Happy New Year!!!!
That being remained where it stood, blood-river slowly receding around its feet, eight arms hanging at uneven angles, weapons dripping, twitching as if alive. The three faces stared forward at once, eyes blinking out of sync. The demoness head smiled lazily, the woman's head trembled in silent grief, and the central god-face watched with an ancient, measuring calm. The nine broken rings behind it rotated slowly now, scraping the air, producing a low metallic wail that made the sky ripple like diseased skin.
The boy rose from his broken seat and walked toward it.
Each step altered the atmosphere. The hell-lotuses shriveled where his shadow passed, then bloomed again with sharper teeth. The wind reversed direction, carrying whispers backward. The ground beneath his feet did not crack—it recoiled, as if unwilling to be touched.
When they stood close enough that the boy could smell the rot and incense mixed within the god-demon's body, the being finally spoke.
"Why," it asked, voices overlapping imperfectly, "are you so heartless?" The woman's mouth quivered as the question left it. "Why so much hatred toward me? Toward us? Why do you insist on killing me?"
The boy tilted his head slightly, as if puzzled by the phrasing. "Hatred?" he repeated softly. Then he shook his head and smiled faintly. "There is no hatred between you and me."
The demoness head narrowed its eyes. The god-face leaned forward.
"You wanted to kill me," the boy continued evenly. "So I am killing you. That is all. We are enemies." His smile sharpened. "Friends have hatred. Lovers have hatred. Those who truly love each other drown in hatred." His eyes hardened. "But enemies? Enemies only have enmity. Nothing more. Nothing less."
For the first time, the being's expressions fractured. The woman's face looked almost relieved. The demoness snarled. The god-face laughed once, low and rumbling.
"What well-spoken words," it said mockingly. "So you kill us simply for enmity."
"Yes," the boy answered without hesitation.
"When did this enmity form?" the being asked, rings behind it spinning faster.
The boy stopped walking. His expression darkened, not with rage, but with something colder. "We do not know each other," he said. "Yet you stepped onto my path and tried to erase me." His voice sharpened, echoing unnaturally. "And now you ask me why I want to kill you? Is this a joke?" He laughed once, short and dry. "Should I laugh at it? Or cry?"
The woman's face twisted in pain. The demoness sneered.
"So it is true," the being said slowly. "Then tell me, why do you not fear me?" Its central eye widened. "I am stronger than you now."
The boy stopped completely. "Explain that to me," he said calmly.
The being bristled. "Are you looking down on me?"
"I have been," the boy replied. "From the beginning."
A ripple of fury passed through the being's body. One of its arms slammed a weapon into the ground, shattering a skull-tree into screaming fragments. The sky darkened, clouds folding inward.
"Then tell me," the being growled, leaning forward, "why do you believe I am not stronger than you?"
"Before that," the boy said softly, "tell me why you believe you are."
The being straightened. Its rings flared crimson. "Look behind me," it declared proudly. "I possess more rings than you. More rings mean more knowledge. More knowledge means more power."
The boy's lips twitched.
"So," he asked gently, "you believe rings are the source of my power?"
The being paused. Its eyes flickered. "Yes," it said after a moment. "Of course."
The boy stared at it. His smile grew wider. Too wide.
"…Then," the being added slowly, unease creeping into its voice, "you are saying they are not the true source."
The boy burst into laughter.
Sharp. Repeated. It echoed unnaturally, bouncing off the mountains of heads, off the cracked sky, off the gate's corpse. The demoness head recoiled. The woman shut her eyes. Even the god-face faltered.
"Why do you laugh?" the being demanded.
The boy wiped a tear from the corner of his eye. "I understand now," he said, still smiling. "You truly don't get it." His gaze pierced through the being. "You are trying to mimic me. Measure me. Understand me." He took another step closer. "You want to know where this energy comes from—even though you cannot sense it. You want to know its source, how much I contain, how much I can apply, whether I am even capable of using it."
The being stiffened.
Silence fell. The wind died. Lightning froze mid-flash.
"…You are correct," the being admitted slowly. "I do not understand it." Its voices softened, almost reverent. "But now that I see you clearly… I understand something else." The rings behind it slowed. "You possess vast potential. Vast knowledge. You walk the same path as her… and him."
The woman's head trembled violently.
"But you know this," the being continued, a cruel smile forming. "At the end, I slew them. They awakened this energy but could not wield it. This woman—" it tilted its head slightly, "—was the last one before you. She failed."
The woman screamed soundlessly.
