The air seemed to thicken at the Wolves Den. The sky, a nice blue hue and only a few clouds, decorated the ground below with their shadows.
Two male figures stood yards across from each other with damaged stone pillars on both their sides. They shot their intense glares as the one closest to the Wolves Den stood stoic with his chest out, shirtless. The large wolf tattoo on his back looked as if it was moving when he flexed his back muscles.
The whole time, they each were assessing their power levels. The one farther out, Henza, was fairly good at sensing mana aura and usually measured up his opponents before fighting them. But nothing had been out of the ordinary here. If anything, the other male, Nash, had mana aura that matched that of Brand, who was neither weak nor overly strong. So how had he been able to shatter the Bonding magic spell, not only once, but twice in that same moment? He thought.
"You're obviously a Black Wolf Knight… But I've never seen your face before," Henza thought out loud.
"I don't go out much," Nash replied. The irony in his tone was deafening.
"What is your role here?" A question more out of curiosity than anything else.
"Hm? You want to know my role?" Nash responded almost unemotionally, pausing for a moment. He was the type who would much prefer action over words, which is why he often took his time when speaking. "To protect the Den at all costs. Like a real man," he said, touching the tip of his fingers to the ground and stretching out his right leg in a runner's stance.
Once he was locked in, he bolted toward Henza. Turning the ground behind him into cinders. He was fast enough to seemingly disappear, but not as fast as Brand or Star. Though his presence and aura alone were enough to make Henza stagger his reaction time. He barely noticed Nash in front of him in slow motion, with a knee to the face.
The knee kick blew Henza backward, flailing and skipping through the ground, out of the clearing and into the grove. The dust and debris he caused left a trail from the clearing they occupied, leading into the forest, where he was stopped by a large tree.
He sat in it for a few seconds as if it were a throne, head down and fatigued. Though his Bonding shield activated, it was futile because Nash had just shattered it when it formed. Henza coughed up blood before moving again.
"What kind of power…" he barely forced out, coughing up more blood.
Nash, in his burly form, stalked the trail Henza caused and met him where he was, taking his time with each stride. His stalk was more like a stroll as he stopped just before him from a more elevated part of the ground, looking down at Henza from where he was.
He didn't say a word as he watched him struggle and spew blood.
"Stop looking at me like that. Stop looking down on me!" was all Henza could get out as he wobbled to his feet.
Then, as if hitting some kind of second wind, he grabbed something from under a bandage and forced his hands together onto it while simultaneously making a hand sign. He had crushed something into his hands, a small black orb, grinding shards into his palms. The blood from it dripped down below him to his feet. When he did this, black bonding rings formed all over his body. A completely different hue than the yellow rings he had always cast.
They tightened and bonded him, and he belted out cries of agony. Probably the worst he's sounded so far. His bones literally sounded like they were breaking one after another, contorting his form and making him look more skeletal and gangly. The black rings covered on top of the yellow, shrouding him in what looked like shadows seeping out and swelling from him. It started to look like massive thorns from his back.
"Fool. You're literally killing yourself," Nash said in a low tone, almost feeling sorry for him.
"I… won't…" Henza struggled. His voice had altered into a low gurgle; it sounded as broken as he had become—barely sounding human at this point.
"I won't… lose…" he finally finished as his eyes turned bloodshot red, remembering a forsaken memory.
***
**Five years ago. The Mountain Kingdom.**
Two males had been running in the snow-capped mountains just outside the Mountain Kingdom, near the Tundra Sub-Kingdom's harsh terrains. Panting, tired, and short of breath, they finally came across a cave where they could rest from the endless snow.
One of the exhausted males, younger and probably in his teens, fell over while holding on to the cave walls. He caught himself just barely and sat there for a second, trying to catch his breath.
"Did we lose it?" the young male asked.
The other male with him was older and had similar features. Medium-length black hair, fairly normal looking, and both wore Mountain Kingdom casual wear. The only difference was that the older male had slight bags under his eyes.
"I don't know. Let's hope…" he said back.
"Well, let's hope for the best. I'm trying to be a Mountain Kingdom Knight one day! I can't let it end here. Not when my journey's just barely starting… Right Henza?" The young male said, forcing a cheery smile.
Henza made his way next to the younger male and sat next to him, placing a gentle hand on his head.
"Right, little bro!" he encouraged tiredly, still giving him the best smile he could make. He did not want to dampen his spirits with his already melancholy attitude.
Right then, a loud snarl echoed in the cave they were in and startled both of them.
"We have to go. Come on," Henza said worriedly while pulling on his little brother's arm.
"Ow!" the younger brother yelled as he tried to get up. "I think I sprained my ankle…"
"Don't worry, I'll carry you," Henza said, picking up his brother spontaneously.
As they ran out of the cave and onto the snow-capped mountain cliffs, a large blast echoed from the area they had just been in.
