It was barely even dawn. The sun had just started peaking past the mountains, leaving a bright orange glow to the sky. Birds chirped in the snow-covered trees. Grass flowed smoothly in the cold air, as frost fell from each blade. Zuri'el was almost completely silent, with the only unnatural noise coming from a line of caravans on the outskirts. The wheels rattled as it traversed across the uneven roads. And sitting on one of the open carriages was Kiliano. He held a brown blanket over his head that covered his entire body. With every breath he took, cold air dispersed from his mouth. Sitting across from him was another man, covered in a cloak. Kiliano glanced over at him, but his eyes quickly wandered elsewhere. "How're things back there!?" Someone said from the front. Kiliano cleared his throat before talking, "We're good. No problems." Kiliano tucked himself inside his blanket and settled in more comfortably. After a few moments, Kiliano closed his eyes, trying to sleep.
Poke… poke poke. "Mmph." Poke poke. "MMMPH!" Kiliano grumbled as a tingly sensation filled his nose. Poke poke poke. Kiliano opened his eyes. He was immediately met with the sight of Nazeem's face staring back at him from a few centimeters away. "GYAAH!" He screamed out. Nazeem leaned away from Kiliano, revealing Lura and Nyleah. Kiliano's eyes were wide open from shock, "W-why the hell are you three here!?" "Well isn't it obvious…?" Nazeem spoke up, "...We're gonna help you look for this dude with you." Kiliano rubbed his eyes, "Oh c'mon guys. You shouldn't have to come with me. This is my problem. A-and besides… Lura, you're royalty! Why the hell are you leaving the country after a war!?" "SHHHH…!" Lura shushed him loudly, "...I can't have people finding out I left just yet." Kiliano let out an annoyed sigh, "This isn't gonna end well for you three." Nyleah stepped up, "Well we don't seem to think so. Kiliano, all of us came here of our own fruition. We want to help you with this. So please… allow us to stay together for your journey." Kiliano blinked blankly a few times. After a few seconds of silence, he spoke up, "You three have gotta be the most stubborn jackasses I've ever met. But I can't exactly say no since it won't make much of a difference for you three…" He began muttering to himself, "I doubt you three'd leave, even if I told you to." Lura sent a deafening glare towards Kiliano after she overheard him. Kiliano stiffened up, "I-I'm… sorry." A drop of sweat ran down his cheek. Lura smiled, "Then it's settled. We're off on an adventure!"
After a few hours, Nazeem sat up, as if remembering something, "Oh, that's right. Kiliano, where are we headed for the trip?" "Oh, right…" Kiliano sat up and took out a piece of paper from his pocket and laid it on the carriage. It was a map of three different countries. On the bottom was labeled, The Thirteen Kingdoms, and had every different kingdom sanctioned off from each other, representing each border. On the top left of the map was Vraldeen. It was much thinner in latitude than The Thirteen Kingdoms, but was much longer in longitude. On the top right, was a country labeled, Zaphaar. "Alright, so first we'll make it into Vraldeen from this carriage. Once we make it to the capital we'll head over to Zaphaar and ask around over there. If we have no luck, then we'll have to get a boat to take us towards the Eastern Continent." Nazeem made a confused look, "Why the Eastern Continent. Isn't the Western Continent the largest? Why not start there?" Kiliano smirked, "Looks like you haven't studied your geography… moron." "H-hey c'mon dude!" "Haha, sorry man. Anyways… the reason we start in the Eastern Continent is because it's the closest to us. Since we're in the Southern Continent, the closest to us would be East, and then we'd travel North. And from the Northern Continent, we'd go to the Western Continent…" Kiliano's eyes twitched, "...But… If we still haven't found him by then… We'll have to travel a bit farther west." Lura's eyes glared at me, "You don't mean…-" "Yeah, I do." Kiliano said with a serious tone. Nazeem looked even more confused, "Uh, what're you talking about?" Nyleah spoke up, "They're talking about going to the Demon Continent." "Wow, I've never heard of that place before." "Yeah that makes sense…" Kiliano spoke up again, "...The Demon Continent isn't accessible to the general public. It's usually kept secret from others so people don't try travelling there." "Why's it so dangerous there? Bad weather?" "No… It's a lot worse than that. According to master Torrid, an incredibly powerful dungeon was formed on that continent two thousand years ago. And after nobody was able to clear it, the