The scream was still hanging in the air when Kael and Mira stood frozen in the yard. From the direction of the hill, the sound of clashing metal rang out again, this time clearer, closer, and far more chaotic. It was as if someone was fighting desperately against something invisible.
The morning wind, which had felt ordinary just moments ago, turned cold and sharp. Kael felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise. Beside him, Mira gripped the hem of her clothes tightly, her face pale.
"Kael," Mira whispered, barely audible, "that's not the sound of someone from the village."
Kael did not answer. His eyes remained fixed on the hill. From where they stood, he could faintly see flashes of red bursting above the treetops. Not ordinary fire. Too bright. Too wild. Like something was burning from inside the sky itself.
Eron stood at the front. His body was straight, both hands folded behind his back. His face was calm, but that calmness was exactly what made Kael feel that something was wrong. The old man was never this calm when things were simple. If Eron was silent, then something truly was not right.
"You two stay here," he said briefly.
Kael stepped forward half a pace. "I'm coming too."
"No."
"Why? If someone's hurt—"
"Because if I say no, then it means no."
Kael clenched his jaw. He hated it when Eron used that tone. A tone that shut down every possibility before it could even be argued. But just as he was about to respond, the ground trembled again. This time, it was stronger. Several roof tiles from the house next door shifted and fell, and the chickens in the coop began to cluck in panic.
From afar, a loud explosion echoed.
A burst of red light bloomed behind the hill, followed a few seconds later by a wave of heat. The leaves around the yard shivered, and some were torn free from the branches, spinning wildly through the air.
Mira covered her mouth. "That… what is happening?"
Before anyone could answer, hurried footsteps came from the north. A villager rushed out from the dirt road, panting hard. One side of his clothes was torn, and his face was covered in dust.
"Master Eron!" he shouted, waving frantically. "There's a monster on the hill! And… and there's a stranger! They're fighting!"
Kael's eyes sharpened instantly. "A monster?"
The villager nodded in panic. "I don't know what kind of creature it is, but its shape—like a shadow, yet it moves like a wolf. Big. Very big!"
Kael looked at Eron. "You know something."
Eron let out a faint sigh. "Go inside."
"Don't change the subject."
"Kael."
Mira looked at Kael, then at Eron, then back at the hill. "If there really is a monster, the village could be in danger."
Eron fell silent for a moment, as if weighing something in his mind. Finally, he looked at Kael deeply. "Listen carefully. Whatever fell from the sky just now, or whatever is fighting on that hill, it's none of your business. You don't have the strength to interfere."
Kael gave a small laugh, but there was no humor in it. "Because I haven't awakened yet?"
"Because you're not strong enough."
Those words hit harder than the clash of metal in the distance. Kael went quiet. He knew Eron was right. But precisely because of that, his chest felt tight. All this time, he had trained every single day, enduring the pain in his arms and legs, forcing himself to repeat the same slash over and over again. He wanted to enter the awakening trial next month. He wanted to become someone. Not just some ordinary village kid who could only watch the world move from afar.
Then why was he supposed to stand still now?
Another scream rang out. Closer this time.
"The people on the hill will die if they aren't helped!" Mira said quickly.
Eron closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them again, his expression had grown heavier. "If it really is a high-level battle, even one wrong step could cost you your lives."
"Then what about you?" Kael asked quickly. "Are you just going to stand here too?"
Eron looked at him for a long moment. "I'll watch first."
Kael nearly retorted, but the sound from the hill made everyone freeze again. This time, it was not an explosion. Not even a crash. It was more like a long, tearing screech, as though something enormous was ripping the earth apart.
Then the mist above the hill suddenly split open.
A dark figure shot down from the treetops and crashed heavily into the slope. Dust exploded into the air. From afar, Kael could now make out its shape—a massive four-legged beast, its body pitch-black, its head covered in small claw-like protrusions like broken horns. Its eyes glowed blood-red, and black smoke spilled continuously from its body.
Mira let out a small scream. "That's the monster!"
Kael tensed. The creature rose again, then released a low roar that shook their chests.
But what shocked him even more was the figure standing before it.
A man stood atop a large rock, wearing a short robe of dark red. In his right hand, he held a thin sword that reflected the morning sunlight. His hair was black and messy, his face covered in cuts, but his eyes were sharp like those of a fearless beast.
