Not too far from Shio's abode, a powerful fiend stirred from the shadows. It was known as the "Lugren."
A fiend is a creature born from tormented souls—beings twisted by darkness. Their size and form vary, often monstrous and sometimes intelligent enough to speak the human tongue.
Normally, if a soul finds peace, it is sent to either the Farplane or the Void—realms where the dead find rest.
In a nearby village, a flock of birds suddenly took flight, startled by something massive. A villager on the outskirts caught sight of a towering figure rushing toward the town.
Panicking, the villager ran back and rang the warning bell, shouting for everyone to flee. The villagers scattered in fear.
At the same time, outside the village perimeter, Shio was making his way down the path toward the town—unaware of the danger ahead.
One of the fleeing villagers crossed paths with him, breathless and terrified. "A monster is coming!" he cried out. But Shio, uncertain and skeptical, continued walking toward the village.
As he got closer, Shio noticed black smoke rising in the distance. He started to run. Upon arriving at a nearby ridge, he paused, stunned.
The village was in ruins.
Charred houses smoldered, and the ground was littered with fallen bodies. Shio's heart sank as he scanned for survivors.
That's when he heard a child crying—faint but clear. Down the street, he spotted a little girl. Behind her, a monstrous creature was bearing down. The fiend was enormous—a hulking behemoth.
Without hesitation, Shio bolted toward her.
But just as the creature lunged for the child, a loud crack like thunder erupted from the side, followed by a sudden plume of smoke.
Out of the haze emerged four figures, striking heroic poses.
Shio stared in awe. They moved with speed he could barely follow, placing themselves between the girl and the beast.
"Stand back, kid. The Heroes are here," one of them declared.
Shio recognized them immediately—four legendary figures whose tales had spread across the land. One of them now cradled the crying girl safely in his arms.
That was Yagura, the youngest among them—just nineteen when he earned his title. The others were all older by two to ten years.
Yagura's origin was steeped in tragedy. He became a hero after battling a fiend called Nome, who had attacked his home city of Tenebrae—an ancient city shrouded in myth.
When Yagura returned from training one day, he found Tenebrae in ruins. Rushing to his home, he discovered Nome feasting on the remains of his family.
Paralyzed with grief and rage, Yagura snapped.
His twin daggers surged with electricity, transforming into lightning blades. When the fiend lunged at him, Yagura vanished in a flash, leaving only sparks behind.
Nome spun around, searching—too slow. In an instant, Yagura reappeared and unleashed a rain of electrified daggers.
The fiend writhed under the barrage, unable to escape as Yagura whispered the words: "Thousand Daggers – Thunder Shackles."
The beast was electrocuted from within, its end marked by silence.
When a traveler later arrived at the destroyed city, he found Yagura standing alone in the rain. That traveler was none other than Rolf, a legendary dagger master—and one of the heroes. He took Yagura in, trained him, and gave him purpose.
Beside Yagura stood Iona, the songstress. She carried no weapon but a lute—and a powerful summon named Raiken, a spectral dog that responded to her music.
Her songs could heal allies or slay fiends depending on the melody. Legends told of her calming an entire horde with nothing but a single chord.
She had found Raiken in a sacred cave, lying beside an ancient lute. Forming a pact with the spirit, she awakened its dormant power.
The next hero was Basch, a samurai master well into his thirties. Weathered and seemingly too old for war, he wielded a legendary blade—Murasama.
The katana was said to absorb the strength of the fiends it slew. But such power came at a price—a secret only Basch knew.
Before becoming a hero, Basch had lived as a mercenary, taking on perilous missions. Some called him a "Wanderer," though few believed he was the legendary warrior with that title. But he carried himself with the weight of experience.
Lastly, there was Amy, the mage—around Yagura's age. She commanded the forces of nature and was revered for her healing magic.
Entire villages had been restored through her spells, and grievous wounds mended with a wave of her hand. Her lineage traced back to the Gama Tribe, an ancient people devoted to magic.
Amy was the last of them. The tribe had been wiped out by fiends, and Amy carried the hope of rebuilding her people's legacy.
Together, these four were known throughout the land as the Heroes. But among them, there was one more—a leader who had not yet arrived.
He was spoken of in hushed reverence. A warrior who once slew a fiend so powerful, it was said to rival the gods themselves.
His identity remained a mystery—for now.