Splash.

A black mouse darted across the street, dashing through the water as its paws struck the ground. Round ripples formed from every stroke, spreading out on the thin layer of water covering the wide street.

            As usual, it had been raining heavily for hours. From the distant, the millions of raindrops looked like a misty veil covering the city that seemed especially white under the dark sky. The sky was always black, starless, with only a pale crescent moon hanging up there alone, resembling a freshly polished sickle’s blade. The moon appearing in rainy nights, a common yet peculiar sight in this world.

The moonlight, reflecting off the city buildings, was absorbed by the bright, multicolored lights of the buildings’ ever-burning torches. The buildings were closely packed, separated only by narrow alleys and intersecting streets. These cube-shaped structures, never more than five stories high, were painted in various colors and adorned with interesting decorations. There were small white hospitals with neon blue signs, old brown concrete libraries with plants hanging over paintings, and yellowish-gray potion stores emitting strange-colored gases from the open windows. The building owners, often seen beside the entrances in their uniforms, had one peculiar feature: a faint three-digit number printed below their left eye.

They were all puppets. In this world, only puppets worked and served the community. They were the store owners, postmen, doctors, and more. Around the street corners, puppets in black uniforms stood guard; they were the police or the security guards, carrying long double swords on their backs.  

A group of security guards turned at the sounds of low murmuring from behind. Around a street corner, a large group of people marched slowly, their eyes half-open, whispering holy spells from the silver-blue magic books floating in front of them. They wore blue cloaks of varying shades, shimmering in the misty rain, with hoods covering their pale faces adorned with silver symbols. These were sea elves practicing enchantments. This was the daily routine for all citizens: practicing their racial magic incessantly, unbothered, and uninterested in anything beyond.

As the sea elves sleepwalked into the distance, a clear male voice echoed above the streets: “Dear citizens, thank you for your dedication to our wonderful Dark World. Continue practicing your magic daily as you always do; it is vital for our city’s operation. Remember, your actions maintain the city’s safety, vitality, and peace. Enjoy your practice.” Like every day, the government’s broadcast repeated these words. Like every day, the security guards dispersed at the end of the announcement. They never had to do anything, as the citizens, entirely absorbed in their magical practices, never committed crimes, and the puppets never malfunctioned. The city seemed to operate perfectly every day.

But like currents beneath a calm surface, the seemingly tranquil and peaceful city hid some imperceptible disturbances.

Peeking from the corner of a dark alley was a boy with violet eyes and white hair. His face was illuminated slightly by the dim moonlight. He suppressed his heavy and uneven breaths and watched silently as the security guards walked away. His eyes narrowed as he scanned for security cameras. Nodding slightly to himself after everything was clear, he stepped into the rain and disappeared with a flash of purple light.

“Well, not much progress. We can’t go around to discover anything with those surveillance cameras scattered everywhere like filthy fire tarantulas.”

“What is the government hiding? They never tell us anything about the dark magic outside the city walls. And according to the forbidden books we smuggled, a child god’s power can’t counteract powerful dark magic that could obliterate our world.”

“It’s even more ridiculous to think that a child god, kept in a tower in a sleep-like state, could power our entire city in addition to warding off the dark magic. The government’s excuses for concealing the truth are too far-fetched.”

“It’s so obvious, yet all those people believed it. Some are simply too afraid to act, thinking living under control is better than dying fighting for freedom.”

“Oh my gosh, that was a close one. I saw the Seven Killers. It was sheer luck that I managed to escape alive without being noticed. I mean, the government building is right nearby, and it’s a terrifying sight.”

The boy with white hair and violet eyes suddenly appeared before them, completely drenched and panting heavily. The room fell into silence, and everyone turned to look at him. The candle crackled softly, casting dim light on a round table surrounded by eight or nine individuals. Among them were humans with black or brown eyes, a sky elf with emerald eyes, a Pyrocrypt voidling with maroon eyes, a ghost with gray eyes, some Termian star people with indigo eyes, and a blood species with blood-red eyes.

“Thank God you’re alive!” Exclaimed the Pyrocrypt voidling, breaking the silence. He stood up and led the exhausted boy toward a passageway. “You were gone longer than we expected; we almost thought our plan had failed. Come, let’s get you some food and rest. You haven’t eaten in three days, have you?” Before they disappeared into the darkness, the blood species man stood up and asked in a hoarse voice, “Wait, Isaac! Did you see a brown-haired boy with red eyes and a red scarf?”

“Yes, I did.”

“All right let me repeat, the mission target is a ten-member rebel group in district 28. Where is RE4012?”

“My lord, I’m here!”

