He tried to open his eyes. Only one responded.
He was lying on the ground. All around him, there was blood. One of his eyes was bleeding, but he couldn't remember why. He lifted his head… and then he saw it—a sea of corpses.
Humans, but also beasts. Warriors and monsters. They were the remnants of a war, though it didn't seem to be from his world.
He tried to stand up, but his body didn't respond as it used to. He felt smaller. Weaker. More fragile.
Still, he tried.
After several attempts, he managed to get up. But he didn't know what to do. Or where to go.
"What is this body? What are these creatures?" he thought, finding no answer.
He touched his face. His hand trembled as he felt a wound running from his eyebrow down to his left cheek. The blood was still flowing, warm. His skin was pale, almost as pale as his hair, white as ash. His arms were thin, fragile, covered in dust and dried blood.
He looked up and saw a figure in the distance.
It looked human. Desperate, he shouted with all his strength:
"HELP!!!"
His voice… didn't sound familiar either. It was higher-pitched. Strange.
Then he raised his hand. He wanted to be seen.
The figure began to move. It wasn't walking. It floated just inches above the ground, though it seemed connected to the earth, as if something on its back kept it anchored.
It stopped. Stared at him intently from afar.
And then… it advanced. Fast. Very fast.
The ground beneath his feet cracked, as if something swam underground.
When it was close enough… it jumped.
A worm emerged from the ground in front of the boy. It was going to devour him.
But a figure, like a lightning bolt, intervened between them.
It deflected the creature's charge and grabbed the boy, pulling him away from the spot.
It left him under a nearby tree and turned toward the place they came from.
And said:
"Find him, Hikari."
From the sky, a lightning bolt fell right where they had been seconds before. The impact thundered like a roar so powerful the boy covered his ears and looked away.
In the smoking crater stood a beast with a feline appearance, but unlike anything the boy had ever known.
Hikari emerged from the crater like a hunter scenting its prey.
He stopped. Raised his head. Let out a short roar, looking toward a small nearby forest.
The man looked at him and ordered:
"Bring him."
At that moment, Hikari moved so fast the boy couldn't follow him with his eyes.
"Get ready, kid," the man murmured. "He's coming."
From afar, flashes of light could be seen among the trees, then some falling. The worm was being driven toward them, chased by Hikari from behind.
The man drew his sword. Its blade looked like lightning.
The worm jumped at him again, but this time it wasn't going to escape.
As the creature was in midair, the man moved like lightning, spinning around it and slicing its body into a thousand pieces in fractions of a second.
He hit the ground first.
The worm's body crumbled in the air as if cut by a thousand blades at once. Fragments rained down over the field, but none touched the boy.
The man sheathed his sword with a single movement. The metal still sparkled, as if the thunder didn't want to leave him.
He turned slowly, walked toward the boy, and knelt to his level.
He wore a white robe stained from battle, but his bearing was still impeccable. His hair was golden, like bathed in sunlight, and his eyes, the same color, conveyed calm and resolve.
"Are you okay?" he asked with a firm but calm voice. "That wound on your face looks deep."
The boy shook his head. He didn't trust his voice. He didn't trust anything. He didn't even know who he was.
"Can you speak?"
The boy hesitated. Swallowed. Tried to say something, but only managed to whisper:
"I don't know… I don't know who I am…"
The man watched him for a few seconds. His golden eyes showed neither surprise nor pity. Only silent understanding.
"I see," he replied, looking away toward the horizon.
The boy looked at him, scared and confused.
"Where am I? What was that thing? Who are you?"
The man didn't answer right away. He stood up and looked at the sky for a moment, as if searching for the right words. Then he looked back at him.
"My name is Akiharu Sōya. I am an Armonist from the kingdom of Albiria."
The boy frowned.
"An Armonist…?"
"You don't know what that means?"
The boy lowered his gaze. His thoughts were a whirlwind of questions, but none had an answer.
Akiharu crouched again, looked him straight in the eyes and, with a slight smile, said:
"I don't know what happened to you. But whatever it is… you survived."
The boy lifted his head.
"I don't even know what my name is…"
Akiharu looked at him a moment longer, as if evaluating him. Then nodded firmly.
"Then… from today on, you will be called Arata. Until you remember your true name."
"Arata…?" the boy repeated, as if tasting the name on his lips.
The boy smiled and nodded silently.
Akiharu stood up and extended his hand.
"Come. We're in a war zone, it's not safe for you to be alone."
Arata looked at it for a few seconds… then took it.