Even though strange monsters called Selementh were appearing in different cities…
Even though the world was slowly falling into fear…
Jaden's life stayed strangely normal.
Classes.
Studying.
Rooftop lunches.
Everything felt the same on the outside.
Aren leaned over and whispered,
"Yo dude, I heard we're getting our exam results today."
Jaden nodded.
"Yes. I heard."
Aren sighed, stressed.
"Bro, if I fail again, I'm done."
The teacher walked in with the result sheets.
Everyone went quiet.
"Top scorer… Jaden Smiha."
The room burst into noise.
"Aye, what?!"
"Him?!"
"No way!"
Aren stared at him like he'd seen a ghost.
"BRO. YOU TOPPED?!"
He shook Jaden by the shoulders.
"Teach me your secret, PLEASE."
Jaden blinked, confused.
He wasn't smiling.
He wasn't proud.
Inside, he thought:
How…? How did this even happen?
---
Lunch break.
The rooftop was quiet, as always.
Jaden sat alone, looking at the sky.
He let out a slow breath.
"These days… something has changed," he muttered to himself.
He closed his eyes for a second.
Then—shhhk—a black sword with glowing blue stones appeared in his hand out of thin air.
He stared at it.
"I can summon a sword now," he said softly, almost confused.
The blade hummed like it was alive.
He tapped his own arm.
"Not only that… I've gotten stronger," he whispered.
His body was different.
Lighter.
Faster.
The fat in his body had turned into firm muscle without him ever working out.
He touched his stomach, his arms, his legs.
"I… don't know why it's happening," he said.
He looked away, awkwardly.
"Maybe it's just puberty… maybe."
But deep inside, he knew it wasn't.
Nothing about this was normal.
---
Jaden returned to the same cliff.
The place where everything started.
The place he almost died.
He looked down at his hands.
"How… did I survive this?" he whispered.
He took a step closer to the edge—
Then everything suddenly went dark.
A cold voice echoed behind him.
"So you're the one," the voice said.
"I guess you're the person who holds the Sword of Velion, isn't it?"
Jaden turned.
A woman stood there.
Tall.
Sharp eyes.
A calm face that felt too cold to be human.
Mali.
Before he could speak, she rushed forward—
Her speed was unreal.
Jaden barely summoned his sword in time—
CLANG!
Metal smashed against metal.
The impact shook his bones.
Mali smiled slightly.
"You're inexperienced."
She kicked him in the stomach.
Jaden flew back, rolling on the ground.
He forced himself up.
"Why are you attacking me?!"
"Because," she said calmly, walking toward him,
"you should not exist."
She dashed forward again.
SLASH — SLASH — SLASH!
Jaden blocked the first blow.
Barely dodged the second.
The third cut his arm, blood dripping.
His heart pounded.
His hands were shaking.
But something inside him…
snapped awake.
A voice inside his head whispered:
Move.
His body reacted on its own.
He swung.
Fast.
Too fast for him to understand.
Mali's eyes widened.
For the first time, she looked surprised.
Jaden's sword passed clean through her neck.
A soft shhhk sound.
Her head fell.
Her body collapsed.
Jaden froze.
His breath stopped.
He had beheaded her.
He didn't even know how he did it.
The sword hummed in his hand, glowing blue.
Jaden stepped back, shaking.
"What… did I just do…?"
Jaden returned to the same cliff, still trying to understand everything.
But this time, someone was already there.
A slow clap… clap… clap echoed through the air.
Jaden turned.
A man stood a few meters away, smirking.
"Bravo," he said. "Truly impressive. You even killed Mali."
Jaden tensed, gripping his sword.
But before he could move—
THUD
A sharp chop hit the back of his neck.
Everything went black.
---
When he woke up, his vision was blurry.
His wrists and legs were tied.
His head was locked inside a head-chopping machine—
an old execution device, sharp blade above him.
The man from earlier stood beside it, smiling calmly.
"Oh, you're awake," he said.
"Don't worry. This will be a clean and painless execution."
Jaden's heart raced.
"N-No! Stop! Why are you doing this?!"
The man sighed.
"You're the reason the world is falling into chaos," he said.
"Those creatures—those Selementh—are appearing everywhere.
And you stand here without shame?"
Jaden's eyes widened.
"How am I connected to any of that?! I didn't do anything!"
The man leaned close, his voice cold.
"Ask yourself something…
Have you ever seen a Selementh in your life before this week?"
Jaden froze.
He thought back.
Everything started right after the sword appeared.
The man continued,
"How did they suddenly appear? Why now?"
Jaden's breath tightened.
He shook his head desperately.
"I—I saw them before I held the sword!"
The man smiled darkly.
"Perhaps you don't understand," he said.
"The sword chose you long before you touched it."
---
Jaden was confused.
Terrified.
He could hear the blade above his head creaking as the man prepared it.
Then—
something happened.
The man suddenly grabbed his chest and cursed under his breath.
"Damn it…"
Jaden froze.
Why… why didn't he kill him?
The man walked out of the room, leaving Jaden tied up.
Jaden's mind raced.
What stopped him? Why did he leave?
After a few moments, the man returned.
His expression was different now.
Not calm. Not cold.
Serious.
He looked Jaden straight in the eye.
"Listen to me closely, kid. You've made this mess… now you have two options."
Jaden swallowed.
The man raised two fingers.
"One. I kill you here."
"Two. You use that power to clean the mess you created."
Jaden clenched his teeth.
"Who are you to order me around?" he snapped.
His ego burned…
but survival was stronger.
He let out a breath.
"…Fine. Whatever you want."
The man smirked slightly.
"Well then," he said, untying the ropes around Jaden's arms and legs,
"I officially welcome you to the team."
He stepped back and lifted his hand in a formal gesture.
"Welcome to Shadow Knights."
He turned and walked toward the exit.
"I am the leader," he added.
Jaden stood up slowly, rubbing his wrists.
The man looked back at him and said:
"You can call me… Commander Ashfold. Now come with me. We have a lot of work to do
---