Han Augustus.
The Easterner had grown up in a loving family.
There were four mouths to feed, so they were not well-off, but they rarely had to skip meals, and though they did not own it, they had a warm home to live in.
Han's parents cherished him more than anyone else and raised him in a way that would never bring shame to the name of parenthood.
Although he sometimes received discriminatory looks for coming from the eastern region, quite far from the capital, Han did not care.
Han was happy, and his parents likewise enjoyed the peace of their family.
......Until Andrei Chikatilo came.
“Could I have some water?”
Chikatilo appeared one day in the year Han turned eight.
Despite standing over two meters tall, he was lanky, and he made the request in a parched, raspy voice.
It was a little past noon.
Since it was the weekend, the entire family was home.
Han's mother, who would readily share food even with the beggar children in the neighborhood, invited Chikatilo inside. As though to prove that like had married like, Han's father raised no objection either.
Soon, his mother seated Chikatilo at the table and served him a glass of water, some bread, and a bowl of warm soup.
“......”
Chikatilo had expected, at most, some water or perhaps a piece of stale bread.
When he was unexpectedly given a proper meal, he stared blankly at Han's mother, and she answered.
“You looked very hungry. Please eat before you go, if you'd like.”
Han kept glancing over at them.
Sitting in the living room pretending to read a book, Han did not like what was happening.
He disliked having a strange man—an outsider who even smelled odd—inside their home, but what bothered him even more was Chikatilo's eyes.
After being served the meal, there was something unsettling about the way Chikatilo looked at his mother.
“Don't go anywhere. Stay behind me.”
Han kept his only younger sister from going anywhere near Chikatilo.
Chikatilo's eyes. His expression. Even that strange, indescribable smell.
Han instinctively remained wary of him.
Andrei Chikatilo.
Those ominous eyes.
He seemed surprised, perhaps even moved.
And yet, at the same time, there seemed to be something indescribably unpleasant flickering within Chikatilo's eyes.
“Thank you. God's blessing will surely be with you, madam.”
The corners of Chikatilo's mouth curled into a grin.
At those words, Han's heavy eyelids opened as though he were waking from an uneasy sleep.
It was strange.
He had no memory of falling asleep, yet he had awakened.
Creak, creak—.
He heard a sound.
It came from the master bedroom, as though an old bed and the wooden floorboards were being dragged irregularly against each other.
Only then did Han look around and realize that he was lying on the floor.
His hands and feet were bound, and tape covered his mouth.
Realizing that something had gone terribly wrong, Han was seized by fear. He tried to loosen the ropes binding him, but he was not strong enough.
‘What is going on?’
‘Where is everyone?’
The master bedroom was also the only room with its lights on.
With no other choice, Han wriggled across the floor like a caterpillar toward the bedroom.
He had to go there to understand what was happening.
Creak, creak—.
The closer he came to the bedroom, the louder the bed became, and a man's groans joined the sound.
A sharp, metallic stench assaulted his nose.
The man seemed to be cursing, but whether he was talking to himself or someone else, Han heard no answer.
Han crawled across the floor until he reached the entrance to the bedroom.
And what entered his sight—
“What? You're awake already?”
—was something no eight-year-old child should ever have had to see.
***
Click—.
Han was getting some fresh air.
He had spent the past several days investigating matters related to the criminals, so this was a brief respite.
An old pocket watch rested in his hand. Its glass was cracked, and its second hand no longer moved.
It had broken long ago, its time frozen forever.
Whenever Han needed to organize his thoughts or take a short break, he had a habit of meaninglessly opening and closing the pocket watch.
“......”
Han recalled a day from his past.
A horrific memory he wanted to forget but could never allow himself to forget.
Andrei Chikatilo, the man who had brutally destroyed an entire family, had still not been arrested.
At the time, they had been unable to determine even his name, let alone his identity.
They had been able to identify a blood type from the semen he left at the scene, but he had an unusual physiology in which the blood type detected from his semen differed from his actual blood type.
‘A rare condition found in one person out of a million. And of all people, he had it.’
......In any case, Han survived.
Ordinarily, Han would also have been murdered by Chikatilo, but after his left arm had been severed, a Special Unit operative arrived and saved his life.
That operative's name was Ventman.
He was now the Director of the Special Unit's Capital Second Headquarters, as well as the superior who had ordered Han to take a vacation.
Afterward, with the help of an acquaintance of his father, Han was able to enter a Special Unit training institution.
It was around then that he learned the name of the criminal who had destroyed his family.
“You're here again today. You must really like this spot.”
Violet was the one who interrupted Han's thoughts.
When he saw her, the heaviness around his lips softened into a faint smile.
“...And what about you? Did you come out merely to get some fresh air again today? To the same place five days in a row?”
“The sea breeze is cold, but I find it rather effective at clearing my head.”
“I agree. I feel the same.”
“Then I suppose we'll have no choice but to keep running into each other.”
Violet gave him a captivating smile.
She had already approached Han, and her gaze fell upon the pocket watch in his hand.
“It was my father's.”
“Pardon?”
“You seemed curious as to why I carry such a watch.”
Perhaps it was an occupational habit, but Han inevitably noticed every small gesture.
Violet looked slightly taken aback.
“Are everyone in the Special Unit this perceptive?”
“I am particularly so.”
“That's fortunate. If everyone else were this observant, I'd have far more things to be careful about. More importantly, that watch... it must be precious to you. You should be careful not to lose it.”
