"Now, let the strongest work!" Aaryan said.
On the ground, everything was colored crimson, like an endless red carpet stretched across the earth. The scent of blood was so strong that one would lose their sense of smell. All of this was the aftermath of the massacre caused by the monsters and the Rakshas.
Upon seeing this scenery, Aaryan's face flushed red, fury boiling in his eyes.
"I will slaughter every one of these monsters. I swear on the name of Aaryan, that I will save everyone."
At the corner of a mall's entrance, a child was crying silently, hiding behind a car. Monsters wandered around, searching for humans to play with, passing right by the boy.
For a moment, the child thought he was safe. He tried to hold back his sobs, but soon, he couldn't anymore. His cries burst out, loud and trembling, filled with sorrow, pain, and dread.
But the tears of a child cannot move a monster's heart.
Hearing his cries, the monsters quickly turned in his direction. In their eyes, a new toy—or a new meal—had appeared. There was no sympathy in their gaze, only one emotion... joy.
The joy of killing. The joy of destroying. The joy of spreading terror.
As they approached the child, their steps slowed deliberately. They wanted to savor their prey. Their faces twisted into wide, devilish grins—smiles that proved what they truly were... monsters.
The boy trembled, but he didn't run. Instead, he cried harder, calling for his parents.
"Mother… mother! Why did you leave me?" he shouted, wiping his tears with his hands.
"Dad, where are you? Please come to me!"
He pleaded to the dead, though deep down, he already knew the truth. Still, he didn't want to believe it.
The monsters watched with amusement, as if the boy's despair was seasoning their next meal. Their eyes glowed red, their jaws wide, teeth sharp as spears, bodies black and twisted.
Eventually, they grew bored of his cries. It was time to eat.
One of the monsters stepped forward and pierced the boy's stomach.
"Aagh—!"
Crimson blood spilled across the floor once more. The monsters seemed entertained by his pain, their twisted laughter echoing as they watched the blood gush from his small body.
The monster then pulled its long, arrow-like nails from the child's stomach. Blood gushed even faster, splattering over the ground. Some of the monsters crouched down and licked the floor, savoring the sweet blood of the child.
Then, one after another, they tore into him, devouring their meal. Before they could finish, the boy's small body went still.
Once done, they prepared to move on to another victim—until their legs gave out. Their bodies began to tremble uncontrollably.
Something... someone... was coming. A presence so overwhelming that it froze even monsters born from nightmares.
They turned their heads—and saw a human.
They were in disbelief.
And that human was none other than Aaryan.
The Rakshas spoke in its guttural, alien tongue, its tone shaking.
"W-What is this? Is it really… a human?"
"Yeah. It seems like it," another replied.
When the first monster turned toward the one who spoke, it froze.
The voice—it was human.
The Rakshas turned back toward Aaryan, its eyes trembling.
"H-How could i-it be? How can he understand o-our language?"
A strange liquid dripped from its skin.
"I think that's your cold sweat, isn't it?" Aaryan said with a smug grin spreading across his face.
The monster's last shred of doubt vanished as it realized Aaryan was speaking in their language.
The Rakshas roared in panic, voice trembling.
"No matter what—don't think about anything other than the human in front of us!"
But before it could even finish, its vision tilted. Aaryan was already standing before it—its head separated from its body.
"I know you monsters don't die until I crush your core," Aaryan said, his tone mocking. "So that means you're at my mercy… you know?"
The severed head twitched.
"Why do you understand our language? Are you—"
Before it could finish, its head exploded.
"Aw, damn it! Now I'll have to wash my coat again," Aaryan muttered, looking down.
"But I didn't expect the monster to be this weak. I merely applied a little pressure and it exploded. Or maybe…"
He smirked.
"…it killed itself out of fear."
Every monster in the room understood—and terror consumed them. They turned to flee.
"Hey! You insects," Aaryan's calm voice echoed.
"Not so fast, you know."
In an instant, all the monsters collapsed—lifeless.
The air fell silent again.
"You can open your eyes now," Aaryan said softly, snapping his fingers.
"I'm glad I dulled this boy's senses for a while," he thought. "If I hadn't, he'd have been scarred for life."
From behind the car's shadow, a small figure emerged.
It was the same boy—the same one who had been devoured moments ago.
Moments earlier, Aaryan had searched the district from above, using his power of Maya, the illusion.
With Maya, he could see through anything, create deception, traps, structures, even bodies—anything that existed. He could understand every language; even if he heard it for the first time, Maya would translate it instantly.
From the sky, he had seen a child cornered by monsters. So, he built an illusion of the boy on the ground and trapped the monsters inside that illusion.
Back in the present, Aaryan knelt beside the real boy, checking his body for injuries. But suddenly, the boy burst into tears once again, screaming the same words as before.
"Mother… Father! Wh-Where are you? Why did you leave me alone…?"
Aaryan stood there quietly, watching the child sob.
A wave of pity—and guilt—washed over him.
As he looked at the scene before him, his thoughts turned inward.
"I don't know how to stop this boy's cries. And… should I even stop him? He's just a kid, suffering the worst loss imaginable. What could I say? That it's okay? That time will heal it?"
"No. I should let him cry to his heart's content. He'll never forget this day, but maybe one day, he'll remember it not for losing his parents… but for surviving, for carrying that pain and walking toward the light again."
A small, hot tear rolled down Aaryan's cheek.
He let out a bitter laugh.
"Why can't I bring the dead back to life? Isn't the strongest supposed to be able to do everything? Then why can't I even wipe this child's tears away? If there is a God, I'll hate Him from the bottom of my heart—for choosing me, a nobody."
He just stood there, silent, watching the boy cry—crying inwardly for himself.
Both were crying, but the difference was clear:
One wept for what he had lost.
The other, for what he had.
Aaryan then put up his usual front, masking the weakness in his eyes.
"Hey, boy," he said softly. "I know what you've gone through, but this isn't the kind of place you should cry in."
His voice was gentle—unlike his usual commanding tone.
But the boy didn't stop crying.
"Hey, kid. If you want to cry, cry in a place where you're safe, not here," Aaryan said, his words sharp, but his expression warm.
He picked the child up and soared into the sky. Once they were high enough, Aaryan cast another Maya, wrapping the boy in an illusion of peace, letting him rest.
"I could erase this child's memory," Aaryan murmured, watching the boy sleep. "But I want him to remember this day."
A faint smile touched his lips.
"I hope you live long, kid."
Then, his thoughts shifted again.
"How… in a district this large, was only this boy alive? Where are the others? Earlier, I saw hundreds of monsters—and now, not a single one remains."
Just as the thought crossed his mind, a flash of energy shot toward him.
Aaryan twisted his body, dodging it perfectly—yet when he looked down, his eyes widened.
There was blood.
"How… is this possible? I swear I dodged it. Then how…?"