Lian walked cautiously through the forest, fearing the appearance of another hobgoblin since he hadn't fully recovered from his last battle. He walked holding his right arm with his other hand to ease the pain slightly. It wasn't excruciating, but it would still be difficult to fight in this condition.
Lian moved carefully, paying close attention to the environment around him. He acted like a true hunter, and as he searched for a place to recover, he spotted a dark cave at the base of the mountain.
"This will have to do for now," he thought as he approached the cave, grabbing his weapon with his left hand. "I should have asked Vida to give me something for injuries. I was too arrogant, and I can't make that mistake again." Lian was berating himself internally for not having prepared properly.
He had always been taught to hunt cautiously, yet he still made this mistake.
Even though the cave was very dark, Lian had no trouble seeing inside. He found this strange but decided to ignore it for now.
Realizing that this was a safe place, he sat down further inside the cave, still holding his sword, so he could rest a little before returning to the hunt.
Leaning his head against the wall and closing his eyes to rest, he felt a familiar sensation, as if he were drifting into the void. When Lian opened his eyes to understand what was happening, it was as though he still had them closed. He found himself in an endless darkness.
"What am I doing here again? Before, I thought I was dreaming, but now I know that wasn't just a dream. Where are you, voice?" Unlike the first time he found himself in this situation, Lian wasn't afraid. He challenged the being to appear again.
"It seems you've become bolder since the last time we met, boy." Even though Lian wasn't afraid, his body shivered when that intimidating voice spoke. But that didn't stop him from continuing to question the being.
"You're my sword, aren't you?" Lian tried to hide his nervousness behind a serious expression and a firm voice, but inside, he was afraid. It was as if that voice affected his very soul.
"I'm glad my host isn't an idiot this time. You're quite an interesting child, maybe you'll actually survive this." Lian couldn't be sure if it was mocking him or speaking seriously.
"Die to goblins? Even though I was injured by that hobgoblin, I don't believe I'll die here."
"Don't make me laugh, boy. Do you think life is so easy that mere goblins are all that threaten it?" The voice spoke in a tone almost dripping with cynicism. "Listen carefully, boy. We don't have much time. You need to become much stronger because you won't be safe in the future. Your soul is connected to me, so you'll have some of my powers, and..."
Before the voice could finish speaking, Lian was falling again into that dark abyss as the dimension shattered. When everything finally broke apart, Lian opened his eyes in shock.
He stood up and left the cave with the sword in his right hand. Looking at his weapon, he said, "What powers do I have, mister sword?"
As he asked that, the purple gem on his sword began to glow, and countless pieces of information flooded his mind. It was as if he had received an epiphany.
He looked at the shadow of a tree, and with a movement of his hand, the tree's shadow began to shift. The shadows wrapped around the tree, and when Lian clenched his fist, the shadows squeezed tightly. The tree cracked heavily, though it wasn't completely destroyed.
"This power isn't strong enough yet to fulfill my goal of avenging my family, but it'll be enough to take down the Goblin King." Lian could feel that this was now a part of him, as though he had been born with this power. He smiled psychotically. "I'll kill every Kyn I come across.
"After some time exploring, Lian found a goblin village. It was a fairly large settlement. Lian perched in a tree, observing the entire village and planning his next move.
"There are many common goblins, a few hobgoblins. The shaman goblins must be inside the larger structure with the Goblin King." Lian was deep in thought, considering how to kill the Goblin King. He couldn't just walk in through the front door and challenge all the goblins in the village.
"Looks like I'll have to play the assassin today." Lian approached the village wall, which was relatively low, made of irregular wooden logs. With a jump, Lian crossed over the wall without much difficulty. He had already mapped out the path to the largest building in his mind, which looked like a big wooden house, plain and far from beautiful.
As Lian advanced stealthily toward the Goblin King's house, he sensed two presences approaching, two goblins chatting in their language, which sounded more like strange shrieks. Lian quickly hid behind one of the houses. After the two goblins passed, Lian took a deep breath and made a gesture with both hands. The shadows of the goblins rose up their bodies, immobilizing them and preventing them from moving or making any noise. Clenching his fists, the shadows crushed the goblins with such force that their bones could be heard breaking, killing them instantly.
"This power is strong, but the Goblin King will be much more resilient than this. It won't be easy," Lian said as he stretched his right arm.
"It's better than before. It won't be an easy fight, but victory is guaranteed."
Lian continued to move stealthily until he reached the largest structure in the village. There was only one entrance, so he would likely be spotted by whoever was inside. Lian stopped in front of the door.
"This is the first time I'm trying this. I hope it works." Thinking this, Lian closed his eyes and began concentrating. He remembered the sensation of controlling the shadows and started to feel how many goblin shadows were inside the structure. "Three smaller ones, they must be shamans, and one big shadow. Now I know where they are." Lian quickly summoned his sword and sprinted inside the house.
There were two shamans farther away. Lian immediately immobilized them with his shadows while charging toward the third with his sword. The goblin shaman in front of Lian tried to summon a fireball, but he wasn't quick enough. Before the magic was finished, his head had already hit the ground. The other two, immobilized by his shadows, were not spared either. With a gesture of his hand, they were completely crushed.
"Now it's just you, big guy." Lian said this with a smile on his face.The Goblin King, who had been sitting on the ground, rose. He was nearly four meters tall and very muscular, wearing animal pelts around his lower body. A massive bear-fur cape hung across his shoulders, and he wore a crown of bones.
The monster let out a loud roar and grabbed his sword. It wasn't a beautiful weapon, but it radiated an aura of fear when combined with its wielder.
Lian gripped his sword more tightly and said to the Goblin King, mockingly, "Let's play, big green."