Dao, a futuristic empire, has established a ruthless system. The aether system is to make all humans equal and peaceful. A liberal initiative by the governments and ACG to exterminate the existence of certain rare beings called "shifters". Shifters - the rare humans who can manifest their souls outside the body and fight with their unique abilities. These abilities are called shifts and possess logic-denying powers.
RILONG WETLANDS - DAO COUNTRYSIDE
In the faraway wetland of Rilong, there lay a man. Covered in sand and dirt, thundertruck and nearest tree, and he opened his eyes. He just stared at the sky, he didn't even know this place and looked everywhere. It was dirt, and he was covered in dirt.
He had no name.
He had no home.
But only a question that echoed in his mind.
"Who am I?"
He woke up and touched the mud; it was slimy, and there was a huge catfish. He caught it with his hands and observed the strange creature. It was a catfish, and it flopped on the side.
"Cat...fish"
"This...place?:
He slowly walked and got out of that swamp. He shivered, and it was cold; the region was on the verge of a snowfall. The world felt unfamiliar, and even the words that came from his mouth were foreign.
Far away, two figures stood atop a tree. They were observing the man, his walking style and also his dress.
"Is he a civilian?"
"No, look at his build...he is not normal"
"Use our shifts and we will win"
They disguised themselves in the cloak of a traditional hunter, to prevent knowing who they truly were: rogue shifters.
"Hey...this place is dangerous"
"You know it's dangerous"
Thus, they started their sweet talks. A friendly tone, but little did our man know their true identity. The man blinked and responded with a puzzled eyes.
"Ah...I don't know where I am"
The man's response made them think that he was weird. Thus, they started to ask him personal questions.
"What is your age?"
"I am 18"
"18, you are only a kid!"
"Oh...yes, can you tell where the city is?"
Both of them saw that golden ring on his finger. They exchanged glances, and one of them pointed at it. Giving the order to steal it.
Behind him appeared a strange figure, a humanoid thing that resembled a robot but was enveloped in an aura. It was the robber's shift.
"Take it! Rockstar way!"
In a flash, the ring appeared from the man's hands, and they escaped. The man chased them, but he was in no condition to get that back. They could see the disappointed man standing there while they escaped.
"That ring? It is important"
The man muttered. It was an important ring. He didn't have any memories of that. But only the feeling that it was important.
The robbers noticed that something was written on the ring. They read, it was a name. It was engraved in the ring, and he murmured it.
"Kai"
"Hey, this guy's name is Kai"
They felt that something was odd; they were running fast, and it felt like they were being pulled back.
"Hey, are we running this slow?"
"Why?"
"We can still see him, We should have reached pretty far by now"
"Huh? Be...bb a black moon?"
"Moon...?"
They turned back, and a black moon levitated in the air. It shone black, and they were instantly terrified after seeing that thing. Far away, they observed that something humanoid was also standing behind Kai. They instantly recognised that.
"A shift?"
"Shift?"
"He is a shift user?"
"It's standing there"
Behind Kai stood a humanoid figure, a shift. It had two horns on the forehead and long hair. The body was blue and a holy cross that illuminated in the centre. Kai's purple aura and his glowing eyes proved that the man was.
"A shift user"
"And this thing"
The gravity accelerated, and they were pulled inside the moon. They stood right before Kai, and the blue figure merged with him. Kai clenched his fist, and the punch came like a hammer. It hit their heads and shattered their skulls. The ring fell from their hand, and the figure caught it. Kai continued to launch a barrage of punches until he changed the shape of their face.
"Sanwei...we are"
SFX: SMASH
The final punch made both fly away and land on the branch of a tree.
"A shift user..he was a shift user"
"An overpowered one for sure"
Kai stood there, with the purple aura radiating from his eyes. The aura around him vanished, and the shift disappeared. Kai continued to walk forward. After walking for several hours, the dense forest was over, and far away, something was shining amidst two mountains.
"City..."
"That is a city..."
However, that was the limit. Kai's leg gave up, and he was on the ground, on his knees. He couldn't see anything or think. His heartbeat rose, and he could only smell and understand that someone was approaching him. The sound of something walking through the bushes made him distraught. But he fell and lost his mind.
Kai heard something and he opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was a hanging light and the ceiling of a wooden house.
"A house"
"Grandma, he has woken up"
It was the sound of a girl. The voice was sweet and had a caring tone. He sat up and saw the girl. She had long, silky hair and a pale white face. A glowing face and shining eyes, she stood there in front of him and gave a smile.
"What is your name?"
She asked, but Kai was too focused on her that he didn't hear what she asked. It was the first time someone had helped him. The first help felt sweet, and her voice captivated him again.
"Thank you"
Again, he knew this word; it came out of his mouth suddenly. It was foreign yet familiar. Another feeling appeared in his mind. He was crying, tears rolled down his face. His eyes were wide open, and he felt like that person had to be protected. A feeling that felt familiar yet foreign. Therefore, a single thought came to his mind.
"I want to protect her"