In a forgotten corner of the world stood a remote market, barely touched by the dazzling technology of the central city.
There, the noise of people bargaining blended with the sharp scent of spices and the suffocating dust of the streets.
Amid the chaos, a boy ran as fast as he could, his bare feet slamming against the rough ground.
Clutched tightly in his arms was a piece of stolen bread, as if it were the most valuable treasure in the universe.
His name was Tora.
A child with no home, no family his survival depended on the courage to steal just to live one more day.
"Hey! Stop, you damn brat! Bring back what you stole!" the shop owner shouted angrily.
Tora pushed himself harder. "Hah… hah… I have to be faster…!" he muttered, sweat pouring down his temples.
Suddenly, from the front, a police officer stepped in and blocked his path.
The officer knew Tora well. He had caught him many times before.
Yet beneath the uniform, there was sympathy. He always helped the boy whenever trouble followed him.
"Pritt! Pritt! Both of you, stop!" the officer blew his whistle sharply. "What's going on here?!"
"This stupid kid stole bread from my stall! The nerve!" the merchant snapped, pointing furiously at Tora, who turned his face away in shame and fear.
The officer let out a long sigh. "Alright… I'll pay for it."
After settling the payment, he led Tora to a quieter corner.
"Don't steal again, Tora," he said gently. "You can still get away now because I'm here. What happens when I'm gone?"
Tora frowned, confused. "Gone… where, sir?"
"Somewhere… not near you anymore," the officer replied softly.
After that, Tora returned to his hiding place a pile of rusted pipes, cold and worn, where he rested and ate the bread he fought for.
Days passed in fragile calm.
But fate never allowed someone like Tora to live peacefully for long.
One day, while wandering near the district, chaos erupted.
The sky, once gray, burned red with fire.
Children were dragged away. The elderly slaughtered without mercy.
And in the middle of that nightmare
"Argh… Tora, run!!"
BANG!
The only protector he had the police officer was shot right in front of him.
Blood soaked the ground.
Tora's anger exploded.
He fought back with everything he had, even managing to take down one attacker with his bare hands.
But the strength of a child meant nothing against firearms.
A brutal blow struck him down.
He collapsed… then was dragged into darkness by unknown figures.
In his fading vision, before consciousness slipped away, he could only whisper an apology to everyone he had ever burdened.
…
Months passed.
Now, Tora lived in an underground experimental facility cold, merciless.
He was caged like an animal, labeled only by a number: Subject 579.
Life there was worse than death.
Instead of peace, he became a target mocked, beaten, and tortured by other children whose sanity had long since crumbled.
Until one day… everything changed.
Tora was trying to complete a physical training task assigned by the researchers.
He didn't realize that in the corner, others were planning to turn him into their next "entertainment."
"Look at this weakling! He's got no energy at all!" one of them mocked.
"Then he's not even alive, right? Let's check what's inside him," another sneered.
They rushed him all at once.
His small body was slammed to the ground, arms and legs pinned tightly. He couldn't move.
From the corner of his vision, one boy approached playing with a rusted cutter.
"W-what are you going to do?!" Tora's voice trembled, panic tightening around his throat.
No one answered.
They simply acted.
Pain exploded.
Tora screamed as blood poured from his eye, his vision breaking apart, the world collapsing into fragments.
And yet… they laughed.
They laughed like it was a joke.
At that moment, something inside Tora snapped completely.
All patience, fear, and innocence shattered into nothing.
"WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO ME?!"
His voice was no longer human.
BOOM!!
Driven by pure, absolute killing intent, Tora moved faster than any powerless child should.
He broke free instantly.
Without hesitation, he delivered a devastating kick. One of them was sent flying, smashing through the concrete wall like it was glass.
"S-sor—"
BANG!
The apology never finished.
Tora went berserk.
Bones shattered. Breath was torn away. Laughter turned into screams then silence.
In mere seconds, the cell fell quiet.
Only blood remained.
Tora stood in the middle of it, breathing heavily.
And in that darkest moment
No Name appeared from the shadows.
He watched Tora without blinking. Not with horror… but with admiration.
A masterpiece.
The potential he had been searching for.
Without wasting a word, No Name offered him a way out.
Tora, his face still covered in blood, glared at him with hatred "HOW CAN I TRUST YOU?!"
No Name remained calm. His expression cold as ice "Like this."
He raised a single hand.
A simple flick of his finger
The world stopped.
A pressure wave formed silent, absolute.
BOOOOM!!!
In less than a second, the entire underground facility was erased.
Walls, steel, researchers everything vanished without a trace.
Only the night wind and drifting dust remained.
No Name looked at Tora, standing amidst the ruins "…Well?" he said, a faint smile forming.