The old woman raised her trembling hand, making contact with Kit Mi Kai's. Her weathered fingers brushed against his skin as she murmured, "How many years ahead do you want to see? Ah, doesn't matter... I'll guess." Her milky eyes rolled back into her head, as if searching through the depths of time. Though blind to the present, she could see into the future as clearly as daylight.
Her mind's eye settled on a chaotic scene—a battleground where various tribes clashed, but all of them were focused on one lone figure. The air was thick with the sounds of battle, but amid the noise, the figure stood unshaken.
Kit Mi Kai gripped an attacker by the neck, his voice booming over the clamor. "Do you not know when to quit? How can mortals expect to kill an immortal? I am incapable of death. Your attacks feel like mere tickles. Return to your villages—I have no desire to shed blood today."
The old woman's lips parted in awe as she recognized the man. **"That must be Kit Mi Kai,"** she thought, eyes widening within her vision. **"Look at him—muscled, strong, and so... powerful."**
But one thing gnawed at her. **"Immortal?"** Her mind reeled. **"Does he mean he cannot die?"**
Just as she pondered this, something caught her attention—a beautiful woman, moving silently behind Kit Mi Kai, her hand gripping a knife. The blade was poised, not at his body, but aimed directly at his **shadow**.
**"What is that?"** the old woman wondered, her heart racing. The betrayal in the scene was palpable, and her chest tightened as Kit Mi Kai suddenly turned, scanning the battlefield for someone. "Where is my wife?" His voice, once steady, now wavered with unease.
His eyes locked onto her—his wife—standing right behind him, knife in hand, her face cold as she prepared to strike at his shadow.
The old woman gasped. Kit Mi Kai's expression mirrored the heartbreak of a man who had been utterly betrayed by the one he loved most. **"Could it be? He is immortal... but his weakness lies in his shadow."**
Suddenly, a massive wave of energy surged through the woman, snapping the link between her and the vision. She was violently thrown back into reality, her body trembling as fear she had never known took hold.
"Leave! Go away from meee!" she screamed, her voice thick with tears. The terror was too much, even for her.
Kit Mi Kai, confused but respectful of the old woman's request, gave a slight bow and turned to continue his journey. The Evil Forest loomed ahead.
Soon, Kit Mi Kai arrived at the border of the forest. He knew immediately that he had reached the infamous Evil Forest. The line between the normal forest and this cursed land was stark, almost as if the air itself shifted at the boundary. A dark, oppressive energy hung in the air. In front of him stood a row of totems, grotesque and ancient, resembling ghouls from a distant, long-forgotten culture. They were carved from stone, their humanlike features exaggerated into twisted, cultish forms.
The totems stood in a horizontal line, as if to guard against intruders. They acted as warnings to anyone foolish enough to approach, and though they were mere statues, their eyes seemed disturbingly alive, following Kit Mi Kai's every movement. The lifelike gaze was unsettling, like silent sentinels trying to ward him off.
As Kit Mi Kai stood at the edge, weighing his decision, he heard voices behind him—voices lifted in song. A group of people in full white robes and matching white hats were marching towards the forest, singing praises to their god. Their voices were jubilant, filled with unwavering faith.
"Rejoice!" cried the man leading the group, his voice ringing out above the others. "For today, we, the people of **Religion Gaza**, shall purify this Evil Forest! There is no power greater than our god in this world! With Him, we shall conquer all! We shall prevail!"
Kit Mi Kai merely watched as they boldly entered the Evil Forest. The totems' eyes followed them as well, but now, tears of blood began to drip from the statues, as if they mourned the fate of the group entering their domain.
Not long after the religious procession disappeared into the forest's depths, the singing turned to screaming. Joyful hymns twisted into frantic cries for help, and then, through the trees, Kit Mi Kai saw a severed hand fly out of the forest—bloodied, detached, and alone.
At that moment, Kit Mi Kai knew. **"I'm not going into that forest."** His instincts screamed for him to turn back. But his father's voice echoed in his mind.
**"You must meet your grandmother."**
Taking a deep breath, Kit Mi Kai clenched his fists. He was terrified, but duty and the weight of his father's command drove him forward. He couldn't enter where the others had gone; he had to find another way. Moving left, he crept around the edge of the Evil Forest, the totems' bloody eyes following him as he searched for a safer entry.
Finally, he found a less foreboding section and, summoning every ounce of courage, jumped into the dark unknown.
