Eastsun Continent – Southern Kingdom of Fallhaven

  Nestled in the southern reaches of the Eastsun Continent, Fallhaven stands as one of the rare kingdoms in a region where resources are scarce. The royal family of Sorgaz has long defended its borders through sheer, unmistakable power.

  The current ruler, King Theodor “The Fiend” Sorgaz, governs with a firm but fair hand. Those who work for the prosperity of the kingdom are treated with respect and dignity. But those who dare to steal from him or threaten his realm are met with a cruel and torturous end, thus earning him the title of The Fiend.

  Lately, the Duchy of Rond, situated to the west, has grown increasingly aggressive, launching sporadic attacks on Fallhaven’s borders.

  Rond rose to prominence through its rich mines and the production of some of the finest weapons on the continent. Their current ambition is to expand and secure control over the vital trade routes that pass through Fallhaven.

  Yet Rond is not the only threat. A new danger looms from the south. Hordes of Spirit Beasts have begun migrating northward from the Southern Desolation, the lawless lands ruled by the ancient Dragon King Arthraxius. For nearly a year, these beasts have been moving steadily toward Fallhaven, and recent clashes with outlying villages have escalated into blood baths.

  Caught between relentless beast incursions and Rond’s guerrilla assaults, King Theodor finds himself at a breaking point.

  ***

  In the throne room of Fallhaven, a small, scrawny man dressed in fine silk knelt before a massive golden throne. Seated upon it was a burly figure with long silver hair, a simple golden crown resting atop his head. His dark crimson plate armor gleamed in the torchlight, and behind him, a colossal golden greatsword stood as a silent sentinel.

  “My lord,” the man said, voice trembling, “we have news from the Southern Desolation. It appears the dragon has left the mountains. Our sources claim he erected an impregnable barrier to protect his territory. But we’re uncertain whether that, or something else, is driving the beasts to migrate.”

  Theodor’s eyes narrowed. “Hmph. Something is stirring down there. That region has been lawless since Sacra’s birth, and the dragon hasn’t moved in centuries. This could be serious. Where did he go?”

  “He vanished into the sky,” the servant replied. “We believe he’s left this realm, for now.”

  The king leaned back, thoughtful. “If times were better, I’d have the Magic Tower send mages to break the barrier and uncover what he’s hiding. But now is not the time.”

  He stood, his voice firm. “We must find out what’s driving the beasts toward our borders. Send word to Nerva. Have him gather a small party of seasoned men and investigate the South. I’ll deal with the Rond bastards myself. If they think they can steal my land and attack my people, they’re in for a surprise.”

  The king watched silently as the scrawny servant exited the chamber.

  His scarred face turned toward a portrait hanging on the wall, an image of his younger self, standing beside another man who looked strikingly similar, though his expression was far kinder.

  Brother... where did you disappear to?

  The king sighed, the weight of worry pressing heavily on his chest.

  ***

  In the dark castle of the Southern Desolation, the master of the Chimaeras stood before his altar. Ten crystal hearts shimmered on top of it, each one a tether to his most powerful creations. But tonight, one lay shattered.

  His most loyal servant, second only to the Rat, was gone.

  He had named the creature Mantis, which had been forged thousands of years ago during his time at the Academy of the Seven Towers. Back then, he was known as Florian Thoth, a prodigy in the forbidden field of soul magic. Destined for greatness, Florian was on the verge of being admitted into one of the Seven Towers until his secrets were uncovered.

  Driven by a vision of creating a new race of perfect beings, Florian had abducted orphans from the streets, merging their souls and bodies with beasts he had captured. Mantis was his first success, a creature who worshipped him like a god. Together, they created simpler chimaeras, refining the process.

  But the deeper Florian delved into the dark arts, the more his soul decayed. Eventually, he murdered a fellow student to test the fusion of a stronger human soul. From that experiment came Tweek the Rat, whose intellect rivaled Florian’s own, though his physical form remained weak due to the rodent base.

  Unsatisfied, Florian attempted to kill another student, one of the Academy’s finest, a wood mage attuned to nature mana. He failed. Barely escaping with his life, he fled with Mantis and Tweek, vanishing into the lawless lands of the Southern Desolation.

  There, he continued his twisted work.

  And now, his first creation, his child, was dead.

  The crystal heart had exploded. Mantis was gone.

  Grief twisted into rage. Madness clawed at his mind.

  “Tweek!” Florian roared, his voice echoing through the stone halls. “Gather everyone, and I mean everyone. Tonight, we go to war.”

