Chapter 2: The Man in Black Armor
"The dead leave behind memories. The living choose what to do with them."
The morning sun rose over the ruins of Ashvale, but it brought no warmth.
Smoke drifted into the pale sky as the last of the fires burned themselves out. The cheerful village that had once echoed with laughter now stood silent, reduced to charred wood and shattered stone.
Kael remained kneeling beside his father's body.
His hands trembled as he gently closed the old blacksmith's eyes.
"I'm sorry..."
His voice cracked.
"I wasn't strong enough."
For a long moment, he said nothing else.
The mysterious hunter stood several steps behind him, saying nothing. His black armor was scratched and stained with fresh blood, yet his posture remained firm, like a mountain that refused to bow.
Around them, the surviving hunters searched the village for anyone who might still be alive.
A young hunter approached.
"Captain Darius."
"There are twelve survivors."
The man in black armor nodded.
"And the beasts?"
"They retreated into the Blackwood Forest before sunrise."
Captain Darius remained silent.
His sharp eyes wandered across the destruction.
"This wasn't a normal attack..."
The younger hunter frowned.
"You think they came for something?"
"I know they did."
Kael heard every word.
He slowly stood.
"What do you mean?"
Darius looked at him but didn't answer.
Instead, he walked toward the broken village gate.
Kael followed.
"You said they didn't come here by chance."
Still no answer.
Frustrated, Kael grabbed the captain's arm.
"Tell me!"
Before Kael could react...
A crushing pressure exploded around him.
It felt as though the air itself had become unbearably heavy.
His knees buckled.
He struggled to breathe.
Cold sweat rolled down his face.
He had never felt fear like this before.
Without drawing his sword...
Without lifting a finger...
The man in black armor had completely overwhelmed him.
After a few agonizing seconds, the pressure vanished.
Kael collapsed onto one knee, gasping for air.
Darius looked down at him.
"This..."
"...is the difference between us."
Kael clenched his fists.
"I'll surpass you."
For the first time...
The captain smiled.
With a light chuckle, he shook his head.
"Dream on."
He turned and continued walking.
After a few steps, he let out a faint laugh.
"There is no point in knowing what you don't have the power to change."
He stopped.
Then he slowly turned to face Kael, a faint grin spreading across his face.
"When you're strong enough..."
"...come and beat it out of me."
Kael met his gaze, his fists clenched at his sides.
"I will."
The grin on Darius's face widened for just a moment before he turned away once more.
"I'll be waiting."
The surviving villagers gathered in the village square as the hunters prepared the dead for burial.
By sunset, simple wooden markers stood where families had once dreamed of tomorrow.
Kael placed his father's hammer beside the grave.
"I'll come back for it."
"When I'm worthy."
The wind stirred the ashes around him.
As he turned away, something caught his eye.
Near the shattered eastern gate...
A massive footprint.
Far larger than any beast that had attacked the village.
Its edges still smoldered, as though the ground itself had burned beneath it.
Darius stared at the footprint in silence.
His face hardened.
"So..."
"It was here after all."
Kael frowned.
"What was here?"
The captain didn't answer.
Instead, he slowly unsheathed the enormous sword resting across his back.
His eyes never left the forest.
Then...
A deafening roar echoed across the mountains.
Every hunter in the village froze.
One by one...
They reached for their weapons.
Darius spoke only three words.
"Prepare for battle."