After the overwhelming dream, Shin stepped out of the room and put on his eye contacts to see clearly.
His eyes wandered around—the compound, or rather, the almost kingdom-like structure that now served as their home.
"They... would've loved it here," he murmured softly.
Shin walked down the hallway and out into the open. He wandered through the settlement, zoning out... seeing things—ghosts of memories, maybe. Things that weren't really there.
Then, from out of the corner, Oddesa accidentally bumped into him. She fell to the ground hard, like she'd hit a solid wall.
Shin quickly kneeled down beside her, concern flashing in his eyes.
"Shit... Sorry. You alright?"
Oddesa winced, gently rubbing her head.
"Ahhhh..."
She looked up—and there he was. The one she had been looking for.
"Shin! I've been looking all over for you. Sen told me to find you."
Shin gently helped her up, steadying her until she could stand on her own.
"He couldn't come himself?" he asked softly.
"Well... Sen said he was too lazy to move," she said, looking guilty. "And... he's busy telling everyone that you have bad eyesight and rely on Vermis' powers just to see clearly."
Oddesa scratched her head, her tone laced with embarrassment and curiosity.
"...Are you actually born with bad eyesight?"
Shin blinked a few times. "Yeah… I've got a condition. More like I was born with a handicap. A disability, in short."
"…So why did Sen send you here?" Shin asked, crossing his arms.
That snapped Oddesa back. "Oh—right, sorry about that. Sen… he's kind of worried," she said.
Shin raised an eyebrow. "After making fun of me? Huh… Something serious must've happened."
He began walking, Oddesa falling into step beside him.
"What made Sen worried?"
Oddesa spoke softly. "He has suspicions… about an eldritch entity."
"An eldritch entity, huh?" Shin repeated, eyes narrowing.
She nodded. "He said it might've been terrorizing a village."
"If Sen's right… then those poor people," Shin murmured. "This world's already a wreck, crawling with monsters. Now an eldritch entity finds their village too…"
Shin hurried his pace. "Mind if I rush ahead?" he asked, glancing back at Oddesa.
"Go. Don't mind me," she replied.
With the green light, Shin darted forward—he wanted to save them... to save as many people as he could.
Eventually, he caught up to Sen, who was pacing anxiously on the other side of the settlement.
"Oh, there you are," Sen said. "Listen—while you were asleep, I was checking in on the people we saved. I noticed one of them has a mark… the same kind mentioned in the book Vermis made us memorize. The one about supernatural beings."
Shin raised an eyebrow.
Sen continued, "I remembered seeing that same mark on a woman. It matches the description of an eldritch entity of lust. The book said those kinds of entities often target children... because they see them as potential long-term partners."
Shin scoffed. "So what? Maybe the kids have kinks."
Sen immediately grabbed Shin by the collar. "Stop being sarcastic!"
Unfazed, Shin gently pulled Sen's hand away. "Geez, calm down… So it's forced?"
Sen sighed, frustrated. "Sorry... yeah. It is. These eldritch entities—when they find a village they like, they approach the parents and demand the child they've chosen. If the parents hesitate or say no, the entity slices their throats, devours them, and takes the kid by force to be their mate."
There was a pause.
"Shin? Hey?" Sen waved his hand in front of his brother's face.
"Sorry," Shin muttered, blinking back into focus. "Why does everything in this world go for the throats?"
He let out a bitter chuckle. "Seriously... the throats? I mean, I'm not one to complain—I go for those too—but damn…"
Shin cracked his neck and stretched his back and arms. "What do eldritch entities have? Like... their main weapon?"
Sen pulled out the Book of Horrors Vermis gave them.
"It says here..." He flipped through the pages. "That... hmm... each entity is randomized. Every one of them has different abilities, powers, and effects. But they fall into categories. The one we're chasing is an Eldritch of Lust."
"Do the categories give any hint about what their abilities are?" Shin asked, crossing his arms.
Sen sighed. "Unfortunately, no. Whether they're Eldritch of Wrath, Lust, Ego—whatever—their powers aren't always tied to the category. Mostly they're not... but sometimes, yeah. Sometimes Wrath really does come with destruction, and Lust manipulates desire, and so on. That's the tricky part."
Shin shrugged. "As long as they don't have tentacles. Those can really annoying to go through.
Sen flipped a page. "Huh... Well would you look at that. It says here that eldritch of lust doesn't attack women because mostly they're all women."
Shin took the book from Sen's hand. "You said it kills parents. That's including the mother meaning a women smartass." Shin said as he reads more about them.
