CHAPTER 2: THE FIRST LESSON
Master Woli and Kaito had already set out.
Iram City, one of the largest cities in the Aurelia Kingdom, was now far behind them. The city's stone streets, human voices, and dim home lights had long disappeared; their place had been taken by the suffocating silence of the night and an endless forest. The trees were so dense and tall that even the moonlight could barely squeeze through the branches, leaving only faint, shattered shadows on the ground.
Kaito walked a few steps behind Woli. His eyes constantly scanned the darkness, his shoulders involuntarily tensing at every rustle of a bush. But what truly exhausted him wasn't the forest's silence – it was the thoughts inside his head.
Woli turned his head slightly as he walked.
"How are you doing?" he asked in a calm voice. "How do you feel?"
Kaito answered without hesitation.
"There's only one thing on my mind, Master."
Woli turned his gaze toward him.
"Taking my revenge on Zaryx."
These words landed in the darkness like a heavy stone. Woli remained silent for a few seconds. Then he let out a deep breath.
"That..." he said slowly, "won't be so easy, Kaito."
Kaito frowned.
"Why, Master?"
Woli's expression grew serious.
"Because the energy that Djinn gave off... was not ordinary."
He slowed his pace slightly.
"I don't want to say this, but that thing you saw..." his voice hardened, "is either a very high-level Djinn... or an Ifrit."
Kaito's steps momentarily faltered.
"Ifrit?"
He was hearing this word for the first time.
"What does Ifrit mean, Master?"
Woli was silent for a moment. Then he turned his face forward again and began to speak.
"There are classes among Djinn too," he said. "The weak ones, mid-levels, high-levels... and those who stand at the very top."
His voice grew heavier.
"Ifrits."
Kaito was all ears.
"They are... nothing like other Djinn," Woli continued. "They are like disasters. Each one is a death sentence in itself. They can destroy a village, a forest, sometimes even an entire city all by themselves."
Kaito's throat went dry.
"So..." he said, swallowing hard, "if Zaryx really is at that level..."
Woli finished his sentence.
"Then with your current state, even approaching him would mean death."
Kaito's hands clenched into fists.
"Then..." he said, his voice hardening, "can you defeat him, Master?"
Woli smirked slightly at this question.
"Hah."
He tilted his head slightly.
"Of course I can."
Then the arrogance in his smirk faded, replaced by seriousness.
"But it won't be easy."
Kaito listened in silence.
Woli continued:
"And I will bring you to that level too."
His voice was clear. Determined.
"One day, you will become a true Djinn hunter. And when that day comes... you will take your revenge with your own hands."
Kaito's eyes widened slightly. For the first time, alongside the anger inside him, a small spark of hope had appeared.
He bowed his head and spoke briefly but sincerely:
"Thank you, Master."
A few seconds later, he raised his head again.
"But there's something I'm curious about."
Woli raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Ask."
Kaito asked without hesitation:
"How did you become a Djinn hunter?"
The moment this question was asked, Woli's expression changed.
None of his previous relaxed demeanor remained.
His gaze darkened.
As if a very old, very heavy door had been opened again in his mind.
"What a coincidence..." he said in a low voice.
Kaito watched him carefully.
Woli stared into the darkness.
"The answer is simple, Kaito."
He paused for a moment.
"My family was also... just like yours..."
His voice dropped a little more.
"slaughtered by a Djinn."
Kaito's eyes widened.
For a moment, he couldn't speak.
"Then..." he said finally, "were you able to take your revenge?"
Woli didn't answer for several seconds. That silence was heavier than any answer.
"No."
It was a single word. But it carried years of pain inside it.
"Unlike you..." he said, "I couldn't see Djinn back then."
Kaito listened carefully.
"So I never found that being. I don't even remember its face. I only remember... the blood it left behind."
This sentence cut deep into Kaito.
Woli looked at him.
"But you are different."
Kaito raised his eyebrows slightly.
"You can see them even without being a Djinn hunter," Woli said. "That's not ordinary. That is either a curse... or a gift."
Then his voice hardened.
"And if you use it correctly... you could be one of the few who can truly take their revenge."
After these words, Kaito bowed his head.
His hands were clenched.
"Be sure of this..." he said through his teeth, "I will not die before I take my revenge."
Woli watched him silently for a few seconds.
Then he nodded with satisfaction.
"Good."
After walking a while longer, they arrived next to a massive tree in a more open part of the forest. Woli stopped and pointed to the ground with his hand.
"We'll rest here for a bit."
Kaito immediately looked around.
"Here?" he said with unease. "But Master... it's still night. What if the Djinn attack?"
Woli shrugged his shoulders casually.
"Don't worry."
Then he smirked slightly and added:
"I'll handle it."
Kaito still wasn't fully convinced.
"Are you sure, Master?"
Woli raised an eyebrow.
"Are you doubting me, kid?"
Kaito immediately raised his hands.
"No, no! I was just joking, Master. Hehe..."
Woli let out a short laugh.
"Good."
Then he sat down at the base of the tree and crossed his arms.
"Stay on guard. If you feel even the slightest thing out of the ordinary, wake me up."
Kaito immediately straightened his chest.
"Yes, Master!"
Woli closed his eyes.
And within a few minutes, he had fallen asleep.
Kaito was left alone.
He began pacing around the tree. His eyes scanned the darkness, but he had a problem: he couldn't feel anything. He had seen Zaryx, yes. But now... in this pitch-black darkness, he didn't know how to sense a Djinn's presence. Every tree trunk looked like a creature, every shadow like a claw.
And the worst part...
was this silence.
There was something wrong with this silence.
As if the forest was holding its breath.
