In the privacy of his room, a boy of about eight years old with brown hair slowly raised his head. His swollen eyes betrayed the relentless crying that had accompanied him throughout the day. His gaze was fixed on a photograph: the image of a man holding a peculiar glove, colored in white, black, and yellow tones. Meanwhile, a woman of around 45 years watched the scene from a distance, her expression unreadable. The boy, on the verge of breaking the silence, seemed to carry a great weight.
Elsewhere
A ten-year-old boy, his face twisted with a mixture of hatred and accumulated rage, wandered through a military base crowded with soldiers. His eyes locked with those of a striking figure: a man with dark hair—what was left of it. Half of his face was covered with metallic pieces, giving him an almost robotic appearance. Where his hair used to grow, there was now only a prosthetic extension.
Despite his inorganic look, the expression in the little remaining human skin showed deep sorrow. The man, with a piercing gaze, seemed to know something about the boy. As the soldiers approached to question the child for being there without a guardian, the mysterious man simply lit a cigarette. In his mind, a grim belief was taking root: the boy's future was marked by suffering, and his destiny, almost certainly, would be death on the battlefield.
A boy with a sweet face but eyes full of pain pushed his way through the crowd. Ignoring everyone around him, he headed straight toward the base until a figure with a robotic appearance blocked his path. Pointing at a sign that read "Authorized Personnel Only," the figure denied him entry.
In a burst of fury, the boy yelled that he was there to join the elite program. He declared that he didn't care about suffering and was willing to risk his life to get in. The soldier, unshaken, led him to the commander.
Upon seeing the boy, the commander understood immediately: he was the son of that man. He must be there seeking revenge. The commander warned him that if revenge was his motivation, he would regret it—that he should think carefully before doing something that could ruin his life.
Ignoring the advice, the boy insisted he knew what he was doing. He still wanted to join, even if it meant destroying his own life.
A month later, tension filled the air. In a deadly training zone inside the base, stained with what looked like blood, a group had gathered: two adults, nine teenagers, and twenty-three children. Among them, a blond-haired boy named Traset stood out, lost in thoughts of becoming part of the elite army. Beside him, a white-haired boy radiated fear, while another with black hair tried to appear overly confident.
The commander broke the silence with a grave voice, announcing they were about to enter hell. He explained that they were the last line of defense for the few remaining humans inside the dome—a shelter that protected them from energy particles that, without it, would contaminate and turn them into "them."
"Now, you must pass these trials," the commander continued. He warned that anyone who was seriously injured or on the brink of death would be rescued—but would be permanently disqualified from the program. His final words struck like a sentence: "Good luck, and I hope I never see you again."
The testing area was a maze of spikes, with soldiers firing in controlled bursts. The participants had to climb, dodge lethal falls, and reach a button within 30 minutes. Failing to do so meant instant disqualification.
One overconfident youth entered first. Instead of using smoke, he tried to kick up sand to create a visual barrier. A fatal mistake. He was shot in the foot and knee, letting out a scream of pain. The others froze. Traset, the blond-haired boy, took advantage of the chaos and used the injured one as a human shield. He noticed the bullets lost power after passing through one body and told the others.
The soldiers reacted quickly, shooting a bullet that wounded Traset's right hand. Bearing the pain, Traset moved swiftly, and the injured youth was shot fatally in the head. Two adults threw rocks at the soldiers' helmets, disorienting them briefly. As the soldiers prepared to fire again, one adult and the white-haired boy disarmed two soldiers with astonishing precision. Everyone ran. Traset abandoned the injured body.
The commander, observing everything, ordered medics to try to regenerate the boy if possible. In his thoughts, he realized revenge was changing Traset into something terrifying—but he no longer feared him. Others, however, feared the boy. They wanted to kill him, but his aura of strength kept them at bay.
The following tests were easier, though some teens and one adult fell. Suddenly, a different soldier appeared. His armor had strange patterns, and a white mass floated at his side. With only 15 minutes left, the soldier declared that to pass, they had to defeat him and press the button—he intended to kill them.