"No, dipshit. I mean they don't attack woman for unknown reason. Eldritch of lust often find men to be their partner. Forced or not, they often ignore women... Mothers are exception because they take partner by force so they will kill mothers but mostly they will ignore or neglect women." Sen said.
"Ah... Alright... By the way you said mostly of them are females." Shin flipped another page.
Sen crossed his arms. "Yeah, there's males as well. But they're into men themselves and what's funny is they have a hundred percent healthy relationship." he chuckle.
"So, they don't kill parents?" Shin flipped another page.
"No, but they try their best to win the parents heart and their picked partner's heart. If they failed they'll be depressed for a while and try to moved on, till they eventually find the right partner." Sen followed.
Shin calmly said. "Huh... Well That's good to hear."
Sen had an idea. "Hey, why not bring Kaide and Kirin? This female eldritch of lust ignores women anyway. And with that, those two can understand Ascendance much better by seeing us in action."
"No." Shin replied without hesitation. "If something goes south and someone gets hurt—or worse, killed—we can't guarantee everyone's safety. You know that."
"Come on, Shin. Think about it. The more they witness, the more they'll gradually learn."
"What the fuck is that gonna do? Watching us fight? And they'll somehow learn something about it?" Shin snapped, his tone rising slightly.
"And what if they try to protect the kid from the eldritch of lust? That'd make them primary targets too."
Sen sighed. "Alright, you don't need to yell."
"I was just suggesting... Didn't mean to make you mad." He looked down.
He turned his back and began to prepare. "I'm sorry... Let's just get ready..."
Shin frowned. "...Fuck. Alright, go get them."
Sen lit up with a smug smirk. "Knew you couldn't stand seeing your little brother sad~" he whispered to himself as he walked off.
He headed out to find Kirin and Kaide, while Shin continued reading the book.
"It says here... Female eldritch of lust are attracted to virgins... Very original." He flipped a page.
Shin tilted his head. "Males can breed with their human male partner... Well, that's a sentence I didn't expect. Males are the safe ones—no need to kill them. Noted. Females? Bad. Need to kill."
"How do they reproduce anyway?" He flipped another page.
"Huh..."
"They're born when humans have too much urge to mate... But human and eldritch of lust can reproduce as well." Shin rolled his eyes and flipped another page.
"They only pick human males as partners. Female eldritch of lust are dangerous—they tend to force a male human to be their partner whether they want it or not. If the human or their parents disagree, the eldritch will kill the parents and kidnap the human... Noted."
"Male eldritch of lust are attracted to human males too. But they're the safest—they're respectful to the parents and their chosen partner. If the partner or the parents disagree, they get depressed for a while and move on. They don't have typical male traits 'cause male eldritch are... kinky, soft, and wanna be dominated... What the fuck am I reading?" Shin frowned.
"Male-to-eldritch breeding... They lay eggs." He closed the book.
"Okay, that's enough reading. Where the hell is that idiot Sen..."
Sen found the two women in their usual place, talking.
"Do you think Shin would even agree to that?" Kaide asked.
Kirin grinned. "Oh, he will~"
Sen approached them. "Finally found you two."
"Oh, hey, Sen," Kirin waved.
"Hey, Sen," Kaide smiled softly.
Sen spoke gently. "So... I kinda forced Shin to bring you two along for this mission... I thought it might help you both get more adaptive to how Ascendance works."
He then explained the situation — the mission, the dangers, and how it would mainly affect the brothers, not the women.
"So these creatures will ignore us if we don't interfere?" Kaide asked, crossing her arms.
Sen nodded. "Correct."
"But what if the kids are in danger?" Kirin asked softly.
Sen clapped his hands once. "Good question. Here's how it usually goes: in these kinds of hunts, one of us protects the victim — or the 'bait' to lure the creature out. I usually handle protection duty while Shin goes wild and beats the shit out of the target," he said with a proud smile.
The women looked at each other and nodded in agreement.
"We'll come," they said.
The three of them headed back and found Shin preparing.
"Hey, Sen," Shin called. "It says here in the Book of Horrors that they're attracted to virgins... meaning I could be a target."
A small laugh escaped Kaide.
"Sorryyy..." she scratched her head with an awkward smile.
"Kaide... not cool, man," Sen said, squinting at her.
"Yeah..." Kirin added, shaking her head.
Shin rolled his eyes. "I wanted it. It's not like there's a girl who wants me for something more than just my body."
Kirin coughed. "Ahem."
"You sick or something? I told you, Sen... These women aren't ready yet," Shin muttered.
"Do I sound sexist?" he asked.
"Yeah," Sen replied.
"You do," Kaide followed up.
