The forest swallowed the echoes of Kaizen's footsteps long before the boy reached the deepest chamber of the cave. The sword he had claimed pulsed faintly at his back, but the cavern's air shifted—thickening as if something far greater waited beyond.
A rumble trembled through the stone floor.
Kaizen slowed.
Something ancient was waking.
Something that had been waiting for him.
The Guardian Spear
At the far end of the chamber, a pedestal rose from the cracked earth, wrapped in petrified roots. Hovering above it—not touching the stone—was a spear unlike anything Kaizen had ever seen.
Its shaft was obsidian-black, etched with swirling, glowing lines like molten metal. Its blade was crystallized bone, shimmering with faint, shifting colors—like the reflection of five different elements trapped inside a single shard.
The moment Kaizen stepped closer, a shockwave hit him.
A presence.Cold.Enormous.Hungry.
Then—
The attack hit.
A torrent of mental force slammed into Kaizen's mind like a blade of pure thought. His vision whitened. His knees buckled. He clutched his skull as whispers roared inside his head:
UNWORTHY. UNFORMED. UNCLAIMED.
The spear's soul had awakened.
Kaizen gasped, stumbling backward, nearly vomiting from the pressure.
But something inside him—something born from the cave, the shadows, the amulet—rose in defiance.
His eyes narrowed.
"No…" he growled. "I'm not giving up."
He stepped forward.The spear's attack intensified.
His nose began to bleed. His legs shook. The voices in his skull became a deafening storm.
LEAVE. BREAK. SUBMIT.
Kaizen roared back, gripping the spear with both hands.
"SHUT UP!"
The moment his fingers wrapped around the hilt, everything stopped.
Silence fell.
The spear pulsed.
A voice—this time ancient, weary, and impossibly old—whispered directly into his mind:
So… you choose to fight.
Kaizen's grip tightened. "I choose to win."
For a moment, the spear resisted.
Then—
It bowed.
Not physically, but spiritually.
Then take me, Master. I am Voultron…the Devouring Spear.
A shock of energy surged through Kaizen's arms and into his veins, nearly knocking him unconscious. Images flashed through his mind—
A colossal five-headed dragon soaring above worldsEach head shaped from a different element—fire, water, wind, earth, lightningA roar that shattered mountainsA war against beings of lightA fall that shook the heavensAnd then—DarknessSilenceBones reforgedA weapon born
Voultron.The last remnant of the Great Five Elemental Dragon, once king of all elemental life.
The spear's consciousness flickered weakly.
My strength… diminished. Mana… starved. But your blood… calls to me. I will rise with you, Kaizen Zaiton.
Kaizen inhaled shakily.
"Then rise."
The spear flared with light—and shrank. The massive, ancient weapon condensed into a sleek black spear that fit perfectly in his hand.
A weapon waiting to awaken again.
A partner.
A predator.
Outside the Forest — A Month of Fear
Far beyond the cave, at the border of the Abyss Forest, tents dotted the ground like anxious sentries. Torches burned through the night. Spears, shields, and restless warriors filled the clearing.
Arron Zaiton had not slept in days.
He stood before a large crystal plate, holding Kaizen's blood pendant above it. The pendant glowed faintly—proof that the boy still lived.
But barely.
The glow trembled…faded…then strengthened again.
Arron gripped the pendant tightly.
"Hold on, Kaizen," he muttered. "Whatever trial you face… survive it."
Behind him, Elders paced nervously.
"Family Head… it has been a month."
"The Abyss Forest devours even seasoned warriors…"
"And yet the boy—still alive?"
Arron's eyes flashed. "He is a Zaiton. And more than that… the forest itself calls to him."
He stared at the treeline, where black mist drifted like smoke.
"Prepare the guards. When he emerges, no one touches him until I arrive. If the forest harms him, we intervene. If the forest protects him…" His voice sank into a whisper. "Then we bow."
Inside the Abyss — Lessons of the Spear
Deep underground, Kaizen trained without sleep.
Voultron's spirit pushed him relentlessly.
Strike.Block.Absorb.Devour.
The spear corrected his stance by force—sending shocks up his arm whenever he slipped. It drilled techniques into his muscles until his bones vibrated.
When he faltered, the spear spoke in that tired, ancient rasp:
Pathetic… again.
When he pushed through pain, Voultron murmured:
Good, hatchling. Stronger… stronger…
Kaizen grew with terrifying speed.
He learned that:
Voultron could devour mana, blood energy, and spirit force
The spear could mimic one of the Five Elements based on absorbed energy
Its true form was sealed, locked behind its starving state
To awaken fully, it needed a master whose core could sustain its hunger
Kaizen pressed on.
His muscles tore.His thoughts blurred.His body ached.
But he did not stop.
He could not.
Something inside him—part instinct, part destiny—whispered:
Become stronger. Become worthy. Become feared.
And Kaizen obeyed.
The Month Ends
At last—after thirty days of darkness and relentless training—the cave trembled.
Kaizen stood at its mouth, Voultron strapped across his back, its faint glow pulsing like a heartbeat.
He stepped into the morning sun.
For the first time in a month, fresh air filled his lungs.
He took one step forward.
Then another.
And from the treeline—shouts echoed.
"Someone's coming!"
"It's him—Kaizen!"
Arron Zaiton sprinted toward the figure emerging from the shadows.
Kaizen lifted his head.
And though he looked exhausted, bruised, and worn…
His eyes—
His eyes were not the same.
They were darker.Sharper.Alive with a power that did not belong to this world.
And Voultron whispered in his mind:
Master… your era begins.