Kaisel wiped the blood from his eyes with the back of his arm, steadying his breath. His chest rose and fell in ragged bursts as the forest quaked with the Bloodfiend Lizard's relentless pursuit. Every time his blade struck, every time he managed to cut across its legs or body, the wounds sealed within moments.
The beast was unrelenting, its scales glistening under the crimson haze, as if mocking him with its immortality.
He ducked beneath a swipe, rolled aside from snapping jaws, and staggered upright, panting heavily. Just how do I cut off that massive head? His mind reeled. How can I even get close without being torn apart?
Then—
BOOM!
The lizard's tail slammed into him like a battering ram. The impact tore through his ribs, sending him flying through the air. He crashed into a tree with a bone-cracking thud, the bark splintering from the force. His sword nearly slipped from his grasp as he coughed out a mouthful of blood.
"Kh—!" His body convulsed with pain, every breath stabbing him from the inside.
What should I do? What can I do?
And then—
A voice. Hoarse. Distant, yet ringing directly in his mind.
Use me…
Kaisel froze, his eyes widening.
Use my strength…
It was Wrath.
Kaisel's heart lurched. Wrath… should I really? If I use your strength, I'll give up my lifespan…
His hand trembled, blood dripping down his wrist.
The voice came again, sharper this time, like a blade at his throat.
Even if you have a small lifespan, if you don't use me—you will die here.
Kaisel pushed himself from the tree, stumbling, running between the roots as the monster thundered behind him. His mind spun with Wrath's words.
Small lifespan? What do you mean…?
The voice chuckled, cruel, amused by his ignorance.
You only have thirty more years of lifespan…
Kaisel's steps faltered. "W-What… thirty years?" he muttered aloud, almost choking on the words. His throat tightened as fear clawed up his chest. What does that mean? Why only thirty? Is it… because of the curse?
The thought echoed in his mind like a bell tolling doom.
His distraction cost him.
The lizard lunged from the side, its jaws wide enough to split a carriage in two. Kaisel barely twisted away, but its clawed arm followed. The strike slammed into him with brutal force. He was flung across the clearing, crashing into the dirt. Agony tore through his arm—his left hand was shredded open, flesh hanging in strips. Blood poured freely, pooling beneath him.
"Ahhh—!" he screamed, his voice raw, ragged with pain. His body convulsed, writhing as the beast's shadow loomed closer. The Bloodfiend approached slowly, savoring the hunt, its eyes gleaming with hunger. The ground trembled under its steps.
Kaisel's vision blurred. He could taste iron on his tongue, could feel his strength bleeding away. His thoughts spun in chaos. If I don't do something now… I'll die. I'll be nothing but its meal.
Wrath's voice rang in his skull, heavy and merciless.
Choose, Human. Die now… or burn everything with me.
Kaisel grit his teeth, his whole body trembling. "Ahhh—fine! Fine, I'll use you, Wrath!"
At once, power surged.
His veins blackened beneath his skin. His eyes reddened, veins bulging at their corners, fury flooding his mind like molten fire. Every thought drowned under a tide of rage. His breath came in ragged snarls, his body shaking with uncontainable strength. Wrath's laughter echoed in his head.
The Bloodfiend lunged, jaws snapping. Kaisel didn't retreat. He charged forward, madness blazing in his gaze. At the last instant, he ducked aside, narrowly avoiding its fangs—and with his free fist, he struck.
The impact was thunder.
A punch, from his tiny frame, sent the monstrous lizard hurtling backward. Trees shattered as the beast's colossal body slammed into the forest, its roar echoing across the night. Kaisel's knuckles split open, bones cracking under the force, blood dripping down his ruined hand.
But he didn't stop.
His fury drove him forward, each step heavy enough to shake the earth. The Bloodfiend snarled, clawing itself upright, but Kaisel was already upon it. He weaved through its strikes with unnatural speed, Wrath's power coursing through his veins, until finally—he leapt.
Sword raised high, fury guiding his strength, he brought it down with a scream.
The blade carved through scales, flesh, and bone in a single devastating strike.
The Bloodfiend's head toppled.
Its body convulsed violently, blood erupting like a fountain, soaking the ground in crimson. The monstrous neck poured like a geyser as the corpse collapsed, shaking the earth.
Kaisel stood over it, chest heaving, his sword dripping with the gore of his enemy.
Slowly, the red faded from his eyes. Wrath's laughter dimmed, retreating into silence. The monstrous power bled away, leaving only exhaustion in its wake. His body trembled, his broken knuckles screaming with pain.
And then—
"Gluttony," he whispered hoarsely.
The shadows stirred.
A dark liquid began to swirl around the fallen beast's body—inky black, twisting like a living shadow. From within, a grotesque maw emerged, wide and jagged, lined with long white fangs. It stretched open unnaturally wide before descending upon the corpse.
The sound was sickening.
The Bloodfiend's body was torn apart, shredded violently, piece by piece. Flesh ripped, bones cracked, sinew unraveled. The monstrous mouth devoured it all until nothing remained but scraps of blood and shredded earth.
Kaisel fell to one knee, clutching his chest.
Then came the pain.
"Aghhhh—!"
He screamed as his body erupted with torment. It felt as though his bones shattered into dust, his flesh peeled from his body, his very essence ripped apart. His veins burned, his skin split, his chest convulsed.
But then—
The wound in his arm healed. His ribs knitted back together. The torn flesh sealed, leaving only faint scars. Even the blood caked upon his face disappeared. Slowly, the agony ebbed, though his body shook violently from the strain.
He vomited, collapsing forward, bile staining the dirt.
His vision swam, the forest tilting around him. He stood unsteadily, sweat dripping down his face, breath heavy. For a long moment, he could only stand there, dazed, silent, the crimson haze of the Blood Moon burning above him.
Then—
A sound.
Kaisel's head snapped up. From the mist, a shadow emerged. Massive. Familiar.
His heart sank.
Another Bloodfiend Lizard.
Its scales glistened under the red moonlight, its eyes burning like molten pits. Its presence was suffocating, worse than the first. Kaisel's pupils shrank. "Another one…" he whispered, barely able to keep hold of his sword.
The monster advanced, the ground shaking with its steps.
Kaisel raised his blade, forcing his battered body upright. His arms shook. His legs threatened to collapse beneath him. Still, he lifted the weapon, refusing to yield.
The lizard crouched, muscles coiling.
Then—
Its head fell.
In a single, fluid stroke, the monster's neck was severed cleanly, its massive body collapsing with a crash.
Kaisel froze, stunned. His sword nearly slipped from his grasp. "W-What… happened?"
The fog parted.
A voice rang out, cold and sharp, cutting through the silence.
"Even your father wasn't foolish enough to set foot in Ebonvale during a Blood Moon, Kaisel."
Kaisel's eyes widened. That voice… it couldn't be.
He turned.
And there he was.
A tall, broad figure stepped through the mist, his long white hair cascading down his shoulders, his beard thick, his posture unyielding despite the weight of years. In his hand, he carried a greatsword, its blade shining in the crimson moonlight.The old man's gaze was cold as steel, but behind it burned a fire that had not dimmed with age. It was Kaisel's grandfather.
Arthur De Ravengard.
To be continued.