Adventure Begins
Song exited the headquarters gate, followed by his three companions. They were carrying small bags on their backs, filled with whatever emergency tools they could gather, and some weapons that Commander Bond had given them just moments before their farewell. The air above Mount Konkur was cold, carrying the scent of iron and ash that lingered after years of war. Every breath that escaped their chests seemed to remind them that the road ahead would not be easy.
Song stood at the edge, staring down into the dark valley stretching before him, then raised his hand and pulled out a small metal chip from his pocket. It was no bigger than a finger joint, but it was the most valuable thing he owned. That chip contained the AGI, the enigmatic artificial intelligence that sometimes seemed to know more than it should.
Song said while checking his belongings:
"Alright… we have all the necessary things."
He replied to Lapis as he placed his bag on the ground to ensure the strap was secure:
"This is the best thing." We don't want to lose anything halfway.
Black, who had remained silent since their departure, furrowed his brow and asked in a dry tone:
"And what now?" What is our next step?
Song didn't hesitate, but answered quickly as if the decision had been ready in his mind from the beginning:
"I think I should go to the wise man Hang."
Before anyone could ask for more, the chip trembled between his fingers and lit up with a faint blue reflection. A distinctive metallic sound emanated from it, carrying a hidden sarcasm in its tone:
AGI: "Of course, heir!" What are you waiting for? The Sage Hang will not come to you. He is the one waiting for you now in the valley."
A small smile appeared on Song's face, half confident and half anxious:
"So you'll accompany me on that trip."
AGI: "Yes. And I will help you a lot... but the real help will only appear when you gather the remaining three shards. Only then can I fully activate my power."
And suddenly, a glowing hologram emerged from the slide, drawing a luminous line thru the void. A path appeared, extending from the headquarters they had just left, passing between mountains and forests, until it ended at a deep spot called the Whispering Valley.
AGI: "This is the way, O heir." You will reach the sage in three days. But be careful... the risks there are not ordinary. Some of them could be deadly. So be vigilant... and beware."
Song raised an eyebrow defiantly:
"Hah... What dangers?"
A brief silence ensued, then the AGI's response came, cold as ice:
AGI: "You'll see for yourself."
His voice faded, and the hologram remained suspended in the air, fluttering like a warning sign.
Song: "W-.... Weird."
Black broke the silence with a step forward:
"We will come with you, Song." We won't leave you alone.
Lapis nodded as he tightened the belt of his short weapon:
"Of course... we will come."
As for Lazuli, who had been watching in silence until now, she took a steady step forward and said:
"I am ready." I will not back down no matter the danger.
Song turned to them, his eyes reflecting a mix of gratitude and determination. A sharp smile appeared on his lips, as if he were deliberately facing his fate with courage:
"Then... let's go."
They began descending the mountain, their footsteps mingling with the whistling wind. Each of them knew that the next three days would not be just an ordinary journey, but the beginning of a test that would determine whether they were worthy of reaching the Sage Hang or not.
Into the Darkness⚫
The ancient forest stretched endlessly around them, towering trees forming a canopy so thick that moonlight barely penetrated the gloom. Song's feet ached with each step on the uneven ground, roots and stones catching at his shoes like grasping fingers.
"We still have a long way to go, but we're already exhausted," Song muttered, wiping sweat from his forehead despite the cool night air.
Black adjusted his backpack straps, his scarred face grim in the dim light. "Getting to the Sage was never going to be easy. Nothing worth doing ever is."
Lapis and Lazuli moved in perfect synchronization beside them, their pale eyes scanning the darkness with cybernetic precision. The twins rarely showed fatigue, but even they seemed on edge in this place.
The forest felt wrong somehow. Too quiet. No birds, no insects, no rustling of small creatures in the underbrush. Just the sound of their footsteps and labored breathing.
Song shivered. "This place gives me the creeps. It's like everything living just... left."
"Or died," Lazuli added helpfully, her emotionless tone making the observation even more unsettling.
They pressed deeper into the woods, following what might have once been a path but now looked more like a game trail. Ancient Konota ruins dotted the landscape—broken stone pillars covered in moss, crumbling archways that led nowhere.
Hunt Begins⚔️
A sound stopped them cold.
*Crack.*
It was subtle at first, like a branch snapping under weight. But it came from multiple directions, echoing through the trees in a pattern that spoke of intelligence, of coordination.
"Wait," Lapis whispered, his hand shooting out to stop the group. "What is that sound?"
The noise grew closer—a low rumbling that seemed to come from the earth itself, punctuated by heavy breathing and the scratch of claws on bark.
"It sounds like something dangerous," Lazuli observed, her cybernetic implants flickering as they analyzed the approaching threat.
Song's heart began to race. Every instinct screamed at him to run, but there was nowhere to go. The sounds were coming from all sides now, circling them like hunters closing in on prey.
Black's posture shifted into a combat stance, his muscles coiling with deadly grace. "Everyone stay calm. Whatever it is—"
The attack came without warning.
A massive shape burst from the underbrush with a roar that shook leaves from the trees. The creature was enormous—easily eight feet tall at the shoulder, with matted black fur and eyes that glowed like molten gold in the darkness. Its teeth were the size of daggers, and saliva dripped from its jaws as it fixed its predatory gaze on the group.
"What the hell is that!" Song shouted, stumbling backward.
