Eli went shopping with her mother, but she spent the entire trip complaining under her breath. Her mood had grown so sour that she barely even paid attention to the clothes she was supposed to be choosing.
"Daughter!" her mother called as they stepped out of a clothing store.
"What?" Eli replied with a frown.
"That giant… is he really so important that you don't want him to leave?"
Eli's eyes widened instantly.
"What?! Of course not!"
"Then why have you been grumbling about him this entire time?"
"…"
Eli turned her face away, grinding her teeth as her cheeks slowly turned red.
Her mother simply watched her with a warm, knowing smile.
These children…
"B-but… he barely arrived and already wants to leave!" Eli argued.
"Alright, alright. Then let's try convincing him to stay."
Ah, I can't take talking about this anymore!
Meanwhile—
The Nameless King sat alone with his eyes closed.
His arms rested on his thighs while he breathed slowly.
In.
Out.
In.
Out.
But with every breath—
The air became heavier.
A memory resurfaced.
"This is it. Focus your excessive thoughts into a single thought… and that thought should be nothing."
"Concentrate… just concentrate."
Cobel's voice echoed clearly in his mind.
The former King of Giants had once sat before him, listening carefully to every breath he took.
If even one breath came out slightly irregular—
"WRONG! ALL WRONG! FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, CAN'T YOU DO ANYTHING RIGHT?!"
Cobel's roar exploded directly into his ears.
The Nameless King remembered the pain vividly.
"Who lost to me in battle? HUH?!"
"…."
"That's right. Stay quiet."
Silence.
Then Cobel spoke again.
"But who lost to a corpse?"
Click.
The Nameless King clicked his tongue.
Yeah… his daughter did an excellent job. Last time…
The entire afternoon passed with him training alone in the forest.
By the time the sun began setting, he finally emerged from the trees, his ears throbbing painfully.
Ah… my ears. I thought I was going to stop hearing entirely.
He scratched his ear while walking along the dirt road leading back toward the town.
The fading sunlight illuminated another figure ahead.
A giant.
This one looked armed.
His clothes were ragged and torn apart, barely holding together. Deep cuts covered the fabric.
In his hand—
A bone blade.
Familiar.
Very familiar.
And his eyes—
The same eyes.
Eyes overflowing with memories.
The Nameless King instinctively prepared himself for battle.
But—
He hesitated.
The wild giant noticed immediately.
Without warning—
He charged.
His bone blade cut through the air violently.
The Nameless King calmly placed his hand against the white blade and pushed it aside effortlessly.
Without wasting time, he grabbed the savage giant by the throat with his other hand.
Then lifted him into the air.
The giant dropped his sword instantly and began thrashing wildly.
Too slow.
He would have been faster before and—
…
The Nameless King tightened his grip.
The savage giant's face turned red.
Foam began spilling from his mouth.
His struggles weakened.
Then stopped completely.
Silence.
The Nameless King released the corpse and resumed walking toward his "home."
The torches around the town had already been lit.
Two soldiers stood guard nearby.
"I heard from the scouts that the savages have become more active and violent lately."
"Seriously?"
"Yeah. Especially at night."
"So… hunters and gatherers are going to start leaving earlier now?"
"Looks like it. And the worst part is they're still acting like nothing's wrong."
"So they'll start sending soldiers together with the gatherers?"
"Hmm… honestly, one soldier should be enough."
The two guards continued chatting casually.
Then—
A scream echoed through the darkness.
A horrifying scream.
Desperate.
Raw.
The peaceful atmosphere shattered instantly.
Footsteps emerged from the darkness.
Wet footsteps.
Slow.
Heavy.
Both guards froze.
Sweat ran down their faces.
Then—
The orange torchlight illuminated him.
A giant.
Completely drenched in blood.
The terrifying part wasn't the blood itself—
It was the lack of wounds.
His body showed no injuries.
And his expression—
Calm.
Peaceful.
As if being covered in blood was completely normal.
Both guards immediately gripped their sword hilts.
The giant studied them from head to toe.
Then spoke.
"I understand."
The guards' eyes widened.
He… can speak?
One of them stepped back instinctively.
The other drew his sword immediately.
But—
The giant vanished.
Both soldiers jerked their heads around frantically.
Where did he go?!
Then—
One of them felt killing intent directly behind him.
He turned quickly, already preparing a thrust.
Too late.
A hand slammed his head into the ground.
BOOM!
The earth cracked beneath the impact.
How is he this fast?!
The other soldier suffered the same fate nearby.
Painful groans echoed weakly.
Am I… going to die here?
In this place?
Like this?
No… I don't want to di—
Crunch.
The sound of a skull being crushed echoed through the night.
Birds flew from nearby rooftops.
Everything happened so quickly that neither soldier even managed to scream.
Or cry.
That same sensation returned again.
The Nameless King entered the small town consumed by darkness.
Something began bothering him.
With every step he took—
He grew closer to her.
