Half the entire base has turned into rubble. A thick cloud of heavy, toxic dust hangs in the air, drifting through the ruins.

  The fight is over. Neither of them has any strength left in their bodies. And the Emperor has already lost a massive amount of blood.

  Nazar, exhausted and barely able to breathe, also dropped down beside the Emperor. The Emperor spoke slowly, almost in a whisper:— “My biggest mistake in life…”

  The moment he said it, his mind drifted back into the past — and now, we see the Emperor's memories.

  It was the monsoon season.

  Rain had been pouring nonstop, dark clouds filling the entire sky. A cold wind swept through the streets.

  In that weather, wearing torn clothes, an 8-year-old Emperor wandered from one corner of the town to another searching for food — his body trembling from hunger.

  He went to countless people, countless shops, begging for just a little food — but no one gave him anything.

  Some ignored him, some scolded and drove him away, and some even kicked him aside.

  The Emperor kept walking with his head down. Eventually, he reached the riverside and sat there, staring up at the sky, wondering about his cursed fate.

  When he lowered his head again, he noticed something under the nearby bridge — another little boy in torn clothes, sitting alone, shivering, crying softly like a broken flute.

  The Emperor instantly ran toward him. When he got close, he saw the boy was a bit younger than him, head lowered, sobbing uncontrollably.

  The Emperor knelt beside him and gently asked:— “Who are you? Why are you crying?”

  The boy looked up at him — and immediately burst into even louder tears. Startled, the Emperor tried to calm him down:— “Okay, okay… you don’t have to say anything. Don’t cry.”

  After a while, the boy slowly began to calm down. Then the Emperor gave a small, warm smile and said softly:— “My name is Emperor. I gave myself that name. Now tell me, what’s your name?”

  The boy wiped his eyes and whispered:— “My name… I don’t have a name…”

  Hearing that, the Emperor went silent for a moment. He thought deeply. Then he smiled — small, warm, genuine:— “Alright then. I’ll give you one. Your name will be… Varkion.”

  Right at that moment, Varkion’s stomach growled loudly from hunger. He held his stomach and said in a shy, trembling voice:— “I’m really hungry…”

  Hearing that, the Emperor lowered his head and stayed silent for a moment. Then, in a calm voice, he said:— “I’m hungry too… Come on, let’s see if we can find something to eat.”

  Saying that, the Emperor took Varkion’s hand and started walking forward. They had met only a short while ago — yet it already felt like they’d known each other forever.

  The two wandered around, asking many people for food. But no one cared about them. Still, they didn’t give up and kept searching deeper inside the town.

  After a while, the Emperor noticed a man cleaning his car, which had gotten soaked in the rain.

  The Emperor and Varkion ran up to him and stood in front, asking him politely for some food. Seeing two little boys begging like that, the man said bluntly:— “If I give you food, what do I get in return?”

  Hearing this, the Emperor thought for a few seconds and quickly replied:— “I’ll clean your car.”

  The man looked slightly surprised, then smiled and said:— “It’s not right to make kids work… but fine. Clean the car, and I’ll give you some money.”

  Saying that, he went inside the house. The Emperor immediately started cleaning the car.

  Seeing the Emperor working like that made Varkion feel terrible — after a bit of hesitation, he stretched out his tiny hands and stood beside the Emperor, cleaning the car with him.

  After the work was done, the man gave the two little boys a decent amount of money and said in a gentle voice:— “I could’ve given you the money for free… but earning something through your own effort always feels better.”

  Hearing that, both the Emperor and Varkion smiled softly. Soon after, they bought some food from a shop and finally satisfied their hunger.

  When evening fell, they spent the night inside the park’s gazebo. Because of the rain, the air was cold, but the Emperor somehow managed to find an old torn blanket and wrapped it around both of them to keep warm.

  Days passed like this. During the day, they wandered around the town doing small jobs to earn money, and at night they returned to the gazebo to sleep.

  One day, after finishing their work and buying food, Emperor and Varkion were walking when they reached the edge of town — right in front of an old construction site.

  The skeletal frame of a huge building stood before them — but when they walked toward the back, they found the entire area abandoned.

  Everywhere there were piles of sand, broken bricks, stacks of bamboo, and rusted metal sheets.

  People usually avoided the place — The smell was unpleasant, dirty rainwater had collected in spots, and the work had been halted for years, turning the place into a dead zone.

  While wandering around, they suddenly noticed a small makeshift hut hidden among some overgrown bushes.

  Bent pieces of tin formed the sides, an old blue tarp covered the roof, and another tarp hung at the front as a door. Varkion looked at the hut and quietly asked:— “Emperor… Do you think someone lives here?”

  The Emperor replied calmly:— “Let’s check. If no one’s inside… then this place might be perfect for us.”

  Right after saying that, the two of them walked toward the little hut. The moment they pushed the door open, they saw a boy — around their age — lying unconscious on the floor.

