Before the smoke filled the skies and the earth choked under the weight of rubble, this world brimmed with life. Cities flourished, lands thrived, and the skies were clear. Life embodied a delicate balance between humanity and nature. People lived in harmony with their environment, developing technology that served them and unlocked the doors to the future.

But behind this prosperity, something dark crept quietly within the world's systems. Unbounded greed and destructive ambitions drove humanity to compete over every resource, even those they did not truly need. Governments and major corporations sought to create technologies they were unprepared to wield, until the very tools designed to ease human lives became the harbingers of their ruin.

In this frantic pursuit of power, the world began to witness its first signs of collapse. The once-abundant resources dwindled uncontrollably. Rivers dried up, forests withered, and the skies grew polluted, suffocating life beneath a heavy veil. Technological wars erupted, leaving humanity teetering on the brink of extinction.

As Arin wandered through his ruined world, the sky hung heavy with fog and smoke, and his heart weighed down by memories tangled in the haze of days gone by. He moved among the ruins, his mind consumed by a storm of pain, as though life itself had become a bitter dream where revenge was the only answer. Every step felt like another passage in an unending journey, each thought a tempest crashing through his mind, all centering on one burning desire: vengeance.

Moments of heavy silence passed as he walked beside an old bridge, when suddenly, a sharp cry shattered the stillness. It echoed from beneath the structure, piercing through the desolation that enveloped the place. At first, he ignored it. He was accustomed to such sounds, to the groans of a world around him. In his heart, there was something far heavier than the suffering of others.

Yet, he stopped. The cry was different. There was a tone to it, something that spoke of danger, of something beyond the ordinary. For a fleeting moment, a faint light of the past seeped through the darkness. He didn't know why, but his chest tightened at the mere thought of drawing closer. Was it fear? Or was there something within him he couldn't escape?

"I'm not responsible for saving everyone…" he murmured to himself, the words like an attempt to convince his fractured mind. And yet, the thin edge between him and the unbearable crept closer again.

Then, as though given no choice, he moved toward the sound. Ensuring the assailants had left, he approached the boy lying on the ground, his pale body trembling.

Arin gazed at him coldly before focusing on his features. The boy was young, barely fifteen. His skin was ashen, reflecting the gray of the surrounding ruins. But what caught Arin's attention most was the boy's long white hair, which seemed to blend with the desolation of the world. It fell haphazardly across his face, revealing wide gray eyes that held a faint glimmer, like a lost star struggling to shine in a smoke-filled sky.

Arin studied his appearance for a moment before asking coldly, "What's your name?"

The boy replied weakly, "Kyle."

"Kyle…" Arin repeated, his gaze shifting between the boy's pale face and the wounds covering his arms. "Your hair… it looks as though it's part of this ruin."

Kyle showed no visible reaction, only looking at Arin with an unusual calmness before replying in a broken voice, "Does it bother you?"

Arin stepped back, turning his gaze to the horizon as if trying to escape something greater than the moment. "No. But don't expect me to protect you… or even help you."

Standing at a distance, as though the space between them marked the boundary of another world, Arin looked away. Kyle, his lips curving into a bitter smile, didn't ask any questions. There was no time for them. The journey had only just begun.

As Arin walked away into the unknown, his footsteps echoing faintly, Kyle remained seated on the ash-covered ground. Closing his eyes for a moment, it seemed as though he was reaching for something far beyond his grasp. He gazed up at the gray sky, where smoke continued to devour the horizon.

"This is the beginning of my story… the beginning of knowing people I never expected to meet. Will this journey make our lives better, or will it bring us even more sorrow? No one knows. The future is always unpredictable, carrying with it what we least expect."

With a bitter smile, he looked toward the dark horizon, as though every word he uttered carried a promise of something… something only time would reveal.

"This is where it all begins… what happens next is something only time can tell."