Chapter starts with a flashback of Hollow's past
An old orphanage stood on the outskirts of a quiet town.
The area was peaceful.
There was almost no traffic.
No loud noises.
The weather was calm...
A clear blue sky stretched above, dotted with a few drifting clouds.
A cool breeze flowed through the old building.
Volume 2nd [ The truth they buried ]
Chapter no 14. - Hollow - Begins...!
The scene slowly focused on a young boy...
Around ten years old.
His body was covered in bruises.
His clothes were torn.
It was obvious...
He had been beaten repeatedly.
Just then...
A large black car pulled up outside the orphanage.
A tall man stepped out.
It was Null.
He silently observed the orphanage for a few moments...
Scanning the entire building with sharp eyes.
Without saying a word...
He walked inside.
Null slowly looked at every child in the room.
One after another.
Until his gaze stopped on the injured boy.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
Null:
"Hmm..."
"Interesting..."
"This one..."
"He looks like he'll obey every order I give him."
Without another thought...
Null walked toward the orphanage director.
Null:
"I want that child."
The head of the orphanage glanced at the boy with complete indifference.
Orphanage Head:
"Take him."
"He's useless anyway."
"Nothing but a burden."
Null walked over and sat beside the frightened child.
For the first time...
His voice softened slightly.
Null:
"From today onward..."
"Your name will be Hollow."
"You'll become one of my finest weapons."
"Understand?"
The boy looked at him with frightened eyes.
Hollow:
"You... won't hurt me, right?"
Null smiled.
Null:
"Hmm..."
"No."
"Who told you that?"
"I'm taking you with me..."
"To make you stronger."
"Strong enough..."
"To one day beat every one of them."
Hollow's eyes widened.
For the first time...
A tiny spark of hope appeared on his face.
Hollow:
"Really...?"
Null stood up.
Null:
"Yes, Hollow."
"Come with me."
He turned toward the orphanage head and handed him a business card.
Null:
"I'll finish the paperwork later."
"I have more important matters to attend to right now."
The director looked down at the card.
On it was written:
SS Partners.
The moment he saw the company's name...
He said nothing else.
The scene shifts towards null's traning facility
It was an enormous hall.
Filled with advanced training machines...
Wide open combat arenas...
And several strange devices whose purpose couldn't even be guessed.
Hollow looked around in confusion.
Hollow:
"What... do I have to do?"
"I'll... get food, right?"
Null calmly looked at him.
Null:
"Listen carefully, Hollow."
"I don't know what your past was..."
"Or what you've been through."
"And frankly..."
"It doesn't matter anymore."
"From this moment onward..."
"You are Hollow."
"So stop asking childish questions..."
"And focus only on your work."
Without another word...
Null took out a strange serum.
He handed it to Hollow.
The boy obediently drank it.
Within seconds...
His vision blurred.
Everything faded to black.
He collapsed unconscious.
---
Hollow's Voice Over :-
"From that day onward..."
"Every single day..."
"I trained."
"I came to see Master Null as my father."
"He always treated me well."
"There were other people who behaved arrogantly toward me..."
"But..."
"Master Null never did."
"He is unbelievably strong."
"He once told me that he never uses weapons."
"I never understood what he meant by that..."
"But..."
"All I wanted..."
"Was to become someone like him."
"He gave me a new life."
"What more could I ever ask for?"
"From now on..."
"I'll dedicate my entire life to Master Null."
---
The scene changed once again.
A dark room.
The lighting was extremely dim.
Eight mysterious figures stood together.
Their faces remained completely hidden by the darkness.
Null stood among them.
One of the unknown figures spoke.
Unknown Figure:
"Null..."
"Do you really think that child will ever be useful?"
Another voice laughed.
Another Figure:
"Honestly..."
"You're not very useful yourself."
The entire room burst into laughter.
Null's expression didn't change.
He simply looked toward the speaker.
His voice turned cold.
Null:
"Know your place."
"That would be best for you."
Without waiting for a response...
He turned around...
And quietly walked out of the room.
