Beastline Ascension

The night before the raid, Renji slept deeply — but not peacefully.

His dreams took him far from the swamp dormitories, far from the cracked ceilings and flickering lights. He stood in a golden field, wind rustling through tall grass, as the sun dipped low behind distant mountains.

There, in the middle of the field, stood a man and a woman.

The man was tall, with a sharp jawline and white hair with a striking red eyes that burned with a strange mix of pride and sadness. His dark coat flowed behind him like a cape, and his muscles looked carved from iron. Yet it wasn't his strength that made Renji's heart skip.

It was familiarity.

The woman beside him had golden-blonde hair that shimmered in the sunlight. Her face was soft, warm, and serene — and her black eyes mirrored Renji's perfectly. She smiled gently as she leaned into the man's chest, holding a small child swaddled in cloth.

Renji felt frozen. Watching. Observing.

The man kissed her forehead. The child giggled. It was a perfect image — of love, of family, of peace.

And then… it shattered.

The sky turned dark. Blood stained the grass. The woman's body crumpled. The man — Cain — fell to his knees, screaming into the void, cradling her lifeless form.

Lightning tore across the sky.

Renji gasped and shot up from his bed, drenched in sweat. His breath came in ragged pulls, and his heart thundered in his chest.

He wiped his face with trembling hands and stared at his reflection in the cracked wall mirror.

"…She had the same eyes as me," he whispered. "Blonde hair… black eyes. She looked kind."

His gaze hardened.

"And he must be my dad huh but why does he almost look the chosen one ."

He touched his own messy black hair, still damp with sweat.

"I look more like her," he muttered. "But there's something… different. His presence… It was terrifying."

He sat in silence for a few moments, letting the dream settle in his bones.

Was that his father?

Was that really his mother?

Why did they look… happy?

He shook the thoughts away. "Doesn't matter."

Renji stood up, dressed in his training gear, strapped his basic gear onto his belt, and grabbed the slip confirming his F-Class gate deployment he got from the school.

Today wasn't about dreams.

Today was about survival.