Written by: Loki
"T-This…" *Cough!* Blood spilled from his mouth. "This is not enough… S-Stronger… I need to be stronger… A-ARGHHHHH!!!!!"
Those were his last words before his body exploded into nothingness.
DING! Suddenly, a faint ringing echoed in his head.
"Argh! Wh-What… was that?" He slowly opened his eyes, glancing around in confusion.
"This… isn't this my chamber? Weren't I inside a cave? What happened? Didn't the world fall to the hands of demons… fifty years ago?" He forced himself to stand, enduring the hellish pain coursing through his body, and staggered toward the large mirror in his room.
"T-This… this is me… when I was fifteen? How could this be? Arghhhh!!!" He clutched his head as an indescribable pain surged through him, his body feeling as if it was tearing apart, exploding into nothingness once again.
"ARGHHHHHHH!!!" His scream echoed through the room before he collapsed on the ground, unconscious.
When he opened his eyes again, familiar faces surrounded him—his tearful, worry-stricken mother clutching his hand; his stoic father, cold enough to freeze fire but deep inside he's full of love for his family; and his two elder brothers, who had protected him with their lives until the very end. A memory flashed through his mind: his two eldest brother, Valtherion Kaelric von Dravoryn and Corvanyth Lucerys von Dravoryn, smiling faces with their heads rolled over the ground.
A memory that he tried so hard not to remember ever again. "AAAARGHHHHH!!!" he screamed again as tears streamed endlessly down his face, blurring his vision no matter how hard he tried wiping them away.
"F-Father…" His voice trembled as he looked at his father, disbelief etched on his face. His father is actually here with that same stoic face as if he doesn't care about those around him.
"M-Mother…" His gaze shifted to his mother, who was panicking, unsure of what to do. It was the same as before, his mother is still as worrywart as before.
"B-Big brothers…" His voice broke as he looked at his siblings, his eyes filled with a sadness no one could ever understand. "Is this a dream? Am I hallucinating?" He thought to himself as he tried slapping himself hard but only his face went numb from the pain but his surrounding was still the same.
"Did I really go back to the past?" After realizing it, his eyes swelled up with tears once again. Grabbing his mother's hand, afraid it will disappear once again.
"E-Everyone… forgive me… T-This time… I'll make sure to protect you…" he whispered before losing consciousness again.
This man was Malveric Aureth von Dravoryn, the 3rd prince of the Dravoryn Empire and the last human to defend the world when demons brought it to ruin.
One peaceful night, Malveric and his family was eating in the dining hall when a royal guard suddenly reported an urgent news to the Emperor. A massive crack split open the vast sky, turning its soft blue hue into a deep, sinister crimson shade. Strange monsters, unlike anything seen before, poured out. Each one was as powerful as a knight general, overwhelming the empire and reducing it to rubble.
They tried to defend the castle first and save the people of the Empire but it's all pointless as more monsters crawl out of that crack.... Much powerful than before.
Without any choice left, Malveric's parents, both a powerful knights and the rulers of the empire, fought valiantly to hold back the monsters, sacrificing themselves so their sons could escape through the hidden underground tunnels.
"FATHERR.... MOTHER.... FORGIVE US...." They want to scream and mourn their parents but screaming would only attract the attention of those monsters. They can only grit their teeth and cry silently as they run for their lives.
The brothers barely survived at the cost of their parents lives. They later discovered that these creatures were nothing more than underlings of a Demon God. A mere underling.... Yet, it leads their kingdom to ruins.
While in hiding, the brothers dedicated themselves to studying a mysterious power they acquired after the monsters made this world their lair, it made the mana of this world thick that the three brothers body acquired such mysterious power that could counter the monsters. They learned to harness this power, sooner they discovered it to be called a magic, a power that mysteriously created after two worlds are being connected. They tirelessly hunted monsters again and again to gather materials for their research about this mysterious power. For a time, they thought hope was within their grasp as they felt their power grew stronger to the point that they could even slaughter monsters with ease—until a demon general discovered them while they're outside hunting monsters.
They faced despair when their newly developed magic proved useless against such overwhelming strength. Forced to retreat and hide through a corner of a boulder, the brothers hid as the demon general toyed with them, deliberately dragging out the hunt instead of killing them outright. It clearly has the ability check their exact location but it didn't use it, laughing eeriely while searching for them; enjoying this as if it's playing with its newly obtained toys.
"Youngest… please, listen to me..." Valtherion whispered to Malveric, his trembling voice laced with urgency as he forced a faint smile. He cupped Malveric's face with gentle hands.
"You have to run. Go back to our hideout, you'll be safe there… and no matter what you hear, don't look back. We'll hold it off for you. Sooo please… just go. Don't look back. You'll be safe, I promise. Everything's going to be okay. Believe in us, alright?"
Corvanyth, the second brother, placed a hand on Malveric's shoulder, nodding.
"Hey… don't worry about us, alright? Just promise me one thing: no matter what happens, you'll run. You're our only hope now. You have to be stronger… strong enough to wipe out those monsters and demons that took Mother and Father from us. We believe in you. So please… live. Survive. And never look back."
"B-Brothers… n-no!" Malveric sobbed, shaking his head, tears blurring his sight. "Please… let's run together! I-I can't leave you! I won't!" His voice cracked as he clutched their sleeves desperately, as if holding them would keep them alive. "Don't make me go alone… please! I'd rather die together with you than leave....."
But his brothers replied angrily "WHAT NONSENSE!!!"
"This monster… it's nothing like the others…" Corvanyth said, steadying his breath as the demon's shadow crept closer. "If we all fight it, we'll all die. You know that too right? That's why you have to listen, Youngest… survive, no matter what it takes. You need to wipe them, find other survivors and save them if you can...."
Corvanyth and Valtherion exchanged one final look, their trembling smiles full of love and sorrow.
"Run and stay alive… and don't you dare look back! Run!!!" Valtherion's voice hardened as his grip tightened on his blade, while Corvanyth began chanting a spell.
"We'll hold it here… even if it kills us. Now go!!! Run!!!!"
Malveric ran with all his strength. But against his brothers' orders, he glanced back—only to see their severed heads hit the ground, both still wearing brave smiles. The demon grinned, making no move to chase him, as if letting him go on purpose to hunt him another day.
Tears streamed down Malveric's face as he ran like a man possessed, his world collapsing around him. Each step felt heavier than the last, an unseen weight pressing him to the ground, but he gritted his teeth and pushed forward, refusing to stop. He didn't know how long he ran until he finally reached their hideout.
From that day, Malveric trained relentlessly, mastering both swordsmanship and magic. He pushed himself past every limit, consumed by his obsession for vengeance. Yet, even after breaking his body and spirit countless times, it was never enough to defeat that demon general.
Again and again, he experimented on himself, his body becoming a battlefield of pain and scars. And in the end, it all led to his death—his body exploding from his own experiments, his revenge and promise to his brothers never been fulfilled.