Read Survival of Kings - Novel :: Chapter 2.1

Year 2116

Eight years had passed since the night everything was taken from Arti.

With no close relatives on record, Arti was placed in the care of the Kimitsu family.

What had begun as a responsibility gradually became a real family.

They never treated him like a stranger.

They never made him feel as though he was there out of obligation.

From the very first day, they gave him the same love, the same upbringing, and the same opportunities they gave their biological son.

To them, Arti was simply another son.

And to Yuko...

He became a brother.

The two of them grew up practically inseparable.

They trained together before and after school.

While other teenagers spent their free days relaxing or having fun, they devoted countless hours to perfecting their techniques, strategies, and teamwork.

They shared the same dream.

And it wasn't just to compete in Survival of Kings.

They wanted to become world champions.

For eight years, they lived for that goal alone.

At last, they had turned eighteen.

The minimum age required to compete officially.

It was the first step toward their dream.

Or perhaps...

The first step toward something far greater.

When they woke up, despite the peaceful morning outside, the atmosphere inside their room was anything but calm.

Yuko practically leaped out of bed.

He hadn't slept well all night. The excitement and anticipation of the journey ahead had kept him awake.

As he hurriedly got dressed, he checked his backpack for the third time, making sure all the equipment he had packed was still there.

Arti, on the other hand, remained as calm as ever.

Sitting on the edge of his bed, he quietly tightened the straps securing his daggers to his back, making certain nothing would come loose during the journey.

Yuko immediately started calculating.

"We only have three weeks to reach Usora. We can't even compete if we don't get our licenses!"

Arti looked up at him.

A faint smile crossed his face.

He knew his adoptive brother well enough to recognize that whenever Yuko got nervous, he started organizing everything out loud.

"We also can't compete if we don't have a team."

Yuko knew they needed one.

But he still believed there were more urgent priorities.

"True, but we can recruit teammates during the selection test. I doubt everyone will already have a team."

Arti remained silent for a few moments.

Then his expression changed completely.

"We both know they can't be just anyone... If they don't share our other objective, I can't let them join the team. I refuse to put anyone in danger if they don't fully understand what they're getting involved in."

His words left the room in silence.

Yuko looked away for a few seconds.

He knew exactly what Arti meant.

He had been by his side ever since they were children.

He had seen him wake up countless nights drenched in sweat after nightmares.

He had watched him train until his hands bled.

He had seen him hide his tears whenever he thought about Edan and Lumi.

The journey they were about to begin wasn't just the realization of a dream.

It was also the beginning of the hunt for Arti's parents' killers.

If that was the path his brother had chosen...

Then they would walk it together, just as they always had.

"I agree. That's why we'll have to be honest with anyone who wants to join us."

Arti simply nodded.

At that moment...

Three gentle knocks echoed through the bedroom door.

A moment later, their mother's warm voice called out.

"Come downstairs, boys! Lunch is ready!"

The two immediately looked at one another.

Yuko was the first to glance at the clock.

His eyes widened.

Neither of them had noticed how much time had passed.

Their last night in that house had given them the deepest sleep they'd had in months.

Without wasting another second, they hurried downstairs.

But the moment they reached the ground floor...

They both froze.

The table was covered with all kinds of dishes.

It was a feast.

Far bigger than anything they had ever seen in that house.

Arti and Yuko exchanged a glance.

They both asked the exact same question at the same time.

"How...?"

The family's financial situation had never been particularly comfortable.

They lived well enough, but without luxuries.

Seeing that much food on the table seemed almost impossible.

Yuko was the first to break the silence.

"How much did you spend on all this?!"

The concern in his voice was completely genuine.

Ever since he was a child, he had promised himself that one day he would give his parents a comfortable life.

He wanted to earn enough money so they would never have to count coins before going grocery shopping again.

Their mother calmly set another dish on the table.

Then she walked over to her two sons with a broad smile.

A smile filled with pride and love.

The kind that only a mother could give.

"That's something your father and I will worry about. Right now, enjoy your last meal with us and focus on your dream. We know how to take care of ourselves."