Battle in the Dark
The giant wolf moved with terrifying speed for something so massive. It lunged at Black first, recognizing him as the most dangerous threat.
Black rolled sideways just as claws raked the air where his head had been. "Ghost Black!" he roared, and the familiar dark aura erupted around his body like living shadow.
He came up swinging, his fist connecting with the wolf's ribs with a sound like thunder. The impact sent the beast skidding sideways, but it recovered instantly, spinning to snap at him with jaws that could crush bone.
Lapis and Lazuli moved as one, their cybernetic enhancements allowing them to match the creature's supernatural speed. Lapis dove low, aiming for the wolf's legs, while Lazuli leaped high to strike at its neck.
"Synchronized assault pattern seven!" Lapis called out.
"Confirmed!" Lazuli replied, her mechanical components whirring as they recalibrated for maximum impact.
Their coordinated attack forced the wolf back, but it was clear they were only barely holding their own. The beast was too strong, too fast, too savage. Black's Ghost Black technique kept him alive, but even his enhanced abilities weren't enough to gain the upper hand.
In the middle of the confrontation, Black collided directly with the wolf. The wolf extended his sharp claws and grabbed Black's left leg, severely wounding it.
"We can't keep this up!" Black grunted as he dodged another swipe of massive claws. "This thing is stronger than anything I've fought!"
The wolf seemed to sense victory. It reared up on its hind legs, preparing to come down with crushing force on the retreating twins.
Awakening the Rage🔥🔥
Song watched in horror as his friends fought for their lives. The old feeling of helplessness washed over him—the same sensation he'd experienced when watching his family die, when he'd been too weak to save anyone who mattered.
*No. Not again. Never again.*
He closed his eyes and forced himself to remember. Park's scream as the Crimson Predator fired. His parents' bodies in the rubble. The years of loneliness and survivor's guilt that followed.
The rage built slowly at first, then exploded through his system like molten metal in his veins. Every muscle in his body tensed as power coursed through him, raw and uncontrolled but devastatingly effective.
"Get away from them!" Song's voice carried across the clearing with inhuman force.
The brilliant white aura blazed around his body, turning night to day in an instant. The wolf spun toward this new threat, its primitive brain recognizing the sudden shift in the power dynamic.
Song didn't remember moving. One moment he was twenty feet away, the next his fist was buried in the wolf's chest, lifting the massive creature off the ground with the force of his strike.
The beast howled in pain and fury, but Song was beyond hearing. He grabbed the wolf by its throat and slammed it into the nearest tree hard enough to split the trunk. The creature tried to fight back, claws raking across his arms, but the white energy surrounding Song seemed to deflect the worst of the damage.
Combined Assault
Black saw his opening and didn't waste it. "Now! While it's stunned!"
The dark-skinned fighter launched himself at the wolf's exposed flank, his Ghost Black aura merging with Song's white light in a display of raw power that lit up the entire forest.
The twins moved with mechanical precision, their cybernetic enhancements allowing them to strike at pressure points with surgical accuracy. Lapis went for the spine while Lazuli targeted nerve clusters in the neck.
"Target acquired!" Lapis shouted.
"Delivering finishing blow!" Lazuli confirmed.
The combined assault was overwhelming. Song's raw power, Black's refined technique, and the twins' precision strikes created a perfect storm of destruction. The giant wolf's roar became a whimper, then faded to silence as the creature collapsed.
Song stood over the fallen beast, his chest heaving with exertion. The white aura flickered and died, leaving him swaying on his feet.
"Is it dead?" he asked quietly.
Black nudged the wolf with his foot. "Very dead. Nice work, heir."
Unexpected Enhancement
Before anyone could respond, Song felt a familiar sensation—like electricity running through his nervous system. The chip in his pocket grew warm, then hot.
A voice spoke directly into his mind, clear as if someone were standing right beside him:
**"Excellent! I will enhance your power slightly according to my current capabilities."**
Song gasped as energy flowed through his body. His muscles expanded, becoming denser and stronger. Knowledge flooded his consciousness—combat techniques, fighting stances, tactical assessments that he'd never learned but somehow now knew.
It lasted only seconds, but when it ended, Song felt fundamentally changed. Stronger, faster, more aware of his surroundings and his own capabilities.
**"This is the maximum I can do for now,"** the AGI continued. **"Find the remaining chips and I will equip you with everything our ancestors knew about warfare."**
Song looked down at his hands, flexing fingers that now contained the muscle memory of a dozen different fighting styles.
"What just happened?" Black asked, staring at Song's subtly transformed physique.
"The AGI," Song replied, wonder in his voice. "It gave me something. Knowledge. Power. I can feel it."
Lapis tilted his head, studying Song with those pale eyes. "Fascinating. The artificial intelligence is capable of biological enhancement?"
"Apparently," Lazuli added. "Though the mechanism is unclear."
Song looked around at his companions—Black with his Ghost Black abilities, the twins with their cybernetic enhancements, and now himself with ancient royal power augmented by advanced AI.
"We're going to need all of this," he said quietly, staring into the dark forest ahead of them. "Something tells me the wolf was just the beginning."
As if summoned by his words, distant howls echoed through the trees—not just one wolf, but many. The hunt was far from over.
Black cracked his knuckles, his scarred face splitting into a fierce grin. "Bring them on. We're just getting started."
TO BE CONTINUED....
CRIMSON PREDATOR