tw; death, violence, murder

Under Caligo’s dazzling skyline, Hyeon-eun was born. He grew up in a humble apartment on a quiet street with his father. A kind and gentle houndoom, his father showed nothing but support and loved him dearly. One could certainly see where Hyeon-eun got his warm-hearted nature.

However, he never knew his mother. His father never talked much about her, but his other relatives did. Leech, two-faced, shrew. They didn’t hide the fact that they shunned him for being her child. Especially as he grew and the resemblance became clearer. <”That child is bad luck.”> Despite his father’s reassurance that it didn’t matter, their words stung. More and more he would shy away and keep quiet.

When it came to school, Hyeon-eun was a diligent student. He used his free time to study and gave it his all in class. His teachers praised him for being well-behaved and excelling in his subjects. Their only concern was that he didn’t have many friends. So withdrawn, he struggled to approach others, barely speaking to even his classmates.

A friend he did remember prominently was Siegmund. The deino approached him one day, asking for help with his studies. He agreed, and gradually from then on, they started hanging out together. After school, Siegmund would drag him along to activities. He’d introduce him to his friends, and they’d all have fun being kids. For quite a while, they were almost inseparable. Hand-in-hand, ready to take on the world together! They had thought.

Siegmund’s father was hospitalised, a chronic illness finally catching up to him. Hyeon-eun tried his best to comfort his friend, but there was nothing he could do. When he finally passed on, Siegmund suddenly changed. He stopped being joyful and full of life and started avoiding his friends, including Hyeon-eun. And nothing was getting through to him. Hyeon-eun was saddened by this development, but it also kickstarted his interest in medicine. He resolved to become a doctor so he can help people in need! Thus, he threw himself further into his studies.

As he grew, he became more conscious of the fact that everyone around him seemed to be obsessed with romance. Young couples in school hallways, the gossip involving them and who people liked- he didn’t understand it. It’s normal for people your age to start developing crushes. But what about him? He never felt anything on that level towards anyone. Was he the odd one out? It drove him to worry. He panicked when a female classmate confessed to him and he said yes. Perhaps this was what he needed? But it became clearer he had no attraction to her, and their breakup was inevitable. Ok, maybe he isn’t into girls? He forced himself into dating a male friend who showed interest in him. But again, he only saw him as a friend, and they broke up as well. He quietly gave up on that part of his life. Maybe he is unfit for love.

Obtaining a scholarship, he went into med school. Life was stable, albeit dull. And then someone contacted him. A ninetales by the name of Yun Sae-byeok, claiming they shared the same mother. He agreed to meet her at a cafe and sure enough, she proved that. But their conversation quickly steered in another direction. Instead, they talked about their lives, as if they were friends catching up after years apart. They would meet again and again after that day, quickly connecting and becoming close friends. It was reassuring to Hyeon-eun that he wasn’t alone when it came to maternal issues.

Then something changed. Sae-byeok stopped by one day, absolutely dishevelled. It turned out her father had been killed. He and his father let her stay at their home. Setting aside the time he’d used for study, he opted to instead spend more time with her. He listened as she confided in him and poured her heart out, comforting her the best he could.

She soon became involved in rebel activity. More and more often, she’d come home with injuries. Despite his worries, he continued his support for her. Then, one day, she came home different. Fur bleached white with feathery wings. She was fused with a reshiram in a wormhole accident. She didn’t leave the house for a week, and then she left. She’d disappear for weeks, then months, staying for only a few hours before leaving again. His efforts to get her to stay just a bit longer never worked.

He remembers their final day together. The two of them visited all their favourite places in the city, laughing and smiling all the way. It was the most fun they’ve ever had, and they were exhausted when they finally went home. Before he fell asleep, he thanked Sae-byeok for being a part of his life.

The next day, she was gone.

The only thing she left behind was a note. A heartfelt apology, as well as telling him not to look for her. He clutched the letter close to his chest and sobbed. Why was he always alone in the end? Maybe, just maybe, he truly wasn’t good enough for anyone.

But he had to continue on. Days became routine, melding into one. He found no joy in activities he once enjoyed. So instead, he buried himself in his studies. Sure, he was excelling, but he felt no satisfaction. Noticing his son’s state, he gently suggested that Hyeon-eun find a crew. Go out there and explore new horizons, meet new people! He agreed to give it a shot and, after careful consideration, decided on Valiant Order. After graduation, he began work for them as a medic. It did help drag him out of his rut, but still, his heart felt heavy.

His visit to Tempest was supposed to be quick. Out of misfortune, he crossed paths with a band of outlaws. Cornered with no escape, he tried to fight back but was overpowered. Fearing for his life, he screamed for help…

A figure emerged from the shadows. Before anyone could react, the figure proceeded to cut through the outlaws without pause. The outlaws began retreating, but not without leaving a parting gift. One of them threw down an explosive, landing right beside Hyeon-eun. The figure hesitated for a brief moment- clearly wanting to go after the outlaws. Instead, they dived toward him, shielding him with their body. Before Hyeon-eun lost consciousness from his injuries, he saw a glimpse of his saviour’s face. A marshadow.