Neither Arti nor Yuko argued any further.

The four of them finally sat down together.

For several long minutes, the only sound was the clinking of cutlery.

Before long, however, the conversation began.

Soon the room filled with laughter.

Embarrassing childhood stories resurfaced.

And for a few brief moments...

It felt as though time had turned back.

As if no tragedy had ever happened.

As if they were nothing more than an ordinary family enjoying a Sunday lunch.

But behind every laugh...

There was an ache in their hearts.

Because once that meal was over...

The real adventure would begin.

Lunch lasted far longer than any of them had expected.

None of the four wanted to be the first to leave the table.

But eventually, time moved on.

The sun was already high in the sky when Yuko's father was the first to stand.

Without saying a word, he began clearing the dishes.

His wife quietly joined him.

Arti and Yuko exchanged another glance.

Then they headed back upstairs.

For several seconds, neither of them spoke.

Each simply picked up their backpack and checked their equipment one final time.

Arti inspected his daggers.

Yuko tightened the straps of the large training shield he carried every day.

Everything was ready.

Slowly, they made their way back downstairs.

When they opened the front door, they found their parents already waiting outside.

They had been expecting them.

A gentle breeze stirred the treetops surrounding the small house.

The forest seemed unusually quiet that day.

As though even nature knew that this moment was special.

The two brothers were about to set off when they noticed that both of their parents were holding something.

Yuko frowned.

His father smiled.

Slowly, he walked toward his son.

In his hands, he carried a shield wrapped in an old dark cloth.

Carefully, he pulled the fabric away.

The metal immediately caught the sunlight.

It was a magnificent shield.

Gray.

Sturdy.

Despite the unmistakable marks of time, it had been remarkably well preserved.

At its center was an enormous golden phoenix.

Its outstretched wings spread across nearly the entire face of the shield, creating the illusion that the mythical bird was protecting whoever stood behind it.

It radiated resilience.

Absolute protection.

His father slowly ran a hand across the metal.

For several seconds, he simply gazed at it.

As though he were seeing an old companion again.

Only then did he look back at Yuko.

"I've kept this because I always knew that one day you'd want to pursue a career in Survival of Kings. I've never told you this before, but I tried to make a name for myself in that world too. I just wasn't skilled enough. Maybe it's only a coincidence, but I was a Tank, just like you... It may be a selfish wish, but I'd like you to carry this shield on your journey."

Yuko stood completely still.

Throughout his childhood, he had imagined countless stories about his parents.

But never this one.

His father had once been a player.

Even if he had never reached the top.

He accepted the shield with both hands.

Its weight caught him by surprise.

It was far heavier than it looked.

Yet at the same time...

It felt perfectly natural in his arms.

As though it had always belonged there.

A broad smile spread across his face.

"Of course I'll use it, Dad! But... why a phoenix?"

His father let out a quiet chuckle.

He scratched the back of his neck, visibly embarrassed.

"It wasn't my choice—it was my team's. I used a regenerative fire ability that let me spend entire matches blocking attacks without going down. They said I reminded them of a phoenix, so they decided that would be the symbol on my shield."

As he spoke, it was as though he had been transported back in time.

The light in his eyes betrayed his nostalgia.

Perhaps he had never found fame.

Perhaps he had never lifted a trophy.

But those memories were still alive within him.

Yuko looked at the shield differently now.

It was no longer just a weapon.

It was an inheritance.

A piece of his father's past.

And a part of his own future.

Not wanting to interrupt the moment, Yuko's mother slowly walked over to Arti.

Smiling warmly, she held out her hands.

"We have something for you as well. Or rather... your parents left something for you."

Unlike Yuko's gift, the object she held looked far more modest.

But there was something about it...

Something strange.

Something impossible to ignore.

It was an ancient book.

Its cover appeared to be made of aged black leather.

Unknown symbols were embossed across its entire surface.

Thick metal chains kept it tightly sealed.

At the center was a small transparent crystal receptacle where all the chains converged.

"I have to admit... I missed my parents’ challenges."

