(Flashback from Kaijin's POV) 18 months before the incident.
The weekend had arrived, but for Kaijin, it was far from relaxing. The house felt unusually quiet; his parents and siblings had departed on a mission, leaving him alone with the housekeeper, Cathy. Kaijin had spent the early hours in the training room, honing his abilities for the upcoming ranking tournament. The weight of being an E-ranking student bore heavily on his shoulders. He wasn't as strong as his classmates, a fact that gnawed at his pride every time he faced them. The clock ticked to 11:26 AM as he finished his last set, sweat dripping from his brow, soaking the towel draped around his neck. Wearing black gym shorts, his chest heaving from exertion, he left the training room and headed towards his room upstairs.
As he ascended the stairs, Kaijin noticed Cathy dusting the railing. Her age had begun to show in the slight stoop of her back and the silver strands that framed her face, yet her smile was as warm as ever.
"Good morning, young master Kaijin," Cathy greeted him, her voice soft but laced with the authority of years of service.
Kaijin offered a gentle grin in return. "Good morning, Cathy. I hope you had a wonderful night's rest."
"I did, thank you. Are you going to take a shower? If so, let me draw you a bath," she offered, her eyes scanning his sweat-soaked form.
Kaijin shook his head, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly. "Don't worry about me, Cathy. I can draw my own bath. I'm not a child anymore."
Cathy chuckled softly, her eyes reflecting a mixture of pride and nostalgia. "They grow up so fast," she thought to herself. But she could see the fatigue in his eyes, the way his shoulders sagged despite his best efforts to appear strong.
"You should rest," Kaijin added, his voice kind but firm. "You look like you could use it."
Cathy nodded, though she knew she wouldn't rest until every chore was done. Kaijin watched her for a moment longer before heading to his room. After freshening up, he let the cool water wash away the fatigue, though not the anxiety that had settled in his chest. He dressed and sat in his room, letting vintage music fill the space as he tried to lose himself in the soothing melodies.
Hours passed, and the hunger gnawing at his stomach became too insistent to ignore. Kaijin left his room and made his way downstairs, hoping to find something to eat. But as he entered the kitchen, the empty refrigerator greeted him with a cold, disappointing silence.
"Damn it, there's no food," he muttered under his breath, frustration seeping into his tone.
Cathy, who had been wiping down the countertops, overheard him and turned with a concerned expression. "Young master Kaijin, is something wrong?"
Kaijin glanced at her, his annoyance melting away as he saw the worry in her eyes. "There's no food in the house," he explained.
"I could go to the grocery store and get some things to prepare dinner if you'd like," Cathy offered, already moving to grab her coat.
But Kaijin shook his head, more resolute this time. "No, it's fine. I'll go myself."
By 5 PM, Kaijin stood outside the grocery store, bags in hand, the sky above beginning to darken with heavy clouds. He was about to head home when strange noises reached his ears—distant shouts, growing louder and more frantic.
"We're under attack! We're under attack!"
The words sent a chill down his spine. Panic rippled through the crowd, people scattering in every direction. Kaijin looked up, his heart plummeting as he saw the sky teeming with thousands of meteors, each one blazing a fiery trail as they hurtled toward the earth with terrifying speed.
For a moment, he stood frozen, disbelief clawing at his mind. "This has to be a nightmare," he thought desperately, closing his eyes and wishing it away. But when he opened them again, the nightmare remained horribly real.
Fear gripped him, but his thoughts quickly turned to Cathy. He had left her at home, unaware of the impending danger. Shaking off the paralyzing terror, he started running, his heart pounding in his chest like a war drum.
"Damn it, I'll never make it in time," he cursed, his breath ragged as he pushed himself to move faster. Desperation fueling his determination, Kaijin tapped into his earth manipulation abilities, the ground beneath him shifting as he propelled himself forward like a bullet. The meteors rained down closer, each impact sending tremors through the earth. The first meteor struck nearby, the force of the blast knocking him off balance. He fell, his knee scraping against the rough ground, but he barely registered the pain. He scrambled to his feet, forcing himself to move, faster and faster.
As he rounded the final turn towards his house, his heart leapt at the sight of it still standing, a lone structure amidst the chaos. Relief was short-lived as he saw Cathy closing the window, oblivious to the destruction around her.
"Cathy, get out of the house!" he screamed, his voice hoarse with panic. But she didn't seem to hear him. He ran closer, shouting louder, but she had already gone inside.
"Damn it!" Kaijin hollered as he sprinted towards the entrance, but before he could reach the door, a massive meteor crashed down in front of him. The ground shook violently, the impact sending him flying back. He hit the ground hard, his head slamming against the pavement, stars dancing in his vision.
When the dizziness subsided, he looked up and his heart stopped. Where his house had stood, there was now only devastation—a crater of smoldering debris and broken memories.
"Cathy!" Kaijin's voice cracked as he staggered to his feet, stumbling over the rubble as he frantically dug through the wreckage. His hands bled as he clawed at the debris, splinters embedding themselves in his skin, but he didn't stop. "Cathy!" he screamed again, but the only answer was the cold wind and the distant cries of others.
Reality crashed over him like the meteors that had destroyed his home. Cathy was gone. The weight of that realization drove him to his knees, his body trembling with shock. He didn't know whether to cry or to just wait for the next meteor to finish him off.
"Where do I go? What do I do?" he thought, the hopelessness seeping into every fiber of his being.
