Ayame longed to go outside, to feel the wind brush her skin and witness the boundless world beyond those confining walls. Yet her movements were restricted by the old servants of the clan, leaving her spirit restless and her days steeped in monotony.
During her time among the northern tribes, the name Sebastian had already become a whispered legend in the shadows. The monsters that prowled the frozen tundra spoke of him often, sometimes in fear, sometimes in reverent awe.
Legends claimed that Sebastian once possessed the Jewel of Four Souls, and with its divine power, he had even triumphed over the God of Death. Had it not been for the monsters' insatiable greed for the Jewel, they might have avoided a fate forever intertwined with his.
But unlike others who trembled at the mere mention of his name, Ayame's heart bore no fear, only fascination. Why did beings as powerful as monsters dread a single man? What could make one human so different from the rest of mankind?
Now, with the Jewel of Four Souls resurfacing in the world, many demon tribes had begun to stir, each eager to seize it for themselves.
Though still young by demonic standards, Ayame, the young mistress of the Northern Wolf Clan, yearned to bring glory to her people. She understood that if the Jewel fell into the wrong hands, the balance of power would tilt disastrously. Even without personal desire for the artifact, she vowed to deny it to her enemies at all costs.
And so, a plan began to form within her clever mind, a scheme both mischievous and meticulously shrewd. If she could not possess the Jewel herself, then no one else would either.
The thought delighted her endlessly; for many nights, she smiled in secret, proud of her own cunning. Yet one obstacle remained, the ever-watchful old servant who shadowed her every move. To act freely, Ayame would first need to slip past her vigilant gaze. A sly gleam flickered in her emerald-green eyes as she feigned a casual yawn.
"I'm a little hungry, Grandma. Could you bring me something to eat?"
"Young mistress, don't even think of sneaking off!" the old woman scolded. "As long as you bear the Wolf Clan's secret mark, I'll find you wherever you go."
"I know, I know," Ayame replied solemnly, widening her eyes in mock sincerity. "But I truly am hungry, Granny."
"Ah, fine, you little trickster," Granny sighed, shaking her head as she turned to leave. She knew her young mistress's habits all too well, Ayame often used hunger as an excuse to wander off. Still, the tracking seal gave her little reason to worry.
The moment the door closed, Ayame's lips curved into a knowing grin, and she stretched her arms like a bird preparing to take flight.
Far above an unknown valley, a black cloud churned like a living storm. Upon it stood two monsters, one lean and sharp as a spear, the other bloated and squat like a toad.
The slender one's forehead bulged grotesquely, resembling a tumor, his long hair braided neatly down his back. His name was Hiten, the elder of the notorious Thunder Beast Brothers.
Beside him loomed Manten, his bald, round head gleaming under the stormlight, with three wiry hairs sprouting pitifully from his scalp. His perpetually puffed face bore the look of a sulking child.
Together, they were infamous for their cruelty, names spoken in terror, known across the lands for slaughtering humans without mercy.
When they heard that the Jewel of Four Souls had resurfaced, they left their fortress and took flight toward the village, eager to claim it for themselves. But the journey proved disastrous. They had taken countless wrong turns, circling the mountains endlessly.
Once, they captured a human girl to serve as their guide, but Manten, foolish and impulsive, killed her in a fit of excitement right after she pointed them in the right direction. Now, stranded and disoriented, the brothers found themselves hopelessly lost.
"Idiot! Where in blazes is the village?!" Fei Tian snarled, snatching the worn sheepskin map from his brother's trembling claws. "We've been flying in circles for hours!"
"It's not my fault," Manten whimpered. "You're the one who tore up the map last time!"
"That's because you killed our guide!" Hiten roared, ripping the parchment apart again in fury. "Useless fool! We'll just find more humans and make them talk!"
"But there aren't any humans around here…" Manten muttered beneath his breath, glancing down at the endless wilderness below.
"What did you say?!" Hiten's rage erupted as he kicked his brother square in the chest, veins pulsing with thunderous energy.
"The map, it's gone, brother! You destroyed it yourself!" Manten yelped, shielding his head with his arms.
Hiten stared down at the shredded fragments in his grasp. The wind caught them, scattering the pieces like snowflakes into the abyss.
"Damn it all!" he roared, summoning his thunderbolt weapon.
A surge of purple lightning split a nearby mountain in half. The canyon quaked as dust and stone rained down, forming a roaring storm that mirrored his uncontrollable wrath.
Manten crouched low, trembling pitifully. The sight of a monstrous brute curled into a ball, whimpering like a frightened child, was almost comical, a beast of destruction reduced to a shivering lump.
Meanwhile, across the vast lands of G.D.I., word of Sebastian's power spread like wildfire. Warriors, mercenaries, and wandering spirits all came forth, eager to pledge their loyalty to him. They came not merely for his strength but for the legend, to follow Sebastian, the man who once defied the God of Death and lived to tell the tale.