Page 1 — The Rot Beneath the Trees
The forest is quiet.
Too quiet.
Kael walks barefoot through the wet soil, breath fogging in the cold morning air.
Every branch looks like a twisted hand reaching for him.
Every rustle sounds like breathing.
The world has changed since his return.
Or maybe he has.
> Kael (thinking): "This forest wasn't this… dead."
Birds hang from branches — snapped necks.
Claw marks carve deep into the trunks.
Something has been hunting here.
A reminder: the gods toy with humans even from afar.
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Page 2 — The First Test
A low growl crawls through the fog.
Kael freezes.
From behind a tree, a creature emerges —
four legs, bones exposed, skin stretched thin, golden eyes glowing.
A divine creation — a Purity Hound.
Sent by Seraphina's sect to "cleanse impurities."
Kael has no weapon.
Only scars and rage.
The hound lunges.
Kael dives aside.
His ribs grind. His hands bleed as he rolls.
The creature circles him, teeth dripping with divine venom.
> Kael (thinking): "Move. Move. MOVE."
He steps back — trips — falls hard.
The beast jumps—
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Page 3 — The Curse Answers
Just before the jaws reach him—
The darkness erupts.
Not from his hands.
Not from his body.
From his shadow.
It rises like smoke, wraps around the creature's head, twisting, choking, crushing.
Bones crack like dry wood under a boot.
Kael stares, horrified.
The shadow isn't just following him anymore.
It's protecting him.
The beast collapses, skull crushed inward, twitching in the dirt.
Kael backs away, breath quick, legs weak.
> Kael: "I… I didn't do that."
The shadow slowly settles back, clinging under his feet like tar.
Then—
The voice returns.
> Voice: "You asked for strength.
Strength demands a price."
Kael's stomach twists.
His hands shake uncontrollably.
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Page 4 — Hunger
Kael steps toward the dead creature.
The black aura pulses faintly… like it's breathing.
He feels something he shouldn't—
a pull
a craving
a desire to consume the creature's divine energy.
> Voice: "Take it.
You want power?
Then feed."
Kael grits his teeth.
> Kael: "No."
The aura growls.
A low, animalistic rumble vibrating through his bones.
Then it stops.
Withdraws.
But not willingly.
The message is clear:
It is hungry.
And one day, it will not ask.
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Page 5 — The Hidden Witness
Kael drags himself through the forest, chest burning.
He reaches the cliff overlooking the village.
Smoke rises.
People run.
His eyes widen.
Divine beasts — two more Purity Hounds — are attacking the village.
Women drag children into huts.
Men with farming tools try to fight and are thrown aside like insects.
Kael grips the edge of the cliff.
His knees shake.
He is terrified.
He is weak.
He is still just a cursed boy.
But he knows one thing:
> Kael (thinking): "If I don't fight…
they'll die like my parents did."
The air behind him ripples.
His shadow stretches forward on its own, reaching toward the village like a hand.
Kael closes his eyes.
Takes a breath.
Steps into the darkness.