When Kael woke up in the early morning, life had already begun in the town. He looked out of his small window. Farmers were going to their fields, blacksmiths were lighting their forges. People were going about their ordinary lives.
But for Kael, everything would change one day.
The sounds coming from the kitchen told him that his mother Lira was preparing breakfast. His father Kaelen must have gone out already. Kael quickly got out of bed and went downstairs.
Lira smiled at him. "You're up early."
Kael's eyes searched for his father as he sat down at the table. "Where is my father?"
His mother answered with a short pause. "He has a mission today at the guild hall."
The town's guild members regularly entered the dungeons. Because the town was small, there were few hunters and each raid carried a risk to life and limb.
And today, Kael's mother and father were going to participate in that raid.
Noon Separation and Towards the Dungeon
When he arrived in front of the guild hall, he saw the strongest warriors in town preparing. His father Kaelen was talking to Ronan, the guild leader.
Kael rushed to them. "Father!"
Kaelen stroked his son's hair. "What is it, Kael?"
Kael paused. "Is this mission dangerous?"
Kaelen looked into his son's eyes. He could see that he was worried, but he didn't want to lie to him. "Every mission is dangerous, but we will return."
Kael's heart raced. "Do you promise?"
Kaelen smiled. "I promise."
His mother Lira crouched in front of Kael and hugged him. "When we get back, we'll have dinner together. Okay?"
Kael averted his eyes but nodded.
And the guild members made their way deeper into the dungeon.
Evening: Dungeon and Sacrifice
Inside the dungeon, it was different than usual.
The walls seemed alive. There was a suffocating energy in the air. Guild leader Ronan turned to his team, suppressing his discomfort. "Be careful. Something is wrong here."
And at that moment, the ground trembled.
Monsters emerged from the shadows. They were much stronger than normal dungeon creatures. Guild members immediately took up battle positions.
Swords clashed in the air, spells exploded, screams echoed off the dungeon walls.
But the enemy was too numerous.
Kaelen approached Lira. "We have to get everyone out of here."
Ronan noticed a door in the center of the dungeon.
And behind the door, there was a presence.
Kaelen's eyes widened. "It's... the presence of a Demon God."
At that moment, they realized the truth.
Not everyone would make it out of this dungeon alive.
Kaelen turned to Ronan. "Go back to town. We will stay here and block the road!"
Ronan's eyes widened. "No! We can all fight together!"
Lira shook her head from side to side. "No, Ronan. If we don't stay here, you will all die."
Kaelen looked at his wife. For the last time.
Lira smiled. "We'll do this together."
And they attacked.
Kaelen swung his sword, Lira burned the enemies with her spells. Ronan and the guild members fled, their screams lost in the darkness.
And then, the dungeon was completely silent.
Kaelen and Lira were no more.
Back to Town Kael's World Crumbles
As the sun set, the guild members returned to town, silent. Ronan's face was covered with fatigue and pain, the weight of battle. The townspeople greeted the returning warriors with excitement, but they quickly realized: The returnees were missing.
Kael looked among the guild members. He looked for his parents in the crowd. But he couldn't see them.
Worried, he ran to Ronan. "Where are they?"
Ronan averted his eyes. He was silent for a few seconds. Kael's heart contracted as if he already knew the answer.
"Kael..." Ronan said, his voice low and sad. "I'm so sorry."
Kael's breath caught. For a moment the world froze.
It didn't.
He shook his head from side to side, took a step back. "They promised..."
His voice was trembling. The emotions rising inside him were so heavy that he couldn't even understand what was happening. It was like a giant stone was sitting on his chest.
This must have been a dream.
Someone would soon touch her shoulder and say, "It was a false alarm, don't worry." His father would pat his head as usual, his mother would hug him with a warm smile.
But that touch never came.
Nothing changed.
And at that moment, she had to accept the truth.
His parents were not coming back.
All the light inside Kael went out.
Night Innocence Lost
That night, Kael sat alone in his room.
He looked out of his small window. A bright moon was rising over the town. Normally, watching the moonlight gave him peace. But now... everything was so cold and empty.
Every night her parents would come home. When they opened the door, the moonlight would illuminate them. But that night the door never opened.
Kael sat up in his bed and pulled his knees together. His room was quieter than ever.
He got up and walked slowly to the kitchen. He saw that the dining table his mother had set in the morning was still there. The empty bowl his father had left at breakfast was still in the corner of the table.
