THE total eclipsed heart

After the bloody massacre at The Deck's Base, Hinojosa Judasama's name became a whispered legend, feared and dreaded across the country. With Ace and his criminal empire destroyed, Hinojosa had achieved his revenge. Yet, as the smoke cleared and the bodies of his enemies lay in pools of blood, he found himself at a crossroads. His thirst for vengeance had been sated, but a new, darker hunger was growing inside him. The weight of his actions, and the price of the power he now wielded, began to haunt him.

Though he had taken everything from The Deck, including Ace's life, Hinojosa realized that there was still no peace for him. The destruction of The Deck hadn't brought him the relief he expected. Instead, it left him with an unsettling emptiness that gnawed at his soul. Every moment, the memories of Sayo's suffering tormented him, and the cruelty he had been forced to witness began to erode his humanity. His heart, once full of love and hope, grew colder, consumed by the endless need for more power.

Hinojosa pondered what he could do with his power. Did it have any real meaning, or was he simply becoming a tool of destruction? After much thought, a realization struck him. He couldn't let others suffer the way he had suffered. No one else should face the torment and agony he had endured. This thought ignited a new resolve in him—a determination to use his power for something greater than just revenge.

One day, Hinojosa received a disturbing report: a person called the King of Ace had emerged. This figure was said to be the true leader of the criminal empire that had once been The Deck. What Hinojosa learned shocked him: The Deck was only a small portion of the larger force, and the King of Ace was a figure of unimaginable power. Yet, Hinojosa thought it would be easy to defeat this King of Ace, assuming he was just a normal human.

Driven by his growing sense of purpose, Hinojosa set out for the King's castle, believing he could easily defeat this new threat. However, when he arrived at the castle, he was met with an eerie silence. The gates were guarded by only a single figure.

"Move aside, if you don't want to be killed," Hinojosa commanded, his voice cold with the certainty of his own power.

The guard did not respond. His eyes were empty, as though they had witnessed millennia pass. He looked like a being who had lived for thousands, if not millions, of years.

Without warning, Hinojosa charged, his sword drawn, prepared to strike down the lone guard and enter the castle. But in an instant, the guard moved. With one swift motion, the guard struck Hinojosa with a force that sent him crashing to the ground, his body writhing in pain.

Hinojosa's vision blurred as the world around him darkened. The guard stood over him, silent and unwavering. In a voice that felt as though it came from the very heavens, the guard spoke.

"Come back when you have more power."

The words echoed in Hinojosa's mind like a thunderclap, and before he could react, his vision faded into blackness.

When Hinojosa regained his senses, he was alone, lying on the cold ground. His body burned with the aftereffects of the guard's strike, and his mind reeled from the realization of how far he still had to go. The King of Ace was not just a mere man. The power that stood before him was beyond anything he had ever faced.

It was clear now: Hinojosa's path was not just about defeating enemies—it was about mastering his own power before it consumed him. The guard's words haunted him: "Come back when you have more power."

The price of power had never been more apparent. Hinojosa knew that to face the King of Ace, he would need to grow stronger—far stronger than he was now. And as he stood, battered and broken, a new fire burned within him. He would rise again. The darkness inside him would no longer control him; instead, he would use it to forge the strength he needed to face the King and whatever other threats lay ahead.

The journey to reclaim his soul—and perhaps save others from the torment he had suffered—was far from over.