different, very high, allowing everything to grow giant. Flying mounts like giant birds soared above, and some animals were fused together into mythical forms.

  The tribe’s sense of smell was innate. They had lived in this forest since birth and could track anything by scent. Through the scent of blood and the knowledge of their member's death, they were able to locate Kause and Crest. They all possess heightened senses. Kause kept Crest close. The entire tribe of cannibals stood before him. Thousands upon thousands of bodies pressed forward through the trees. Their eyes hollow with hunger, mouths wet with anticipation.The forest trembled beneath the weight of their numbers. Leaves shook. Branches cracked. The scent of sweat, blood, and earth thickened the air, making breathing feel like swallowing literal ashes.Kause had meant only to pass through. One wrong encounter had turned into this. Now he stood surrounded by an unending tide of people who wanted nothing more than his flesh. He was exhausted. Limbs trembled. Cuts lined his arms and shoulders. Vision blurred at the edges. Every breath burned his lungs. There was no strategy left. No escape. Every path through the forest was already swallowed by bodies.Behind him, Crest lay unconscious but alive. Barely breathing, yet breathing. That single fragile rise and fall of his chest anchored Kause to the ground.

  He could not fall here.The tribe closed in. Their footsteps formed a rhythm like distant thunder. Closer and closer. An ocean of flesh advancing without hesitation.Kause lifted his head slowly, looking at the endless mass before him. Hopeless. Tired. Drained of strength. Yet somewhere deep inside, something refused to die. All of a sudden, rain began falling. Drops struck his face, cooling it, masking some of the heat from exertion.Kause thought of a glimpse of the past as he recalled it clearly.

  Back in the academy days where he studied, there had been a small tournament organized to test the students and exam candidates for their survival potential. It was not simply a competition of strength. It was a measurement of instinct, endurance, and the ability to remain standing when everything inside the body demanded surrender.

  There was quite a crowd gathered around the arena that day. Students filled the seats in rows, their voices merging into a constant murmur of anticipation. Instructors stood near the boundaries with folded arms, their expressions neutral yet observant. The sun hung high above the open arena, its light reflecting off the polished stone floor where countless previous battles had left faint scars.

  The matchup was announced. It was a fight between Yura Mirai and Kause Areta.

  A subtle shift passed through the audience. Some leaned forward. Others whispered. Both names carried weight even back then.

  Yura stepped forward first.

  Kause followed. His steps were confident but not arrogant. They stood facing each other at the center. Kause bowed to the opponent in respect. Not forced. Not ceremonial. Genuine acknowledgment. When they straightened, their eyes met.

  Something shifted.

  The air between them felt heavier.

  Without waiting for the signal to fully echo, they moved. They went head on against each other. The impact produced a sharp sound that echoed through the arena. The force pushed dust outward from beneath their feet.

  Neither stepped back.

  They remained locked for a brief second then the real fight began. After fighting till the end, their movements were no longer perfectly calculated. They were fueled by instinct and pride.

  Eventually, both of them were barely standing.

  Their bodies were wounded in multiple places. Their uniforms torn. Skin marked with bruises and shallow cuts. Blood mixed with sweat and dust on their faces.

  Their legs trembled slightly from exhaustion.

  Yet neither looked away.

  They stood facing each other at a short distance, breathing heavily.

  Silence slowly replaced the earlier shouting. The crowd sensed something was about to happen.

  Kause was badly hurt and on the brink of losing his senses. He couldn't bear it anymore. In that fight, he began the ritual for the final ending strike. The force pressure created a visual color in the form of Kai.The power gathering around his body was destructive enough to crack the full stadium ground. Yura looked at him in awe, not in a state to defend himself. As Kause raised his hand pointing at the sky whispering...in process to complete the attack, his hand descended. It was Set who came there in a blink of an eye holding the hand stopping him from unleashing the confirmed death strike. Both looked into each other's eye and then Kause came to the realization of what he was about to do in a mere tournament match.

