"I… I'm happy… that I got to protect you… I know you'll survive. Keep living… for me and Ishak," Amanda whispered, a gentle smile on her face, even as blood poured from her lips. Her breath faded… until it stopped completely.
Her body slumped in Aslan's arms, the same peaceful smile still resting on her pale face. Aslan couldn't speak. His voice was gone, his heart shattered into pieces. Memories of their time together flashed through his mind—moments that would never come again. Grief filled his chest, and that grief soon turned into a burning rage. The only thing he wanted now was to destroy the monster in front of him.
"ARGHH… HAAAH!!" Aslan roared, unleashing a burst of wind so strong it sent the monster stumbling backward.
Slowly, he rose to his feet. His fingers trembled as they gripped the sword, a faint aura now surrounding his body. The Tors energy he had been gathering flowed through him like a storm.
The monster hissed, its eyes narrowing as it watched the changed Aslan. It charged, claws raised, its movements quick and deadly.
But Aslan didn't flinch. He swung his sword with full force. The impact echoed across the empty village as their attacks collided. The shockwave sent both of them flying back. They stared at each other—one with fury, the other with bloodlust.
"You should've killed me when you had the chance," Aslan growled, voice cold.
The monster let out a mocking hiss, and its body grew larger—doubling in size. It now towered six meters tall. A twisted chuckle escaped from its mouth, taunting Aslan.
But Aslan wasn't afraid.
With unshakable resolve, he tightened his grip on the sword, ready to face the beast.
The monster struck first. It swung a claw as big as a full-grown man at Aslan's head. Aslan dodged to the side, but its long tail whipped him hard, sending him crashing through a nearby house like paper.
He nearly passed out. Pain shot through his ribs and lungs. But he held on. Thoughts of Amanda and Ishak lit a fire in him again. Gritting his teeth, he forced himself to stand, bleeding but alive.
The monster came at him again, though slower now due to its bulk. Aslan timed it perfectly—he dodged and thrust his sword straight into the creature's gut. It let out a deep, guttural shriek.
It grabbed Aslan and lifted him high, squeezing. Aslan kicked the sword still lodged in its stomach, tearing the wound wider. The monster shrieked again and hurled him to the ground like a rag doll.
That's when Aslan noticed it—a weakness. The bigger the monster got, the softer and more vulnerable its body became.
He grabbed a heavy wooden beam nearby, channeled his Tors energy into it, and charged.
"ARRRGHHH!!" he screamed, slamming the beam into the monster's head. The impact knocked it down. The beam snapped from the force.
Aslan grabbed his sword from the ground.
The beast tried one last desperate attack—its tail whipping toward him.
With a cry of rage, Aslan slashed the tail clean off. The monster howled, writhing in agony.
"Haha! Hurts, doesn't it?! Get up! This isn't over yet!" Aslan yelled, his voice boiling with fury.
But then—he dropped to the ground, clutching his chest.
"ARGHHH!!!" Pain tore through him like a thousand needles.
His heart pounded. His body screamed. Every muscle burned.
The monster, still bleeding heavily, began to laugh—a sick, broken laugh. It limped toward Aslan, raising one claw for the final blow.
But before it could strike, a rock shot through the air and smashed into its head. Its skull caved in instantly. The monster collapsed, lifeless.
Aslan's vision blurred, and then—darkness.
---
When morning came, Aslan slowly woke up. He was lying beside a small campfire.
"Where… where's the monster?" he murmured, glancing around. The area was flat and quiet. There were still bloodstains, but no bodies. No villagers. No Amanda.
He turned—and saw the monster's corpse just behind him.
Its tail was still severed… but it wasn't Aslan who had finished it off. Its head was caved in—crushed beyond recognition.
"Who… who did this? And who started this fire?" he wondered aloud.
Then, a figure appeared beside him—a young man, with dark skin, messy black hair, and an unreadable expression.
"When did you wake up?" the young man asked flatly.
"What… what happened?" Aslan asked.
"Hm? Well… BLABLABLA..." the man said, then began to explain.
He told Aslan that he had been passing by the area last night, planning to stay in the village. But when he arrived, the village was already in ruins. He heard the sounds of battle and rushed toward the source.
He had seen everything—Amanda's death, Aslan's rage.
He had wanted to jump in and help, but something stopped him. He sensed that Aslan needed that moment—needed to awaken.
But as Aslan's body started to collapse under the surge of Tors energy, the man stepped in. He killed the monster and helped suppress the wild energy inside Aslan.
"Good thing you had a Harakka Pendant. That's the only reason you didn't die."
"Harakka Pendant?" Aslan asked.
"You don't know? That necklace you're wearing. My brother has one too. My master told me… there are only seventeen of them in the entire continent."
"What does it do?" Aslan asked again.
"It protects the wearer. But it only activates when you're about to die. While inactive, it absorbs Tors energy. Its durability depends on how much energy it has stored."
"When someone has a powerful emotional trigger, their Tors energy spikes. Most people die from that kind of surge. But your pendant kicked in—boosted your body just long enough to save you. Problem is, it ran out of energy fast. That's why the pain came later."
"Oh… and by the way," the young man added, "I buried the villagers at the foot of the mountain. The girl… I buried her separately and marked the spot. There was a boy who looked a lot like her, so I laid them to rest side by side."
Aslan's heart broke again. The memories came flooding back. His fists clenched.
"Why didn't you just let me die?!" he shouted.
The young man blinked. "Hm?"
"Why didn't you just let me die?! I have nothing left! All that's waiting for me is regret and pain…"
"Because that girl… wanted you to live," the man said calmly.
"She gave her life for you. I wasn't about to waste her sacrifice," he added.
Aslan fell silent. Then, the young man tossed his sword to the ground in front of him.
"But hey… it's not my place to decide your fate. Whether you kill yourself, or live on for her… that's your choice."
He turned and began walking away.
"Oh—and I took the monster's core. There was a symbol on its neck. It means the beast was once the pet of a nobleman."
"Whatever you choose… live or die, that's up to you. I'm done here. May the gods watch over you."
To be continued...