Who is Lokus?

Thorne awoke groggy and disoriented, the damp, earthy smell of the cave filling his senses. His head throbbed, and as his eyes adjusted to the dim light, he saw Kintu sitting across from him, a grim expression on his face.

"You were too injured to move," Kintu said calmly. "But I healed you, thanks to a spell I learned from a friend."

Thorne tried to shift, but the clinking sound of chains stopped him. He looked down, realizing Kintu had bound him tightly.

"I don't know you," Kintu continued, his voice steady. "I know Thorne. So, who are you?"

Thorne hesitated, then sighed. "I am no one. Just someone who wants to be left alone."

Kintu's gaze did not waver. "You are someone, all right. I saw how you fought. That was not normal. Who are you really?"

Thorne's eyes narrowed, studying Kintu before speaking again. "What you saw is a trick older relic hunters use. It is called The Akan Boost. Not something you can buy with points, relic user."

Kintu's surprise was evident, but he kept his composure.

"Yes, Kintu, I knew from the beginning," Thorne continued, his voice calm but tinged with a hint of sadness. "The second you walked into the guild; I felt the humming of the relics. It is small, but it is there. You have three, don't you? From the Death God's series, I figure."

Kintu was blown away, the truth of his own secrets laid bare.

Thorne gave a weary smile. "See? We both have secrets. So, let me go."

After a moment's hesitation, Kintu released the chains, watching as they dissolved back into his inventory. "So, who are you really?" he pressed.

Thorne shook his head as his form shifted back into the familiar dwarf. "I'm no one," he said quietly. "Just no one."

"No," Kintu said firmly. "You are not no one. You are someone."

Thorne stood, still wincing slightly from the residual pain, and nodded to Kintu. "I thank you for the help, but I'm leaving."

Before he could take a step, Kintu pulled out a small, worn photo from his pocket. "I searched through your things. Mostly weapons and rations… but I did find this."

Thorne's eyes went wide, a flash of fear and anger crossing his face. "You had no right—" he began, his voice breaking slightly.

Thorne—or rather, the man who had been Thorne—stood silent for a long moment, staring at the photo in Kintu's hand. His eyes, filled with pain and regret, finally met Kintu's.

"It's been 200 years," he finally spoke, his voice heavy with sorrow. "And it still hurts like yesterday."

He sighed, his shoulders slumping as though a great weight had been lifted just by speaking. "My name is not Thorne, you are correct. It is Lokus Allson, and I am not just a friend of the person you are looking for—I *am* that person."

Kintu's eyes widened in shock, but he stayed silent, waiting for Lokus to continue.

"I spied on you the first night you came into town," Lokus confessed. "I thought you came here to kill me. Seems I was wrong. You are a good person, Kintu, and that is why when I say this, you need to listen."

Kintu nodded, still processing the revelation.

"I am that guy," Lokus repeated, "but I'm not that guy anymore."

Lokus took a deep breath, his gaze shifting to the photo in Kintu's hand. "That photo… it was taken on my wedding day," he said softly. "That is me in the middle, still in my Oden disguise. Next to me is my wife, Janus, glowing with happiness. On her other side is her sister, Glenda. To my left, you can see King Cedric, a dear friend, and beside him, Thorne—my brother-in-law and the man whose name I later took."

Lokus's voice trembled as he continued, "That was one of the last moments of pure joy we had before everything fell apart. Even then, I was hiding who I truly was, keeping up the charade to protect the ones I loved. I never thought that disguise would become my reality."

Kintu spoke up, trying to reconcile what he was hearing with the man he had come to know. "I only came here seeking training so that I can be stronger against the Fire God's relic users."

Suddenly, Lokus's demeanor changed, his expression darkening with a flash of anger. "You stay away from that place!" he snapped; his voice full of bitterness that startled Kintu.

"That place is evil, Kintu," Lokus continued, his voice trembling with barely restrained rage. "It is a vile place. The people suffer. They engage in beast kin slave trading and prostitution. It is hell on earth. And it is all my fault."

Kintu frowned in confusion, not understanding the connection. "What do you mean?"

Lokus took a deep breath, his eyes clouded with memories of a painful past. "The current queen of the Fire God's country is my mother, Helena Allson. I was raised to be the king, but once I learned the truth, I ran away. I did not seek the throne—I wanted to be a relic hunter."

