The chapter opens with the Leader striding into his headquarters, his men following closely behind. As he walked deeper into the fortress, he noticed soldiers rushing everywhere, hauling unfamiliar machinery and equipment. Their eyes followed him—not with respect, but with a strange, uneasy suspicion.

Leader: “What’s going on here? What is everyone doing?”

Assistant: “They’re probably repairing something, sir.”

But when the Leader arrived before his throne, he stopped.

The grand chamber was packed.

Rows upon rows of soldiers stood silently—lined up as if awaiting a speech. Their posture was rigid. Their expressions were cold. Something was terribly wrong.

Leader: “What are all of you doing here?! Who ordered this gathering?!”

No one answered. Not a word. Not a flinch.

Their stares alone were defiant.

A chill crept down the Leader’s spine.

Leader: “Where is the Counselor? Bring him to me!”

Assistant: “Right away!”

He climbed the steps toward his throne, but before he could sit—

A voice echoed through the hall.

Gunner: “No need to look for the counselor. He’s already here… along with the rest of your loyal men.”

The Leader turned sharply.

There in the front row, standing among the soldiers… was the Counselor.

The Leader’s confusion deepened.

Leader: “Gunner… what is the meaning of this?”

Gunner stepped forward.

And the Leader froze.

Gunner was no longer the man he once knew.

His body had grown enormous—muscles stretched, veins bulging beneath his skin, his presence radiating terrifying power. Even his footsteps thundered like strikes of war drums.

Gunner smiled darkly.

Gunner: “Welcome back. Everyone has been waiting for you. I simply didn’t want to ruin tradition—after all, this is what the soldiers wanted.
Today marks the dawn of a new era… my era.”

The Leader snarled and drew his sword, pointing it at Gunner with fury.

Leader: “Gunner, you treacherous dog! You dare betray me?!”

Gunner laughed lightly.

Gunner: “Betray? Betrayal is when a coward stabs from the shadows.
Do you see me hiding?”

He spread his arms mockingly.

Gunner: “I’m right here. In front of you.
No one will interfere. Try your luck.”

The Leader felt it—the overwhelming, crushing presence radiating from Gunner. A primal fear gnawed at his instincts. For the first time… he hesitated.

Gunner sighed.

Gunner: “Tch. How boring.”

The Leader lunged.

A flash of agony burned through his arm.

His sword… was gone.

Blood dripped from his cropped arm where his weapon once was.

Gunner: “Looking for this?”

He casually held the Leader’s own sword between his fingers.

Before the Leader could react—

SHNK!

Gunner rammed the blade into his chest.

The Leader gasped, choking on his breath as his strength faded. Gunner gripped him effortlessly and lifted him into the air with one hand, like a broken doll.

Gunner: “Isn’t it poetic? To die by your own sword?”

The Leader’s desperate struggle weakened. His vision blurred.

Then Gunner tossed him upward like trash.

Gunner: “Die.”

A blinding beam of energy erupted from Gunner’s palm.

The Leader’s scream never finished.

His body evaporated into nothing—reduced to ash and silence. His sword clattered to the ground, echoing thunder through the stunned hall.

Every soldier trembled.

The silence shattered as Gunner spread his arms.

Gunner: “Now then… shall we welcome the dawn of a new era?”

The soldiers broke.

They roared his name.

A sea of voices surrendering to fear… and power.

Gunner smiled.

He had won—not just the throne…

But their hearts.

Meanwhile, back at Mr. White’s house, chaos had turned into pure wonder.

All four of them were soaring through the air, looping around the room and laughing as if gravity had never existed. Mr. White stood below them, stunned—his eyes wide with fascination.

Mr. White: “Incredible… They’re evolving much faster than expected. Their adaptability is extraordinary… These results are beyond anything I anticipated!”

Above him, the four teenagers were having the time of their lives.

Star X: “Flying is officially the coolest thing that’s ever happened to us!”

Sun-Z: “And it doesn’t drain nearly as much energy as I thought!”

Shadowlight: “Hey! How about we race to the village?”

Mr. White: “Wait—no! You can’t just fly out there! People will notice!”

But they didn’t hear him.

Or maybe they heard him and simply chose not to care.

They counted down together—

All: “Three… two… one—GO!”

—and shot out into the open sky like joyful rockets.

Mr. White stared after them, exasperated.

Mr. White: “Ah yes, teenagers… Truly a pleasure to work with.”

Outside, the wind rushed against their faces as they glided over sweeping meadows. Their laughter echoed across the hills as they pushed themselves faster, each one refusing to lose.

Black Storm: “Let’s make things interesting! How about we race through the forest?!”

Shadowlight: “Ahhh—!!”

They dove downward, weaving through dense trees, barely avoiding trunks as leaves whipped past their faces. Their speed slowed as they concentrated harder.

All except Black Storm.

He shot forward confidently, smirking.

Black Storm: “What’s wrong? Afraid of a little wood? Try keeping u—”

WHAM!

He slammed face-first into a tree trunk and dropped straight to the ground like a sack of potatoes.

Leaves fluttered down around his twitching body.

The others zoomed past him without mercy.

Shadowlight: “Later, loser!”

Sun-Z: “See you at the finish!”

Star X: “Watch where you’re going next time!”

They burst out of the forest and touched down near the edge of the village in victory.

Shadowlight landed first with a dramatic grin. Sun-Z arrived next, laughing breathlessly. Star X floated down beside them, still giggling.

