"Ah. It's good to wake up."

As the first rays of dawn broke through the whispering leaves of the Greenfen woods, Jenn awoke with a start, eager and electrified by the thought of the impending day. His cabin, a cozy enclosure assembled from oak, bore the scent of pine and earth, a constant reminder of the wilderness surrounding him. With a youthful spring in his step, Jenn, the 19-year-old with short, wavy white hair that contrasted starkly against his piercing red eyes, began the morning in enthusiastic solitude.

"Life is great. No bullshit, no annoying people. Just power! Just look at me now!" he chortled to himself, a wide grin spreading across his freckled face, framing the jagged scars that marked the tales of his earlier trials beneath his eyes. The room was illuminated by the soft glow of a single candle, casting shadows on the walls lined with meticulously hung herbs and dried meats.

"I live In a great space, great wilderness, solitude, literally nothing can ruin this."

As his bare feet pattered against the cold stone floor, he swung his legs out of the simple straw bed and proceeded to stoke the dying embers in the hearth, sending a shivering timbre through the otherwise silent abode. "This is it, the day I've been waiting for! The knight exams!" Flickers of excitement danced in his scarlet gaze, mirroring the flames he had just been kindling. "After failing those stupid ass exams last year, getting laughed at, I'm ready this time."

Jenn moved about the room, his hands running over the wooden surfaces, polishing here, tidying there, each motion deliberate and filled with years of routine. The room, though small, was abundant with personality; every utensil, every handmade piece of furniture spoke of a life zealously lived.

"I've pushed beyond what I thought possible," he mused aloud while strapping on worn leather boots and picking up his hand-forged sword, its blade gleaming even in the muted light. "The sparring, the arcane studies, the survival skills... all leading to today." Jenn donned his humble yet sturdy cloak, clasping it shut with a pin bearing the emblem of his aspiration: a knight's shield and sword.

His eyes swept over the tiny space where he had mastered the solitude of study, his voice echoing slightly off the walls, "Greenfen Kingdom won't know what hit it when I pass their tests!" He chuckled, imagining the proud nod of the examining knights as they welcomed him into their ranks.

Flutter of wings and the distant calls of the market hawkers began to fill the air as Jenn opened his oak door, the morning light painting a warm glow that kissed the dew-laden grass outside. "And to think, they once said a kid from the wilds would never be able to swing a sword or chant a spell. Bastards."

He reached for a leather pouch of coin saved over countless odd jobs and whispered incantations for hire. "Well, I'll show them. I'll show them all." Jenn's voice held both passion and gratitude. "No more scavenging for scraps or begging for work at the arcane assembly. Today, I step into a future I have carved with these two hands-."

"—Hello."

Jenn stopped, and standing in front of him, was a girl that looked around his age, and she had black pigtails, and dark blue eyes, and she was wearing a white sundress. She was holding a small delicate basket of cakes and goods, the scent from it reaching Jenn's nose.

Jenn's cheeks turned red, blushing immensely, he asked, "Um, who are you?"

The girl replied with a smile, "Yjorna."

"Yjorna..I'm—."

"Jenn."

"Are you..using some sort of magic to know my name? Or did you hear about me in Greenfen?"

"You're name is pretty famous, sorry for being curious."

"Nooo! No! No! It's just no one's ever come here, and for a girl like you to come.."

"A girl like me?"

"N-No! I meant it in a good way."

She smiled with relief, "Phew, I'm glad. You're new around here, aren't you?"

"Yeah I am.."

'She's beautiful..the way her hair breezes in the air, the sunlight on her face…it's mesmerizing. On top of that, I've never had a girl come here before..is this what they call fate?! Is she gonna be the heroine?! Act natural, act all heroic.'

Jenn cleared his throat and stood up straight, and said, "Were you just coming to welcome me out here? Where do you live?"

"Mhm! I brought you some goodies!"

Yjorna held up the food basket she was holding, and Jenn grinned, "Whoa..thanks—!"

SHING!

A sharp knife blade cut through the basket, and it almost pierced Jenn through the face.

'What the—?!'

