The world broke in a single second.
Not loudly.
Not dramatically.
Just… wrong.
Julien felt it before he understood it.
That subtle tearing sensation, as if reality itself had slipped slightly out of alignment.
Joshua was still running.
The vampire was still moving.
And Julien—
Julien was too far.
I'm not going to reach him.
The thought came, calm and absolute.
Not fear.
Not despair.
Just certainty.
The vampire's shadow stretched across the floor, claws unfolding, eyes burning with hunger.
Joshua looked up.
Their eyes met.
For a brief, terrible moment, the boy smiled.
"Brother, I—"
The vampire lunged.
Something detonated inside Julien's chest.
Not magic.
Not power.
Instinct.
A pressure so intense it stole his breath.
His heart slammed once.
Twice.
Then began to race so fast it blurred into a single continuous beat.
His vision sharpened.
Colors brightened.
The noise of the battlefield dulled, as if someone had wrapped the world in thick cloth.
He moved.
Not by deciding to.
His body simply obeyed.
The floor seemed to push him forward.
Each step covered more distance than it should have.
His coat fluttered behind him, but he didn't feel the wind.
He felt… light.
As if gravity had loosened its claim on him.
'Why am I so fast?'
He didn't have time to finish the thought.
The vampire's claws were already descending.
He was still too far.
And then—
He smiled.
Not because he was confident.
Not because he was calm.
Not because he was amused.
His lips curved upward without permission.
A gentle, almost peaceful smile.
'Why am I smiling?'
The thought came distantly, disconnected from his face.
He didn't feel happy.
He felt terrified.
But his expression didn't match.
The vampire's claws struck.
And the air screamed.
Water exploded into existence.
Not from the ground.
Not from a source.
From nothing.
From the moisture in the air, ripped together by an unseen will.
A translucent barrier snapped into place around Joshua, just as the claws hit.
BOOM!!.
The impact detonated outward.
Stone shattered.
Dust and debris blasted across the garden.
Julien skidded to a stop, sliding across broken tiles, his shoes barely holding.
Joshua stood frozen inside the barrier, unharmed.
The vampire was hurled backward like a thrown doll, crashing into the collapsed balcony.
Stone buried its lower body.
Metal pinned its arm.
It was half-stuck in the rubble, struggling, snarling, trapped.
Silence fell in that small circle of destruction.
The battle still raged elsewhere.
But here—
Only three remained.
The trembling child.
The trapped monster.
And Julien.
He stood there, breathing hard.
His hands were shaking.
His heart felt like it might burst.
And yet—
He was still smiling.
Not a grin.
Not a laugh.
A calm, gentle, almost mocking smile.
He slowly walked forward.
Each step deliberate.
Dust swirled around his feet.
The vampire stared at him, confused.
Its pupils contracted.
"What…" it hissed, spitting blood.
"…what are you…?"
Julien stopped a few steps away.
He tilted his head slightly.
Inside, his thoughts were chaos.
'I nearly failed.
That was too close.
Joshua could have died.
Why am I smiling? Stop smiling. This isn't funny.'
But his face did not listen.
The smile remained.
The vampire growled.
"Why are you laughing, kid…?" it demanded.
"What are you… a demon or something…?"
Julien opened his mouth.
For a moment, he intended to answer seriously.
To say:
'I'm scared.
I don't know what just happened.
I'm just trying to protect my brother.'
But instead—
The words came out differently.
Calm.
Light.
Almost polite.
"With all due respect, sir… I'm a full-fledged human."
The vampire froze.
Not because of the words.
Because of the way he said them.
Because of the smile.
Because of the eyes.
For the first time, uncertainty flickered in its expression.
Behind it—
Steel whispered.
Alicia appeared from the dust.
Her expression was cold.
Focused.
No hesitation.
Her rapier flashed.
Once.
Clean.
The vampire's head separated from its body.
The corpse dissolved into ash.
The rubble collapsed inward.
Joshua finally began to cry.
Julien's smile vanished instantly.
As if it had never existed.
His legs gave out.
He dropped to one knee, gasping.
The world rushed back.
Sound returned.
Pain returned.
Fear returned.
"What… was that…?" he whispered.
Joshua ran into his arms.
"I was scared," the boy sobbed.
Julien held him tightly.
"So was I," he murmured.
Then—
Light.
A translucent screen unfolded before his eyes.
Silent.
Impersonal.
Cold.
Status Screen Initialized.
Name: Julien Morvain
Age: 15
Awakening detected…
Class: ???
Trait: ???
Skill: ???
Stabilizing…
Julien stared.
His breath caught.
So this was it.
Not dramatic.
Not glorious.
Just… a quiet screen.
"I almost got him killed," he muttered.
The screen flickered.
New line appeared.
Trait manifestation unstable.
Julien frowned.
"What…?"
He looked down at his trembling hands.
Then at the dust.
Then at Joshua.
And finally—
At the faint reflection of himself in a shard of broken glass.
For a split second—
He saw it.
Not his normal face.
Not fear.
Not exhaustion.
A faint afterimage.
A smiling face.
Not his own.
He swallowed.
So that's how it begins.
The screen dimmed.
And vanished.
Leaving Julien kneeling in the ruins.
Awakened.
And not entirely himself anymore.