Chapter 1
The sky above the village was still dark when Kaioshin opened his eyes.
He didn't need an alarm.
He already knew what day it was.
Today, he was leaving.
Kaioshin sat on the edge of his bed and looked through the small window beside him. The village was quiet. Most people were still sleeping.
For years, people had lived in fear of the Soul Eclipses.
They weren't normal eclipses.
When one appeared, darkness spread across the sky and people died. Each Soul Eclipse brought the world closer to something far worse.
The Final Soul Eclipse.
According to the oldest stories, the last eclipse wouldn't destroy a village, a city, or even a country.
It would disintegrate the entire Earth.
Kaioshin stood.
Purple light flashed through his eyes.
"I'm not letting that happen."
He got dressed, grabbed his things, and walked outside.
The cold morning air hit his face.
At the edge of the village, Kaioshin stopped and looked back.
He didn't know when he would see this place again.
Maybe months.
Maybe years.
Maybe never.
His right hand suddenly tingled.
Kaioshin looked down.
Dark purple energy slowly moved across his fingers.
The Soul Hand.
Kaioshin had possessed it for as long as he could remember.
It wasn't just a weapon.
His Soul Hand allowed him to touch the souls of other living beings. Through it, he could feel emotions hidden beneath words—fear, anger, sadness, hatred, even hope.
And that wasn't all.
The Soul Hand gave Kaioshin strange abilities that even he didn't completely understand.
Sometimes it felt less like a power he controlled...
and more like something inside him that was still waking up.
Kaioshin closed his hand.
The purple energy disappeared.
Then he turned away from his village.
And began his journey.
Hours later, the road led him into a dark forest.
Huge black trees towered over him. Their twisted branches blocked most of the sunlight.
Kaioshin stopped.
No birds.
No insects.
No wind.
Nothing.
His Soul Hand suddenly burned.
Kaioshin looked at it.
Purple lines appeared across his skin.
Someone was nearby.
No.
Something.
And whatever it was feeling...
was rage.
CRACK!
Kaioshin turned.
A gigantic creature dropped from the trees.
BOOM!
The ground shook beneath its weight.
The creature looked almost human, but its arms were enormous. Black armor covered its body, and glowing purple cracks spread across its chest and neck.
It screamed.
Kaioshin raised his Soul Hand.
"Yeah. I felt you coming."
The monster charged.
Its fist came straight toward Kaioshin's head.
He ducked.
BOOM!
The fist smashed through a tree behind him.
Kaioshin jumped onto the creature's arm, ran across its shoulder, and drove his knee into its face.
BAM!
The monster crashed sideways.
But it immediately got back up.
"Okay."
Kaioshin smiled slightly.
"You're strong."
The monster ripped a broken tree from the ground and swung it at him.
Kaioshin jumped over it.
The tree came back from the opposite direction.
He twisted in midair.
WHOOSH!
It barely missed him.
Kaioshin landed.
Purple energy exploded around his Soul Hand.
The monster charged again.
This time, Kaioshin didn't dodge.
He ran directly toward it.
The creature punched.
Kaioshin caught its fist with his Soul Hand.
BOOM!
The impact cracked the ground beneath his feet.
Kaioshin gritted his teeth.
Then something changed.
The forest disappeared from his mind.
For a second, he felt what the creature felt.
Fear.
Pain.
Confusion.
Kaioshin's eyes widened.
"You're scared."
The monster roared and tried to pull away.
Kaioshin released it.
"So you don't actually want to fight me."
The purple cracks across the monster's body suddenly grew brighter.
It screamed and attacked again.
Kaioshin realized what was happening.
Something was forcing it to fight.
He moved beneath its punch and slammed his Soul Hand into its chest.
Purple energy spread across the monster's body.
The creature froze.
Kaioshin could feel its soul.
The fear.
The pain.
And beneath all of it...
something dark.
Something connected to the Soul Eclipses.
Kaioshin pushed harder.
"Get out of him."
BOOOOM!
Purple energy erupted from the monster's back.
The creature was thrown across the forest and crashed into the ground.
For several seconds, nothing moved.
Then the purple cracks slowly disappeared from its body.
Kaioshin stared at his Soul Hand.
"So the eclipses can affect souls too..."
That was worse than he thought.
He continued his journey.
By sunset, Kaioshin had reached a massive valley.
Ancient ruins covered the land below.
Broken towers.
Collapsed buildings.
Statues half buried beneath the earth.
Kaioshin stared at them.
Then his Soul Hand reacted again.
But this time, the feeling was different.
Calm.
Dangerously calm.
Someone was standing behind him.
"You've got an interesting hand."
Kaioshin spun around.
A man stood on a large rock several meters away.
He wore a dark cloak, and part of his face was hidden beneath a black covering.
Kaioshin immediately raised his Soul Hand.
"Who are you?"
The stranger jumped down from the rock.
"Cage."
Kaioshin watched him carefully.
Cage turned slightly.
That was when Kaioshin noticed something on the back of his cloak.
A dark symbol.
Kaioshin stared at the mark.
He had never seen it before, but something about it made his Soul Hand react.
Purple energy flickered across his fingers.
