It was dark. A suffocating void, as if nothing else existed.
Ran had no idea which realm he was in. His voice was frozen in his throat, and his body was completely still.
It felt like it was suspended in some sort of endless limbo. It was as if only his mind remained, perceiving something unfolding around him that he couldn't touch or escape.
Suddenly, the environment shifted. He found himself in a familiar place: the Leior Forest. The very last thing he ever wanted to see again.
But it didn't end there. The ground, once lush and green, was now stained with blood and gore, dismembered limbs and organs scattered like trash.
And there, in the midst of the carnage, was the same demon, Gormund Mawriel, devouring the remains of the fallen, savoring every sickening bite of human flesh.
With a maniacal grin and bulging, void-like eyes, Gormund's gaze locked onto Ran's, and he began to approach. As the demon's hand reached out to touch him, Ran screamed.
"AHHHHHH!!!!"
Phant! Phant! Phant...!!
...
...
Ran woke with a start, drenched in sweat and breathless. His body was trembling from another nightmare.
It had been three months since the massacre at the Bloodrune estate. Ran had long since fled, seeking refuge in a shady inn within a small village of Skyfords, far from the horrors of his past.
"Fucking shit!!"
He cursed under his breath, slamming his fist against the bed. What was the point of living if he had to endure these horrors every damn night?
'Many things have changed.'
What had changed the most was his power. He had extraordinary strength, far beyond any normal man, but it came at a cost. Ran had become something more like a weapon.
Of course, he was no omnipotent god, but he knew he would have been a high-ranking official in the Bloodrune family, if only they hadn't cast him aside as a worthless bastard.
This village is called Runa Village. It falls under the control of the Skyfords. A place known for its mastery over spears and magic, a flashy name attached to a powerful family, but one that also bred deep discrimination.
Foreigners weren't quite welcome here. Outsiders, especially those who weren't Skyfords, were treated like pests. That's why Ran could never settle in this place. Even this inn was temporary.
He was a mercenary now, a lone wolf, working for food and shelter. His life was an endless cycle of jobs, returns, and sleep. Rinse and repeat.
Boring and empty.
But there was something else that had been gnawing at him. Something that disturbed him more than anything else. The thrill of combat.
Every time he faced monsters or beasts, it was as if something inside him snapped, unleashing a savage bloodlust he couldn't control. A madness that surged, boiling beneath his skin, urging him to fight more.
His blood has turned dark, unlike anything a human should possess. The grotesque heart the demon had replaced inside him no longer pumped human blood.
It coursed with void energy, dark and unnatural. He had no mana. Only this strange, alien force that he could bend to his will that acted as mana. It was the energy that kept him alive, but also threatened to consume him in madness.
'I should have died.'
That thought echoed through his mind every day. The nightmares wouldn't go away. His body felt inhuman. And the fear that he might hurt someone because of this bloodlust that was eating him.
But till now, nothing such has happened so he is not seeking for immediate solution.
'Maybe I'll never get used to this.'
Ran stood up from the bed, wiping the sweat from his forehead. He walked to the mirror, staring at the reflection that looked back at him. A flash of the same lunatic, the same demon that haunted his dreams appeared in the reflection.
He stumbled backward, disoriented, before falling to the ground in a heap.
Phant Phant Phant...
"FUCK YOU! FUCK YOU, FUCK YOU, FUCK YOU! GO AWAY!!! AHHHHH!"
His voice cracked as he screamed, unable to stop the fury that erupted from deep within him. The terror of what he had witnessed, the gore, the nightmares, it all swirled inside him like a storm, never ceasing.
His eyes burned with a blood-red fury, hatred flowing through his veins as the rage poured out of him.
Why did this keep happening? Why had his family discarded him like trash? Why was he cursed to live like an outcast, an abomination of the Bloodrune house, now haunted by the demon's curse?
His life has become a curse.
BANG!!
"..."
The sound of an explosion shook the inn. Ran's blood ran cold. He stumbled to the window and peered outside, his heart racing. A giant monster was terrorizing the village.
It towered over the buildings, its grotesque form smashing through anything in its path. The guards attempted to intercept it, but they were crushed instantly under the weight of the beast.
A cruel grin spread across Ran's face.
"This might give me plenty of money."
He muttered under his breath, the thrill of battle stirring within him like an old friend.
He jumped out of the window with sword in his hand, and charged toward the beast. His body was filled with an unnatural energy as he leapt into the air, slashing at the monster's tough skin.
But the creature's skin was too strong. His sword barely left a mark, and the giant swung him aside with terrifying strength, sending him crashing through four buildings before coming to a stop.
Blood poured from his mouth as he coughed violently, his body aching from the impact. The giant was far stronger than he'd anticipated.
But something stirred inside him. His crimson aura flared around his sword as he leapt for another attack. He was filled with a battle-crazed rush, his heart pounding in anticipation.
He swung with everything he had, stabbing the giant's hand. The beast screamed in pain, shaking its hand wildly.
Ran used the opening to leap again, aiming for the neck. But the giant caught him mid-air, squeezing with crushing force, before hurling him away with terrifying speed. Ran crashed hard, his body ragdolling across the village outskirts.
His ribs were shattered. His lungs punctured. But still, he felt… exhilarated. The pain, the blood, the struggle was like a fire that burned through his veins.
'My lungs are punctured. My rib cage is shattered. But still... I don't hate this feeling.'
As his grotesque heart pumped the dark blood through him, his body began to heal.
Just as he was about to charge once more, a figure appeared before the giant.
A young woman, tall and slender, stood with quiet confidence. Her long white hair cascaded down her back like a shimmering waterfall.
She wore elegant noble clothes which was clean, pristine, clearly not made for battle. Yet she stood unflinching in the face of the giant.
She is the daughter of Montello family, Dawn Montello.