The cool morning breeze blew against Vale's face. It was cold in the open, really cold. And as he lay on the dry sand he felt chills flow through his veins.
But these chills weren't a result of the cold, someone as powerful as himself wouldn't be affected by the elements.
The chills were a result of his impending doom.
The area around him was totally destroyed. As far as the eye could see, everything was decimated.
Beside Vale, lying lifelessly on the ground was a one-eyed giant. Its size surmounted a small mountain and where its sole eye should have been was a hole overflowing with a golden liquid that happened to be the creature's blood.
Vale, on the other hand, wasn't much better than the dead creature.
His waist had been completely torn apart, and the only thing holding his upper body to his lower parts was his exposed intestine.
Still, Vale was trying his very hardest to reduce the blood loss.
He wasn't supposed to die like this. His goal had been to get revenge, then live a normal life
The one-eyed demon had taken away his family, and he had sworn to get revenge.
But that wasn't supposed to be the end of it.
As his life force kept slipping away his mind couldn't help but go over the events that had led him to this point.
Vale hated demons; he had always hated them. He couldn't tell when this hatred had sprouted: perhaps it was when his city got attacked by demons or when he watched his sister get mauled by their kind. But that didn't matter, all that mattered was that he hated demons.
So naturally, when he finally found the demon responsible for the death of his city, he couldn't help but get into a fight to the death.
As a tier four ascendant, he was one of the most powerful humans around. But that strength hadn't been enough.
In the end, his life was fading right before his eyes.
It was quiet, and the winds were slowly growing stale. There was nothing he could do other than watch the entire world come to a halt. Time froze, and the last of Vale's life force slowly vanished.
The darkness came, and Vale, the twenty-three-year-old genius demon hunter, died.
…
A solitary boat, made of a glossy and otherworldly material, was being rowed by a single woman, clad in a flowing white garment. The sea was covered by a pure white fog, so thick that even the water was barely visible.
The sea was so pristine and serene that anyone who saw it would doubt it was real. As the boat moved, it created no ripples. Its existence, too, was questionable.
Behind the lady was a boy curled up in a fetal position. The boy was naked, and his eyes were grey. He stared into the fog, but his mind was nowhere near here.
The woman, perhaps unnerved by the silence, spoke.
"I wouldn't believe it if I were told I would meet you so early."
The boy showed no sign that he heard her, his eyes were still fixated on the fog.
"The others had said you'll become a God. I believed them." She stopped paddling and gazed at him. The boy's eyes flickered on her for a moment, but he soon lost interest.
"Although I'm a bit disappointed: you don't seem to be half the man they said you were." The lady shook her head in dismay and placed the paddle on the floor of the boat. She squatted beside the boy and whispered into his ear.
"I didn't expect you to die so early, all because of revenge." Her hand rubbed against his bare skin with the delicacy of a lover.
The boy didn't flinch; it was as if he hadn't noticed her.
"Was it worth it?"
Her question finally elicited a response from the boy. He looked up, as his eyes were lost in thought. He whispered, "I'll do it all over again."
"I thought as much." She smiled, expecting such a response. "You were called the perfect human," she continued. "You were known as the protagonist of an entire era. Look how far you've fallen now."
She retrieved her hands from his skin and said, "But this is also good."
She then looked at him with a gleam in her eyes, as if he were the most precious thing in the world.
"I believe you know where I'm taking you to?"
"To the underworld," the boy whispered, biting on his pale skin with such intensity that his skin broke, but he was no longer flesh and there was no more blood to be shed.
"You're right. Over there, your soul will be recycled, and you'll die in the truest and purest form."
The boy just kept his teeth glued to his skin but said nothing.
"Vale, will you be willing to sign a contract with me?" She stretched out her hand to him, waiting to see if he would accept. "Let me grant you new life."
Vale's mind went blank. It took a moment for him to fully realise what she meant by that. And when he did, he just got more confused.
"What?" He muttered in confusion.
"Let me give you a brand new life."
He lowered his head and thought about her offer: he didn't want to die—no one did. So, even if the lady sounded sketchy, he might just take up the offer.
"Do you really have that power? And why would you even help me?"
There was no response to Vale's statement. Her hand just remained outstretched, waiting for him to take it.
He thought about it some more, and if she could really give him new life then he might as well take it. After all, he had nothing to lose.
In the end, he took her hand.
She smiled while holding his hand and asked, "Vale, do you believe in fate?"
The boy was immediately put off by her question as he squinted his eyes. He answered nevertheless, "Not really."
"Then you wouldn't mind accepting the fate of my father, Azreal?"
Before Vale could ask any more questions, she continued, "With the heavens as a witness, and the earth as our bearer, I make this contract with you, Vale Rudon. I shall grant you life, the greatest gift ever, and in exchange, you shall bear the fate of my father."
Vale's eyes dimmed. Perhaps this hadn't been the right choice, but what other choice did he have? Besides, he didn't believe in fate to begin with. Whoever her father was, he would have no control over him once he was out of here.
All that mattered right now was not dying. Now that hope was in front of him, he couldn't go back.
"Do you agree to these terms, Vale Rudon," she asked with a small smile plastered on her face.
Vale nodded. He had chosen this path, so he might as well walk it to the very end. At the very least he wouldn't die. As they say, wherever there was life there was hope.
In that moment, he felt his back heat up as if a hot pen was being used to inscribe words onto him.
He didn't flinch as the feeling wasn't painful. But when his hand touched his back he felt nothing, but he knew that something had happened.
The realm was already fading, and Vale realised that the contract was already manifesting, and he was about to be reborn.
Before everything vanished into oblivion, he saw the lady speak. "Become father for me." For some reason, she had this weird smile on her face that Vale couldn't get off his mind.
And before he could ask anymore, a cold darkness enveloped him.
[Author's note: This is the beginning of a legendary story]