Kirin nodded. "Yes. You sound sexist."
Shin sighed. "I'm sorry... I had a rough morning. Dreamed about someone important."
Sen looked over calmly. "Mother...?"
Shin nodded silently.
The group went quiet. They all knew... Shin had suffered the most.
Sure, Sen had gone through the same brutal training—broken bones, endless hours—but mentally, he had always been supported by Shin. The same couldn't be said for Shin himself.
They finished preparing for the mission.
"Sen, do your thing," Shin said.
Sen drew his sword and sliced the air. A portal opened up, leading straight to the village where the eldritch creature lurked.
Shin smirked. "Sen, to be honest... your ascendance with the sword cutting through air and opening portals? Looks suspiciously like that one game I played... Devil May-something? You're a copycat, Sen."
"You did not just say that to me," Sen said, arms crossed. "You, with your punching, kicking, and fire ascendance? Literally the most basic powers ever. At least mine is based on my favorite game."
"I'm going for that classic brawler vibe," Shin shrugged. "Besides, Vermis said my body is my weapon."
Kaide stepped in, pushing both of them toward the portal. "You two... just go already. Aren't we here to save a whole village from losing all their sons?"
Kirin nodded, siding with her. "She's right. Time to stop messing around."
"Then let's fight," Sen challenged. "Let's see who's more strategic and resourceful with their ascendance."
"Oh, please. I fed you dirt the last time we fought," Shin smirked, crossing his arms.
"Alright, enough!" Kaide raised her voice.
"Do you two just... shift moods like this? One second sad, and now you're both trying to out-alpha each other?" Kirin raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah, sometimes... it's pride," Shin replied calmly as he stepped through the portal.
Sen smiled softly. "Yeah... and it's kind of common in brotherhood. He raised me when our parents died during the demon attack. I love him. This little pride war—who's stronger—it's just our way of saying we care, y'know?"
The girls chuckled. Kirin stepped through the portal first, then Kaide, and finally Sen followed behind them.
The two girls just chuckled and then Kirin head first, before Kaide in the portal... And finally Sen.
When they come through... They see a town. A clean, medieval town.
"Huh?" Said both by the womens.
Shin sitting beside the portal, waiting for them stood up. "This is not the past."
"Think of this as a untouched beauty. There's no demons that found this places yet. The supernatural entities, such as Spirits, yes ghost exist had easily found places quiet as this towns." Sen said.
"Entities such as eldritch and ghosts and others goes for quiet places. That's why most abandoned place is lurking with spirits, bad or evil." Sen said.
"Hmm, so you mean I could go into one abandoned place in a destroyed city.. I'll more likely to encounter or be haunted by them?" Kirin said.
Sen nodded. "Huh... So that's why before Shin and I met.. the place I'm staying, have weird noises and stuff, heck sometimes even a figure in my blind spot." Kirin said.
"Yikes... Unironically, that's creepy. I'm a slave for like 2-3 years? Basically I've seen most things but I didn't know ghost exist and stuff. All I know is demons are here, then you two came and introduce Angels, supernatural beings that basically breaks any scientific studies." Kaide said.
"By the way... How's your little brothers in the settlement? Are they curious about things like study?" Sen asked.
"Yeah... I'm teaching them to study, read, write and stuff. What kind of sister am I if I leave them clueless right?" She chuckled.
"Where's Shin?" Kirin said.
"Huh...?" Sen looked confused. "Oh fuck..." Sen, looked at a distance where a shop is...
Shin is buying apple pies. The rest followed him. "Shin... You're way too obvious." Kaide said.
"Playing like a innocent civilian?" She softly said.
"Yeah, no... He simply likes them. Our Shin loves Apple and basically every food that have apple in it... This is not an act, it's simply... Shin." Sen said. Watching his brother buy 3 apple pies.
"Hmm... Noted." Kirin whispered to herself.
The group then headed toward a church, which was heavily barricaded.
"The church..." Sen muttered, walking toward it.
An old priest appeared. "What can this old man do for you young people?"
He gave a small bow. "My apologies—I'm Albert."
"My name is Sen, this is Kirin, Kaide, and that dude eating pie in the back is my brother, Shin," Sen said with a small smile.
The priest lit up. "Ah... you two—Sen and Shin. You're the ones who saved us, right? No wonder you both looked familiar."
Then he looked at the women. "And may I ask, who are these young ladies?"
"Hi, I'm Kirin. Shin helped me once," she said with a kind smile.
"Kaide... I was a slave, but Sen and Shin burned the entire slave auction to the ground and saved us," she added, raising her hand for a handshake.
