Chapter 4: Oran's Secrets
Three Days Later
As the sun was setting, both Rin and Leon would go out at this time to hunt wolves. Each of them held a deep hatred for these demonic creatures, seeking to quench their anger.
"Oh Rin, how many wolves have you killed?" Rin nodded.
"I've reached a total of 20, how many have you killed, Leon?"
"I've killed 30, so the total is 600." Rin responded acceptingly: "It looks like you've surpassed me by 10, that's normal since your sword is now marked with 600, while mine has reached 70. The difference between us is clear."
That competitive atmosphere between them disappeared, each of them focused on their goal of exterminating these demonic creatures.
At this time, Rin was thinking: "It seems Leon is much stronger than me, it seems these powers were not distributed equally." Rin was confused, but it didn't bother him at all; what was the point of competing every time? We should focus on exterminating these creatures, and even if he's stronger than me, it doesn't bother me at all because I will either reach his level or surpass him in the near future. Rin expressed that he wasn't bothered.
At that moment, Leon shouted: "Oh Rin, I've caught a rabbit! Let's head back to the cave!" Rin nodded in agreement as they made their way toward the cave.
Rin said: "Leon, I'm worried about that giant wolf not moving. It's very strange, it's already been a month since it appeared, it comes out at sunset and goes back in at dawn, spending the entire night lying in the sky. Isn't that odd?"
"You're right, it's strange to some extent, but isn't it nice that it's not moving?"
"If it moves, we're done for." Leon expressed his concern.
Rin said: "We need to kill more wolves to increase our strength so we can at least resist it. We don't know the full extent of its power, but if it wakes up, we're finished. Let's spend another month here, then head to the western desert. It seems it first appeared in that area, so let's investigate there. We might find some clues about these weapons or their background."
Leon nodded in agreement as they reached the cave entrance.
"Oh Mona, I've caught a rabbit! You can cook it!" Leon shouted.
Mona stepped toward them with concern: "Are you alright?"
Rin said: "Don't worry, we're fine." Mona was worried about them because for the past weeks, they had been going out constantly to hunt wolves.
Mona took the rabbit from Leon with a reassuring expression, "Alright, I'll cook it right away. You can sit down."
Lina was helping Mona cook, and she sat down with Rin and Leon, saying excitedly: "Oh Rin, how many did you kill today?"
Rin answered nonchalantly: "I killed 20 today, which makes the total 70."
Excitement appeared on Lina's face as she asked Leon, "You killed 30, making your total 600."
Lina was surprised, "You've killed 100 during this period. It seems you're stronger than Rin."
As soon as she said that, she immediately closed her mouth and said: "I didn't mean that, Rin."
Leon looked at Rin, waiting. Rin replied: "It doesn't bother me at all, Lina, so don't worry."
Both Lina and Leon nodded in relief.
Mona overheard their conversation and said: "Hmm, it seems they've matured to this point."
She then grabbed Lina by her sleeve: "What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be helping me with the cooking?"
Lina expressed her apology.
Both Rin and Leon laughed, and warmth filled the atmosphere.
Mona said: "The food is ready, wash your hands."
Lina grabbed a wooden bowl from a barrel filled with water, which Rin had made earlier so that Mona and Lina wouldn't have to go outside the cave for water.
Rin stood next to the barrel to wash his hands while Lina poured water over both of his hands.
Next was Leon, and each of them sat at their place while waiting for the dishes.
Mona placed a dish for each of them, while in the center of the table was a large leaf with a roasted rabbit, and each of them took a portion for their plate, with satisfaction written on their faces.
After finishing their meal, Rin suddenly spoke: "We'll spend another month here, then head to the western desert."
Mona and Lina were surprised by Rin's decision. Mona said: "Isn't it far? It'll take three months to get there."
Leon said: "But we have to go there. We need to search for the secrets of these swords and look for clues about these demonic beasts."
Mona said: "But how can you be sure there are clues in the western desert?"