He couldn't tell how much time had passed. Minutes, or hours... he didn't know. But finally, he couldn't take it anymore. He approached Woli.
"Master..." he said softly.
No answer came.
He leaned in a little closer.
"Hey, Master... wake up. You've been sleeping for a while."
Still no response.
Kaito's face tightened.
"MASTER?"
Woli suddenly startled awake, his eyes opening wide.
"Huh?! What's wrong, kid?"
Kaito stepped back.
"Well... I... I thought you'd been sleeping for too long. I thought maybe you'd want to get going..."
Woli yawned, cracked his neck, and stood up.
"Alright."
Then he pointed to a nearby spot with his hand.
"Start a fire over there. We'll eat something. Then we'll continue."
Kaito immediately objected.
"Master, are you sure? Isn't this place too open for eating? It's still night, after all."
This time, Woli put his hand directly on Kaito's shoulder.
"Kaito..."
His voice was soft but serious.
"You're too scared."
Kaito looked away.
"Calm down a little," Woli said. "I'm here with you."
Kaito was silent for a few seconds.
Then he slowly nodded.
"Okay, Master."
After a while, a small fire was lit. The flames cast a trembling light into the darkness, making the surrounding tree trunks look like ghosts. The two silently ate a few bites.
But Kaito's mind was elsewhere again.
His eyes were fixed on the fire. As if he was seeing something within the flames.
Woli noticed this.
"Hey."
Kaito looked up.
"You zoned out again."
Woli looked at him.
"What are you thinking about?"
Kaito paused for a moment.
Then he spoke slowly.
"My family..."
His voice was very low.
"I..." he said, the words knotting in his throat, "I'm so weak, Master."
He continued staring at the fire.
"I couldn't do anything while they were dying."
His fingers trembled.
"I couldn't protect them."
Then he lowered his head a little more.
"And the worst part..."
His voice dropped even further.
"I couldn't even cry."
This sentence fell into the air like a heavy stone.
Woli's gaze softened.
"You're in pain right now, Kaito," he said in a calm voice. "That's normal."
He paused for a moment.
"You're angry right now. That's also normal."
Then his voice hardened.
"But if that anger blinds you... one day, you will die the same way."
Kaito raised his head.
These words had stabbed directly into his heart.
Woli looked at the fire and continued:
"Kaito... give me an honest answer."
He turned his eyes toward him.
"What do you want?"
Kaito couldn't answer.
Woli continued speaking.
"Being a Djinn hunter... is not about swinging a sword."
The flames reflected in his eyes.
"It's not about looking cool."
He paused for a moment.
"It's not even about killing a few monsters."
Then his voice grew deeper.
"This path... eats away at your soul."
Kaito listened in silence.
"It takes your sleep."
"It takes your mercy."
"It takes your old life."
And then Woli completed his sentence in an even lower voice:
"And sometimes..."
Kaito asked in a whisper:
"And sometimes what, Master?"
Woli looked into his eyes.
"It takes your humanity."
Kaito's breath caught.
Woli continued.
"If you only want to walk with anger, turn back now."
His voice was firm.
"Because at the end of this path, either you die..."
There was a brief pause.
"...or you become someone you won't recognize."
Silence fell over the forest again.
Only the crackling of the fire could be heard.
This time, Kaito didn't speak for a long while.
Then he slowly stood up.
He made fists with his hands.
In the light of the flames, his face looked a little different now. As if another piece of his childhood had been stripped away.
"I..." he said.
He cleared his throat.
"I want to kill that thing."
Woli watched him in silence.
"For revenge?"
Kaito nodded.
"Yes."
"For anger?"
"Yes."
"For pain?"
"Yes."
Then Kaito took a deep breath.
And he looked directly into Woli's eyes.
"But I want more than that too."
Woli's gaze changed.
Kaito's voice was clearer now.
"I don't want any other child... to go through what I went through."
Silence.
But this time, the silence wasn't empty.
This was the moment a decision was born.
Woli slowly stood up.
There was a faint but genuine satisfaction on his face.
"There it is..."
he said.
"That's the answer I was waiting for."
He reached behind his back and pulled out an old but sturdy-looking sword.
Then he held it directly out to Kaito.
"Take it."
Kaito took the sword in surprise.
But the moment he held it, he almost dropped it.
"This... is so heavy!"
Woli smirked slightly.
"Good."
Then his gaze hardened.
"Now the first lesson begins."
Kaito frowned.
"First lesson?"
Woli's expression changed completely.
"Yes."
He stepped forward.
"Because if you're really going to walk this path..."
His voice lowered.
"...then we're not waiting until morning."
At that very moment...
a muffled growl rose from the nearby bushes.
Kaito's entire body tensed.
He slowly turned his head toward that direction.
First, two red eyes appeared from within the bushes.
Then two more.
Then two more.
And within a few seconds...
a total of ten pairs of eyes began to glow in the darkness.
Kaito's throat went dry.
"M-Master..."
His voice was trembling.
"I think... the Djinn have found us."
Woli leaned his sword against his shoulder.
There wasn't a trace of fear on his face.
"These are low-level Djinn."
He spoke as if he was saying something ordinary.
"So don't be too scared."
Then he turned his eyes to Kaito.
This time, his gaze had sharpened.
"But be careful."
Kaito held his breath.
Woli gave his final warning:
"Don't let them possess your body."
Kaito looked at him in shock.
"What?!"
This time, Woli smirked slightly.
But beneath that smirk was a strict teacher.
"If you want revenge, kid..."
He slowly raised his sword.
"...first, learn to survive."
And after these words—
ten Djinn lunged toward Kaito from the darkness all at once.
And Kaito...
on the very first night of his journey,
came face to face with death once again.