The Eight Heroes of the Astralis were incredible beings who had transcended humanity itself—stood in a realm of their own making and acted as the last barrier between the Demon Army and total annihilation.
These Eight Heroes, standing alongside the great houses, were all that held back the Demon Army from swallowing the continent as a whole. But they weren't alone in their fight. There were others who joined the fight—warriors who stood against the tide of the demon army.
Some of those fought for glory, others for power, but a rare few fought simply because it was right.
Jin was one of those few.
Born with nothing, not even a name to call his own, he climbed his way to the top and became a Supreme!
The people, moved by his unyielding spirit, gave him the name 'Jin' - meaning Gold, for his heart that shone bright even in the darkest times.
Many people believed that Jin could have stood among the Eight Heroes had any of the houses reached out their hand. But fate had other plans.
Yet now, standing alone in the strider's path, alone facing a tide of an army of demons, it was clear that titles meant nothing.
_____
"You've grown stronger since we last met, old man." Renard's voice carried across the battlefield, tinged with something almost like respect.
Before him stood Jin, unmovable as a mountain. The ground around him was littered with the corpses of thousands of demons. Even two of Renard's lieutenants lay dead, their dead corpses a testament to Jin's blade and unyielding ability.
Blood soaked Jin's clothes, his wounds far beyond healing, yet his stance did not waver. He stood as he had always had—between the innocent and those who sought to harm them.
"Renard…" The old man's voice was heavy as if carrying decades of regret. "Do you remember the day I found you? A boy drenched in blood and rage, swearing vengeance against the world? Do you know how much I regret saving you that day?"
A hush fell over the battlefield, and the demon army shifted uneasily. Even Renard seemed troubled with memories he'd rather forget. His face flickered with something—regret? Pain?---before hardening once more.
"For that, I owe you my life," he said at last. "Once I destroy the Seven Houses, you can gladly take my head."
Jin let out a weak chuckle at those words before his laugh turned into a wet cough, and blood stained his lips. "Your head? What would I do with such a stubborn thing?"
His eyes, despite the pain, held nothing but sadness. "Look around you, Renard. Count the innocent lives your vengeance has claimed. Is this what your family would have wanted?"
"I can't stop," Renard's voice hardened, and his grip on his sword tightened.
"I've come too far to turn back now."
Drawing his sword, Renard stepped forward, blade in hand and offered one last mercy to the man who had once shown him kindness.
"Step aside, old man. Let me spare the one life I can today."
"The trembling wolf pup I once knew now bares his fangs at me?" Jin's smile was bitter. "But tell me, Renard—can your fangs tear down the Seven Houses and the Eight Heroes?"
"There aren't eight heroes anymore." Renard's words were cold as ice. "Three are already in their graves. Astralis has room for five more."
A deep sigh escaped Jin's bloodied lips.
"You're lost, Renard. All this death, all this pain—will it bring back your sister's smile? Your mother's warmth? Do you truly believe your family would be happy to see what you have become?"
Jin tried to pursue him but to no avail.
"You, who never had a family, have no right to speak of mine." Renard's words fell like winter frost.
Jin's laughter echoed across the battlefield, hollow, haunting and sad.
"Perhaps you're right. Perhaps this is all my fault… I should have never let you near those vipers."
A silence heavier than any battlefield fell between them.
There was nothing left to say.
"Esther."
At Renard's command, a shadow detached itself from the darkness. A pitch-black panther, majestic and terrible, emerged—a creature truly worthy of ruling the Great Green Forest.
Renard's final words to his old savior were quiet, almost gentle.
"Don't drag it out. Send him off without any suffering."
And so fell Jin, the Merciful Blade, the Wandering Warrior—not to an army of demons or heroes, but to a boy he had once saved.
_____
The wheels of the grand carriage worthy of House Grim's name thundered in the forest at the other end of Grim's territory.
Inside sat a boy barely wet behind his ears and a girl too young to even understand the dangers around them.
Three horses galloped alongside as Gerald led the carriage from the front while the other two knights guarded the rear.
They were pushing forward at full speed, their only hope to reach the Draemir Territory. If they could just make it, they would be safe. Their grandfather would take care of the rest.
But that 'if' was the problem.
Even at full speed, they would still need another day's travel to reach Draemir lands. The carriage, no matter how grand, could never outrun pursuers on horseback.
'We won't be able to lose them like this.'
Ren thought, considering their current speed and clenched his jaws.
His earlier trick had bought them some time, but that wasn't enough to truly shake their pursuers. Ren knew this, but he kept pushing forward anyway. Because he wasn't really aiming to reach the Draemir Territory—he was just searching for one person.
The Wandering Warrior, Jin.
In his past life, Jin had been his savior when everyone else fell to the ambush. But things were different now.
The attack had come earlier.
Ren had killed Victor and changed their route. He had no idea where Jin might be right now—all he could do was to keep running and hope that their paths would cross.
Still, there was one advantage this time. The Soul Sealer hadn't been used on them, and with the knights still protecting them, they had a fighting chance to hold out longer.
'I will make sure everyone survives this time.'
Ren glanced at Aria, who was still sleeping peacefully despite the carriage's rough movement.
'No, we will survive this time.'
He turned towards one of the knights galloping alongside the carriage and motioned him closer.
"Do we have a bow?"
He had to do something to buy them time.
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