Pola was standing by the riverbank, watching the reflection of the clouds on the water's surface as he filled his jars. Thoughts were clashing in his simple mind: It has been three weeks since Argus began his training. Should I join them?
Suddenly, the silence of the forest was shattered by a massive roar. The trees shook, and the birds fled in terror. Pola ran in panic toward the source of the sound, reaching the clearing behind Lux’s house. There, amidst the rising dust, stood a giant tree, its trunk pierced by a perfect hole. Argus’s laughter rang out, filled with ecstasy: "My God, this is amazing!"
Lux looked at him with an astonishment he couldn't hide, whispering in a shaky voice, "Argus, you... are ready?"
Joy spread across Argus's face. "Truly, thank you Lux! You are truly the best mentor I’ve had... though granted, I’ve never had a mentor before!"
Lux laughed. "Then you must move now!"
Argus shouted with joy, "Thank you, Lux!"
Pola stared at the hole in the tree, his eyes wide, then clapped heartily while jumping. "Waaah! Argus is strong! Argus broke the tree!"
Argus smiled with pride, dusting off his hands, then turned to Lux with sudden seriousness. "Lux... do you think I can stand before them now?"
Lux regained his usual calm, crossing his arms and leaning his back against a healthy tree trunk. He said in a stern tone, "I have taught you how to control your disturbance, and how to merge the weight of gravity with the sharpness of the wind... but remember, boy, strength alone is not enough against the 'High Ones.' They possess cunning and experience that exceeds your age by centuries. But yes... you are now ready to stand in the arena, and you are no longer just an insect easy to crush."
Argus stepped forward and picked up his small bag, then looked at Pola, who looked sad. Pola approached slowly and said in a low voice, "Are you going, Argus? Will you leave Pola and Lux?"
Argus laughed and jumped to hug the giant Pola's neck. "Don't worry, my big friend! I’ll be back... after I kick some asses and find my friends. And I'll bring you a gift from the human world!"
Pola’s eyes shone with pure innocence, and his laugh shook the tree branches. "A gift! Pola loves gifts! I’ll wait for you, Argus!"
Argus finally turned to Lux—the man who gave him more than just "power," but gave him "control." For the first time since they met, Argus bowed with great solemnity and deep respect fitting for a mentor. "Thank you... I will not forget what you’ve done for me."
Lux nodded calmly, but his features sharpened as he pointed his hand toward the western horizon, where the sky looked darker. "Go... I sense one of the High Jinn. I feel a disturbance in energy coming from the borders of 'The Volcano.' If you are late... you may not find them."
Argus’s expression shifted to shock. "Volcano?! That’s a place for monsters!" He didn't waste a single second; he took a deep breath, feeling the wind flow through his pores. Instead of just running, he compressed the air around his feet with immense force, turning gravity into a "launcher" and the wind into "fuel."
BOOM!
Argus took off like a cannonball, leaving behind a storm of dust that knocked dry leaves everywhere. His voice faded as he distanced himself with frantic speed: "I’ll be back later! Goodbye!"
Lux and Pola stood watching the dust trail Argus drew on the horizon until he vanished completely. A long silence prevailed before Lux whispered to himself with a tone of deep pride, "Show them hell... my disciple."
Erold woke up to find himself in a world smelling of death—a desert filled with bones. Dante’s voice echoed within him mockingly: "O you of the tender heart."
Erold placed his hand on his head, weighted with memories, and muttered with frustration, "A brother... I finally learned I have kin sharing my blood, only to be shocked that he is a cursed monster without feelings, a cold-blooded killer who knows no mercy!"
Arthur tried to lighten the mood with his calm voice: "No Erold, at least he exists... maybe something happened to him in the past. We saw that child, Ion."
Erold stared at the sand, and Dante burst out laughing hysterically: "Hahahaha! Do you still possess some naive hope? Have you forgotten what he did in Uruk? Have you forgotten what he destroyed? Will you leave all this just because he is your brother? You are acting with lethal naivety, Erold!"
Erold shouted in distress, "Will you stop this, Dante?"
But Dante did not stop; he roared sternly: "You fool! Your goal is tied to the fall of your brother, yet you want to get to know him? Your destiny is tied to his fall or yours. Choose your path now!"
Erold stood up angrily. "But he is my brother, Dante! I know it’s impossible to forget what he did, but something in me weakens when I know he is my brother!"
Dante replied with a threatening tone: "Something, huh? That thing is the weakness you possess! Kill it before I kill it myself!"
