shackles of the past

Tenkanshirayuki

“So your friend left you here to help Eden, is that it?”

Tenkan’s amused voice echoed across the battered arena as he calmly picked up his severed hand. With unnatural ease, he reattached it, flexing his fingers to ensure they moved properly. The sound of shifting bones was subtle but unsettling. He smirked at the so-called Holy Knight standing before him.

The knight took an instinctive step back, his grip tightening around his weapon as his eyes widened in horror. “What… what kind of monster are you?”

Tenkan stepped forward, his aura thickening into a suffocating weight. “It’s no use for him to try,” he said, a dark grin curling his lips. “Eden will never return to reality, nor will he ever give in.”

“You think you know everything,” the knight growled, raising his blade with defiance. “But there’s one thing you’ll never understand—what truly makes Nate stand out. And you’re about to find out now.”

“That’s right!” Athena’s voice rang out as she landed beside the knight, eyes blazing with determination. “And if you think he’s gonna give up on bringing Eden back, then you've got another thing coming!”

Tenkan narrowed his gaze, watching the pair. They actually believed in him that much?

Fine. Then he would find out what this Nate was really made of.

Nate

The city stretched before him in eerie silence—familiar, yet distant. He wandered through it, guided by instinct rather than logic, until his path led him to a shadowed alley. The kind of place that whispered danger in every brick.

There, he found Eden—standing perfectly still, his eyes locked ahead with unblinking focus.

Nate followed his gaze.

A group of armored Holy Knights surrounded a boy, fists and boots raining down without mercy.

And that boy… was Eden. Younger, bloodied, broken.

“It was painful,” Eden murmured, not looking back. “No one came to help. Instead, I was attacked by those who called themselves Holy Knights.”

Nate stepped forward, anger tightening his jaw. “What happened next?”

“This happened.”

The scene around them twisted like a dream unraveling. They now stood before a grand noble estate, its elegance marred by what Nate knew was coming.

Young Eden stumbled through the front door—clothes torn, face battered—his small frame shaking with fatigue. Inside, his father laughed with three other children his age. Two noblewomen watched from a couch, unconcerned.

Without a word, young Eden trudged up the stairs and stopped before a closed door.

“My mother was resting inside…” Eden whispered, voice distant.

He hesitated… then opened it.

Nate’s breath caught.

A woman lay motionless on the bed, her features pale but peaceful. Eden’s younger self stood frozen, tears streaking silently down his cheeks.

“You lost your mother,” Nate said softly.

“Both my parents,” Eden corrected. “She died of illness. As for my father… he threw me out.”

The scene shifted again—now a filthy alley under moonlight. The young boy curled up between two buildings, arms wrapped around himself, shivering from hunger and despair.

“I never even got the chance to bury her,” Eden said bitterly. “It hurt. I wanted revenge.”

The image shattered.

Now they stood in the same alley—but the air was thick with blood. The corpses of the knights who had once beaten him lay twisted and broken. Blood soaked the ground.

At the center stood young Eden—drenched, hollow-eyed, his innocence erased.

“You killed them,” Nate whispered, his voice low with shock.

“That’s not all…”

A figure stepped into the moonlight—a man clad in pristine white armor. His face was obscured by shadow, his aura unreadable.

He knelt beside the blood-covered child.

“You did this?” the man asked, calm but firm.

Eden nodded silently.

“Then how about taking their place?” the man offered. “I’ll train you. Make you stronger. With power, you can protect the weak… like you once were.”

The boy hesitated—then took the man’s hand.

The vision blurred again, morphing into a vast training ground. Warriors filled the area, all older, more seasoned. Among them, two stood out: young Eden, and another boy about his age.

Scoffs echoed around them.

“They think they can enter the Holy Knight Academy at that age?”

A light, feminine voice rang out through the sneers.

“Hey there… what’s your name?”

Nate turned toward the voice—and his heart stopped.

A beautiful girl with long blonde hair, soft pink eyes, and pale skin stood smiling. Her lips looked naturally glossed, her presence serene.

She was someone he hadn’t expected to see here. Someone from his life.

“No way…” he whispered. “How could she be here…?”

Eden didn’t even look at her. “Eden.”

She smiled. “Well, my name is—”

A sudden gust of wind distorted her words, sweeping them away before Nate could hear them.

She turned, pointing toward the other boy.

“And that boy over there is Tenkanshirayuki… my little brother.”

Nate’s eyes widened. Tenkanshirayuki?

They were all connected. Even here.

Tenkanshirayuki

The knight was still alive. Barely.

Tenkan’s scowl deepened. Every time he tried to finish him, that annoying princess would intervene, her ice abilities disrupting his rhythm. If that wasn’t enough, their damn healer kept them on their feet.

His patience wore thin.

He glanced toward Eden and Nate. Both were still struggling—trapped in the world of Eden’s past.

Good.

If he could take down both of them while they were vulnerable, he’d gain even more power.

Athena

“We’ve got to hold on, everyone!” Athena shouted, panting as she stood shoulder to shoulder with Owen and the healer.

“Right!” Owen grunted, deflecting another strike. The healer behind them nodded, mana already flowing through her fingertips.

Then, without warning, a scream tore through the battlefield.

Nate and Eden dropped to their knees—gasping, trembling, their faces contorted in agony. Like something inside them was being crushed.

Tenkan’s dark chuckle slithered through the air.

“Hmm… hmm… hmm…” he laughed, his eyes glowing with sinister delight. “Looks like they’re finally giving in. Just a little more torment… and they’ll be mine.”

Athena’s heart pounded in her chest.

She clenched her fists, refusing to let fear win.

“Eden… Nate… please… break free…”

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