The New Warrior

RECAP

Keiko High School, usually buzzing with teenage drama and mundane routines, is shaken to its core on an otherwise ordinary Monday morning.

Ava Amanai, the school’s radiant star, admired for her beauty, intelligence, and social status starts to make a move that stuns everyone.

Instead of joining her usual clique, she walks past them and sits beside Paulo, the quiet, enigmatic boy who usually fades into the background.

Her classmates freeze in disbelief as Ava, with unwavering resolve, confesses her love for Paulo in front of the entire class.

Paulo, known for his calm demeanour and introspective nature, doesn’t flinch. He accepts her feelings with quiet grace, promising not to leave her.

The classroom is left in stunned silence, with Alexis, Paulo’s loyal best friend and Ava’s friends Saya and Tsuki exchanging bewildered glances. Ava’s boldness and Paulo’s gentle response mark the beginning of a bond that defies social norms and expectations.

Later that day, Paulo and his friends gather on the school rooftop, teasing him about Ava’s dramatic declaration.

Their laughter is light-hearted, but beneath it lies a sense of awe at the emotional whirlwind that has just begun.

Meanwhile, Ava spirals into panic when she can’t find Paulo in the cafeteria. Her anxiety surges, and she bombards Saya’s phone with desperate messages.

Upon learning he’s on the rooftop, she races through the school, bursting through the door and collapsing into his arms, sobbing uncontrollably.

In front of their stunned friends, Ava clings to Paulo and begs him to reaffirm his promise.

She calls him her “husband in her heart,” a declaration that’s both romantic and unsettling in its intensity. Paulo, ever gentle, comforts her, and their bond deepens—an emotional tether that seems unbreakable.

But the next day, the tide turns cruel. Rumours begin to swirl through the school, accusing Paulo of manipulating Ava and exploiting her fragile mental state.

The gossip spreads like wildfire, reaching Paulo’s younger sister, Hana—a sweet, sensitive girl who idolizes her brother.

Hana becomes the target of relentless bullying; her phone flooded with hateful messages that chip away at her spirit.

Despite Paulo’s efforts to console her, Hana is consumed by the cruelty. She’s later found dead near the riverbank, her phone still buzzing with venomous texts.

The school is thrown into mourning, but the guilt is suffocating. Paulo, crushed by the loss and the weight of blame, returns to school a hollow shell of himself. His silence is deafening, his grief palpable.

Ava, furious and heartbroken, confronts the class. Her voice trembles with rage as she accuses them of killing Hana with their words.

She vows to protect Paulo, but the damage is already done. Isolated and drowning in sorrow, Paulo walks to the rooftop—the place where his bond with Ava began—and takes his own life.

Ava arrives moments too late. Her screams echo across the rooftop as she clings to his lifeless body, shattered by the broken promise and the unbearable loss.

Her world collapses, and the school is left in stunned silence, haunted by the consequences of its cruelty.

In the days that follow, Ava becomes a ghost of herself. She wears Paulo’s tie like a sacred relic, visits the rooftop daily, and speaks to the wind as if it carries her words to him.

Her once radiant love turns into a dark, obsessive devotion. She whispers promises of eternal connection, vowing never to let go—even in death.

But then, a chilling mystery emerges: Paulo’s body is nowhere to be found.

AFTER RECAP

Paulo’s journey in the afterlife took an unexpected turn as his body found itself in a universe completely different from Earth, where he had manifested.

After crash-landing on a crumbling mountain, Paulo rose to his feet and surveyed the area with a sense of detachment in his cold eyes. The thick fog enveloping the surroundings added to the eerie atmosphere, signalling to Paulo that he was no longer on familiar ground.

As the mountain began to break apart, Paulo felt himself falling, only to hit the ground with a jolt that tore his arm. Despite the injury, he remained stoic, devoid of any emotional response as his wound miraculously healed in an instant.

This newfound state of detachment allowed Paulo to process the events unfolding before him with an unsettling calmness. With his surroundings now becoming more visible, Paulo witnessed bizarre creatures rushing towards him, their otherworldly forms creating a sense of unease in his immortal soul.

Despite his weariness from the stresses he had endured, Paulo managed to push himself up, ready to face whatever challenges lay ahead in this strange new realm.