Rin suddenly exclaimed: "This demonic gate appeared in the past in the western desert, but that ancient history disappeared from the world, and I wouldn't have known this if not for the sword's memories."
Lina was astonished by the amount of information and facts Rin had shared.
Leon said: "We'll stop every night to camp, so you won't get tired. And don't worry about the wolves; we'll protect you even if it costs us our lives."
Mona didn't say a word, but her expression showed concern.
Lina said: "It's fine as long as we camp every night, so we don't get tired."
Rin said: "This trip will take about five months if we camp every night."
He added: "It's fine for now. We won't leave until the month passes. It's too early to think about it."
At that time, the western desert experienced some changes, with significant human casualties. It wasn't like the middle region's green plains, but there were still losses. The disaster spread across the seven regions, and the wolves began to launch their attacks.
Meanwhile, the entire desert was shaking, as the sand flew and the ground trembled. The local residents were filled with fear and panic. This was expected, as the world had witnessed a disaster that could annihilate humanity entirely.
In a distant area, far from the people, where only sand and a clear sky existed, the day had already arrived, and the sand rose like mountains. A tunnel opened leading to a large underground passage. Its appearance caused the entire western desert to tremble, making the people panic. But the surprise was that a person emerged from the tunnel. He wore old, tattered clothes as if from the Stone Age, his black hair short and silky, fluttering in the breeze, his face handsome with a long nose bridge that gave an air of beauty. He carried an ordinary spear marked with 5000, leaning on it as he walked, and mumbled with his dry mouth due to the intense heat:
"Water... water... I need to drink water."
But no one responded to him. He was alone in this vast desert. He continued walking desperately, searching for even a drop of water, and had already moved far from the tunnel.
He collapsed to the ground.
But at that moment, he woke up, finding himself inside a tent in the middle of the desert. He wondered what had happened, stepped out of the tent, and saw a middle-aged man with a 16-year-old girl by his side. The middle-aged man looked at him and said:
"It seems you've woken up."
The mysterious young man looked at him and asked:
"What happened? What happened to me?"
The girl spoke:
"We found you on our way to the quake site. You were unconscious, mumbling about water... water... My father and I carried you. It seemed like you were about to die. We ignored the quake site to rescue you. Do you know what happened there?"
The mysterious young man held his head as fog filled his eyes:
"I'm confused... I don't know what happened."
The middle-aged man said:
"It's alright, you can rest inside until you clear your thoughts."
The mysterious young man nodded in agreement.
An hour later, the girl entered the tent and saw the mysterious young man looking up at the ceiling. He immediately turned his gaze toward her and said:
"What do you want?"
The girl said:
"My name is Selene. What's your name?"
"You can call me Oran."
"Then, Oran, you have a nice name," Selene said.
Oran nodded:
"Where is the spear I was carrying?"
Selene replied:
"It's there next to your bed. Did you carry it to protect yourself from those creatures?"
Oran's eyes widened in surprise:
"What do you mean? Has the catastrophe repeated in this era?"
"What do you mean by 'repeated'? No one has ever witnessed this catastrophe in history. Did you hit your head?"
Shock appeared on Oran's face as he placed his hand on his chin, wondering:
"What's going on? Has that period of history been erased?"
Many thoughts flooded Oran's mind, but he quickly pushed them aside.
"Selene, in which region did this catastrophe appear?"
Selene answered:
"It seems it's the central region, the green plains."
At that moment, the middle-aged man entered, smiling. He had a short beard covering parts of his face, saying:
"Haha, it seems you two are getting along."
Selene replied dismissively:
"What are you talking about, Dad? We were talking about this catastrophe!"
The smile disappeared from the middle-aged man's face, and his expression quickly turned sad as he said:
"My name is Theron, and this is my daughter Selene. The
se creatures attacked us, and my wife and two children died... It's just Selene and me now, waiting for our fate to decide whether we live or die. Fate will decide that."
---
Oran looked at their sad expressions and said:
"There's no need to worry, I will protect you. I won't let any of you die. I will kill all these demonic monsters that exist in the western desert, then we will head to the central region, the green plains. Can you come with me?"
