Kai Lane: Beginning

That night, Atlantia was silent. In fact, the walls were very empty at the moment. Everyone had gone to their relatives, and now everyone had different plans in mind. The fact that there were four other people stronger than the 5th leader frightened them. And this fear was not without reason. Anyone would have felt the same way. Even though humans don't know what happens after death.... They were blindly attached to this life.

At that moment, in the darkness of the night, under a gas lamp, two people stood at opposite ends of a chessboard. Although many people were in pain, they were at peace, and their loved ones were not dead.

John's green hair was long enough to blow in the wind. He didn't usually let it grow that long, but this time he felt like it. Across from him was Summer. The two friends played chess, John's laughter sometimes breaking the silence of the night. Summer smiled quietly as she listened to him. He was like a sage.

"Come on, Summer, I know you can do better."

Summer was defeated by John and that made John happy. Who wouldn't be happy in such a situation?

"Why are you still insisting?"

John trembled for a moment. But then a smile returned to his face and he looked at Summer and spoke.

"What are you talking about, I just want you to play better."

John was usually a cold-blooded person, but with Summer he was like a docile cat. He was always smiling. If anyone else had been here, they would not have been able to stop their eyes from widening at this scene. But... Even in normal times, these were the eyes that looked at John. They couldn't understand John's strange behavior.

John's strange behavior, which had been talked about all the time, was never explained.

"Do you want to continue fooling yourself?"

Summer stood up when he said those words. John continued to act as if nothing had happened. He ignored Summer.

"John Dramer. You... You're starting to remember who you are, aren't you?"

When Summer spoke, he emphasized Dramer. He emphasized where John was coming from. He knew that John knew everything.

"I don't remember anything, Summer. Now please sit down and continue the game."

Although John had spoken as if giving an order, his words had sounded more like a plea than an order. A sweet smile appeared on Summer's face and he pulled John's cheek. John didn't look angry. In fact, he blushed a little.

"Come on, look at these orders. Hahaha, the little brother is all grown up giving orders to his big brother."

Then Summer pulled out his stool and sat down next to John. He began to throw his hand at the chess pieces.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

"You know, when you were born, I was a coward and a wimp, and some people didn't believe I came from the main family of hunters. When you were born, I wanted to change, or so I thought at the time."

Summer waved his hand and started knocking over chess pieces one by one with his fingers. John didn't want to hear it. He plugged his ears, but Summer still sounded as if nothing had changed.

"You know, Michael tried so hard. He tried to make you look normal. After all, you looked crazy at the Academy. Sometimes you just stared into empty spaces, talking to yourself and acting crazy. Everyone pitied you for reaching such madness at your age."

Summer knocked down the last piece. John's eyes watered and he didn't want to hear it. He wanted things to continue as before.

'No!'

'Please...'

'Say no more.'

At that moment Summer came closer, his position suddenly changed and he calmly embraced John from behind. But John felt nothing. Not the clothes on his skin, not Summer's breath.

The two stared blankly at the chessboard. Summer's voice was in John's mind and soul.

"Come on, John. Don't tire me out any more and realize it."

In a few short seconds, John's eyes realized the big mistake in the game before his eyes. All of John's moves were the same as Summer's.

"Everything changed five years ago, John."

"You've been talking to yourself all this time."

"Summer Dramer has been gone from this world for five years."

"I'm ..... already dead."

CRACK!!!

John's hand had acted rashly and split the chessboard in two. He was filled with rage. Just as he turned to see what the hell he was talking about... a mirror of ice appeared in front of him.

He was sure he hadn't done anything like that.

Then he heard Summer's voice on the other side of the chessboard.

"Look at yourself, John. How long can you go on like this?"

John looked at the ice. It was an ice mirror. John could see green hair and green eyes. He could even see the Pure Life Ice under his clothes in the mirror. But Summer was invisible. All the time at the 2nd District Tournament, at the World Tournament, when he was the Ice King.... Summer was never really there. That's why people stared at him.

John was talking to himself.

No one was there.

Finally, John sat down on the stool. The broken chessboard was pushed by the ice and a new table was formed. It looked like Summer was using John's powers to make this table.

"Five years ago, I ran away with you. Actually, we were both developing a long time ago, but somehow they broke our abilities. You and I were separated and our memories were erased. That's why our development was faster than normal. I mean your development."

"After I was captured, I died, and some of my memories were imprinted in your mind. And I started appearing to you at the Academy, and Michael picked up on that and counted you as two people in the District 2 Tournament and the World Tournament."

"But you know all that, don't you, John? I couldn't have told you if you didn't."

As Summer spoke, John picked up a bottle and poured it into two glasses. He placed one in front of Summer and the other in front of him.

"I know... I can't deny it, and I remember you're leaving. At least have a glass with me before you go."

In the darkness of the night, fireflies lit up the chess table. Summer smiled at that moment. He reached for the glass and lifted it into the air. At the same moment, John raised the glass. He looked at Summer with a smile on his face.

'Maybe it was just a dream.'

John's drink passed through Summer's glass and when John looked back to where Summer was, there was only the light of the fireflies and the glass John had filled.

John put a cold expression on his face, leaned his back against the ice table and began to drink the liquid in the glass. This was no ordinary drink. It was special to the Realm of Development.

KIIIRRTTT...!!!!!

At that moment, John's body and Summer's glass cracked. The glass shattered into pieces and John broke through his limit. The boundary that had prevented him from becoming a Half Step and would prevent him from moving to Step 2 in the future was gone.

John left the memories of his brother.