Caesar awoke face-down in ash.
The ground was dry, cracked like a shattered mirror, dust caking his lips and throat. He coughed, pushing himself upright, and winced as his muscles screamed in protest. Above him, a pale sun hung motionless in a blood-orange sky, casting long shadows over an island that looked half-dead, half-forgotten.
A sharp wind howled through a broken forest of twisted, petrified trees. Each trunk looked like it had been scorched and frozen in time. Black birds circled overhead, silent and watchful. Far in the distance, sheer cliffs rose like jagged teeth, forming a wall that surrounded the entire island. Beyond them… something shimmered. An island above?
What the hell is this place?
Caesar stood shakily, brushing ash off a dark green uniform he didn't remember wearing. A number-09-was stitched over the left breast. No shoes. No bag. No memories of how he'd gotten here.
Just one thing in his pocket: a card.
He pulled it out slowly. The surface shimmered like oil on water, and golden letters flared as he read it aloud.
[Initiation Card – Ember Fist]
Type: Attack / Tier: 0
Effect: Your next punch ignites. Basic flame damage. Cooldown: 10 seconds.
A sound—a rustle behind him. Caesar turned just in time to see a figure lurch from the forest edge. A girl, maybe his age. Wild eyes. She held a jagged bone in one hand, and a red-glowing card hovered above the other.
"Fresh meat," she hissed, baring her teeth.
"Wait—what is this place?" Caesar asked, backing away.
"You're on Tier One. Bottom of the pile," she said, grinning. "No memories, no mercy. Only cards."
She lunged.
Caesar barely dodged, rolling to the side as the bone club slammed into the ground with a thud. Instinct took over. He raised the card in his hand.
"Ember Fist!" he shouted.
His right hand blazed with sudden heat. Fire licked across his knuckles. He punched forward wildly—his fist collided with her ribs.
The girl shrieked and staggered back, smoke curling from her shirt. She glared, more furious than hurt. "Lucky shot."
"Not luck," Caesar said, trembling, "Instinct."
She raised her card again—but before she could attack, a loud chime echoed through the air.
Combat initiated. System judgment complete. Victory: Caesar.
A rush of warmth flooded his body. The card in his hand shimmered again.
[Ember Fist] – Upgraded to Tier 1.
Now applies lingering burn.
The girl's expression turned bitter. "Hmph. First fight's free. Second'll cost you."
She turned and vanished into the forest.
Caesar collapsed to his knees. His heart was a hammer in his chest. Whatever this place was, it was real. The pain. The fire. The fear.
He looked around. On a nearby tree trunk, someone had scrawled a message in what looked like blood:
"ONE CARD RULES ALL. COLLECT OR BE COLLECTED."
Another sound—a low growl.
Caesar turned to see two figures approaching. One was tall and wiry, with a shock of golden hair and a lazy grin. The other was shorter, broader, arms crossed, watching him like a hawk.
"You alive, Caesar?" the taller one called.
He blinked. "Leo? Jack?"
"About time you woke up," Jack muttered, stepping forward. "We've been scouting this place for hours."
Caesar stared. Familiar faces in a sea of chaos. "You're here too? Do you remember anything?"
Leo shook his head. "Just woke up with a headache and a card. Same as you, I bet."
They held up their cards.
[Gravity Pin] – Type: Control / Tier: 0
[Iron Skin] – Type: Defense / Tier: 0
Caesar let out a breath of relief. He wasn't alone.
Jack pointed to the cliffs. "Those cliffs? Not just for show. There's another island above us. We saw people climbing... or trying to. Most fall."
"Rumors say if you win enough matches, collect enough cards, you get the right to ascend," Leo added. "Some kind of 'Ascension Duel.' We haven't seen one yet."
"But we will," Caesar said.
Jack narrowed his eyes. "You sure? We don't even know why we're here."
Caesar looked at his scorched hand, then up at the sky. That shimmer above the cliffs—another island, maybe a way out.
"I don't know why we're here," he said, "but I'm not staying on the bottom."
Leo smirked. "Spoken like a main character."
A sudden boom shook the ground. Trees snapped in the distance. A monstrous roar echoed across the island.
Caesar felt the hairs on his neck rise. "What was that?"
"Card Beast," Jack said grimly. "We saw it earlier. Something huge. Doesn't fight with cards—is a card."
Leo glanced at the cliffs. "Word is, beating one of those unlocks the Ascension Duel. But no one's done it. Yet."
Caesar looked at his burning fist, still smoldering.
"Then I guess we'll be the first."
End of Chapter 1