As he took his first tentative steps in this mysterious universe, a sense of calm determination overcame him, sparking a glimmer of curiosity to explore this uncharted territory beyond the physical and into the realms of the unknown.

On the Ground, Paulo wonders what the bizarre Soul creatures chasing him are. When one of the creatures snaps its jaws right towards him, he rolls away and coincidentally presses into a human skull that was lying on the ground.

Terrified and furious, he screams and curses the people that made him commit suicide. When Paulo tries to climb up a broken mountain, he trips and falls down the pile of rubble. He notices that this place is dangerous and would need to figure out a way to get back to earth.

One of the Soul Beasts tires to kick Paulo in the stomach, but he blocked it, and it caused his arm to rip off. Paulo then stepped back and picked up a stick, but he didn’t know that his left arm has grown back.

Paulo lift the stick up but didn’t realise that some cosmic green energy was forming around the stick and then Paulo swings it down, cutting the beast in half and the mountain behind it. Paulo then said to himself while dropping the stick, “So being dead has its perks.”

While running along in the wasteland, Paulo encounters a city which surprised him since he thought there was no cities in this world. He then entered the city and because he was going there for the first time he got loads of stares from the residence. Paulo then looked up at the sign and saw the town sign name, “Gristle Hollow.”

The sky above the town of Gristle Hollow was a permanent shade of bruised yellow, choked by the fumes of a long-dead refinery that still coughed smoke like a dying god.

Paulo stepped over a rusted pipe jutting from the cracked pavement, his boots crunching through a layer of ash and bone dust. The bar’s neon sign flickered weakly: Ash & Spirits.

Half the letters were missing, but the message was clear enough. Inside, the air was thick with the scent of ethanol and regret. A few patrons hunched over their drinks like they were trying to disappear into them.

Paulo approached the bar; his coat still damps from the acid drizzle outside. “I’ll take whatever passes for whiskey around here,” he said, voice low but firm.

The bartender—a woman with a cybernetic eye and a scar that ran from temple to jaw—just nodded and poured something amber into a cracked glass. It hissed faintly as it settled.

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Before Paulo could take a sip, a voice rasped behind him. “New face. You aren’t from around here.” Paulo turned. An old man stood there, hunched and wrapped in layers of patchwork cloth.

His eyes were milky, but sharp. He smelled of rust and old stories. “This town,” the old man said, sliding onto the stool beside Paulo, “used to be a mining colony. Rich in thorium and secrets. Then the spill happened. Turned the soil sour, the air mean. Folks either adapted or died. Most did both.”

Paulo raised an eyebrow. “And you stayed?”

The old man chuckled, a sound like gravel in a tin can. “Someone’s got to remember. Someone’s got to tell the newcomers what not to touch, who not to trust, and where not to sleep. You planning to stay?”

Paulo took a sip of the drink. It burned like betrayal. “Depends,” he said. “On whether this place has anything left worth finding.”

The old man leaned in, voice dropping to a whisper. “Depends on what you’re looking for. But in Gristle Hollow, everything comes at a cost. Even the truth.”

Paulo swirled the drink in his glass, watching the amber liquid catch the dim light like a dying flame. The old man beside him leaned in, his breath wheezing through cracked lips. "Hey old man does a group rules the world or not."

“You asked if anyone rules the world,” the old man said, voice low and gravelly. “Truth is, it’s not ruled. It’s contested. Two factions. Two visions.” Paulo’s eyes narrowed. “Who are they?”

The old man tapped a crooked finger on the bar. “First, there’s the Ghostface Group. Shadows in suits. They don’t build—they consume. Any power source they find—soul energy, elemental cores, ancient tech—they drain it dry and twist it into their own arsenal. They don’t care if it’s sacred, sentient, or screaming.”

Paulo’s jaw tightened. “So, they harvest the soul creatures. Rip their essence for fuel.” The old man nodded slowly, eyes dim with memory. “They call it ‘reclamation.’ I call it slaughter.”

Paulo leaned forward. “Is there anyone who fights back? Someone who protects the innocent?”

