The room stretched endlessly before Wal.
Cold light reflected off metallic walls, screens floating in the air like fragments of another world.
At the far end—
A gaming room.
Consoles. Chairs. A massive transparent screen glowing softly.
Wal's eyes lit up.
He stepped forward.
But—
CLINK.
A strange, transparent barrier appeared in front of him, rippling like glass disturbed by water.
Wal raised his hand and touched it.
Blocked.
Before he could react, a calm voice spoke behind him.
Loki:
"This is not how you enter that room."
Wal turned.
Loki stood still, arms crossed, eyes unreadable.
Loki:
"First, you must be worthy."
"Worthy of using what lies beyond that barrier."
Wal clenched his fist.
He looked at the barrier once more… then back at Loki.
Wal:
"Then… I want to help you."
Loki's eyes narrowed slightly.
Loki:
"No need."
Wal didn't step back.
Wal:
"But it looks like you're in trouble."
"That's why I want to help you."
Silence filled the room.
Wal continued, his voice steady.
Wal:
"If you don't want my help… then I'll leave."
For the first time—
Loki froze.
⚡ FLASHBACK
A blurred memory surfaced.
Rain.
Darkness.
A wounded Loki kneeling alone.
A girl's voice echoed softly.
That Girl:
"I think you're in trouble."
She smiled gently.
That Girl:
"I would like to help you."
Loki's breath caught.
⚡ FLASHBACK ENDS
The present snapped back into place.
Loki slowly turned away from Wal.
His fists trembled… just for a moment.
The barrier flickered.
Not broken.
But reacting.
Loki spoke quietly.
Loki:
"…You're strange."
Wal tilted his head.
Wal:
"I get that a lot."
For the first time—
And somewhere deep inside—
Loki's past began to crack.
Loki slowly touched his forehead.
His expression tightened, as if something deep inside him had been disturbed.
Loki:
"Do whatever you want…
but don't disturb me."
Wal nodded casually.
While wandering around the room, Wal noticed a strange device near the gaming setup—
small, metallic, shaped like a remote.
Curious, he pressed it.
BEEP.
BEEP.
BEEP.
The sound echoed unnaturally through the building.
Loki stiffened.
His eyes widened—not in fear, but in regret.
Loki:
"…Oh no."
He turned away slowly.
Loki (low voice):
"He's going to come…"
Wal frowned.
Wal:
"Who?"
Loki didn't answer.
SCENE SHIFT
A vast desert wasteland under a pale sky.
Wind howled across endless sand.
A man stood silently, his back facing the world.
On his right side—
a white sword, calm and pure.
On his left—
a purple blade, violent and unstable.
Before him stood a giant centipede, towering, its countless legs tearing through the ground.
The creature roared.
The man smiled faintly.
???:
"Hm… interesting."
In a single movement—
The desert exploded.
ONE SECOND LATER
The wind passed quietly.
The giant centipede stood motionless.
Then—
Its body collapsed into dozens of cleanly sliced pieces.
The man wiped the blood from his blade and began to walk away.
Suddenly—
He stopped.
Not because he heard something.
Not because he saw anything.
But because—
He felt it.
A faint disturbance.
A pull he didn't recognize.
He looked at his hand.
???:
"…Strange."
He shrugged.
???:
"Must be my imagination."
He continued walking.
Unaware—
That something, somewhere, had noticed him.
At the base
Loki exhaled slowly.
Loki:
"He doesn't know."
Wal looked confused.
Wal:
"Know what?"
Loki glanced at the ceiling.
Loki:
"That he was just called."
The lights flickered.
The building trembled—just slightly.
Loki clenched his fist.
Loki:
"…And when he arrives—
this place won't stay quiet."
Wal swallowed.
Somewhere far away—
A path had already begun to open.
Loki: I think he's busy.
Loki carefully laid Cris onto the bed. His movements were calm—almost gentle.
Wal:
Why are you helping him?
He's the one who attacked you.
Loki straightened up, his eyes sharp but composed.