  Tweek trembled. He hadn’t seen his master this furious in years.

  Quickly, he summoned the higher ranks. Seven chimaeras assembled, kneeling in silence, awaiting their master.

  Florian descended the cold, winding stairs of the castle. A massive container of glowing green liquid was strapped to his back, and in his left hand, he gripped a scythe etched with dark green glyphs that pulsed with corrupted mana.

  His face was gaunt, his eyes sunken and wild. Madness danced behind them.

  “My children,” he said, voice low and venomous, “your brother Mantis has fallen. Tonight, we ride to his facility, vengeance will be ours.”

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  He raised the scythe.

  “I swear to you, the killer will suffer the most excruciating pain imaginable. And if he is strong… we will use his parts to make you stronger.”

  The seven screamed as one, their voices rising in unison:

  “He will die, Master. For our brother. For the evolution.”

  Florian turned toward the gates, his children following in silence.

  Tonight, they hunt.

  ***

  Kai descended the dark, damp stairway deep underground. His eyes scanned the surroundings as he moved, sensing two disfigured guards stationed before a long corridor of prison cells.

  They noticed him instantly and went on the offensive. Sharp spikes erupted from their twisted bodies and launched toward Kai like venom-tipped spears, glistening with a green, poisonous sheen.

  Kai’s face remained emotionless. He cast Flowing Currents; water mana swirled around him as he waved his sword, shattering the incoming spikes midair.

  The guards didn’t relent. They dashed toward him with terrifying speed.

  Kai didn’t flinch. Lightning surged down his water-wrapped blade as he slashed twice. The strikes crackled with power, lightning trailing like a hungry serpent through the flowing water.

  The guards screamed as the lightning tore through them, their bodies and souls disintegrating like dry leaves in a storm.

  Kai didn’t look back. He continued forward.

  The first few cells were empty, but then he found one holding a battered warrior, unconscious, naked, and barely breathing.

  Kai shattered the cell door and stepped inside. He poured healing water over the man’s wounds and covered him with the armor he had found upstairs.

  The man stirred, fear etched deep in his very being. When he saw Kai, another human, tears streamed down his face.

  “Sir… thank you. Thank you so much.” He clutched Kai’s hands, shaking them with desperation.

  Kai’s heart ached. He felt the man’s pain.

  “Don’t worry. Put this on and head upstairs. The monsters are gone.” Kai offered a soft smile.

  The man gasped, unable to believe what he’d heard.

  “All… dead?” he murmured in disbelief.

  Kai nodded and moved on, searching for more survivors.

  He found several other warriors in similar conditions. Some were human, others beastmen. It was Kai’s first time seeing beastmen.

  Scry whispered from within Kai’s inner world, “Beastmen are descendants of humans and Divine Beasts or Beast Kings. Once a beast learns to take human form, some choose to live among other races. It’s not uncommon for them to mate.”

  Kai found it strange but didn’t dwell on it. He continued rescuing whoever he could, checking each cell one by one.

  Until he reached the last room.

  He opened the door and froze.

  A small silver-haired girl lay curled in the corner. She couldn’t have been older than eight or ten. Her simple hemp dress was torn, and fear had long become part of her being. She trembled as Kai entered.

  Kai twitched. First came sorrow. Then rage.

  They tortured children, too?

  I will find their master. And he will pay. Even in this broken world, this is unforgivable.

  He swore.

  He stepped forward slowly, hands raised in peace.

  “Hey, little one. I won’t hurt you,” he said gently, smiling. “See? I’m human, just like you.”

  She flinched, eyes shut tight, bracing for pain.

  But it didn’t come.

  Only warmth.

  Kai had wrapped her in a hug. She opened her eyes, stunned. Was she really being saved?

  She couldn’t hold back anymore. Tears poured down her cheeks as she sobbed into Kai’s chest.

  “There, there. Big brother’s here now. No one will hurt you again.” Kai held her close, gently stroking her back.

  They stayed like that for a while, until she finally calmed.

  Kai carried her outside, where the other rescued warriors waited with Umbra.

  Scry remained silent, watching from Kai’s inner world.

  Was this the world he had longed to explore? Master had never spoken of such cruelty.

  Even for Sacra… this was too much.

  Anger began to stir within the little spirit, too.

  ***

  Outside the facility, four humans and three beastmen huddled together in a corner of the yard, trembling with fear.

  Across from them stood Umbra.

  She had just dragged out the last remaining guard from his hiding spot and kicked him to the ground. Without hesitation, she engulfed him in darkfire. The monster screamed as the flames consumed him, until nothing remained but ash.