Both Theron and Selene were surprised, their expressions complicated:
"Do you really have the strength to protect us?"
Oran said confidently:
"I have the strength for that. Let's move from here. Is there a village nearby?"
Selene answered, saying:
"We need to head north. There's a village called Armak, but the place is dangerous. I saw many wolves roaming around that village. It will take us three days to get there."
Selene expressed her concern, but Oran said confidently:
"Pack your belongings. We will make our way there. Don't worry, I already told you that I am strong. You can trust me."
Theron looked at Selene, his expression filled with strangeness. Theron nodded and said:
"Alright, we will trust you. Our lives are in your hands now."
After a day…
As the group traveled towards the village of Armak, everyone was wrapped in a scarf to protect themselves from the flying sand carried by the wind. In this crimson sky, the moon was the color of blood, giving the feeling that something was coming.
And it indeed happened.
At this moment, a group of demonic wolves surrounded Oran, Selene, and Theron. Theron expressed his concern, cold sweat dripping from his forehead:
"What will you do now? It's a pack of 20 wolves. Even if you're strong, what can you do, Oran?"
Oran looked at each of them, his face devoid of any fear:
"Don't worry, everything will be fine. Just stay behind and don't move."
But at that moment, Theron shouted:
"Watch out! It's right behind you!"
Selene put her hand on her face, kneeling on the ground, waiting for Oran's head to be cut off, as the wolf had already aimed its claw at his neck…
But when she opened her eyes, she saw the complete opposite. Oran was still looking in their direction. The wolf's head had already flown, as Oran had thrust his spear, sharp at the edges, into the wolf's neck before its claws could reach his throat. Both Selene and Theron stared with their eyes wide open.
The wolves were already on the verge of fleeing, sensing the scent of death tightening around their necks. But before they could realize it, their bodies were floating in the air, torn to shreds. They all fell to the ground. Oran had already moved before the first severed head could land, swinging his spear as if cutting through butter, shredding all the wolves. Theron and Selene remained with their mouths open before realizing that Oran had slaughtered all those wolves, the shock on their faces increasing.
Theron said to Selene: "Did you see what happened?"
Selene shook her head in a "no" motion, unable to form words due to her shock.
But what increased their shock even more was that Oran stood in the middle of the corpses, planting his spear into the sand, holding it with one hand, as the edge of the spear began absorbing the wolves' blood.
"Well then, I'm done. We can continue on our way," Oran said with a face devoid of any expression, as if he had not fought a battle at all. He emerged without even a single scratch on his clothes.
Theron had lent him some clothes when they left the tent.
Selene looked at Oran strangely: "Where did you get this strength from?"
"We can talk about that later. Let's continue on our way."
Theron remained silent, not uttering a single word, still in shock. He nodded his head, agreeing with Oran's decision, and they continued on their way. None of them spoke, and the atmosphere between them remained tense.
After two days…
By this time, they had already reached their destination, but all they saw was a completely destroyed village. The mud houses had already been demolished, while the scattered corpses had begun to decay, their bones beginning to show. Their blood had turned as black as the darkness of night. The foul smell was unbearable, so they covered their noses.
Selene spoke, with tears beginning to form in her eyes:
"This is too cruel… Will we end up like this?"
Theron hugged her:
"Don't worry, everything will be fine."
Oran stood in front of them:
"You saved my life, I must repay the favor. I will protect you even if it costs me my life."
Relief appeared on their faces as Theron bowed, saying:
"We will be troubling you with that…"
Oran patted Theron's shoulder:
"There is no trouble at all, old man. You can stand up."
Selene asked:
"What will we do now?"
Oran said:
"Let's head to the city. We can rest a bit before our journey to the green plains. But first, let's find a place to camp for the night, and by morning, we can set off for the city."
"By the way, what is the city's name?" Oran asked both Selene and Theron.