He paused; his gaze distant as he relived the memories. "Royal Guards trained me since I was young, but my mother wanted me to take the throne. So, I ran away and sought out adventure. Over time, I evolved from a relic hunter to a relic collector. I assembled four complete series—only Light and Death escaped my grasp, the others having already been claimed. Eventually, I found myself here."

Lokus's expression softened slightly as he spoke of this place. "Whenever I entered a new area, to avoid problems, I took on a fresh look and persona. So, the Thorne persona was born. But this place, this country, is different. Here, I found peace. Here, I found love."

His voice broke slightly as he spoke of his wife. "My wife, Janus, was soon pregnant with twins. But then, seven other countries threatened this country, and the Relic Wars began. Soon, my mother tracked me down using relic bounty hunters. She had heard word of a beast kin who managed to collect four sets of relics, and she was desperate. Without a complete set, my homeland would soon fall, so I gave her the Fire God's set."

Kintu listened intently, the weight of Lokus's words sinking in.

"You see, in all my travels, I used a special ring to store my relics. I did not need them to be strong—I have never used the system. So, I did not know that all gods are not the same."

Lokus's tone grew darker as he continued. "Over time, I sold the Love God's armor to a foolish king who was in love and bought a home. Then, I sold the Water Goddess's relics to a desperate prince. So, I was down to one—the Goddess of Invention's relics, which I donated to this kingdom."

Kintu could see the pain etched into Lokus's face as he spoke. "As love opened my heart, power turned my mother's black. My mother soon used all five relics in battle, becoming the Fire God's avatar. But she had made a grave error—the birth of the Fire God's avatar was a catastrophe for my homeland."

"The Fire God took over my mother's body and twisted her soul. Soon, she adopted a small boy who replaced me as her son. She twisted his mind and even gifted him one of the fire relics."

Lokus's voice was filled with sorrow and anger. "Having her soul twisted caused my mother to seek power. She soon raised a mighty army and began destroying countries. That is what happened to the Dream God's and the Time God's countries. Soon, the other nations came together to seek an end to the bloodshed, each country sending its avatar to represent it. And I went for this country, leaving my family at home."

He took a deep breath, his voice trembling as he continued. "I took my good friend Thorne with me—my wife's younger brother, a skilled warrior, and the avatar of this country. Once the deal was struck, we made our way back. But my mother must have felt betrayed, since I did not join her side. So, she sent her two generals after us, and in the battle, Thorne fell."

Kintu's heart sank at the revelation. "So, who's in the grave?" he asked quietly, not wanting to interrupt but needing to know.

Lokus shook his head, his eyes filled with grief. "Don't interrupt me, boy—I mean, Kintu."

Kintu apologized, realizing the depth of the pain Lokus was reliving.

"When I made it back," Lokus continued, "the town had been destroyed. Raiders who had heard of a dwarven relic hunter with four sets of relics attacked. My wife tried to tell them I did not have them, but they did not believe her. So, while still pregnant, they murdered her and set the town on fire. Luckily, my wife's sister, Glenda, and a few others used a new creation—fake relics—to drive them away. I arrived to find my home engulfed in flames. I went inside and fell to my knees at the sight I saw."

Lokus's voice was barely a whisper now, the weight of his memories overwhelming him. "I exited through a back window and found that gang of murderers. Using the Invention God's avatar state, I slaughtered them all. But what was left? My wife was gone, my best friend gone, my future gone. To not crush Glenda, I took on Thorne's identity."

He looked at Kintu, his eyes pleading for understanding. "And that, Kintu, me boy, is the story."

Kintu stood up, determination in his eyes. "I understand, but I need training. You do not have to do anything else, just train me."

Lokus chuckled, a mixture of amusement and seriousness in his tone. "You have potential, which is for sure. But you lack knowledge. You do not understand how each of your relics really works; you have only scratched the surface. And you lack dragon cores."

He continued, "You cannot even use your full abilities. When you fought, you did not use a basic element skin. Have you ever noticed other relic users are covered in their element during battle? You do not do that. So, I will give you a test. If you pass, I will train you."

Kintu listened intently as Lokus laid out the conditions. "You must do two things: First, never reveal what you learned today. Second, obtain five dragon cores from five different dragons. One from a Magma dragon, two from a Blizzard dragon, and two from a Monkey dragon. But be warned, boy—many dwarves die yearly attempting to obtain these cores."

Kintu asked, "Where must I go to obtain them?"

