The room was a tomb of damp limestone and silence, save for the rhythmic, agonizing tap... tap... tap... of moisture weeping from the cracked ceiling. It carried the scent of centuries-old rot—the smell of a world that had forgotten how to breathe.
In the center of this lightless cell, fifteen-year-old Raizal Break lay motionless. It was 5:58 AM. A sliver of glacial air cut through the glassless window, biting at his skin, but his eyes were already wide, fixed in the dark. He wasn't sleeping; he was merely counting the seconds until his current life ended.
At exactly 6:00 AM, the archaic alarm clock shrieked. Tring— Tring— Tring!
With a blur of motion, Raizal's hand shot out, striking the device with a violence that suggested he'd rather crush it than silence it. As his bare feet hit the freezing floor, a jagged bolt of agony—white-hot and electric—ripped through his nervous system.
"Aahhh..."
He grit his teeth, the muscles in his legs seizing as if they were being wrung out by invisible, iron hands. This was the morning ritual of a Defect Distor. The Astron inside him was a chaotic, unrefined poison, a constant reminder that he was an evolutionary failure.
He leaned over a cracked basin and splashed grey water onto his face. In the shards of the bathroom mirror, a face stared back that felt like a cruel joke of genetics. He possessed a jagged, noble beauty—high cheekbones and a sharp jawline framed by a spill of ink-black hair. It was a prince's face, carved for a throne, yet rotting in a gutter. The contrast was a daily insult.
Just today. Tomorrow, all this trash ends forever.
Raizal donned a frayed white shirt and black trousers. Outside, his shack sat on a jagged incline overlooking the Restricted Sector—a cemetery of rusted iron and exhaled hope. In the distance, the shimmering walls of the Inner City, the "City of Wind," mocked him with their impossible heights.
It was six in the morning. The streets weren't crowded yet, but shops were beginning to open. Suddenly, a strange rustling sound filled the sky.
Vroom- Vroom!
The mechanical hum of Surveillance Drones vibrated in his teeth. Crimson optical sensors swept the grey streets, scanning for spikes in Astron—looking for anyone about to lose their mind and turn into a Mutant. Raizal looked down, his fingers curling into a fist as he spat into the soot.
"Dogs," he whispered.
He began walking with quick strides toward the convenience store. Outside the store, a man was sweeping. He was around forty, with lines of hard work on his face and a permanent layer of fatigue in his eyes. In this area, people knew him as Uncle Flint. He ran this small store, Twenty years ago, the sky had bled a red liquid that birthed the Distors, but for men like Flint, it had only birthed walls. for the last three years, Raizal had worked here too.
As soon as he saw Raizal, a faint smile appeared on his face.
You're late," Flint said, his voice as dry as the dust he swept.
"I'm here now," Raizal replied, taking the broom.
Flint paused, leaning on the handle. "Diego's results are out today. If you pass... don't look back, Raizal. This place has a way of dragging people back into the dirt."
Raizal stopped, his eyes drifting to the horizon. "I'm getting you and Axel out, too."
Flint let out a short, hollow breath. "Just get yourself out first. The Sector doesn't give refunds."
There was suppressed sadness in Flint's voice. Flint gave a weak smile, but his head bowed. He knew that leaving the Restricted Sector wasn't that easy.
The event twenty years ago was a holy inception—the day the sky cracked open and bled a visceral, crimson liquid upon the earth. They called it Judgement Day. It was the rain that birthed the Distors, a sub-race of nascent gods walking among men, gifted with the Astron a energy by which they get supernatural powers.
But for men like Flint, the "miracle" was a lie.
The red rain hadn't brought divinity to the slums; it had only brought walls. Behind that stone lived the "Glitches"—the Defect Distors. They were the unfinished sketches of evolution, neither fully human nor truly Distor. They were the defective pieces of a cosmic accident, left to rot in the very rain that had broken them.
"Raizal! Axel hasn't come yet. It's six-thirty," Flint called out from inside, his voice laced with worry.
Raizal snapped out of his thoughts. "What? Six-thirty already? Don't worry I'll go check. He should have been here by now."
Raizal immediately left the broom and ran toward Axel's house. Axel was nineteen and worked here at Flint's store. When Raizal knocked on his door, there was no answer.
"Axel! Hey, Axel! Open the door!"
The door opened slowly. Axel stood there with deep dark circles under his eyes. Inside the house, it was dark, and a strange burning smell came from a blown light bulb.
"Sorry, Raizal. I couldn't sleep until late last night, so I woke up a bit late. That's all. Give me two minutes, I'm ready," Axel gave a weak smile, but his hands were trembling slightly.
"Are you okay? You've seemed a bit off since yesterday," Raizal asked, placing a hand on his shoulder.
Axel brushed his hand away and ducked back inside. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. I'm just a little stressed."
The two began walking toward the store. The crowd was increasing now. Raizal was focused on Axel's condition when he slammed into a man standing in front of him. The man was in a military uniform. On his chest plate, the letters were clear—Internal Security Division. He was an ISD officer.
The officer grabbed Raizal's collar and shoved him back violently. "Hey, you pile of trash! Can't you see where you're going? Are you blind?"
Axel immediately bowed, begging for forgiveness. "Sorry, sir, it was a mistake. He was just in a hurry."
The officer looked at Axel's trembling form and sneered. "Look at this pathetic defect. Shaking like a leaf." He stepped closer, towering over Axel. "You think you're human? You're just a glitch in the system. A waste of skin."
The officer then leaned in and spat directly in Axel's face. Axel didn't move. He kept his head bowed, his eyes fixed on the dirt. The officer laughed, wiped his gloved hand on Axel's shoulder, and walked away. Axel wiped his face with trembling hands, his silence piercing through Raizal.