Selene jumped and said:
"It's called 'Arian.' It's the only major city in the western desert. Even if all the villages in the western desert were gathered, they wouldn't match its vast size. I think we may find a place to rest there, as major cities have forces that can slightly reduce the damage thanks to their armies."
Oran nodded:
"Alright, let's head there immediately while camping on the way."
On their way to the city, they all stopped to set up camp. Theron lit a fire while Selene started cooking food. Both Theron and Selene had carried their belongings, so it wouldn't be difficult to cook soup or meat. Oran had already hunted three quails, while Selene cooked two and kept one for another meal.
They gathered inside the tent, each sitting in their place, waiting for the food.
Selene finished cooking and distributed the dishes:
"I made vegetable soup with quail breast. Our village 'Iris' is famous for this dish, but unfortunately, it has been wiped from existence by these demonic creatures…" Selene said, her expression showing sadness.
Oran spoke:
"It must be hard for you both."
Theron said:
"Don't worry about us. Let's eat, the food will get cold."
Selene nodded in agreement:
"Alright, go ahead and eat, Oran."
Oran nodded:
"Alright, I'll eat."
Oran said:
"It was truly a delicious meal. Thank you for that, Selene."
Selene nodded:
"No need to thank me. We ate together, so there's no need for that."
"By the way, Oran, won't you talk about that strength?" Theron asked.
Oran said:
"I don't remember the details well, but I am from the ancient era, when the gate first appeared in the western desert…"
[The rest of the text continues with Oran explaining his past, the ancient calamity, and the mysteries surrounding his
power.]
---
After a day has passed...
While the group was traveling towards Armak Village, everyone was wrapped in a scarf to protect themselves from the sand blown by the wind. In this crimson sky, the moon was the color of blood, giving the feeling that something was coming.
And that is exactly what happened.
At this moment, a group of demonic wolves surrounded Oran, Selene, and Theron. Theron expressed his concern, cold sweat dripping from his forehead:
"What will you do now? It's a group of 20 wolves, even if you're strong, what can you do, Oran?"
Oran looked at all of them, his face devoid of any expression of fear:
"Don't worry, everything will be fine. Just stay in the back and don't move."
But at that moment, Theron shouted:
"Watch out! It's right behind you!"
Selene placed her hand on her face, kneeling on the ground, waiting for Oran's head to be cut off, as the wolf had already directed its claw towards his neck…
But when she opened her eyes, she saw the complete opposite. Oran was still looking in their direction. The wolf's head had already flown off—Oran had directed his spear, sharp at the edges, at the wolf's neck before its claws could reach him. Selene and Theron stared with eyes wide open.
The wolves were already about to flee, sensing the scent of death tightening around their necks, but before they could realize it, their corpses were floating in the air, torn to shreds. They all fell to the ground. Oran had already moved before the first severed head hit the ground, waving his spear as if cutting through butter, shredding all the wolves.
Both Theron and Selene remained with their mouths agape before they realized that Oran had slaughtered all those wolves, their shock deepening on their faces. Theron said to Selene:
"Did you see what happened?"
Selene shook her head in a "no" motion, unable to utter a word due to the intensity of her shock.
But what increased their shock even further was that Oran stood amidst the corpses, planting his spear into the sand with one hand, as the edge of the spear began absorbing the wolves' blood.
"Alright, I'm done. We can continue on our way," Oran said with a face devoid of any expression, as if he hadn't just fought a battle. He emerged without a single scratch, not even on his clothes. Theron had lent him some clothes when they left the tent.
Selene looked at Oran strangely: "Where did you get this strength from?"
"We can talk about that later. Let's continue on our way."
Theron remained silent, not uttering a single word, still in shock. He nodded his head in agreement with Oran's decision, and they continued on their way. None of them spoke, and the atmosphere remained tense between them.
---
After two days...
By this time, they had already reached their destination, but all they saw was a completely destroyed village. The houses made of clay had already been demolished, while the scattered corpses had begun to decompose, with their bones starting to show, and their blood turning black as the darkness of the night. The stench was unbearable, so they covered their noses.