She clenched her hands into tight fists.
This shouldn't have happened.
Just this morning, his father had promised him. "I'll be back," he had said. But he hadn't.
Kael closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Anger was growing inside him, mixed with grief. But he didn't cry.
Because crying now was something a child would do.
And Kael was no longer a child.
That night, Kael couldn't sleep.
As the moon in the sky cast its pale light on his room, Kael realized the emptiness inside him. It wasn't just the loss of his family.
There was also a vow.
Looking up at the stars, Kael whispered:
"I will change this world."
11 YEARS LATER: THIS IS MY PATH
The sky was painted in shades of gold and orange as the sun slanted westward. A light wind blew dry leaves across the steppe. Silence echoed with nature's own rhythm.
And in the center of this silence was Kael.
He was practicing on his own in the forest just outside the town, in an open field that looked like an ancient battlefield.
With strong arms he raised his heavy sword. Sweat trickled down his forehead and reached the corner of his sharp green eyes.He took a few steps forward, his speed as sudden as the wind, his movements flawless.
Cut. Block. Retreat.
He swung his sword as if slicing through an imaginary enemy. A whistling sound echoed through the air with each strike.
With a final thrust, he twirled his sword and plunged it swiftly into the ground. Then he straightened up to regulate his breathing.
A cold expression. Eyes sharp and focused.
Kael's anger and determination were reflected in every stroke of his sword. But there was no emotion on his face. He had learned to lock his emotions away.
This world was not fair. If you weren't strong, you would be swallowed.
And Kael would not be swallowed.
It was a vow he beat himself in the chest.
Just then, a voice came from behind him:
"Are you training alone again?"
Kael turned his head slightly to the side. It was Ronan.
The guild master was looking at Kael without smiling, his arms folded across his chest.
"You think you can learn to fight on your own?"
Kael drew his sword and rested it on his shoulder. He replied in a calm but sharp voice:
"My way is different."
Ronan shook his head from side to side, smiled and sighed. He knew Kael had changed.
He was no longer the innocent 9-year-old boy.
But Ronan still wanted to ask a question.
"What are you getting stronger for, Kael?"
Kael looked at him.
And in silence he gave an answer.
The anger and ambition in his eyes screamed the truth.
Kael did not answer Ronan's question. He just leaned his sword against his back, turned his head and looked up at the sky.
The sun was close to setting. The sky was the darkest shades of orange.
"You were just a child when I first saw you," Ronan said with a slight smile. "There was more curiosity in his eyes than fear. But now..."
Kael's face was expressionless. Those eyes were no longer the same.
"You remember me, don't you?" Ronan continued. "The night you lost your family... I carried you on my back."
Kael's fingers lightly squeezed the hilt of his sword.
Yes... he remembered.
The town was in darkness that night. It was raining. In front of the guild building, the hunters were returning in their bloody armor. He, as a 9 year old boy, before he knew what was happening, he found out that his mother and father were gone.
And the man who carried her was Ronan.
But none of the hunters had answered his question that day, "Why didn't they come back?"
Kael closed his eyes. He silenced the voice in his mind.
"What are you trying to tell me?" he asked in a cold voice.
Ronan shrugged his shoulders. "Sometimes looking at the past makes you see the future," he said. Then he added with a serious expression: "Come to the guild in the evening, have something to eat. Stop talking only with your sword."
Kael tilted his head slightly to the side.
"Maybe."
But Ronan didn't think Kael would really come. And he was right.
Kael continued his training even in the evening.
The Next Day
Early in the morning, Kael started his training in the forest as usual. He only had his sword and himself.
But a few hours later, the voice of a boy running in a hurry was heard.
"Kael! Kael!"
Raising his sword, Kael turned in the direction of the sound.
There, panting, stood a boy, his eyes wide with fear.
Ethan. One of the guild's youngest apprentices.
"What happened?" Kael asked, without the slightest sign of concern on his face.
Ethan swallowed, panicked. "The raid... We lost casualties in the raid! The Guildmaster is calling you!"
Kael silently rested his sword against his back. He didn't look surprised at all.
He just raised his head and started walking towards the town.
Today... the blood had returned to the town.
...
When Kael opened the door to the guild building, the atmosphere inside reminded him of his childhood.
The smell of blood, sweat and pain permeated the air.
The large wooden hall was filled with hunters. Some were sitting on chairs, licking their wounds. Some were silent, others were arguing in low voices. In one corner, a bloody suit of armor was thrown on the floor.