But somehow—
More distant at the same time.
It's like I'm running and killing for a goal I'll never truly reach…
Could he at least see her shadow?
Warm blood dripped from his hands.
Cold blood stained his clothes and hair.
With this appearance—
What would her reaction be?
A knot slowly tightened inside his chest.
Darkness returned to his mind again, wrapping around him.
His eyes widened.
Thoughts bombarded him endlessly.
Why?
Do I really deserve this from her?
I want to hear her voice!
But they were weak and pathetic!
No… maybe I should just leave now?
Could someone like me… someone who doesn't even understand love… truly be loved?
His knees gave out.
He collapsed onto the ground.
For some reason—
The Nameless King felt pain.
A pain even worse than the humiliation he suffered against the King of Death.
Water streamed down his cheeks.
Am I… bleeding?
Had anything truly changed?
Kneeling in the middle of the dark street—
The Nameless King cried.
…
Meanwhile—
Eli lay on her bed while reading a book, constantly tossing from side to side.
What's taking him so long? Mom told me to wait for him, but with this much delay there's no way I'm staying here anymore! Yes, that's it.
She quickly jumped out of bed and rushed toward her closet.
Grabbing a black overcoat, she put it on immediately.
Then hurried downstairs.
Her mother sat in the kitchen calmly lifting a teacup to her lips.
"Mom! I'm going out!" Eli announced while already holding the doorknob.
Her mother simply stared at her silently.
After swallowing some tea, she sighed deeply.
My God… my daughter is so impatient.
"Daughter!"
Eli had already opened the door and stepped forward.
But when she heard her mother call—
She froze.
Without even looking directly at her daughter, her mother spoke calmly:
"Just admit that you love him already."
Resting her cheek against one hand, she continued:
"And to think you'd fall in love in only a few days…"
"Ugh!"
"Am I wrong? Go run into his arms already, Eli!"
Tears formed in Eli's eyes instantly.
Then—
She ran.
Into the darkness.
Cold wind slammed against her coat.
Her arms pushed through the air.
Her legs pounded against the ground.
Wait for me… I'll find you.
Meanwhile—
The Nameless King remained kneeling.
Absolute darkness surrounded him.
No sound existed except his quiet crying.
Then—
Footsteps.
Fast.
Light.
Agile.
He swallowed back his sobs and slowly stood up.
The dark clouds above began shifting.
Moonlight gradually pierced through the darkness.
And there—
He saw her.
A young woman with brown hair.
Wearing pajamas beneath a black overcoat.
The Nameless King's eyes widened.
Joy.
Despair.
Both exploded inside him simultaneously.
Eli?
A faint light appeared in his eyes.
Then—
No! Why are you here?!
His brows tightened.
His body was soaked in dried blood.
Eli saw him.
His posture broken.
His body drenched in blood.
She frowned slightly and instinctively stepped back.
For a moment—
It felt as if she no longer recognized him.
Without realizing it—
He smiled.
A strange weight lifted from his chest.
"I-Is that really you?" Eli asked with a trembling voice. "The wild giant… the one I saved?"
Silence.
He didn't know what to say.
Or do.
"Why…?"
Her voice carried pain.
"Why are you covered in blood?"
Tears filled her eyes.
The light inside them—
Began fading.
What am I doing?
Why am I talking to her? Why am I hesitating because of her?
I never felt this before… then why am I here?
"Don't tell me… don't tell me you… killed someone?"
The Nameless King gritted his teeth.
"So what if I did?" he snapped aggressively.
Eli's eyes trembled violently.
"They were weak and pathetic! They came to kill me! And you know what I did?"
He paused.
His eyes became terrifying.
Overflowing with murderous intent.
"I killed every single one of them. Even the soldiers who saw me like this—I killed them too—"
"Then are you going to kill me too?" Eli interrupted.
The Nameless King looked away repeatedly.
His brows tightened harder.
He clenched his fists.
Opened his mouth—
But the words got stuck in his throat.
Even while trembling—
Eli stepped forward.
Then another step.
And another.
Tears streamed down her cheeks with each movement.
Finally—
She grabbed his hands.
Even though they were stained with blood.
She lifted them gently.
"Then stay here with me…"
Moonlight illuminated her trembling face.
The Nameless King's pupils shook violently.
"Stay with me… Joel!"
Her voice cracked from emotion.
"You don't need to be a wild giant anymore. Now… now be Joel! Be yourself!"
For some reason—
He froze completely.
Simply staring at her in disbelief.
So now… I am Joel?
No longer the Nameless King?
Eli buried herself against his chest.
Slowly—
Joel wrapped his arms around her.
"Don't worry, Eli. I'm not going anywhere."
"Stay… stay with me, Joel! I love you! I love you!"
She cried those words desperately.
She says that… but I don't even know what those words mean.
His eyes trembled.
And beneath the moonlight—
The two of them remained there.
Kneeling together in the darkness.