The night after the destruction of Kurohana village felt endless.
Smoke still rose from the ruins as the wind carried the scent of ash across the valley. The Demon Hunters had already finished searching the area for survivors, but there were none left.
Only one person remained standing among the ruins.
Ren Akatsuki.
He stood silently where his home once existed. The ground was blackened, and pieces of burned wood covered the street. His eyes stared at the empty space in front of him.
Everything he had known was gone.
Behind him, several Demon Hunters prepared their horses.
Captain Kael Draven watched the boy quietly.
"He hasn't moved for an hour," one hunter said.
Kael crossed his arms.
"Let him stay there."
The female hunter, Lyra, looked uneasy.
"He's just a kid."
Kael shook his head slightly.
"No. Not anymore."
Ren slowly knelt down and touched the ground where his family had died. His expression showed no tears.
Only silence.
After a moment, he stood up and turned toward the hunters.
"I'm ready."
Kael nodded.
"Good."
He pointed toward the mountains in the distance.
"The Demon Hunter Academy is far from here. We will travel through the northern forest. It will take three days."
Ren walked toward them.
"Then let's go."
One of the hunters brought a horse forward.
Ren climbed onto it without hesitation.
As the group began moving, Lyra rode beside him.
"You didn't even ask anything about the academy," she said.
Ren looked straight ahead.
"There's nothing to ask."
Lyra raised an eyebrow.
"You're not curious about the training? Or the danger?"
Ren's voice remained calm.
"You already said most students die."
"Yes."
"Then I'll just survive."
Lyra looked at him for a moment but said nothing.
The group rode through the dark forest as the moon slowly disappeared behind thick clouds. The trees became taller and denser as they moved deeper into the mountains.
After several hours, they stopped near a small river.
Kael signaled everyone to rest.
"Two hours. Then we continue."
The hunters sat around a small fire while keeping watch in the forest.
Ren remained standing near the river.
The water reflected the moonlight, creating a faint silver glow.
He looked down at his reflection.
His eyes still looked normal.
But he remembered the moment earlier that night.
When the shadow energy had surrounded him.
"What exactly is this power?" he thought.
Footsteps approached behind him.
It was Kael.
The captain stood beside him, looking at the flowing river.
"You felt it too, didn't you?"
Ren didn't turn around.
"Yes."
"The shadow energy."
Kael nodded slowly.
"That power is extremely rare."
Ren finally looked at him.
"What does it do?"
Kael remained silent for a moment before answering.
"Shadow energy is different from normal combat power. Most Demon Hunters use elemental techniques like fire, wind, or lightning."
Ren listened carefully.
"But shadow energy is something else entirely. It is unpredictable. Dangerous."
"Dangerous for who?" Ren asked.
Kael looked at him.
"For everyone."
Ren frowned slightly.
Kael continued.
"Long ago, shadow users were feared by both humans and demons. Some believed the power came from the darkness itself."
Ren clenched his fists slightly.
"That demon earlier said something."
Kael nodded.
"I heard it."
"The Demon King's blood."
For the first time, Ren looked uncertain.
"You believe that?"
Kael looked toward the forest.
"I don't know."
"But if it's true, you will attract attention from both sides."
Ren remained silent.
Suddenly—
A loud sound echoed through the trees.
CRACK.
Every hunter instantly stood up.
Weapons were drawn.
Kael raised his hand.
"Something is coming."
The ground trembled slightly.
Heavy footsteps approached from the darkness.
Lyra whispered.
"That's not a normal demon."
The trees shook as a massive creature burst out of the forest.
The demon's body was covered with thick gray skin like stone. Its arms were enormous, and its mouth was filled with jagged teeth.
One of the hunters gasped.
"A Stone Demon."
The creature roared loudly and charged toward them.
Kael shouted.
"Battle positions."
Two hunters rushed forward with swords.
They slashed at the monster's arm.
CLANG.
The blades bounced off its skin.
"Too hard," one of them yelled.
The demon swung its massive fist.
BOOM.
One hunter was thrown across the ground.
The creature roared again.
Kael jumped forward, his sword glowing with blue energy.
"Everyone move."
He slashed directly at the demon's neck.
But the blade only created a small cut.
The demon laughed.
Ren watched the fight carefully.
The monster was powerful.
But slow.
Very slow.
The demon raised its arm to crush one of the hunters.
Before the attack landed—
A dark shadow moved.
Ren appeared in front of the monster.
Everyone froze.
"What is he doing?" Lyra shouted.
The demon grinned and swung its claw.
Ren stepped forward calmly.
Dark energy spread across the ground beneath his feet.
The shadows twisted around his arm like living smoke.
For a moment, everything went silent.
Then Ren moved.
One strike.
A single dark slash cut through the air.
The demon stopped moving.
A deep crack appeared across its body.
Then the monster split into two pieces and collapsed onto the ground.
Silence filled the forest.
The hunters stared at Ren in shock.
Even Kael looked surprised.
The demon's body slowly turned into ash.
Ren stood there quietly.
The shadow energy faded again.
Lyra walked closer.
"That was a Stone Demon. Even experienced hunters struggle against those."
Ren didn't respond.
Kael looked at the boy carefully.
"Your control improved already."
Ren looked toward the distant mountains.
"Is the academy stronger than that?"
Kael smiled slightly.
"Much stronger."
Ren turned his horse toward the mountain road.
"Good."
His voice was cold.
"Because I'm going to surpass all of them."
Far away, hidden deep within the mountains, a massive fortress stood above the clouds.
The Demon Hunter Academy.
And Ren Akatsuki was about to enter a world where only the strongest survived.