The smoke slowly unraveled, dragged away by the cold wind that slipped between the shattered houses.
When the haze finally cleared, Frederin saw something he would never forget.
The man in the dark-blue coat was still standing.
But without his arms.
Blood fell from his shoulders like two red waterfalls, dripping onto the ground in a slow, almost hypnotic rhythm.
Fred froze. His hands trembled, his lips quivered without strength.
Fred (shaking):
— W-why… would you sacrifice yourself for me?
The man took a deep breath as if that — losing both arms — were nothing more than an annoying inconvenience.
Man:
— Because… that's what heroes do, kid.
Then the impossible happened.
The blood pouring from his wounds began to harden in the air, crystallizing.
And before Fred's horrified eyes, two new arms formed — shaped from that solidified blood.
He turned his face toward the boy, leaving behind the charred body of the creature he had killed.
Man:
— Let's get out of here, Frederin. This village is done for… there's no safety here anymore.
Fred (swallowing hard):
— W-who are you?
Man:
— I'm a warrior. Trained to deal with this kind of thi—
A sound cut through the air.
A wet, horrible crack.
The man bent forward violently.
A black tentacle had pierced straight through his abdomen like cloth.
Behind him, the creature — the same creature — stood intact, as if nothing had happened.
Pale, white skin.
A face with nothing on it.
Perfect suit.
The embodiment of a nightmare.
Even impaled, the warrior raised his hand and threw something.
A ring.
It bounced near Fred.
Man (voice fading):
— Take… this… kid…
— It'll give you strength to keep going…
He coughed blood. A lot of it.
The creature yanked the warrior upward with brutality.
On its blank face, a black, pulsating hole formed — an impossible mouth.
And there, the warrior was devoured.
Swallowed into darkness.
Fred, in shock, grabbed the ring with trembling hands… and ran without looking back.
An explosion lit up the destroyed houses.
The creature screamed in pain — a metallic, harsh roar that froze Fred's heart.
As he ran, he noticed something strange.
The ring was glowing.
A yellow glow, intense… warm.
Too warm.
Fred stopped.
Fred:
— Hey, this ring… it's burning my hand!
He tried to pull it off. Tugged. Scratched.
Nothing.
The object simply fused into his skin.
Disappeared.
And a wave of energy surged through his chest.
Then the ground shook behind him.
The creature advanced — enormous. Much larger than before.
Fred (stunned):
— It… grew. Must be four meters tall now…
On its faceless head, four black holes opened — symmetrical, malicious — like starving eyes.
From those holes, fireballs emerged — dozens, all different.
They were fired at once.
Frederin froze.
There was no time.
No escape.
No hope.
Fred (thinking, broken inside):
— So this is how I die?
— I… didn't do anything great.
— I just tried to keep things together…
— And in the end, I didn't protect my family…
— Dad… I'm sorry. I failed.
The fire came like meteors.
And then—
The explosion.
…
When the smoke cleared, the village was no longer a village.
It was a smoldering graveyard.
At the center, Fred was crouched, breathing in shattered gasps, his arm raised by reflex.
A thick, black, pulsating line crossed his body — from collarbone to back — as if something had been stitched into his flesh.
Fred (in disbelief):
— What… was that? These marks…?
A voice echoed inside his head.
Voice (deep, ironic):
— I saved you, kid. You can thank me whenever you want.
Fred tried to stand — and collapsed.
Fred:
— Damn… I can only move my head… my body won't respond…
Voice:
— Our body, kid. Ours.
A roar tore through the air.
The gigantic creature emerged from the flames.
Fred tried to move — nothing.
Then something seized him.
His eyes turned red.
Black markings spread across his face like living roots, covering half of it.
His consciousness flickered out for an instant.
The creature leaped at him.
But Fred was no longer on the ground.
He was standing.
Silent.
Straight.
Eyes empty, predatory.
A crooked smile on his lips.
Red and blue lightning cracked beneath his feet, splitting the ground.
Fred raised his arm slowly.
But the voice that came out… was not his.
Entity:
— Now let's have a real fight.
The creature, once charging with ferocity, recoiled.
Trembling.
Terrified.
Entity (laughing, brushing hair back):
— You noticed, didn't you? I'm not the kid you tried to kill. I'm much, much more than that.
The monster tried to flee.
From atop the ruined buildings, a greenish blade sliced through the air.
It plowed through everything in its path and decapitated the monster.
The sword fell to the right and exploded.
The head rolled left.
The body collapsed in the center like a dead mountain.
On the rooftop of a ruined building, three figures watched.
Entity:
— Who are you?
One of them jumped from the shadows.
Julian.
Julian:
— Answer us first. Were you the one who caused all this destruction?
Entity:
— No. But I helped make it.
— Are you going to stop me? Come on. It's been a while since I had a real fight.
Julian jumped down. Sebastian landed right after.
Kevin descended last.
The entity inside Fred observed, evaluating.
Entity (thinking):
— I can feel their power. One… extraordinary. The other… acceptable.
Sebastian:
— Tell us your name. Your aura isn't normal.
Entity:
— My name?
— I am Leonardo Dinark.
Kevin:
— Wasn't he the guy sealed inside the rings we came to find?
Julian:
— We're too late. Leonardo found a vessel.
Leonardo smiled.
Leonardo:
— Before we fight, it's rude not to know each other's names.
Julian:
— Julian Nardin.
Sebastian:
— Sebastian Vargas.
Kevin:
— Kevin Dinark.
Leonardo frowned.
Leonardo:
— You can't be a Dinark. Where's the Anagarete?
— It's what defines our bloodline.
Kevin:
— You were one of the first Dinark, right?
— Then show me what you can do.
Leonardo:
— A Dinark without the Hagan… how shameful.
Sebastian:
— We'll win. There's three of us, and your power's split. You don't stand a chance.
They took their stances.
Leonardo grinned.
Leonardo:
— I agree. I outnumber you.
The moment he finished speaking…
Julian and Sebastian dropped to their knees, coughing blood, gasping.
Kevin remained still. Eyes closed.
Cold.
Calm — too calm.
Julian and Sebastian stood up — but they were no longer themselves.
They walked toward Leonardo like puppets.
Leonardo:
— I thought you'd help your friends. Didn't even move.
— Are you sure you cared about them?
Kevin opened his eyes.
His irises were now silver-gray, with a vibrant green streak cutting vertically through the pupil.
Ray:
— Always quick to understand everything.
Azazel:
— Kid… I think I've fought you before.
Leonardo laughed.
Leonardo:
— Nice to see you again, comrades.
Ray:
— Always a pleasure to meet demons I actually like.
Azazel:
— And what do we do with the boy?
Ray:
— Kill him. This time… for good.
Leonardo:
— Before that, I want to see how strong my descendants have become.
Kevin smiled — and behind him, the scenery was fire.
Kevin:
— The winner was decided before the fight even began.
Ray and Leonardo narrowed their eyes.
Ray's eyes changed too — silver-gray irises with a horizontal red streak.
Ray:
— Thanks for the gift. I'll make good use of it, Kevin Dinark.
Kevin:
— I'm glad you liked it.