The Tenjiku International Airport transformed from a temple of luxury into a scene of pure, unadulterated carnage in a single heartbeat. The sound was deafening—a thunderous crash followed by the high-pitched shriek of three tons of crystal pulverizing against the marble floor.
"Someone's under there! Call an ambulance!" "Did you see that? The boy... he didn't move in time!"
Sonic was fifty yards away, his hands still on the luggage cart, when the world stopped. His eyes widened, his breath hitching in his throat. He didn't think; he didn't breathe. He dropped the bags and sprinted, his voice tearing through the chaos. "ARAV! ARAV, MOVE!"
He shoved through the gathering crowd, his heart drumming a frantic rhythm against his ribs. "Get back! Get out of the way!" He reached the edge of the glass graveyard and saw him. Arav was lying on the cold floor, just inches away from the heavy brass frame of the chandelier. His eyes were closed, a thin trail of blood snaking from his temple across his pale forehead.
Sonic fell to his knees, his hands trembling as he gently cradled Arav's head. "Arav? Hey, wake up. Wake up, you idiot! Don't you dare do this to me! Arav!"
The Void: The Error in the System
In a realm where time felt like a stretched rubber band, two figures stood in a mist of swirling white and gold.
"Sir, there's been a complication," a younger, frantic voice echoed. "What kind of complication? We had a directive. One soul, marked for transition. It was supposed to be the boy named Sonic."
The Elder figure looked down at a glowing ledger. "The location was correct. The timing was perfect. But the target... moved. This is Arav. We've pulled the wrong soul."
The younger entity trembled. "Does this mean we've altered the thread of Fate?"
"Worse. If we take an innocent whose time has not come to the Heavens or the Earth, the entire cycle of reincarnation could fracture. The balance of the Tenjiku region depends on these threads. Return him. Immediately."
"I... I can't, Sir. Not fully." "What do you mean?"
"The Golden Orb—the essence of the planet's core that was meant to be reclaimed—it's been absorbed. It didn't just touch his soul; it merged with it. If we try to rip the Golden Core out now, his soul will disintegrate into nothingness. He would be erased from existence."
The Elder went silent, the mist around them turning a deep, thoughtful grey. "Then it belongs to him now. Whatever destiny that Golden Orb carries, he is the vessel. Send him back before the body cools. Let the universe handle the fallout."
The Awakening
Arav's soul didn't even have time to scream before it was slammed back into the cage of bone and skin. He gasped, his lungs burning as if he'd been underwater for years. He clutched his head, his vision swimming in a sea of red and grey.
"Sonic... what... what happened?" Arav groaned, his voice rasping.
"What happened?!" Sonic's voice was a mix of a sob and a scream. "You stayed under a falling chandelier, you moron! You almost died! I thought... I thought you were gone."
Arav shook his head, feeling a strange, humming warmth deep in his chest—a vibration he couldn't explain. "I'm fine. It's just a scratch."
"A scratch? Your head is bleeding! We're going home. Forget the trip, forget the business—"
"No," Arav said, his grip on Sonic's arm surprisingly strong. "We aren't turning back. It's just a bump, Sonic. I'm okay. The path is set."
The airport staff arrived then, a swarm of suits and security, looking terrified of a lawsuit. The manager bowed so low his forehead nearly touched the floor. "Sir, we are deeply, deeply sorry. This was a catastrophic failure of our maintenance team. As a gesture of our sincere apology, we are offering you a full year of unlimited free international travel. Anything, anywhere."
Sonic stood up, his face turning red. "Are you insane? You think my best friend's life is worth a few flight coupons? I'll have this entire airport shut down! I'll call the higher authorities; I'll make sure—"
Arav pulled on Sonic's jacket. "Let it go, Sonic. It was an accident. They're giving us a way to move forward. Take the tickets."
"But Arav—"
"Let it go. We have planes to catch."
The Parting of Ways
An hour later, Arav sat at the gate with a bandage wrapped around his head. The adrenaline had faded, leaving a dull ache, but the strange warmth in his chest remained. The final boarding call for the Rising Sun Empire echoed through the speakers.
Sonic stood in front of him, looking uncharacteristically somber. He pulled Arav into a tight bear hug.
"One month, brother," Sonic whispered. "If things go well, we build our empire. If things go bad... I'm coming to Japan. We'll hide out there, enjoy the lights, and then figure out a way back to the Federation."
Arav smiled, patting Sonic's back. "Go. Don't let your Dad's Black Card go to waste. I'll see you in thirty days."
They parted, walking toward different gates, two different destinies. But Destiny is a fickle playwright, and she was already rewriting their scripts.
Edo City: The Casting Call
In the high-tech sanctuary of her CEO office, Aisha Khurana slammed her palm onto her mahogany desk.
"What do you mean he canceled?!"
The manager flinched. "Ma'am, the male lead we scouted for the Live Broadcast project... he backed out at the last minute. And the female lead? She's refusing to cooperate. She says she won't play the 'honey trap' role. She doesn't want to seduce a stranger on camera for twenty-four hours a day."
Aisha paced the room like a caged tigress. "We are offering her millions! My brother gave me this project to prove I can handle a standalone venture. If I fail this, I'll never hear the end of his taunts. I need a lead, and I need them now."
"But Ma'am, where do we find a hero and a heroine by tomorrow?"
"Leave the girl to me," Aisha said, her eyes flashing with a sudden, dangerous idea. "I'll figure that out. As for the man... search the immigration database. I want every application from people aged 22 to 25 arriving in the Empire this week."
Hours passed. Aisha sat before a holographic screen, swiping through hundreds of profiles.
"Too arrogant... No, he's from the Dragon Sovereignty, too much political baggage... No, Eagle Republic, I hate their accents... Wolf Dominion? Too aggressive."
She swiped through the Korea arrivals. "Too polished. He looks like he knows he's being watched."
She moved to the "Miscellaneous/Low Priority" folder. Her finger paused over a profile from the Tenjiku Federation.
Name: Arav Sharma. Age: 23. Status: Recent Graduate. Seeking employment in Tech.
She looked at the photo. He had a bandage on his head in his most recent transit scan, but his eyes... they were calm. Unbothered. He looked like someone who had no idea the world was about to crash down on him. He was the perfect blank slate.
Aisha's lips curled into a slow, predatory smile.
"I found him," she whispered. "I found our hero."