Kai Lane: Beginning

In the forest where Alain had escaped before the second Sky Battle began.

The white-haired youth ran at full speed. Alain didn't care who he was now. His looks, sense of humor, and talents were irrelevant. None of that would matter after he was dead. He didn't want to be eaten by the Cannibal King, who reminded him of scary things.

Alain was developing his sense of fear. People used to be afraid of him, but they didn't understand how he developed fear. He could pose a threat even to people on the sixth step. They just had to lie to him. Otherwise, they would be condemned to a stoning.

That's why nobody liked Alain, except the principal of the academy and Dani.

There used to be a girl. She was convinced that Alain was not a bad person, and she was the only person he spoke to in his life besides Dani and the headmaster. One day, Alain asked her,

"Are you afraid of me?"

The girl answered directly, laughing.

"No, I'm not afraid."

Alain shivered as she turned to stone in front of him. After a while, he understood.

She was just looking for a wall to hide behind.

She... She had always been afraid of him.

Everything changed when he arrived on Sky Island. There, the energy of the Countless Kings helped him suppress his innate King power. As long as he was on Sky Island, he could choose to freeze anyone who lied to him.

Over the years he lived there, the ice between him and the people melted. Everyone saw that he was not a bad person, just cursed.

The curse of his family had also reached Alain.

Alain was afraid because this was war! There would be no words. Seeing the man who killed Dani was a heavy blow to his mind. He ran away because he couldn't think of anything else to do.

"ALAIN!!!"

Alain could hear Isaac's voice in the distance. When he turned around, he couldn't see him, but he could hear him nearby.

"Damn it! Isaac, why are you following me?!

To be honest, Alain didn't even know where he was going. He didn't want Isaac to follow him, either.

Isaac looked up and saw Alain's white hair as Alain lowered his head. His eyes were sharp, and he recognized Alain instantly.

To be honest, he was scared, too. This was just an excuse to escape the battlefield.

At that moment, Isaac did not notice the six black shadows approaching him from behind.

Alain moved for a while longer. Isaac was surprised when Alain moved forward. Although Isaac considered himself skilled at running fast, Alain was apparently even faster.

WIIIZZZ....!

Isaac and Alain turned their heads at the same time. Isaac immediately kicked a tree and threw himself backward. Many small needles stuck out from where he had just been standing. They all had auras emanating from their tips, indicating they were poisonous. One of the needles had pierced the tree, which rotted away in seconds.

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Alain frowned and turned his gaze to the six black-clad figures. They didn't look very strong. If he stayed behind, he could kill them quickly. However, if more came from where they came from, Alain would be in danger.

He should have left it to Isaac, but then Isaac could be in danger, too.

Isaac looked dumbfounded too, but as soon as he sensed the danger, he sped up. He couldn't sense these men's power, but he didn't think they were very strong. Poison was the only nuisance; one wrong move, and he could lose his life.

"I have to go faster."

Isaac realized that Alain was speeding up, so he followed him. The closer the approaching danger got, the more nervous he became. He turned his head and saw the black-hooded figures moving as if nothing had happened. A second ago, they were 80 meters away from Isaac.

One second later, they appeared in front of him.

"Oh no!"

Isaac didn't have time to pull out any protective objects. The moment he saw the attack, he put his hands in front of him. As the black, hooded figure's fist pierced the air, his hood opened to reveal white hair.

DOOOMMM....!!!

The moment the fist hit him, Isaac vomited blood and flew through the trees.

Alain gasped for breath, his eyes bulging out of their sockets. At that moment, he realized something he hadn't realized all along.

A gray layer of energy swirled around the men.

Half Step 2!

And not only that. The gray layers of these men were dense. They must have passed Step 2 long before they came here.

When Alain realized these men looked old, he started shaking even more.

If they looked old, then they must be nearing the end of their lives!

Didn't that mean they had lived for over 900 years?

Everyone on Sky Island was a genius, but they lacked experience. The hunters were much better than them in this aspect and therefore had more power.

But 900 years of experience!

Alain knew that these men were not allowed to go to Step 2. Someone powerful must have placed a seal on them so they couldn't access the second level. He had read that this was a rare punishment among the Hunters.

Yet, despite their age, they were stronger than almost any genius.

Experience might be insignificant in the face of absolute power. But the power required for this was too much. Anyone who didn't know how to use their power would have been crushed by these men. And there were six of them!

Alain realized these men were high-ranking officials. Together, they could easily kill one of the 13 Leaders.

He realized that only figures like Kai or Alvar could stand up to them.

He was weaker than them!

He could die!

"But Isaac..."

He knew Isaac was lying in the trees. Right now, two men from that group were staring at him. They were going to kill him, and the others were going to catch Alain. This group had obviously been sent to kill the escapees.

"I have to go."

But even if he went there, what could he do? Alain would have been tossed aside like a coin in front of them. The power difference was too great. He couldn't kill even the weakest of the thirteen leaders, nor could he fight these men who could take on the top five.

'I know I have to change.'

Ding....

'You keep saying fear is not a bad thing, Alain. And you are right. Fear is not a bad thing. It keeps you alive. But is survival really that important?'

In Alain's memory, two young men stood on the ramparts of Atlantia City.

'You have to run to survive, but how long can you keep running?'

'When will you stop running?'

'When will you turn around and fight what's after you?'

'I don't want to go too far, Alain. I can see it just by looking at time. Even if continuing like this keeps me alive, if someone else loses their life because of me, how can I live with that regret?'

'Will there be any point in living then?'

'A life of agony.... Can I call myself a man if I run away leaving someone behind?'

'That's why I want to turn around. Once I turn around and face the enemy, I can finally be at peace.'

'Maybe then I can understand the peace behind all these words.'

Isaac lifted his head out of the trees and grabbed his arm. He could almost feel his bones breaking.

At that moment, two old men with white hair appeared before him. They were both wrinkled. He felt dizzy, strange, and nauseous. The only thing he could understand was that these men were there to kill him.

It was strange that they were old. Was there time to think about it? He should have run away!

But the old men were experienced. They could predict his every move. They swung their fists from both sides, and Isaac was caught in the middle.

"It's over!"

As the old men attacked, a hand shot through the trees Isaac had entered, smashing through them and grabbing him by the back of the neck. Before the old men's attack reached him, Alain's hand pulled Isaac free.

"Alain?"

Alain was running for his life. It was strange that he was back in this state now. He hadn't understood why he wanted to live so much in such a short time, but he understood how much he wanted to live. Now, here he was, saving Isaac. Wasn't he afraid of dying?

"Run!"

Before he could ask Alain, he threw him forward. The six elders were now aiming directly at Alain!

This time, Alain had to fight!