THE CRASHING WAVES pounded rhythmically against the hull of an old ship. Built from the finest timber of the New World in its prime, the ship stood firm, braving the merciless tides beneath the southern stars.

A man with piercing green eyes lounged leisurely on the deck. His gaze lingered on an unconscious young Arab man sprawled before him. As he tended to the wounds of the slumbering figure, the owner of the aged vessel thought to himself:

Makka, I never expected to find a creature like you in the unclaimed desert continent.

He wrapped a bandage around the young Arab's abdomen, his movements careful. Occasionally, he pressed his thumb to the boy's wrist, praying for a pulse to affirm life in the soul he had purchased.

Once the last of the bandages were secured, the mysterious man who now owned Makka returned to his seat, the heat of his own body still lingering on the spot. He sat silently, waiting for his "hound" to awaken, then began a tale.

***

FIFTY YEARS AGO, an unforgettable catastrophe shook the world: the First Apocalypse. It was destruction born of MESS and mankind.

The calamity began when the MESS Base in the Bering Strait unexpectedly crumbled into ruins, unleashing tens of thousands of human-sized MESS. The cause was simple yet tragic: a young man named Remi fell in love with Yaku, a spatial MESS.

Remi freed Yaku. But with her, the other MESS followed. Together, the human-MESS pair united—while the world burned as the price. The MESS that escaped from the Bering Strait surged across the Pacific Ocean toward Antarctica.

In that icy land, they released their waiting brethren. Antarctica was the second MESS Base on the planet, a backup to the main facility between Siberia and Alaska.

Once freed, the MESS scattered across the planet, retreating to their birthplaces—mountains, swamps, oceans, rivers, forests, and caves. Humanity quaked in terror as news of their release spread.

Among the chaos, a mermaid MESS named Suria took a different path. Instead of returning to her birthplace, she ventured to the southwestern waters of Indonesia. Her goal? To free all MESS, regardless of their kind. With her indigo-scaled tail shimmering beneath the waves, she dove into the Indian Ocean to awaken MESS-03, Leviathan—the Continent Shifter.

Leviathan, a colossal fish, was so massive its length could bridge the Strait of Gibraltar to the Caribbean Sea. Once unleashed, it wreaked havoc without hesitation, shattering the continents. The apex of the disaster arrived when Leviathan reached the New World, America.

In the New World, MESS-02 also broke free. Known as Quartz, this orb-like MESS could transform living beings into lifeless objects—furniture, decorations. To contain its power, Quartz was kept dormant within a high-energy electric chamber.

Together, Quartz and Leviathan ravaged every corner of the New World. News of their destruction spurred rival nations of the East, China and Russia, to seize control of the planet.

Amid this turmoil, the Middle Eastern nations forged a pact with MESS-01, the strongest of them all, a being called Gabriel.

Gabriel was not an angel, though its name suggested otherwise. This MESS of light, radiant as a divine being, had a body glowing with white energy. Dozens of wings unfurled from its back, resembling an enormous halo of luminescent feathers.

Gabriel, feared and revered as the strongest MESS, could do anything—unchained by the limitations of this narrow dimension. A terrifying force.

But Gabriel refused to wield its power, fearing it would destroy Earth. A devoutly religious entity, it revered the sanctity of existence.

The Middle Eastern governments implored Gabriel to end the chaos wrought by Leviathan, Quartz, China, and Russia. Gabriel agreed to intervene on one condition: freedom.

With the agreement sealed, Gabriel fulfilled its promise. The apocalypse ended swiftly. Yet the cost of Gabriel's battle was immense—Earth was reshaped. The continents were reborn, and humanity was left scattered like ants washed away by a storm.

Despite the devastation, the world was grateful to Gabriel.

Global leaders begged Gabriel to govern humans and MESS alike. Gabriel refused, uninterested in ruling the world. Instead, it left behind four hybrid offspring to ensure peace between the two species. These children were part MESS, part human.

The first was Naru, a fire MESS.
The second, Arda, an earth MESS.
The third, Rin, an air MESS.
And the last, Asar, a time MESS.

The MESS coexisted peacefully with humans. Many intermarried, producing hybrid descendants who spread across the ten newly-formed continents, connected by the Cycle Stream. A new chapter began.

But peace was shattered a year ago. The Second Apocalypse erupted. Humans began hunting MESS after two of Gabriel's grandchildren sought to dominate the world. Descendants of Arda and Rin, they united to gather the four strongest MESS, calling themselves... The Emperors.