"You," the being said, eyes locking onto the boy, "are the second." Its smile widened. "The second to find it. The second to use it properly. Enough to terrify me."
The atmosphere shifted again. The sky pressed downward. The earth groaned.
"You are a heretic," the being whispered, reverence and hatred intertwining. "And that is why…"
The boy raised one hand lazily, palm outward, as if stopping an overeager servant rather than a god-demon whose presence bent the world.
"Stop. Stop," he said, a faint laugh slipping out. "I've heard that title far too many times." He tilted his head, eyes half-lidded, amusement flickering like candlelight in a tomb. "Even the dust inside my ears laughs when someone calls me that." His smile sharpened. "Your story, though… it sounds interesting. So—what happened next?"
The being stared at him. All three faces fell silent. The demoness head curled its lips in irritation. The woman's eyes trembled, as if begging the being not to speak. The central face closed its eyes briefly.
Even at the time of death, he laughs, it thought. Then let time pass.
"I killed everyone who fought me here," the being said at last. As it spoke, the landscape reacted—skull-trees leaned inward, mountains of heads moaned softly. "They all died… and became my heads." The demoness smiled proudly. "They lost everything they gained, every technique, every awakening, every spark of insight."
The woman's face softened, voice trembling as it continued through her mouth. "But I returned their bodies. Their souls too. I let them sail across this sea." Her eyes dimmed. "I gave them what they truly desired."
The demoness interrupted, teeth flashing. "And I took everything else." The rings behind them rang sharply. "Their gains. Their luck. Their virtue, this life and the ones before life."
The being leaned closer, towering, shadow swallowing the boy's feet. "I offer you the same."
The air thickened. The red sky dimmed, replaced by a sickly gold glow.
"Release that heretic power," the being murmured, voice coaxing, almost kind. "Come under me. Ask for what you truly want." One hand extended, palm open. "This path of yours is forbidden. It eats you from within. Deny it." Its eyes gleamed. "Come to my shade. I will give you real power."
The boy's face remained unchanged.
"I can correct your body," the being continued eagerly. "Refine it into a heavenly vessel. You could cultivate all things, heaven, earth, fate itself." Its voice dropped to a whisper. "Come to me."
"I get it," the boy said suddenly. He waved his hand. "I really do." His smile vanished, replaced by a flat stare. "Stop babbling."
The being blinked.
"How many," the boy asked calmly, "have you killed up to now?"
The rings paused.
"More than a hundred," the being answered after a moment.
The boy nodded. "And those heads?" He glanced at the grotesque faces fused into the mountains. "What happened to them?"
"I used them," the being said proudly. "All of them, to destroy her." The demoness sneered. "She was so—"
It stopped.
The boy was laughing again.
Quietly. Mockingly.
The being's eyes narrowed. "You are mocking me."
But the boy stared back, blank as a child who had lost interest in a toy. "May I ask you a question?"
The being's aura flared violently. "You still do not understand!" it thundered. "How can a tiny mortal question me? I am the Venerable Unity!"
The boy's eyes lit up, not with fear, but curiosity. Like a child receiving something new. "Oh?"
The being snarled. "It is my fault. I have not shown you my strength." The rings behind it ignited one by one. "More rings mean more power, you fool."
It punched.
The punch was not flesh, it was law. Space folded inward, compressing into a colossal fist of energy that swallowed the sky. The boy became a speck before it, reality screaming as the attack descended.
He lifted one finger.
The attack stopped.
The world froze.
With a casual flick, he sent it back—twice as fast.
The being barely twisted aside. The energy grazed it, obliterating two fingers completely. They vanished in a burst of black light. The being staggered, eyes wide.
Stronger.
For the first time, fear appeared on its face. The woman's eyes widened in shock. The demoness clenched her teeth.
But the fear vanished as quickly as it came.
The severed fingers regenerated with a wet, crawling sound.
The being exhaled slowly.
The boy tilted his head. "So," he asked softly, "are you thinking now that I'm stronger… or that you are?"
The being straightened, voice calm once more. "Our battle has not yet begun. How can strength be judged?" It smiled faintly. "You are still a greenhorn on that path."
"Oh," the boy replied lightly. "Of course." He nodded. "I understand what you're thinking." His eyes sharpened. "But if you want to fight, don't talk so much."
The being laughed. "Fight? Of course we will fight." The sky darkened again. "But before that, questions remain." Its gaze burned. "Other than her, no one knew how to wield that energy."
The woman's face twisted in pain.
"I killed her with everything I had," the being continued. "And in doing so, I forgot to ask." It leaned forward. "So now I ask you."
