Why can't I remember her name?
The princess who saved my life…
The one who gave me food, a home, and a future.
She was my savior.
And yet…
her name is the one thing my mind refuses to remember.
Zen looked down at the ground.
"…Forget it."
"Let's go back to that moment."
I was sitting alone in the forest.
Everything was gone.
My family.
The princess who saved me.
And Alex.
For a moment I thought about ending my life.
There was no reason left to live.
But then—
I heard a voice.
"Do you want revenge?"
I froze.
The voice sounded strange.
It didn't sound human.
I slowly looked around the forest.
"Who… said that?"
The voice came again.
"I can help you get your revenge, Zen."
My heart skipped a beat.
It knew my name.
For a moment I hesitated.
But then I realized something.
I had nothing left.
Nothing to protect.
Nothing to lose.
"If this ends my life… so be it," I whispered.
"It's either revenge…"
"Or nothing."
I followed the sound of the voice.
The deeper I went into the forest, the darker it became.
After walking nearly ten kilometers, I finally saw it.
A sword.
It was stabbed deep into the ground.
The land around it was full of old battle scars.
Broken stone.
Deep cracks in the earth.
It looked like a legendary battle had taken place there long ago.
The voice spoke again.
"Pick up the weapon."
Zen slowly walked toward the sword.
Something about it felt strange.
But I didn't hesitate.
I grabbed the handle.
The moment my hand touched the sword—
A black shadow burst out of the blade.
It floated in front of me like a ghost.
A dark figure.
A demon.
It looked at me silently.
Then it spoke only once.
"You must never let go of this sword."
"If you lose it…"
"You will lose the power it gives you."
Then the demon disappeared.
The forest became silent again.
The sword felt heavy in my hand.
But something inside me had already changed.
Five days later…
I returned to the kingdom.
The same place where Alex and the princess were killed.
The moment people saw me, they began laughing.
"Look!"
"The cursed child is back!"
"Didn't you learn your lesson?"
"Your little witch friend deserved to die!"
Their laughter echoed through the streets.
Zen walked forward slowly.
The sword in his hand.
Then—
The killing began.
One slash.
A man fell to the ground.
Another slash.
Two more bodies collapsed.
The laughter quickly turned into screams.
Zen moved through the crowd like a storm.
Everyone who mocked him…
Everyone who celebrated the death of Alex…
fell.
Blood filled the streets.
People ran.
But Zen did not stop.
By the time the sun began to set…
the town had become a graveyard.
Bodies covered the ground.
Then Zen heard shouting.
"The king's order!"
"Kill Zen!"
Soldiers rushed toward him from every direction.
Zen slowly lifted his sword.
Inside him…
there was nothing but rage.
The sword moved.
Houses shattered.
Walls collapsed.
Soldiers were cut down one after another.
The battlefield became silent.
Only one man remained.
The king.
He tried to run.
But Zen caught him.
And when it was over…
the king's half-naked body was hanging at the entrance of the kingdom.
A warning.
For anyone who dared stand in Zen's way.
Zen stood in the middle of the ruined city.
Blood dripping from the sword in his hand.
That was the moment…
Zen stopped being a boy.
And became something else.
End of Chapter 11