The forest was alive with whispers.
Leaves trembled under a violent wind, rain slicing through the air like falling knives. Every step Ryo took left a trail of red against the soaked earth. His breath came out ragged, uneven — the echo of battle still ringing in his ears.
Behind him, Caro followed closely, her hands trembling as she clutched the torn hem of her skirt. "Master, please… we must rest. You're bleeding too much."
Ryo didn't answer. His jaw was tight, eyes hollow. The fight with the spy still burned in his mind — the moment his blade had cut through the man's throat, the heat of the fire spreading through his chamber, the sound of his own heartbeat louder than the crackling flames.
He had done it.
He had killed the King's spy.
And in doing so, he had killed the last link that tied him to the cursed palace.
But the pain in his side was worsening. His vision blurred with every heartbeat. The wound from that fight — small at first — had begun to tear open again. The rain stung it like acid.
"Keep moving," he muttered under his breath, voice hoarse. "We can't stop now. If Deros's men find the body… he'll know."
Caro bit her lip and nodded silently. "Yes, Master."
Thunder rolled through the forest, shaking the ground beneath their feet. The night had become darker, thicker — the kind of darkness that swallows sound, light, and fear all at once. The trees around them seemed to twist and bend, forming shapes that looked far too alive.
Then came the growl.
Low. Wet. Too close.
Caro froze. "Master… did you hear that?"
Ryo turned slowly. His hand went to his sword, the steel glinting faintly even in the dark.
From the shadows, a pair of glowing eyes appeared — yellow and wide like lanterns in the void. Then another. And another.
The beasts emerged, crawling on all fours. Their bodies were like wolves, but their jaws stretched too far, their claws longer than daggers, and their skin shimmered with a sickly, dark green hue. Their breath reeked of rot and blood.
Ryo's pulse quickened. "Shadowfangs," he muttered. "Creatures born from cursed blood."
Before Caro could react, the first one lunged.
Ryo met it mid-air, blade flashing with a burst of light. The creature's body hit the ground in two halves — but three more followed. They surrounded him in a half-circle, hissing and gnashing their teeth.
"Stay behind me!" Ryo shouted.
Caro obeyed instantly, grabbing a broken branch and clutching it like a weapon she didn't know how to use. She watched in horror as her Master spun, dodged, and countered — his movements sharp but slowing with every swing.
One of the beasts caught his shoulder, claws sinking deep. He roared in pain, twisting his sword upward and driving it through the monster's chest. Another came from behind, jaws closing on his arm.
"Master!" Caro screamed.
Ryo turned, blood spraying across his face as he slashed through its neck. The rain poured harder, washing the blood into the mud beneath them.
He could barely stand now.
The last Shadowfang leapt toward him, its maw wide open — but Ryo didn't flinch. He thrust his sword forward, burying it through the creature's skull. The blade snapped on impact.
The beast collapsed.
Ryo staggered back, dropping what was left of his weapon. The forest was silent again, save for the sound of the rain and Caro's quick, panicked breaths.
"Master…" she whispered, running to him as he fell to one knee.
"I'm fine," he lied. His vision spun, his strength draining away like sand through fingers. "Just… need to keep moving."
But before he could rise, his body gave out. Caro caught him, her small frame barely managing to keep him upright.
"Please, don't move," she begged. "You'll die if you push yourself like this."
He tried to speak, but the world was already fading.
"Find… shelter," he whispered, then went still.
Caro tightened her grip on him, tears mixing with the rain. She dragged him forward, step by step, through the mud and storm until she saw a dark shape in the distance — a cave hidden beneath a cluster of wet vines.
She pulled Ryo inside.
The cave was cold and hollow, the air heavy with damp earth and silence. She laid him gently against the stone wall and tore part of her sleeve to bandage his wounds. Her fingers shook as she worked, whispering broken prayers.
"Please, Master… don't leave me. You're all I have left."
The fire she lit flickered weakly, throwing long shadows across the walls. Ryo's face was pale, his lips bloodless. For a moment, she thought he had stopped breathing.
But then — his chest rose again.
And in that moment of fragile relief… Ryo dreamed.
---
The world around him was endless black.
Cold. Silent.
Until a voice shattered the emptiness.
"Child of Asskar…"
Ryo turned sharply. Before him stood a figure wreathed in light — tall, faceless, wearing a crown made of burning stars. Its voice was deep, ancient, vibrating through his bones.
"Who… are you?" Ryo asked, his voice echoing.
"I am what your blood remembers," the being said. "The first flame. The breath that shaped your ancestors. You carry my mark, and yet you run from it."
Ryo looked down — the symbol on his chest was glowing, brighter than ever before. "This mark… it cursed me."
The god's voice thundered in response, shaking the void.
"No, boy. It blessed you."
The light around the god flared. Images appeared in the dark — his family, the Asskar lineage — standing proud before thrones of gold, wielding both sword and spell in harmony. Then the image changed — King Deros's betrayal, the fire, the screams, the blood. His mother's eyes before death. His father's roar of rage.
Ryo's fists clenched. "He killed them all…"
The god's voice softened.
"And yet you live. That is not chance, but design. The flame of the Asskar cannot be extinguished — only hidden until the time is right."
Ryo stared at him, confusion flickering across his face. "Why show me this now?"
"Because you doubt yourself. Because the poison of Deros still runs through your veins. But hear this, heir of the Asskar blood — when the moon bleeds thrice and the shadow crown falls, your chains will break. Rise then, and reclaim what was stolen."
The light surged, burning brighter than the sun.
"Wait!" Ryo shouted. "Tell me who you are!"
The figure leaned closer, its voice now a whisper.
"I am the voice your father heard before his final breath. I am the oath that binds your soul. Remember me when the fire returns."
Then everything shattered.
---
Ryo woke with a gasp.
The cave was filled with the faint orange glow of dawn. The rain had stopped. Caro was sitting beside him, head bowed, her hair damp and tangled. When she saw his eyes open, she rushed to him.
"Master! You're awake!"
He blinked, disoriented. His wounds — they were almost gone. The pain had faded to a dull ache. He could feel something new beneath his skin — warmth, power, as if the god's fire still burned within him.
"Caro," he said quietly. "How long was I out?"
"Almost the whole night, Master," she said, her voice trembling. "You were burning with fever. I thought…" Her voice cracked. "I thought you wouldn't wake."
He sat up slowly. The symbol on his chest pulsed faintly beneath his torn shirt, casting a faint golden light. Caro noticed it and froze.
"Master… your mark…"
"It's nothing," he said quickly, covering it. "Just a dream."
But deep down, he knew it wasn't. That voice — that light — had been real.
Caro hesitated, then nodded. "We should move once the sun rises fully. The King's men may search the forest."
Ryo stared at the mouth of the cave. The mist was clearing, and far in the distance, the towers of the palace were just visible. His hand tightened around the broken hilt of his sword.
"Let them search," he muttered. "They'll find nothing but ashes."
He stood, the cold morning air brushing against his skin. "Caro," he said, his tone calm but deadly serious, "from this moment on, we are ghosts. The world will believe I am dead. And I intend to keep it that way."
"Yes, Master," she replied softly, bowing her head.
He glanced at her once — at the loyalty in her eyes, the silent strength she carried. Then he turned toward the forest, the rising sun painting his face in shades of gold and crimson.
"Deros…" he whispered under his breath. "You took everything from me.
Now, I'll return the favor."
Caro followed behind as the two disappeared deeper into the wilderness — the beginning of a path that would one day set the world aflame.