---
Back to the Present
Hollow slowly regained consciousness.
His vision was still blurred.
As he struggled to breathe...
A familiar voice echoed inside his head.
Null's Voice
"Never disappoint me, Hollow..."
"I know..."
"You can do it."
Hollow slowly clenched his fists.
Hollow (thinking):
"This asshole..."
"He dared to trouble Master Null..."
"I can't lose..."
"Not here."
With sheer determination...
He forced himself back onto his feet.
Kye looked at him.
A grin appeared on his face.
Kye:
"Huh?"
"I thought the kid fell asleep while thinking about his dad."
"But you're still alive..."
"Impressive."
Before Kye could say anything else—
BOOM!!
Hollow's fist slammed straight into Kye's stomach.
Blood instantly burst from Kye's mouth.
Hollow:
"You bastard..."
"You're dying by my hands today!"
Inside his mind...
Doubt began creeping in.
Hollow (thinking):
"No one has ever pushed me this far..."
"So why..."
"Why is he giving me this much trouble?"
"No..."
"I have to win..."
Before the thought could even finish—
BANG!!
Kye's kick crashed directly into Hollow's face.
As Hollow fell backward—
Kye leaped high into the air...
Then—
BOOOOOOM!!
He came crashing down directly onto Hollow.
The impact completely shattered the floor.
Even the two captives were blown away by the shockwave.
Without giving Hollow even a second to recover—
Kye unleashed another relentless barrage of punches.
BOOM!!
-------------
BOOM!!
-------------
BOOM!!
Hollow's vision slowly faded.
Everything became blurry.
Hollow (thinking):
"Why...?"
"How is this possible...?"
"No..."
"This can't be happening..."
"No...!"
With every ounce of strength left...
Hollow kicked Kye away...
Then screamed at the top of his lungs.
Hollow:
"Kye..."
"I won't let you do this!"
Before he could finish—
Kye grabbed Hollow by the face.
Then—
CRASH!!
He slammed him headfirst into the ground.
Without stopping—
Kye delivered one final kick.
The impact launched Hollow out of the hidden chamber...
Straight through the main entrance.
The gate exploded apart.
Outside...
Hollow lay motionless beneath the open sky.
His vision had almost disappeared.
He looked upward.
Hollow (thinking):
"Am I..."
"Dead?"
"Why...?"
"How...?"
"I'm Master Null's student..."
"So why did I lose...?"
As his consciousness faded...
His eyes caught one final image.
Kye.
Silently staring back at him.
Hollow no longer had the strength to move.
Darkness consumed his vision.
---
Flashback
Some time earlier...
Inside the same SS Partners facility...
Null stood beside Hollow.
Null:
"I'll tell you in advance."
"Someone may come here within the next few days."
"Protect the research documents."
"That's your responsibility."
"Understood?"
Hollow immediately nodded.
Hollow:
"Yes, sir."
"Nothing will happen here."
"Leave everything to me."
Without another word...
Null turned and walked away.
A young woman standing beside him spoke.
Woman:
"Sir..."
"Is it really okay to leave him here alone?"
"Can he handle everything by himself?"
Null didn't stop walking.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
Null:
"We'll see..."
"That's exactly what I'm waiting for."
After all the chaos...
We see Kye lying on the ground.
Dawn was slowly approaching.
The village that had seemed so eerie and lifeless just a few hours ago now looked strangely beautiful in the early morning light.
Kye slowly looked around.
Kye:
"Hmm... Looks like things are finally settled here."
"I collected all the research papers that seemed useful and put them in my bag."
"Most of the remaining documents were damaged beyond use."
He paused for a moment.
Then his attention shifted toward the two people still tied up nearby.
Kye:
"And now, one last thing..."
"So, are you two going to tell me who you are?"
"Wait..."
"Haven't I seen you somewhere before?"
Kye's eyes widened.
Kye:
"Bullshit..."
"How is that even possible?"
"Umm... umm...!!"
Both of them desperately tried to speak.
But there was still tape covering their mouths.
