Legend of the Misfit

[These demons have no chills.]

A Forsaken slashed at Killian, but he caught the katana midair with his bare hand. Blood splattered everywhere. In an instant, Morningstar manipulated the blood, using it to slice another demon's throat.

Another charged at them without fear. Killian kept evading their attacks while Morningstar relentlessly slit their throats.

Within minutes, the demons lay lifeless on the ground. Their leader smirked and snapped his fingers.

A dozen Forsakens, clad in full armor, marched toward them.

[Come on…] Killian sighed.

Morningstar conjured a blade of blood and struck at their throats, but their armor deflected it with ease.

[This would be a pain.]

Killian braced himself, clenched his fists, and held his ground.

The leader suddenly let out a scream, sending a wave of panic through the soldiers.

Taking advantage of the distraction, Killian swiftly grabbed a katana, leaped onto a soldier's shoulder, and drove the blade into his eye.

Seizing the moment, he leaped onto another forsaken, locked his arm, and twisted his neck with his leg.

A soldier attacked him from above. He rolled across the floor, grabbed a katana, and drove it through his armor, piercing his chest.

Killian tilted his head to see the soldiers lifeless on the ground, while Zeya and a girl stood beside Morningstar.

[Oh, so these are his comrades.]

Morningstar attempted to introduce Killian, but Zeya hurried her words.

"Killian, that over there is Kira, a Hollowborn."

"Hollowborn? What is that?"

Morningstar stared at Killian in disbelief. 

"Hollowborns are demons who despise the devil mana core."

"Oh… okay."

Just as they were about to enter the mansion, a voice called his name from behind—it was Ahvi and Sherry. They hurried over, and Ahvi immediately bombarded Killian with questions about Raiden as they walked inside. Killian didn't answer a single one.

"This is terrible, Killian. Did you do this?"

"Why would you think it was me? Morningstar was here, wasn't he?"

One glance at their decorations, and Ahvi and Sherry were disappointed. Taking the initiative, they began rearranging the entire place—turning everyone into their laborers in the process.

Though having others around was entertaining and fun, Killian couldn't shake the thought that they might slow him down.

In no time, the place looked far better than Killian had ever imagined. The cavern ceilings were reinforced with sturdy trees, the decaying floors were replaced with polished wooden planks, and beds, sofas, and light crystals were perfectly arranged.

Later that night, while the others relaxed in their respective rooms, Killian stood outside the mansion, gazing up at it. 

He valued the alliance and had no intention of abandoning it, but he felt the need to grow stronger on his own before everything fell apart. Most importantly, he refused to rely on anyone.

[Affinity or not, I must get stronger.]

He let out a deep sigh.

"I will be back."

Killian turned and strode into the mountains with one goal in mind—to kill monsters and beasts alike, just like he had planned before meeting Raiden.

With nothing but his fists, he wandered the Wildlands, his heart pounding and his body trembling with fear. Yet, his desire to grow stronger drove him forward.

Yet, not long into his journey, he couldn't help himself. Before he knew it, he was standing in front of Lucid's mansion.

[What am I doing? I can't be thinking about be thinking about Raiden… no.] He squeezed his eyes and shook his head, his body trembling.

He stared at the gate for a while, let out a sigh and turned to walk away, but before he could take a step, the gate was swung open.

My brain went blank as I stared at him.

"Raiden?"

He let out a sigh. "Are you here to apologize?"

"Apologize?"

Raiden's eyes were dry and empty, as if he had already decided not to listen to Killian.

"He's lying to you, Raid. Yes, I grabbed his neck and tried to kill him, but it wasn't me—it was my core."

He stared directly into Killian's eyes, Killian's voice trembling.

"You've seen it before, right? It acts on its own sometimes.

Did… did he tell you what made my core act that way? He's a monster, Raid. Trust me he's a monster.

If you don't believe me, ask him to put on the crown artifact. 

It wasn't meant for your memories, Raid. It was for himself"

Lucid came out with the crown on his head.

"You mean this artifact? What does it do, Killian?"

Raiden shook his head.

"No, No."

"I can help you, Killian. Your core wants to control you. I can help you overcome that."

Killian shook his head in disbelief as he walked backwards slowly. His heart slowly sank, his body trembled and he began to sweat rapidly.

"This isn't true, Raid. He is a monster."

"I know you are power oriented, but don't let it consume you. Master Lucid can help you. Just apologize."

Killian's heart began pounding louder, he could feel it with each step and all he heard was how fast and louder his heart pounded.

"You think I'm doing this for power?"

He tilted his head into the sky, and exhaled deeply, beginning to walk off without another word.

His body became light and his pace quickened. He thought of nothing as he strode but a glance at him would be enough to tell you he wasn't okay.

After a few quick steps, he paused. 

[I've done my part, right? I helped him get a step closer to recovering his memories. I must close our chapter.

[Friendships would make me weak. I was fine before I met him, and I have to be fine without him.]

Killian began laughing uncontrollably for some reason. A sudden sense of relief spread across his body, so he gave into the laughter.

His voice echoed through the lands, and his body giggled as his face rested in his hands.

"You've always been alone, Killian. Why did you think you needed a companion, and a demon at that?"