He raised his sword, then slashed the air.
At once, a streak of red light shot out, cutting through the earth from the hill's slope and slamming into the monster's body.
Boom!
The ground exploded. Dust and small stones flew in every direction.
Kael was stunned.
Mira too.
That was not an ordinary slash. It was not a sword style he had ever seen during village training. That was… power. Real power.
"A sword expert," Kael muttered unconsciously.
Eron nodded very slightly. "And not just any sword expert."
The creature roared again, its body blasted backward a few meters before crashing into the ground. But before it could fall, another black shadow leapt out from behind the trees. Two, three—no, more. They moved fast, wild, and now Kael could see that they were not ordinary monsters. Their bodies seemed to be formed from dense, compacted mist.
"Wild shadows…" Eron murmured, almost to himself.
Kael turned. "What are those?"
"Creatures that usually appear when there's a dimensional rift."
Kael frowned. "A dimensional rift?"
Eron was silent for a moment. "What fell from the sky wasn't just a rock."
Kael felt the back of his neck turn cold.
In the distance, the man in the dark red robe began to move with terrifying speed. In a single breath, he dashed left, dodging a claw strike from one of the monsters. His body twisted midair, and then his sword came down from above.
One monster was split in two by that slash and vanished into black smoke that slowly dispersed.
Kael's eyes widened.
"He's so strong…" Mira said, her voice barely sounding real.
The man did not get a chance to rest. Two more monsters attacked from behind. He spun around and struck the ground with the hilt of his sword. A wave of force burst out from beneath his feet, knocking one of the monsters down, while the other was smashed by a burst of red light from his left palm.
Kael stared even longer.
"He can use magic too?" he asked softly.
"Yes," Eron replied. "There are people who walk both the path of the sword and magic. But they are extremely rare. And far more dangerous."
Kael watched the man without blinking. Something in his chest began to stir. Not fear. Not admiration alone. It was more like a tiny fire that had just been lit. He did not yet understand why, but he knew one thing: the world he had always seen as distant had suddenly become very close. Very real. And very vast.
Suddenly, one of the remaining monsters turned its head toward the village.
Its red eyes locked directly onto them.
Kael froze.
The creature growled, then shot down the hill at an unbelievable speed. Its target was the village.
"Get inside!" Eron shouted.
Too late.
The monster had already charged onto the dirt road, smashing into the nearest house fence and sending wooden planks flying everywhere. Several villagers ran in panic. Children screamed. Someone dropped a basket. Everything became chaos in an instant.
Kael tightened his grip on the wooden training staff. His breathing quickened. His body was tense, but his feet would not move.
Mira grabbed his arm. "Kael, don't!"
But Kael had already seen something.
The man in the dark red robe was still fighting on the hill, too far away to return immediately. If that monster entered the village, there would be casualties. And even if Eron said he was not strong enough yet, Kael could not just stand there and watch.
The monster slammed into the ground again, then lunged toward the houses.
Kael moved.
Not because he was certain.
Not because he was ready.
But because his body moved before his mind could stop it.
He ran forward, raised the wooden staff high, then leapt in from the side. The staff smashed into the monster's back with all the strength he had.
Of course, it did not injure the monster.
But it was enough to make it turn around.
Kael staggered after landing, nearly losing his balance. The monster stared at him. Up close, its body was far larger than he had imagined. A foul, cold stench drifted from it like grave mist.
Kael swallowed hard.
Then the monster swung its claw.
Kael barely managed to dodge. He ducked as fast as he could, and the claw swept through the air just above his head, sending a sharp gust that lifted his hair. His heart pounded violently.
"Kael!" Mira shouted from behind.
The monster charged again. Kael backed away quickly, his feet slipping on the ground. He held his breath. For a moment, the world seemed to slow.
And right then, a strange voice sounded inside his head.
Not a human voice.
Not a monster's voice either.
More like a whisper in an empty space.
Kael stiffened.
Something in his chest began to feel warm.
Very warm.
The wooden training staff in his hand suddenly trembled.
Kael looked down at it in confusion, just as a thin line of golden light began to spread from the staff's handle into his palm.
Even the monster in front of him paused for a moment.
As if it too could sense something.
Kael blinked.
Then the light burst even brighter.
And the world around him began to change.