BOOM!!
Snow-covered rocks shattered and flew off the cliff just behind them, and a large, shadowy creature emerged from the blast. The sounds it made were like crackling fire as its mangled form caught sight of them where it was standing. Its long, snow-white hair fluttered crazily behind it from the wind, and it had a humanoid form.
The two young males looked back in terror, starting to run away from it. Though slow, because he was carrying his brother, Henza ran as fast as he could while the thing took slow strides toward them both.
At the end of the cliff path, they hit a narrow re-entrant part of the mountain that was a little steep. Henza tripped and fell, toppling onto the dirt and rocks, dropping his younger brother.
"Little bro!" he shouted, distraughtly.
His brother had hit his head on a large rock when they fell. He lay there face down, unconscious on the ground behind Henza. The shadowy creature behind them had gotten closer and was only a few feet away from Henza's little brother at this time. It let out a disturbing sound, again that crackling of fire piercing his ears. He stumbled to his brother frantically and attempted to pick him up, but kept slipping. The creature, inching closer and ever closer still, was only a step away from them now.
"Go away!" Henza shouted at it, sticking out his hand, casting a spell.
A yellow ring appeared, halting the shadowy creature in place, but it broke the bond almost immediately in a few short seconds. He didn't know exactly what it was, so he couldn't cast a proper bond on it. Henza finally picked up his brother, but the creature stuck out its large, gangly hands and grabbed one of his brother's legs. His little brother, who at first seemed unconscious, let out a scream of agony at the creature's grasp as if it had been burning him. Henza watched in horror and panicked, and instinctively started pulling his brother away from the shadowy creature. But the result couldn't have been any worse…
As he pulled, the creature's grasp had been searing his brother's leg to the point it had completely ripped it off in a molten mess.
"No! Fuck you!" His voice rasped from shouting at the top of his lungs. His brother passed out from the trauma all the while.
Carrying his brother now, Henza was separated from the shadowy creature as he proceeded to limp away. While he ran, the creature stayed behind. Its jaw looked as if it had dislocated from merely opening it alone as it held his brother's melted leg with two mangled fingers and placed it into its mouth, swallowing it whole.
Past the end of the re-entrant, he had made it to a large plain where the snow and the mountain met a valley. Extended far beyond was a forest and, in the distance, a group of Arcane Knights. There seemed to be about six of them. Finally, some help. Or so he thought…
"Help! Help!" Henza yelled repeatedly to the Knights just a little beyond toward the forest.
It was hard to distinguish what Guild these Knights were from, but even from the distance that Henza and his brother were, he knew he could get their attention if he tried. He ran desperately to them, yelling and shouting for help, but the Knights didn't look.
When he had gotten closer, he finally saw their attire. They wore red cloaks with white flames at the ends of them and a white logo of a dragon on their backs.
Henza had never seen these Knights or their uniforms before. He did not recognize this Guild, and they didn't look like Mountain Knights either. But he didn't care. He was only a few yards away from them as he continued to shout. Finally, a knight looked back toward him and his younger brother, whom he was carrying on his back.
One of the other Knights said to the one who looked, "We can't. They're on the other side of the border. If we cross, it's a declaration of war."
The border they spoke of was where the snow had stopped from the mountains and into this frozen dirt plain, which led to the forest. Henza was on the snowy side, and the Knights were on the dirt.
"Plus… for all we know, it could be a trap to get us to cross over so they can have a reason to declare. Let's just go. We did what we came here to do. We're done here," the same Knight said.
The other, younger Knight who was spoken to had orange hair like flames. He was a newbie and had just gotten recruited to this Guild. He looked at Henza and his younger brother on his back, who was clearly passed out with one of his legs completely seared off, staining the snow they stood on with molten flesh as it dropped.
The face he wore only said one thing: I'm sorry… as he and the band of six Arcane Knights teleported away, leaving no trace of them.
"No! Wait, please! My brother needs help! Don't go… Don't…" Henza belted, his voice cracking as he fell on his knees from trying to run toward them, just barely at the border where the snow stopped and the dirt started. Arriving just barely after they had disappeared completely.
He began sobbing, finally realizing the Knights were completely gone but refusing to believe it. "Please… Please…"
A wicked roar sounded from behind them—that haunting crackling fire sounding once again in his ears. The shadowy creature had made it onto the large plain they were on. From where it was, it had begun running vehemently toward them. Scared, Henza placed his brother down behind him and stuck both his hands out to the creature, placing two bonds onto it. It held for about eight seconds, longer than the last time with just one bond, but alas, it broke once again. Free now, the creature rushed to Henza and swung its large, gangly right arm, back fisting him on his side and sending him flying yards away.
Crying out in pain, Henza looked at his right arm, and it was broken. He then looked at the creature, who was now standing in front of his brother, still passed out on the snow, becoming one with it. The shadowy creature looked at his younger brother and then looked at him. In a demonic crackling voice, it spoke, "Thank you for the meal."