A faint smile tugged at the old man’s lips. “There is. A team known as the Cosmic 10. Guardians of balance. Each member radiates a distinct glow—ten colours, ten virtues. Red for courage. Blue for wisdom. Green for healing. Yellow for hope. Black for resilience. Brown for grounding. White for purity. Pink for compassion. Purple for vision. Orange for joy.” Paulo raised an eyebrow. “Sounds like a rainbow with fists.”

The old man chuckled. “They don’t just fight. They restore. When the Ghostface Group corrupts a region, the Cosmic 10 brings it back. But they’re scattered now. Hunted. The war’s gone quiet... but it’s far from over.” Paulo drained his glass, the burn in his throat matching the fire in his chest. “Then maybe it’s time someone lit it up again.”

After finishing his drink, Paulo quietly placed a few bills on the counter—enough to cover his tab and the old man’s. The bartender gave him a nod of thanks, but Paulo didn’t respond.

He stepped out into the dusky street, the air cool and unfamiliar. The sky above this world was tinged with violet, stars beginning to blink into view like distant memories.

As he walked, something tugged at him—a strange weight in his clothes. He looked down and froze. He was wearing the same outfit he’d died in. The same scuffed shoes.

The same blazer, still slightly torn at the sleeve. Even the faint bloodstain near the collar hadn’t vanished. His breath caught in his throat. He reached into his pocket, half-expecting emptiness.

But instead, his fingers brushed against something solid. His old phone. Paulo pulled it out slowly, staring at the cracked screen. It was impossible. This universe wasn’t supposed to carry fragments of the last.

Yet here it was—his phone, exactly as he’d left it. He unlocked it with muscle memory, and the screen flickered to life. His contacts were still there. Ava. Alexis.

His thumb hovered over Ava’s name. He didn’t expect it to work. Not across dimensions. Not across death. But he tapped it anyway. The line rang once. Twice. Then— “Hello?” Ava’s voice, fragile and trembling, came through.

Paulo’s heart stopped. He hadn’t heard her voice since the rooftop. Since the fall. “…I’ve missed chatting with you,” he said softly, stunned. “What’s been going on lately?”

There was silence. Then the sound of sobbing. Ava was crying—crying from Earth, from the world he’d left behind. Her breath hitched, her voice breaking as she whispered his name over and over.

“Paulo… Paulo, is it really you? I thought—I thought I was going insane. I’ve been dreaming of you every night. I wear your tie. I sit where you fell. I talk to you like you’re still here. But you’re not. You’re not.”

Paulo closed his eyes, the weight of her grief pressing against his chest like a stone. “I didn’t expect this. I didn’t think I’d hear you again.”

“How are you calling me?” Ava asked, her voice desperate. “Where are you? Are you alive? Are you coming back?”

“I don’t know,” Paulo admitted. “I woke up in a different world. I don’t know how I got here. But I found my phone. I found you.” Ava sobbed harder. “I thought I lost you forever. I thought you lied when you said you wouldn’t leave me.”

“I didn’t lie,” Paulo said, his voice steady but thick with emotion. “I meant every word. I just… didn’t expect to die.” There was a long pause. Then Ava whispered, “I don’t care what it takes. I’ll find you. I’ll tear through every universe if I have to.”

Paulo smiled faintly, the first smile since waking in this strange place. “I’ll call you back when I figure out how to travel through universes.”

“Promise me,” Ava said, her voice trembling. “Promise me you’ll find a way.”

“I promise,” Paulo whispered. “I’m not going anywhere. Not really.” The call ended, but the connection lingered—like a thread stretched between worlds, fragile but unbreakable.

Paulo stood in the quiet street, phone still in hand, heart pounding. Somewhere, in another universe, Ava was crying for him. And somehow, impossibly, he’d heard her. Now he had a mission. Not just to survive. But to return to Ava.

As soon as Ava hung up the phone, her hands were still trembling, her breath uneven. The call had left her shaken—but not in despair. For the first time since Paulo’s death, she felt something spark inside her: hope.

She rushed to find Saya and Tsuki, her footsteps echoing through the hallway like thunder. When she finally spotted them near the lockers, she didn’t wait for greetings or questions—she grabbed their arms, eyes wide and brimming with tears.

“I spoke to him,” she said, voice barely above a whisper, but urgent. “Paulo. He called me.” Saya blinked, stunned. “What do you mean? Like… a dream?”

