The night was supposed to be peaceful.
The small village of Kurohana slept quietly under the pale moonlight. Gentle wind moved through the trees, and the sound of crickets filled the calm darkness.
Inside a small wooden house, a boy named Ren Akatsuki stared at the sky through his window.
Ren was seventeen. His black hair was messy, and his dark eyes carried a strange calmness that most boys his age didn't have.
Tomorrow, he would leave the village for the first time.
"Ren, stop staring outside and come eat!" his mother called from the kitchen.
He smiled faintly.
"Coming."
The smell of warm soup filled the house. His father sat quietly at the table, while his little sister happily waved her spoon.
"Big brother, tomorrow you're going to the city, right?" she asked excitedly.
Ren nodded.
"Yeah."
His father spoke in a deep voice.
"Remember, Ren. The outside world is dangerous."
Ren laughed lightly.
"How dangerous could it be?"
For a moment, the house was filled with warm laughter.
None of them knew…
Those would be their last moments together.
Suddenly—
A distant scream shattered the night.
"AAAAHHHH!!"
Ren froze.
Another scream followed.
Then another.
His father stood up instantly.
"That wasn't normal."
BOOM!
Something exploded outside.
The ground trembled.
Ren rushed to the window.
His eyes widened.
The village was burning.
Flames rose into the sky, and houses were collapsing one after another.
People were running in terror.
And in the middle of the fire…
Something moved.
Something huge.
Something monstrous.
A creature stepped out of the flames.
Its body was twisted like a nightmare. Black skin, glowing red eyes, and long claws dripping with blood.
A demon.
Another scream echoed as the creature grabbed a villager and ripped him apart like paper.
Ren's body went cold.
"What… is that?"
His father suddenly pushed him.
"Ren! Take your sister and run to the forest! NOW!"
"But—"
"GO!"
Another explosion shook the house.
CRASH!
The wall suddenly broke apart.
A massive claw tore through the wood.
The demon had found them.
Ren's sister screamed.
The monster stepped into the house slowly, its glowing eyes staring directly at them.
It smiled.
A horrible, twisted smile.
"Humans…"
The demon moved faster than Ren could react.
SLASH!
His father jumped forward with a knife.
"RUN!"
But the blade barely scratched the demon.
The creature laughed.
Then—
CRACK!
Its claw pierced through his father's chest.
Blood splashed across the room.
Ren's world stopped.
"Dad…"
His father collapsed to the floor.
The demon turned toward Ren.
"Next."
Ren's mother grabbed him and pushed him toward the door.
"Ren! Protect your sister!"
Another slash.
Blood covered the wall.
Ren's mother fell.
His sister screamed in terror.
Everything happened too fast.
Too suddenly.
Too cruelly.
Ren's heart pounded violently.
Something inside him snapped.
The demon walked toward him slowly.
"You humans break so easily."
Ren's hands began shaking.
But not from fear.
Something dark was rising inside him.
Something cold.
Something ancient.
The demon lifted its claw to kill him.
But suddenly—
The air changed.
Dark shadows began spreading across the floor.
The demon stopped.
"What…?"
Ren slowly raised his head.
His eyes were no longer normal.
They were glowing.
Deep purple.
Shadow energy started swirling around his body like living smoke.
The demon stepped back for the first time.
"Impossible… a human with shadow power?"
Ren's voice became cold.
Cold enough to freeze the night.
"You killed them."
The shadows behind him twisted like monsters.
"You destroyed my home."
The demon growled.
"You're just a child."
Ren took one step forward.
The shadows formed into a blade in his hand.
"I'll kill you."
The demon roared and charged.
But Ren moved first.
Faster than lightning.
SHING!
A single slash cut through the darkness.
For a moment…
Everything went silent.
Then the demon's body split in half.
It collapsed into the flames.
Ren stood there breathing heavily.
His first kill.
His first step into darkness.
But the night wasn't over yet.
Footsteps appeared behind him.
Several figures wearing black cloaks stood on the burning street.
Each of them carried special swords.
Their leader looked at Ren carefully.
"So it's true…"
Another hunter whispered.
"A boy awakened Shadow Energy."
The leader stepped forward.
"Young man, what is your name?"
Ren slowly looked up.
His eyes were still glowing.
"Ren."
The hunter nodded.
"Ren… from today onward, your life will change forever."
He pointed toward the burning village.
"Because the world you knew…"
"…is already gone."
Far away in the darkness—
A pair of monstrous eyes opened.
A deep voice echoed in the shadows.
"Interesting…"
"The child of darkness has finally awakened."
The Demon King had noticed him.
And the real nightmare was only beginning.
End of Chapter 1
Cliffhanger:
Ren doesn't know yet that the blood of the Demon King flows inside him…