Page 1
The Armored Knight speaks: "Who are you to stop my punch? How dare you do this?"
The Grandfather speaks with a voice as calm as a knife:
"I didn't want to do this, but… you are the one who asked for it."
No shouting. No threats.
His hand blackens slowly. The Lithosphere wraps around his joints with total calm, as if he is putting on an old glove he knows very well.
One punch.
Dust rises. The Armored Knight rolls across the arena floor, stained with the blood of those who came before him.
Page 2
The audience falls silent for a moment.
Then they explode.
The Announcer screams in disbelief: "The old man punches the festival champion like a training bag! Where did this come from?!"
Mabo screams: "Grandfather! Don't fight! Let's go!"
The Grandfather does not turn: "Look… and learn."
Page 3
The Armored Knight stands up slowly. He tears off what remains of his shattered armor.
He raises his hands to the sky.
A white aura covers his body. His muscles swell beneath his skin.
The Grandfather doesn't wait. He accelerates and punches him in the stomach with all his weight.
The Armored Knight moves back one step. Just one step.
He wears a cold smile and strikes back.
Page 4
The punch reaches the Grandfather's face.
He twists quickly to dampen the damage. He staggers, then turns back.
He returns with two consecutive punches to the Armored Knight's face. No significant effect.
The Armored Knight grabs the Grandfather's right hand. He pulls a knife from his waist.
A slow-motion moment.
Page 5
A shadow leaps from the side.
A punch strikes the Armored Knight's face with a force that doesn't match its size.
Mabo stands between the two. His hand is still raised. His teeth are clenched.
The Armored Knight turns to him slowly. His eyes ignite.
"You brat…"
He grabs Mabo by the face with a hand like a pincer. He begins to squeeze.
The Grandfather's voice changes. It deepens. It becomes something else.
"S-t-o-p."
Page 6
From the sky.
A purple light pierces the arena like a thunderbolt and strikes the ground between them.
The three fall. The earth cracks beneath them. Gravity suddenly doubles, as if something invisible is crouching on their chests.
The Grandfather tries to rise; he manages with difficulty. The Armored Knight does too. Mabo cannot lift his head from the ground.
From the door, orange armors enter with synchronized steps.
Page 7
A man in the lead. He doesn't rush. He walks as if the arena were empty.
He hides his power. The purple color fades.
The gravity lifts. Mabo breathes deeply while still on the ground.
The man says in a dry, official tone:
"Greetings. I am Deputy Linsan. I received reports of rioting."
Page 8
The Grandfather sees Linsan.
Something changes in his face. Something very old awakens in his eyes.
He takes a fighting stance silently.
The Armored Knight looks at the Grandfather, then at Linsan. He doesn't move. He watches.
Linsan wears a smile that doesn't reach his eyes:
"Hello… Sharo."
Page 9
"The words spoken between us eleven years ago were very clear."
He takes a step forward. His hand is on the hilt of his sword.
"And I have every right now to destroy you."
Mabo stands with difficulty. He looks at his Grandfather, then at Linsan. He doesn't understand what is happening, but he takes a fighting stance.
Page 10
Linsan sees him. He stops.
He studies him with eyes that miss nothing.
Then he continues his conversation with the Grandfather as if Mabo hadn't moved:
"But King Boomer's orders are clear to all his soldiers. No one has the right to approach you after that day."
He slowly lifts his hand from the hilt of his sword.
"You may go whenever you wish."
Page 11
Silence.
Then Linsan turns toward the arena, the corpses of the knights, and the remains of the shattered wall.
"By the way… I received complaints that someone infiltrated the festival and ruined the audience's fun. Were you the one who caused this?"
He looks at the Grandfather with eyes that already know the answer:
"Do you have any connection to this, Sharo?"
Page 12
Mabo is sweating. His eyes move between the Grandfather and Linsan.
The Grandfather takes a breath. The blackness disappears from his hands.
He smiles. A warm, entirely artificial smile.
"It's not a big deal, Linsan. My stupid grandson fell from the stands by mistake."
He points to the Armored Knight:
"Then this person attacked him. I only defended him."
Page 13
Linsan looks at Mabo with eyes that read everything:
"Your grandson?"