Loki:
No.
He never intended to attack me.
Someone was controlling him.
Wal froze for a moment.
Wal:
…Oh.
Without another word, Loki pulled out a strange cube—dark, silent, and humming with suppressed power.
The cube unfolded.
The clowns fell to the ground.
Clown 1 (laughing):
Ahh… so you've finally decided to interrogate us?
Clown 2 (smirking):
Too bad.
You'll never find us.
Before Loki could react—
They vanished.
Narrator:
Only two clowns were visible.
The third had already escaped the prison cube.
And Loki… never noticed.
The room fell silent.
Wal:
Huh…?
They disappeared.
Loki:
Illusion power.
Wal looked at him with surprise.
Wal:
Oh… so you have powers.
Then how do you unlock them?
Before Loki could answer—
Cris:
Ahh…
Where am I?
The room fell silent.
Loki stared at Cris, saying nothing.
Wal quickly stepped forward.
Wal:
You're in a strange place.
A special building meant for people with powers.
Loki leaned closer to Wal and whispered.
Loki (whispering):
What kind of name is that?
Wal (whispering back):
Sorry… I'm really bad at naming things.
Cris slowly sat up, his eyes scanning the room.
Cris:
Where are my ice shards?
Wal:
I… don't know.
That was enough.
Cris's expression changed. His breathing grew heavy.
In the next second—
He grabbed Wal by the neck and slammed him against the wall.
Cris:
What did you do to me?!
Wal struggled for air—but reacted fast.
He twisted his body and kicked Cris straight in the head.
Cris stumbled back.
Loki:
Hey!
All of you—stop fighting.
The tension in the room didn't fade.
It only grew heavier.
Wal:
He was the one who started it.
Loki:
I know.
Cris turned away, his voice cold.
Cris:
I know where my shards are now.
Leave me alone.
Wal:
…Okay. Go.
Loki:
Cris, let me help you.
Cris:
Tch. Whatever.
Without waiting, Cris walked away.
Wal frowned, confused.
Cris's eyes suddenly began to glow—
a deep, icy blue.
As if guided by instinct, he moved forward, his steps sharp and purposeful, drawn toward something only he could sense.
A few hours later…
Wal, Loki, and Cris stood before a towering building that pierced the sky.
Without hesitation, Cris broke into a run and rushed inside.
Wal:
Why is he running like a madman?
And why are you helping him?
Loki didn't answer immediately.
Loki:
I have some business with the people inside.
Wal suddenly felt it—
A violent, burning aura.
Loki's eyes turned yellow. Veins bulged across his hands, power surging uncontrollably.
Loki:
You don't come inside.
It's too dangerous for powerless guys.
Wal:
But—
Loki:
Shut up.
Before Wal could react—
Loki vanished.
And in the next second, he reappeared inside the building.
Silence.
Then—
A group of figures emerged from the shadows, rushing toward Wal.
Wal:
Oh.
I didn't invite you guys to follow me here.
Scene Shift — Cris
A cold voice echoed through the hall.
???:
Oh… you finally came.
Cris clenched his fists, ice forming around his fingers.
Cris:
Now give me my shards back, Santo.
Santo's shield shattered with a sharp crack as Cris slipped through and lightly stabbed him.
Santo chuckled, unfazed.
"Oh, Cris… looks like you've become weak."
Without hesitation, Santo raised his hand. Small ice snakes formed from the ground, slithering forward with a chilling hiss. They lunged at Cris and bit into his body. Cris clenched his teeth and endured the pain, forcing himself to move.
He spun and delivered a powerful kick straight toward Santo's head.
But Santo reacted instantly.
Ice surged over his arm, freezing it solid as he blocked the kick, locking Cris's leg in place. Before Cris could pull back, Santo fired a burst of ice that spread rapidly—freezing Cris's body mid-movement.
Santo stepped back, his aura flaring violently.
He concentrated all his power into his spear. The air trembled as he aimed the weapon at Cris's chest and charged forward to deliver the final stab.