A boy, around sixteen, hurried down the marble staircase. His pale face flushed slightly as he breathed heavily. His messy brown hair partially covered his bright blood-red eyes. He wore a red and black cloak with silver patterns, black trousers, and dark red boots. Wrapped around his neck, flowing behind him, was a blood-red scarf. As he ran, his slightly high-heeled boots echoed loudly against the white marble floor.

“It seems all three of you assigned to this mission are here, RE4012, BB2097, and RM5413. Good. All right, my dear killers, off you go. I must meet with Lady Quinn and Lady Aramynta. Have fun.” As the man vanished in a puff of purple smoke, two boys quickly set off.

The red-eyed boy, RE4012, was about to follow his companions when a dazzling light from the distance caught his eye. Curiously, he looked towards the source of the light. There stood a massive tower from where the light was emanating.

RE4012 was inside the government building, a castle-like structure at the center of the city. At its heart was a towering spire, surrounded by interweaving lightning and emanating a white magical energy field. This tower, inaccessible to all but the Lord of Dark World and a few staff members, was a sacred place. It housed the Child God, the last god alive after the collapse of the Era of Harmony. This tower was the heart of the world, a site where the Child God’s energy was produced and transferred around the entire city. The tower’s exterior was covered in large glass blocks, but they were not transparent, making it impossible to see the insides. Only a very few people can enter and exit the tower, and they kept everything completely secret. Therefore, apart from these few people, no one knew what it looked like inside, and no one ever saw the Child God.

            RE4012 was surprised to discover that a piece of glass from the tower was broken, and the bright light came from the hole made by the broken glass. He looked around; there was no one nearby.

Unable to suppress his curiosity, RE4012 held his breath and looked intently through the hole. The staff inside the tower seemed to be in a panic, and at the center of the tower, there appeared to be a huge glass cylinder, inside of which was a person. This person was floating inside the glass, as if submerged in water. Although obscurely, RE4012 could distinguish that the person had dark brown hair and was wearing a white robe with sky-blue patterns, but his face was completely indistinct. White and blue electric lights continuously passed through the person’s body, rising to a rod connected at the top of the glass cylinder. At that moment, a name suddenly came to RE4012’s mind: Harold.

RE4012 shivered, a strange and familiar emotion surged through his heart, trying to awaken something deep within him. Staring at the person in the glass, a voice echoed in his mind, and he murmured unconsciously: “Red?...Who is Red?...He called me...Red?” Then, his heart was struck as if by a heavy hammer, causing unbearable pain, almost suffocating him. He trembled, not knowing where this sudden feeling came from, or why. Staring at the person in the glass, he felt dizzy, as if sunk in a dreamlike state, his consciousness plunged into extreme confusion. He felt a strong impulse to break the glass cylinder and save the person, someone he didn’t even recognize.

Time seemed to freeze, as if a century had passed, the broken glass was finally sealed. It was at this moment that he suddenly remembered his mission, which sharply pulled him back to reality. It was like a bucket of cold water had been poured over his head, extinguishing all the strange and chaotic feelings instantly. RE4012’s body went limp, almost collapsing to the ground. He took deep breaths, trying to calm himself down. Remembering the important task at hand, and realizing he was probably late, he became anxious. After stabling his mind, in a flash of red light, RE4012 teleported himself out of the government building. As he rapidly traversed the rain-soaked streets, his thoughts uncontrollably drifted away.

Nearly a century ago, Dark World was part of a complete world in a space of existence where everyone lived in harmony, until a catastrophic outbreak of dark magic occurred throughout the world. This dark magic was so powerful that it turned cities into ruins, polluted the air, and nearly killed all the inhabitants and gods. This city was the last one untouched by the dark magic. The child of the gods was brought to the city on the verge of death. He was placed in the tower for protection, and his power and magic protected the city. Citizens were told to practice magic constantly so that the magical field they created could sustain the life of the Child God and provide him the energy needed to keep the city running. Dark World, the only remaining city of the collapsed world, still appeared harmonious and strong, even more so than during the Era of Harmony. In that so-called Era of Harmony, crimes still occurred, troubles were intertwined in everyday life, and citizens could still vote—something considered in Dark World to bring severe chaos......And then there were these rebels! They were those who failed to fulfill their civic duty of practicing magic, posing a severe threat to the world’s peace and safety, committing a terrible crime that required immediate execution.

These words from the recorded history of Dark World was spoken by the Lord of Dark World himself to everyone in the city, and they seemed to be an unquestioned fact by all. RE4012 had never doubted the truth of these statements; he always believed he was a defender of the peace and safety of this world and even felt proud of himself. But now, for some reason, a sense of unease began to stir in his heart, an experience he had never had before.

