Volume 1 - The Grand Sirius Tournament Arc
The universe has always been a place where the strong consume the weak. Stars ignite, burn, and fade into cold darkness. Planets are born from dust, only to return to it. And yet, in that endless cycle of creation and destruction, there are forces beyond the reach of the living—forces that shape destinies and bend the will of even the strongest among us. The universe had chosen him, a single human in a universe where humans were not meant to exist anymore. But whether he would rise to its call or be consumed by its endless void remained to be seen.
Planet: Thaloria
Stellar System: Sirius (Based on the binary Sirius A & B system)
Number of Stars: 2 (Binary)
Galaxy: Viridion (Milky Way)
Star(s) Type: A-Type (White)/ A-Type (White)
Number of Planets: 5 (1 in the habitable zone)
Hidden deep within the filthy underground of the city Thalos was a fight club. The foul stench of sweat and blood filled the air along with the sound of a rowdy crowd screaming for violence. In the center of the room, which was filled with purple skinned humanoid aliens called Thalorians surrounding a caged ring, was a young human man with skin the color of sand. He bounced around lightly on the balls of his feet as his dark brown eyes focused on his opponent across from him, a humongous four armed purple alien who towered over him like he was nothing.
"And in the other corner we have Kaito the human with the fiery spirit! Will tonight be his final stand? Will his luck finally run dry?" The announcer excitedly yelled through a microphone.
The crowd erupted into jeers. To them, Kaito was nothing more than scum, a filthy human. But he didn't care, or so he made it seem. He tuned the crowd out the best he could and focused entirely on his opponent in front of him.
"This is nothing new. Stay sharp Kaito." He thought to himself.
The bell rang and his body moved in a blur, closing the gap between them almost instantly.
The alien roared, swinging one of its massive arms in a wild arc trying to end the fight with a single blow.
Kaito barely ducked in time, the wind from the swing ruffling his hair. He faked an upward knee that made his opponent react before spinning and delivering a vicious elbow to its jaw, sending the alien brute stumbling backwards dazed.
The crowd roared in response, but their shouts weren't for him… They were for the violence.
For the blood.
His alien opponent shook his head before charging in again, all four of its massive arms swinging wildly with zero technique whatsoever.
But Kaito was too fast for that.
He ducked and spun between the strikes before throwing a kick that connected squarely with the side of his head. The alien stumbled and wobbled woozily before falling to his knees. Kaito saw this and he seized the moment.
He leaped in the air and delivered a nasty twelve to six elbow to the top of his head, causing him to collapse face forward into the ground.
"Finally… It's over. I finally did it." He said as he panted.
The crowd roar, but not in celebration.
They hated him.
Every single bit of him.
He's a human. Once thought to be an extinct race that most in the known universe feared and despised.
Kaito walked towards the fight organizer. A short, chubby, greasy purple alien man leaned against the counter at the edge of the pit.
"Fighter 4212 here for my reward." Kaito said.
The greasy man tossed a few crumpled bills onto the counter, not even bothering to look up as he counted a large stack of money.
"Ahhhhhhhh, Kaito the human. Business has been booming since you started fighting here, you know that? I really appreciate you keeping me in business. Life's pretty rough on this lawless world."
Kaito stared at the bills confused.
"This isn't the full payout. I fought for five thousand–"
"You get what I say you get. Be thankful you're even allowed to fight, human. In this part of the galaxy you're lucky to be breathing." The greasy bastard cut him off with.
"I earned that mon—"
"You earned nothing you worthless piece of shit! Take your scraps and crawl back to whatever gutter you came from before I make sure you don't get up the next time."
The threat seemed to linger in the air. Kaito could feel the eyes of the crowd on him, waiting for him to retaliate. But instead he swallowed his pride, grabbed the pocket change and turned away as the crowd began to jeer towards him.
"Run along, human! You don't belong here!"
"Yeah, why don't you go back to your world… oh wait?! Hahahahahaha!!!"
He walked out of the arena with the heavy metal door slamming shut behind him. As he left, three burly members of the fight club gave each other a look.
Outside, the neon lights of Thalos flickered overhead. The alley smelled like something died and was decomposing for days. He yelled and kicked a rusted trash can, sending it clattering down the alley.
"This is what I get? All that damn work, all that fighting... and still nothing… There's only one day left for the tournament. I need to get in somehow…"
As he paced the alley fuming with rage, he felt a sudden sensation in the air. A strange energy drew his attention. He looked up, scanning the streets, and that's when he saw it… or rather her.
In the distance, walking through the crowded streets was a figure that stood out like a full moon in the clear night sky. Her silver hair shimmered in the city lights. She had the skin tone of french vanilla ice cream along with ears as long and pointy as could be. Her bright red eyes were looking around as if she lost something, or someone.
"An elf? What's she doing on a lawless planet like this?" He thought to himself.
Before he could process the sight, a small thalorian boy stumbled out from the crowd, his eyes wide as he caught sight of Kaito. Fear flooded the boy's face immediately.
"Hey, kid, it's okay. I'm not—"
But the boy didn't care to listen. He was terrified. He turned and ran, disappearing into the crowd. People walking by began to notice Kaito and the whispers rose.
"What's a human doing out here?" One bystander asked.