“No,” Ava said, her voice cracking. “A real call. His voice. His number. It was him. He’s alive—somewhere. In another world.” Tsuki’s mouth fell open, her juice box forgotten in her hand. “You’re serious?”

Ava nodded, tears spilling freely now. “He said he found his old phone. That he didn’t expect to reach me. But he did. He said he’ll call back when he figures out how to travel through universes.”

Saya and Tsuki stood frozen, the weight of Ava’s words sinking in. It sounded impossible. Unreal. But the look in Ava’s eyes—the raw, trembling hope—was unmistakable.

Saya reached out, placing a hand on Ava’s shoulder. “If there’s even a chance… we’ll help you find him.” Tsuki nodded slowly, her usual sarcasm gone. “We’ll figure this out. Whatever it takes.”

Ava clutched Paulo’s tie around her wrist, her grip tightening. Her voice was soft, but resolute. “He’s still mine. And I’m going to bring him back.” From that moment on, the grief that had hollowed Ava out began to shift. It didn’t disappear—but it transformed. Into obsession. Into purpose. Into a fire that would burn through every reality if it meant reaching him again.

Back in the world where Paulo is in, he was walking through the town when he saw 2 mysterious guys walking by him. Paulo then felt the murderous intent on them and his head turned to them so fast while sweat beads are pouring down his head.

Someone then screamed Ghostface group, and everyone ran in chaos except Paulo. He ran to one of the members and kicked him in the face, sending the member crashing into a building.

“Sorry deadbeats, this place belongs to the cosmic 10.” Paulo said while shouting.

The other member of the Ghostface group called Maki Satō was standing above the fallen dead member. Maki then said looking back at Paulo, “Who the hell are you and what’s your deal with the cosmic 10.”

Paulo then shrugged and charged at the Maki, but she jumped away before he could land a hit. Paulo then picked up a sword the other Ghostface member had and swung the sword in the air.

Maki then jumped explosively in the air and put her arms out, making lighting pellets appear. The old man from the bar then appeared and his eyes widen at the sight he saw.

Paulo was now glowing with a cosmic green and his eyes has turned red as he swung the sword down, sending a slash of greenlight that killed Maki. The old man then said while shouting so that everyone could hear him, “He has returned everyone, the cosmic green of healing has returned, we are saved.”

Paulo then walked to Maki’s dead corpse and look down at it. Paulo’s aura flared up and it surrounded him and maki as it turns a dark greenish colour. Paulo then mutters the word, “Arise.”

The aura surrounds them brightens and Paulo’s hand is raised above Maki, bringing her back to life but as his Cosmic guard. Paulo smirked as he and Maki walked away but promising protection for the town.

Back on earth. The next morning, the halls of Keiko High felt different and charged not with dread or whispers, but with something lighter.

Hope, maybe. Ava walked in with Saya and Tsuki flanking her, their steps purposeful, their expressions unreadable to most. But beneath the surface, they carried something precious: good news.

Ava’s eyes were brighter than they’d been in weeks. Her wrist still bore Paulo’s school tie, but now it looked less like a shackle and more like a vow.

She hadn’t slept much, but she didn’t care. She had heard his voice. He was alive—somewhere—and that changed everything.

They spotted Alexis near the courtyard, slouched against the wall with his usual half-smirk, earbuds dangling from his collar. He looked up as they approached, his expression shifting when he saw Ava’s face.

Before he could speak, Ava stepped forward, her voice steady but brimming with emotion. “We talked to Paulo. He called me.”

Alexis blinked, straightening. “Wait… what?”

Saya nodded, her tone calm but firm. “It wasn’t a dream. It was real. He’s alive—in another world. He found his old phone. He reached out.”

Tsuki added, “He said he’ll call back once he figures out how to travel between universes.”

Alexis stared at them, stunned. For once, words failed him. The grief that had weighed on all of them suddenly felt… lighter. Not gone but no longer suffocating.

Ava’s voice softened. “He’s trying to come back. And I’m going to help him.”

The four of them stood there, surrounded by the hum of morning chatter and the rustle of wind through the courtyard trees. But in that moment, they weren’t just students mourning a friend—they were a team, bound by something deeper than grief.

Both worlds have their own conflict but soon they will collide and share the same destruction.