Lost in his thoughts, RE4012 suddenly realized that he had reached his destination, standing in front of the old library where the targeted rebels were hiding, with two figures standing in front of him.

“We’ve been waiting for you, why are you so slow? If the rebels noticed and escaped, how would we explain when we go back?” One of them said irritably in a low voice.

RE4012 didn’t say much, he just nodded apologetically. The three of them silently infiltrated the building.

“Huh? What’s that sound?”

“What sound?”

“That—”

The voice of the sky elf suddenly vanished.

Hiss.

“Hey, the candle went out.”

“Oi, sky elf, this is not the time for jokes.”

A scream from the ghost girl echoed in the darkness, followed by a splat, as some warm liquid spilled onto the table. All the rebels were stunned.

“Light the candle!”

The candle was lit immediately. The ghost girl lay dead on the floor. An arrow with blue tail feathers had pierced her heart.

Before the rebels could react, three magic cards flew out and exploded in mid-air, killing another person.

In the next moment, RE4012 leaped onto the table, his blood-red eyes gleaming ominously in the faint light. Two daggers appeared in his hands, the blood from the ghost girl’s body seeping into his blades. A smile curled on RE4012’s lips. The rebels stared at him in horror, their faces as pale as the dead girl’s.

“The Seven Killers!” Someone among the rebels screamed, and they all drew out their weapons in defense. RE4012 threw one of his daggers like a boomerang, shouting “Heart!”

A small figure rushed out, shooting bundles of fire at RE4012’s spinning dagger. Once the flames touched the dagger’s blade, a series of explosions followed like fireworks in the air. Screams rang out in the room. When the dagger finally returned to RE4012’s hand, the room was silent.

“Is it all over?”

“I’ll check.”

“Security guards should be on their way to clean up the mess. We can leave now.”

“Ha, looks like they’ve got a lot of work to do.”

“Red Eyes, you done checking, are there any survivors? Don’t miss anyone, or we’ll be trouble.”

“Don’t worry, go ahead. I’ll catch up later…….” RE4012 replied.

RE4012 stood still with his eyes opened wide, staring in surprise at a corner.

There lay an elderly man with one hand on his stomach, blood seeping through his fingers. His breathing was faint, his blood-red eyes glowing softly, looking sadly at RE4012.

“My Blood Lord,” the man called out weakly. RE4012’s mind flipped in chaos. He approached the man hesitantly, whispering in disbelief, “You…You are from the blood species?” The man smiled faintly as he answered, his voice hoarse, “Yes, my lord.”

RE4012, in shock, quickly closed the door and asked in a low voice, “How is this possible? I thought I was the last one......”

“No, there are others like me in hiding. When the government took you away, you were just a child. That day, we all became rebels. Wake up, my lord! You are the great Blood Lord; you are our god. They erased your memory, turned you into a puppet, but your body is still entirely made out of blood species flesh! The Lord of Dark World has plans on you! The Child God in the tower, that’s Harold, my lord! He wants to use Harold too! They’ve been lying to everyone!”

“What?! What are you talking about?!”

Just then, hurried footsteps sounded from downstairs. RE4012 realized that security have arrived. The elderly man grabbed RE4012’s hand and urged in a desperate voice, “My lord, kill me now! The security guards are here! Quick, kill me!”

“What, no! I can’t kill someone of the blood species––”

“If they find you didn’t kill all of us, you’ll be in trouble, and my being of the blood species will make them suspect you, putting you in great danger.”

“No……” RE4012 hesitated, but the footsteps had reached the door. The man on the ground, taking advantage of RE4012’s distraction, used the last of his strength to pull RE4012’s hand holding the dagger towards his own neck.

Splat. Warm blood splashed on RE4012’s face.

The door was kicked open. RE4012 didn’t turn around. Clenching his teeth to suppress the trembling of his hands and the tears in his eyes, he stood up slowly, his voice hoarse and low, “There was one left, I’ve taken care of him.” Saying so, he teleported away without looking back, the last thing he heard being the loud shouts of orders from the security guards, echoing hollowly.

The rain continued to fall.

RE4012 stood quietly on the street, drenched. He raised his head back, eyes closed. Both rainwater and tears flowed down his face. The blood on his cheeks, still warm, seemed to burn into his skin. RE4012 opened his eyes, looking at the government castle’s tower in the distance. Lightning streaked through the tower and thunder boomed in the darkness. Bluish white flashes of light reflecting in his eyes.

As RE4012 walked slowly towards the government building, a new light flashed in his blood-red eyes.