Young Vireth walked home from school with a smile on his face. He pushed open the front door and saw his father sitting on the sofa.
Vireth dropped his bag on the floor and ran to him, jumping onto his father's lap.
His father looked at him and chuckled "You seem happy today, Vireth."
Vireth jumped down and said, "I learned about careers today!"
His father blinked in surprise. He knew his son didn't usually enjoy school, so he simply watched him.
"So, Dad," Vireth asked, "what's your career?"
"I'm a hunter," his father replied.
Vireth's eyes lit up. He began bouncing with excitement. "What do you do?"
His father paused. "Well, what I do is… I…"
He hesitated, remembering he was still talking to a young boy.
"I protect the world from monsters that come from another world," he finally said.
Vireth's eyes widened with excitement. "Dad, I want to be a hunter just like you!"
His father studied him. " Only very special people can do this, son. Are you sure you could handle it?"
Vireth didn't hesitate. "If you can do it, I can do it."
His father smiled faintly. " Then I'll teach you the basics when you turn 15. For now, you're still only 8."
7 years later, Vireth sat in a chair in the backyard of his home, papers clutched in his hands as tears rolled down his face.
His father walked up behind him and noticed. "Vireth, why are you crying?"
Vireth couldn't meet his eyes. "Father… remember when you said I could become a hunter at fifteen? I tried to enter Hunter School, but they rejected me. My grades were too low. They put me in other classes."
His father placed a hand on his shoulder. "You silly boy. I never said you had to join a school. I said I would train you myself."
Vireth looked up. "Really, Dad?"
"Of course. But first, do you know how the rank system works?"
Vireth hesitated. "I…don't."
His father chuckled. "Then listen carefully."
He grew serious. "There are seven ranks. We start from E-rank. That's where all hunters begin. At E-rank, you're not allowed to hunt monsters. You only gather remains or work in mines. If attacked, you may defend yourself."
"Next is D-rank. From D to S-rank, each rank has four stages: basic, low, middle, and high. Each stage shows growth and skill."
Vireth nodded, listening closely.
"And the final rank?" Vireth asked.
His father smiled faintly. "The Autonomous Ultra-Rank. A level so high that even I never reached it, even with all my years of training."
In the present moment, Vireth and Kai stood facing an orc blocking their path. A few steps behind them, Zane looked at the other orc approaching from the side.
Without warning, Zane turned and ran toward the back trail, drawing the second orc's attention. The orc followed him, stomping after him through the trees.
A head, Kai pulled his sword and rushed toward the first orc. Vireth followed, pulling his spear from his back.
"Listen," Vireth said while running beside him, "we can win this if we work together."
Kai ignored him and sped up, leaving Vireth behind.
Vireth slowed for a moment, frowning.
"What is this guy doing…?" he wondered.
Kai raised his sword. "Flaming Blade."
Mana wrapped around the blade, giving it a bright, fiery glow.
"Fire stick," he said calmly as he swung.
The orc calmly lifted its axe and redirected the strike without even stepping back.
Kai tried again, faster. The orc raised its axe about to cut him.
At the last second, Vireth dashed in and used his spear to block the orc's attack aside.
Kai jumped and aimed a strong swing, but his sword couldn't handle the force.
CRACK.
The sword broke. Kai landed and stared at the broken pieces in his hand.
"Bu—but how" he murmured quietly. "How will I protect Ise like this?"
The orc's eyes narrowed as dark mana formed around its body like shadowy armor. It lifted its second axe, readying itself.
Vireth stepped in front of Kai.
"You should get back," he said seriously.
He inhaled and focused. Mana gathered around his spear.
"Spear Technique — Triple Bullet."
He thrust forward, firing three compressed blasts of mana. The shots tore through the air and slammed into the orc's chest.
Vireth spun his spear smoothly.
"Spear Technique — Second Stance… Endless."
He moved in with a rapid series of controlled strikes. Each hit pushed the orc farther back, forcing it to focus on defending.
Vireth tightened his grip on his spear and moved faster. "dieeeeee!" he shouted as he charged.
Vireth's speed increased as he kept attacking. "If this drags on, I'll run out of mana…" he thought.
The orc tried to counter, but Vireth's spear stabbed its left arm. Vireth didn't slow down and kept pressing forward, leaving the orc no openings.
After the battle slowed, both Vireth and the orc were completely exhausted. Their bodies trembled, barely able to stay upright, yet neither wanted to give in.
Vireth leaned on his spear to keep from collapsing. The orc steadied itself with one remaining axe, the other lying shattered nearby.
Vireth glanced at Kai. "Kai… I'm about to use my last trick. When I do, I need you to stab me and the orc at the same time."
The orc tried to step forward but struggled to move any closer.
Kai stared at him. "Are you insane? You know my blade can't even pierce the orc's skin. So what difference would it make? Do you want me to carry the blame for your death?" he said, frustration clear in his voice.
