Location: Kiro District, Tokyo.

Time: A sunny spring morning, 2025.  

Mazuki jolted awake, gasping for air as cold sweat poured down his forehead. It was the same nightmare—the death of his father, Suzuki Orahata. Nine years had passed, yet that gruesome scene continued to poison his sleep every single night.  

He stood up and caught his reflection in a cracked mirror; dark circles shadowed his eyes.

"Looking perfect," he whispered to himself with a dry, self-deprecating smirk.  

He stumbled into the kitchen, where the lights flickered weakly. The fridge was a wasteland, containing nothing but a rotting apple and a tiny, dried-up piece of cheese—a silent testament to the crushing poverty he lived in.  

Mazuki took the scrap of cheese and retreated to his "sanctuary"—a dim room filled with information he had gathered on the Apex Order. At the center of his bulletin board sat a yellowed newspaper clipping: "Body of Suzuki Orahata Found".  

Mazuki gritted his teeth. "Liars...".  

His father had actually vanished, but Apex had fabricated a corpse to deceive the public. His gaze drifted to another note on the board: "The Elite 7". These were seven powerhouse commanders who had mastered Vayen, the energy source that fractured the world into castes. At the bottom were slaves with White Vayen, followed by laborers with Yellow Vayen. For residents of Kiro, attempting to learn higher forms of energy was a crime punishable by death.  

One day... Mazuki thought, a flame of vengeance flickering in his eyes. I’ll tear it all down.  

Suddenly, a sharp knock-knock-knock startled him. He frowned; no one ever knocked on his door. He had no relatives who would visit this ruin of a house. Wary, he opened the door to find the street empty.  

Only a small box sat on the doorstep, with his name—Mazuki Orahata—written in neat script. As he scanned the area, a shadow flickered in the nearby bushes. Someone was watching him from the dark, but the moment Mazuki turned his head, the figure vanished. Hesitant, he took the box inside.  

An hour passed as Mazuki stared at the box. Finally, curiosity outweighed his caution. Inside was a shimmering silver necklace and a strange metal plaque etched with four animal symbols: a Raven, a Dragon, a Wolf, and a Bull.  

"What are these symbols? Why send this to me?" he whispered. He let out a scoff. "Probably just someone messing with me. Whatever... I'm going to be late for school".  

He shoved the items into his bag, threw on his uniform, and headed out. The walk to school was quiet until a loud, familiar shout shattered the silence:

"MAZUKIIIIIII!!!".  

Mazuki rolled his eyes at the sight of his classmate, Tamaki.

This idiot again....  

As Tamaki reached him with arms wide for a greeting, Mazuki calmly stepped back and delivered a crushing kick directly to Tamaki's face.

BAM!.

Tamaki hit the ground, clutching his nose while letting out a pained chuckle. "Heh... You're really fuming today, Mazuki. That kick was heavy—you almost broke my nose!".  

"Shut it," Mazuki replied. "I told you not to hang around me, unless you want to become a target too".

Tamaki scrambled up and chased after him. "I already am! Besides... it's sweet that you're worried about me, Mazuki!".  

At the school gates, the atmosphere shifted. Standing at the top of the stairs was Yamato, the school’s notorious bully, and his gang.

"HEYYYY!!!" Yamato sneered. "Hey, little terrorist brat! Didn't you hear me?".  

Mazuki stopped, walked up the stairs slowly, and stood right in front of Yamato.

"What did you say? Repeat that".

"I said 'terrorist brat'! What, don't like the truth?".  

At that moment, an expression crossed Mazuki’s face that made Yamato’s smirk freeze. It wasn't just anger; it was pure, unadulterated hatred.

"My father..." Mazuki whispered.

"Huh?"

"IF YOU TALK ABOUT MY FATHER AGAIN, I’LL SEND YOU BACK WHERE YOU CAME FROM!".  

An invisible, demonic aura seemed to dance around Mazuki. Yamato tried to step back in fear, but it was too late. Mazuki’s fist struck like a bolt of lightning.

BOOM!.

Yamato flew through the air as if he’d been hit by a truck, crashing to the ground with his face covered in blood. Mazuki stared at his trembling hand. I... I did that?. Tamaki whispered in horror, "Ma-Ma-Mazuki... What was that?".

"Shut up," Mazuki muttered and walked into the building.  

Evening fell. Mazuki was still in shock on his way home when he pulled out the necklace. It was glowing faintly.

"So, this is the reason for my strength...".  

His thoughts were interrupted by an uproar coming from the town square. He ran toward the sound and saw Apex Order soldiers beating an old merchant mercilessly.

"You bastards!".  

Mazuki lunged forward, but a hooded shadow suddenly appeared and slammed him against a wall.

"Let me go! Don't you see they're killing him?! Or are you one of them?!".  

The stranger's voice was ice-cold. "Idiot! I'm not with Apex. But with that pathetic 'White Vayen' of yours, you can't do anything. Stand down. They're coming".

"Who?".  

The stranger vanished, and black shadows dived from the sky. The Apex soldiers screamed in terror:

"RAVEN! Raven is here!".  

The Raven group decimated the Apex soldiers. As the battle was ending, a hidden soldier aimed his gun at one of the Raven members. Mazuki lunged forward without thinking.

"LOOK OUT!".

CRACK!.  

A bullet grazed Mazuki’s arm. The Raven member neutralized the enemy and knelt beside him, a green, healing light radiating from their hand.

"Thank you, kid. You protected us".  

The Raven group vanished as quickly as they had arrived. The old man reached out a hand to Mazuki. "Get up, son. Those were the 'Raven.' The guardian angels of this town".  

Mazuki looked into the distance and squeezed the metal coin in his pocket. The Raven symbol on it felt warm.

"Raven, huh?...".  

A different kind of smile appeared on Mazuki’s face—one that was terrifying yet filled with a spark of hope.

"From now on, everything is going to change".