A small hut, somehow resembling a dwelling was enough to lure Leon in.
Although not the most ethical way to invade someone's home, Leon couldn't resist the temptation of immediately uncovering the secrets of his newfound powers.
Furthermore, everyone else was still busy discussing the guard's words so he was sure they wouldn't mind anyways.
As Leon stepped into the hut, he found himself in a small room with a few pieces of furniture scattered around.
The room was dimly lit by flickering candles placed sporadically around the room, casting eerie shadows on the walls.
The air was thick with the scent of incense, and the walls were lined with shelves filled with various herbs, potions, and books.
In the center of the room stood a partially shattered mirror, its fragments reflecting the flickering candlelight.
Leon walked closer to the mirror, intrigued by its shattered state. He stood in front of it and examined his reflection. His features were distorted by the broken glass, giving him a fragmented image of himself.
Despite the distorted image, one feature still stood out in Leon's reflection - his neon green hair.
Though it had lost its former luminosity due to his arduous lifestyle and difficult living conditions, it was still the most striking feature on his head, setting him apart from the others.
Leon's face was angular, with sharp cheekbones and a defined jawline. His dark eyes were piercing and intense, always seeming to be searching for something.
His skin was weathered from hours spent working in the fields under the sun, and his hands were calloused from hard labor.
Despite his rough exterior, there was a hint of vulnerability in his expression, as if he carried a burden that weighed heavily on him.
Leaning in closer, Leon inspected his eyes a bit more closely. Since his encounter with Astaroth, Leon couldn't see with his left eye anymore.
It was expected as he impaled it whilst trying to cut off the connection to Astaroth.
However, instead of seeing a completely blacked-out eye, Leon noticed something strange. At first, he thought it was just a trick of the light, but the radiating glow within his eye couldn't be ignored.
In his Iris was etched a giant Roman numeral 1 in intricate detail, glowing brightly and pulsating with an otherworldly energy.
Leon felt as though his very being was connected to this symbol, and it throbbed with a life of its own.
As Leon gazed deeper into his glowing eye, it was as if he was looking into a cosmic abyss, endless and boundless.
The Roman numeral etched within his iris was like a portal to another dimension, a gateway to a realm beyond human comprehension.
It was as if he had been branded by some celestial force, marked as a chosen one for a mission unknown to him.
The pulsating glow within his eye was like a beacon, a signal to others of his kind, or perhaps a warning to those who would oppose him.
The glow seemed to ebb and flow like the tides of the ocean, drawing Leon in with its hypnotic rhythm.
But as he stared deeper, a sudden pain erupted in his head, as if his skull was splitting into two parts.
It felt as if his brain was being torn apart, as if the glowing eye was communicating with him on a level beyond comprehension.
Images flashed before his eyes, a blur of colors and shapes that he couldn't make sense of
. It was like trying to decipher a language that he had never heard before. But there was something familiar about it, something that tugged at the back of his mind.
An alien yet familiar presence filled his mind, as if a message was being transmitted directly into his consciousness.
His eye lit up, with bright flashes of golden yellow and crimson red dancing across its surface, illuminating the darkness of the room.
Instinctively, Leon's hand stretched out towards the mirror. A rippling sensation ran through his body, as if a powerful force was coursing through his veins.
Suddenly chains gleaming in sickly green shot forth, smashing into the mirror with a deafening crash. The glass shattered into a million pieces, shards flying everywhere.
Leon instinctively covered his face, shielding his eyes from the shards of broken glass. After a few seconds, he raised his head cautiously, peering into the mirror.
But there was no longer a reflection staring back at him. The mirror was completely destroyed, broken into a hundred tiny pieces with chains wrapping around them like serpents.
'What in the world...' Leon muttered to himself as he stared at the shattered remains of the mirror.
The destruction of property that was not his didn't concern Leon one bit as his moral compass was not his top priority at the moment.
Somehow the words "Anathema's Chains" kept repeating in his head, like a mantra that he could not shake off.
He closed his eyes and focused his mind, trying to summon the chains once again. At first, nothing happened, but as he concentrated harder, he could feel the chains coiling within him, waiting to be unleashed.
With a sudden burst of energy, the chains shot forth once again, their green glow illuminating the room. Leon swung them experimentally, feeling their weight and power in his hands.
The chains were heavy, much heavier than they looked. Their weight was a testament to how strong and durable they were. They had the look and feel of ancient relics, forged by the gods themselves.
They were also surprisingly flexible, allowing Leon to twist and bend them like a whip. With every swing, the chains emitted a faint metallic ringing sound, reverberating through his body.
Leon felt a surge of excitement as he realized the potential power he held in his hands. He could already think of countless uses for the chains, from combat to utility.
With his mind slowly calming down, the excitement of the moment starting to fade, Leon realized that he needed to leave the hut.
He didn't want to cause trouble or attract unwanted attention to himself.
With just the flick of his wrist, the chains disappeared, returning to their dormant state within him.
Leon took a deep breath and opened his eyes, surveying the damage he had caused to the mirror and the hut.
He felt a twinge of guilt for his reckless actions, but quickly pushed it aside. There were more important things to worry about than a broken mirror.
He needed to find out more about Anathema's Chains and what they were capable of.
Fortunately for Leon, the others were still busy accusing each other with no factual evidence.
Leon stepped out of the hut, making sure to keep a low profile as he walked away. He needed to find a safe place where he could experiment with the chains and learn more about their power.
Sporadically, Leon found other small buildings belonging to the others, but decided against approaching them. Instead, a crevice in the rocks caught his attention.
The crevice was narrow, barely wide enough for him to fit through, but Leon was determined to investigate in hopes of an escape.
Although it was sighlty elevated from the ground, with the help of his chains he could successfully pull himself up.
He squeezed himself through the opening and found himself in a small chamber, barely large enough to stand in.
The walls of the chamber were smooth and made of a strange, shimmering material that seemed to glow in the dim light.
Leon reached out to touch the walls and was surprised to find that they were cool to the touch, almost as if they were made of ice.
As he took a step forward, a low growl echoed throughout the chamber, causing Leon to freeze in his tracks.
It sounded inhuman, like nothing he had ever heard before. His heart began to race as he cautiously looked around the chamber, trying to pinpoint the source of the growl.
Looking around a corner, Leon saw a pair of leathery wings illuminated by the dim light.
They fluttered in a gentle breeze, stirring up dust particles from the floor, creating a cloud of grey haze. As Leon watched, the cloud moved towards him, swirling around his legs.
"Death...death..." the ghostly voice cried out, echoing throughout the chamber.
Leon felt a chill run down his spine as he realized that the wings could only belong to a demon.
Luckily for Leon, the demon didn't seem to notice Leon as it muttered something along the lines of "Death and "Kill" to himself over and over again.
Leon took a step back, trying to be as quiet as possible so as not to draw the demon's attention.
As Leon continued to cautiously observe the demon whilst backing away, it suddenly stopped muttering and let out a deep, guttural growl.
Its sharp claws scraped against the ground as it stood up on its hind legs, towering above Leon.
Without any sense in its actions, the demon scratched and clawed against its skin, leaving behind a trail of blood-red marks that appeared to be slowly growing larger.
Leon realized that the demon was in a state of extreme agitation, and he knew that he needed to leave the chamber as quickly as possible.
But before Leon could successfully make his escape, the demon suddenly turned its dark, rotten eyes to him and let out a high-pitched scream.
The shriek echoed throughout the cavern, sending shivers down Leon's spine.
"DEATH! DEATH! DEATH!" the demon let out an inhumane scream, dashing towards Leon.