Heroes of Borderland

Aython Ashvail Aurelius, a young nobleman once known as the "Prince of the Night," was cut off from his entire inheritance by his mother and cast out into the world. Despite being left penniless, he continued to live as if he were still hosting high-society galas.

In a small tavern, Aython tried to persuade the owner to give him free drinks — claiming that someday this establishment might become a hotspot among the aristocracy.

Watching from the corner of the room was Jen: a thief, a con artist, a self-proclaimed and thoroughly enlightened priest. At first, Jen thought Aython was just a useless, washed-up noble. But the more he observed, the more intrigued he became.

Even with no money, no power, and almost nothing left, Aython still treated every person with a grace that made them feel valued.

Instead of betraying one another, the two began to work together. Aython used his high-class network, his ability to read people, and social circle intel to select their targets. Jen was the man on the ground — forging documents, stealing assets, infiltrating manors, and finding the escape routes.

The two became a strangely perfect pair: one a nobleman with no money, the other a man of faith who doesn't believe in God — yet somehow preaches with incredible conviction.

Kael Vorn continued to hunt for traces of an enemy from his past. He was once a soldier who believed in duty and order, but war and betrayal had stripped him of his faith in people.

The latest lead brought him to a nobleman's manor. That night, Vorn cold-bloodedly slaughtered everyone who stood in his way — only to find, upon reaching the treasure room, that his target wasn't there.

In that same room, Aython and Jen were busy robbing the place. Amidst piles of corpses and a treasure room filled with fakes, Aython was complaining about the owner's "terrible taste" rather than being shocked by the scene before him.

Vorn stared at the two of them in confusion. He had just endured a night of death — and these two men were arguing about the value of art in the middle of a bloodbath.

Even so, the three eventually ended up traveling together. Initially, Vorn only hoped to exploit their information-gathering abilities, networks, and powers of persuasion to track down his quarry. But adventuring with these two eccentrics brought him a strange, unfamiliar sense of enjoyment.

Anuchit Thepsuang is a warrior monk traveling in search of life's meaning. After losing his temple and the people most dear to him, he began to sense that "something" was hidden in this world — something ordinary humans could not understand.

That journey led him to a city filled with spiritual training courses, meditation retreats, and teachings on inner peace. But behind it all was a scam orchestrated by Jen and Aython.

• Jen disguised himself as a famous saint.
• Aython played the organizer and keynote speaker.
• Vorn kidnapped the real priest and kept him hidden.

Even though it was all a lie, what confused Anuchit most was that the people who came there were actually healed. Many left with smiles. Many found the will to keep living.

Anuchit began to understand: sometimes, hope doesn't have to be perfect. As long as it gives people the strength to keep moving forward, it still has value. And without realizing it, he began to become part of the group.

After it was all over, the four of them fled the city with a vast sum of money. For the first time, they felt that life might actually be getting better.

But during their journey, a violent storm at sea battered their ship. Giant waves smashed the vessel to pieces amidst darkness and thunder. Everyone survived — but their belongings, their money, and everything they had just gained sank to the bottom of the sea.

They lost everything once again. And that made the four of them begin to understand a certain truth about the traveler's life: no matter how much you try to hold on, the world can take it away at any moment.

Kael Veranth, a mage with dragon blood, continued his journey in search of answers to the "voice" that had echoed in his head his entire life — a whisper from something far beyond, a feeling that he didn't belong in this world, and a power he couldn't control.

After his power burned down his own village in childhood, Veranth began to believe that perhaps "death" was the only path to the answers he sought.

At the same time, the party of four was planning to heist an ancient museum. But before they could act, another group of bandits struck first. Aython saw an opportunity immediately — he quickly announced to the crowd that they would protect the city's treasures.

Vorn was the first to act, his arrow piercing the bandit leader's neck from a distance. Anuchit charged directly into the fray. Jen used magic to support and heal the wounded. In no time, the robbery was thwarted. The people began to see the four as heroes.

