Kai Lane: Beginning

It was raining. Drops slowly fell from the sky. They knew nothing of the people upon whom they fell nor the pain they were experiencing. Those people felt lost. Something had been taken from them. There would be no turning back.

Time seemed frozen. Melony's face was covered in drops, her short hair sticking to her neck. There was a void in her eyes. Was the wetness in her hair from sweat after running for miles, or from raindrops? Were all the drops on her face raindrops or tears streaming from her eyes? No one knew, but it didn't matter anyway.

The young man with translucent hair in Kai's arms was familiar to her. It was impossible not to recognize him. He was the one who made life beautiful and made her smile despite all she had endured on this island.

Thanks to his smile, she was happier than she could ever be. Today, because of his smile, she was suffering worse than death.

When Jace appeared from behind her, she hadn't had a chance to fully reflect. Lena was riding on his back, and because of her weight, he couldn't keep up with Melony. Perhaps it was Melony's feelings for Kevin.

Even if her feelings weren't love, Jace believed love was what was driving her so fast.

But his thoughts became hazy when he saw Kevin. Before Lena could look up from his back to look at Kevin, Jace brought his hand to her eyes.

"Why are you covering my eyes, Jace?"

Jace didn't want to. He wanted his voice to sound even. He knew it was impossible, but he spoke in a low voice anyway.

"There's nothing here you need to see."

Kai gently lowered Kevin from his arms to the ground. His eyes were blank. He seemed to have lost all desire and wish, yet he still had feelings. He felt the joy of love and the excitement of anticipation.

When he looked up, he didn't look at Jack or anyone else. He didn't want to look at Kevin anymore. He looked elsewhere. At that moment, a dark gleam appeared in his eyes. He stood up and disappeared into the forest without saying a word. No one said anything to him. No one asked where he was going. No one found him guilty.

Jack looked in the direction Kai had gone. The fear in his eyes was immeasurable. Then, he clenched his teeth. He clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug into his palms and began to bleed. His fear turned to anger, which then faded away. Jack's palms were completely covered in blood in the rain, and madness flowed from his eyes.

"YOU BASTARD!"

Jack turned his gaze to Afro, who lay a short distance away, suffering in captivity. Afro tossed and turned on the ground. He was in incredible pain. But he couldn't make a sound, and no one could see him.

As Jack looked at him, panting, he realized Afro was disappearing. The power of the ban was growing stronger. So Afro was disappearing completely.

"DON'T GO ANYWHERE!!!"

Jack quickly picked up the needle that had fallen from Kevin and stabbed Afro in the chest. He ignored the blood pouring from his mouth. Shadow beams erupted from his body as he limped to his feet and grabbed Skana, who was a short distance away. As Jack limped toward Afro, Melony suddenly screamed and lunged at Kevin.

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"KEVIIINNN!!!"

When Jack arrived in front of Afro, the red-haired man couldn't scream because of his agony. Jack spoke with a calmness he had never had before. A moment ago, he was enraged, but now... in the dark...Now he was calm.

"Can you hear that scream? That scream? It was your fault. Kevin is dead because of you."

Jack stared at the man lying on the ground, as coldly as if he were dead. He held two swords in his hands. His katana held him steady as he held Skana to kill him.

"Please! Save me! Aren't you a good person? Huh? Weren't you a hero? I beg you, don't kill me..."

Jack was furious when he saw that Jack could still speak and beg for his life. Even though his face remained unchanged, flames shot out of his eyes.

"You know, I realized something today... With my friend's death and your current state..."

"I understand now... By always doing the right thing..."

The Skana turned into a gray mark, and the blood rose. More blood spurted onto Jack's face.

"...You can't survive in this world..."

In the rain, red blood flowed down Jack's blood-soaked face. The rainwater exposed the magnificent golden Crown of the Shadow King on his forehead.

***

At that moment, an incredible beam of light moved toward Kronos and Emma. It moved so quickly that hardly anyone on the island could follow it with their eyes. Sometimes he stepped into the void without touching the trees, as if he had reached Step 2. It looked like he was flying, but he was actually using the wind to propel himself forward without slowing down.

After a while, black lightning bolts appeared beneath Kai's feet. They were so powerful that the tree he stood on shattered after he left. Without the force of the wind holding the branches upright, Kai wouldn't have been able to move this far.

His absolute control was truly incredible. Anyone who knew him would have been amazed to see this. Even though they had been resting and isolated for three months, everyone knew. Kai hadn't trained at all during that time.

Yet he now possessed such control.

Despite his impetuous pace, Kai's expression didn't resemble that of someone in a hurry. He was so calm. So calm, in this silent forest, that it made him terrifying.

As he approached, Kai slowed down. He was soaked from the rain. The slower he went, the wetter he got. Then he stopped. He stood on a tree branch and stared straight ahead. His long, blonde hair fell into his eyes. But his hair did not hide his eyes. Some might call his eyes calm and emotionless, but deep within those eyes was sadness and a touch of incomprehension.

"There's no need to rush, Kai. You can't heal her. You can't resurrect the dead. It doesn't matter how quickly you rush."

"Emma is dead."

Kai jumped from the tree and landed on the ground. The wind accompanied him as he began to walk, no longer attempting to conceal his presence. The mud sloshed, making noise to alert him to his footsteps. He wanted to feel pressure settle on his heart with each step. He wanted to feel how close the consequences of his actions were.

As he emerged from the grass and trees, Kai didn't think much. Seeing this after Kevin's death caused an incredible shift in his mood, but he wanted to see it up close. He wanted to see Emma's state up close.

Even when he saw Kronos take an attack stance, Kai didn't look at him once. Kronos moved away from Emma to fight Kai. By the time Kai reached Emma, he was about 30–40 meters away from Kronos.

He looked at the pit created by Kronos's fists and the badly damaged human body inside. Since it had rained, the pit was covered in soil and dirt. Her face was covered in blood. Her skull was visible, and her teeth were protruding. The scene was so horrific that no one would believe a human being had done it.

Kai's eyes widened in shock when he saw Emma. Then, he knelt down and examined her face more closely. He felt sad. His voice shook when he spoke, and he looked only at Emma's face.

"This wasn't supposed to happen. I saw her. She was at the academy. She should have lived. What did I do wrong?"

"I'm sorry. I thought you'd be safe this way."

As Kai looked down at Emma's face, Kronos noticed something different about him.

"I...I...I don't know how much longer I can go on like this."

Kai was crying.