Fifteen Years Later
"Ren, watch out!"
Shiku's voice cut through the chaos like a knife.
Ren barely had time to turn before something huge lunged at him. It was a monstrous beast with razor-sharp claws swiping straight for his head.
It was damn fast!
His body moved before his mind caught up. He threw himself backward, his heart slamming against his ribs. The claws missed him—just barely—but the force of the attack sent him flying. He crashed into the ground.
"Get up!" Shiku shouted, her voice sharp and urgent.
Ren gritted his teeth and scrambled to his feet. His knife—where was his knife? His eyes darted frantically. He couldn't die like this. Not after dying miserably in his own world, only for fate to repeat itself here in Tatsuhana.
He had survived being nearly killed by his father. He had sworn at that moment—when the Seer gave him up for adoption to Shiku's parents, his adoptive parents—that he would survive no matter what and claw his way to the top. The old man had always told him he was stronger than he thought. And Akane had said he only needed to survive until he was 18 without magic.
He was 17 now. Just one more year, Ren.
He snapped out of his thoughts and focused on the fight.
He reached for his blunt knife—the one the Seer had left him as a gift, the one he had been told to protect, even though it had dulled over the years.
But before he could grab it—
BOOM!
The earth shook as the beast stomped toward him with an eyes that glowed with anger.
No time.
Ren lunged to the side just as the creature's massive tail came swinging toward him. It whooshed past him missing his ribs by an inch. He hit the dirt again casuing him to roll through fallen leaves.
SWOOSH!
A sudden blast of wind sliced through the air—
SLASH!
A deep wound split across the monster's chest and black liquid sprayed everywhere.
A deep wound split across the monster's chest, and black liquid sprayed everywhere.
It was Shiku.
Shiku was two years older than Ren, his foster sister, the one who had always stood by him. The two of them had grown up together, training side by side, though, in reality, it was mostly Shiku training while Ren watched.
She had always been the strong one, the one who could fight, the one who didn't have to be protected. Unlike Ren, who had spent his life struggling to survive. She had always known hers. She was a warrior. She was made for battle.
And right now, she was proving it.
She was a blur of motion, her spear flashing as she danced between attacks, her eyes was blazing with fury. She wasn't just fighting her battle, she was fighting for Ren too.
"Ren! Stop lying around and MOVE!" she snapped, twisting to dodge a deadly claw aimed at her throat.
Ren clenched his fists. He was useless. He couldn't fight. All he has been doing is Running!
This was all he was good out. Always good at dodging the Face of death. That was how he had dodged death for eighteen years in his past life even though the doctors said he couldn't live past 10 years.
Before he could react, the beast's tail came crashing down toward him. It was fast and merciless.
WHOOSH!
A strong gust of wind blasted through, shoving the monster back. Ren barely had time to blink before Shiku landed beside him. She was breathing hard and blood dripped down her arm, but she didn't even flinch.
"Ren," she growled. "If you don't get your act together, I swear, I'll kill you before this thing does."
Ren was trying his best, but Shiku would definitely not call that his best. She was more resilient than anyone he had ever met.
He hadn't thought he would be lucky enough to meet someone as relentless as Shiku—someone who would stand by his side no matter what. In his past life, he hadn't had friends because he couldn't socialize. Most of his years had been spent in the hospital.
Ren's thoughts swirled.
But what could he do? He had no power.
Shiku turned back to the monster, her body tense and ready. "Ren, listen to me," she panted. "I'll hold them off. You—"
It was too late.
Another creature lunged from the shadows. It's claws came slicing through the air, it was aimed right at her side.
"Shiku!" Ren pushed himself up ana his legs shook.
She waved him off. "I'm fine," she muttered, wiping sweat from her brow. But in that brief second, her gaze flicked toward him, checking if he was okay.
Ren clenched his fists. She had saved him. Again. And all he had done… was slow her down. But this time, Shiku wasn't backing down.
With a sharp inhale, she spun on her heel. The monster lunged again, but she was faster this time. She ducked under its claws and twisted her body, and—
THWACK!
Her spear shot forward, piercing straight through its chest.
The beast let out a horrible screech, thrashing wildly, but Shiku held firm. With a fierce yell, she twisted her weapon and ripped it free.
SPLURT!
Black ichor sprayed as the creature staggered. Then, THUD!it collapsed, twitching once before going still.
Shiku took a shaky breath, yanking her spear back. She turned toward Ren. She was ready to scold him again
Then she froze. Their ears twitched. Their heads snapped toward the trees. Something… moved. Then, as if obeying an unseen command, the remaining monsters turned and slipped into the darkness.
Just like that.
It was Gone.
Ren lay flat on his back. His chest was rising and falling like he had just outrun death itself. His muscles ached, his hands shook, and his mind still screamed at him to move. To run, but there was no more running.
They had survived. By a whisker!.
Shiku stood over him. She was panting hard. Her face was smeared with dirt and blood staining her torn sleeves. Her grip on her spear was tight.
Then, her voice cut through the silence like a knife.
"Why didn't you run Ren?!"
Ren, still laying on the ground, looked up at her. His heart was still racing.
"I—"
CLANG!
Shiku threw her spear to the ground. Her frustration burned in her eyes. "I told you to run, Ren! I was handling it! Why do you never listen?!"
Ren pushed himself up slowly with his hands clenching into fists on his lap. "I couldn't leave you."
Shiku's eyes narrowed. "You should have! You don't have magic, Ren! You don't have power! Do you know how close you were to dying?! If I wasn't there—"
She stopped and Swallowed hard.