Jenn leaned back to dodge it, and once he did, the power and force from the knife destoryed his cabin house, blasting wood and smoke everywhere.

'She's strong!'

THWACK! Yjorna kicked Jenn in the stomach fast, Jenn flew backwards, hitting the ground over and over, and sliding into a pile of rubble. He was bleeding from his head, slowly getting up, looking at Yjorna slowly walking towards him.

'That Blade…it destoryed everything! She did! I thought we were having a moment!'

Jenn stood up fully, Yjorna was walking towards him with her smile wide and creepy, chuckling slightly as her right leg was broken.

"Hey…how did you do this..?" She asked, pointing at her own broken leg.

Jenn gritted his teeth, "At the last second..when you threw that kick..I hit it. BUT LOOK WHAT YOU DID! YOU'RE CRAZY! I THOUGHT WE WERE FALLING IN LOVE OR SOMETHING!"

Yjorna continued forward, her smile getting wider, and holograph window opened above her head, like a system window, and it read:

{Name : Yjorna}

{Occupation: Tyrant}

{Age: 18}

{Class: Annoying Kitchen Knife}

{Level: 400}

Yjorna dashed forward at light speed, and jabbed her knife at Jenn again. But Jenn rolled out of her way, and as he sat up, she dropped the tip of her knife down at him, and Jenn flipped backwards, and the incoming attack plunged into the ground, making it explode.

In the air, Jenn exclaimed, "Stop! What did I do?! I don't have any enemies! Did someone send you or something?!"

Yjorna laughed, "Hahaha! Come…come beat me.."

"Uhhh you said that so seductively—."

Yjorna launched her knife at him, and Jenn twisted sideways in mid air, and the knife sliced a large chunk of trees down, adding to the destruction.

Jenn turned around to the destruction, thinking, 'That knife is powerful…I need to—!'

Yjorna darted towards Jenn again, and threw a spinning kick, and Jenn blocked it with his forearms, but the kick was powerful, and it sent both of them flying through the woods of Endor.

Jenn blasted through some trees, but then caught his footing, and Yjorna came at him quickly with her blade, saying, "Comeeee hereeee Jennnny-!"

FWOOSH!!

A large piece of a tree began flying towards Yjorna, and she sliced it in half.

"Where are youuuuuuu?!"

Jenn was hiding in a ditch, covering his mouth, sweating, covered in scars and blood, thinking, 'What the fuck is happening?! What did I do to deserve this?! Why am I running? And not fighting? I trained hard, but I'm still scared? Scared of what? Failure? Fuck that..fuck this..this crazy woman..I can't let her get the best of me..'

"Found youuuuu…hehe.."

Jenn, sweating with fear, looked up, and he saw Yjorna dangling from the tree upside down, drool coming from the side of her mouth, her eyes glowing maliciously as her smile widened.

"AGH! What do you want??!"

Jenn rolled out of the way again, and Yjorna stabbed the ground near him, the ground and trees shattering around them in chaotic destruction.

Jenn slid back once more, breathing heavily, blood dripping from his head down to his face, and to the ground.

Yjorna approached slowly, saying, "Jennnyyy…"

"Screw it. I don't care anymore."

"Okie dokie!"

She blasted forward in the blink of an eye, and she jabbed at him, but Jenn put his arm in the way, and allowed the blade to stab his arm, and his arm exploded in blood and fury.

Yjorna gasped, and Jenn grabbed her by the face, gritting his teeth covered in crimson colored blood, "You crazy bitch!"

Jenn slammed Yjorna's head into the ground, causing the ground to split and crack in a loud hard roar. The trees fell, and wind raced to the sky.

Jenn, standing over Yjorna, panted, "Now…now…who sent you?"

Yjorna was smiling as her face was covered in blood also, and she said, "You beat me..hehe. You lured me into performing a direct attack.. I'm yours now."

…

There were a few seconds of silence. And then..

"WHAT?!" Jenn panicked.

Yjorna sat up, and she smiled, "I'm yours now. Once you've beaten one of us, we are yours to command. We'll do..anything."