"I thought it was just rumors, but there actually is a human on this world?" A teenage thalorian wearing a school uniform said.
Kaito's shoulders tensed up. He turned and ran off, leaving the city.
Far from the noise of the city and now deep in the surrounding forest that was filled with a variety of shades of purple, Kaito took a moment to gather himself, to ease his mind and nerves. But he couldn't. He got into a muay thai-like fighting stance and began hitting a tree. Even as he trained, throwing punch after punch, kick after kick, breaking purple wood chips off of it… the anger inside him refused to dissipate.
"The Grand Sirius Tournament... I need to get in somehow. If I do, some crew out there might notice me and allow me to join and become a star traveler… so that I can travel the universe, uncover the truth about humanity, and become The King of the Stars. I'm going to create a world where they can live the lives they deserve. I swear I will…"
Suddenly, his senses flared. A strange pull began guiding him. His body moved before his mind could process it.
"What is that?" He muttered to himself.
He mindlessly walked deeper and deeper into the forest. As he followed the strange sensation, the rustling of bushes snapped him back into focus. He spun around, fists raised, only to find a young elf boy with dirty blonde hair and cream colored skin staring up at him, his light brown eyes wide as could be.
"Woahhh!! Your ears are round! You really are a human! I didn't get a good look at the fight club thingy, but now I can see it wasn't a total rip-off. Well besides you winning so quickly."
Kaito lowered his fists, raising an eyebrow at the boy's innocent surprise.
"Uhhhh….You're not scared of me?"
"Na-uh! You're so cool and strong! Way stronger than the guys at the fight club thingy. I'm Finn!"
"Nice to meet you, Finn. I'm Kaito."
"Kaito? Whoa, even your name sounds cool! Do you fight all the time? Can you show me some moves?"
"Uhhhh sure, kid. But promise me you won't use them on anyone. I'd hate for you to get pounded by some wannabe thug."
"I won't! I'd much rather get pounded by you!"
"Eh…?"
Finn blinked with a confused look on his face at his weird reaction, but quickly shrugged it off.
Suddenly, a noise came from the shadows of the forest behind them. Kaito's body tensed instantly. His eyes scanned the treeline as the sound grew closer and closer.
From the darkness, three towering figures emerged. It was the same three that were watching him as he left the fight club, their faces twisted with malicious intent. Their leader, one with jagged scars running down his face sneered at Kaito, cracking his knuckles as he stepped forward.
"Well, look who we have here... Thought you could leave the arena without paying your debts, human?"
"What are you talking about? I don't owe you anything."
The leader smirked. Behind him, the other two thugs snickered.
"Oh, you owe us alright. And I'm here to collect."
Finn's wide eyes filled with a mixture of fear and determination.
Kaito instinctively moved in front of him, his eyes narrowing as a protective fire ignites within him.
"I have to keep him safe." He thought to himself.
But before any of them could make a move, the ground trembled, and a roar filled the air.
A monstrous four-legged alien creature with four glowing red eyes, brown and black fur, and razor-sharp claws leapt into the clearing. The rest of the gang froze up instantly, their bravado melting into pure terror.
"What... what the hell is that thing?" One of them asked, damn near pissing himself on the spot.
In a blink of an eye, it moved and sliced through the lead thug like he was butter. Blood sprayed across the clearing and the surrounding trees as pieces of his body fell to the ground. Panic erupted among the remaining two thugs instantly.
"Run! RUN!"
They tried to flee, but it was too late. More blood spattered the trees and ground as the beast mutilated the remaining thugs one by one, leaving no chance for escape. Kaito could only watch in stunned silence.
"What... what the hell is that thing?"
Finn took a big gulp and responded.
"It... it's a guardian."
The word rattled around in his head for a moment as he processed what he just witnessed. Slowly, its piercing gaze shifts towards his own and Finn.
Every muscle in Kaito's body tensed up and his mind raced trying to make sense of the encounter.
Thud-thud thud thud.
His heart was thundering in his chest, but he forced himself to remain calm. The guardian took a step forward, its massive paws sinking into the ground. Sweat dripped down the side of his face.
"Is it... sizing me up? No, it can't be. But... why isn't it attacking?"
For a long, excruciatingly tense moment, the guardian locked eyes with Kaito, as if peering directly into his soul. Then, with a final bone-chilling growl it turned, vanishing into the purple treeline.
Kaito exhaled, the tension in his body releasing all at once as his fists dropped to his sides.
"Wh–What in the stars just happened?" He asked.
Finn, who had been hiding behind him, came out from hiding, still slightly trembling but eyes wide with awe.
"That was... amazing! You didn't even flinch!"
Kaito forced a smile as his heartbeat began to slow. The weight of the moment started to lift, and a part of him felt strangely relieved.
"Yeah... well, it's not every day you get saved by a mon—"
Suddenly, Kaito's eyes widened. His senses screamed at him in what seemed to be a thousand different ways.
Time seemed to slow as he spotted a second creature, almost identical to the first but smaller. It had circled them unnoticed and stood on its hind legs right behind Finn, one arm morphed into a razor-sharp blade, raised high above its head.
Kaito's pulse quickened as panic flashed through his mind.
"There's no time to shout–Move! I have to move! NOW!"