The world was at war.
Not a war between nations, not a war for land or power—but a war for survival itself. The war against the Eidolons, an ancient race that had always lurked in the shadows, unseen by human eyes until it was too late. When they emerged, humanity had no defense. Bullets, bombs, even the most advanced weapons had no effect. The Eidolons moved like phantoms, their power beyond comprehension. Civilization teetered on the edge of collapse, and the greatest minds of the military knew that conventional warfare was futile.
Then came the experiment.
In a desperate bid to fight back, humanity turned to science. A project was born—turning humans into something more, something that could match the Eidolons in power. The first attempts were failures. Hundreds perished, bodies unable to withstand the transformation. But through trial and error, they found the answer. Six soldiers, the strongest warriors across the world, survived the transformation. They became something beyond human—Originals, beings with the power of a thousand Eidolons in a single body. These six led humanity's final stand.
And they won.
The Eidolons, faced with overwhelming strength, surrendered. But instead of extermination, an agreement was reached. The war ended, and a new order was established. The Originals became rulers, leaders of both humanity and Eidolons. Yet peace was fragile, built on suppressed instincts and unspoken hatred. The true Eidolons still thirsted for blood. The humans still feared their once-mortal enemies. And in the shadows, humanity had not given up on creating something stronger.
Ace Yuri was proof of that.
He was the sole survivor of the last experiment—a project meant to surpass even the Originals. Unlike them, he had no place in this world, no recognition, no control. He had escaped before they could see what he had become. And now, he hid among the ordinary, pretending to be just another victim of the war, trying to live a normal life in a world that barely held together.
The experiments had shown no immediate results. Ace Yuri, the only survivor of the final experiment designed to create a power capable of taking down both the Eidolons and the Originals, still struggled to grasp his new reality. The urge to kill gnawed at the edges of his mind, whispering, growing louder with every passing moment. He feared that if he didn't act soon, he might lose himself entirely.
The familiar chime of the coffee shop's entrance bell cut through his thoughts, a sound that had become his only anchor to normalcy. After escaping the military facility, he had found refuge in this small café, blending into the city's mundane routine. The public remained oblivious to the true horrors hidden beneath their everyday lives. They knew nothing about the experiments, only that some fragile truce had been established between humanity and the Eidolons. Yet, despite the so-called peace, fear still clung to the streets like a thick fog. People carried on with their lives, knowing deep down that safety was an illusion.
The door swung open, and in walked beauty itself.
Pisce.
No matter how often he saw her, it was as if the world reset each time. Her golden hair shimmered under the morning light, silken strands reflecting the sun's gentle touch. Her skin glowed, luminous and warm, while her deep brown eyes carried an artistry that made even the Mona Lisa seem crude in comparison. Every movement she made was effortless, graceful, mesmerizing. And as always, Ace found himself stunned into silence.
"Hey Ace, good morning."
"H-he-em… ehh…"
The only sounds he could manage were barely even words. Catching himself, he quickly shook off the trance.
"Mm, sorry, I was just—"
"It's okay," she interrupted with a soft chuckle. "I hope you're feeling better. Yesterday, you seemed a bit… off."
Ace exhaled, rubbing the back of his neck. "Well, thanks, Pisce. But honestly… things have only been getting worse." He forced a small grin. "Anyway, the usual, right?"
Before she could respond, he was already preparing her drink.
"Yeah, the usual would be fine." She leaned against the counter, her voice turning softer. "And remember, if you ever need someone to talk to, I'm here for you."
Ace handed her the coffee, his fingers brushing against hers for the briefest second. "That means a lot," he said, meeting her eyes. "Really."
Pisce's warm smile was the last thing he saw before she walked out the door, disappearing into the city's ever-moving crowd. He watched her go, realizing just how kind she had been to him since the day he started working here. Maybe the only kind soul he had encountered in this new life.
---
The day slipped by in a blur, and soon, Ace found himself walking through the dimly lit streets toward his apartment. The slums, as people called them, were where the forgotten resided. He could afford nothing better.
Crime was an everyday occurrence here—muggings, screams, violence. Most people had learned to look away. They minded their own business, knowing that getting involved meant becoming the next victim.
But tonight felt different.
As he neared the crumbling alleyways leading to his so-called home, he heard a scuffle. His eyes flicked toward a shadowy corner where a man loomed over a struggling woman. Something about her movements seemed off—sluggish, weak. He recognized the signs. She had been drugged.
Ace barely paused. It wasn't his problem. There was no such thing as right or wrong. Humans were just animals with intelligence, and intelligence was merely a leash to tame their true nature. He turned away.
Then he heard it.
"Please… I'm pregnant."
A pause. A breath. "Even if it's not for me… save me for my child."
Something inside him snapped.
A shackle deep within his soul shattered, releasing something ancient, something primal. A tidal wave of knowledge surged through him—memories that weren't his, experiences of countless battles, an endless library of combat techniques. His heartbeat became a war drum, his veins rivers of raw energy. He staggered, overwhelmed by the flood of power surging through his body.
It was terrifying.
And then came the last thought, whispered into the depths of his mind like a decree from the abyss itself:
You were created to kill.
The air around him grew heavy. Shadows coiled around him, and for the first time, he embraced them. His smirk curled into something inhuman—mocking, effortless, merciless. His body moved before thought, driven purely by instinct.
The attacker barely had time to react before Ace closed the distance. A flicker of movement. A whisper of steel. The man's throat opened in a clean, precise slice, blood spraying into the cold night air. The body crumpled before it even registered what had happened. Silent. Immediate. Absolute.
Ace stood over the corpse, his fingers tingling, his breath slow and controlled. He felt nothing—no guilt, no hesitation. Just the quiet hum of power settling into his bones. He had done what he was made to do.
Then the woman's voice broke the silence.
"Thank you."
A simple, fragile word.
Ace's mind stuttered. The bloodlust that had drowned his thoughts suddenly thinned, peeling back as confusion settled in. That word—it didn't fit. It didn't belong in the reality he had just stepped into. His purpose was clear. He was made to kill. That was the only truth.
And yet, for some reason, it wavered.
He turned to the woman, staring at her as if seeing something foreign, something unnatural. The instinct to kill was absolute—so why did her gratitude shake him? Why did it feel like an intrusion, like a crack forming in an unbreakable wall?
His lips parted, but he didn't know what to say. He was created to kill.
But something in him—somewhere deep, buried, forgotten—was telling him to let her go.
"Run." His voice was cold, distant, but there was something else there. Uncertainty.
The woman hesitated, then staggered away, disappearing into the shadows. Ace remained standing in the alley, staring down at his bloodstained hands.
For the first time, he wasn't sure which feeling was real—the instinct to kill or the hesitation that followed.
And that uncertainty terrified him more than anything else.