  To the prisoners, she looked like a goddess of death, terrifying and untouchable. They feared her as much as they had feared the monsters inside.

  Just as the final guard perished, Kai stepped into the yard, the silver-haired girl sleeping peacefully in his arms.

  He noticed the prisoners shaking before Umbra and smiled.

  “I see you’ve met my sister,” he said warmly. “Everyone, this is Umbra. She won’t hurt you.”

  He chuckled, relieved the nightmare was over, for now.

  One of the beastmen blinked in disbelief. “Your sister!?”

  “Sir… are you a beast too?” another asked, confused.

  Kai laughed. “No, I’m human, just like those four over there. But you can think of me however you want. I’ve lived with beasts my whole life in this world.”

  The prisoners stared at him with awe.

  Even beastmen knew how dangerous and unpredictable Spirit and Divine Beasts could be. Yet this human had lived among them? No wonder he was so strong.

  Just as the tension began to ease, a small glowing figure appeared beside Kai.

  “Hello, dear humans and beastmen! I’m Scry. Nice to meet you!” he chirped, genuinely excited to meet new people.

  “Aaaaaaaaah!” the prisoners screamed. “Another monster!”

  “Monster my ass, you bastards! I’ll kick your ass! Don’t you see how cute I am?” Scry shouted, chasing after them in a flurry of indignation.

  Kai raised a hand, trying not to laugh. “Everyone, stop! Scry is with me. He’s a spirit, and also part of my family.”

  “You even have spirits?” one of the humans whispered, stunned.

  Talking spirits were the stuff of legends. None of them had ever seen even a lesser spirit in their lives, let alone spoken to one.

  Kai gently shifted the sleeping girl in his arms and looked at the group.

  Kai looked at the group, then gently asked, “Now then… can anyone tell me anything about this girl?”

  The seven rescued warriors gathered around, puzzled.

  “There was a child in there?” one of them exclaimed in shock.

  The first warrior Kai had saved stepped forward.

  “To be honest, we’re all from the same tribe, a few thousand kilometers from here. We were out hunting when that insect freak ambushed us with his grey monsters. We didn’t stand a chance. Poison arrows took us down fast. But… I don’t remember seeing a child anywhere near us when it happened.”

  The others nodded in agreement.

  Kai sat on a nearby log and gently tried to wake the girl. The group circled around, curious and concerned.

  As her eyes fluttered open, she saw unfamiliar faces surrounding her and immediately began to cry.

  Kai leaned closer, his voice soft and reassuring.

  “There, there… nobody will hurt you. These people were prisoners, too. We’re all here to help you. Can you tell us how you ended up in that place?”

  She blinked through her tears, glancing at the men and a big black beast nearby. Then her eyes landed on Scry, and a smile broke through her fear.

  “Cute kitty!” she said, pointing at him.

  Scry beamed.

  “Finally! Someone who appreciates how adorable I am. Thank you, pretty girl!”

  He floated closer, letting her touch his fur. She giggled, the sound light and innocent.

  Kai smiled, then gently asked again, “Can you tell us where you came from?”

  Still petting Scry, the girl’s voice turned quiet, almost a whisper.

  “I’ve been here a long time. They said I was too weak to be useful. The last thing I remember… I was with my mother and father. We were attacked by big, cloaked men. Mother died… and father was wounded but carried me as far as he could before the monsters took us.”

  Tears streamed down her cheeks.

  “I don’t remember much after that. I was in a cold room. They fed me once a day. I heard screaming every night… for many, many days.”

  The group fell silent. Her words painted a grim picture; she had likely been imprisoned for months, kept alive only until she was deemed “useful.”

  Kai’s fists clenched. Rage simmered beneath his calm exterior.

  Monsters.

  He forced himself to stay composed.

  “You’re safe now,” he said gently. “We’ll find you a place to rest and recover. Later, we’ll figure out how to get you home.”

  The seven warriors looked at the girl with sorrow and fury. Even hardened men felt the injustice of her suffering.

  Scry stayed close, offering comfort in his own quirky way.

  Umbra approached quietly, her gaze soft. She didn’t speak, but her presence radiated protectiveness. She felt a strange pull toward this fragile human cub, a desire to shield her from the cruelty of the world.

  Is it wrong to kill to survive in this accursed world?

  Follow Xavier's journey. Discover what it means to survive… or to live.

  ?? Join the Community!

  I’ve created a (somewhat decent) Discord channel for the novels! Come hang out, discuss, and get updates:

  https://discord.gg/yJ9PJ7XSYn