Chapter 1

The Forest Was Dark. Very Dark.

The forest was not just dark—it seemed to have a life of its own, like a living entity watching every step taken by anyone daring enough to enter its domain.

In the midst of that darkness, a ten-year-old boy walked alone. His steps were calm but not slow. His eyes, hidden behind his long hair, hinted at something deeper—something that shouldn't belong to a child his age. He didn't run, he wasn't in a hurry, as if the world around him couldn't affect his tranquility.

"Why didn't you go with your friends, hahaha!"

That mocking voice still echoed in his ears, like a song that wouldn't stop playing. He remembered their faces—the faces of children who should have been cheerful, but were adorned with cynical smiles and eyes full of arrogance.

They, his friends—or rather, those who should have been his friends—had left him.

Once again. The boy sighed deeply. He was used to this. Used to being isolated, used to being considered strange, used to being alone.

"Hmph!!!"

He stopped for a moment, looking around. This forest was not unfamiliar to him. He recognized every tree, every small stone, every dark corner that might hide uninvited creatures.

In this forest, there were many things people in the town didn't know.

His house was located in the middle of the forest, far from the bustling village. It was the only place he felt safe, despite its quiet and isolated state. But tonight, the forest felt more frightening than usual. The wind blew hard, carrying the scent of wet soil and rotting leaves. The boy sensed something—something trying to approach him.

"You can come out now," he whispered, as if speaking to empty air.

Suddenly, the wind blew harder than before. His long hair was swept by the wind, revealing his shining white eyes. He didn't need to turn around to know what was behind him. It was already there, ready to attack him.

"You've been following me all along, haven't you?..."

"Now I'll make you regret daring to disturb me."

His voice exploded, full of anger. This wasn't the first time he had encountered creatures like them. They were creatures that always tried to disturb him, that always appeared when he felt most alone.

The creature lunged at him, its sharp claws aiming for the boy's neck. But with an unexpectedly quick movement, the boy dodged. The creature fell to the ground, emitting a deep growl.

"Damn creature,"

The boy didn't give it a chance to rise. He grabbed the creature's hair, pulling it with strength that shouldn't have belonged to a child his age.

*Why am I like this?* his heart whispered.

Why am I different from other kids, why…

His eyes shone brighter, the white light emanating like a sword ready to destroy anything in its path.

"I'll kill anything that dares to disturb me,"

The creature began to shiver, terrified of the boy's eyes, which it saw were not ordinary eyes.

"I'm tired of you all," he said coldly.

And in an instant, the creature's body vanished, as if absorbed by the light emanating from the boy's eyes.

He stood in the dark forest, alone. But the calm didn't last long. Sounds began to echo again. Footsteps, hissing, growling. The creatures were coming again. More than before.

The boy sighed.

"Looks like I'll be late getting home again," he whispered. But this time, he didn't feel afraid. Instead, he felt angry—angry that he couldn't live like other kids, angry that he always had to face these creatures, angry that he had no choice.

"Oh well," he continued, his eyes shining brighter than before.

"I'll kill you all."

"Don't ever think you can run from me,"

The creatures emerged from the darkness, one by one. There was a giant snake, its eyes glowing like embers. A tiger, but with a larger body and sharper claws. And a giant, towering high, with skin as hard as stone. And many more. They all surrounded the boy, ready to pounce.

But the boy was not daunted. His shining white eyes looked at them one by one, as if challenging them to come closer. And they did.

"What are you waiting for, attack me!"

The giant snake struck first. Its long body darted towards the boy, its mouth wide open, ready to bite.

But the boy moved faster. With an unexpected leap, he dodged and landed on the snake's head. Without hesitation, he grabbed one of the snake's eyes and ripped it out.

The snake screamed in pain, its body thrashing uncontrollably.

But the boy didn't stop. He leaped from the snake's head and, with a swift motion, tore its throat. The snake collapsed, its body slowly dissipating into black smoke.

The tiger attacked next, its sharp claws aimed at the boy's chest.

But once again, the boy easily dodged. He grabbed the tiger's claw and, with extraordinary strength, broke it.

"Too weak,"

The tiger screamed, but its voice was cut short as the boy punched its head with a force that sent the creature flying several meters away.

The giant came last. Its large, hard body seemed impossible to defeat.

But the boy didn't care. He ran towards the giant, leaped high, and punched the creature's stomach with a force that made the giant topple over. Before the giant could rise, the boy was already on top of it, his small hand piercing the creature's chest. The white light from his eyes shone brighter, and in an instant, the giant's body shattered into pieces.

The forest became silent again. The boy stood amidst the ruins of the battle, his breath slightly heavy. But his eyes still shone, still full of power he couldn't fully control.

"How long do I have to be like this?" he whispered, his voice full of despair.

He looked towards his home, still far within the forest.

"I have to go home," he said to himself.

But before he could step, he felt something again. Something bigger, stronger than the creatures he had just faced.

The boy turned around, his shining white eyes scanning the darkness.

"Still more, huh?" he said, his voice cold.

The wind blew again, harder than before. And from the darkness, a large silhouette emerged—a creature much larger than he had ever faced before. Its body towered high, almost touching the treetops around it. Its skin was jet black, as if absorbing all the light. Its eyes glowed red, like two burning embers filled with hatred and a desire to destroy.

"What kind of creature is this?..."

The boy swallowed hard. He knew this was no ordinary enemy. This was something more dangerous, more threatening. But he couldn't run. He never ran.

"Who are you?" the boy asked, his voice firm despite his racing heart.

The creature didn't answer. Instead, it growled deeply, like thunder echoing throughout the forest. Then, with a movement quick for its size, it jumped toward the boy, its large hands slashing the air with force capable of shattering stone.

