Renzo walked behind Jake, his bare feet pressing into the dirt with each heavy step. His mind was a storm of thoughts. His family… dead. And he couldn't even remember how they died. Were they buried? Or were they burned to ash like him?
He died too, didn't he? He was only alive because of the Destruction Danchi. One mistake, just one unforeseen, uncontrollable event. Just his father awakening a forbidden Danchi… and the entire family had to pay the price.
Must the children pay for the sins of their fathers? For choices they never made, for power they never asked for?
He remembered what his father always said: Hundreds of years ago, this world was beautiful. A small planet in what was once called a solar system. But then… something descended.
And the world ended.
Or rather, it evolved. Expanded. Became this twisted, ruined reality. Danchi arrived and swept across the land like a storm.
Humanity, once the supreme race on this planet, had been reduced to prey. Hunted. Consumed. Their numbers fell again and again. From billions… to just ten million.
From greatness to near extinction.
Renzo still remembered his father's words: No one knows how large the world is now. No one knows if this is still a planet… or just a boundless plane. No one dares step beyond the fog.
Out there, only Danchi Overlord Beasts reigned.
His father had been a good man. So how did he fall into such deep depression? What broke him? They were always happy… always laughing. His father had been the brightest soul in their home. And yet… he died. So miserably. Without even a corpse left behind.
And then, the villagers…
They murdered his entire family in fear. Fear of the unknown. Fear of what his father had become. They broke Renzo's energy points. They cut his skin. Broke his bones. How did he even survive that as a child?
And yet when he finally sought revenge…
He was the villain.
The world had forgotten he was just a child. That he had done nothing wrong. He was only five. What evil could a five-year-old possibly commit to deserve that kind of torment?
But when he finally killed the people who murdered his family…
They killed him in return. Called him a monster.
What kind of justice is that?
Is it fair? Is this… right?
"Jake… can you give me a moment before we return to the base?" Renzo asked, his voice hoarse.
Jake stopped but didn't turn around. His voice was cold.
"You're a Danchi user now. Your past life doesn't matter. Your grudges are irrelevant. This is survival. One slip… and you die. Just a single mistake, and it's over."
He paused, then added, "Take it from me. I may look your age, but I'm thirty. I've been a Danchi user for ten years. I tried to run from it. Thought I could avoid it. Boy…"
He shook his head slowly.
"What we have, it's not a blessing. It's a curse. A curse you'll soon wish you never received. One you'll beg to be rid of. But tell me who will you pray to?"
Jake's voice rose, bitter and hollow.
"THERE IS NO GOD IN THIS RUINED WORLD."
"I ran... For five long years, I barely used my Danchi. I thought I could live. Thought I could hide. And look at me now, a worn-out member of a mercenary group, silently counting the days until I die."
"Think. Think hard. You'll try to fight it… try to survive… but you'll realize soon enough: there's no hope. You'd be better off dying now. Kill yourself… or wait for it to consume you."
With that, Jake turned and walked off, leaving Renzo behind.
Renzo made his way to a tree and sat down at its base. His eyes misted. Silent tears fell down his cheeks.
He heard everything Jake said.
But…
Would he give up?
Would he abandon everything?
He was only alive because of the past. Because of what was done to him.
Could he die now, without revenge? Could he let the deaths of his mother, his siblings, go unpunished?
No.
He would take this curse. He would carry it.
He would fight.
It was what he owed them.
This ruined world had no god. No one to pray to. No mercy.
"Is this… the true nature of life?" Renzo whispered. "Danchi… is a curse. Not a blessing. But people praise it. They say you become a god after awakening…"
"Maybe… they know nothing."
"They don't see the price. The madness. The corruption. The sacrifice."
"A curse, huh? Even if it is…"
Renzo's eyes burned red.
"…I'll burn them all."
"I'll burn this world with me."
*****
A few meters ahead, a familiar man could be seen resting against a tree, smoking.
In this era, most technology, cars, bombs, and the like was no longer in use. They had become obsolete. Only the basics remained: clothes, food factories, and other essential services. Society had devolved to a simpler time, even reverting to using gold, silver, and bronze for transactions.
The world seemed modern… yet so basic.
Puff…
Jake exhaled a cloud of smoke as his mind wandered.
"Five years of running… and this is where I end up?" he muttered, staring at his hands. They were covered in thin black lines, tracing the paths of his veins.
Even his neck was marked. Only his head remained untouched.
"What blessing?" he scoffed with a bitter laugh. "I was a fool… This is a curse. How many of my comrades have gone mad because of this? Insanity, yeah, that's what most Danchi users face. And still, they preach that we should charge into the warfront, lay down our lives for those fragile humans. 'Save the future of mankind,' they say…"
Jake flicked the cigarette away.
"What's the point, anyway? They want us to protect a future we won't live to see. We're disposable to them. Sure, they say we can survive if we master our Danchi… but how many truly do? How many ever break through the Ember Realm?"
He folded his arms.
"Ten years. I've been stuck in this cursed stage for ten whole years. And now, my death is staring me in the face. There's nothing I can do about it."
******
Back with Renzo…
Just as Renzo solidified his resolve, a sharp pain shot through his right arm.
He hissed and looked down.
Another thin black line had appeared exactly the same width and length as the first.
"What…? Am I supposed to have two?" Renzo thought, stunned, staring at both arms.
"Are you done?" a familiar voice asked.
Renzo looked up and instinctively covered his arm.
"I am. Let's go," he replied as he caught up with Jake.
"Oh, right , I forgot to mention something," Jake said casually as they walked side by side.
Renzo raised a brow. "What is it?"
"There are two types of Danchi," Jake began. "Pure Danchi… and Forbidden Danchi."
He paused, voice dropping just slightly.
"And one of them is far worse than the other."
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