Priest Albert gently shook their hands, then introduced the nearby guards. "These are Alane and Yuhan."
"Unfortunately," Albert said with a heavy tone, "this town has been infested by creatures of the night... some take children and do horrible things to them."
Sen gently placed a hand on the priest's shoulder. "That's why we're here."
Alane and Yuhan stood in front of them.
"Thank you. Many have already died trying to protect this town," Alane said solemnly.
Yuhan nodded. "These creatures... they're unstoppable. Our Ascendance isn't strong enough."
He looked at Shin and Sen with admiration. "After seeing you fight—watching you kill that beast ten times the size of a house—we wanted to be warriors like you."
Albert added quietly, "Most of the warriors here were inspired by you two... sadly, they didn't make it. Those creatures slaughtered almost all of them."
Shin stood up, finished eating his Apple pies. "This things. They're called Eldritch creatures. Horrors far, far than what humans can imagine 'nighmare' really is."
"Tell me. Have you two ever seen what this creatures actually look like?" Shin asked Yuhan and Alane.
"...No.. Not yet at least." Alane looked down. Not confident in her own skills.
Yuhan stood Infront of Alane. He is the one confident enough in his own skills. "I am... She isn't... but I am"
Shin handed him and her a slice of his Apple pie. "Don't waste your life on that. You two will die and I'm not gonna sugarcoat it with saying that you two need to be brave or strong willed."
Yuhan frowned. "What? Are you talking about? Most people that looked up to you, chose to be a fighter because of you two... Are dead... And you're just gonna tell me to give up?" He crushed the pie in his palm and threw it to the ground.
Alane came to Yuhan. "Calm down... Yuhan... Sorry, he doesn't mean that." she looked worried on Yuhan.
"...That's a waste of a delicious pie..." Shin looked on the food.
"Why did you do that for? You could just do some else to prove a point." he looked at Yuhan.
"You don't fucking know what I've been through...! So don't ever tell me to give up!"
Yuhan tried to rush Shin, but Alane stopped him.
"Yuhan... Just calm down." she said.
The rest stepped up.
Sen, Kirin, Kaide, and Father Albert.
Sen got in between Shin and Yuhan. "Yuhan... Calm down."
"He's right..." Kirin said looking with empathy.
"Let's not fight." Kaide said.
"Boy..." father Albert whispered.
Sen spoke. "Shin, what's that for? Why'd you told them that?"
Sen pulled everyone from the group. Shin, Kirin, and Kaide away from them to talk privately.
The ladies want to hear Shin's explanation as well.
Shin sighed. "Look at them. They look naive, easily angered just as you saw with Yuhan. They will die out there easily. Composure is a must, not an option."
"They look and act like those generic manga characters that die obviously." Shin said.
"Look at them. Do you want them to think highly for themselves and then die? They have future way better than the two of us." Shin said to Sen.
"They think they can fucking do it since they already mastered their ascendance... We mastered ours in the span of years! Sen. And that's because of Vermis."
"They didn't broke bones, tore limbs, then got restored back up and mastered fighting styles, put into realistic scenarios, just like us."
"We are what we are because Vermis thought us how to survive on the real ugly world!" Shin said.
"They have a better future than us... Look at them—innocent. They haven't killed anyone yet. And it should stay that way!" Shin said.
"They're just kids... and they shouldn't have to learn how to kill. If it weren't for this goddamn, fucked-up world we live in, they wouldn't be dragged into this bullshit."
Sen looked back at the two, then turned to Shin, his expression softening. "...I know. I get it..."
"That goes for you two as well," Shin added, turning to Kirin and Kaide. "We'll teach you how to master your Ascendance, but you're not going to use it to lose your humanity. Got it?"
The two girls looked down, silently absorbing his words.
"Shin..." Kirin whispered gently.
"We understand..." Kaide murmured.
Shin sighed, the weight on his chest clear in his voice. "Go on ahead. Head back first... I'm gonna buy another pie and stress eat."
Without waiting for a response, he turned and walked away.
But Shin stopped.
He turned around and walked past them, heading straight for Yuhan.
"Get your anger out on me. Let's go to that clearing—show me what you've got," Shin said.
"You...!" Yuhan still seethed with rage. He stormed toward the clearing without hesitation.
Everyone tried to stop Shin.
Sen grabbed his arm. "The hell are you doing? We've got a mission here."
"I'm gonna teach him what no one else did," Shin said, pulling away and continuing on.
The rest watched nervously—especially Father Albert and Alane.
In the clearing...
"Show me... if you can actually fight. Or die doing nothing," Shin said.
