Near Shadowy Valley, a large cavalry force was approaching, destroying demons along the way.
"Captain! We're close!" shouted one of the knights.
"Very well!"
They continued riding when a group of demons appeared ahead of them.
From the rear of the cavalry, multiple projectiles were launched at the demons, causing several explosions that killed most of them. The few that survived were swiftly dealt with by the leading knights.
"Hmm?"
The captain of the knights noticed how the terrain ahead had turned into a devastated wasteland.
"Knights of Lionheart! Be ready for anything!"
As they advanced, the knights remained alert in case any demons appeared.
"Such destruction..."
"What kind of battle took place here?"
"I hope whoever caused this is long gone."
The knights spoke among themselves about the devastation until they reached a massive crater. The captain dismounted to examine the surrounding area.
"This was caused by magic. Investigate the area!"
"Yes, sir!"
The knights dispersed to investigate what had happened and to check for any remaining demons nearby.
The captain wore a full suit of silver and gold armor with a lion-shaped helmet.
"Who could have fought like this? It couldn't have been an ordinary mage..."
Hearing a strange noise, he unsheathed his sword and moved toward the sound.
As he approached, he saw a large number of small mounds of earth.
"What is all this?"
He inspected the mounds and realized they were freshly made graves.
Hearing the noise again, he carefully made his way through the graves until he found the source.
It was a boy with black hair, wearing dirty clothes, and his face covered in ashes. The boy was digging a grave, with several corpses neatly arranged nearby, ready to be buried.
"Boy," the captain said as he approached.
The boy continued digging silently.
"What happened here?" the captain asked, scanning the boy for any signs of injury, but there seemed to be none.
"Damn demons, that's what happened. Baal and a fire demon," the boy replied, setting the shovel aside to gently place a villager's corpse into the freshly dug grave.
'Baal?! Baal was here? Why would he come to a place like this?'
The boy began covering the grave with the displaced earth, but the captain stopped him by grabbing his hand.
"Stop. You don't have to do this."
"Why not? It's the only thing I can do. I'm the only one left alive. Just me, spared by a demon's whim." He clenched his fist tightly, causing his hand to bleed. "But I'll get stronger, and I'll kill them."
The captain was shocked by the hatred and fury on such a young child's face.
"I'm sorry. We arrived too late," the captain said, removing his helmet to reveal a man with silver hair, golden eyes, and a short beard.
He drew his sword from his back and began digging another grave, surprising the boy.
"What are you doing?"
"Helping. It's the least I can do for not arriving in time to save them."
The boy stared at him, confused and unsure.
"Oh, right. I should introduce myself first," the captain said with a hearty laugh. "I'm Axelius Lionheart, Captain of the Lionheart Knights."
The boy turned away and resumed digging.
"I'm Vaelor," he said quietly.
Axelius smiled and began helping Vaelor bury the villagers.
Thirty minutes later, thanks to Axelius's help, all the villagers had been buried.
"They're all buried now. How are you feeling?" Axelius asked, looking at Vaelor, who was standing but swaying slightly.
"Boy?"
Vaelor collapsed backward, and Axelius caught him, realizing the child had fallen asleep.
"You've earned your rest," Axelius said, placing his helmet back on and cradling Vaelor in his arms.
Just then, several Lionheart Knights arrived, surveying the scene and noticing Vaelor.
"Captain, are these graves?"
"Yes. There was a village here, destroyed by demons. This boy is the sole survivor. I found him digging the graves."
"All this... he did it alone?"
"I helped him," Axelius admitted.
The knight raised an eyebrow.
"What? I wasn't going to leave him to do it alone."
"You act serious when you shouldn't and childish when you should be serious," the knight muttered, frustrated. "What will you do with him? Hand him over to the church?"
"No. I'm taking him to Lionheart. I won't leave a child alone in a place like this," Axelius said, recalling the look of hatred on Vaelor's face. "Now, tell me, what did you find?"
The knight began recounting their findings: a crater caused by demonic mana, a completely destroyed village, a ruined cabin, and traces of both lightning and fire magic.
"And no sign of any demons," the knight concluded.
"So they didn't bring any troops. What would two demon commanders want in such an isolated village?"
Axelius tried to piece it together but knew the extensive damage would make it difficult to uncover the truth.
"Make sure no demons remain in the area."
"Yes, Captain!"
The knights dispersed to investigate further, leaving Axelius alone.
"I'm sorry we arrived too late, boy. But don't worry. Someone is here to help you now."
--
--
{Pov Vaelor}
Darkness. All I could see was darkness.
I felt a strange ground beneath me and smelled something familiar.
'This is…'
Using all my strength, I opened my eyes and sat up.
As I looked around, I realized I was in the same place I always saw in my dreams.
"Here again..."
I tried to move, but I was stuck to some strange, sticky liquid. I struggled to free myself, but the substance only seemed to grow harder.
Exhausted, I collapsed back onto the ground.
"How do I get out of this?"
I thought about how to escape, even considering using the ability I gained when I attacked Baal, but abilities didn't work in this place.
A small tremor shook the ground for a few seconds, and I froze until it stopped.
'This is new.'
The tremor returned, stronger this time.
"Why do I keep having these dreams?!"
The sticky liquid began moving in strange ways, making me think it might be a creature, but I didn't have time to dwell on it.
In the distance, a gigantic worm burst out of the ground.
I could only swallow hard at the sight of such a massive creature. But what caught my attention the most was a figure I couldn't see clearly, running along the worm's body.
The figure slashed the worm, cutting it in half and releasing the green mist I'd seen in previous dreams.
I tried to get a clearer look at the figure, but it was impossible.
The worm launched multiple projectiles, all of which were instantly destroyed by the figure.
'That power... If only I had that power'
In seconds, the worm fell into multiple pieces, along with the green mist.
The mist spread rapidly. I moved, noticing the sticky liquid was gone, but the mist had already reached me.
It covered me completely where I felt that smell, but more intense along with those steps I had heard the first time I had the dream.
I wanted to know. I wanted to know who he was and how he could get such strength, but my head started to spin.
"I… need… to know" And I felt like my mind was fading. And the last thing I saw was a gigantic sword.