Kit Mi Kai pressed forward, still haunted by the screams he had heard earlier. His father's words echoed in his mind: **"But I have to meet my grandmother as commanded by my dead father."** Kit Mi Kai pushed through the trees, moving to a different section of the Evil Forest, farther left from where the Religion Gaza had entered. The totem statues followed him with their eerily lifelike eyes, making him feel watched and judged. He gathered all his willpower, and with a single leap, he crossed into the forest's sinister depths.
At first, dizziness overwhelmed him. The towering, abnormal trees seemed to twist and spin in his vision. Kit Mi Kai sat down, his body drenched in sweat.
"Pant... pant..." he gasped, trying to regain control of his breathing. A strange red aura began to emanate from his eyes, swirling around him like smoke. He could feel it wrapping around his body, shielding him from the evil energy that weighed down the forest.
Finally able to stand, Kit Mi Kai let out a breath of relief. "Now... I was told to keep left and head straight, and I would find my grandmother."
But as he took his first step, he was met with a gut-wrenching sight. Just ahead, young girls were being dragged across the ground by grotesque creatures. The creatures were faceless, wearing white masks with hollow eyes. Their posture was unnerving—bent and zombie-like. They moved on two legs, but their limbs were far too thin, making them appear like twisted, elongated nightmares.
The girls, some unconscious and others awake, had their mouths sewn shut. One of the creatures glanced over its shoulder, its hollow eyes scanning the surroundings, and Kit Mi Kai quickly ducked behind a nearby tree.
The creatures, which groaned in low, inhuman voices, began to converse.
"What are you doing? We must hurry, or the Salem witches will be angry," one of them growled.
"I thought I saw something..." replied another, its grotesquely long arm reaching for the tree Kit Mi Kai was hiding behind. The creature's fingers gripped the bark, preparing to swing itself over, but upon finding no one, it grumbled. "Could it have been a false alarm?"
With a dismissive grunt, the creatures, known as the **Masaka**, continued dragging their captives through the forest, their groans filling the eerie silence.
Kit Mi Kai let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. He had burrowed into the ground like a mole just in time, emerging moments later, gasping for air. "I'm scared... can I even survive a day in this place?" he muttered, wiping sweat from his brow.
Despite his fear, Kit Mi Kai pressed on, determined to complete his journey. The forest seemed endless. After what felt like months of walking, he sat down to rest, his body aching from exhaustion.
Suddenly, a rustling sound broke the silence—**"Kush, kush..."** Something was moving in the bushes nearby. Kit Mi Kai's heart pounded in his chest. He strained his neck, trying to see if the Masaka had found him again.
In the shadowy part of the forest, he spotted two glowing eyes staring at him, their gaze unwavering.
"Hey! Who's there?" Kit Mi Kai called out, his voice tense. He quickly grabbed the slingshot hanging around his neck, readying a rock from the bag at his side. "I'm warning you—I'm armed! I don't want to have to hurt you."
The glowing-eyed figure moved with blinding speed, disappearing before Kit Mi Kai could aim properly. His nerves were on edge, and he began aiming wildly around, prepared to be attacked at any moment.
"What's that?" a voice asked from above.
Startled, Kit Mi Kai looked up, releasing the slingshot instinctively. The stone flew toward the figure—a boy, the same age as him—but the boy dodged it effortlessly. Kit Mi Kai's eyes widened in surprise as he realized the boy was naked, squatting on a tree branch and looking down at him with an innocent but wild expression.
The two boys, unaware of the significance of their meeting, stood on the cusp of intertwined destinies. This strange, naked boy would one day become the **Third Monster God**.
Kit Mi Kai lowered his slingshot, his voice a mix of curiosity and bewilderment. "Why are you naked? Come down from there."
"No!" the boy snapped, leaping from branch to branch with incredible agility, trying to flee.
"Wait!" Kit Mi Kai called after him. "I have extra clothes in my bag. I can lend you some!"
The boy glanced back, distracted by the offer, and in his haste, he miscalculated his next leap. He reached for a branch that couldn't support his weight. The branch snapped, and the boy plummeted to the ground, landing hard on his back with a thunderous **thud**.
The impact sent sparks of lightning flickering from the boy's eyes, crackling in the air around him. Kit Mi Kai stood frozen in shock, watching as something strange began to happen. The boy's brain was connected to his future and past selves, and upon hitting the ground, memories of his future started to flash before his eyes.
Kit Mi Kai blinked in disbelief as the boy was transported in his mind to a distant place—**Egypt**, where a tournament of demigods seemed to be unfolding. The visions were powerful and overwhelming, showing glimpses of battles between beings of immense power.