Enraged, Yuhan rushed him. "I'll show you what I can do!"
"Take this!" He swung his sword at Shin.
Shin blocked it with ease—but then came a spin kick.
It landed on Shin's face.
"Ha! I told you—I am capable! Maybe even more than—!"
Before he could finish, Shin grabbed his leg midair.
"Good technique... but fragile," he muttered.
Then slam—he threw Yuhan hard to the ground.
"Flashy... but weak."
"YUHAN!" Alane shouted, terrified.
Sen gently stopped her. "Don't worry. See that purple flame around him? That's Shin's Ascendance. It cushions the damage. He'll feel pain—but it won't kill him."
"Really...?" Alane looked at him with concern.
"Yes. Shin only does this to people who need humbling," Sen said. He softly patted her shoulder. "Especially your brother."
Yuhan stood up, nose bleeding. "I'll show you what a real strong move is…"
He activated his ascendance. His ability allowed him to summon two creatures he had once fought and defeated.
Two massive grizzly bears formed beside him, growling and charging at Shin with murderous intent.
"Surrender, or they'll maul you," Yuhan warned.
"…Futile," Shin muttered.
He brutally slammed his knee into the first bear's face until it dropped, unmoving. Then, he turned to the other and tore its jaws apart with his bare hands.
"You don't get it, do you?" Shin said coldly. "Flashy, stylish, show-off moves mean nothing in a real fight." He walked up to Yuhan, grabbing his face and lifting him off the ground.
"At this point, your head would be crushed. You'd die a horrible—yet painless—death. Horrible for the witnesses… quick for you." He released him.
"You did terrible. You'll die out there. But I'm here… and I'll make sure you survive long enough to protect those you care about."
Shin looked straight at him. "I've killed people, Yuhan. Demons. Humans. Creatures of the night. I've killed rapists, pedophiles, murderers… It never felt good. But it always felt right. And yet, it's empty."
He extended a hand. "I'll personally train you. To be strong… but strong enough to know when to stop. When to protect."
"To be strong—but strong enough to be kind, to be gentle. To become a beacon of hope."
"You'll be what I couldn't become."
Shin helped him up.
"Pay up. You wasted an apple pie, and I want it back."
Yuhan silently paid—his thoughts spiraling around every word Shin had just said.
With that, Shin turned and walked away… heading back to buy another apple pie.
After a while, Yuhan walked back to the others.
"I'm sorry... I lashed out at Shin earlier. He was right. I would die out there—because I'm too bold," he said, sitting beside Father Albert.
Sen chuckled and sat next to him. "So... how was it? Fighting my brother?"
Yuhan smiled faintly. "Scary... You both kill people, right? Has Shin always had eyes like that?"
Sen let out another quiet chuckle.
Meanwhile, Alane had led the ladies into the church to rest and wait for nightfall.
"Shin and I... we only kill when we have to," Sen said, his voice softening. "Back then, when we first got our Ascendance... we were naive. We used it to help people, to punish the bad guys just enough so they'd regret it. We only killed demons."
He frowned.
"But one night... we broke into a house. Two men had murdered an entire family. Children. Parents. Gone. Something in us snapped. I cut one of them down... Shin crushed the other's skull. They ended a whole generation of innocent people."
Sen looked up at the sky, his eyes distant.
"Since then... we stopped holding back. We just kept killing every evil bastard who dared to hurt the innocent."
He stood up and gently patted Yuhan's shoulder.
"When night comes, that eldritch entity will show itself. Shin and I will take care of it. You stay here—with the kids and the ladies. Got it?"
Yuhan nodded quietly and made his way inside the church.
Sen then walked off, heading through the town to find Shin.
After several minutes, he spotted him.
"Shin. We need to talk," Sen said.
Shin nodded, following him to a more private area.
"I'm guessing this is about the demons?"
Sen nodded again.
Shin clenched his fist. "Demons... ever since they spilled back into this world, they've only gotten tougher."
"Remember the first time I killed one? The day our parents died. That demon was already injured—I just finished it off with a stab. Back then, high-caliber bullets could kill them."
He paused.
"Now? That doesn't even scratch them anymore. Time keeps moving, and these things are evolving. If this continues, they'll become a bigger threat than anyone can handle."
"When Lucifer and Vermis arrive... we need answers. Something's changing."
"Maybe it's a cult," Sen offered. "Human sacrifices, demonic worship, something bigger behind the scenes."
"Yeah... and if it is, it's not some back-alley ritual group. It's something organized. Something powerful."
With that, Shin turned and headed back toward the church.
To be continued...