***

MAKKA, who had been unconscious all this time, suddenly opened his striking eyes.

Though his expression remained weak, recognition flickered across his face as he listened to the tale told by the muscular man seated before him. Makka's wide-eyed gaze betrayed his inner turmoil.

In an instant, the storyteller rose to his feet, towering over Makka. Bound to the ship's mast, the young man could only scan the stranger warily. His peculiar demeanor set Makka on edge.

Makka scrutinized the man—a body far more muscular than his own, reminiscent of his father's. The stranger's golden-brown hair and vivid green eyes confirmed what Makka suspected: he wasn't from Midas. He must be from North America.

Why is someone from A-Capital here in Midas? Makka thought.

One thing was certain: this man wasn't an ordinary buyer from Midas who collected "hounds." Makka resolved to tread carefully.

Seeing the caution in Makka's eyes, the man spoke.
"My name is Taiga. Call me Taiga!" he commanded, his green eyes sharp. "No need for formalities. I don't care that I'm 22 and you're 18. Just call me Taiga!"

Makka remained silent, his anger simmering beneath the surface. He refused to acknowledge this man from A-Capital, the one who had struck him so hard his stomach still churned in pain.

Taiga, frustrated by Makka's defiance, gripped his chin, forcing their gazes to meet.
"Tell me your name!" Taiga barked. "Like it or not, you're my hound now."

Makka winced, his cheek sore from the man's grip, but his expression remained cold with defiance. He refused to accept being called a "hound" by a stranger—especially one who had no clear origin.

"What does it matter what my name is?" Makka snapped, a slight growl in his voice. "If you're just going to kill me, what's the point of knowing it?"

Taiga's face darkened at the challenge. He released Makka's chin with a sudden movement, turning his head away. For a moment, he stood still, his posture tense, then, unexpectedly, he began walking away.

"I'll take care of you," Taiga muttered without looking back, his voice oddly calm.

Makka blinked, surprised by the change in tone. His blue eyes widened in disbelief, trying to process what he had just heard. Adrenaline surged through him, a mix of confusion and cautious hope.

"Who... are you?" Makka asked, his voice trembling slightly.

Taiga, who had been walking away, stopped in his tracks. He turned to face Makka, his expression hardening into one of seriousness. There was no smile on his lips, only an intense look in his green eyes.

"I am Taiga. A MESS who survived from the A-Capital continent," he said, his voice heavy with weight. "Now, tell me your name, and why you're still alive."

Makka's heart raced. His mind spun as the realization hit him—there were other MESS, besides himself. The instructions from his father—never trust anyone—echoed in his mind, and he instinctively rebelled against his growing curiosity.

Damn it! I shouldn't trust anyone! Father, what should I do? Father, forgive me.

Makka's gaze shifted to the vast, dark sky above, feeling the weight of the decision before him. His blue eyes began to well up with unshed tears, the emotion threatening to spill over. And in that moment, torn between obedience to his father's wishes and the strange compassion he felt for Taiga, Makka finally gave in.

"...My name is Makka," he muttered, his voice barely above a whisper. "I live... to protect the MESS."

The words were like a shout of all the pain and confusion that had been bottled up inside him. It was a cry that resonated deep in his soul, a burden he had carried for too long.

Taiga's expression softened, and for a fleeting moment, empathy flickered in his eyes. The anger that had once burned in Makka seemed to connect with something inside Taiga—a shared understanding of the struggle. Taiga's voice came low and grave.

"I—" he began, but before he could finish, Makka's voice interrupted him, cutting through the tension.

"I need to meet my mother!" Makka shouted suddenly, his voice filled with urgency. "Take me to the Cycle Stream!"

The words burst out of him like a scream for freedom, the desperate plea of a MESS who had lost everything and was now clinging to the last hope of reunion.

Taiga paused. For a moment, there was silence, but then a smile slowly crept across his face. His earlier tension seemed to melt away, replaced by something else—ambition, confidence, a glint of something far more dangerous.

"Alright, Makka, my hound," Taiga said with a grin, his green eyes glimmering in the moonlight. "Next stop: Cycle Stream! Go meet your mother and save the MESS!"

Taiga's voice rang out like thunder, and in that moment, the two men locked eyes. The blue and green gazes met, the intensity of their shared mission filling the air. The fate of the world hung in the balance, and it all began to move forward, led by their unspoken understanding.

Father, I will fulfill my promise to you.

***