Jenn blushed, "Anything?"

"That's what I just said didn't I..?"

"So this was all..just for that?! Where did you come from?!"

{Yjorna defeated. She is now yours.}

Jenn pointed at the screen, "Huh? And who the hell are you?!"

Suddenly, there was a loud roar, and something monstrous was approaching.

"That's bad.."

Yjorna looked at Jenn, and smiled, "There will be more like me coming, and if you beat them, they will be yours. And from us, and our bonding, you will gain the power you always wanted."

"The power I always wanted…"

The monstrous abomination appeared, and It was hurdling fast.

Jenn thought, 'Tch. These bastards..of course. I'm still in the wild, and any kind of destruction against a habitat will instantly make beings go crazy.."

The monstrous being, an amalgam of nightmares and divergent mythologies, had been feared in whispered tales under the name of "Gormtharax the Malevolence". Gormtharax boasted the imposing and shaggy stature of a colossal bear, with matted fur that shimmered like an oil slick, absorbing light into its unnatural darkness. Its broad chest and muscled forearms hinted at the minotaur lineage, a beast of labyrinthine legend, with curving, brutal horns jutting from its massive head, a skeletal, helmet-like structure framing its blood-crimson eyes. From its lower jaw, a beetle's grotesque mandibles — serrated and dripping with a venomous ichor — clicked and twitched with hideous intent. Iron-hard carapace plates covered its back, shifting and grinding with each tumultuous breath it took, while its hind legs, thick and digitigrade, ended in hooves that could crush stone to powder. At the ends of its arms, instead of paws or human hands, it wielded jagged bone-blades that could slash through air and flesh with equal ease. Gormtharax was an abomination born from the depths of chaos, a harbinger of destruction unbound by the laws of nature.

Jenn panicked, "What are we gonna do?!"

"Look at meeee."

Jenn turned towards Yjorna, and Yjorna kiss Jenn.

'WHOA! WHOA! WHOA! My first kiss was taken by this crazy woman? Huh? What's this feeling…?'

The kiss was released slowly, and Jenn's heart was pounding. He then started to scream as his eyes glowed brightly.

He began to transform. Jenn's transformation into a phoenix demon marked a stark contrast to the dark malevolence of his adversary. As the incandescent fires claimed him, his form lengthened and grew, his human features melding into a transcendent avatar of mystical fire. Standing tall and formidable, his skin took on a hue of molten gold, flickering with the vibrant reds and oranges of perpetual flame. The eyes that once showed youthful curiosity were now deep wells of scorching ruby, piercing with an otherworldly intelligence. His physique, though human in shape, was adorned with smoldering markings, inscriptions of an ancient language tied to the elemental forces he wielded.

From Jenn's back sprouted two majestic wings, each feather a singular blade of fire, shifting and undulating with every heartbeat, casting an ethereal and entrancing light. His arms, muscular and sinewy, bore the weight of his newfound weapon with a warrior's grace. The kitchen knife which transformed in his grip became a longsword with a hilt inscribed in gold and black, and a blade that danced with crimson and obsidian flames, reflecting the duality of its wielder's soul.

Clothed in armor conjured from the very flames that birthed him, Jenn's appearance as a phoenix demon was as awe-inspiring as it was terrifying — a sculpted figure of ancient might, a warrior risen from the ashes of human frailty to emblazon the skies with his fierce tenacity and burning spirit.

"OHOHOHO SHIT! That's what I'm talking about!" Jenn grinned.

At Jenn's beckoning, Yjorna stepped closer, surrendering to the swirling vortex of power that enveloped them both. Her form began to shimmer and lose substance, wisps like ethereal threads peeling away until she became a glowing specter of herself. Then, with a breath of acceptance, she flowed toward Jenn, her spirit melding into his blazing form, a torrent of shared essence fortifying the phoenix demon.

Yjorna smiled, "Let's winnnn, husband."

"Husband?! We got married?!"

"Once you've beaten me, we did."

"Fuck. Okay."