  The Emperor and Varkion quickly lifted him up. The Emperor asked urgently:— “What happened to you?”

  It was obvious just by looking at him — he was extremely weak. The boy slowly opened his eyes and said in a trembling voice:— “I… I’m very… very hungry…”

  Without wasting a second, the Emperor held out his hand for the food bag in Varkion’s hand. Varkion didn’t hesitate for even a moment — he handed over his share of the food too.

  The Emperor fed the boy as much as he could. Within a few minutes, the boy regained a little strength — just enough to speak. In a calm voice, the Emperor asked:— “Who are you? What’s your name? And why are you living here alone?”

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  Hearing this, the boy took a slow breath and replied:— “I don’t… have a name. And I live here… all by myself.”

  The Emperor stayed silent for a few seconds, thinking deeply. Then he sat down politely in front of the boy and said gently:— “We just met, so my words might sound strange… but we don’t have anywhere to go either. If you allow us… we want to stay with you.”

  The moment he finished speaking, the boy immediately replied in a soft voice:— “You can stay. Now I won’t have to be alone anymore… and you saved my life.”

  Hearing that, the Emperor and Varkion became genuinely happy. Without a second thought, the Emperor exclaimed excitedly:— “Then from today… your name will be Nerath!”

  Hearing this name for the first time, a real, heartfelt smile appeared on little Nerath’s face. And from that moment on, the Emperor slowly grew into the role of their big brother.

  A few more days passed like this.

  Now Nerath, along with the Emperor and Varkion, also worked to earn a little money.

  The three of them roamed around the city together — sometimes cleaning cars, sometimes doing small jobs in shops.

  Many people refused to hire them, but a few were kind enough to give them work and pay them properly. And just like that, one day, the three were wandering through the city.

  Suddenly, while walking, Nerath noticed a boy around their age sprinting away from a shop after stealing a loaf of bread. The shopkeeper was chasing him with a stick in his hand.

  Nerath quickly pointed it out to the Emperor and Varkion. They watched as, right after the shopkeeper ran off, another boy — who looked exactly like the first one — slipped into the shop, grabbed more items, and dashed off in the opposite direction.

  Seeing that, Emperor, Varkion, and Nerath immediately started running after the second boy. Meanwhile, the first boy dodged the shopkeeper and slipped into a narrow alley.

  A little while later, the two twin boys sat together in a narrow alley, pulling out the food they had stolen. Right then, a calm but firm voice spoke from behind them:— “You’re making a mistake.”

  Hearing the Emperor's voice, the twins instantly turned around. Both of them tensed up and tried to hide the food behind their backs. The older twin stepped forward and snapped:— “We’re not giving you our food.”

  The Emperor replied in the same calm tone:— “We didn’t come to take your food. And that food… you stole it.”

  The older brother shot back angrily:— “So what? What’s it to you?”

  The Emperor stayed calm:— “Stealing isn’t good. If you ever get caught, people will beat you badly. And we’re just like you… so we understand what hunger feels like.”

  Hearing that, the twins fell silent. After a moment, the older brother spoke quietly:— “Then you tell us… what should we do?”

  The Emperor looked at Nerath and asked:— “Nerath… can these two stay with us?”

  Nerath nodded immediately with an innocent smile. The moment he agreed, the Emperor politely told the twins:— “We go around the town doing small jobs. If you want, you can work with us… even live with us. But first, we need to know your names.”

  The twins went silent again. They looked at each other for a moment, and the older one said softly:— “Fine… but we don’t have names. No one ever cared enough to give us any.”

  Hearing that, Varkion spoke up plainly:— “No worries. The Emperor will give you names — just like he gave us.”

  The moment Varkion said that, the Emperor excitedly named them — Zerath and Kareth.

  Hearing their new names, both twins smiled — just a little, but real. For the first time in their lives, they had names… friends… and a place they could finally call home.

  That’s how their life continued. With all five of them together, the struggle felt lighter. They were now like a small family — and the eldest brother of that family was Emperor.

  A year passed like that. The five of them started working in two separate groups, going to different parts of the town to find jobs.

  One day, while looking for work, Zerath and Kareth were wandering through a corner of the town. That’s when they saw a group of men armed with knives surrounding a gentleman.

  And that man… was the same person who had first taught the Emperor what work was, and how to do it.

  Before Zerath and Kareth could process what was happening, the men grabbed that gentleman and slit his throat right in front of the two brothers.

  The sight was so horrifying that Kareth screamed at the top of his lungs. Hearing that scream, the killers turned toward the twins.

  Without wasting a single second, Zerath grabbed Kareth’s hand and started running. But the killers chased after them as well.

  The twins ran straight home and hid inside. Their faces were pale with terror — their breaths trembling, tears welling up in their eyes.

  But even then… the killers reached their home. Instead of entering, they set the entire house on fire.

  Right at that moment, Nerath, Varkion, and the Emperor arrived there. The moment they saw their home burning, all three of them screamed in panic.