One adult recognized the soldier: PGDUDC, one of the few who could gain power from concepts. Before the adult could explain, Traset attacked, but the adult reacted fast, losing an arm to save the child from a deadly blow to the head. The last three teens joined hands to protect the children while they fled. The white-haired and black-haired boys grabbed the soldier's white mass, which transformed into a spear. They attacked PGDUDC, hitting his head. He seemed unaffected—he simply removed the spear and let them pass.
Even after passing the trial, the sight of PGDUDC's unharmed head left them shaken. If such beings existed among the weaker armies, they didn't want to imagine what awaited on the other war fronts.
The commander returned abruptly, announcing that—unfortunately—they had passed. While some succeeded through teamwork, and one (Traset) turned the useless into something useful, the commander noted that Traset broke protocol by not keeping a cool head. Ignoring that for now, he told them their wounds would be healed.
He explained that as they rose in rank and completed missions, they would receive robotic enhancements. As a demonstration, he transformed his hand into an eight-barrel blaster, more powerful than anything they'd seen. For now, they only needed to climb the ranks—over time, their bodies would improve.
As they were treated in the infirmary, the white-haired boy sighed with relief. The black-haired boy laughed, and a childish fight broke out between them. Traset turned and couldn't help but smile, which made both boys angry at him. For the first time, Traset forgot why he was there. In their playful anger, a genuine smile appeared on his face.
An adult watched the scene. Behind him, a red-haired boy, afraid, hid. He had wanted to join to die, but seeing the others—who didn't notice him—he wished he could be strong like them. The adult sensed his presence and invited him to join the others. The boy refused, saying he was too weak and had hidden during the test while others stood out. The adult patted him on the back and asked his name: Sudadio. The adult introduced himself as Leudo.
A card-like object with the design of a weapon and the silhouette of a yellow-toned soldier suddenly came to life. It "woke up," revealing a devastated landscape with a beautiful flower field. In the middle of the destruction, a white portal opened. A figure emerged into what was once a temple—now ruins—clearly heading toward a white orb.
Meanwhile, a tall, slender young man with light blue eyes and blond hair stood with the commander. Without a word, the commander opened a suitcase. A demonic-looking sword with fangs and fragments on either side shot straight at the young man. The commander was surprised—the sword had chosen him. The young man, smiling, accepted the sword and his dangerous new destiny.
Some time later, the training zone buzzed with activity. Recruits performed grueling exercises, lifting twice their weight. The children still struggled with the loads.
Elsewhere, the sword-wielding young man trained intensely with another sword user, sharpening his reflexes and combat techniques.
In the safety zone, the commander observed the new recruits. He noticed Leudo lifting double his weight with ease, showing remarkable progress. In his thoughts, the commander reflected on how Traset had begun to bond with the other children, training with them daily. Sometimes, Traset's face darkened as he remembered his mission, but the camaraderie always brought back his smile.
Leudo's rapid progress meant he'd soon leave for deadly missions. A pity, the commander thought, as Leudo had clearly grown fond of Sudadio.
A year passed. The training numbers had dwindled. Only the original 23 children remained. Traset and his group—Atiart (white-haired) and Etirm (black-haired)—were close to their goal: lifting three times their own weight.
As they rested, Traset curiously asked Atiart, "Why did the commander say it was expected that you'd be here?" Before Atiart could reply, the commander entered.
He announced that it was time to receive new recruits, but first, they had to determine who was ready to become a soldier and who would be placed on standby. The children would have to fight. Only the top ten would advance. The first match: Traset vs. Egenver.
The commander gave the signal. Egenver, wielding a weapon that fired orbs instead of bullets, launched himself at Traset, who held a sword. Egenver aimed at the eyes, neck, and even the groin. Traset dodged quickly, but some orbs hit his nose.
Taking advantage of the distraction, Egenver shot at Traset's eyes, blinding him, and then hit his head with the orb gun, knocking him down. As Traset fell, he swung his sword at Egenver's knee, making him fall too. While Egenver tried to rise, Traset punched him with the sword, sending him flying.
Confident, Traset moved in to finish him off—but his overconfidence cost him. Egenver shot a rain of orbs that hit him, leaving him on the ground.
Egenver won the fight.