Telvar The Untouched was the no.1 ranked criminal in all of Earthus. Stories were told of him to kids at night to ensure they were well-behaved.
There was not a single soul above the age of comprehension that did not know who he was.
The most fascinating thing about this criminal though, was the fact that no defender had ever landed a strike on him.
There have been countless times that the strongest of the defenders tried to hunt him down, but all were slain by his sword.
However, Telvar had been missing for the last few decades. Usually, this would cause a criminal's notoriety to falter. But not his.
He had been the number one criminal for tens of years.
And here he stood, in the small town of Castonia, helping Oryn evade death from a defender.
Oryn rose quickly stood up taller, and bowed his head towards Telvar, trying his best to show his respect to his greater.
He wasn't even sure if that was the correct way to address a high-rank criminal, but it felt natural to do so.
Upon seeing the act, Telvar shook his head.
"Not necessary, young criminal, just try to avoid being caught in the future. And perhaps awaken your nightmare."
Telvar tried to turn to leave, but Oryn held his hand outstretched towards his back, as though he physically wished to stop him from leaving.
"Wait!" He cried, desperately. During that moment, he didn't care whether or not he looked pathetic. This was the number 1 ranked villain in the world. He was not going to let this opportunity pass up.
Telvar turned around with raised eyebrows, glaring at Oryn with his pink eyes.
"Please," Oryn said. "Take me under your wing."
Telvar hardly seemed surprised. It certainly wasn't the first time he had heard lesser criminals asking him for help.
But to Oryn's surprise, the man decided to hear him out.
"Hmm?" Telvar said, scratching at his chin whilst his greatsword rested in his other hand. "And what do you have to offer us?"
Us? That means he does not work alone. He's been away in hiding with a group of other criminals.
Oryn quickly racked his brain.
"I'll admit, I'm not strong in comparison to the top criminals, or even the defenders. But I swore to myself, No... I swore to my little sister that I would do anything to gain power, I've just yet to find an efficient method."
Telvar watched Oryn intensely as the young criminal pleaded his case to the Veteran.
"Anything?" He asked afterwards in scepticism.
"Anything," Oryn replied. "My sister asked if I would sacrifice her life if it could lead me along the path towards great power."
"And what was your response?"
"Yes. I answered yes."
He remembered the night that he and his sister Alabelle sat around the table, eating scraps that he had stolen from the market.
It was when the topic of his desire for power arose. She asked the question, already knowing what his answer would be.
And it came without hesitation.
Telvar stood there for a few moments, regarding Oryn in silence.
Then, he clipped his large greatsword onto a device on his back. The weapon was so large that it had to rest diagonally, lest it scrape against the floor.
He stood face to face with Oryn, with only a few meters between them.
"If you are serious, then follow through with your word. Take the life of your sister, and meet me here at the same time tomorrow."
Oryn's heart dropped in his chest.
"This will awaken your nightmare." Telvar continued. "You will at least need that if you wish to follow under my wing. It's the bare minimum to survive in my world."
Oryn couldn't believe the words he was hearing. He knew that he was willing to do whatever it would take to gain power but to be told to do such a thing by this man.
No... Why am I surprised? There's a reason that Telvar is the criminal with the highest bounty. He lacks morals like all villains must.
More importantly, another question lay heavily on Oryn's mind.
"How can you be so certain that murdering my sister will awaken my nightmare?"
Perhaps it was disrespectful to question to knowledge of such a notorious figure, but he needed to know the answer.
"It's simple," Telvar explained. "One of the most efficient ways to awaken your Nightmare, is to willingly experience severe trauma. Sacrificing one's family member or friend is a common method in the underground world."
A common method? So that's how the high-ranking criminals become as powerful as defenders.
But then, how do defenders awaken their nightmares without committing a crime?
Oryn had so many questions, and the man in front of him had all the answers.
All he would have to do was take the life of Alabelle, his ten-year-old sister.
I could become one of the greatest villains of Earthus if I had this man as a mentor.
But my sister...
Despite having had this exact conversation before with his sister, Oryn still struggled to provide an answer.
After a few moments of wrestling with his mind and emotions, he finally opened his lips to speak.
"I will meet you here tomorrow, with my Nightmare awakened."
Telvar's expression hardly changed, as though this task he set the young man was nothing but a mundane activity.
"Good. We will see if you keep up your word."
Telvar the Untouched slowly turned back around, and Oryn expected him to run off into the streets of Castonia.
But instead, his body quickly became a distorted blur, before he vanished, leaving Oryn alone on the rooftops.
The two bodies of the murdered humans lay there in the darkness, twisted brutally. Yet Oryn's mind was in a much darker place.
Alabelle...
Could you forgive me for committing such an act?