Chapter 2 – "The Wrath of a Silent King"
Chapter 2 – "The Wrath of a Silent King"
A king may lose his throne, but never his power. A family may break, but never their bond.
Scene 1: The Market Incident
The sun hung heavy in the sky, casting long shadows over the dirt roads of the village. Taron, the eldest son of the family, was at the market, stacking neatly chopped firewood for sale. It was his daily task, one he carried out with pride—his father, Edrin, had taught him the value of hard work.
But that day, fate turned cruel.
A soldier from the Night Watch, a high-ranking officer, walked by. His armor gleamed under the sunlight, but his eyes were dark with arrogance. His name was Captain Garron, and he had the power to do as he pleased.
He ran his gloved hand over the wood, nodding in approval. "This is fine work, boy."
Taron straightened with pride. "My family worked hard on it, sir."
Garron smirked. "Then I'll take it."
Taron extended his hand. "It'll be three silvers, sir."
The soldier's face twisted into a sneer. "I don't think you understand, boy." He grabbed a handful of logs. "I'm taking it for free."
Taron clenched his fists. "That's stealing."
Garron turned sharply. His hand struck across the boy's face, sending him stumbling. "You dare talk back to a Night Watch captain?"
Laughter erupted from the nearby guards. The people of the village turned away, unwilling to get involved.
Garron leaned down. "From now on, you'll bring me firewood every day. No questions. No complaints. Or next time, I won't be so kind."
Taron held his breath, his cheek stinging. He wanted to fight back—but he was just a boy.
Defeated, he went home, his eyes filled with shame.
When Rai asked him what had happened, the boy only smiled weakly and said, "Nothing."
But Rai saw. He saw the pain in the boy's eyes, the hesitation in his voice. He did not understand human emotions well, but something inside him tightened. A feeling. A feeling he did not recognize yet.
Scene 2: The Breaking Point
Days passed.
Taron continued selling firewood in the same place. Every day, people mocked him, whispering how he let himself be humiliated.
Then, one evening, Captain Garron returned.
This time, he was drunk.
"You again?" he slurred, stumbling forward. His eyes landed on a thin gold chain around Taron's neck—the locket his grandmother, Mira, had given him.
"That's some nice gold," Garron grinned. "Give it here."
Taron's hands flew up to his chest. "No… it's a gift."
The laughter around him grew cruel.
Garron's expression darkened. "I wasn't asking."
Before Taron could move, the soldier ripped the locket from his neck.
The boy shouted, lunging forward—but Garron's boot met his face.
Blood splattered onto the dusty road. Taron collapsed, unconscious.
And no one did anything.
They left him there. Alone.
A full day passed before Rai and the family found him, lying in the dirt, bruised and cold.
Scene 3: The Awakening of the Demon
Rai knelt down, staring at the broken boy. A strange heat burned in his chest.
He clenched his fists. His body trembled.
A whisper from deep inside his soul, a voice buried beneath forgotten memories, echoed in his mind.
"Power is meaningless if you cannot protect what is yours."
Taron stirred, his lips dry, his voice weak. "...hungry…"
Rai nodded. "Wait here."
He walked to the marketplace, buying fresh fruit with the little money the family had. But before he could return—
Captain Garron appeared again.
His drunken eyes landed on Taron, who sat on the roadside.
With a sick grin, he staggered forward and snatched the food from the boy's hands.
"Looks like a beggar now, eh?" Garron laughed, taking a bite. "What, you gonna cry?"
Taron froze. His hands trembled. He wanted to fight, but he was too weak.
Then, for the first time in his life, he cried out.
"HELP!"
His voice shattered the air.
A primal scream filled with fear, rage, and helplessness.
The world stilled.
And something inside Rai snapped.
Silence.
Then—
🔥 A flash of crimson. A streak of light. 🔥
Before anyone could react, Garron's right arm was severed from his body.
It hit the ground with a wet thud.
A stunned gasp echoed across the marketplace.
Blood sprayed into the air.
Garron's screams split the silence as he collapsed in agony, clutching his severed limb.
Rai stood over him, his golden-red eyes burning, his breathing slow and controlled.
He turned, kneeling beside the shaking boy, and wrapped him in a firm embrace.
"Do not be afraid," he whispered. "I am here."
Scene 4: The Soldier's Last Mistake
Within minutes, fifty armed soldiers arrived at the market. Garron, pale from blood loss, screamed from the ground.
"GET HIM!"
The soldiers hesitated. Something about this man was… wrong.
But they attacked anyway.
And it was a massacre.
Rai did not move like a human. He moved like a force of nature.
With every strike, bodies collapsed. With every movement, fear spread.
By the end, only one soldier remained standing.
The chief of the Night Watch.
He had seen enough.
"You…" he whispered, stepping back in fear. "You are not human."
Rai did not answer. Instead, he grabbed Garron's face, lifting him effortlessly.
"You took from my family," Rai said in a low voice. "Now, I take from you."
Garron whimpered, his body trembling.
"You will live," Rai said softly. "But if you or your men ever touch my family again—"
His grip tightened.
"I will find you in the deepest pits of hell… and there, I will teach you what true suffering means."
He let go.
Garron collapsed into the dirt, sobbing.
The last soldier, terrified, ran toward the castle.
To tell the king.
Ending: A Shadow Awakens
As they walked home, Taron clung to Rai's cloak.
"Are you leaving?" the boy whispered.
Rai paused.
For the first time in his life, someone looked at him—not as a monster. Not as a king. But as family.
He placed a hand on Taron's head.
"No," Rai said softly. "I am here."
But far away, in the great stone halls of the royal castle, the news had already spread.
A powerful warrior. A monster in human form.
And the king was listening.
🔥 The war was about to begin. 🔥