Lokus laughed, a dark edge to his voice. "Where indeed? These dragons originally hailed from the Fire God's kingdom, but once that general began slaughtering them for fun and their cores, they fled north—to these very caves. We are only on level one. That is why this mission was necessary but not urgent. Spider monkeys and dragons cohabitate naturally. The monkeys guard the entrance, and the dragons provide warmth. We just killed the guards, so it will not be long before the dragons come up."

As if on cue, Kintu felt a rumbling coming from deeper within the cave. Lokus raised his hand, casting a barrier spell at the cave entrance. "That will not hold forever. Now remember, we only need five cores from five specific dragons. After that, I will use a sleep bomb, and they will pass out like I served them cookies and milk."

Kintu stood up, a fierce determination burning in his eyes as he gazed at the sea of dragons before him. Activating his Concealment skill, he melted into the shadows, becoming invisible to the dragons' keen senses. He moved silently among them, scouting for the five specific dragons Lokus had tasked him to find. After a thorough search, he identified the Magma dragon, two Blizzard dragons, and the two Monkey dragons.

With a deep breath, Kintu prepared himself for the onslaught. He activated Shadow Leap, instantly transporting himself to the shadow of the nearest Magma dragon. Emerging from the darkness with his Magma Scythe in hand, he executed a powerful slash, cleanly severing the dragon's head. Without pausing, Kintu leaped to the next shadow, targeting the first Blizzard dragon. The icy beast barely had time to react before it, too, was decapitated.

Kintu continued his lethal dance, moving from shadow to shadow, slicing through the dragons with terrifying precision. The battlefield became a blur of motion as he cut down one dragon after another. When he reached the two Monkey dragons, he noticed they were more agile than the others. He quickly summoned his chains, binding them in place. With the dragons immobilized, he unleashed a Dual Spin Blades attack, slashing through their throats in a whirlwind of steel and shadows.

Feeling an adrenaline-fueled surge of power, Kintu realized he could keep going. Fueled by a relentless drive, he continued to hunt the dragons, his movements growing faster and more fluid with each kill. He did not stop at five; he kept going, cutting down dragon after dragon. As his body moved on instinct, he had no idea he was using The Akan Boost, amplifying his abilities far beyond their normal limits.

The cave echoed with the sound of dragons falling, their mighty roars turning into desperate whimpers as Kintu decimated their ranks. The system remained silent, an unusual absence that Kintu noticed as the battle raged on. Finally, Lokus's voice broke through the haze of combat.

"Stop!" Lokus shouted. "That's enough, boy!"

Kintu halted, breathing heavily, surrounded by the corpses of fifty dragons. The ground was littered with evidence of his prowess. He asked the system, "Are you okay?"

The system responded, "You have collected so many points, I am still counting. You have reached level 50 and have five hundred points. What would you like to do?"

Kintu, still catching his breath, replied, "Distribute it evenly."

The system complied, and Kintu felt a surge of power as his stats increased:

**Current Level**: fifty 

**Stamina**: ∞ 

**Strength**: 120 

**Speed**: 120 

**Mana**: 120 

**Defense**: 120 

**Intelligence**: 110 

The system then listed his new abilities:

- **Shadow Transmission**: Upgraded from Shadow Leap.

- **Ring of Life Level 2**: Can be used up to twice a day.

- **Summon Familiar Level 2**: Army summons.

- **Necromancer Level 2**: Army reanimate up to one hundred.

- **Shadow Concealment Level 3**: Enhanced stealth.

- **Shadow Control**: Able to use others' shadows in attacks.

- **Moon Boost Level 2**: 25% increase during a full moon.

- **Shadow Barrier**: Fully inside a sphere of shadows for protection.

Lokus tossed a bomb into the air, releasing a sleep-inducing gas that quickly knocked out the remaining dragons. "Collect the cores, and let's head back," Lokus instructed.

Kintu gathered the five required cores from the dragons he had slain. As they prepared to leave the cave, Lokus casually threw another bomb over his shoulder, causing the cave entrance to collapse. "Can't have the bastards getting out," Lokus remarked with a grin before reverting into Thorne.

As they began their journey back to town, Lokus looked at Kintu, admiration in his voice. "You are a true prodigy. I will train you for the other forty-five cores. They are worth five platinum plates each."

Kintu was shocked by the revelation but nodded in agreement. As the first rays of the sun crept over the horizon, they made their way back to town, the promise of more training and greater power awaiting Kintu.