Chapter 1: Washed Away
Kaito used to be the kind of kid who broke rules just for the thrill—a troublemaker with a sharp tongue and faster fists. No one could pin him down, not even his own family. He liked the chaos, the danger, the rush.
But that was before.
Now, lying on the riverbank, soaked and gasping for air, Kaito's mind felt strange—quiet, clear, almost… kind.
The last thing he remembered was running from a fight, the world spinning fast, then a hard crack against cold stone.Then nothing.
The old man who found him had eyes like tempered steel and hands scarred from decades of wielding a sword."You're lucky to be alive, boy," he said softly, helping Kaito to his feet.Kaito blinked, still dizzy, and for the first time in a long time, he didn't feel the need to fight.
"Where… am I?" Kaito asked, voice hoarse but steady."Safe," the man replied. "And from now on, you're going to learn how to control the storm inside you."
Days passed like whispered lessons under the old man's watchful gaze.The boy who once sought trouble now listened carefully, absorbing every word, every movement.He learned patience, discipline, and how to open his heart instead of closing it.
But the past was never far.
Sometimes, when the sun dipped low, memories of fists flying and chaos would flicker behind his eyes.And beneath his skin, a strange pulse—a mark burning hot and alive.
The Dreadmark.
Kaito swallowed hard.He was no longer the boy who thrived on chaos.But the road ahead would demand every piece of this new self—and the darkness he could never outrun.
[END OF CHAPTER 1]