The dad got closer to Arti.

Crossed his arms.

Then calmly explained,

"This time, though, the challenge isn't opening the book. Your parents entrusted us with it, asking us to give it to you when you turned eighteen, in case anything ever happened to them. To unlock it, all you have to do is let a single drop of your blood fall into that crystal container."

Arti remained completely still.

It felt as though the world had stopped.

That book...

Had been prepared by his parents themselves.

Long before they died.

Long before they knew he would grow up without them.

He drew one of the daggers from his back.

Without much hesitation, he made a small cut on the tip of his finger.

A single drop of blood slowly formed.

Then another.

He held his hand over the crystal receptacle.

The drops fell.

The moment they touched the crystal...

The book responded.

A brilliant crimson light raced through every chain at once.

The metal began to vibrate.

The glow grew brighter with every passing second.

The chains slowly began to come apart.

They did not break.

They simply...

Faded away.

As though they had never existed.

Then, a deep voice echoed through the air.

"Blood pact successfully established!"

Yuko immediately took two steps back.

His parents did exactly the same.

Only Arti remained where he stood.

The book slowly opened by itself.

It stopped on the very first page.

For a few moments, nothing happened.

Then...

Tiny crimson letters began to lift off the page.

They floated gently through the air.

Like glowing embers suspended in the wind.

Until they began arranging themselves before the four of them.

First into words.

Then into sentences.

Once every letter had settled into place...

Arti took a deep breath.

And began reading aloud.

"Hello, Arti. We hope you're ready for another one of our challenges. By the time you receive this book, we will most likely no longer be alive. That's why we've left everything you'll need for your journey inside this Book of Commitment."

For a few moments, he couldn't continue.

The way the message began made it feel as though Edan and Lumi were still there.

As if they were watching him from the other side of the page.

He swallowed hard and continued.

"Now, let us explain how it works:"

The letters slowly rearranged themselves.

Each new rule appeared only after the previous one had been read aloud.

It was as though the book itself was following Arti's pace.

He continued.

"To continue reading this book, whenever instructed, you must place a sample of your blood in the designated analysis area."

The letters vanished.

Another sentence appeared.

"The Book of Commitment is divided into levels that we have designed. Each level is unique, and to confirm that you have completed it, your blood sample will be analyzed."

Yuko folded his arms.

His curiosity was beginning to mix with unease.

This was far more elaborate than an ordinary journal.

It was an entire system created by Arti's parents.

A series of trials.

The third rule appeared.

"If, during the course of reading this book, you place your blood in the analysis area before completing the current challenge one hundred percent, and you are rejected three times, the book will be destroyed."

The rules continued.

"If the blood placed in the analysis area belongs to anyone other than you, the book will be destroyed."

"After completing a level, you will have one month to complete the next. If you fail to do so within that time, the book will be destroyed."

Yuko was finally beginning to understand.

This wasn't merely an inheritance.

It was a commitment.

Once it was begun...

There was no turning back.

The reading continued.

"This book is protected by a spell that shields it from all external threats. It can only be destroyed while it is open."

"No one but you may open this book."

"The blood pact established at the beginning cannot be broken. The only possible outcomes are reaching the final page or the destruction of the book."

The weight of those words grew heavier with each passing rule.

At last, the final one appeared.

"The contents of this book cannot be altered."

The crimson letters hung suspended for a few seconds.

Then they dissolved into tiny particles of light.

A brief silence followed.

The book seemed to be waiting.

As if it were giving its new owner time to reflect.

A few moments later, new words slowly began to form once more.

Even more slowly than before.

Arti read aloud again.

"If you are ready, and if you truly believe you possess what it takes to achieve your goals, place your blood in the analysis area to proceed to the next page."

When he finished...

Silence returned.

None of them spoke.

Arti stared only at the analysis area.

The cut on his fingertip was still releasing tiny drops of blood.

All he had to do was move his hand forward.

That was it.

The first step.

The true beginning of his parents' legacy.

Without much hesitation, he slowly raised his hand.

But just before the blood could fall...

Yuko caught his wrist.