A hand suddenly gripped his shoulder, snapping him out of his daze. "Kaijin, you idiot," a familiar voice said, the tone sharp but laced with concern.
Kaijin turned slowly, looking up to see Ben standing over him. Relief and sorrow mingled in Ben's eyes as he took in the destruction around them.
"What are you doing out here in the open? Another meteor could fall any time," Ben said urgently, pulling Kaijin to his feet. "I know you've lost your house, but it's not the end of the world."
Kaijin let out a bitter laugh, his voice hollow. "Do you really think it's not the end of the world? What could possibly stop this meteor shower?"
Ben had no answer, the grim silence that followed saying more than words ever could. Kaijin told him about Cathy, his voice barely above a whisper. Ben's expression softened, and he placed a hand on Kaijin's shoulder. "I'm sorry for your loss, but you can't let your life end here," he said gently.
Kaijin swallowed hard, fighting back the tears that threatened to spill over. Ben was right. As much as it hurt, he couldn't give up. They had to move, and fast. "We've been instructed to take any injured civilians to Gold Avenue for protection," Ben added.
Kaijin nodded, steeling himself as he scanned the area for survivors. He spotted a civilian trapped beneath the wreckage of a neighboring house, a meteor having reduced it to a pile of debris. Without thinking, Kaijin rushed over, his earth manipulation abilities lifting the debris as he pulled the injured person out, careful but swift.
"What are you doing standing there?" Kaijin called to Ben, who was momentarily frozen by the devastation around them. "Come help me carry him."
Ben snapped out of his stupor and rushed to Kaijin's side, lifting the civilian's arm over his shoulder as they hurried towards Gold Avenue. They rescued more civilians along the way—23 injured and 30 unharmed, guiding them through the chaos as meteors continued to fall around them, each impact sending shudders through the ground.
As they approached Gold Avenue, Kaijin felt a flicker of hope. Perhaps they had made it. Perhaps they were safe. But that hope was swiftly extinguished as they sensed a massive meteor, larger than any they had seen before, descending towards them with terrifying speed.
Kaijin's breath caught in his throat, fear paralyzing him as he realized that no one was coming to save them. There was no time to run. He had to act.
"Kaijin!" Ben's voice was laced with panic as the other civilians screamed in terror.
"What are you doing standing there? We have to run!" Ben shouted, his voice rising in desperation. But Kaijin knew it was pointless. They wouldn't make it in time.
Raising both hands, Kaijin tapped into every ounce of power he had, summoning his earth manipulation abilities to create a massive wall between them and the oncoming meteor. The ground trembled
as the wall of earth began to rise, towering higher and higher, Kaijin poured every bit of his strength into it, his muscles straining with the effort. The massive structure groaned under the weight of his will, the earth responding to his command, forming a barrier that he hoped would be strong enough to hold back the celestial threat.
Ben stared at him, wide-eyed, disbelief etched on his face. "Kaijin, have you gone mad? You can't stop that thing!" But Kaijin didn't listen. He couldn't listen. This was their only chance, their only hope.
The meteor hurtled closer, its heat searing the air, turning the sky a brilliant, blinding orange. The civilians huddled together, fear evident in their eyes as they watched Kaijin's desperate attempt to save them.
Ben hesitated, his heart pounding in his chest. "Join me," Kaijin shouted over the roaring wind, his voice raw and desperate. "Let's stop this meteor together!"
But Ben took a step back, shaking his head in disbelief. "You're insane," he muttered, backing away even further.
Kaijin's heart sank, but he couldn't afford to lose focus. The wall continued to grow, a monumental structure of rock and earth, but the meteor showed no signs of slowing down. It crashed into the wall with a deafening roar, the impact sending shockwaves through the ground, nearly knocking Kaijin off his feet.
He gritted his teeth, forcing more power into the wall, reinforcing it with everything he had. The earth groaned under the strain, cracks beginning to spiderweb across its surface. "Damn it…is this how I die?" he thought, his heart racing as the cracks widened, pieces of the wall beginning to crumble under the relentless force of the meteor.
Kaijin's hands trembled, the heat from the meteor searing his skin. The wall buckled under the pressure, but still, he held on, refusing to let go, refusing to give in. "Is this how my story ends?" he wondered, panic creeping into his thoughts. "I don't want to die, not like this!"
The heat became unbearable, his hands blistering, the pain searing through his nerves. He could feel his strength waning, his body on the brink of collapse. As his vision blurred from the intensity, Kaijin cast a glance back at Ben. He saw the civilians huddled together in fear, and beyond them, Ben was leading the last of them to safety.
For a moment, a sense of peace washed over him. "At least…at least I saved lives," he thought, a weak smile forming on his lips.
But as the cracks in the wall widened, the meteor's force proved too much. The wall shattered, the debris scattering like sand in the wind, and the meteor tore through the remaining structure with a devastating roar.
Kaijin closed his eyes, bracing for the inevitable, his thoughts a whirlwind of regrets and memories. "I'm sorry," he whispered to the world, to Cathy, to his family, and to everyone he wouldn't have the chance to protect.
The last thing he felt was the searing heat engulfing his body, the overwhelming force of the meteor as it slammed into him, crushing him beneath its unstoppable power. The world went silent, the chaos fading into a distant memory as darkness claimed him.
Time of death: 10:23 PM.
Kaijin vu~aru.