Dae-hyun sat on the weathered wooden steps of his ruined house, feeling the weight of everything he had lost. His hands were stained with blood, his body exhausted from a fight that made no sense. He didn't know how much time had passed, but he felt that the world was no longer the same. Ahn-jo, his village, was no longer what it once was. Smoke clouded the horizon, and the stench of burned wooden houses was a constant reminder of everything he had loved that was now gone.

His father, who had been wounded in the attack, sat beside him. His body was weakened, but Dae-hyun couldn't leave him. Two generations, two fates, now bound in this silence. His father looked at him with tired eyes, and in his gaze, there was something Dae-hyun couldn't understand, but he felt it was important. They sat together in silence for a long while before his father spoke, his voice weak but heavy with significance.

"Your name is not just your own..." his father whispered, his voice frail yet carrying a weight. "Your destiny is not just yours. You are the tamer."

Dae-hyun shuddered. He felt his blood race through his veins. He looked at his father, not understanding his words. "What does that mean?"

His father lowered his gaze, as if searching for the right moment to explain. "Your heritage... it's in the blood you carry. You have a gift. The power to control the beasts. A power that's been in your family for centuries, kept secret. You are... the chosen one. Your destiny is to control the beasts that others cannot. Without your power, we will all perish. This attack... The King of Death is just the beginning."

"King of Death?" Dae-hyun felt his thoughts scatter, the world around him growing more abstract. "What does that mean? What beasts?"

His father raised his gaze, his eyes now burning with something Dae-hyun couldn't decipher. "The land is overrun with beasts, Dae-hyun. And they are yours. Those who have long since disappeared. And you are the one who must restore balance. Because, only you can tame the King of Death. Only you can end this."

A few moments passed in silence. Dae-hyun felt a heavy sadness, a sense of loss, but also a deep uncertainty. Beasts? Him? The Tamer? His hand traced the scars on his arm, feeling the pain, but the pain was nothing compared to what his father's words did to him. He didn't understand it all, but he knew this was a moment when everything changed.

"Why didn't you tell me about this?" he asked, his anger rising. "Why didn't you prepare us?"

His father closed his eyes, his lips pressing together. "They feared your power, Dae-hyun. They feared you would misuse it. So they kept you safe. They kept you hidden. But now the time has come. The King of Death is on the move. And you must decide: will you stand in his way, or let him destroy everything?"

Dae-hyun couldn't speak. The words had crawled into his bones, into his heart. He knew his father spoke the truth, but he didn't know if he was ready for what was coming. In his mind, a thousand questions swirled, but there was one that now mattered most: how do I tame the beast?

"I must... I must do something," he whispered to himself, overwhelmed by emotions. Then, without another word, he lifted his father from the dust, even though he knew it wouldn't last. His father was dying. And soon, he would have to go. The only way to save the remaining people, to save what was left of his world, was to learn how to tame the beasts. To learn how to face the King of Death.

And so, he began. He walked into the night's silence. Into the forest that was home to the beasts.

---

Among the trees, a dark silhouette emerged. Dae-hyun stood still, feeling the cold grip his stomach, but his hand was steady. He didn't know exactly what awaited him, but he was certain of one thing: he had to become what his father said he was. He had to become the tamer.

In the forest, the silence was broken suddenly. Above the brambles and grass, a large, black figure appeared. It was her. The Beast.

The King of Death.

Dae-hyun felt his heart race. The beast was approaching, its eyes glowing in the dark, its steps echoing through the forest. He was ready. Strong. Maybe he didn't know everything, maybe he didn't understand his power, but he knew this was the moment he had to make a decision.

To be the tamer or to become prey.

The beast stopped before him. It stared into his eyes, and then opened its mouth, revealing sharp teeth. The silence was broken only by their breathing. And then, Dae-hyun felt his body fill with an energy he couldn't explain. The beast stood before him, and he was ready. Without words, they locked eyes. And in that moment, he knew: this was the beginning. The beginning of something far bigger than him, far more terrifying than anything he had ever known.

In that moment, the beast retreated, disappearing into the darkness of the forest, but Dae-hyun knew: this was only the first of many battles that awaited him. And now, he had to learn how to be the tamer, how to lead his destiny, and how to save the people he loved.

There was no turning back.