Chapter 2: What is that? Magic?

Arthur arrived at the village Eindale by midday. The place was small but lively. He spotted the familiar trio near the village gates, in full guard gear.

Darrow Rin was lounging on a crate, chewing on dried fruit.Darrow Fin stood straight like a statue, spear in hand.Darrow Zin was half-asleep on a wooden bench, helmet tilted over his face.

Arthur threw three small knives from far — one landed between Rin's legs, one struck Fin's helmet, and the third hits between Zin's fingers.

They flinched, instantly alert, but then noticed Arthur.Rin jolted. "Oi—Arthur?!"

Fin dropped his spear and jumped up, grinning. "No way. Look at you. Taller, bulkier… but using the same moves"

Arthur walked up. "But you still fell for it. Ha ha ha" and added, "What are you guys doing?"

Zin yawned and smirked. "We were… Patrolling. And searching for this wild bull"He kicked the crate Fin had been sitting on.

"Villagers reported a wild bull causing trouble around this area," Rin said, glancing at his scribbled note. "Big. Aggressive. Comes out from the forest. Some even say its horns are growing unnaturally."

Zin snorted. "Fshhh, a magical bull now? What's next—flying pigs?"

Fin waved a hand dismissively. "It's always a 'giant beast' in the story."

Arthur said, "A wild bull? Interesting."

Rin asked, "Ignore that. What brings the big man here?"

"Summer break. Figured I'd visit before heading further south."

"Still chasing ghosts, huh? We searched all over Valoria for your parents back in our academy days," Zin said casually.

Arthur gave a light nod, "Yeah."

They continued walking, half-chatting, half-scanning the surroundings. For a moment, it just felt like old times—until they heard a loud grunt behind a tree line.

Bushes exploded as a huge, dark bull burst out, snorting and tearing up the ground. Its horns long and twisted, pulsing with strange black veins.

"…Okay, that's not normal bull," Rin muttered, stepping back.

The bull let out a thunderous snort—and charged.

As the bull lowered its head to charge at Zin, Arthur moved.

With full force, he leapt forward, catching the bull by the side of the neck. One hand gripped its horn, the other hooked around its thick hide. Using the momentum of the bull's own charge, Arthur twisted Its neck, pulling hard—dragging the beast off-balance.

The bull stumbled—and crashed to the ground, a heavy thud shaking the dirt.

Arthur landed with it, still clinging to its neck, using all his weight to pin it down.

For a moment, everything went still.

The DDD brothers stared in disbelief—then all three grinned.

"That's our Arthur!" Zin cheered.

But the victory didn't last long.

The bull started twitching. 

Its muscles began to move.

The horns pulsed, growing longer, sharper—dark veins glowing red.

Its muscles expanded, skin bulging unnaturally, and in mere seconds, the beast tripled in size.

The DDD brothers' smiles dropped instantly.

"Uh—nope," Rin said, stepping back. "Nope nope nope."

Arthur tried to hold it down, but the creature rose, lifting him like a doll.

The monstrous bull tried to shake off Arthur by running wild, his grip is still strong. So, the bull tearing through the dirt and charging straight into the woods—Arthur still hanging on, dragged into the forest with terrifying speed.

"Arthur!" Fin shouted.

The beast had already vanished into the thick trees, leaving only broken branches.

The monstrous bull charged deeper into the forest. Arthur held on, gritting his teeth, his arms straining to keep his grip.

Suddenly, the beast slammed headfirst into a massive tree.

Crack!

The impact shook the ground. The tree groaned—then collapsed, dragging Arthur down with it. He hit the ground hard, rolling through branches and dirt, landing just a few feet away.

Dazed, Arthur pushed himself up,

It came straight for him.

He dodged—just barely, its horns grazing past his chest as he tumbled to the side. The sheer difference in power was terrifying. Arthur rolled again, avoiding another charge by inches.

But then—he slipped.

A heavy blow from the bull's shoulder caught his ribs, sending him crashing against a rock. He gasped, pain shooting through his body. His arms shook as he tried to stand again, but the beast circled him like a predator.

He was at his limit.

He saw the bull charging again.

With the last of his strength, Arthur threw himself to the side, barely dodging a full-on impact.

But he wasn't fast enough.

The bull's horn grazed deep across his shoulder, sending him crashing into the dirt. Pain exploded through his body. His muscles screamed. His arms refused to move.

He lay there, panting, vision shaking.This is it…

And then—.

A rush. A surge.A burning scream in his veins.

His heart thundered like a war drum. Blood roared in his ears.

Arthur's vision turned black—then red.

His eyes flew open, now glowing like red-hot embers, flame-like irises dancing violently. A black aura burst from his body, smoke twisting wildly around his limbs.

His posture straightened— he is inhuman, something... out of this world.

His face went blank, emotionless.

It was like someone—or something—else had taken over.

The bull charged at him,

In a blink, he dodged.

Faster in a flash, Unreachable.

The bull charged once more—but Arthur stood there, grabbing it by the horn with one hand and slamming its head into the ground.

The earth cracked.

The beast roared in pain—but Arthur didn't stop.

He snapped and kicked the unconscious bull to side. Then,

He started screaming looking up in the sky, A swirling aura of red and black smoke exploded from his body, growing fast, wild and unstable. No shape, no control—just pure chaos.

Flames burst from him in random surges. Wherever the fumes touched, they blasted craters, shattered trees, and scorched the earth.

Arthur kept screaming—like he was being torn apart from the inside.

The energy only grew, expanding like a storm with no center.

It was power—but unchained.

From behind a distant tree, a figure is watching all of this.

A young woman—no older than Arthur. Slender, quiet, with soft features and a faint glow of magic on her fingertips(which is unheard of, in Valoria Kingdom). She clutched a tree trunk, wide-eyed.

She had followed the fight from a distance, drawn by the unnatural energy. Now, seeing Arthur in this state, her hands trembled.

Then the monstrous aura surrounding Arthur sensed something.Magic?.

Just a faint trace of it… leaking from her presence.

The chaotic figure turned its head toward the tree—toward her.

Arthur's glowing red eyes locked on, but they weren't his.Not anymore.

With a roar, the smoky figure lunged forward, one massive arm pulled back, ready to strike. The air cracked as the fumes thickened around his body, forming a monstrous outline as he hurled the blow.

The punch tore forward—And just before it landed—

Everything stopped.

The red flames flickered out.The black smoke vanished.Arthur's eyes rolled back—And his body fell from mid-air, crashing hard into the dirt.

Silence.

The girl stood frozen for a moment… then cautiously stepped out from behind the tree.

She approached the unconscious boy, eyes wide, heart racing.

Kneeling beside him, she brushed the dirt from his face. Arthur is bleeding out from the injuries before with the Bull. Her hands glowed with soft, golden green light as she placed one gently on his chest, whispering a simple healing spell. Surprisingly Arthur injuries are closing up slowly.

The forest, once wild with chaos, had gone quiet again.

Leaves rustled.

Footsteps.

"Arthur!"

The DDD brothers burst through the trees, panting, weapons drawn.

They froze—seeing Arthur unconscious on the ground... and a mysterious girl leaning over him, with her hands glowing with magic.

Zin raised an eyebrow."…Okay. What the hell did we miss?"