Cage noticed.
"What are you looking at?"
Kaioshin pointed toward the symbol.
"That mark on your back. What is it?"
Cage glanced over his shoulder.
"This?"
"Yeah."
Cage turned back toward him.
"Black Veil."
Kaioshin narrowed his eyes.
"Black Veil?"
"My guild."
Kaioshin looked at the symbol again.
His Soul Hand tingled.
Something about Cage was strange. Kaioshin could normally sense emotions through his Soul Hand, but Cage was difficult to read.
It was as if something was blocking him.
Cage smiled.
"You've been staring long enough."
The metal around his arms suddenly moved.
CLINK.
Kaioshin looked down.
Cage's hands weren't normal hands.
They were chains.
Long, heavy metal chains covered in sharp spikes began sliding out from beneath his sleeves.
CLINK.
CLINK.
The chains dropped onto the stone.
Kaioshin took a step back.
"So that's your weapon."
Cage raised both arms.
"No."
The chains began moving.
"They're my hands."
WHOOSH!
The first chain shot toward Kaioshin.
Kaioshin threw himself sideways.
CRASH!
The spiked chain smashed straight through the rock behind him.
Kaioshin's eyes widened.
Cage pulled his arm back.
The chain ripped itself free.
"Fast enough."
The second chain came from the side.
Kaioshin jumped.
WHOOSH!
It passed underneath him.
But Cage immediately changed direction.
The first chain whipped back through the air.
Kaioshin turned.
Too late.
WHAM!
The metal slammed into his side.
Kaioshin flew across the ruins and hit the ground hard.
He rolled twice before forcing himself back onto his feet.
Cage stood in the distance.
"Still want to fight?"
Kaioshin wiped blood from the corner of his mouth.
Purple energy began surrounding his Soul Hand.
"Yeah."
He smiled.
"Now I do."
Kaioshin charged.
Cage launched both chains.
WHOOSH!
WHOOSH!
Kaioshin dodged the first.
He jumped over the second.
Then he landed directly on one of the chains.
Cage's eyes narrowed.
Kaioshin ran along the metal toward him.
"What—"
Kaioshin jumped.
His Soul Hand blazed purple.
"Got you!"
BOOM!
His fist slammed into Cage's chest.
Cage flew backward and crashed through an ancient stone pillar.
CRAAASH!
Dust filled the ruins.
Kaioshin landed.
For a moment, everything went silent.
Then—
CLINK.
A chain emerged from the dust.
Kaioshin moved his head.
WHOOSH!
The spikes missed his face by inches.
Cage walked out of the rubble.
Blood ran from his lip.
He wiped it away.
Then smiled.
"Good."
Kaioshin raised his fists.
Cage's chains lifted from the ground behind him.
"Again."
Both moved at the same time.
Cage swung one chain low.
Kaioshin jumped.
The second came high.
Kaioshin blocked it with his Soul Hand.
CLANG!
Purple energy exploded against the metal.
Kaioshin grabbed the chain.
Cage pulled.
Kaioshin was dragged forward.
Instead of fighting it, Kaioshin ran with the pull.
Cage's expression changed.
Kaioshin reached him and drove his knee into Cage's stomach.
BAM!
Cage stumbled.
Kaioshin punched him across the face.
BAM!
Another punch.
BAM!
Then a kick to the chest.
WHAM!
Cage flew backward.
Before hitting the ground, he launched both chains.
CLANG!
They wrapped around two broken pillars.
Cage pulled himself through the air and came flying back toward Kaioshin.
Kaioshin barely had time to raise his arms.
BOOM!
They collided.
Kaioshin crashed onto his back.
Cage landed nearby.
Kaioshin immediately rolled away.
CRASH!
A spiked chain struck exactly where his head had been.
Kaioshin jumped to his feet.
Cage attacked again.
Kaioshin dodged.
Again.
He blocked.
Again.
Kaioshin grabbed the chain with his Soul Hand.
Purple energy traveled across the metal.
And suddenly—
Kaioshin felt it.
Cage's soul.
Excitement.
Confidence.
Determination.
Kaioshin's eyes widened.
Cage was enjoying this.
"You're having fun."
Cage froze for half a second.
Then he smiled.
"So the rumors about that hand are true."
Kaioshin tightened his grip.
"You know about the Soul Hand?"
"I know enough."
Kaioshin pulled the chain hard.
Cage was dragged toward him.
Kaioshin swung his fist.
Cage ducked.
Kaioshin's Soul Hand smashed into the wall behind him.
CRAAASH!
Stone exploded everywhere.
Cage spun.
One of his chains wrapped around Kaioshin's ankle.
Kaioshin looked down.
"Oh—"
Cage pulled.
WHAM!
Kaioshin slammed onto his back.
Cage swung his arm.
Kaioshin was lifted off the ground by the chain.
Then thrown.
BOOOOM!
Kaioshin crashed through a ruined wall.
Rocks buried him.
Cage stood still.
"Done?"
Silence.
Then purple light appeared beneath the rubble.
BOOM!
The stones exploded outward.
Kaioshin stepped from the dust.
His clothes were torn.