The truth was clear.
If she hadn't been there, he'd be dead. Ren's fingers dug into the dirt beneath him. She was right. She was always right.
This was how it had always been in the outskirts of Tatshuana. Shiku always had his back. And him? He had always been a burden.
Ren had read about the outskirts of Tatsuhana in the novel. He knew what it was like to live in this part of the city. Unlike the bustling center, where people were born with magic as if it were second nature, the outskirts were an entirely different world.
Out here, power wasn't handed to them, it had to be earned. They had to fight for it. Train for it. Suffer for it. And most of all, they had to bleed for it.
And bleed they did.
Kids started training as soon as they could stand. They ran until their legs gave out, they swung weapons until their hands were covered in blisters, they fought until their bodies were sore and bruised.
In the city, magic came easy. People just woke up one day with powers, no struggle, no fight. But in the outskirts? It had to be beaten out of you. Dragged out through sheer will.
Some trained for years just to summon a single spark. Others never awakened their powers at all, no matter how much they bled for it.
His gaze darkened, his voice barely above a whisper. Cold. Empty.
"I know."
Shiku frowned. "What?"
"I know I've been a burden."
Shiku's expression tightened.
"I know I've been nothing but dead weight," Ren continued, his tone was shaky and slightly regretful. " I've always been a useless boy you and your parents keep saving over and over again." Ren recounted but deep down, he knew all of these would soon change. There was no way he would be useless all his life in this world too. Never.
Shiku stiffened. "I'm sorry Ren." Something in her chest twisted. Without thinking, she dropped to her knees in front of him, gripping his shoulders. "Ren, stop."
But Ren didn't say a word.
Shiku exhaled sharply and gave his shoulders a small shake. "Look at me." Her jaw tightened. "This isn't just about you being reckless." She hesitated, then lowered her voice.
"The portals are opening."
That got Ren's attention.
Shiku leaned in. "The barriers that sealed Kurugami's beasts? They're weakening. More of its monsters are slipping through. You saw what we just fought… they shouldn't be here."
Ren's fingers twitched.
Kurugami. The Dark God. The Devourer of Souls. The one who had been locked away by the first Dragon Lord centuries ago.
And now… the chains were breaking. Kurogami's minions were breaking away.
Ren had read about this in the novel. But there was one thing he hadn't read—how his own fate would end. He had died before finishing the book, right at the part where poor Ren was poisoned and killed by his jealous siblings. That only made navigating this world even harder.
Still, he had opted to create his own destiny.
Shiku's grip on Ren's arms tightened. "It's not safe anymore, Ren. I'm not just nagging, I'm trying to keep you alive."
Before Ren could respond, a low growl rumbled through the trees.
Shiku froze.
Ren's breath caught in his throat.
The wind died. The rustling leaves stilled. The entire forest felt like it was holding its breath.
Then, another growl. Deep, wet, gurgling. The trees trembled as something massive moved through the darkness. A looming shadow. Heavy. Suffocating.
And then, it stepped forward.
Ren's stomach turned.
The creature was huge like a walking nightmare. Its body was covered in cracked, burnt flesh with sharp, jagged rocks sticking out. Beneath its skin was fiery veins that glowed like molten lava, pulsing with heat.
Its arms were too long. They were bent in ways they shouldn't be, ending in razor-sharp claws that dripped with thick, black slime. Every drop that hit the ground sizzled like acid.
But the worst part was that it had no face.
Where its mouth should have been, there was only a dark, endless hole that was filled with layer upon layer of shifting, crooked fangs, like a pit that could never be filled.
A beast of Kurugami. Ren's brain snapped in recognition when he remembered reading in the novel that beast like were Kurogami minions.
Shiku tightened her grip on her spear, but her hands were shaking. Bad sign.
Ren couldn't move. His legs felt like they were made of stone, his chest tight with panic. His heart pounded so hard he swore it was going to explode.
This was bad. Really bad.
The monster in front of them was nothing like the ones they'd fought before. It was huge, twice their size, maybe more. It was thick, jagged black scales covered its body, glowing faintly like embers in a dying fire.
They weren't dealing with a mindless beast this time.
"Shit," Shiku hissed, her knuckles turning white. "What the hell are the so called elites in the city even doing?! The portal to Kurugami's prison is cracking open, and they're just sitting around flaunting their magic?! How the hell are they letting this happen?!"
Ren swallowed hard, his throat dry. Survival was the only thing on his mind once again.
"What do we do? Run?"
Shiku was two years older than Ren, and normally, that meant she had the answers. She was always the one keeping him in check, keeping him alive. But now? She was scanning the area, looking for an escape, a way out, anything, and coming up with nothing.
Shiku's sharp eyes darted around, scanning for an escape route. The answer hit her like a punch to the gut.
"No," she muttered. "We can't outrun this thing. Even if we tried, it'd tear us apart before we made it five steps."
Ren felt something sink deep into his chest.
This was it.
They were done for.
Ren felt something sink deep into his chest.
This was it.
They were done for.
His mind flashed back to his past life—how he had died a sickler, how miserable he had felt. He remembered begging God that if he were given another chance, he wouldn't give up so easily.
But this life wasn't any easier. In fact, every damn day was a fight for survival. He needed to make it to eighteen—to unlock his full potential.
This was torture.
A bitter, humorless laugh escaped his lips. "The Seer kept calling me the next Dragon Lord… but look at me." His voice was barely above a whisper. "I don't think I'm getting out of this alive. Everything is messed up."
Shiku didn't answer.
Because she knew the truth too.
They weren't getting out of this one alive.