Erold muttered in wonder, "What do you mean, Dante?"
Dante sighed and muttered quietly: "Erold, I know our relationship isn't the best, but you must understand my words. Everything I say is directed toward our interest. This thing... if you accept it, you will surrender. And if you surrender, I will be forced to kill you and this weakness."
Erold replied in shock, "Are you threatening me, Dante?"
Suddenly, the ground began to shake rapidly. The sand in front of Erold split violently, and dust rose. A massive creature emerged from the ground: a terrifying Giant Worm, its pale and wrinkled body resembling naked skin interspersed with protruding bones. On its head was a distorted human face screaming with sharp teeth and sunken eyes, with small scales hanging along its crawling body.
The worm launched with a booming sound, attacking Erold with immense speed. Erold jumped back at the last moment, and the giant worm struck the ground in his place, scattering shattered bones in every direction like shrapnel.
Erold shrieked in panic, "My God! What is this thing?! A human face on a worm?!"
Dante said, "What a hideous monstrosity."
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Erold drew his sword "Thorn" quickly, muttering with a serious voice, "Not the time for your sarcasm, Dante! How do we kill this thing?"
Erold realized that his body was in full health, smiling as he said, "The power of Balance is wonderful! I feel my body is as sound as if I hadn't fought Ashura... am I invincible?"
Dante interrupted him sharply: "Stop your stupidity and cut off the human head... it’s its disgusting control center."
The worm turned toward Erold and opened its mouth to release a booming scream that shook the desert, then rushed toward him again with speed unfitting for its massive size. Erold retreated while blocking a strike from its massive tail, flying into the air and falling onto a pile of bones.
As he tried to rise, he glimpsed something amidst the dust of battle that made him freeze for a moment. A few meters away from the raging worm stood an Old Man.
He was wearing a robe that covered his face, leaning on a dilapidated wooden staff, standing in the middle of the death arena with a strange calmness, as if unaware of the monster roaring beside him.
Erold shouted in panic, "Old man! Run!"
The old man didn't move; he just kept looking toward the worm with a blank expression. The worm noticed the old man and turned toward him, opening its jaw filled with sharp teeth, ready to devour him.
Dante shouted in Erold’s mind: "Leave him! He’s just a senile old man; his death will give you a chance to attack the monster's weakness!"
But Erold didn't listen. He gritted his teeth and, instead of exploiting the chance to flee or launch a treacherous attack, he rushed with all his strength toward the old man, shouting, "Noooo!"
Erold jumped into the air, his eyes glowing, using Arthur's speed, and landed right in front of the old man the moment the worm lunged. Erold raised his sword to block the massive jaw; the monster's teeth collided with his sword blade, letting out a terrifying metallic scraping sound.
Erold retreated from the force of the blow, his feet sinking into the sand, as he tried to protect the old man with his body. Erold, trembling from the weight of the worm: "Old man! Move! Hide behind the rocks!"
The old man looked at Erold’s back, which was trembling from the effort, and smiled a faint and strange smile. He then said in a calm voice, heard clearly despite the noise of battle: "You risk your life... for a stranger?"
Erold shouted while pushing the worm with difficulty: "Shut up and move! Or we’ll die together!"
Meanwhile, Dante shouted angrily in his mind: "Idiot! Idiot! You’ll be killed because of this weakness!"
Erold shouted, his body trembling, "Nooo! I won't die!"
In an instant, his sword "Thorn" shone with a mixed flash of light and darkness. Erold jumped into the air with lightning speed and brought the sword down, severing the worm's massive head in one decisive blow.
The severed worm head fell with a muffled thud before the feet of the old man, who was still standing with strange calmness, his face covered by the shadows of his hood, so Erold couldn't see his features.
Erold landed on the ground, panting heavily, and shouted angrily at the old man: "We almost died because of you, old man! Are you crazy?!"
But before the old man could answer, the ground began to shake again... but this time it wasn't a normal vibration. It was a violent earthquake that made the desert sands wave like a raging sea, and the ground cracked with a terrifying depth.
From amidst the thick dust, a deafening roar emerged, and a shadow came out from the ground that covered the sun. It wasn't a normal worm... it was a massive beast, ten times larger than the previous one. Its body extended like a mountain, and its mouth, filled with rows of fangs the size of houses, was open to swallow everything before it.
