Cold water rushed into Kai's lungs.
He jolted awake beneath the surface of a river, panic exploding through his chest. His arms thrashed blindly as instinct took control. He kicked upward, breaking through the surface with a sharp gasp, coughing violently as he dragged himself toward the shore.
His head pounded.
He collapsed on wet sand, chest heaving, eyes unfocused. The sky above him was gray, unfamiliar. Trees lined the riverbank. No memories followed the sight—no name, no place, no reason he was there.
Only pain.
Kai rolled onto his back, pressing a hand to his temple. His fingers brushed dried blood. He winced.
"Who am I…?" he muttered.
The question echoed without answer.
A low hum vibrated through the air.
Kai sat up slowly. Across the river, the forest trembled. Birds scattered. The hum deepened into something mechanical, alive, wrong. The sky darkened as clouds twisted unnaturally, spiraling around a single point.
Then the light came.
A blinding blue flash tore through the clouds, striking the forest like a falling star. The ground shook. Trees snapped. A shockwave rippled across the river, knocking Kai flat on his back.
Silence followed.
Too much silence.
Kai staggered to his feet, drawn forward without understanding why. His body moved on instinct, legs carrying him through the trees toward the crash site. Smoke rose ahead, thick and swirling.
Something stood inside it.
Tall. Broad. Still.
As the smoke cleared, Kai felt his blood run cold.
The creature was humanoid, armored in dark, organic plating etched with glowing blue lines. Its helmeted head turned slowly, locking onto him with glowing eyes that burned like frozen fire.
The Korin.
Kai didn't know the name—but fear recognized it.
The creature tilted its head, studying him.
"You are not one of them," it said, its voice layered and unnatural.
Kai swallowed. "I don't even know who I am."
The Korin stepped forward.
In a blink, it moved.
Kai barely had time to react. The Korin's fist crashed toward him, but Kai ducked—cleanly, perfectly—rolling under the strike and springing back to his feet.
He froze.
He hadn't thought about the movement.
His body just… knew.
The Korin attacked again. Kai blocked, redirected, twisted away. His hands moved with precision, locking joints, shifting weight, using leverage instead of strength. Each motion flowed into the next, smooth and deadly.
Jiu Jitsu.
The Korin staggered back a step, surprised.
"You have trained," it said.
"I don't remember it," Kai replied, breath steady despite the chaos.
The Korin struck harder this time. Kai was thrown backward, crashing into a tree. Pain exploded through his ribs. He gasped, struggling to stay upright.
Before the Korin could finish him, gunfire erupted from the treeline.
Bullets slammed into the creature's armor, forcing it to turn. Figures emerged—armed, tactical, moving with purpose.
One of them shouted, "MOVE!"
A man tackled Kai to the ground as explosions rocked the clearing. Smoke grenades filled the air. The Korin roared, frustrated but unharmed.
Strong hands pulled Kai up.
"Can you run?" a woman demanded.
"I think so," Kai said, dizzy.
"Good. Because you don't fight that alone."
They retreated fast, disappearing into the jungle as the Korin watched them go, silent and calculating.
"This hunt has begun," it said to no one. "And this one… is different."
Miles away, inside a hidden compound, Kai sat on a bench as medics checked his injuries. Armed warriors surrounded him, watching closely.
An older man stepped forward, studying Kai with a mix of relief and regret.
"So," the man said quietly, "the one who forgot everything… has returned."
Kai looked up at him.
"Returned from where?"
The man met his eyes.
"From the war that never ends."