Blood ran down his face.
His Soul Hand burned brighter than before.
"Not even close."
Cage laughed.
"That's what I wanted to hear."
The chains shot forward.
Kaioshin charged directly at them.
He ducked beneath one.
Blocked another.
A third swing caught his shoulder.
WHAM!
Kaioshin spun from the impact but stayed on his feet.
He grabbed the chain.
Purple energy erupted.
Cage pulled.
Kaioshin pulled back.
The metal tightened between them.
Kaioshin's Soul Hand touched Cage's soul again.
This time, he pushed deeper.
He felt Cage's confidence.
His determination.
His loyalty.
And something else.
People.
Many people.
All connected by the same symbol Kaioshin had seen on Cage's cloak.
Black Veil.
Cage's expression suddenly changed.
"Get out of my soul."
He yanked the chain.
Kaioshin lost his balance.
The second chain wrapped around Kaioshin's waist.
Cage swung both arms.
Kaioshin was ripped off the ground.
WHAM!
He smashed into one wall.
Then another.
CRASH!
Cage pulled him back and threw him into the ground.
BOOOOM!
A crater formed beneath Kaioshin.
He coughed.
His Soul Hand flickered.
But he forced himself up.
Cage stared at him.
"You really don't know when to stay down."
Kaioshin raised his glowing hand.
"I didn't leave my village to give up on the first day."
Cage's smile disappeared.
Kaioshin charged.
Cage attacked.
The chains whipped across the ruins.
Kaioshin dodged one.
Blocked another.
A spike cut across his shoulder.
He kept moving.
Cage swung again.
Kaioshin caught the chain.
His palm burned against the metal.
He pulled Cage toward him.
BAM!
Kaioshin drove his forehead into Cage's face.
Cage stumbled.
Kaioshin hit him with the Soul Hand.
BOOM!
Cage flew across the ruins.
He hit the ground and rolled.
For the first time, Cage stayed down for several seconds.
Kaioshin breathed heavily.
"Had enough?"
Cage slowly lifted his head.
Blood ran from his nose.
Then he laughed.
"No."
Both chains rose behind him.
"Now I'm actually trying."
Kaioshin's eyes widened.
Cage vanished.
Kaioshin's Soul Hand reacted.
Behind him.
Kaioshin turned.
WHAM!
A chain struck his stomach.
Another wrapped around his right arm.
The other wrapped around his left leg.
Kaioshin tried to break free.
The spikes tightened.
Cage pulled.
Kaioshin flew toward him.
Cage struck him in the stomach.
BAM!
Kaioshin gasped.
Cage struck him again.
BAM!
Then kicked him away.
Kaioshin hit the ground.
He tried to stand.
His legs shook.
Cage approached.
Kaioshin roared and charged one final time.
Purple energy exploded around his Soul Hand.
He threw everything into one punch.
Cage moved aside.
Kaioshin missed.
Cage's chains wrapped around him from both sides.
CLINK!
Kaioshin struggled.
Cage spun.
Then slammed him into the ground with everything he had.
BOOOOOOM!
The ruins shook.
Dust rose high into the air.
Kaioshin lay at the center of a crater.
His fingers moved.
Purple energy appeared around his Soul Hand.
It flickered.
Once.
Twice.
Then disappeared.
Kaioshin tried to stand.
He couldn't.
Cage walked toward him.
The spiked chains slowly retracted toward his arms.
CLINK.
CLINK.
The fight was over.
Kaioshin had lost.
Cage stopped beside him.
"Huh."
Kaioshin looked up.
Cage smiled.
"You're strong."
Kaioshin breathed heavily.
Then Cage asked:
"You want to join the Black Veil?"
Kaioshin stared at him.
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"You have potential. Come with us. We can make you stronger."
Kaioshin didn't answer immediately.
He looked at his Soul Hand.
Then he remembered why he had left his village.
The Soul Eclipses.
The people they killed.
And the Final Soul Eclipse that could erase the entire Earth.
Today, Cage had shown him something he didn't want to admit.
Kaioshin wasn't strong enough.
Not yet.
He looked at Cage.
"Fine."
Cage raised an eyebrow.
"Fine?"
Kaioshin slowly forced himself to his feet.
"I'll join."
Cage smiled.
"Good."
He turned away.
"Follow me."
Night had fallen over the valley.
Kaioshin walked beside Cage as they left the ruined battlefield behind.
Far between the mountains, lights appeared in the darkness.
Cage pointed toward them.
"That's the Black Veil."
Kaioshin stared at the distant guild.
That morning, he had left his village alone with one goal:
Stop the Final Soul Eclipse.
Now, after losing the hardest battle of his journey so far, he was following a stranger with spiked metal chains for hands toward a guild he knew almost nothing about.
Kaioshin looked down.
His Soul Hand glowed faintly.
He could still feel something from Cage.
Confidence.
Purpose.
And something Kaioshin hadn't expected.
Trust.
The purple light disappeared.
Kaioshin looked toward the Black Veil.
Then he continued walking beside Cage.
Whatever waited for him there, he would face it.
Because if he was going to stop the Final Soul Eclipse...
he had to become stronger.
