Kai Lane: Beginning

"Explode!"

BOOOOOOMMM...!!!!

A massive explosion rang out. Kai instantly rose to his feet, grabbed his chains, and tried to run forward. His face was completely transformed. Afro had planted bombs beneath the area. Kai wasn't affected much, but Jack was in the center of the explosion. Kevin must have been seriously injured when his domain broke. When Dokuo's domain collapsed, they easily killed him. Kevin's injuries must have been the same as his.

"Kevin! Jack!"

Kai shouted into the dust. He pushed against the chains with all his strength. Hunter after hunter was dying across the island. The Cultivators didn't understand what was happening, nor did they seem to care.

As the smoke cleared, the first thing to emerge was a metal cocoon standing tall and sturdy. It slowly opened to reveal Afro, a man with red hair and a trail of blood streaming from his forehead. He had a smile on his face and looked happy. Tens of meters away, he could see the brown-haired youth lying dead on the ground. Jack's Jade Eye was completely closed, and one of his legs bore a grievous wound. No amount of adrenaline could dull the pain. His clothes were torn, exposing a massive gash extending from his cheek. The wound was so deep that it could have killed Jack. Even if healers could heal it, a scar would likely remain on his face forever.

Jack had been dragged through the earth, leaving a large gash. Afro was amused by his wounds, while Kai grew even more enraged. He pulled at the chains, and the ground tore along with them. Under Kai's power, the formation was fully revealed. Afro's face changed, and blood began to flow from the corner of his mouth. When he turned his head, he saw traces of his madness in Kai's pale blue eyes. But this didn't frighten him. In fact, it made him laugh.

"I didn't know you cared so much about your friends! Watching them die will be wonderful for you, then! Watch Kai! Watch them die, Ghost of the Skylands!"

Afro stepped forward to grab Skana when someone else suddenly appeared before him. Blood streamed from every part of his body and he had a bloodthirsty expression on his face. His blonde hair was caked in dust, blood, and sweat. The shattering of Kevin's Domain had taken a heavy toll on him. Still, standing between Jack and Afro, he looked as if he would neither allow Afro to take Skana nor let him pass.

Skana was far from him. He was in no position to hold Afro back. He had a large wound on his right chest from the explosion's impact. His breathing was ragged. How could he resist Afro in his current state?

"Kevin..."

Kai's lips trembled. He hadn't expected to see his best friend like this. His eyes grew redder. Despite his best efforts, all he could do was watch. There was nothing he could do.

Afro's face wore a contemptuous expression.

"Do you think you can stop me like this? Are you really that stupid?"

Kevin's breathing stopped for a moment, and then he continued as if nothing had happened. However, the look in his eyes gradually changed. Over time, both Kai and Afro realized that this wasn't a bloodthirsty look.

"I...I'm not stupid. I just... I trust my brothers."

Kevin had always trusted Kai and Jack. They always helped him and never complained. They'd never thought he was stupid. They made him study for his exams when he didn't, and they picked him up when he fell. They supported him when he first opened up to someone. They believed him during misunderstandings and continued to defend him, even when he was guilty. They saw his mistakes as their own. To Kevin, Kai and Jack were no different from his brothers. No! They were more than just brothers to him!

"Now that they trust me... I can't disappoint them..."

The expression in Kevin's eyes became clearer. As Kai and Afro stared at him, a strange energy began circulating around him. He radiated a different feeling.

"Even if it means my death, I will succeed!"

His hair stood on end, and his color changed dramatically. The crown on his forehead shone like the sun. He possessed the majesty of a king. And he radiated another feeling: freedom...

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Kai knew it. He remembered that sign, that feeling. The flicker in his eyes was palpable now. Kevin's hair turned completely gray, and the whites of his eyes disappeared. His pupils were gray, and the whites of his eyes were black. This represented his Shadow King form. This was his kingly power.

But Kai knew. Right now, it wasn't enough. Kevin knew it, too. Kai had seen what Ryuga had done.

'Oh no...'

Kai's lips trembled, but Kevin didn't hesitate. Summoning all his strength, he finished his sentence.

"I will kill you!"

The Shadow King was like a prisoner. Though powerful, he was confined. He was a wild beast living in bondage. A beast who would never know freedom or light. He longed to see how bright the sky was.

Now, the Shadow King is free from captivity. The blackness in his eyes turned to pure snow white. His pupils were no longer colorless. Freedom could be seen in his eyes. Kevin was calm. When he spoke, he felt different. Peaceful and yet so free.