But Raizal's eyes fixed on the officer's face—tracing the scar on the man's chin, the cold blue of his eyes,
Let's go, Axel," Raizal said. His voice was flat. Empty.
They reached the store in silence. Uncle Flint saw them and understood what must have happened. He didn't ask anything; he just took a cold breath. In this Restricted Sector, expecting respect was the biggest mistake one could make.
Time passed quickly. When the old clock hit nine, Flint put a hand on Raizal's shoulder.
"Raizal, go now. It's time to reach the Training Ground. Today is the day."
Raizal took a deep breath, looked at Axel who was standing behind the counter like a living corpse, and without a word, ran toward the Training Ground.
The Training Ground was a massive open field surrounded by high iron fences. About a hundred and fifty kids were already gathered there. All were between fifteen and sixteen—all 'Defect Distors.' There was a strange rustling in the field. Some were shivering with fear, others were punching the walls in anger.
Then, the sound of heavy footsteps came. Trainer Diego entered the middle of the field. He had a tablet in his hand, and a massive Holographic Screen began to glow behind him.
"Everyone, line up!" Diego's thundering voice silenced everyone.
Everyone immediately formed a line. Diego moved his finger across the tablet. "Today, the result of your three years of hard work will come. Remember, only those called 'Pass' will be part of tomorrow's Awakening Ceremony. The rest... will stay in this gutter forever."
Diego began calling names.
"John Miller! Pass. Physical strength is better."
"Max! Pass."
"Joseph Wright! Fail."
In an instant, screams broke out in the field. Joseph Wright fell to his knees, trying to grab Diego's legs. "No, sir! One more chance! I'll die here!" But the guards dragged him away.
Diego moved forward. One after another, names were called—some pass, some fail. With every name, the result flashed on the holographic screen. Slowly, almost all the names in the tablet were read. Both panic and silence hung over the field.
Then, Diego's eyes rested on the last few names on the screen.
"Daniel Smith! Pass. Good in agility and speed."
Raizal's heartbeat was racing. It felt like his heart would jump out of his chest.
"Raizal Break!"
Diego's voice echoed. Raizal's body went numb. Diego looked at the tablet screen, then stared at Raizal.
"Raizal Break. Pass."
Diego didn't name a field. Not strength, not speed. Just 'Pass.' Raizal took a deep breath, tears of joy in his eyes, but he knew this was only the first step.
Diego closed the screen. "Those who passed, reach here tomorrow morning at nine-thirty. Tomorrow, your Tide will be awakened."
To the 'gods' in the Inner City, this energy was a divine gift, a fuel for miracles. To a Defect like Raizal, it was a parasite. It was a countdown etched into his bone marrow, a slow-acting venom patiently waiting for his mind to slip so it could hollow him out and leave a Mutant in his place. Tomorrow's Awakening was the only way to make them 'complete Distors' is—Awakening.
Tomorrow is that day. Tomorrow, the Astron inside these children will turn into a specific power called a TIDE. Whoever's Tide awakens is free. Whoever doesn't... will just remain a dying Defect Distors. But after passing, cases where the Tide doesn't awaken are very few. Almost non-existent. That's why all the kids who passed were very happy.
As the session ended, three boys broke away from the crowd and moved toward Raizal. Raizal had known these three well for the last three years. From the first day of training, they had targeted him—shoving him over small things, mocking him, and beating him whenever they got the chance. Their leader was Max.
"Wait up, pretty boy," Max sneered.
Raizal ran. He didn't want a fight. But they caught him behind the warehouses. A boot caught Raizal's kidney, sent him sprawling into the soot.
Max's fist, flickering with an unstable orange light, smashed into Raizal's jaw. Blood sprayed.
"A 'Pass' doesn't change what you are," Max growled, kicking Raizal in the ribs. Crack. The two lackeys pinned Raizal's arms against a shipping container. Max used him as a punching bag, a systematic rhythm of bone hitting flesh. Raizal didn't make a sound. He just watched Max with eyes that looked like broken glass.
Raizal scrambled up, his long hair matted with grease and dust. He lunged, throwing a desperate punch that whistled past Max's ear,
And then Raizal ran straight toward his house. Max and his two friends ran after Raizal.
"Run all you want! We know where you live!"
Raizal reached his house, locked the door from the inside, and sat straight on his bed. His heart was sinking. Max's shouting could be heard from outside.
Raizal dragged himself home, every breath a jagged blade. He bolted the door
"Open the door, Raizal! You won't get away today!"
The sound of window breaking followed. Max and his friends tried to jump inside through the window. Raizal closed his eyes. He stopped listening to Max's insults.
Suddenly, a thick, black-and-white fog began to emerge from his body. The temperature dropped until the moisture on the walls froze into jagged crystals. As soon as Max stepped inside through the window, he saw that the entire room was filled with that fog.
"This... what is this?" For the first time, fear appeared in Max's voice.
Raizal opened his eyes. There was a strange, cold smile on his face.
"Go to hell," Raizal said softly.
In an instant, the fog became so thick that everything vanished. When the mist cleared, Max and his friends were shocked. The bed was empty. The room was empty. Raizal Break had disappeared from there.
Raizal opened his eyes. He wasn't in his room.
He was standing in a massive hall. A hall so large that its ceiling was lost in darkness. The floor was of shimmering black stone, and something was written on the walls in a strange language. There was silence all around, the kind of silence that pierced the ears.
There was a victorious smile on Raizal's face. He looked at his hands—they weren't trembling. He raised his head and began looking into the depths of that hall.