DRIVE/BREAK: Blade of the Heart Novel

Aetherpolis stands as a lawless metropolis in the world's eastern reaches, where government authority crumbles and criminal syndicates reign supreme. Power belongs exclusively to the Awakened Users—individuals who have unlocked their Drive Core, a dormant potential within every human awakened only through trauma, agony, and emotional devastation.

Ren Asakura, a composed young swordsman wielding his Tempest Drive, arrives in this merciless landscape searching for his missing brother. He infiltrates ZEAL, a prominent gang, with a singular purpose: to dismantle the tyrannical organizations strangling Aetherpolis. Yet as gang territories clash and blood stains the streets, Ren discovers a horrifying truth—the true architects of chaos remain hidden, orchestrating events from the shadows.

In Aetherpolis, survival demands embracing the suffering that fuels power. When faced with impossible odds, humanity fractures into two paths: those who DRIVE relentlessly forward, and those who BREAK.