The moonlight illuminated the night sky while the cold breeze blew. The vast area was so silent that all you could hear was the chirping sounds of insects, and under the shade of a giant oak tree, a man was sleeping soundly on a woman's lap.
"Zeno, Zeno," the woman whispered.
Then the man slowly opened his eyes and gazed at her.
"It's time for us to get back," the woman said while caressing the man's silvered hair.
"Until...." the woman continued, but the man couldn't hear what she said; then the surroundings became vague, and it broke into shards and fell. It was soon replaced by an endless darkness.
. . . . .
"A dream again," a man sleeping on a tree branch said after he opened his eyes.
The sunlight that passed down from the gap between the tree's leaves gave a warm feeling to his body.
Almost a few minutes later, he sensed two individuals coming near the riverbed.
They were a combination of a man and a woman, and they were yelling at each other as soon as they arrived.
If you judged them based on their clothing, they would be human mercenaries. Their voices made the man jump down from the tree, and he confronted them.
"You guys are loud," he said without a single ounce of emotion.
The mercenaries were surprised by the sudden voice that came from behind them.
Then, in the next few seconds, Henry stepped forward and pulled out his sword.
"Who are you? What do you want from us? He asked.
"I don't think you have anything that would interest me," the man said, then he looked at the woman hiding behind Henry and smiled, "or you do," he continued.
Eliana blushed as soon as hers and the strange man's eyes met. The good looks that the man had were enhanced more the moment he smiled, but she shook her head in an instant.
'It's not the time for this; I need to save George,' she thought.
"State your name! And your purpose here in the mountains, otherwise," Henry said, then his blade emanated a freezing sensation.
However, the silver-haired man ignored his warning and moved a step closer to them. Eliana prepared her bow and readied herself to pull arrows from her quiver while Henry took a stance, ready to attack at any second.
Then, the man flicked off his finger, and a small object was launched, passing the mercenaries with great speed. A howl rang out, and they turned their heads behind them.
They were both surprised at what they had seen. A huge basilisk crooked and fell on the ground. In its head, there was a small hole where blood continued to pour out. Henry couldn't process his thoughts, much less Eliana, who was so shocked that she didn't even realize that she dropped her weapon as soon as she saw the monster.
'It can't be, to kill a monster greater than a troll in a single flick. Who is he?' Henry thought while his hands trembled after he remembered the things he said a few moments ago.
But the silver-haired man had already turned around as soon as the dice landed back in the palm of his hand.
"Hey wait!" Eliana shouted upon seeing the man leave. But the man didn't halt his steps. Then, Eliana did her best to chase the man despite her injury.
"Wait! Hear me out, please," she cried from afar while limping in the man's direction.
At last, the man stopped walking. But he didn't turn on his back to face Eliana.
"What do you want?" He said it loud and clear.
"Can you please help us?" Eliana pleaded after she closed the distance between them.
"And why would I?" The man asked for a reason, but Eliana didn't have the words to convey an answer to that question.
She believed that the man would help them if she asked because of what he did; if it were another person, they would probably run the moment they saw the basilisk and leave the two of them to be its food. But the man in front of her was different.
He killed the beast in one shot, and he didn't even ask them to repay him for saving their lives. This made her come to the conclusion that maybe the man would help them save George and complete the mission.
However, the cold question echoed in her mind. She had nothing to offer, and she even thought about something that made her face turn completely red, but she closed her eyes and opposed the idea before she spoke.
"Life, my life, it will be yours," she answered while still blushing.
"Hmnn, but what if what I want is to take away your soul after I help you?" The man glanced at her and asked.
Eliana shivered upon hearing what the man said. To take away her soul meant death. The redness on her face disappeared in an instant and was replaced by cold sweats.
'It's not supposed to be like that,' she thought, but she didn't convey it.
Instead, she murmured, "If I give you my soul, will you help us?"
"No, Eliana! Don't listen to him!" Henry yelled to her before he ran and dragged Eliana on his behind.
"Yes, I will help you accomplish what you wanted to do; the choice is yours," the silver-haired man answered while ignoring Henry.
Eliana remained silent for a moment, then the image of her brother started to flash in her mind, and tears started to form in the corner of her eyes.
"Then, take it!" She firmly resolved, and she pushed Henry aside.
"Eliana," Henry uttered, but only after he saw the determination in her friend's eyes did he hesitate to continue speaking.
The silver-haired man smiled as soon as he heard Eliana's response.
"Now, what do I need to accomplish?" He asked.
"Help us gather trolls' blood," she said.
The man furrowed his brows upon hearing the request.
