Rio stood up, then filled the massive crater he had created and restored the land to its natural state.
Ren extinguished the remaining flames with water magic.
Rio looked at the village with sorrowful eyes, despair written across his face as tears streamed down.
"You know, Ren… maybe we shouldn't have left the castle…"
Ren simply hugged Rio and broke down crying like a newborn child.
Three days later, Rio had finally calmed down.
"Come on, Ren. We can't waste this journey. Let's go."
Rio sounded energetic again.
Ren looked at him in surprise.
"Are you sure you're okay?"
Rio answered firmly:
"Don't worry. This journey will continue… we'll uncover the truth of this world. I'll change everything. In the future, there will be no more oppression or slavery. I won't just be Rio anymore—I'll be the King of Freedom. I'll liberate everything… and I'll rule this world."
Ren stared at him in shock.
"You want to rule the world?!"
Rio smiled innocently.
"Of course I will."
Ren smiled back, as if he were finally beginning to understand a piece of human emotion.
They spread their wings and flew toward the Kingdom of Valorie.
"That kingdom… it's probably the one I hate the most," Rio muttered.
"I can't blame you," Ren replied.
Seven years passed.
Rio was now eight years old, yet he possessed the body of a grown man.
Ren had reached the age of thirteen.
"Rio, watch out behind you!!"
Ren shouted a warning as an attack came from Rio's blind spot.
Rio flipped acrobatically to evade it, then dashed toward the monster and sliced it into dozens of pieces.
"Ren, you need to watch yourself!" Rio said sternly. "Don't worry about me."
They were fighting three enormous dragons and their horde.
Rio shot forward at blinding speed, breaking the sound barrier as he drew his sword.
"Kagutsuchi… Sixth Verse."
A deep darkness swallowed the battlefield. Silence spread, as if the earth itself had become a ghost city.
A single drop of water fell.
Rio appeared behind the dragon and spoke in a calm, heavy voice:
"Silence."
The dragon's neck glimmered. Seconds after Rio sheathed his sword, its head slid off as easily as paper being cut.
From Ren's side came a shout:
"Ice Wall!"
He erected a barrier of ice around himself and crouched inside, preparing his attack.
The monsters didn't hesitate. They shattered the wall and rushed in—only to be met by a freezing breath that pierced them to the bone, locking them in solid ice.
Ren roared with all his strength and shattered them like glass.
"Well done, Ren," Rio praised.
Ren smiled. "Thank you."
Rio charged again, drawing his sword.
"Element Fusion: Fire and Iron."
Flames merged with metal. His blade glowed molten, melting the ground beneath it.
"Taste this… Fiery Meltdown!"
He raised the sword and struck with full force, incinerating the monsters until their bodies dissolved and the earth turned into flowing magma.
"That was the last wave of monsters. Two dragons left."
Rio moved first.
"Eye of Eternity…"
His right eye activated, revealing the dragons' weaknesses, strengths, and energy pathways.
Spreading his wings, he rushed them. One dragon launched a fireball, but Rio split it in half and surged through.
"You should hide your weak points, gentlemen."
He struck precisely along their energy paths. The dragons collapsed to the ground.
Ren approached Rio and raised his hand for a handshake.
"Well done. We should head back now."
Rio laughed and smiled.
"Yeah, yeah… we should go back. Now then—how are you, Grandma?"
The old woman looked at them with gratitude.
"Oh, thank you, young men. I would have died here if not for you."
"No need to thank us, ma'am," Rio said proudly. "We're here if you ever need anything else."
She laughed warmly.
"You're such kind boys. It's good to know there are people like you in this world."
Rio and Ren smiled, said their goodbyes, and flew into the sky.
"What a kind old lady," Rio said.
"You're right… and now we should hurry back. She's probably angry that we're so late," Ren added nervously.
Rio's proud expression shifted instantly to tension.
"You're right… she's going to ban us from eating."
They entered the Kingdom of Valorie and stopped at the door of their house.
Before they could open it, the door swung wide. A gentle-looking girl stepped out—silver hair, ocean-blue eyes, and flawless pale skin. With an angry expression, she punched Rio in the cheek.
"You idiots… where did you go?!"
Rio clutched his face in panic.
"Why am I the only one getting hit? Ren went with me too!"
The girl shot him a furious glare. A terrifying aura radiated from her like that of a demon queen.
Rio stepped back in fear.
"Okay, okay… I'll be quiet."
Ren tried to calm things down.
"Come on, Yui, there's no need for all that. We just went to help people."
Yui sighed and calmed slightly.
"Fine. But your punishment is no lunch."
Rio collapsed to the ground in despair and dragged himself behind the house.
"There's no lunch…"
Yui and Ren looked at each other, blinking in confusion.
"What's wrong with him? It's just food—it's not that serious."
Rio shouted from outside:
"It is serious! Food is the most important thing in life!"
Yui and Ren went inside.
Three hours later…
"Alright, I'm heading out now," Yui said. "Ren, take good care of Rio."
"You too. Be careful on your way to the guild," Ren replied.
Yui went to the guild and presented the corpses of the dragons and monsters that she, Ren, and Rio had defeated.
The reception staff were stunned. Everyone began whispering in shock, wondering how powerful Yui must be. She smiled proudly.
The receptionist handed her ten thousand gold coins.
Yui stared at the money and started dancing with joy.
"That's so much! This is amazing—look at all this money!"
She left the guild happily, skipping down the street and chanting,
"Money… money… lots of money!"
Suddenly, two large men stepped in front of her. Their faces were ugly, their expressions twisted with arrogance as they smirked.
"If you want to stay safe, little girl, hand over your money."
Yui ignored them and walked past confidently.
Feeling insulted, the men grabbed her shoulder.
"Hey, wait. You must not have heard us."
Yui turned her head slowly, her gaze sharp and serious, her voice cold and threatening:
"Take your hands off me… if you value your safety."
To be continued…