"The Forbidden Technique, the Shadow King's Bondage..."

WOOOOOOOUUUUMMM...!!!

The shadow domain spread from Kevin and instantly enveloped the entire island! The island was suddenly gripped by darkness. All anyone could see when they looked around was darkness. Now, they felt the captivity of darkness. The bondage that countless Shadow Kings had felt for years was concentrated in the Forbidden Technique!

An intense power enveloped the entire island. The cultivators felt as if they were drowning in the ocean. This intense energy was suffocating them.

"What's happening? I can't see anything."

"This... doesn't this feel like the Shadow Domain?"

First the sudden death of the Hunters, and now this. Something big is happening."

"This energy is overwhelming! I can't move."

Many voices rang out. They were all consumed by the same thoughts. Kevin could feel them all.

Melony and Jace stared into the darkness in shock as they walked through the forest. Lena was riding on Jace's back. Melony's expression quickly shifted from shock to fear. Jace trembled as well. Lena stared at them both, hoping the thought wasn't real.

"Kevin!"

Afro was terrified as he looked at Kevin. Why? How could the King of Shadows escape his bondage? How had he gotten into this situation? He had to do something now. He had to find a way to escape or kill the King right then and there. He had to leave—

"There is no salvation now."

Kevin's calm voice held a sacred tone. His eyes were pure white. His hair was transparent. He was free now. Like a beam of light, he could reach everywhere.

Afro's heart clenched as Kevin extended his finger.

"Neither you nor I can escape death. May your soul feel captivity."

A light emanated from Kevin's finger, piercing Afro's heart and soul with all its might. Afro gasped for breath, and Kevin did too. The intense pressure on the island vanished. Kai's chains broke, sending both Kevin and Afro to their knees.

Just as Kevin was about to fall, Kai moved like lightning and caught him. Kevin's hair was still transparent. His eyes, however, had returned to normal. Blood flowed from his ears, nose, mouth, and eyes. Kai's eyes were empty as he stared at Kevin. Intense fear gripped Kevin. Falling bodies were one of the few things that could frighten him. Kai had lost his sense of fear, yet he was still afraid. Not of his own death. He was afraid of his friend's death.

Jack crawled to Kevin's side. Tears streamed from his eyes. They wet his cheeks, cooling his face. He was weak again. It was the same as last time. It remained that way when Alan died. It remained that way when Isaac was dying. It remained that way when Clara was dying. He wasn't like Isaac. He hadn't been able to save anyone. Nothing he could give could save anyone. Nothing could bring Kevin back from the dead.

"J-Jack... Kai?"

Kevin was held in Kai's arms and had a smile on his face. He was no longer in the Skylands. His gaze turned back to a time long ago. He remembered the day at the academy when Michael had given him permission to choose his weapon. Nothing happened as he had anticipated when he entered the room that day. He chose the shadows. He chose the Skana. Because of that choice, he had saved his friends today and come closer to death. He remembered when they had carved their names on that tree. He remembered the promise they had made to each other: They had promised to leave no one behind. He remembered the day he first met Kai. Kai had saved him even though he knew he would get beaten up. His memories were crystal clear now. He remembered. He remembered everything.

'Do you want to be friends with me?'

'What am I going to do? Seth is so strong. Aaah I'm scared.'

'I'm not going to give you the answers, Seth.'

'If I'm a healer too, I'll come with you, Kai.'

'This is really exciting! I didn't know the world had a face like this!'

'I have a feeling the World Tournament is going to be very different.'

'I will be strong enough to walk beside you, Kai.'

'I love you, Melony.'

'We... are going home!'

Two tears flowed from Kevin's eyes. He couldn't see, but he knew. He knew the two people standing next to him. He couldn't feel or hear them. But he knew them. He hadn't fallen. They had held him up.

"I don't regret it... I don't..."

With tears in his eyes, Kai tried to heal Kevin and Jack. As he did so, a needle fell from Kevin's sleeve. The needle contained a liquid mixed with a little blood. Jack recognized the liquid. But he couldn't pay attention to it now. Kevin's hand had fallen, along with the needle. He couldn't hold his hand any longer. Kai had stopped healing him involuntarily. To his blind eyes, it was the end. When Kai and Jack froze and a beautiful figure emerged from the forest, many things changed in history. Today, Kevin, Kai and Jack's best friend and Melony's fiancé, took his last breath.

Kevin was dead.