Selene spoke, tears beginning to form in her eyes: "This is too cruel... Will we end up like this?"
Theron hugged her: "Don't worry, everything will be alright."
Oran stood in front of them: "You saved my life, I must return the favor. I will protect you, even if it costs me my life."
Reassurance appeared on their faces as Theron bowed slightly, saying: "We'll trouble you with that..."
Oran patted Theron's shoulder: "It's no trouble at all, old man. You can stand up."
Selene asked: "What will we do now?"
Oran said: "Let's head to the city. We can rest a little before our journey toward the Green Plains. But first, let's find a place to camp for the night. By morning, we can set out for the city."
"By the way, what's the name of the city?" Oran asked both Selene and Theron.
Selene jumped in excitement: "It's called 'Arian,' the only major city in the Western Desert region. Even if all the villages in this desert were combined, they wouldn't match its vast size. I believe we can find a place to rest there, as large cities have forces that can slightly reduce the damage thanks to their strong armies."
Oran nodded: "Alright, let's head there immediately, camping along the way."
---
On their way to the city, they all stopped to set up camp. Theron lit a fire while Selene began cooking. Both Theron and Selene had brought their belongings with them, so preparing soup or cooking meat wouldn't be difficult. Oran had already hunted three quails, and Selene started cooking two while saving one for another meal.
They gathered inside the tent, each sitting in their place, waiting for the food.
Selene finished cooking and distributed the plates: "I made vegetable soup with quail breast. Our village, 'Iris,' is known for this dish, but unfortunately, it has been wiped from existence by these demonic creatures..." Selene said, her expression showing sorrow.
Oran spoke: "It must be hard on you both."
Theron said: "Don't worry about us. Let's eat; the food will get cold."
Selene nodded in agreement: "Alright, please go ahead, Oran."
Oran nodded: "Alright, I'll eat."
Oran spoke: "That was a truly delicious meal. Thank you for that, Selene."
Selene nodded: "No need to thank me. We ate together, so there's no need for that."
"By the way, Oran, won't you talk about that strength?" Theron asked.
Oran said: *"I don't remember the details well, but I am from the ancient era, when the portal first appeared in the Western Desert. That catastrophe was about to end humanity in all seven regions. But a hero appeared and founded a massive organization, setting out across the world with his group, exterminating all the demonic beasts on Earth, then sealing the portal. But I don't know what happened after that. I sealed myself when I was on the verge of death, surrounded by colossal beasts that had the power of 10,000 demonic monsters. It seems I have now awakened in this current era, where the portal has reappeared.
I lost part of my memory, forgetting the hero's name, his organization, or who created these weapons. All I know is that I set a goal—to annihilate all these beasts in the world if no one else does. As for why you don't know about ancient history, I don't have the details, as I just woke up. But it seems that era has been completely erased from history. It's truly mysterious... There seems to be a hidden force behind this."*
"As for the blood absorption ritual, the more I kill, the stronger I become. My spear is now numbered at 5020, whereas it was 5000 before—that indicates the number of beasts I have slain. Also, if I don't absorb their blood, it could lead to a violent backlash, and I may burn to death, turning into a charred corpse. Moreover, those who don't know how to absorb it will suffer the same fate."
Both Selene and Theron were bewildered, as many mysterious pieces of information entered their minds.
Oran said: "You can sleep now. I'll guard the area tonight."
Oran left the tent while Theron and Selene slept. He continued gazing at the sky all night. But at that moment, Selene stepped out beside him:
"What are you looking at?"
"I'm contemplating this crimson sky."
"Is it that special?"
Oran said: "Not at all, I'm just looking."
Then Selene returned to the tent to sleep.
She had an alluring and beautiful figure, with her long purple hair reaching her waist, her fair white skin, pink lips, and violet eyes, giving the feeling that no girl in this vast world was more beauti
ful than her. Her beauty surpassed both Mona and Lina.
Oran looked at her with a smile and said, "Good night."