The city below was painted in the soft crimson brushstrokes of a setting sun, casting long shadows that stretched like the fingers of a slumbering giant. Eiden, a 12-year-old boy with eyes like windows to the universe, sat perched upon a weathered rooftop, his small form dwarfed by the sprawling cityscape. Beside him knelt his father, a towering figure with arms like mighty oaks, his deep-set eyes mirroring the fiery glow of the sunset. Father and son, sharing a moment of boundless wonder.
"It's beautiful, Dad," Eiden whispered, his voice filled with the kind of awe that only a child could possess. His father's smile, a bastion of warmth, expanded like a crescent moon. "It's beautiful because it's a reminder of how wonderful the world can be," he replied, his voice a soothing lullaby.
Eiden's eyes, pools of unfiltered trust, gazed up at his father, reflecting the same warmth that painted the sky. "I wanna make the world more beautiful, Dad," he declared with unwavering sincerity.
In response, his father's smile broadened, a loving hand ruffling Eiden's hair. "And you will, my son. You'll grow up to do great things." It was a promise, an unspoken vow between a father and his cherished child.
But that memory now stood as a bittersweet relic of the past. Eiden, now a grown man, found himself atop a towering skyscraper, peering down at the same cityscape, his eyes devoid of their former innocence. The city had transformed, and he with it, into a relentless vigilante with exceptional powers.
The city's skyscrapers, once beacons of grandeur, no longer elicited wonder. They were symbols of a world tainted by crime, of a city scarred by the events of that fateful day.
He couldn't help but replay the harrowing moments of the plane crash that stole his parents and irrevocably altered his destiny. His thoughts wandered back to the airplane cabin and the pilot's calm yet ominous announcement: "Attention all passengers, we have initiated a controlled crash landing."
Fear had clutched his heart as the plane was thrown about by turbulence, and he had grasped his parents' hands, seeking solace in their reassuring touch. His mother's voice had been a soothing melody amid the chaos, promising that everything would be alright, that they'd come through this ordeal.
But everything hadn't been alright. Not by a long shot.
An explosion had torn through the plane, sending it plummeting from the sky. His mother, the embodiment of courage he had clung to, had promised that they'd make it through. But it was an empty promise, a whisper in the tempest.
Eiden floated high above the city, the vivid memories of that day etched in cruel detail, tormenting him still. His parents' faces, their voices, the delicate fragrance of his mother's perfume, and his father's unwavering smile—these memories were ever-present.
The pain never dulled, and it was the catalyst that propelled him on this relentless path of vengeance. He had sworn that tragic day that he would find those responsible for his parents' deaths. Vengeance had driven him to extraordinary lengths, and the rigorous training had molded him into an extreme human, mastering skills that surpassed the boundaries of mortal limitations.
In the darkness of night, he emerged, a silent figure, shrouded in the inky veil of the city's shadows. As he descended from the skyscraper, he wished, perhaps futilely, for a way to turn back time, to rewrite the horrors of that day.
The sun dipped below the horizon, plunging the city into darkness, and Eiden continued his relentless quest for justice. His journey would take him into the darkest corners of the city, where secrets slumbered like ancient beasts, waiting to be unearthed.
Amongst the gleaming skyscrapers, amidst the city's labyrinthine heart, a narrative unfolded—a narrative of revenge, redemption, and revelations yet to come.