Zach carried Renji half way through the dark dense forest and then dropped him, "Hey", Renji called out as he fell on the cold ground below. Zach only gave a silent smile and said, " The path from here would be tiring, you better get on your toes.", and with that they started walking deeper into the dark magical forest.
The forest was alive, but not in the usual way. Trees whispered secrets in tongues older than the Exile itself. The wind didn't howl—it laughed. Every step Renji took behind Zach felt like plunging deeper into a myth no one dared to tell.
Zach didn't walk. He strolled, like the forest belonged to him—hell, maybe it did. Branches parted, roots pulled back, and even the beasts in the underbrush went dead silent. Whatever Zach was… this place knew it.
"You got balls, kid," Zach said without turning. "Tangled with a goddess, slapped around a court noble, and still walkin'. You're either destined for greatness... or you're just really damn stupid."
Renji didn't reply. He was too busy trying not to trip over a root that looked like it had teeth.
Then the trees ended.
And heaven—or something like it—unfolded.
A crystalline hill towered above them, cloaked in mist and serenity. Waterfalls trickled like whispered lullabies. Strange, glowing butterflies drifted in the air like lazy embers. And at the center stood a temple—ancient, curved roofs gleaming with silver, guarded by twin statues of fanged women with six wings.
Zach spread his arms. "Welcome to my little corner of hell. I call it home. You can call it... the Devil's Playground."
Renji took a step forward. For the first time since exile, he felt something. Not safety. Not peace. But purpose.
They sat beneath the open sky, the mist curling lazily around them like the Exile itself was listening in. Zach pulled a flask from his coat, took a swig, and offered it to Renji, who shook his head.
"Suit yourself," Zach muttered, then leaned back against a mossy stone.
For a long moment, silence ruled. Then Zach's eyes gleamed—silver and strange—and the smirk on his face faded like a candle in the wind.
"I know who you are, Renji." Renji stiffened." You're the one the Exile chose. Not because you're strong—yet—but because you're different. You're disconnected. You weren't born in this world. You weren't twisted by it. That makes you the only one who can protect it."
Renji's brows knit together. "Protect it? The hell are you talking about? This world's been nothing but pain and monsters since I got here."
Zach chuckled, but it was bitter. "Exactly. And it's only gonna get worse."
He pointed toward the horizon where the sky seemed to flicker unnaturally.
"The Exile is alive. A sentient, sacred force. It's been holding back the worst of what lies beyond those borders. But the kingdoms of the Imperial Void Sanctuary—the old devils in gold and silk—they're planning to storm it. All of them. They want the sacred land, the core of the Exile, for themselves."
"Why?", Renji asked curiously. "Power. What else?" Zach spat. "The kind of power that can remake worlds. The Exile's heart is a forbidden source. If they get it, this world burns. Every goddess, every mortal, every twisted bastard in between."
Renji felt something deep inside twist—something ancient. Like the Exile itself stirred in response.
"But why me?" he asked. "I'm no savior.", "No," Zach said, standing and turning toward the temple. "You're worse. You're a wild card. And wild cards break the game."
Zach turned to him and said, "Kid, there's a lot you need to understand before you embark on this long journey".
Renji narrowed his eyes, still trying to process Zach's bombshell—but something tugged at his mind. A memory. Silken sheets. Crimson lips. A voice like honey and poison.
He shifted. "What about the place I woke up in? The brothel… and that woman. Lady Syrene."
Zach let out a low whistle, grinning like the devil he probably was.
"Oh, her. She got to you fast."
Renji's jaw tightened. "She tried to keep me there. Like some… damn pet. Seduced me the moment I opened my eyes."
Zach raised a brow, amused. "You're lucky she didn't drain your soul before you came. That's usually her style."
Renji blinked. "What?!"
"She's not just a goddess of pleasure," Zach said, tone suddenly sharp. "She's a collector. Syrene finds rare things—broken things, pretty things—and cages them with silk and sweet words. And you?" He leaned in, eyes narrowing. "You're her white whale, kid. Chosen by the Exile, and untouched by this world's corruption."
"She wanted to… keep me?"
"Oh, forever," Zach said, almost casually. "But don't flatter yourself too hard. To her, you're more artifact than man. She wants your bloodline. Your power. She'd wrap it in kisses, then sell your soul to the highest bidder when you're worn out."
Renji clenched his fists. That softness he felt in her presence—the strange comfort—now felt like venom in his veins.
"Can she still reach me?", Renji asked. Zach gave him a look. "If she wants to? Probably. She's not done with you yet. Women like Syrene don't take rejection well."
He paused, then added with a crooked grin, "Might want to sleep with one eye open. Or, you know, both. Preferably while not naked."
Renji looked up at Zach, still reeling from everything. "What about you? You're strong. Stronger than anything I've seen in this hellhole. How do I get like that?"
Zach turned slowly, that signature smirk crawling back to his face like it never left.
"Me?" he said with a lazy shrug. "I'm not here because I was exiled. I chose this place." Renji frowned. "Chose... the Exile?"
Zach raised a hand, fingers crackling with silver sparks. "You think I'm trapped here like the rest of the poor bastards?"
He snapped.
BOOM.
The hill shook. The sky darkened.
And from the valley below, ash rose—shifting, swirling, taking shape.
Renji's jaw dropped as an entire army materialized. Pale knights clad in blackened armor, monsters stitched from nightmare sinew, winged demons with eyes of fire—all kneeling, awaiting a command.
Zach rolled his shoulders. "Watch closely.", he said, and in the blink of an eye, he moved. What followed was an inhuman slaughter.
Zach didn't fight. He danced through the battlefield. One flick of his wrist split titans in half. His laughter echoed like thunder as he tore through the ranks, a living calamity wrapped in a casual grin.
Within minutes, the army was dust once more.
Renji stood frozen, equal parts awe and fear twisting in his gut.
Zach returned, dusting off his coat. "Strength isn't about power, kid. It's about knowing what you are… and not apologizing for it."
He turned to Renji and said, "You're tired now, we should go for a sleep. There's a lot for tomorrow. And you need to be prepared both mentally and physically for taming the bull which is coming your way."
And with that they slept right there in the den with not a normal blanket, but a thin piece of cloth made of dragon skin, and surprisingly... It was enough to keep the temperature high. Renji knew he could have expected worse, and hurried of to sleep, and he wasn't even hungry after what all he saw today, his mind was spinning like a ferris wheel in thoughts.And he drifted off to sleep.
As he lay beneath a sky of flickering stars, his mind drifted. And the Exile, ever watching, showed him a vision.
A throne of black glass. Shadows writhing like silk. And there she sat.
Lilith.
The Queen of the Dark Order.
His aunt, which he didn't just know yet.
Her eyes—like crimson daggers—pierced into him. She lounged with the arrogance of a goddess, a smirk curling on lips too perfect for this world. Her voice slithered into his mind.
"Well, well, my little prince... finally dreaming of me? Tsk. Naughty boy."
She stood, sauntering down steps that formed beneath her feet, hips swaying with sin itself. Her presence was intoxicating—mean, bratty, bitchy—and yet Renji couldn't look away.
"You've grown," she purred. "But still... soft."
She ran a finger down his cheek, nails like obsidian. "When you're ready to stop playing hero and start conquering, come find me."
And just before she vanished into smoke and whispers, she added with a wicked grin:
"Don't make your auntie wait too long…"
Renji woke up, sweating, his heart pounding in his chest, and something changed entirely.