Chapter 9

**How Many Years Ago…**

The atmosphere in the forest was so quiet, only the sound of the wind rustling through the leaves could be heard. Aliff stood calmly, his empty eyes staring far ahead. Around him, a few passersby whispered something about him.

"Hey, look at that, that's the kid who always fights alone," whispered a man to his friend, his voice full of mockery.

"You're right, I always see him fighting alone and talking to himself. Is he crazy, hahaha?" replied his friend with a light laugh.

"I don't want to be friends with him. Let alone be friends, I wouldn't even talk or get close to him. I might go crazy like him if I get close to him," added the first man with a disdainful tone.

"Keep insulting me, I don't care what you say about me," Aliff thought to himself.

Aliff remained silent. He didn't care what others said. Whether they called him crazy or anything else, he didn't care. He just did what he wanted. If they didn't bother him, Aliff wouldn't bother them either.

If they dared to fight him, Aliff wouldn't hesitate to crush his opponents.

Back to the present…

Suddenly, Aliff was already behind the creature, his speed so fast that the creature was startled.

"What?!" screamed the creature.

"How can he be so fast?" the creature tried to disappear. But before it could do so, Aliff had already struck it hard, causing it to fall to the ground. The creature, which had been floating in the air, was now lying on the ground, confused about what had just happened.

"Now I'll show you the difference between my strength and yours," said Aliff, hovering above it.

"Can this human also float like me? That attack was too fast," muttered the creature, trying to stand. But before it could do so, Aliff was already behind it again.

"Hah!!!" screamed the creature when it saw Aliff behind it. But it was too late; Aliff had already kicked it right in the heart. The attack sent the creature flying far, destroying several trees around it.

"You… you don't even hesitate to hit your friend, do you?" protested the creature, trying to get up.

"So what?...

"Just because you're in Anna's body, you think I won't dare to attack?" said Aliff with empty eyes, his voice flat and emotionless.

"Why don't you come out of Anna's body and show your true form," said Aliff.

The creature let out a sinister laugh. "Crazy human!" it screamed. It released a powerful wind, drawing the surrounding trees into it, forming a fierce vortex. Everything near them was lifted by the wind.

But Aliff remained calm. His body didn't lift at all, standing firm in the midst of the fierce wind vortex.

"Is this creature only capable of using wind power?" he thought to himself.

"Come on, let's see how long you can stay calm," said the creature, throwing the wind vortex towards Aliff.

Aliff was now inside the fierce wind vortex. The sound of the wind hissed in his ears, but his face remained calm.

"Die, human!!!" screamed the creature with full confidence.

But Aliff didn't receive a single scratch from the attack, his body seemingly protected by something invisible.

"Haha… This won't be enough to kill me…" said Aliff calmly.

Suddenly, the wind vortex vanished. The forest returned to silence, as if nothing had happened.

"So, is that all you can do to me?

"What happened?!" screamed the creature, confused.

"Why do I feel like my power is disappearing, and I can't even feel my strength, it's as if it's erased by him," it thought to itself.

"What is this? What did you do?" it asked in a panicked voice.

"You ask what I did?,

Suddenly, Aliff was in front of the creature. He let the creature see his eyes. Aliff's eyes, which were initially empty, now shone with a mysterious light.

"What is that?! Is that a human eye?! What… what are you?!" screamed the creature, trembling with fear when it saw Aliff's eyes.

"Clearly, those aren't human eyes. Are those eyes what prevent me from using my power? How can a human have eyes like that?" the creature felt very scared after seeing Aliff's eyes.

At that moment, the creature suddenly left Anna's body. Her body, which had been filled with dark energy, now returned to normal. It was Anna's body.

When the creature tried to escape, its body suddenly couldn't move.

"What happened, why can't I move?" the creature looked back and saw Aliff staring at it, with glowing eyes.

"Damn those eyes," said the creature angrily.

"Now vanish from this world," at that moment, the creature's body burned, and it screamed in pain.

Aliff just watched the creature's body burn until it turned to ashes.

"Ah, too bad, I actually wanted to play with you a bit more, but I don't like being out late at night," muttered Aliff while looking at Anna's body, which had returned to normal.

"Alright, now I have to do this," he said. Suddenly, Aliff's eyes shone again. He looked around at the destruction. Fallen trees, cracked ground, everything slowly returned to normal, as if nothing had happened in this place.

"Okay, it's done now," suddenly Aliff's eyes bled.

"It hurts," Aliff held his eyes, it seemed he had used them for too long.

At that moment, Aliff's eyes stopped shining, and he wiped the blood from them. Aliff gently picked up Anna's unconscious body.

"Alright, let's go home," said Aliff while walking towards their place.

—

"Hmm," Anna slowly opened her eyes. At that moment, she could see Aliff carrying her.

"Aliff, what happened?" she asked weakly.

"Nothing much," Aliff replied calmly.

"Really?" Anna asked again, still unsure.

"Yes," Aliff answered briefly.

"But why does my body feel sore?" Anna asked, trying to remember what happened.

"Don't worry too much about it. Everything's fine," Aliff said reassuringly.

"The important thing is, you're safe," Aliff added as he continued walking.

After they arrived at the women's-only Hotel H, someone was waiting in front of it, Anna's female friend.

Anna's friend ran towards Aliff.

"Annaaaa… Are you okay?" her friend asked.

"I'm fine," Anna replied. Aliff was no longer carrying her; Anna now stood beside Aliff.

"Alright, then I'll be going home now," as Aliff was about to leave, suddenly Anna held his right hand.

"What's up?" Aliff asked while looking at Anna.

"Thank you," Anna said.

"Yeah," after that, Aliff left, and Anna released his hand.

"Hey, Anna, I had no idea you were friends with him. You know he's hard to approach," her friend said.

"Friend? I don't think he considers me a friend," Anna replied. "Alright, AI, let's go to our room. It's already late."

Anna's friend's name was Aina, a woman the same age as Anna.

"You're right. Let's go to our room," after that, Anna and Aina went up to the third floor and entered their room.