When Kael stepped inside, several hunters turned to him, but no one said anything.
The silence was worse than screaming.
Kael found Ronan in the center of the room.
The guild master was standing at a table. There were some markings on the map in front of him. His brow was furrowed, his lips tightly closed.
When Kael approached, Ronan looked at him and took a deep breath.
"I'm glad you came."
Kael glanced briefly at the map on the table. But his main attention was on Ronan's face.
"What happened?" he asked, his voice as cold as ever.
Ronan hesitated for a moment. Behind him, several hunters were whispering.
"That creature..." one of them began.
"He shouldn't have been human."
Kael's eyes turned to him. A creature?
Ronan tapped the table with his hand. "Calm down," he said.
Then he turned to Kael. "In the raid... we lost him."
Kael didn't react. "Who?"
Ronan's voice was almost hoarse. "Gale."
Kael tilted his head slightly to the side. Gale.
He was one of the raid team's most experienced hunters. If he was dead...
Kael noticed how tense the air in the room had become. Some hunters were angry, others scared.
Ronan studied Kael's face. "What do you think?"
Kael spoke after a short silence.
"This creature... How strong was it?"
Ronan's face hardened. "Twelve people went to clean the dungeon. Seven returned."
Kael looked at Ronan for a long time. Finally he sighed lightly.
"So, there will be more bloodshed."
This was a start.
Guild members stood helplessly in the hall, their eyes wide with fear from the dungeon raid. No one dares to take a step, everyone has the same thought on their faces: "What will happen next time? Are we all going to die next time?"
The death of the most experienced and powerful hunters among the guild members, one by one, left a huge void in the town. Those who remained, with their limited strength, glanced at each other out of the corner of their eyes, trying to survive.
Ronan's face tensed, he took a deep breath, looked away from where he stood and was silent for a moment. "The next raid... will be even worse," he said, the desperation in his voice evident."After this... we have no choice but to leave town."
Kael's calm voice breaks the silence in the town square. "Ahh... I'll do it," he says, his words echoing sharply in the air.
The eyes of the guild members turn to Kael, puzzled. "What are you saying, all alone... and so weak?" a voice says. A few hunters look at each other skeptically at Kael's proposal, fear evident in their eyes. "Didn't Gale's death shake us all? How will you fight back alone now? We are all dead!"
Kael takes another step forward. This time his gaze is determined, without hesitation, he stares at everyone around him and speaks. "You are weak, that's for sure. I know that, but if you try to leave, you will only be fodder. I will enter the dungeon alone, and I will overcome them all."
Ronan's face softens, a flash of fear in his eyes. After a long silence, she steps up to Kael. "Kael... it's too dangerous to attempt this," he says, his voice a little shaky. "Losing you would be like losing the whole town. You... you are like family to me."
Kael turns his head slightly, catching Ronan's worried gaze. "Am I family to you?" he asks, a faint smile appearing faintly on his lips. "Don't take me for granted, Ronan. A warrior should have no weakness. This is my way... Besides, everyone here is underpowered. All I can do is keep them alive."
Ronan stares indifferently at Kael's cold stare. "It's hard to take on so much when you're so young. If I lose you, this town... won't stand a chance." he says and lightly touches Kael's shoulder. "Listen to me, your survival is very important. But if this path kills you, nothing else matters."
Kael is silent at Ronan's words. He takes a deep breath and then looks determined. "I know that, but there is no other choice. Every day they will attack more and more to destroy the town. And I am the only one here now with the power to stop them."
They are silent for a while, but finally Ronan looks into Kael's eyes with a deep sigh. "It's your decision," he says, but there is still concern in his voice. "But I don't want to lose you."
Kael gives Ronan one last look. "I will come back," he says, his voice firm and sure. "But if I don't come back, keep protecting the town. Losing me would mean losing the town. Now, be careful. Everything can be left behind, but not people."
Ronan nods, digesting Kael's words. "Godspeed, Kael. I will always support you."
Kael silently turns back and walks through the dark door of the dungeon. Ronan, left behind, looks after Kael, still with a mixture of worry and hope in his eyes.
Kael moved towards the dark entrance of the dungeon, his steps heavy but determined. The air was filled with the cold stench of death. The earth was soaked with blood and the heavy stench of rotting flesh permeated the air. As he neared the dungeon, he noticed shadows moving towards him from the shadows. Monsters, the dungeon's natural guardians, eagerly awaiting the approach of their prey.