dungeon's seal broke. It was the first ever recorded dungeon break in history… And by far the most destructive." Nazeem spoke up, "Okay hold on. If the dungeon was that powerful, then how come the boss didn't just wide out all of humanity? If nobody was able to clear it, then that must mean the boss was some supremely powerful monster, right?" "Well, the boss was never found. Torrid told me that after years of investigation, the boss and miniboss never appeared. My guess was it was some special kind of dungeon that only forms boss-level monsters, which is why it couldn't be cleared. Every party that fought it was probably just overwhelmed by sheer numbers. But I doubt each monster was over the tier of Overlord." "Then, why haven't the monsters just taken over the world at this point?" Nazeem pointed out. Kiliano snapped his finger, "That's just what I was about to get to…" There was a slight pause, "...Around the entire continent are dozens of encampments that prevent any monsters from crossing the sea. Not only that, but apparently extremely high power water mages are stationed too, just in case the monsters make it to the ocean and try swimming away. The entire perimeter is tightly guarded. Barely anyone is allowed in or out." Nazeem sighed, "So how would we even get in?" Kiliano smirked, "Well… not to brag or anything, but I happen to be the person that saved an entire country. Word of my battle with Shyzen will begin spreading across the continents, and I'll probably become famous enough for them to let me in without a hitch." Nazeem whispered to himself, "Showoff." Kiliano and Lura giggled. Nyleah patted Nazeem on the back out of pity.
Much farther north, in an unknown area filled with lush green trees that seemed to reach above the clouds, a man was laying down, propped against the trunk of a massive tree. It was Scarr, sleeping in the shade. Suddenly, his nose twitched and his eyes shot open. He frowned, and sat up straight, "Sigh… You fool…" He began talking, and looked up at the treetops, "...Seems like that kid was just too much for you, aye?" He stood up and cracked his neck. POP, POP! "Yeesh, I'm feeling a bit too stiff for any action…" He began scratching his chin, "...I wonder, will this young man be able to replace Shyzen… as the new Scion Of The Rising Sun?" "Ohhh…?" Another man's voice echoed from above. Scarr's eyes widened from shock, and he took a step back out of caution. "...Don't worry Scarr, it's just me." The man's voice was calm and rolled off his tongue in a slight lisp. Suddenly, the man fell down from the treetops in front of Scarr. He had a handsome face, with pure white robes and baggy pants. Scarr scoffed, "You shouldn't hide like that. Especially when you know humans like us can't sense your presence." "Oh please, Scarr it's always so much fun when I scare you like that! C'mon pal, let's talk." The two of them began walking down the thick forest. Scarr's eyes kept their gaze towards the man. "Hey c'mon Scarr, why do you gotta keep staring at me with that malicious look on yer face?" "We both know I shouldn't trust you." "Well why not? I trust you." Scarr scoffed, "That's only because I'm considered your champion. If I were someone like Cu'raa you wouldn't even come near me." "Okay but that's because Cu'raa's a complete maniac. If I snuck up on him he'd probably blow up the entire region by accident." "Pfft, acciden?" Scarr whispered. The man giggled, "See? This is why I like popping in to say hi to you every once in a few decades. Oh, by the way, where are you headed now?" "I've caught wind of some promising new talent. But unfortunately, it seems someone else has got to him first. My guess is it was probably Yuraira." "Ohhh? Yuraira's a pretty crafty one. Are you sure you'll be able to find him?" Scarr frowned, "I'll have to if I want that promising young talent to grow into a soldier worthy of the name Monfril." The man's eyebrows twitched, "M-Monfril, aye? You don't mean-" "Yeah, I do…" Scarr interrupted as they both made eye contact with each other. Silence filled the air for a few moments. A gust of wind blew past them, and Scarr spoke up, "...This kid's name is Kiliano Monfril. He's a teenage boy powerful enough to take on Shyzenkraum and defeat him. A kid that strong, with the name of Monfril hasn't been produced for two thousand years. And if he's anything like the last, I absolutely need to find him and turn him into my pupil." "Well, what if that doesn't work out? What if he becomes your enemy instead?" Scarr scowled, "TSK, If he decides I'm an enemy… then death is the only thing that awaits him. Especially now, since the wish will be completely disintegrated in less than ten years.