"Yes." The Grandfather grabs Mabo by the shoulder and pulls him close. "This is Thian."
Mabo opens his mouth. The pressure of the Grandfather's fingers on his shoulder shuts it.
"And we were just about to leave before you arrived."
Linsan looks at Mabo a moment longer than necessary.
Then he sheathes his sword. He turns.
"We shall meet again… Sharo."
He exits. The soldiers follow behind him.
Page 14
The silence of the empty arena.
The Armored Knight stands amidst the corpses. He looks at Mabo.
Then he smiles. A real smile for the first time.
He pats Mabo's head: "We will meet again."
He turns and walks into the darkness.
Mabo watches him until he disappears.
He whispers in a barely audible voice:
"Yes. We shall meet again."
Page 15
They walk through the market in silence.
The lights. The noise. The smells of food. Everything is as it was when they entered in the morning.
But Mabo walks with different steps. Heavier.
He sees children running, imitating the Black Knight, shouting and fighting with wooden sticks.
He stops.
Page 16
One of the children screams: "I am the Black Knight! No one can defeat me!"
The children laugh.
Mabo looks at them with eyes that aren't laughing.
In his head: The Black Knight walking through the heart of the storm. His hand catching the blade. His body breaking the rock. Mabo remembers this as he clenches his fist until his knuckles turn white.
Page 17
The Grandfather says quietly without looking at him:
"What are you thinking about?"
Mabo speaks in a low voice, with tears he doesn't want forming in his eyes:
"I'm thinking that in that moment before the armored man… I saw the power in my hand."
He pauses.
"And I didn't use it. I was afraid of killing someone else."
Page 18
"And because of my fear… you almost got hurt."
The Grandfather grabs Mabo's shoulder: "Look, Mabo. Sometimes one must kill to stay alive. If you continue to treat all people as if they were you, you won't survive for long."
Mabo raises his head. His eyes are red.
"Next time, I will do it. Even if it takes a while."
It wasn't a shout. It wasn't a promise to anyone.
Just the sound of something being decided in the depths of his chest.
The Grandfather looks at him.
And remains silent.
Page 19
They reach the door.
The Grandfather opens it. They enter.
Then Mabo freezes.
Thian is standing in the kitchen brushing his teeth, his hair messy, his eyes half-closed with sleepiness.
He sees Mabo. He raises a single eyebrow.
Mabo doesn't move.
Page 20
Mabo's features break.
A smile. Then a single tear. Then he runs.
He hugs Thian with all his weight, nearly knocking him over.
"I thought you were going to die."
Thian slowly raises one arm and places it on his back.
"I'm right here in front of you."
He says nothing more than this.
Page 21
Mabo raises his tear-filled face and says in a broken voice: "I sat for a long time while you were asleep in bed..." Suddenly, Thian stops and remembers everything. Thian's features suddenly change, becoming serious. He looks at his bandaged hand: "What happened in that moment? I remember fighting a bandit, and he stabbed me in the hand..." The Grandfather says: "After you fell, Mabo defeated the bandit and saved you from them miraculously." Thian says: "So you saved me?" Mabo rubs his head bashfully: "Don't say that... I was just scared." Thian laughs: "Scared? You? Impossible. How could you save me?" Thian taps him gently on the shoulder: "Stupid!" Mabo writhes on the ground in mock pain. The atmosphere lightens, and laughter fills the house for the first time in days.
Page 22
The three sit around the dinner table. The Grandfather eats in silence, and Mabo tells Thian about the festival: "There was a Black Knight! So strong! He killed 4 knights by himself!" Thian laughs: "And where were you?" Mabo winks: "I was studying fighting techniques from the stands..." Thian looks at him sarcastically. Mabo continues: "...until I fell." Thian hits the table, stifling his laughter intensely. Mabo begins shouting strange words.
Page 23
The Grandfather looks at both of them and smiles with pride.
He stands. He holds his glass.
"Today you saw what people can do when they train. Now you know where to begin."
He walks toward his room.
"Sleep well. Dawn does not wait."
Page 24
Night.
Mabo is in his bed. His eyes are open, fixed on the ceiling.
He thinks of the Black Knight. Of Linsan. Of the Grandfather. Of the Lithosphere power. He closes his eyes.
To be continued in Chapter 11