"Is that it?" he asked.
"Y-yes, why?" Eliana asked with confusion, and then the silver-haired man chuckled but didn't reply.
'To give up her soul, just to obtain some blood. I can't really comprehend humans,' he thought, then walked in the direction where the two mercenaries came from, but Eliana grabbed his arm, preventing him from moving forward.
"Hold on for a second," she said, and the man glanced at her eyes before staring at the hand that was holding him.
"I-I'm sorry," she stuttered, then she let go of his arm before she continued to speak, "your name! May I know your name?"
The man looked up at the sky and spoke with a hint of sadness in his voice.
"Just call me Zeno," he said.
. . . . .
Smoke rose into the air, and the smell of burning meat lingered on the outside surface of a cave. The trolls were dancing, while some were laughing with each other.
Then, on the inside, a large troll was munching down on a burned leg piece of a human. He ate without pausing and spat out the leftover bones. He was pleased by the meal, and his burping echoed throughout the place. Human flesh was considered a delicacy for them, but they were so hard to find.
Humans always traveled in large groups, and the rest of them stayed outside the mountain ranges. He also wanted to chase down the companions of the large human, but his desires to eat made him unable to do so.
He decided to go to sleep and let his tribesmen eat all they wanted. However, the shriek of the trolls outside the cave made him stand up.
. . . . .
A few hours ago, three figures were walking on a path heading to the cave of trolls.
Zeno was in the lead, followed by the two mercenaries. Eliana was on Henry's back because of her foot. She still couldn't walk properly.
Their journey was smooth, and they didn't encounter a single beast. Henry and Eliana's thoughts were the same; they believed that beasts were avoiding them due to the man walking in front of them.
Then Zeno stopped for a moment. They were near the part where they left George to block the trolls.
"Your friend, he's dead," Zeno said before continuing to walk.
Henry closed his eyes for a second and mourned, while Eliana didn't manage to stop her tears upon hearing what Zeno said.
Although the two of them expected this outcome, they still believed that they would be able to save their friend in the last minute. But when Zeno confirmed George's death, their last bit of hope changed into sorrow.
A few moments later, the three people arrived at the same destination they had hidden before the trolls attacked them. Then, Henry and Eliana averted their gaze as soon as they saw the head of George placed at the top of a stick struck on the ground.
"Brace yourselves; I will prepare you a bath made of trolls' blood." Zeno said this while his eyes were focused on the group of monsters that were dancing outside the cave.
Then he walked straight to the vicinity, and this caught the attention of all the trolls.
However, nobody dared to attack the person who entered their premises. They stared and got wary, but they didn't pounce at him. Zeno continued to walk until he arrived in the middle of the trolls.
"All of you, attack with all your might, and please! Entertain me!" Zeno announced.
The trolls started to raise their weapons, but their hands and feet were trembling. The presence of the person in front of them was like that of a human, but his smell was definitely that of a demon.
"Tss, boring." Zeno sighed, then he opened his palm as soon as he raised his hand, showing a black dice that had five white dots glowing on one of its surfaces.
Then a jet-black scythe appeared, and he twirled it between his hands before slashing down the nearest troll on his left.
Several trolls fled from the scene as soon as the man attacked them, while others dashed at Zeno with their different weapons in hand. But Zeno parried each attack with the snath of his scythe before slicing them with its blade.
Henry and Eliana were staring at the massacre happening in front of the cave. They couldn't hide their shock in their faces, though they knew that Zeno was strong but not this powerful to overwhelm a whole tribe of trolls.
The carnage didn't stop until a huge troll came outside the cave. The trolls distanced themselves from Zeno, and they made way for their warlord.
"Leave. Demon. Or Choose. Death!" The troll warlord spoke and rotated his two axes.
"Is a mere troll telling me to leave?" Zeno exclaimed, then the dice on his scythe lit up two dots, and it transformed into a pair of jet-black twin daggers that appeared in both of his hands.
Then, the Troll Warlord threw his axe at Zeno and leaped, aiming for his head. But he stepped sideways to dodge the troll's weapon and raised his left dagger to block the other, then he performed a knee strike to the troll's stomach before he jumped upward and kicked the warlord's head from the right.
The troll was sent flying meters away, and several trees broke down before he tumbled onto the ground.
Pain from all over his body was felt by the warlord, but his regenerative capability started to work wonders and heal his injuries.
However, as soon as he stood up, a jet-black arrow came straight to his face and pierced his head, bursting his skull open.
"No one dares to order the Demon King's General." Zeno said from a distance while still aiming at his jet-black bow that had six white dots on its limbs.
. . . . .