Kael squinted at them. "It seems you are hungry," he said, his voice cold and menacing.
A roar rose from the darkness and in an instant three beasts leapt out and attacked Kael. Their claws swung with deadly speed, but Kael's eyes had already analyzed their movements. He parried the first monster's attack with a light lunge, instantly counterattacking and swinging his sword. Its sharp steel sliced through the monster's torso and it collapsed in a pool of blood.
Then the second monster lunged at him, and Kael swung his sword swiftly, slicing it in two. When the third creature lunged at Kael, thinking he was giving it an opening, Kael threw his sword out of his hand.
The sword pierced the creature's chest. At that moment, Kael moved like lightning. With a sudden burst of speed, he spun in mid-air, drew the sword and simultaneously decapitated the creature with a sharp blow. As the severed head tumbled to the ground in a pool of blood, the remaining monsters took a few steps back, startled.
Kael squinted his eyes and looked around him. Fear was evident in the creatures' eyes. The
town hunters couldn't do such a thing.They were running, screaming. But Kael? He was different.
"Are you surprised?" he asked, his voice mocking. "I am not weak and cowardly like them. I am not helpless like them."
He took a step and the monsters backed away slightly.
"But let's see..." said Kael, a slight smile on his face. "Who will help you?"
Then he took a deep breath and his eyes flashed with a cold light.
"Judgment."
Suddenly, a wave of power spread around Kael. The earth beneath his feet crumbled, the mana in the air condensed. A gust of wind shook the entrance to the dungeon and Kael's body disappeared for a moment.
And then...
Death came.
Kael's sword flashed like light. Before the monsters had a chance to flee, they were cut down with sharp blows. Blood splattered on the stone floor of the dungeon. When Kael made a single cut through the last creature's torso, the light of life in the monster's eyes was completely extinguished.
Silence.
Kael moved forward with heavy steps and when he reached the dungeon door, he took one last look behind him and exhaled deeply.
"Now it's time to go inside..." he said, his eyes sliding into the darkness.
And Kael stepped alone into the depths of the dungeon.
Kael looked around carefully as he made his way deeper into the dungeon. It was very different from what his parents had described in their stories. The walls were damp, the air heavy and stifling. With every step he could feel something stirring beneath the earth. The shadows seemed to move, as if they had a consciousness of their own.
The meaning here was intense. Abnormally intense. Kael's body felt this intensity, his instincts told him something was wrong. He reached for his sword and took a deep breath.
He paused for a moment.
There was... something behind him.
If it was a normal monster, it would have attacked already. But this thing was waiting. It was hiding. Watching him.
Kael closed his eyes slightly, listening. He could hear the sound of breathing floating in the shadows. A small movement... muscles tensing... claws brushing lightly against the stone floor.
And Kael smiled.
"So you were hiding behind me."
Suddenly, suddenly, he turned and swung his sword at the wall behind him!
Kael's sword sliced through the shadows and shattered the wall. The stones fell noisily to the ground, but nothing came out from inside. The monster was not there. Only an echoing voice remained.
"You are strong..."
Kael frowned. "I'm surprised you spoke, but I didn't expect you to be such a coward."
There was no response from the pitch blackness. Kael waited, his eyes scanning the shadows for the slightest movement. But then he realized that the mana hovering in the air had dissipated.
Suddenly his eyes narrowed. "What happened? Did you escape?" he shouted. His voice echoed off the cold stone walls of the dungeon, but no one answered.
Just then, the dungeon began to tremble. The walls and ceiling began to crack, as if something was trying to collapse the entire structure from the inside.
Kael gritted his teeth. "Damn it, it's closing!"
He retreated quickly, running through the collapsing corridors towards the entrance. Behind him the ceiling was collapsing, stones were rolling, death was breathing down his neck. With a final leap he threw himself out and the massive stone door behind him closed with a great thud.
Kael stood up, panting, his eyes still on the stone door in front of him. He clenched his fists. That thing...
This was not over.
That being had followed him, had challenged him. But it didn't fight. Why hadn't he?
Kael was frustrated. He hadn't felt an enemy underestimate him for a long time.
He closed his eyes, took a deep breath. He needed to calm down. But the restlessness inside him was not going to go away easily.
As he walked away from the dungeon, he had only one thought in his mind.
"The next time I see you, you will have nowhere to run."