Its mouth gaped open, dislocating like it had earlier, and feasted on the young male lying there. Blood splattered onto the snow, and Henza watched in utter horror as it made a meal out of his younger brother. That and the sound of splashing flesh were the last things he had remembered.
Uncontrollable rage built up inside him now. At this time, Henza's mind went blank, and he started shouting aggressively in a long, drawn-out tone. Distraught had swelled up within him as his eyes turned white with tears streaming down his face. Bonding magic began forming all over his body now. Yellow rings covered him head to toe, tightening onto him increasingly. He cried out in agony as his bones made cracking noises, and his broken arm had snapped back into place. When he stood up, he was an unholy sight as he squatted and let his arms dangle there in front of him.
"Bonding Magic… Pharaoh's Rebirth!"
In an instant, he blitzed toward the shadowy creature as it looked just a bit too late before he had completely eradicated it with sheer force.
SPLATTER!!
The speed Henza had shot with blasted through the creature, leaving him on the other side of it, stopping himself from the lunge again in his squatted position. His new form was haunting as it took the spotlight in these gloomy snow plains.
The only things that remained of the creature afterward were its legs, which were like jagged claws left on the snow, and its severed head, which Henza held with his right hand, holding it from its snow-white hair.
When beasts and monsters died, they faded and disintegrated. However, this did not. Instead, black blood had covered the snow and mixed with the red of his younger brother's as it flooded profusely from its severed neck.
When the bonds on Henza released, he fell to his side, letting go of the creature's head onto the snow, and fainted. The only thing he saw as his consciousness faded in and out was the silhouette of a man who was running toward him.
***
When he awoke, Henza found himself in a moving mechanical wagon and was bandaged up from head to toe, almost like a mummy… He looked around, and there was nothing in it except him and a few bags of rice. The mechanical wagon was open and had no roof, letting the calm snow fall onto his face while he observed where he was. It was being pulled by a horse-like beast and had no one on the reins. However, there was a man with long white hair and a braid to his side who was walking side by side with the wagon and the horse beast.
"Are you okay, young one?" the strange man asked.
"Who are you? Where is my brother?"
There was a short moment of silence before the man answered. The only sounds were the creaking of the moving wagon, "He's gone. There was nothing left of him. Just you and the Demon's black blood."
"Demon?" Henza asked.
"Yes. The Mountain Kingdom had an unsuccessful rift that opened. It was a small rift, but the Mountain has been trying to dabble in Forbidden realms and magic to expand their power. They ended up closing this one due to details I do not know, but unfortunately, some of the Demons came through and still inhabit these lands," the strange man explained and then said, "I'm sorry about your brother."
Henza was silent. The snow continued to fall onto him as he sat in the moving wagon, completely bandaged up with only one of his eyes showing.
"I'm new to these lands, but I've been invited to start a new Guild here in the Mountain. They say they are in need of an eighth…"
Silence still as Henza refused to speak.
"I was too late when I came, but I saw you back there. You're strong. But I can tell you don't belong to a Guild of the Mountain. This might be the wrong time to ask, but—"
"Please take me under your wing," Henza interrupted the strange man, not knowing for sure if that was actually what he'd been about to ask him.
"Oh? You know what I was going to ask? You made that decision fairly quick."
"My brother… He always wanted to become a Mountain Kingdom Knight. I never cared for it, but for him, I'll…" Henza paused and pondered in thought.
"No need to explain. I understand," the strange man said and went on, "Since you're officially the first member, you will be my Vice Captain. Any objections?"
Henza looked at the man with gleaming eyes that reflected the faint light of the snow. Whoever this man was, in this moment, he had sworn loyalty to him without him even realizing it. He replied, "None, sir."
The strange man half-smiled and then finally introduced himself, "My name's Syemore. What's yours?"
***
**Present day. Wolves Den**
The eyes of the disfigured face had turned completely white, standing before Nash. Henza, remembering a personal memory, was crying tears of blood the whole time as he faced upward to the sky, and it streamed down his face like rivers. He had now evolved into something more sinister than what he already was, and the core root of his evolution was this specific memory. When he chanted his spell incantation, his voice was demonic and grudging. He was completely gone as a human…
"Forbidden Bonding Magic: Unholy Crucifix."
Nash's eyes widened as he realized what kind of spell he had cast. He jumped back about ten yards because the dark aura that shot out from Henza had formed into tentacles and began engulfing some of the trees in the grove they were in.
Standing up straight from his crouch, Nash looked at his transformed opponent, roaring and resembling a demon as its black mass tentacles rampaged the place.
"Man… the minute I step out of my room"—he folded his muscular arms and sighed like it was just his luck—"this is the first thing I gotta deal with. Again…"