Prologue — The Roots of Blood

Three millennia ago, the sky was torn apart.

A burning meteorite crashed down upon the land, striking the small village of Bible Church. Farmers and onlookers rushed toward the crater… but what they found was not rock.

From the heart of the meteor seeped a dark substance. A living gas.

In mere moments, it engulfed the villagers.

Screams. Bodies collapsing to the ground, twisted by fever.

The sickness spread like wildfire, devouring the village in a single night.

The King of the neighboring kingdom, fearing a plague, surrounded Bible Church with his soldiers. No one was allowed to leave. Anyone who tried was struck down by arrows before reaching the walls.

The sentence seemed final.

And yet, something happened

.

Those who survived the contagion rose again. Not merely healed… but transformed. Their hands lifted massive stones. Their bodies changed. Even the skies responded to their gestures.

A new power had been born.

Terrified, the King ordered the complete extermination of the village. But his armies were wiped out by peasants who now fought like gods.

The community fractured. Some marched toward the kingdom in search of revenge. Others, longing for peace, fled to distant lands.

The King escaped in secret, riding for days toward an allied realm. But the truth traveled faster than he did. Alarmed, the other rulers convened a council. From that alliance arose the greatest army the world had ever known.

The war against the mutants — the first Level Ups — lasted for months. In the end, the villagers were annihilated. The few survivors scattered across the world, blending among ordinary people or forming small clans.

Thus, the Empire was born, ruled by the united royal families. For the first time, those without powers felt safe.

That safety would last a thousand years.

From the shadows rose a man named Moser.

He gathered warriors — men and women gifted with power — and founded the Black Dragon Clan. With overwhelming force, he crushed entire kingdoms and bent even the Empire to its knees.

His ambition knew no limits. His gaze eventually fell upon Paradise, an island surrounded by seven seas with unpredictable currents.

Paradise was home to extraordinary warriors — peaceful, yet indomitable.

The war was merciless. Homes burned. Bodies drifted across the water. The sky itself was torn apart by unleashed energy.

And when all seemed lost, a man stepped forward.

Yashur. The strongest warrior of Paradise.

Alone against the Black Dragon’s army, he struck down enemies like waves crashing against a cliff. But before Moser, he fell — exhausted and gravely wounded.

Then, the impossible happened.

His body erupted in light. His energy transformed, enveloping him in a divine aura. In that form of pure power, Yashur turned the tide of battle.

Paradise was saved. Moser was defeated.

But the Empire, fearing the uncontrollable power of such a man, branded Yashur a public enemy. He became a wanted fugitive in every kingdom… until one day, he vanished.

No one ever found his body. No one ever learned the truth.

His name became legend.

Clans continued to rise, to clash, to chase the lost power he left behind. And centuries later, the world still trembles at the echo of his oath of light.

Episode 1 — The Wind of Freedom

The sun was slowly setting over the golden fields of the Windmill Country. Through the dusty market streets, a boy ran laughing, clutching a small pendant in his hands

.

“Stop him!” shouted Marco, a fat, sweating man — the owner of the pawnshop.

Behind him, two armed guards gave chase.

The boy was Sky Light.

Sky darted through the crowd, the wind pushing him forward like an invisible companion. Beneath the sun of the Windmill Country, his dark sunglasses reflected the clear sky, hiding his eyes from anyone who tried to meet his gaze.

“Thief!” Marco shouted again.

Sky laughed, vaulting over a market stall with the help of his power. “Too slow!”

People stared in disbelief. A boy laughing while outrunning guards… and those sunglasses he never removed, not even while running or falling.

Ever since he could remember, his aunt Mia had repeated the same warning:

“Never take them off. Never.”

Sky never truly knew why. But he obeyed. Always.

That pendant was no ordinary trinket. It was the only memory he had of his mother, who had died when he was still a child. He had sold it once in a moment of desperation… and now he could not accept losing it again.

Panting but victorious, Sky ran back to his farm.

The moment he crossed the threshold, rough hands grabbed him.

The guards were waiting.

“Got you!”

A punch slammed into his stomach. Sky spat blood, doubling over. “Give it back… my pendant!” he shouted, raising an arm.

The air exploded around him in a violent gust that hurled one of the men away

.

The other reacted instantly. Black chains coiled around Sky’s body, tightening like a steel serpent.

“Idiot… you think you’re the only one with powers?” the guard snarled, gripping the spear connected to the chains. The blade crept closer to Sky’s arm. “I’ll cut this off. That should teach you.”

“No!”

A woman’s voice shattered the moment. Mia rushed forward, throwing herself in front of her nephew. “Marco, please! Let him go. I swear I’ll repay the pendant.”

The merchant shook his head. “He dared to steal from me. Someone has to pay.”

Then, with a cruel smile: “One arm will be enough.”

The guard raised his spear.

Sky clenched his teeth, trapped and helpless.

That was when the sound of trumpets tore through the air.

From the dusty road came a squad of soldiers, dressed in military green, rifles slung over their shoulders, led by a stern-looking man on horseback.

The Empire.

The guard turned pale, releasing Sky at once. Using powers outside imperial service was a capital crime.

The commander dismounted and surveyed the scene. His eyes fixed immediately on the chains, still steaming with energy.

“Kabir.”

His voice was ice-cold. “You are a Level One wanted criminal.”

“Wait! I—” the guard tried to protest.

Too late.

The commander raised his hand. Flames burst from his fingers, obliterating the chains in an instant. Kabir collapsed, burned and defeated before he could react.

The soldiers shackled him with eolite cuffs — the cursed stone born from the meteorite of Bible Church. The only material capable of nullifying the powers of Level Ups.

Sky coughed, still bearing the marks of the chains.

The commander studied him for a long moment, then turned to Marco and the remaining guard. “Leave. Now.”

“But… he stole from me!” the merchant protested.

Fire flickered between the commander’s fingers.

Marco lowered his head, swallowing his rage, and fled without another word.

Silence fell over the farm.

The commander turned to Mia. “Tomorrow, I will return for your nephew. He is sixteen. The age to serve the Empire has come.”

Sky’s eyes widened. “What?!”

“All Level Ups serve the Empire. Those who refuse…” The commander glanced at Kabir’s restrained body. “…become criminals.”

Mia lowered her gaze, powerless.

Sky clenched his fists. Inside him, he wanted no chains. No orders. He dreamed of traveling freely, of forming his own clan, of following the wind.

The next day, the soldiers returned.

They found only Mia.

“He didn’t run away,” she said calmly. “He simply went ahead of you.”

And indeed, from the hill overlooking the village, Sky was already leaping beyond the forest, carried by the wind. The pendant at his neck shimmered as he laughed, eyes fixed on the horizon.

His adventure had begun.

—

Next Episode — The Fortress on the Sea