The wind whispered gently through the trees, rustling the golden leaves of late autumn. The village of Kiyomizu lay quietly in a valley hugged by mountains — untouched by war, free from chaos. A place of peace. Of normalcy.
Kaizen Ryouma stood barefoot on the edge of a shallow river, water lapping against his ankles. The sun had just begun to rise, painting the sky with streaks of rose and orange. In his hand was a wooden fishing rod, worn from use, but reliable — just like the life he lived.
Behind him, laughter rang out.
"Kaizen, you'll never catch anything if you keep daydreaming like that."
He turned and smiled. Ayaka Himari stood with her arms crossed, her short black hair tied up, a basket of herbs hanging from her side. Her eyes — cool and focused — betrayed the smallest smirk.
"I caught something yesterday," Kaizen defended, grinning.
"A frog doesn't count."
He chuckled and shrugged. "Still something."
This was their world. Small, simple, safe.
Kaizen lived with his mother and his six-year-old sister, Hana. Ayaka's family had died during a border conflict years ago, and since then she had grown up alongside Kaizen, practically his shadow. She was quieter now, older beyond her years, her loyalty to him stronger than words could express.
They had no warriors in the village. No soldiers. Why would they? The war-torn capital was hundreds of miles away, and the great beasts — the Bist — hadn't been seen in this region for nearly a decade.
They believed themselves safe.
They were wrong.
---
That night, it started with the screaming of birds. Thousands of them, erupting from the forest in a mad frenzy. The earth shook. Not like a tremor — but like something moving beneath it.
Kaizen jolted awake in his small wooden home. He could hear pots crashing in the kitchen. His mother yelling.
And then — a roar.
Not human. Not animal.
Something ancient.
He ran outside, barefoot, heart pounding.
What he saw would haunt him forever.
The forest to the east — gone. Swallowed in a blazing inferno. A creature stood at the edge of the fire, its body made of sinew and black stone, eyes glowing like molten gold. It towered above the tallest tree — no, it was the one who had moved the ground.
A Bist.
Impossible.
Ayaka appeared beside him, breathing heavily, clutching two short blades. "We have to get your mother and Hana. Now!"
Kaizen nodded, sprinting toward his home. But the ground cracked — the Bist stepped forward.
It wasn't alone.
From the flames came more — smaller, twisted forms with jagged limbs and split jaws. The village guards — untrained, unarmed — ran to intercept.
They were shredded in seconds.
Kaizen burst into his house. His mother stood shielding Hana, her face pale, eyes locked on him.
"No time," she said, pulling Hana forward. "Take her. Run."
"Come with me!" Kaizen screamed.
But she shoved him, hard. "GO!"
A shadow fell across the house. Wood shattered. The wall exploded inward. A claw — black as night — swiped through the air.
Kaizen grabbed Hana and ran. He didn't look back.
He heard the scream.
He kept running.
---
They didn't make it far.
Another creature crashed into the path ahead — skeletal wings stretching wide, eyes dripping black ichor.
Kaizen turned, cradling Hana. Behind him, Ayaka fought like lightning — blades flashing, slicing through a beast's neck. But it wasn't enough.
The winged one raised a jagged limb and struck.
Kaizen screamed as Hana was torn from his arms.
She hit the ground with a sickening crack.
Motionless.
Everything stopped.
The fire. The screams. The beasts.
Kaizen fell to his knees. The world dimmed. His breath came in short, broken gasps.
Something inside him broke.
And then — it awoke.
From the depth of his soul, a scream unlike anything human tore free. The air rippled. The ground cracked. His blood boiled, glowing faintly beneath his skin.
Ayaka stumbled back, eyes wide. "Kaizen…?"
He stood.
Or rather — something else stood in his place.
His eyes were gone — replaced with glowing crimson sigils. His arms stretched, bones twisting. A red aura bled from his skin, rising like steam.
The Bist turned toward him.
They knew what he was.
A Veinborn.
A forgotten bloodline — ancient, cursed, hidden.
Kaizen raised his hand.
The earth shattered.
A pillar of flame erupted beneath the winged beast, incinerating it instantly.
He walked forward, slow, deliberate.
With each step, Bist charged — and fell. He didn't use a weapon. He was the weapon.
Ayaka watched, silent tears on her face.
She saw him destroy them all.
But the fire in his eyes didn't stop.
He wasn't Kaizen anymore.
He was something else.
Something that would one day bring hell to the entire world.
---