Finally, Black Storm crashed in last, scowling at his own ego.

Shadowlight: “Ahh, the sweet taste of victory… A feeling only gifted people like me ever truly understand.”

Black Storm: “You are so unbelievably full of yourself…”

They wandered through the bustling market again, surrounded by chatter, vibrant colors, and the glitter of gemstones. Yet something felt strange.

Shadowlight: “Huh… this market is still running? Didn’t they say it was only temporary?”

Sun-Z: “Looks like they decided to extend it.”

Before they could think more about it—

Man: “Heeey! You kids!”

A strange merchant waved them over energetically.

They exchanged puzzled looks.

Star X: “Uh… who is that guy?”

They cautiously approached.

Man: “Hello! How are you doing? So—did you receive the stone?”

Black Storm: “The… stone?”

Man: “Yes! The one you wanted! The inventor’s assistant told Grayden you needed that rare mineral to cure yourselves. So Grayden went and bought it back from the man who originally sold it to him… then he gave it to your friend.”

The group froze.

Man: “So tell me… did you get your memories back yet?”

Their voices exploded in unison:

Everyone: “WHAAAAAAT?!”

At another time, our friends were standing at Nathan’s door, furious.

Shadowlight: “Why didn’t you tell us you already had the stone?!”

Black Storm: “We’ve been waiting for you all this time!”

Nathan: “You didn’t tell me where you live! I’ve been wandering the entire village for days trying to find you—but you never showed up!”

Black Storm blinked, embarrassed.

Black Storm: “…Oh. Right. We did forget to tell you where Mr. White’s house is.”

Star X: “Forget it—what matters now is getting our memories back!”

Nathan nodded firmly.

Nathan: “If you’re ready… we’ll start right now.”

Their anger faded into stunned silence. Still anxious, they followed him inside.

The inventor immediately noticed them and clicked his tongue in irritation.

Inventor: “Tch.. its you again!”

Everyone (whispering nervously): “He’s clearly not happy to see us…”

They stood inside the workshop-turned-lab while Nathan brought out a strange, horizontal moving bed. A bizarre dome-like device hung over where the head would rest, surrounded by mechanical arms. The inventor began installing the rare metal they brought, tightening bolts and connecting wires while they watched uneasily.

Inventor: “The difficulty of restoring memory is discovering why it was lost in the first place. If it’s caused by a simple mental ‘block,’ it can be removed. But if it’s true brain damage… then nothing can be done.”

Black Storm: “Have you actually tested this device before?”

The inventor paused. Looked at them.
Said nothing. Then quietly resumed working.

Their eyes widened.

Everyone (panicking internally): He’s never tested it before?!

Meanwhile, innocent Star X… simply wondered to herself:

I wonder who’s going first… I really hope it isn’t me…

The inventor finally turned toward them, crossing his arms, face serious.

Inventor: “Before we begin, there is one last condition.”

Shadowlight: “What now?! You add a new condition every single time!”

Inventor: “This one is important. I won’t help unless you promise me something.”

Black Storm: “…What is it?”

Inventor: “It’s very likely someone erased your memories on purpose. If so, those people may not want you remembering who you are. And when you do… you might become someone completely different.”

He looked at them deeply.

Inventor: “Whoever you are… whatever you become… promise me you will leave us out of it. Do not drag us into your problems. Do not endanger this village. And never mention that I helped you. Swear it.”

Black Storm nodded without hesitation.

Black Storm: “We promise. Thank you for helping us, even knowing the risk. We won’t tell anyone.”

Everyone: “Yes. We promise.”

The inventor studied their expressions… then finally nodded.

His gaze shifted.

And he pointed at Star X.

Inventor: “We’ll start with you.”

Star X froze.

Star X: “Eh—why me?!”

Her friends immediately shoved her forward.

Everyone: “Go! Go! It’ll be fine!”

Reluctantly, trembling a little, she stepped to the device.

The inventor strapped her arms securely to the bed.

He returned with an eyedropper.

Inventor: “Open your eyes.”

Star X: “Why…?”

Inventor: “To prevent dryness. It also works as anesthesia.”

He applied the drops. She lay down as the dome lowered over her. Before closing it completely, he leaned in.

Inventor: “Do. Not. Move. Under any circumstances. Understood?”

Star X: “…Okay.”

Darkness swallowed her.

Suddenly, something forced her eyes wide open.

Star X: “W–wait! What’s that?! What’s happening?!”

Inventor (calmly): “Didn’t I tell you not to move?”

Outside, robotic arms adjusted, metal clamps holding her eyelids apart. Her eyes trembled uncontrollably.

Inventor: “Focus on the white dot in front of you.”

Star X: “What white dot?! It’s pitch black!”

Inventor: “You’ll see it now.”

And then—

A white point appeared.

Except…

It wasn’t light.

It was a thin, shining needle.

It shot forward.

Straight into her eye.

Star X screamed—
A scream that echoed through the entire room.

Her friends jolted in terror.

Black Storm: “What are you doing to her?!”

Inventor: “She’s retrieving her memories.”

The needle touched the optic nerve—

And lightning burst through her mind.

Images.

Voices.

Faces.

A world.

Her lost life.

All of it flooded back at once.

And for a split second—

Her consciousness vanished from reality.

She fell violently into the past.

Into everything she had forgotten.