The ground cracked beneath its feet. Weapons rose. Lightning screamed.
"How do you know how to use it?"
The boy tilted his head slightly, fingers still stained with dried blood-petals, and asked calmly, "What about my question, then?"
The being paused. All three faces went still. The rings behind it slowed their grinding rotation, scraping less loudly against the air. For a moment, the red sky dimmed, as if listening.
"I take back my earlier words," the being said at last. Its voice lost some arrogance, replaced by something closer to restraint. "You are not a tiny mortal. You stand at the same level as me." The demoness head frowned at that admission, while the woman's eyes widened faintly. "So let us question each other and search for answers."
It inclined its head slightly. "You may consider yourself the winner of our previous exchange. Before our true battle begins, I wish to understand your power." Its gaze sharpened. "Tell me. So that I may learn. Knowledge is everything in this world."
The boy's lips curved faintly. "Are you asking," he said softly, "or commanding?"
The air thickened again, pressure crawling along the ground like invisible insects.
"When someone wishes to know something," the boy continued, his voice gentle but cutting, "they should ask politely. Or beg, if necessary. Not because the other party is arrogant but because knowledge itself demands humility."
The being stared at him. Its eyes narrowed, searching his face for mockery, for hidden malice. It found none. The boy's expression was calm, almost sincere.
After a long silence, the being exhaled.
"…Please," it said. The word sounded heavy in its mouth. "Tell me about this power. Or allow me to ask you questions. Please."
The boy smiled, wide and genuine this time. "Why not?"
The being lowered itself, sitting cross-legged upon the air itself. Blood mist swirled beneath it like a living floor. The demoness head clicked its tongue in irritation, while the woman's face looked exhausted, shadows deep under her eyes.
"Then answer me," the being said. "What are you? From where did you come? How did you arrive here?" One of its hands tapped its chin thoughtfully. "Who taught you this path? I know you do not cultivate normally. Your body is unstable, narrow veins, fractured channels." Its eyes narrowed. "That is why you became heretical."
The atmosphere grew colder.
"You have no fate lines," the being continued slowly. "Or rather—someone stole them. Erased them. Left you blank." It leaned forward. "Then how did you live? Without fate, existence should collapse. It is impossible."
The boy raised his hand. "Alright, alright," he said lightly. "One at a time." He looked up at the fractured sky, where lightning pulsed like exposed nerves. "Before I answer… let me ask you something."
The being nodded.
"Do you know," the boy asked quietly, "what gods, demons, and humans fear the most?"
The being fell silent. The demoness head sneered at first, then slowly stilled. The woman's eyes shifted, thoughts racing. The central face stared hard at the boy, and realization dawned.
"…The unknown," it said. "A power we cannot measure. Like yours."
The boy smiled approvingly. "Well said." His eyes gleamed. "Exactly. I enjoy speaking with intelligent beings."
The demoness head scoffed. "And I despise foolish ones."
"Oh?" the boy replied, amused. "Then are you sure you're not foolish for asking your enemy about his power?"
The being did not bristle this time. "You are powerful," it said honestly. "And your power is different. Curiosity outweighs pride."
"But should I answer you?" the boy asked playfully.
The being hesitated, then bowed its head slightly. "I apologize for my earlier remarks."
The wind changed direction. The red clouds thinned, revealing something dark and endless beyond.
The boy's smile softened. "I don't know who I am," he said. His tone lost its sharpness, becoming distant. "Or where I came from." His eyes flickered, memories threatening to surface but never quite forming. "But after discovering this energy, I understood one thing."
The ground trembled faintly, skull-trees rattling.
"I am me," he continued. "And me is I. I am unique—just as you are." He met the being's gaze. "You are unique in your own way."
The woman's face looked almost peaceful for a moment.
"When someone asks my name," the boy said, "I always say I don't know. Or rather… I don't want to be tied to my past." His smile returned, quiet and resolute. "So I say I forgot it."
The air grew heavy again. Petals bled slowly from the sky, falling like dying insects.
"I gave myself a name," the boy said. "Traveller."
The being repeated it softly. "Traveller…"
In that instant, the mountains of heads shuddered. The broken rings behind the being flared, reacting violently, as if the name itself disturbed something fundamental. The demoness head snarled, sensing danger. The woman's eyes widened in fear.
"So," the being said slowly, standing again, weapons stirring, "a man without fate. Without origin. Walking a forbidden path simply because he exists." Its smile returned—this time sharp and hungry. "How fascinating."
To be Continued...