  Then it cut to a cafeteria and Set told Kause holding his plate. "Be careful of this power bestowed upon you. It compensates with life, draining the life force in exchange of a direct hit death strike. It'll fully exhaust you to an end. Never use it unless it's a life and death situation."

  Listening closely he said to Set " I'll make sure, that I never do it again. I promise". He said it like taking an oath. Now at present the air was quiet but heavy and cold. There was no escape from the incoming slaughter. Kause stood there all alone.

  His eyes spoke nothing but helplessness, but his lips moved softly, whispering words he had sworn to himself long ago.

  “Forgive me, Set, but I am going to need that.” It was the last resort.

  His body felt as though it were splitting from the inside. He forced every muscle to respond. He put full force into each limb, squeezing strength from fibers already torn and strained. Blood began to drip from his eyes and nose, tracing thin lines down his face and staining his collar. The pain was blinding, but he did not stop.His left hand pressed firmly against his chest, fingers digging into fabric as if trying to hold his heart in place. His right hand rose upward, straight and still, fingers extended toward the sky.The forest grew quiet.

  At first subtle, the air shifted. Leaves fluttered though no wind blew. Then something deeper stirred.Energy began to surround his body. It gathered like a storm cloud, dense and suffocating. It pulsed from within him rather than from the world around him. Steam rose from his skin, thin streams as if his very blood had begun to boil.The cannibals slowed, confusion flickering across their faces.The energy intensified. It did not merely surround him. It overflowed, spilling outward in waves that bent the grass and split the soil at his feet. A different color formed within the surge, something separate from ordinary power. The shape of his soul became visible. A manifestation of everything suppressed. Every fear, every sorrow every promise. The negative emotions had risen to a state where it could be converted into a source of power. By giving his body and soul fully, he crossed boundaries few ever reached. Only (scalers ) of the highest level could attain such a state. It demanded something precious to one. For that, he was sacrificing a part of his life as he was on the verge of death. Years burned away in an instant. His heartbeat staggered but did not stop.

  He had reached the true manifestation of his soul and emotions.The energy roared, distorting the air so violently that the forest appeared warped and distant. The tribe screamed and rushed forward, unwilling to retreat, driven by instinct stronger than fear.Kause pushed past his limits. He created a space.It was not visible at first. It felt like pressure building within a sealed chamber. Then lines formed in the air, thin and precise, converging into the shape of a single arrow. Not a physical arrow, but a concept given form.This space transferred everything into meaningless infinite energy with no purpose. The arrow trembled once, then vanished.

  Where it moved, existence unraveled. Bodies did not fall, burn, or shatter. They were transferred. Their substance became meaningless energy, dissolved into nothing, stripped of form and purpose. Kause’s voice rose above the distortion. “Einephor retirer.”The word carried no sound. It was a crafted spell, yet held the weight of finality.In an instant, it ended.From where Kause stood to where the last enemy had been, there was nothing. No tribe. No sound. No resistance. Even the forest was gone. Trees that had stood for decades vanished. The ground itself was erased. In its place stretched empty space. Not rubble. Not ash. Just absence. The transferred energy burst outward in radiant light, illuminating the forest for four minutes making the night fade away to say. Shadows fled. Birds scattered. Animals froze in stunned silence. All the people and everything around vanished leaving fading sky blue butterflies. The light was not merely bright; it was overwhelming. Some might have called it Kai, but Kai was more than that of mere energy. Slowly, the light faded. Steam dissipated from his skin. He just stood there soulless. Air stilled, Kause swayed. His raised hand fell to his side. Blood continued to drip, now mixing with sweat and dirt. The strength drained completely, leaving emptiness.

  He looked back toward Crest, still breathing. A faint smile formed not of triumph, but relief.Then his vision darkened.

  His body

  collapsed, and he fainted. Even, after the forest had almost disappeared from the map of world. There was flowers blooming where there was soil. There was a lotus flower among them shining more beautiful than any other ones.