Cris's vision blurred.
The world fell silent.
Flashback
The scene shifted.
A younger Cris stood in front of his parents, holding a drawing with hopeful eyes.
Kid Cris:
"Mom… Dad… look at my drawing."
The drawing was beautiful.
But instead of praise, his mother's eyes hardened.
Mom:
"How pathetic, you lowly creature. Look at your siblings—so strong, so gifted. And here you are… drawing."
An elder sibling walked past, glancing at Cris with disgust, as if he were nothing more than an insect.
That day carved something dark into his heart.
From then on, Cris began to hate confidence in others.
Anyone who looked brave… proud… or strong—he crushed them.
That hatred was why he choked Wal that day.
That hatred was why he was standing here now.
And that hatred led him to Santo.
Cris's eyes snapped open.
Santo stood before him, smiling.
Santo:
"I love the way you treat others. The way you dominate them… it's beautiful."
Cris's frozen lips trembled.
Cris:
"Oh… thank you."
One day, Cris—once a quiet boy who had been beaten and ignored all his life—was surrounded by a group of senior high schoolers. They mocked him, insulted him, and attacked him together. Cris fought back, knocking down a few of them, but he was outnumbered. Blow after blow rained down on him until his body could barely stand.
The bullies didn't stop at hurting him. They dragged his family into it—mocking his parents, spitting hateful words about his past. Then they mentioned his grandmother.
That single word shattered something inside him.
Cris froze. His expression went completely blank, as if all warmth had drained from his body. The air around him dropped to a deadly cold. In the very next second, the bullies collapsed one by one, their bodies frozen where they stood.
All of this was silently observed by Santo.
The reason Cris snapped was simple—and tragic. Whenever the world ignored him, his grandmother was the only one who cared for him, the only one who showed him love. On the day he was left completely alone, she passed away. Before leaving this world, she gifted him her ice shards, a mysterious power tied to her life itself. From that day onward, Cris changed—becoming colder, more aggressive, and far more dangerous.
In the present, Santo gathered his strength, charging a deadly blow. The pressure of his power filled the area. But something felt wrong.
Cris stepped forward.
Santo could sense it—his power was being absorbed. The temperature dropped further as Cris released his freezing aura. The ice shards around Cris began to levitate, slowly floating toward him. Santo tried to grab them, to stop what was happening, but it was already too late.
Cris absorbed the shards completely.
A deadly smile formed on his face.
In the next second, a massive icicle shard materialized and pierced straight through Santo's body. Blood spilled as Santo collapsed, vomiting blood onto the frozen ground.
The battlefield fell silent—except for the sound of cracking ice.
[Scene shifts to Loki]
Loki exhaled slowly, his eyes cold with disappointment.
"I didn't get any answers," he muttered. "I thought I'd learn something about that secret organization… but it's pointless now. I should leave."
As the camera pulls back from his face, the scale of destruction becomes clear. Nearly a hundred people lie unconscious across the floor. Loki steps outside the building at the same time as Cris.
Both of them pause.
Wal is nowhere in sight.
"That's strange…" Cris said, scanning the surroundings.
Before they could react, a faint rustling echoed from the bushes nearby.
They move closer—and then they see him.
Wal stood there casually, as if nothing had happened.
Loki narrowed his eyes.
"Hey, Wal. What are you doing here?"
Wal shrugged. "Nothing. Just doing what nature tells me to do."
(He smiled innocently.)
"Oh… okay," Loki replied, though suspicion lingered in his mind.
Wal suddenly turned toward Cris.
"Hey, silver-hair boy. What are you doing here? Two grown men hanging around a kids' playground—why don't you go play on the swings?"
Cris clenched his fists.
"You got a big mouth. Want to taste my punch?"
Wal tilted his head, unimpressed.
"Do you want to taste yours? I don't enjoy eating trash."
Cris stepped forward, ready to strike—
"Enough."
Loki raised his hand, stopping him instantly.
The tension hung heavy in the air.