After narrowly escaping death and crawling out of the river alive, the first thing Kaiser did was vomit all the water that had filled his stomach. He had survived by a miracle. However, the burned half of his face was in unbearable pain.
He tried to look at his reflection in the lake… and was horrified. His face had become disfigured, covered in burns and sores. He scratched at it uncontrollably, as the pain intensified.
He began to cry. Not just from pain… but from loss.
He fell to his knees, pressing his forehead against the ground, sobbing:
"Mom… what am I supposed to do without you? What is the meaning of life… in this cruel world without you?"
Her last words echoed in his mind:
"Run for your life, Kaiser… run…"
Kaiser was near the capital city of Lionis, so he decided to go there, hoping to find a way to treat his face. He was starving, thirsty, and had nowhere to go. It was cold… autumn had already settled in.
As evening fell, Kaiser crossed a nearby bridge and found himself in a crowded marketplace. People immediately began staring at his burned face and avoiding him.
"Stay away from me, you freak!" a woman shouted."Monster!" others yelled.
Kaiser lowered his head, trying to hide his face. His eyes remained fixed on the ground, avoiding all eye contact. The pain was visible in his expression, both physical and emotional.
In the middle of the market, he noticed a woman treating wounds inside a small tent. Gathering what little hope he had left, he approached her.
But she drove him away.
"What do you want, freak?" she said coldly.
Holding his burned face, his clothes still wet and torn, Kaiser pleaded:
"Please… help me. My face… it hurts so much…"
She glanced at him briefly while bandaging another patient.
"Help you? I thought you were born that ugly. There's no fixing a face like that. Get out of here."
Kaiser realized she would not help him… and left.
Desperate, he tried asking people and merchants for food. No one showed him mercy. Instead, he was pushed, beaten, and chased away.
That was when he truly understood:
The world… was cruel.
A deep hatred began to grow inside his heart—something he had never felt back in his village.
With no other choice, Kaiser began eating from garbage. Trash became his source of food, dirty water his drink, and the streets his home.
Day after day, he was beaten by people in the market and the streets. No one saw him as human anymore—only as something monstrous.
A week passed.
The cold nights were unbearable. His ribs ached, his face burned constantly, and his stomach twisted in pain from what he was forced to eat.
One night, three drunk men approached him.
"Look at this… a monster sleeping peacefully," one of them laughed."Don't you know creatures like you should be killed?"
Kaiser woke up in fear.
"Please… do you have something to eat? I'm starving…"
The three men burst into laughter..
"Didn't you hear? You don't belong in this city."
They began kicking and beating him mercilessly.
"Die, you freak! How can people enjoy their day while looking at that face?!"
Kaiser tried to protect himself, but the beating continued until they grew tired and left.
He lay there, crying, holding his broken body… as hatred continued to grow inside him.
For another week, the same men returned daily, beating him again and again.
Then, on a stormy night, two different men appeared.
"So… we finally found you," one of them said.
Kaiser looked at them with a flicker of hope.
"Please… can you help me?"
"Of course," the man replied, smiling."That's exactly why we're here… to end your suffering."
They laughed… and one of them pulled out a knife.
Fear consumed Kaiser. He trembled, trying to crawl away despite the pain.
"What did I ever do to you?! Why do you all hate me so much?!"
They grabbed him and started beating him again.
"You're useful to us," one said."Thanks to you, I can release my anger."
At that moment… something inside Kaiser snapped.
His heart began pounding violently. His hatred exploded beyond anything he had ever felt before. His eyes changed, filled with a terrifying, bloodthirsty glare.
The man holding the knife froze.
"What… what are those eyes? No wonder they call you a monster…"
Suddenly…
Kaiser saw something no one else could.
A gate… opening before him.
From it emerged a being surrounded by a dark purple aura.
"At last… I found you," the being said."Someone with enough hatred… enough despair… to destroy humanity."
Kaiser stared in shock.
"Who… are you?"
"I am Barderos… King of Demons."
He extended his hand.
"Come with me. There is no place for you in this world. Join me… and I will help you destroy them all."
Kaiser hesitated for only a moment, before all his suffering flooded back into his mind.
"I'm… with you."
One of the men laughed.
"Who are you talking to, freak? Have you gone mad?"
As he rushed forward to stab him—
A dark aura exploded from Kaiser's body.
It burned the man holding him alive.
"What… what is this?! What are you?!"
The other man attacked, but Kaiser stopped him mid-air.
With a mere gesture, he twisted his arm unnaturally… then the other… then his legs.
The man screamed in agony.
"Please… kill me… just kill me!"
Kaiser looked at him coldly, his eyes glowing red.
"Today… marks the beginning of humanity's end."
"You… will be the first sacrifice."
He crushed his body piece by piece, leaving him alive in unbearable pain.
Inside his mind, Barderios spoke:
"Excellent, Kaiser… just as I expected."
"Let's go," Kaiser replied."Let's destroy this world."
"Not yet," Barderos said."You are not ready. The gate is closing. We will return… and end everything."
Kaiser stepped toward the gate… but paused.
He looked up at the sky one last time.
"I will burn this world… just as it burned my life… my face… and my mother."
He stepped through.
The gate closed.
On the other side, thousands of demons awaited him.
A massive dark palace stood before him, unlike anything he had ever seen.
"This… is your kingdom now," Barderos said.
The demons knelt before him.
For the first time in his life…
Kaiser felt like he belonged.
And he walked forward… like a king.