“......Indeed.”
It was the fifth night since the passenger ship had departed.
Han and Violet stood on the ship's deck.
The two had grown considerably closer since the first day and had begun eating dinner together. Once they finished their meals, they would come out like this to enjoy the night breeze.
They had never made any specific arrangements, yet they met every night.
“Five days passed faster than I expected.”
The two had been gazing out over the dark sea.
When Violet spoke again, their eyes met.
“That sounded almost as though you're disappointed.”
“Did it? I only meant that there was so much to do that the time passed quickly.”
“You stayed inside your room except for the first day.”
Han sounded somewhat incredulous.
Han had needed to handle the aftermath of the MFP incident.
So if anyone could claim that time had flown by because of work, it was Han.
“There was plenty for me to do inside my room as well. There simply wasn't enough time to satisfy my thirst for knowledge.”
“That explains it. I thought it strange that I never even happened to run into you outside of dinner. Were you studying magic in there?”
“What else would I be doing?”
“You should become a professor someday. With that much enthusiasm, you might even become the chief professor of the First University.”
“I would like that very much, if it were truly possible.”
Violet gave a bitter smile.
No matter how independent-minded she might be, as the daughter of the Bradin Conglomerate, the path she was expected to follow had already been decided from the moment of her birth.
She could only respond to such a suggestion as though it were a joke.
So, partly to change her mood, Violet decided to find something to tease Han about.
“......Still, it seems you were hoping we might happen to run into each other.”
Violet's violet eyes turned toward Han.
Her large eyes still contained the mischievousness of a child who had yet to reach adulthood, yet there was also a strange maturity within them.
Han took it naturally.
“I was. There is something I need back.”
Han glanced toward the wristwatch Violet was wearing.
It was military-issued, something Han had lent her to cover her wrist.
Violet seemed about to return it, but then stopped.
“The marks haven't completely disappeared yet.”
“My strength must be greater than I thought. The marks from where I grabbed you five days ago are still there.”
“My skin is rather delicate. It seems I'll need to wear it for a few more days, so would you mind if I returned it the next time we meet?”
“How is that any different from saying you intend to keep it?”
Han was a soldier.
Violet was the daughter of a wealthy conglomerate family.
Even the spheres in which they lived were completely different.
Realistically, the chances of them ever meeting again were practically nonexistent.
Yet Violet spoke with a faint smile.
“Who knows? Just as this meeting happened by chance, perhaps another coincidence will bring us together again. Once a connection between people is formed, it can be more persistent than you might think.”
“Until then, I'll be the fool who lost issued equipment.”
“You're a member of the Special Unit. Surely getting another watch like this wouldn't be difficult.”
“Hah.”
Her brazen remark drew a hollow laugh from him.
Yet amusingly enough, she was right.
Han thought for a moment before speaking.
“Then let us do this. We'll extend the loan period for that watch. You were a great help in capturing the drug criminals, so consider it my repayment.”
Violet was particularly knowledgeable about brain magic.
Thanks to her, they had been able to temporarily erase a portion of the drug criminal Dave's memories and successfully lure his hidden accomplices out.
“Very well.”
“Are you satisfied now?”
“Quite.”
Violet smiled with her eyes.
What an audacious woman.
Just as Han was thinking that—
“Ah.”
The ship rocked.
A wave rolling in from afar had struck it.
Violet, who was disguised as a man and wore tall lifts inside her shoes, nearly lost her balance. Han quickly grabbed her by the wrist.
Violet's wrist felt surprisingly thin.
It seemed somehow at odds with her bold and assertive personality.
“You're frailer than I thought.”
“......Are you making fun of me?”
“No. I'm surprised.”
She had undoubtedly been raised in comfort.
No one would ever have made her do physical labor, and she probably could not even have imagined running around outside with neighborhood children.
Her slender body had hardly any muscle to speak of.
Considering that magic consumed a considerable amount of both mental and physical strength, and that she was keeping her studies secret from those around her, it was clear that she had achieved her current level despite unfavorable conditions.
‘Come to think of it, she tried not to show it, but even moving the Mana Stone looked difficult for her. That says it all.’
And yet this woman continued tirelessly studying magic.
Han found himself wondering why Violet was so devoted to magic.
It was the first time he had ever become curious about a woman for personal reasons rather than because of his work.
“At this rate, you'll leave another mark.”
“Ah, my apologies.”
Han hurriedly released Violet's wrist.
For some reason, the atmosphere between them had become somewhat awkward.
He cleared his throat for no particular reason, but it did little to help.
Perhaps because of the awkwardness, Violet turned her gaze toward the distant horizon.
She remained standing there in silence for quite some time.
“What are you staring at so intently?”
Unable to endure the silence any longer, Han spoke first.
He stepped beside her and studied her expression.
“Wow! An aurora!”
A small child in the distance shouted excitedly.
A brilliantly colored aurora began glowing along the dark horizon.
Soon, it painted the night sky in a kaleidoscope of colors, spreading across it as though claiming the entire heavens for itself.
It was an utterly breathtaking sight.
And yet Violet—who had never so much as blinked even when faced with a gun barrel or a criminal—trembled at the phenomenon.
Han realized the situation a moment later as well.
“W-What in the world is this?”
Had the end of the world arrived?
An impossibly vast amount of mana resonated, creating a bizarre natural phenomenon, until finally—
HUUUUUM—!
—The brilliant light scattered across every corner of the world.