It's been twelve years since the birth of Kyran, and needless to say, he stood out amongst his mates.
The villagers had eventually found out Kyran was born on the 'day of doom,' a tag for the dark day. He was instantly tagged the 'plague boy,' one to be avoided.
The color of his hair, which was a sharp contrast to his parents', didn't help to subside their theories.
Of course, Kyran wasn't bothered about that. In his past life, he was tagged several names for having no beast, and eventually, he changed their perspective... becoming the great Null Swordsman that was respected everywhere.
His parents also did great jobs in convincing that he wasn't different from the others, soothing him whenever he was chastised by villagers.
Still, Kyran couldn't dismiss the memories of his past life and some kind of 'scroll' that appeared before him on the day of his birth.
His twelve years with the Winlocks were used to gather information, play with other kids in the villages, listen to bedtime stories, and help his mother in the market.
Gad, now Kyran, couldn't deny the warmth he felt with his parents—Fred Winlock and Elena Winlock.
That night, he grinned as his father told him another story of the Null Swordsman.
"Dad, can you tell me more?" Kyran asked sheepishly, his eyes glinting with that fervor his parents deemed childishly dangerous.
"No. Now, our little hero needs some rest. I can always tell you more stories of the Null Swordsman later. Soon, you'll get your own beast and make your own stories," Fred replied softly, his hands gently cupping Kyran's face.
Kyran already predicted his father's answer. He knew his father needed rest for tomorrow's beast hunt, but he would always try to listen to the stories of his past life.
He hastily tucked himself under his sheet and whispered goodbye to his father, a wide grin still plastered on his face.
He could still hear the faint whispers of his parents he was accustomed to. Memories of his interactions with the Winlocks were gradually filtering out his past life memories.
Kyran was getting accustomed to his present life.
Unbeknownst to him, that night would change it all.
...
Later that night, a sudden yell jolted the Winlocks out of their slumber.
The couples jumped on their feet to check the disturbance, their eyes scanning the village from their windows.
Then, Fred noticed it.
Immediately, he manifested his beast. Black scales covered his arms, a thick carapace covered his torso and back (serving as armor) and his nails elongated to thick, lethal claws.
Kyran had woken up, too. He immediately rushed to his parents' room to check on them.
"Dad, what's wrong?" Kyran asked half-asleep, his voice laced with sleepiness.
"Go to your room, now! Don't come out until we say so," Fred instructed sternly as he hastily dashed out.
Kyran nodded and went back to his room immediately. His father had never screamed like that... he knew it had to be a salient issue when his father reacted that way.
Elena entered his room shortly afterwards.
She found her son tucked in his sheet with face down."Kyran, everything is fine. You don't need to worry yourself, dear."
"Okay, mom. But what happened? Why did dad leave hastily?"
Elena's explanation got caught in her throat when another yell ripped the silence.
"Wake up, everyone! It's a beast sw..." a man attempted to announce when a wooden spear pierced him from behind.
The man coughed blood and slowly turned to see what had struck him, only for his head to be struck by a beast with seven, glowing crimson eyes.
The man's head fell with a thud that shattered a young girl's innocence. She had recently come out to check her father and the bothersome noise, only to find her father's head severed by a beast with seven fierce eyes and multiple legs.
"Noooooo!" The girl screamed, her voice instantly capturing the attention of the influx of beasts.
The multiple legged beast with wood control also seemed annoyed by the girl's yell. Its wooden hand which it manipulated to look like a spear—retracted with scarlet liquid dripping from it.
The beast appeared to be a humanoid beast—a Dryad fused with a Penumbral Spider, an abomination never meant to exist.
The beast manipulated its hand to look like an axe. It rose it high to deliver a decisive blow, but was stopped midway by a long, thick claw.
"Not here!" Fred screamed and struck with his free hand, his claws finding flesh in the abdomen of the abomination.
A guttural yell ripped from the Dryad's throat, its multiple crimson eyes widening with fury.
It instantly moved wood to the scathed area and took a step back to evaluate its opponent. Beasts were not know for strategic battling; they reacted with primal instincts. However, humanoid ones were exclusive, they seemed to possess greater ability for rationalization.
The Dryad-Penumbral Spider turned its hand to a lethal spear again, aiming for Fred's torso. But Fred had predicted its move. He immediately manipulated earth to create an elevated platform for leverage.
He jumped from his ground and spun to the beast's back to strike surprisingly, but the beast had also predicted.
With the aid of its multiple legs, its muscle coiled and lifted it off the ground, landing several meters away from Fred.
'This one will be hard. Luckily, its mana signature doesn't appear to be above Bronze tier,' Fred assessed with half admiration and trepidation.
The beast gawked from its stand, finding ways to eliminate its strong opponent.
The beast's multiple legs rested on the ground and shifted slightly, performing some kind of trickery that appeared unnoticeable to Fred.
Fred thought the beast was having competence doubts, but was proved wrong when his heightened senses felt some kind of movement below the ground.
His beast was a ground beast, one tuned to earth and with greater advantages on the ground. It was no shocker that Fred had sensed slight disturbances underneath.
Fred jumped up with surprising agility and soon noticed what the trickster had planned midair.
In Fred's previous position, a wooden tablet with jagged, sharp edges protruded—seeking flesh.
Fred landed graciously few meters ahead of the planned evil. He dashed with his arms extended sideways, searching for a quick end.
He knew he couldn't play with elemental control like the beast... simply because he had limited mana. Wasting his pool would be unwise, and putting his village in harm's way.
The beast watched as the human charged 'recklessly,' its arms manipulated into double axes in preparation for his opponent's demise.
Fred noticed the change and grinned when he saw that the beast had fallen for his bait.
He was only ten meters away from the beast when he suddenly rose a high pillar of earth for leverage.
The beast had remained groveled, expecting a direct confrontation, only to be shocked at the last second.
Fred somersaulted from his pillar, his claws extending towards the abomination head. The beast attempted to move at the last second, realizing its costly mistake... it was too late.
Fred's claw sank deep in the grotesque fusion of wood and flesh midair, splattering black blood on the ground.
"Humans will always be smarter than beasts," Fred muttered as he landed meters away from the corrupt body.
The seven eyes of the beast instantly dimmed, losing the unnatural red color as black blood gushed from the open wound.
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