[I would go deep and deeper into Wildlands like I always wanted. I will get stronger, and after that, all these won't matter.]

Without a second thought, Killian braced himself and charged through the lands, his mind blank and his heart heavy.

Before long, Killian stood face to face with a wolf snarler. It snarled aggressively, its piercing gaze locked onto him—as if peering into his very soul.

Killian stood before it, his fists clenched, his body trembling.

[How am I going to kill it without a weapon? Why am I thinking of that now?]

His mind raced, searching for the most effective way to kill the snarler.

In an instant, the wolf sprinted and lunged at him, its jaws snapping. He dodged, barely escaping its grasp. 

It sprang off a tree and hurled itself at Killian. With no time to evade, he caught its jaws with his bare hands, straining with all his strength to keep them apart.

His fingers grew numb as the snarler's razor-sharp teeth dug into his hands, saliva dripping onto his face.

[Ahh… disgusting.]

His heart kept pounding and fear crept in, but he knew he could win. 

His hands began to tremble—the wolf's jaws were too strong. It thrashed violently, clawing at him with sharp nails.

[I can do this.]

Killian braced himself, summoning every ounce of strength he had left, and hurled the wolf away.

It slammed into a tree and landed on its stomach.

Killian could barely stay on his feet, his hands bleeding and throbbing with searing pain.

Snapping its jaws, the wolf snarler rolled over and sprinted toward Killian.

Acting on instinct, he turned and bolted, the wolf snarler hot on his heels.

His mind raced, desperately searching for a way to counter. 

[My limbs… I have to hide.]

He dove into the bushes, steadying his breath as he lay hidden, lurking in the shadows.

The wolf closed in within moments, its blazing eyes scanning the area as it sniffed the ground, searching for the scent of Killian's blood.

Killian braced himself, fists clenched, his curious and eager eyes locked onto the wolf.

He clenched his eyes shut. 

"Why must I cower? It's barely been a day."

He murmured, trying to steady his nerves.

A slight tilt of his head to the left, and he noticed a rock on the ground.

With nothing but determination, he dropped to the ground, stomach first, and crawled toward the rock.

He braced himself as he slowly lifted the rock, his muscles straining with the effort.

In an instant, the wolf, having noticed him, lunged at him with its jaws snapping.

His hands moved faster than his mind, and he struck the wolf's jaws with the rock. The impact sent it slamming into the ground.

Without hesitation, Killian charged at it and repeatedly slammed its head with the rock.

Fueled by fury and rage, he hammered its head with the rock, panting and cursing with each strike, until all that remained was a pool of its dark, thick blood.

Once his mind finally calmed, he collapsed onto the ground, lying on his back.

[I did it.]

He panted heavily, then began to laugh, his laughter echoing through the distance.

After a brief moment, he quieted down. His eyes gazed at the misty clouds.

He outstretched his hand.

[I will get there… No matter what, I will conquer the world.]

He lay there with nothing on his mind but the desire to surpass everyone, including Raiden and Lucid.

[We will conquer the world, Old Demon.]

With no time to waste, he got on his feet, stepped into the clear, and began wandering.

His mind pondered why his glove remained intact despite the sharpness of the wolf's teeth.

[Well… I must use it to my advantage.]

After hours of wandering without spotting a single monster, he pressed on, his journey far from over.

[I must be very stupid.]

With a heavy heart, he stood in front of a giant insect, his stomach rumbling as he wondered why he hadn't taken at least a piece of the wolf.

With his eyes tightly shut, he grabbed the insect and ate it, his face twisting in disgust.

[Ahh…terrible.]

Despite its foul taste, he at least had something in his stomach—and that was enough.

As he stood there, he began to sense a heavy but steady panting behind him. It was strange—it didn't feel like a human but a beast.

His heart raced, and a tingling sensation coursed through his body as he swallowed nervously.

He quickly tilted his head, but in an instant, he was slammed back to the ground.

His body trembled, his neck aching, as he slowly pushed himself up.

Before him stood a brown bear snarler, its sharp jaws snapping slowly as saliva dripped from its mouth, its scarred skin a testament to countless battles.

[What?… How am I this deep into the Wildlands.]

Killian had wandered where he shouldn't be—deep into the Wildlands, nearing the forbidden forest, a place inhabited only by dangerous clans and monstrous beasts.

The bear fixed its buzzing yet calm eyes on Killian, like a predator watching its injured prey.

Killian dropped to his knees, his neck screaming in pain and his legs shaking, literally on the verge of fleeing.

But his mind was set—he wanted to be strong, and fleeing would only make him weaker.

[I might get some proper meat after all.]

He gave a faint smile and let out a sigh.

He braced himself and dashed toward it.

The bear growled as it swung its paw, but Killian dodged it, leaped toward the beast, and struck its belly.

Killian screamed in agony, holding his leg. 

In an instant, the bear struck. He blocked with his hands, but the force of the blow sent him sliding backward on his feet.

[Whoa… that's a tough skin.]

He gritted his teeth, keeping his hands pressed between his thighs, trying to steady himself and ease the pain.

It let out a deep growl as if it had grown tired of waiting for its meal.

[Damn… I guess we both want our meals.]

Killian trembled, his heart racing as goosebumps spread across his pale skin.