The world where Alaric was born was not a safe world. It was an era that people called the Dark Ages. In every corner from villages to the wilderness, there were always whispers about lurking supernatural creatures. Dark sorcerers roamed, selling cursed potions and performing blood rituals to prolong their lives. On certain nights, strange screams echoed from deep within the forest; that sound was believed to come from soul-devouring demons marking their next victims. Even royal soldiers often disappeared during patrols. Their corpses were sometimes found burned to ashes without fire, or with faces frozen in terror as if they had seen hell before dying.
sometimes found with bodies charred without fire, or faces frozen in fear as if seeing hell before dying. Alaric, who now lives alone after his grandmother passed away, grew up witnessing all of this. He often saw villagers carrying torches, en masse, burning down the house of someone accused of being a witch. In the market, stories circulated about a child possessed by a demon, making people always wary of one another. For a child growing up alone, this world is not only cruel—but also full of hatred and fear. Yet, it was in the midst of that darkness that Alaric began to understand one thing: If humans are busy killing each other out of fear, then who will truly fight the real darkness?