The night was heavy and silent.
Dark clouds gathered across the sky like an endless sea of shadows, hiding the moon behind their thick veil. The wind moved slowly through the tall grass that covered the lonely hill, whispering like distant voices lost in time. Far below, the forest stretched endlessly, a black ocean of trees that seemed to swallow every sound.
On the edge of the hill stood a lone figure.
A boy.
He was sixteen years old, yet the calm weight in his eyes made him appear far older. His name was Jonathan.
The wind pushed against his dark cloak, making it ripple behind him. Under the cloak his body was lean and strong, shaped by years of survival rather than comfort. His black hair moved with the wind, partially covering his face.
Jonathan stood silently, looking down at the distant valley.
This land was known as the Realm of Endless Sins—a world where power ruled over mercy, where monsters walked among humans, and where suffering was as common as the wind itself.
In Jonathan's right hand rested a dagger.
It was not an ordinary dagger.
The blade was dark, almost black, and thin lines of faint red light ran across its surface like veins. The weapon seemed alive, pulsing slowly with a mysterious energy.
Its name was Shadow Fang.
Jonathan's fingers tightened slightly around the handle as he stared at the distant forest.
For a moment, he closed his eyes.
Memories flashed in his mind like distant lightning.
Pain.
Fear.
Screams.
A mark burned faintly on his back beneath the cloak—a cursed emblem that had been carved into his skin the night he was born.
Jonathan opened his eyes again.
The wind grew stronger.
He whispered quietly to himself.
"Why…?"
The question had followed him for his entire life.
Why had his father done it?
Why had he been cursed from birth?
Why had the world decided his fate before he even learned how to walk?
Jonathan shook his head slightly, pushing the thoughts away.
The past could not be changed.
Only the future could be fought.
Suddenly—
A scream broke the silence of the forest.
"HELP!"
The voice was small and terrified.
Jonathan's eyes sharpened instantly.
Without hesitation, he moved.
His body dashed down the hill with incredible speed, his cloak flying behind him like a shadow. The wind roared past his ears as he rushed toward the forest.
Another scream echoed.
This time closer.
Jonathan's hand tightened around Shadow Fang.
When he reached the edge of the forest, he stopped behind a large tree and looked ahead.
In a small clearing stood three creatures.
Demons.
Their bodies were tall and twisted, with long arms and dark gray skin. Their eyes glowed faintly in the darkness like hungry animals.
On the ground in front of them was a little girl, no older than eight.
She was shaking with fear, her clothes dirty and torn as she tried to crawl backward across the wet ground.
One of the demons laughed.
The sound was rough and cruel.
"Well, well… look what we found."
Another demon licked its sharp teeth.
"A small human. Easy food."
The girl's voice trembled.
"Please… don't hurt me…"
The demons stepped closer.
That was when Jonathan walked out from the shadows.
His voice was calm.
"Leave her."
The demons froze for a moment.
Then they slowly turned toward him.
One of them tilted its head, confused.
"A human boy…?"
The second demon smiled widely.
"Even better."
The creature stepped forward.
"We'll eat you first."
Jonathan said nothing.
He simply raised his dagger.
The red lines on Shadow Fang began to glow brighter.
Energy slowly flowed from the weapon into Jonathan's arm, spreading through his body like a silent flame.
The air around him felt colder.
The demons sensed it.
One of them growled.
"What… is that power?"
Jonathan took one step forward.
Then another.
The first demon suddenly lunged toward him, its claws cutting through the air.
But Jonathan moved faster.
In a single smooth motion, he stepped to the side and slashed his dagger across the demon's arm.
The blade cut through flesh as if it were paper.
Black blood splashed across the ground.
The demon screamed.
"AAAAARGH!"
Before it could recover, Jonathan moved again.
His body flowed like a shadow through the darkness.
Second strike.
The dagger pierced the demon's chest.
The glowing energy from Shadow Fang spread through the creature's body, devouring it from the inside.
Within seconds, the demon collapsed.
The other two roared in anger.
"Kill him!"
They attacked together.
Claws and teeth flashed through the darkness.
Jonathan dodged the first strike, ducked under the second, and spun his body forward.
His dagger cut across the leg of one demon.
The creature fell to the ground.
The third demon lunged wildly toward him.
Jonathan's eyes flashed red for a brief moment.
Something deep inside him awakened.
The power within his blood stirred.
In one final movement, he drove Shadow Fang straight into the demon's throat.
Silence returned to the clearing.
The wind moved through the trees once more.
The bodies of the demons slowly dissolved into dark smoke.
Jonathan stood still for a moment, breathing slowly.
Then he lowered his dagger.
The little girl was staring at him with wide eyes.
"Are… are you a hero?" she asked quietly.
Jonathan looked at her.
For a moment, his expression softened.
But only slightly.
He shook his head.
"No."
His voice was calm and distant.
"I'm not a hero."
He turned his gaze toward the dark forest beyond.
"I just hate demons."
The girl stood slowly, still trembling.
Jonathan looked at the sky.
The clouds were moving again.
Rain would come soon.
Far away, beyond the mountains and kingdoms of this cruel world, someone watched everything from the shadows.
A man who ruled silently.
A man who had once sold his own son to demons.
Jonathan's father.
Jonathan gripped Shadow Fang tightly.
One day…
He would find him.
And when that day came—
The world itself would tremble.
The wind howled across the hill once more as Jonathan disappeared into the darkness of the forest.
His journey had only just begun.