The boy jumped to the side, dodging the attack by mere inches. He knew he couldn't let the creature touch him. One blow might be enough to end his life.

"You can't run from me, little boy," the creature finally spoke, its voice deep and terrifying, like an echo from hell.

"Seems like this is a creature that can talk, this isn't the first time I've fought creatures that can talk," he thought to himself.

"I have no intention of running," the boy replied, his eyes still shining white.

He ran towards the creature, jumped high, and punched its stomach with all his might. But this time, the creature didn't topple over. Instead, it laughed—a laugh that made the boy's hair stand on end.

"You're too weak," said the creature, before swatting the boy away like a fly.

The boy was thrown to the ground, his body feeling like it was breaking. He tried to get up, but the pain was too intense.

"Why don't you just give up?" asked the creature, approaching the boy with heavy steps.

"Give up? You think you can kill me?..."

The boy looked at the creature, his eyes still shining. He knew he couldn't give up. He wouldn't give up.

"Unfortunately, my mother told me never to give up no matter what."

He took a deep breath, and suddenly, the light from his eyes grew brighter, illuminating the entire forest. The creature roared, trying to shield its eyes from the blinding light.

"Now I'll get a bit more serious…"

The boy rose, the pain in his body seemingly gone. "Actually, I didn't want to use this power," he thought to himself.

"Now let's end this," he said, before leaping towards the creature once more.

This time, his attacks were stronger, faster. He punched the creature repeatedly, each blow making the creature roar in pain.

The creature tried to fight back, but the boy was too quick. He dodged every attack and retaliated with even stronger strikes.

Finally, with one last punch, the boy struck the creature's chest with a force that sent the creature tumbling backward, crashing to the ground with a thunderous sound.

The boy stood over the creature, his breath heavy.

"You lost," he said coldly.

The creature looked at him, its eyes still red, but now filled with fear.

"Who are you really?" the creature asked, its voice weak. "That's not human power, what kind of creature is inside you?..."

The boy didn't answer. Instead, he raised his hand, and the light from his eyes shone once more, absorbing the creature until nothing was left but black smoke that slowly disappeared.

"You ask who I am? I'm just an ordinary human, who can kill creatures like you."

The forest returned to silence. The boy stood in the darkness, his body full of wounds and exhaustion. But he was still alive.

He looked towards his home, still far within the forest.

"I have to go home," he whispered, before slowly walking toward his home, leaving the darkness of the forest behind.

---

As he walked, the boy's thoughts wandered. He thought about his life. Other children in the village avoided him, calling him strange, cursed. Even adults looked at him with suspicion and fear.

"There's a reason they're afraid of me, it's because my family suddenly disappeared from home, they must think I made my family disappear.

They didn't understand him, and he didn't understand them. All he knew was that he was different—cursed with a power he didn't ask for, a power that set him apart from others.

"Why me?" he muttered quietly, his shining eyes dimming slightly as he walked slowly.

The forest felt endless, the path home stretching far into the shadows. But he didn't mind. Walking through the forest, even in the middle of the night, felt more comfortable for him. Here, in the darkness, he didn't have to pretend to be something he wasn't. He didn't have to hide who he really was.

But as he walked, he felt it again—a presence, something watching him. He stopped, his shining eyes scanning the trees around him.

"What is this?" he whispered, his voice sounding frustrated.

From the shadows, a figure emerged. But this time, it wasn't a monster or creature. It was a man—tall, clad in a black cloak, with a hood covering his face. The boy couldn't see his face, but he could feel the man's gaze, heavy and piercing.

"Who are you?" the boy asked, his voice firm though there was unease creeping in his chest.

The man didn't answer immediately. Instead, he stepped closer, his movements smooth and measured. When he finally spoke, his voice was calm, almost gentle.

"You are the one they talk about," said the man. "The boy who walks alone in the forest. The boy who kills monsters with powers no one understands."

"Does he know that I killed those creatures," he thought to himself.

The boy's eyes narrowed. "What do you want?"

The man tilted his head slightly, as if studying him. "I've been watching you for some time. You... are different. Unique. And I think I can help you."

The boy scoffed. "I don't need your help. I'm fine on my own."

"Really?" the man countered. "Living like this, hunted by creatures, feared by those around you? Is this really the life you want?"

The boy hesitated. For a moment, the man's words touched something inside him. But then he shook his head, his resolve returning strong.

"I don't need anyone," he said. "I can take care of myself."

The man chuckled lightly, almost sounding amused. "Brave words for someone so young. But bravery alone won't protect you from what's coming."

The boy's eyes flickered with curiosity. "What do you mean?"

The man stepped closer, his voice lowering. "There are forces in this world—ancient and powerful—that are awakening. And there will also be creatures so strong that will appear on this earth.

The boy was silent, absorbing the man's words.

"Why should I trust you?" the boy asked.

The man reached into his cloak and pulled out a small shining stone. The stone pulsed with a soft and mysterious light, casting strange shadows around them.

"This is a fragment of the Source," said the man. "The essence that drives your power. I can teach you how to use it, how to control it. But only if you're willing to learn."

"You want to help me? You think you are who, the boy looked at the man,

The man suddenly felt an immense power and overwhelming fear as he looked into the boy's eyes.

"Just by looking at my eyes, you're already scared, and you still want to help me control my power?"

At that moment, the man's body caught fire,

"What's happening, why is my body burning?" the man started to panic, a pained voice escaping his lips,

"Hot, hot, hot,"

But the boy just watched as the man's body burned and turned to ash,

"If what you said is true and will happen, I'll just have to kill it, right?..."

The boy stood alone once again, the forest around him silent.

Taking a deep breath, he continued his journey home,

---

"I'm home," after several minutes of walking through the forest, he finally reached his house.

There was no response, it was just him in this house, the house in the middle of the forest, only him alone in the middle of the forest.