Hyeon-eun woke up in a hospital. The stranger had carried him there after the ordeal but disappeared soon after. He became determined to find them. The outlaws had a bounty on their heads, thus he began with bounty hunter circles. His search eventually led him to a bar on Lapis, and there they were. The same marshadow that saved him.

He walked up to them and thanked them for saving him on that fateful day. The marshadow, introducing himself as “Kaze”, tried to brush it off as nothing, bringing up his failure to save the ninetales before he was harmed. Nonetheless, Hyeon-eun felt indebted to Kaze, despite him insisting that he need not repay him. He decided to follow him. And that he did, even though Kaze repeatedly tried to dissuade him. When he requested that he mentor him, the ghost was at a loss for words. Eventually, though, he agreed.

Kaze taught him how to fight and defend himself. When it turned out that Hyeon-eun was… the polar opposite of physically inclined, they improvised. He learned to be pragmatic, using whatever advantage in combat he can get. Eventually, he started tagging along on bounty hunts. He proved himself capable, playing the role of support and assisting the ghost in any way he could. Whenever he was injured after a mission, Hyeon-eun would be ready to patch him up.

Steadily, their trust in each other deepened. They started hanging out outside of training and missions. Slowly, Kaze began opening up to him. Bit by bit, he learned more about the ghost. Eventually, he revealed his real name to be Takehiko Kurosawa and told him about his family. Hyeon-eun became his secret keeper- carefully keeping his affiliation with Takehiko hidden. Takehiko admitted that he always looked forward to seeing him again, and Hyeon-eun felt the same.

Gathering courage, Hyeon-eun attempted to reconnect with Siegmund. He reached out to the hydreigon, and as they conversed, he brought up the idea of Siegmund joining Valiant Order too. And he did. For a while, it was just like “the good ol’ times” they talked about. But again, they started drifting apart. Siegmund was off making other friends, leaving him behind. Hurt by this development, Hyeon-eun sought solace in Takehiko.

It was supposed to be a simple bounty, but they were blindsided. Their target had managed to incapacitate Takehiko and was intent on dealing with them right here, right now. Adrenaline kicking in, Hyeon-eun grabbed a lead pipe and caught the target by surprise. Again and again, he struck, bashing in their skull until it was a bloody pulp. He had never taken a life before this point. Staring at the corpse in shock, he didn’t respond even as the pipe slipped out of his hand.

For a while, he shut himself away, losing sleep and refusing to talk. It was only through Takehiko’s persistent support that he managed to snap out of it. He decided he didn’t want to be weak anymore. He wanted to be able to do whatever it takes to protect others. He adopted a more calculating personality as he came up with more and more pragmatic plans without Takehiko’s input.

Finally, he decided that his true path was one walked with Takehiko. The marshadow was always with him, no matter what happened. He resigned from Valiant Order, stating “personal issues”. Then, he prepared an entire spiel with the intent of convincing Takehiko to let him stay and help him against Noboru and the yakuza. Before he could finish the first sentence, however, Takehiko stopped him and said yes. Said he knew there was no convincing Hyeon-eun otherwise, and Takehiko didn’t want to leave him anyways. He couldn’t help but cry and embrace the ghost tightly.

Listening to radio news, a revolution took place in the Draconian capital, and Yun Sae-byeok was spotted there. With Takehiko’s help, he was able to contact her. They met at the same cafe where they first met years ago. After an arduous, heartfelt conversation, Hyeon-eun managed to convince her that he had changed. He was now strong enough to stand his ground and defend the people he cared about.

She introduced him to the New Dawn Alliance- a crew in which deltas and fusions can find refuge. He hopped aboard as a medic, treating the injured and sick. However, he was often away from the crew, choosing to instead run off to assist Takehiko.

Recently, he met An Ryu-sang, a thievul-frosmoth fusion also part of New Dawn. Sae-byeok seemed to be on very good terms with them, so he sought to be on good footing. A being full of anger and vengeance he found, but it wasn’t his first time dealing with this. Despite Ryu-sang’s reclusiveness, he managed to earn their liking.

Then they pulled him deeper into the dark. They let him privy into Nightfall, New Dawn’s black ops division, and planted the dark seeds in his mind. They knew his involvement in Takehiko’s “work”, and asked, “Don’t you want to do more to help him?” He was willing to do anything, wasn’t he? So, they gave him a suggestion.

Information flows through the underworld like a river, and it is a powerful weapon. Simply by talking to the right people and making the right plays, one could obtain them. Even, say, info on criminal clans…

Thus, under Ryu-sang’s watchful eyes, he began to learn.

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