Karl remained standing alone in the apartment long after, trying to process what had happened. He looked at his brother's apartment. He stepped toward the bedroom and stopped at the doorway.
Kevin's room was a mess…rumpled sheets, clothes scattered across the floor, empty packs of condoms everywhere.
Karl suddenly remembered, Kevin had left for the Portal half-naked, shirtless, barefoot, wearing nothing but his pants. Of all the ways to begin his moonchild's journey, Kevin had chosen that.
Karl rubbed his forehead, laughing once under his breath in a way that was more sorrowful than amused. "You idiot…"
He walked inside and grabbed the sheets, pulling them off the bed to fold them.
After finishing with the sheets, Karl began picking up the scattered clothes. Socks under the chair. A shirt draped over the lamp. Someone's underwear, definitely not Kevin's hanging from the bedpost.
"Unbelievable," Karl muttered as he dropped the items into a laundry basket. "You really left me with this, huh?"
He moved to Kevin's desk next, intending to clear out the empty bottles and energy drink cans. But his hand froze halfway.
There, sitting neatly at the edge of the table, was a framed photograph.
Karl picked it up carefully.
The picture showed all four of them—Dad, tall and sturdy with his arm around Mom's shoulders; Mom, smiling wide and soft-eyed; Karl himself, trying to look serious for the camera; and Kevin, still a little boy then, cheeks round, grinning like the world was perfect.
Karl sank onto the chair.
He traced a thumb over Kevin's small face, over their parents' warm gazes. His vision blurred slightly, but he didn't let a single tear fall.
"Mom. Dad…" His voice cracked, but he kept speaking. "Your silly boy starts his adventure half-naked."
A breath of laughter slipped from him weak, trembling, but real.
"He's always reckless," Karl whispered. "Always doing things his own stupid, wild way. I hope you can protect him, as you always did."
He brought the frame closer and rested his forehead gently against it.
"I miss you both."
For a moment, time stayed still around him. Only the quiet hum of the city beyond the window reminded him that life hadn't paused with his grief.
He hugged the frame tightly, grounding himself in its weight.
"Take care of him," he said softly. "Please… take care of him."
At the Portal
Wind hammered on Kevin's face.
His first thought was that he'd gone crazy. His second was that he was definitely, absolutely, undeniably dying.
The apartment vanished in an instant, replaced by an endless stretch of open sky. Clouds rushed past him like white streaks, and below…far, far below…was the endless green blur of a world he didn't recognize.
Kevin flailed for a moment. "What the hell—?!"
Gravity yanked him downward at terrifying speed.
"Oi! What the hell! Am I going to die the second I enter the Portal?!"
He twisted his body instinctively, trying to get some control over his fall. The wind stung against his skin, snapping his hair back. His heart hammered.
He spun mid-air just in time to see the glowing orb appear again, calmly floating along with him as if this wasn't a life-ending situation.
"HEY!" Kevin shouted. "Help me! Do something! I'm not supposed to die yet!"
The orb did not respond to his panic.
Instead, the same ethereal voice echoed through the air:
"Welcome to Portal 0, Atlas, Moonchild. Here is your progression status."
A transparent screen flickered into existence before him, glowing faintly against the rushing sky. Even falling at terminal speed, Kevin was forced to read it.
Name: Kevin Morrell
Age: 19
Gender: Male
Mark: Misfit
SoulLink: 0 / 13 (Beggar)
Soul Fragments: 0 / 10
Soul Origin: Unknown
He blinked.
"What… what the hell is this? Misfit? What crappy Mark is this?"
He tapped the mark, and a new description unfurled like an ancient scroll.
Misfit – 'Unwanted hero, tried to fit in the holy army of light but was cast away in shadow.'
Kevin's eye twitched.
"What the actual hell is this mark supposed to be?! Why couldn't I get something good like—like East Quadrant's beast, Eman Haul, with his 'Heavenly Beast' mark?! Or Thalia Roseward's 'Crimson Blade'?!"
His voice cracked as his frustration rose.
"Why do I get 'Misfit'?! What is that even—"
His ranting cut off when he noticed something critical.
The ground. The ground was getting very, very close.
"Oh shit—"
Panic surged through him. His stomach flipped. His lungs felt like they'd collapse from the pressure of falling.
This is not the time to rant! Think, Kevin, think!
He spread his arms wide, angling his body to slow the descent, though it barely helped. His eyes darted around, searching desperately for any safe landing spot.
A lake glimmered nearby like a silver mirror.
For half a second, hope sparked.
Then logic smacked him across the face.
Nope. If I hit that water at this speed, I'll die instantly.
He looked again—scanning the trees, the uneven terrain… and then he saw it.
A massive pile of leaves. Easily two meters tall, maybe more. Probably a natural accumulation or the result of some forest creature clearing its territory.
"Good enough!"
He angled his body toward it, fighting the wind, forcing himself into a controlled glide. The ground rushed closer—and closer—
The orb drifted beside him silently.
Kevin glared. "Seriously?! Now is when you go mute?! HELP—!!"
The orb vanished.
"DAMMIT!"
He braced himself, covered his face with his arms.
And crashed.
The impact knocked the air out of his chest, sending him tumbling through the leaves. The giant mound burst apart, scattering into the air like brown confetti. His momentum dragged him across the ground, pain flaring across his ribs and back.
He skidded hard toward a fallen tree trunk with a sharp, broken branch jutting from it.
"Oh shi—!!"
His body halted an inch before the jagged spike could pierce his skull.
He stared at it. The spike stared back, unmoved.
Kevin's pulse roared in his ears.
He stayed absolutely still for a few seconds, waiting for the pain to catch up. But it didn't. He slowly pushed himself upright.
"Owww… okay… okay…" He touched his arms, his ribs, his legs. "Still alive. No broken bones… I think…"
He brushed leaves off his hair and spat out a twig.
"Well," he muttered breathlessly, "I survived. Barely."
He took in his surroundings. Tall trees. Dense foliage. The chirping of strange insects echoing between trunks. He was deep in some kind of forest—not the urban world he came from, but greener, wilder, and thrumming faintly with unfamiliar energy.
Kevin pushed himself to his feet, wincing as his sore muscles protested.
"Great… the system drops me in the middle of nowhere with no clothes, no weapons, and the lamest mark ever."
He sighed, dusting himself off.
"Alright, Kevin. First things first—don't die."
He began walking with caution, watching every shadow between the trees.