"Don't worry," Vireth said calmly. "Just trust me. Put all your mana — everything you have — into one strike. If we mess this up, we will both die."
Kai looked at Vireth. "OK then, I'll do my best… but don't blame me if I fail."
He took a deep breath, steadying himself.
Vireth gathered the last of his strength and moved forward, closing the distance to the Orc. His body was exhausted, but his determination burned bright.
As he reached the Orc, he whispered, "Iron… Iron Cage… hold my foe in place."
The spear in his hands transformed into long, glowing chains that wrapped around both him and the Orc, locking them together. Vireth gripped the Orc firmly, preventing it from breaking free.
The Orc struggled against the chains, but Vireth held strong, his voice booming.
"Do it! Do it now!"
Kai clenched he's broken sword, focused every ounce of mana into a single strike, and ran toward Vireth,
Kai shouted, "Flaming Blade… Burning Rage!"
Mana swirled around his broken sword, flowing over it and extending its length. The weapon glowed brightly, transformed into a blazing sword of pure burning mana.
He took a deep breath and rushed forward, swinging his mana blade between Vireth and the orc at the same time. The glowing strike released all his gathered energy at once, bringing the clash to an end.
Right after the attack, Kai dropped to his knees, exhausted. His hands trembled as he struggled to catch his breath.
"I… I murdered them"he slowly stands up and says "I just hope Ise is okay nothing else matters".
Zane had run far from the others and now stood alone, facing the second orc.
The orc rushed toward him, but Zane wasn't fazed. He simply grinned.
"Forbidden magic," he said calmly.
He leapt onto a tree branch with quick agility, and the orc tried to follow him upward.
Looking down, Zane raised his hand
"Soil Exchange: Demonic Blades—come forth."
Two floating blades appeared in the air, each with a glowing eye.
The orc swung its axes toward Zane, but Zane kicked it in the face, sending it back down.
Before it could land, Zane guided his blades to pin the orc in place, leaving it unable to move. He then carved it into pieces.
"Guess I should go back."
He looked around. "Wait…I'm lost?"
Zane began walking in the direction where he sensed the strongest flow of mana.
And some time earlier Leon stood calmly in the clearing, facing the orc lord. Dark mana filled the air.
The Orc Lord narrowed its eyes. "Do you feel it? Do you feel the mana radiating from my body?"
Leon didn't answer. He only stared back, his eyes empty, calm, unshaken.
With a roar, the Ogre Lord lunged, swinging its massive axes. Leon moved with effortless speed, blocking each swing.
In a single motion, he destroyed one of the axes then punched the Orc Lord back with such force that the orc lord crashed into a boulder breaking it two.
From the treetops, Zane appeared, watching silently.
"So this is where all the mana came from… Interesting," he murmured, grinning. One of his eyes began to bleed slightly at the sight of Leon's mana.
"So, Leon… you were the devil I sensed all along."
The orc Lord, attempted another strike, but Leon had already stepped aside and blocked."I am," Leon said calmly.
With a swift movement, he punched the Orc Lord into the air and released a concentrated burst of energy from his hand.
BOOM!
The energy burst exploded on contact, sending a shockwave through the forest. The sound echoed across the whole Forest and leaving a trail of dark mana in the air.
Leon's senses widened as he scanned the area. He saw Zane standing on the tall tree. And he prepared to act, But then, all the mana in Leon's body surged downward, igniting his hands with dark mana and burning them from the inside.
His enhanced form slowly returned to normal, the fur and glowing mans fading, and his eyes returning to their natural color. A large thunderous shock radiated outward from him as his energy settled.
Finally, Leon collapsed to the ground, exhausted but couldn't move or here a thing.
Zane jumped from the tall tree, landing safely near Leon. He lifted Leon onto his back and began walking away.
Leon tried to move, struggling slightly, letting out a small sound.
"Don't worry," Zane said calmly. "I'll come back for your sister."
Leon's eyes slowly closed, and he seemed completely drained, unable to sense anything around him. Zane carried him steadily through the forest.
As they walked, Zane spoke, his voice thoughtful.
"You know, you're an impressive person. I'm impressive too… but you… you're something else."
He looked up at the stars above.
"I was gifted an eye — an eye like None others. It lets me see the colors of mana. And right now, I'm shocked."
He paused for a moment, explaining with experience.
"Humans mostly have blue mana, demons have red, beasts show orange, and most monsters… brown or dull shades. Weapons and magical tools like blades usually glow green. But you, Leon… your mana is different. Black. Pure black. I've never seen anything like it. And when I looked directly at it, my eye even started to bleed slightly."
Zane shook his head in awe.
"So tell me, Leon… what are you? You're no human, that's for sure."
Chapter >3 {The Color of Darkness}