The air smelled of smoke and blood.
Ashborn stood at the edge of a cliff, overlooking what was once his home.
Eldoria Village.
Now, it was a ruin engulfed in flames.
Screams echoed through the night as demons and mercenaries tore through homes, slaughtering families, and reducing everything to ashes.
This was no accident.
It was a massacre.
---
A Village Under Siege
Hours earlier…
The village had been peaceful. Children played in the streets, blacksmiths hammered steel, and merchants called out their wares. The scent of freshly baked bread mixed with the earthy smell of wet soil.
But then, the sky turned red.
A horned figure stood at the entrance of the village, his armor gleaming black, his silver hair swaying under the dying light of the sun.
He smiled.
A demon.
And not just any demon.
A General.
"Burn it to the ground."
With those words, hell descended upon Eldoria.
Flames erupted as black-armored mercenaries stormed the village, cutting down everything in sight. Demonic creatures—twisted beasts with glowing red eyes and razor-sharp claws—pounced upon the villagers.
Men fought bravely but were cut down in an instant.
Women screamed as they were dragged from their homes.
Children ran—some making it, others… not.
And in the chaos, one boy ran for his life.
---
The Last of His Family
"Run, Ashborn!"
His father, a towering man with scarred hands and fierce blue eyes, stood at the front of their home, wielding a massive sword. His little sister, Elena, clutched onto Ashborn's arm, her golden curls bouncing as she ran beside him.
Tears streamed down her face.
"Brother, I'm scared!" she sobbed.
Ashborn's heart pounded, his small fingers tightening around hers.
"Don't stop!"
He didn't want to leave.
He wanted to fight.
But his father's words echoed in his mind:
"Live. Survive. Get stronger."
So he ran.
Through burning alleys, past collapsing buildings, dodging the screams of his people being butchered.
But then—
A sword flashed.
A figure stepped into their path.
It was him.
The silver-haired demon.
He smiled.
"Leaving so soon?"
Ashborn froze as his father appeared behind them, sword raised high.
"Get away from my children!"
The demon didn't move.
He simply sighed.
"Pathetic."
And then—his hand blurred.
Ashborn's father gasped, his sword falling from his grip.
A black blade had pierced his heart.
"Dad—!"
Blood sprayed into the air as his father collapsed, his lifeless eyes staring at the sky.
Ashborn's body trembled. His little sister let out a shriek, clinging to him.
"I was hoping for some entertainment," the demon muttered, withdrawing his blade. He turned his gaze toward Elena, his smile darkening.
"But maybe you'll be more fun."
Ashborn felt his sister ripped from his arms.
"No! Let go of her!"
Elena screamed, thrashing as the demon lifted her by the hair.
Her blue eyes—so full of innocence—locked onto Ashborn's.
"Brother… help me!"
Ashborn's hands curled into fists. His rage boiled inside him, memories of his mother's fate flashing before his eyes.
"Let. Her. GO!"
A black aura erupted from his body, the same terrifying power that had awoken in the forest.
The ground cracked, black flames licking at the air.
The demon raised an eyebrow.
"Interesting."
And then—
He snapped Elena's neck.
Just like that.
A lifeless doll in his grip.
Ashborn stopped breathing.
The world blurred.
His vision darkened.
Something inside him shattered completely.
The power that had begun to awaken exploded.
The sky split apart.
A monstrous shockwave tore through the battlefield.
And then—
Everything turned black.
---
The Birth of a Monster
When Ashborn awoke, the village was gone.
Nothing remained but ashes and bones.
He stood alone.
Covered in blood.
Not his own.
He looked around—bodies everywhere.
The demons. The mercenaries.
All dead.
Their bodies ripped apart, faces frozen in terror. As if something had devoured them alive.
He stumbled forward, his breath heavy, his mind blank.
"What… happened?"
Then, he saw them.
His father's body.
His sister's small frame.
Lying in the dirt.
Unmoving.
His heart stopped.
He dropped to his knees, his hands hovering over Elena's cold skin.
"Wake up…"
Nothing.
"Please…"
No response.
Tears spilled down his cheeks, his chest tightening with unbearable pain.
And then—
He screamed.
A scream filled with pure agony.
The sound shook the land, sending cracks through the very earth.
But there was no one left to hear it.
He was alone.
---
A New Beginning
For days, Ashborn wandered the ruins.
No food. No water.
Just him and the corpses.
And then—
A voice.
"Ashborn?"
He turned.
A girl with silver hair and light blue eyes stood at the village entrance, her expression frozen in shock.
Lida.
His childhood friend.
The only one left.
She ran toward him, her hands grasping his.
"You're alive…!"
But he didn't respond.
He just stared at her.
Empty.
Broken.
Lida's eyes filled with tears as she clutched his bloodstained hands.
"Come with me."
She didn't ask.
She commanded.
And for the first time since that night…
Ashborn moved.
Not because he wanted to.
But because he had nowhere else to go.
Because there was nothing left.
And so, the two left Eldoria behind.
Leaving behind the ashes of their past.
Not knowing that this was just the beginning.
---
Next Chapter: The Journey to Grasia
Lida & Ashborn's journey begins.
Meeting Rick & forming the "Skylark" party.
Their first battle as adventurers.
The road to vengeance begins.