The beast roared furiously, its charge a cataclysmic promise, but Jenn, bolstered by Yjorna's essence, surged forward to meet it head-on. Wings aflame, he darted beneath its gargantuan swing, the immense tree trunk of an arm pulverizing the earth where a fragment of a second ago he stood. Jenn recoiled agilely, thrusting with his sword, the blade carving a bright arc that sank into the monstrous hide. Veins of black and red energy from the sword pulsed and exploded, tearing open a wound from which darkness seeped rather than blood.

Unfazed, the monstrosity unleashed a guttural bellow, and from its beetle-like mandible, a shockwave erupted, tearing through the air towards Jenn. He vaulted skyward on wings of fire, the force below him shredding the ground into a maelstrom of earth and debris.

Midair, Jenn twisted, becoming a comet as he descended, his sword aimed with lethal precision. The blade met carapace with a shattering echo, sending splinters of a once-impenetrable shell in all directions. The creature countered, sweeping its massive beat-like paw with a force that shattered the air itself. Jenn spiraled aside in a vortex of flames, the swipe narrowly missing him and cleaving through ancient trees that fell as crushed bystanders to their battle.

Rallying its strength, the beast stomped, its minotaur hoof creating a seismic wave. Jenn responded, slamming his fist into the ground, and from that touch, a defensive wall of flaming rock rose, absorbing the impact.

The wall exploded under the relentless assault, but Jenn had already moved, a streak of red flame tracing his flight path. He descended, sword first, tracing fiery runes in the air that detonated on contact, bathing the beast in scorching light. Undeterred, the beast reared back and fired a torrent of beetle-like acid. Resplendent in his phoenix form, Jenn spun, his wings creating a fiery vortex that turned the deadly stream into a harmless mist that evaporated in the searing heat.

Jenn's onslaught was relentless. He darted around the beast, a whisper of smoke and cinder, his every strike a convergence of swordsmanship and elemental fury, each hit sapping the creature's unnatural vigor. The beast, with a tortured howl, summoned shadows that materialized as spectral minions. Jenn, with a wide sweep of his wing, sent a blinding flare across the battlefield, purging the fiends with a solar radiance.

Clashing again, Jenn's sword locked with the creature's monstrous horns. With a fierce cry, he pushed forward, the blade's energy sparking wildly, until with a resounding crack, one horn splintered, crumbling away. The beast, maddened by pain, lashed out without precision, a furious blur of limbs and raw power. Jenn's form became ethereal, a dance of embers and shadow, as he evaded each reckless attack, his movements as elegant as they were deadly.

Jenn felt Yjorna's spirit surge within him, her determination merging with his own. With a war cry, he catapulted off an uprooted tree, spiraling toward the creature to drive his sword through its abyssal heart. The monster buckled, its cries turning into a chorus of agony and rage, and in its last defiance, tried to collapse upon Jenn. With a powerful beat of his wings, Jenn took to the sky, the beast's form imploding beneath him in a detonation of dark ether.

Silence fell over the scarred meadow, Jenn alighting upon the tattered land. His wings wrapped around him as he reverted to his human form, the sword returning once more to a humble kitchen knife. Exhausted and sublime,

Jenn stood there, looking into the sky, breathing heavily, and Yjorna was standing beside him, clapping, and cheering, "Yay! We did it! Let's go kill more!"

Jenn was smiling into the sky, saying, "That..felt great…so this is what it's like, to not be afraid.."

Jenn looked at Yjorna with a serious face, asking, "Yjorna."

"Yes dear."

"I'm gonna ask you something super serious."

"Anything for you!"

"It's so serious that even I, a jokester, could not possibly laugh at."

"Mhmmmm."

"Since that kiss made me super powerful, what happens if we..ya know.."

"Interlope?"

Jenn blushed, "Y-Yeah! I-I mean since we're married and all that good stuff, and all that.."

"Yessss."

'Oh right. The exams are starting at sundown. We have to get going. Taking her with me would give me a huge advantage. So these crazy women are going to be coming at me from random times trying to kill me, and I have to beat them to gain their power and have them be like my crazy bodyguards? Whoever sanctioned this..thank you.'