Screams rose from the edges of the village, and flames devoured some of the distant houses. In the sky, the dark purple gate continued to bleed darkness, spewing forth monstrous creatures with twisted bodies and eyes glowing with hatred.
Mark stood in the courtyard of the house, gripping his heavy sword adorned with ancient engravings. He looked up, then turned toward his family inside the house and said in a trembling yet resolute voice:
> "Stay inside… no matter how much screaming you hear… do not come out."
Luna, his wife, cried out:
> "Mark, no… don't go alone!"
But he gave her a weary smile and said:
> "I am a knight of this kingdom… and if I don't die now, everything we love will."
Mark sprinted toward the gate. The monsters had begun descending to the ground—creatures with cracked skin and long fangs, their legs digging into the earth as if boiling from within.
The first village guard screamed and fell, then the second… The beasts tore through everyone with terrifying speed.
But… when Mark reached the central square, everything changed.
He let out a powerful shout, his body glowing faintly with the ancient energy he inherited from the lineage of Fire Knights.
He surged forward and struck the first beast—its body exploded into black ash.
He roared:
> "If you seek Hell… then come to me!"
One of the larger monsters roared back at him. It was massive—three heads and four long arms designed to tear bodies apart.
Mark didn't retreat. He wrapped his sword in dark red flames and charged at it.
He struck the first head—black blood splattered everywhere.
He leapt into the air and struck the second head—but the beast caught him with its rear arms.
He screamed in pain, but his eyes blazed with fiery rage.
> "I will not fall… not to you filthy things!"
He slammed his sword into the ground, splitting it open, releasing a torrent of flames.
Then he shouted:
> "Flame of Purification!"
A massive wave of fire erupted beneath him, incinerating the monster entirely.
Mark breathed heavily, staring at the ashes that remained…
But before he could catch his breath, darker, more terrifying monsters appeared—and behind them, a towering shadow emerged, with twisted horns and wings made of liquid darkness.
Mark stepped back slightly, muttering to himself:
> "This isn't a raid… it's a war."
And in that moment, far from the house, Aether was watching from the window…
Tears silently streamed down his face, and his eyes gleamed with something new…
A feeling of rage, of fear… and of longing for power.