But before it was over, a man appeared on the museum's high balcony: Kael Veranth. The moment he saw the four, he sensed that this group was "different" — and perhaps strong enough to actually kill him.

Deep red flames exploded from his palms. The tremors caused the entire museum to begin collapsing. Stone pillars cracked, the ceiling caved in, and centuries-old artifacts were being destroyed.

But what shocked Aython most wasn't Veranth's power — it was the history being lost before his eyes. Without hesitation, he lunged to protect a display case. A stone pillar collapsed on him, knocking him unconscious.

Vorn, Jen, and Anuchit had to join forces to fight Veranth amidst the crumbling museum. His magic was intense, striking from every direction — fire could erupt from the floor, walls, or even the air at any moment.

Jen used illusions and magical shields to clear a path. Vorn searched for openings to attack from a distance. Anuchit was the only one who kept walking forward, straight through the flames.

Eventually, the three managed to reach Veranth. Vorn pinned the mage to the ground, weapon poised to deliver a killing blow — but Anuchit raised his hand to stop him. In Veranth's eyes, he saw not malice but emptiness: the look of someone who had lost their reason to live long ago.

Anuchit believed that to kill someone who lacked even the will to live would trap that soul in suffering forever. Vorn disagreed. And in the moment the three were arguing, Veranth seized the chance to counterattack.

A massive explosion of fire erupted from his body. Vorn and Jen were thrown back by the blast, too injured to fight on. Inside the collapsing hall, only Anuchit and Veranth remained.

Facing each other in a sea of fire, the final battle began. But as they fought, Veranth began to understand something. Anuchit, too, was someone who sensed things the world didn't understand.

The difference was this: Veranth had chosen to wait for death to find his answers — while Anuchit had chosen to live to find them, using every breath, every wound, and every day still given to him to keep moving forward.

For the first time in years, Veranth began to hesitate about his own death. Finally, the flames around him slowly died out. He chose to keep living.

After everything that happened, the museum was surrounded by troops from across the city. Shouts and footsteps echoed over the crumbling ruins while flames continued to lick at stone pillars and artifact displays.

Aython, having just regained consciousness, took only a moment to assess the situation. He quickly led everyone to the museum's basement, then opened the entrance to a secret tunnel hidden behind an old stone wall.

These tunnels weren't ancient myths — they were knowledge passed down through noble families since the old days. In an era where a city could be besieged at any moment, the manors, museums, and key buildings of the ruling class were always built with escape routes. As an heir of House Aurelius, Aython had grown up with this knowledge since childhood.

The four escaped through the underground tunnels while the troops above continued to blockade the area, completely unaware that their targets had already slipped away. The tunnel stretched all the way to the coast outside the city.

Once everyone successfully made it outside, they began preparing a boat for immediate departure. But during the process, they discovered that Veranth had followed them out. No one knew when he had started following. The mage simply stood silently not far away, as if even he wasn't sure what to do next.

Vorn didn't trust him at all. To Vorn, someone who had nearly killed them all shouldn't be left to wander without any kind of guarantee. On the contrary, Anuchit believed Veranth deserved another chance — he saw in the mage not just a danger, but a person who had been lost in his own suffering for far too long.

Jen didn't take a clear stance. Even though he still didn't fully trust Veranth, he didn't oppose the group's decision. Meanwhile, Aython didn't care much about trust — to him, having a powerful mage along for the journey was far more useful than letting the man wander off aimlessly.

In the end, no one drove Veranth away. And Veranth himself simply followed them onto the boat in silence.

That night, the small junk boat left the coast with five travelers:

• Vorn — who still couldn't let go of the past.
• Jen — who hid his kindness beneath lies.
• Anuchit — who was still searching for the meaning of life.
• Veranth — who was beginning to open his heart to living once more.
• Aython — who was still trying to prove he could change the world, even without a single gold coin.

No one knew where the destination lay. But everyone was journeying toward the same place — the land called Borderland.