  They rushed toward the six killers — but their tiny hands and weak bodies were completely helpless against those monsters.

  Meanwhile, the house was fully engulfed in flames, and the agonizing screams of Zerath and Kareth echoed from inside.

  Hearing those screams, Emperor, Varkion, and Nerath burst into tears. They desperately tried to fight back, crying while they pushed at the killers.

  But the six ruthless men beat them savagely with iron rods. Their screams tore through the air — yet the killers didn’t stop for even a moment.

  Within minutes, Emperor, Varkion, and Nerath collapsed to the ground, bleeding everywhere.

  The killers assumed they were dead and simply walked away, leaving the three of them lying there in the dirt.

  A short while later, an unknown man appeared at the scene — a strange, cold smile on his face.

  Then the scene cuts. One month later.

  The Emperor slowly opened his eyes. The moment he woke up, he saw the same unknown man sitting right beside him. A long scar ran across the man’s face, and that unsettling, eerie smile still remained.

  The Emperor looked around — Varkion, Nerath, Zerath, and Kareth — all of them were alive, but still weak and wrapped in bandages. Shocked, the Emperor asked in a trembling voice:— “Where… are we…?”

  Hearing the Emperor's voice, the man replied in a calm, icy tone:— “You’re safe now… This world is like this — good people die, bad people kill. You did nothing wrong, yet you all came face-to-face with death.”

  Hearing that, the Emperor's lips quivered. His eyes began to burn — as if he desperately wanted answers, desperately wanted the truth.

  The unknown man spoke again:— “If you want, I can give you the location of those killers. Maybe you can’t do anything… But if I were you, I’d erase them from this world.”

  Scene cuts — a few hours later.

  Inside a dark gambling den. Emperor — his entire body wrapped in bandages — but in his eyes a rage so fierce it felt like the whole world was on fire.

  Bodies lay scattered at his feet — blood splattered across the ceiling, the walls, the floor. Some corpses were crushed into the wall, others torn apart into pieces.

  And the Emperor had one of the killers by the throat, gripping it tightly. In the corner, curled up in fear, sat the leader — shaking violently, eyes filled with pure terror.

  The killer Emperor was holding — he suddenly slammed him against the wall. In a single second, the man’s entire body hit the wall with a horrifying crack and exploded into mangled pieces.

  At that moment it felt like — inside this small boy, a wild beast had awakened — an inhuman, unnatural power erupting from within.

  After killing everyone, the Emperor slowly walked toward the leader. In his eyes burned nothing but rage and the fire of vengeance.

  The Emperor grabbed the leader by the throat and asked in a cold, bone-chilling voice:— “What did we do wrong?”

  The leader, trembling in fear, couldn’t get a single word out. The Emperor stared at him for a second, then said:— “Seems like… I won’t be getting an answer.”

  The moment he finished speaking, the Emperor slammed a bone-shattering punch straight into the man’s face. In an instant, the leader’s nose, mouth — everything burst open and flooded with blood.

  But the Emperor didn’t stop — He kept punching, again and again, until the leader’s skull caved in and brain matter spilled out. Silence. Only blood everywhere.

  After ending every last one of them, the Emperor stood still for a moment. Right then, someone behind him began to laugh softly.

  The Emperor turned around — and saw that same unknown man, the one who once saved them, standing right there. The man spoke in a voice filled with delight:— “You unlocked Myraan… much faster than I expected.”

  He stepped closer and extended his hand toward the Emperor. This time, his voice was calm:— “You’ve seen what this world is. Come with me. If you keep walking this path, one day you might even meet our King. He’s young — very young — yet he is our King.”

  As soon as he finished speaking, the Emperor took the man’s hand without a moment of hesitation. And in that instant, it felt like a new, unknown road began in his life.

  Now — let’s look seven years later…

  Now, we see a dark corridor inside an abandoned building. A mother is running, trying desperately to save her two little children. And right behind them — a Gearborn, fully intent on slicing them apart.

  Suddenly, while running, the mother trips and falls. The Gearborn immediately raises its blade:— ready to strike.

  In that exact moment, the Emperor appears from behind and cleaves the Gearborn into pieces with a single swing of his sword. With a cold, razor-sharp voice, the Emperor says:— “Don’t touch women or children.”

  Right then, the thin scientist standing nearby starts laughing. With an evil grin, he says:— “Emperor… What have you done? That Gearborn was our very first prototype.”

  Without showing a single expression, the Emperor replies:— “That Gearborn broke my rule.”

  Hearing all of this, the mother is frozen with fear. She’s shaking uncontrollably, and her two sons are crying their hearts out. The Emperor speaks slowly, but his tone hits like a sharp warning:— “If you want to live, run. Now.”

  The moment she hears that, the woman grabs both her children and runs for her life.

  Now standing behind the Emperor are Varkion, Nerath, Zerath, and Kareth. Their bodies soaked in blood. And the entire corridor — filled with countless corpses.