Kye sighed.
He walked over and removed the tape from both of them.
Then he looked at them suspiciously.
Kye:
"So..."
"You two garbage pickers..."
"What exactly were you doing here?"
"And why were you two together?"
The two people were none other than the man Kye had encountered while returning home...
And the same woman Kye had rescued from those criminals.
The woman looked at Kye before finally speaking.
Woman:
"Actually..."
"Why don't we tell you everything once we reach our area?"
"I don't think it's safe to explain everything here."
Kye stared at her.
There were clearly a lot of questions running through his mind.
But his expression remained calm.
Kye:
"I have a lot of questions..."
"And I'm going to get my answers."
"That's why..."
"You two are coming with me."
"Not the other way around."
The man looked confused.
Man:
"What?"
"Are you saying we have to go with you?"
Kye's expression immediately turned irritated.
Kye:
"Do you want to die?"
"If you're willing to walk, I'll take you with me for free."
"Otherwise, I can arrange a ticket for you..."
"A one-way ticket to end your life for free."
He turned around.
Kye:
"Enough nonsense."
"Follow me."
Kye had already left the building with the two of them.
But behind them...
Deep inside the darkness of that same building...
A sinister smile slowly appeared.
Then—
Scene shifts.
Kye had brought the two of them back to his area.
Kye:
"Where do you two live?"
The man casually answered:
Man:
"The same place where you saved her."
Kye paused.
Kye:
"Oh..."
"There's my hometown"
After some time...
Kye brought them to his hideout.
Both of them stared at the place in disbelief.
Because it was...
A small, old apartment.
The woman looked around in confusion.
Arisa:
"Kye, are you going to explain what happened to you?"
"And who are these two?"
"My apartment is already tiny..."
"I can't exactly accommodate homeless people too."
The woman immediately shouted:
Woman:
"Who are you calling homeless?!"
"We didn't come here to live with you!"
"We're here because of work!"
Kye looked at her coldly.
Kye:
"If I hadn't shown up back there..."
"You wouldn't be homeless right now."
"You'd be lifeless."
"So lower your voice."
"So, would you like to tell me your name first?"
The female says, "My name is Elena Asano. What do I do? Actually, nothing much. And this is my job partner, Saito Takahashi."
Kye: "Hmm... So I understand what you two are actually trying to do. You're doing all this for someone close to you, aren't you?"
Both of their eyes widen.
Saito: "How? How did you figure that out?"
Kye: "I've heard both of your surnames before. But that isn't important. What matters is—why are you trying to get those two out?"
Elena: "Those two are none other than my elder sister and Saito's elder brother. They were framed with fake allegations. We don't know exactly what happened either. They only told us one thing: 'If we ever get caught, understand that something is definitely wrong.'"
Arisa, while treating Kye's injuries and applying bandages, says, "What the hell is actually going on? Nothing about this world feels right anymore. Even the government is involved now?"
Kye: "They've been working together for a long time."
Arisa: "What? What are you saying, Kye? Seriously?"
Kye: "What else could it be? Even a child could figure out that all of them are working together after seeing what's happening."
Saito: "But what are we supposed to do? We went there to find out something from the files. We thought we might find something important that could help our siblings. That's why we went there, but we ended up getting trapped."
Kye: "Hmm... I understand. Normally, I wouldn't help because this has nothing to do with me. But since the two of them know a lot of useful information, working with you two seems like the better option. So, I'm with you in this operation."
Elena: "Really, Kye? By the way, this is a little off-topic, but you don't look that old."
Kye: "Yeah. I'm about to turn 21."
Elena: "I'm 22 myself."
Arisa: "I don't think anyone asked you that."
Saito: "And thank you, Kye, for genuinely helping us this much. We'll put in our full effort and work alongside you."
"By the way, what are we supposed to do about him?"
We see that Kye had brought Hollow along with them as well. He was lying unconscious on the bed.
Luca says from the side, "Ren is enough for me. I don't need any more brothers."
Kye and all the other adults smile.
And that's how Chapter 14 ends.