The mist of the valley clung to Yozaru's skin like a living thing.
Every step echoed against the damp earth, carrying the scent of decay, old stone, and forgotten blood. His hand tightened around the sword's hilt. The silence here wasn't peace—it was a warning.
They said no one who entered this place ever returned.
Legends spoke of the Ferol Ones—creatures neither man nor beast. They had no reason, no soul, only a savage instinct to devour anything that breathed. Yozaru used to think those were bedtime stories told to scare children. But now, the story had teeth.
A deep growl trembled beneath the ground.
Then, two crimson eyes burned through the fog.
"...Ferol One," Yozaru muttered, voice barely a whisper.
The creature lunged forward with a roar that split the air. Yozaru swung his sword up just in time—steel met claw in a burst of sparks. The impact threw him backward, slamming his shoulder into a broken pillar.
Pain shot through his body, but he forced himself up again.
The Ferol One charged once more, tearing through stone and dust. Yozaru ducked, slashing at its neck. The blade cut shallow; black blood hissed against the ground. The creature howled, enraged, its breath hot and foul. Every movement shook the ruins.
Yozaru's heart pounded. His instincts screamed at him to run, but he gritted his teeth.
I can't die here... not yet.
Just as the beast leapt again—
The sky split open.
A blinding light tore through the mist, and from within it, a tall armored figure emerged. His presence was heavy, commanding. Eyes that glowed like fading stars met Yozaru's in silence.
Sentarion.
Without a word, the stranger swung his blade. The air itself cracked.
The Ferol One screamed as its massive body was hurled across the ruins.
Yozaru froze, breathing hard. The figure before him looked human… but felt wrong. Too composed. Too aware.
"So there are still humans wandering these lands," Sentarion said, his tone calm, almost amused.
"Brave… or foolish?"
Yozaru tightened his grip on his sword. "I don't know who you are… but move aside."
Sentarion's lips curved slightly. "Bold words for someone trembling beneath his fear. The Ferol One would've ended you, yet I spared you—and you draw your blade on me?"
Yozaru said nothing. His body trembled—not from fear, but from rage buried deep inside.
Flashes of his village burning, his family's faces, his father's blood…
The pain boiled over. "I'm not afraid!"
He charged.
Steel clashed. Sparks scattered like fireflies in the dark.
Sentarion deflected each strike effortlessly, almost playfully, then struck back. His blow landed on Yozaru's shoulder; agony surged through his body. He staggered—but didn't fall.
"That's it," Sentarion murmured, eyes gleaming.
"There's something burning in you. Rage… buried beneath fear. You might be worth keeping alive."
Yozaru's breathing grew ragged, but he didn't look away.
And then—the Ferol One moved again. Wounded, but not dead.
It growled, circling both of them, red eyes flickering with hunger.
Sentarion turned his head slightly.
Yozaru lifted his sword once more.
For a heartbeat, the world stood still.
Then all three moved at once.
Steel, claw, and power collided in a single instant.
The valley erupted with the sound of a scream that would echo through history.