Stormbridge City was known as the City of Thunder.
Unlike Lunaris, storms appeared here almost every week.
Tonight was no different.
Dark clouds covered the sky while rain poured endlessly onto the streets.
Inside a brightly lit gymnasium, dozens of students cheered loudly.
"Minjun!"
"Minjun!"
"Minjun!"
On the basketball court, Kang Minjun flashed a confident grin.
At eighteen years old, he was one of the most popular students at Stormbridge Academy.
Tall.
Handsome.
Athletic.
And impossible to ignore.
His waist-length black hair was tied high behind his back as he dribbled across the court.
Only seconds remained.
The score was tied.
His teammates passed him the ball.
The opposing team rushed forward.
Minjun smirked.
"Too slow."
He jumped.
The ball left his hand.
Swish.
The crowd exploded with excitement.
The final buzzer sounded.
His team had won.
Cheers filled the gym.
Minjun raised his hand with a grin.
"Easy."
His teammates immediately surrounded him.
"Show-off."
"You practiced that shot all week."
"Still worked."
Laughter echoed around them.
For a moment, everything felt normal.
Then the lights flickered.
Once.
Twice.
Then darkness swallowed the gym.
The cheers stopped instantly.
"What happened?"
"Power outage?"
A loud boom shook the building.
Everyone froze.
The floor trembled.
Another boom followed.
This time louder.
Cracks spread across the walls.
Fear immediately replaced excitement.
Students rushed toward the exits.
Minjun frowned.
Something felt wrong.
Very wrong.
Then came the scream.
A massive claw smashed through the gym roof.
Concrete rained from above.
Students panicked.
A gigantic beast forced its way inside.
Black mist covered its body.
Purple eyes glowed in the darkness.
The monster roared.
Several students collapsed from fear alone.
Minjun stared.
His mind went blank.
That thing wasn't supposed to exist.
The creature opened its mouth.
Dark energy gathered inside.
It was aiming directly at a group of trapped students.
"No!"
Without thinking, Minjun sprinted forward.
He shoved the students away.
The attack fired.
BOOM!
The explosion engulfed the court.
A blinding flash erupted.
Electricity exploded from Minjun's body.
Lightning raced across the floor.
Thunder shook the entire city.
Everyone stared.
Blue-white lightning surrounded Minjun like a storm.
His hair floated behind him.
Tiny bolts danced through the air.
The monster stepped back.
Fear appeared in its eyes.
As if it recognized him.
As if it remembered a nightmare from long ago.
Then a white light appeared.
An old man stepped forward.
His gaze landed on Minjun.
"The Third Light..."
Minjun pointed at him.
"You."
The old man blinked.
"You know me?"
"No."
Minjun narrowed his eyes.
"But you definitely owe me an explanation." :::