The day started like any other during the eighteen years of my life—filled with boredom and loneliness ever since my parents suddenly disappeared. They vanished without warning, leaving only their last words: that they loved me.
I slowly got out of bed and prepared for the day. While brushing my hair, I heard a loud bang coming from the woods near my house on the edge of City Z. Curiosity got the better of me, so I decided to investigate. I slipped on my shoes and headed toward the trees.
When I reached the woods, I saw an old man slumped against a tree, coughing up blood. His skin was pale—almost grey. Panic shot through me, and I ran to his side.
"Are you okay? Do you need anything?" I asked.
The old man looked up and smiled weakly. "Oh, Aris… how long has it been since I last saw you?"
My heart skipped. "How do you know my name? I've never met you before."
"I am a friend of your parents," he said, still smiling faintly.
"What? You knew my parents?"
He coughed again, this time bringing up more blood, before forcing out, "Yeah… I knew your parents. We were very close before the incident."
"What incident?" I asked, confusion twisting in my chest.
"I don't have time to explain," he whispered. "But understand this—they truly loved you. And… take this."
The old man raised his trembling hand. A bright light flashed, fading to reveal a small green crystal—no larger than a marble—with a tiny mantis suspended inside.
A Shard.
A real fragment of the original world. And from the shape inside it, I could tell it was the Insect Shard.
"Why would you give this… to me?" I whispered as I gently took it from his hand.
The old man looked at me one last time. Relief washed over his expression—like he had completed something important—and then, with a soft exhale, he passed. Still wearing the faintest smile.
I froze. I didn't really know him. But if he was truly a friend of my parents, then he was the closest thing to family I'd seen in years. A heavy ache spread through my chest.
Then it hit me—I should have called 911.
My stomach dropped as the realization punched through the shock. I had been so focused on his words… on the Shard glowing faintly in my hand… that I'd stood there and let him die without even trying to get help.
My hands trembled as I stared down at the old man's still form. The woods felt too quiet—like the whole world was holding its breath.
I snapped out of it and fumbled for my phone.
"I need to call 911," I muttered, cursing under my breath. My voice shook as I dialed and relayed the location as best I could. They said an ambulance was on the way.
That should have been the end of it.
But my eyes drifted back to the crystal in my palm—the tiny green Shard glimmering softly, the mantis inside frozen in perfect detail. A real Shard… handed directly to me. People lived their whole lives without ever seeing one. Even entering a dungeon didn't guarantee finding anything. And inheriting one?
Almost unheard of.
This—this was a chance I would never have again.
I swallowed hard, torn between fear and instinct.He gave it to me for a reason.Maybe absorbing it was what he wanted—what he trusted me to do.
I tightened my grip around the crystal.
"Sorry," I whispered to the old man. "I hope this is what you meant."
With a deep breath, I pressed the Shard against my chest.
The moment it touched my skin, the crystal dissolved into pure light and flooded into me.
My breath hitched. The warmth spread through my veins like liquid fire—sharp, crawling, alien. My vision blurred as something clicked into place inside me, like a new sense awakening.
I felt the Shard settle at the core of my being, humming faintly.
And then—
A whisper of movement.A second heartbeat.A presence that wasn't mine.
The Insect Shard… it was alive.
I staggered back against a tree, trying to steady myself as the surge faded. The woods slowly came back into focus just as distant sirens broke the silence.
I exhaled shakily.
Whatever I had just taken into myself…whatever Greg had entrusted me with…
My life was never going to be the same.
Meanwhile…
In another part of the world—far from City Z and the quiet woods where Greg breathed his last—eight figures sat around a circular stone table. The room was dim, lit only by flickering blue crystals embedded in the walls. The air felt tense, humming with restrained power.
One of them, a tall man with silver hair and hollow eyes, slammed his fist onto the table.
"Greg got away," he growled. "Even after being poisoned."
A murmur swept through the group.
"That old monster refuses to die," another hissed, her voice sharp as broken glass. "He was ranked third in the world for a reason."
"He won't survive long," said a muscular man with a jagged scar across his jaw. "We dosed him with enough toxin to put down a dragon. He's as good as dead."
"He is dead."
The room fell silent as the oldest woman at the table spoke. Her tone held no doubt—only cold satisfaction.
"But before he died… he passed on the Insect Shard."
The eight exchanged uneasy glances.
"To whom?" someone demanded.
The woman closed her eyes, focusing. A faint ripple of energy spread from her fingertips like smoke.
"…A boy," she finally said. "Eighteen. Living in City Z. His name is—"
"Aris."
Every head turned. The scarred man's expression twisted.
"Of course. Him."
"So the son of Number One and Number Two still lives," the silver-haired man muttered, disgust curling his lip. "We should have finished that family years ago."
"And now he carries a Shard," the woman added. "Greg must have chosen him."
The table shook with the force of the silver-haired man's anger.
"If the boy grows… if he reaches even half of his parents' level… our plans crumble."
The woman nodded once.
"Then the answer is obvious."
Her eyes glowed with cold fire.
"Aris must be eliminated before he awakens to his true potential."
Around the table, seven voices murmured their agreement.
The hunt had begun.