Erold froze in his place, and his sword fell from his hand. He raised his head to look at this giant entity blocking the sky, and felt the coldness of despair creeping into his bones.
Arthur shouted from within brokenly: "Impossible... we cannot defeat this thing... it’s the end, Erold."
Even Erold, the warrior who had faced death repeatedly, knelt on his knees, surrendering to the reality of his meager strength before this titan. At that moment of breakdown, Dante’s voice rang out like thunder in Erold’s mind, angry and contemptuous of this surrender: "Give me control, Erold! You coward! Let me take over or we will all perish! Give me the body now!"
But Erold was completely frozen, unable even to respond. Erold closed his eyes in surrender, opening the gates of his consciousness for Dante to take control, as death was closing its jaws upon them. But amidst this horror, Erold suddenly opened his eyes; he saw the old man take one steady step forward. He didn't run, and he didn't tremble. Instead, he raised his head toward the giant monster that was bringing its jaws down toward them... and laughed. A light, mocking laugh that broke the majesty of the death surrounding them.
The old man raised one finger slowly and confidently, and before the giant worm's jaws closed on them by a few inches, he whispered a single word:
"Sever."
In a fraction of a second, a thin blue line appeared, splitting the sky and the earth together... and suddenly, the giant worm's head shifted away from its body in a terrifying silence, as if cut by an invisible sword blow. The mountain-sized head fell behind them with a crash that shook the desert, while the massive body slumped lifelessly, drowning the place in a sea of black blood.
Erold stood stunned, his eyes bulging, his mind unable to grasp what had happened. Even Dante went silent inside from the shock. The old man turned slowly toward Erold, a mysterious smile appearing under his hood, and said in a calm voice: "Didn't I tell you, boy... that your shouting is too loud?"
Suddenly, the air around the old man began to crack—not like cracking walls, but like the tearing of the fabric of reality itself. Cold blue light fissures appeared in the void, and a thick dark blue mist rose from them, swirling around his frail body like a small hurricane.
The old man’s tattered rags vanished like smoke, and his body began to elongate and expand. His back was no longer bent; he straightened to stand as a tall entity of majestic presence. A full, heavy plate armor materialized around him, with an ancient and complex design combining the majesty of kings and the power of legendary warriors. The armor was made of a polished dark metal the color of bluish steel and deep gray, interspersed with sharp and prominent engravings of silver and dull gold on the shoulders and chest. Glowing lines of bright blue energy ran through the armor's joints and cracks, as if icy lava were boiling inside it.
His face was completely human, but possessed a breathtaking majesty; sharp, stern masculine features as if carved to embody absolute authority. His skin was natural, leaning toward the paleness of nobles, free of the wrinkles that had covered the old man's face, but carrying in its details the weight of time and a dignity that commands silence. His very long hair hung like a waterfall of molten silver, waving freely around his dark armor. As for his eyes, they were piercingly blue, a human gaze but so sharp and deep it made you feel it saw beyond the soul—the gaze of a great leader who knows no defeat.
As for the dilapidated wooden staff he was leaning on, it shook violently, but instead of elongating, it shrank and the energy in it condensed. The dry wood turned into polished dark metal, and a strange weapon formed in his hand. It wasn't a massive sword, but a relatively small sword, closer to a long combat dagger, but its design was abnormal and disturbing. Its short blade was wide and jagged like a twisted thorn, glowing with an intense icy blue light that nearly blinded the eyes at the edges, and its hilt was decorated with mysterious symbols.
The entity stood before him, gripping the small, strange sword with a steel grip. Despite his apparent humanity, the aura emanating from him was heavier than mountains—a dominant presence that made anyone standing before him feel small. He possessed a heavy sense of inevitable finality.
Dante trembled inside Erold and shouted with an unusual terror: "Erold, run! I feel a great power leagues beyond Ashura... run, Erold!"
The entity looked slowly toward the trembling Erold and said in a deep voice, echoing in the bones before the ears—a voice unlike that of humans: "You were generous in your attempt to protect me, boy... but I do not need protection."
Erold asked in a shaky voice as he retreated, "Who are you, old man?"
The entity laughed with a deadly calmness: "Haven't you realized who I am yet, Erold? I am the end that everyone flees from... I am the mentor of that brat, 'Ashura'... I am Death."
The blood froze in Erold's veins as he saw "Death" smiling before him with a lethal calmness—a calmness that could only be described as deadly.
The moment of reality’s fracture, where the old man’s rags faded to reveal "Death" in his true form: