He set out immediately, determined to fulfill Ru's dying wish.
But the road was not kind. A group of bandits blocked his path, demanding his belongings.
Altleno ignored them and tried to walk past, remembering Ru's words — never to engage recklessly. But one of the bandits grabbed him, nearly knocking the vial from his hands.
Anger erupted inside him. Altleno twisted the man's wrist with unnatural strength.
The man screamed, retreating.
> "You little bastard! I'll make sure you die for that — and never see your family again!"
The words cut deep. Altleno's face darkened, memories of Ru's death flashing before his eyes.
The other bandits, unnerved by his expression, hesitated. One of them whispered:
> "Leave him. Can't you see? He's just a boy who's lost someone."
Altleno said nothing. He brushed the dust from his clothes and continued walking.
Hours later, he reached the village gates. But as he stepped inside, an uneasy chill crept over him.
It felt as if every eye in the village was watching him, plotting something.
Fear seized him. He turned and ran, hiding among some barrels outside the walls. The feeling only grew stronger — that same heavy pressure he felt when the goblin died.
He clenched his fists.
> "I'll be stronger… you'll see."
He turned and fled back toward the forest — the only place that ever felt like home.
Ten Years Later
Time passed. The boy who once hid in fear was gone.
In his place stood Altleno, hardened by solitude and pain.
He trained day and night, pushing past exhaustion, refusing to stop.
He learned to control that strange red energy — the same one that killed the goblin — though even now, he didn't fully understand it.
Every punch, every breath was fueled by a single wish:
> "To grow stronger. To never feel fear again."
And so he did — for ten long years.
Return
At last, the day came when Altleno returned to the village.
Standing at the gates, he smiled faintly.
> "Let's see what happens this time."
He stepped forward — his grin twisting into something dark, powerful, almost terrifying.
He could feel it: power flowed through him like a raging storm.
This time, nothing would stand in his way.
The Adventurers' Guild
Altleno pushed open the doors, his face lighting up with a naive grin. The moment he entered, heads turned.
Behind the counter stood a young woman with auburn hair and bright green eyes — Lyra, the guild receptionist. She smiled politely.
> "Welcome. How may I help you?"
Altleno straightened.
> "I want to be an adventurer."
Lyra raised an eyebrow but nodded softly, pulling out a strange device.
> "This will measure your mana and determine your magic type. Place your hands here."
Altleno did as told — but the orb flickered once, then went dark.
Lyra blinked, then laughed loudly.
> "He has no mana! None at all!"
Her laughter echoed across the guild hall. The other adventurers joined in, mocking him.
>" Come on kid, you'll get yourself killed out there, why don't you just become a farmer"
Altleno clenched his fist in silence — then slammed it down on the table.
A dark aura burst from his body, the same energy that had once killed the goblin. The wooden surface beneath his hand began to rot and corrode, turning to ash. The laughter died instantly. Every face turned pale.
Altleno's expression shifted into something monstrous — a grin that could stop a heart.
Hearing the commotion, heavy footsteps thundered from the back room.
A broad-shouldered man with silver hair and a scar across his face emerged — Guiko, the guild master.
> "What's going on here?" he barked.
The crowd parted instantly. The air was thick, heavy with fear.
Guiko's gaze met Altleno's — and for a moment, his stern expression faltered.
> "Boy," he said slowly, "whatever that was, stop it. Now."
But Altleno didn't move.
He turned his head toward Guiko, and the grin stretched wider, shadowing his face like a mask.
> "Stop?" Altleno murmured, his voice low, distorted. "Why should I?"
Guiko's disgust was clear.
> "You really weren't raised right."
The insult struck deep. Altleno's anger spiked. His veins pulsed, glowing faintly beneath his skin, and the air around him warped as he stepped forward like a slow-moving beast.
Guiko stepped back, sensing the killing intent spilling off the boy.
> "Not in here!" he barked, drawing his blade. "If you want to fight, we do it tomorrow — at the cemetery. I'll show you not to mess with me!"
Altleno paused. His anger cooled slightly, replaced by a grin of intrigue.
> "Tomorrow, then," he said, his voice calm but dangerous. "I'll be waiting."
He turned and left the guild quietly, his footsteps echoing through the stunned silence.
Everyone in the room exhaled only after he was gone.
That night, Guiko sat alone in his quarters, trembling.
The memory of Altleno's eyes haunted him.
They weren't human.
He rubbed his temples.
> "What was that power? No ordinary magic… no mana at all."
Suddenly, the air grew heavy — dense and cold.
A voice echoed softly in the darkness.
> "You can't defeat him… not alone."
Guiko froze and looked around.
A shadow leaked through a crack in the window, swirling like black smoke before forming into a tall, hooded figure.
> "I can help you," it hissed. "Defeat that boy, and I will make you strong."
Guiko stood, his instincts screaming to flee.
> "And what do you want in return?"
The figure smiled — though its face was nothing but shifting darkness.
> "Your soul."
Guiko's heart pounded. "No!" he shouted, covering his ears as if to shut the voice out. The figure laughed quietly, its form dissolving into mist.
As silence returned, Guiko collapsed onto his bed, trembling.
> "Damn it… what is happening to this place…"
He eventually drifted into uneasy sleep — unaware that black markings had begun to crawl across his arms, faint and pulsing like veins of shadow.
Morning came, gray and cold.
Altleno stood among crooked tombstones, his face calm but his eyes gleaming with anticipation.
> "He's late," he muttered, scanning the foggy graveyard. "Did fear get the better of him?"
Just as he turned to leave, he heard footsteps.
Guiko emerged from the mist, gripping his sword tightly. But something was wrong — his eyes were darker, his veins faintly black.
Altleno frowned.
> "You look worse than last night."
Guiko smirked faintly.
> "Let's see who looks worse after this."
With a sudden burst of speed, Guiko lunged forward, his blade glowing faintly. The ground cracked as it met Altleno's arm. Altleno slid back, eyes narrowing.
For a while, the fight was even — steel clashing against raw energy.
Guiko moved with precision, his strikes fast and heavy, while Altleno fought barehanded, blocking blows with his aura-coated arms.
But then something shifted.
Guiko's body convulsed, his veins pulsing blacker. The dark figure's laughter echoed faintly.
> "Yes… more…"
Guiko screamed as the shadow consumed him, transforming his body — his eyes turned pitch-black, his muscles expanded unnaturally.
Altleno stepped back, startled.
> "You let it in…"
The corrupted Guiko roared and charged, striking with monstrous force. Altleno blocked but was sent flying, crashing into tombstones. Pain surged through his ribs.
> "Tch…" he hissed, wiping blood from his mouth.
His aura flared violently, enveloping the ground around him. The earth decayed and turned black.
> "Fine… let's see who the real monster is."
Altleno pulled an iron rod from the ground .
His aura wrapped around it, corroding it's surfaces until they gleamed with shadow.
He hurled it forward with impossible force.
Each impact shattered bone and tore through the corrupted flesh of Guiko, who screamed in agony as his own darkness turned against him.
Finally, Altleno closed the distance, grabbing Guiko's head.
> "You should've left me alone."
The aura surged through his hand, decaying Guiko's body from within. The guild master's screams echoed one last time before his body collapsed into dust.
When Altleno walked back into the village, the sun had barely risen.
The people froze as they saw him — alone.
> "Where's Guiko?" one of the adventurers demanded.
Altleno's lips twitched into a small laugh.
> "He's dead."
The man shouted in rage, flames igniting around his fists.
> "You monster!"
He charged and struck Altleno square in the chest, pushing him back.
Altleno didn't fall — he simply looked down at the burn mark on his clothes, then up at the man.
In a blink, Altleno appeared before him, grabbed his face, and slammed him into the ground. His aura poured from his palm like liquid shadow. Flesh decayed. Bone cracked.
When Altleno pulled away, half the man's face was gone.
He tossed the body aside like trash.
The villagers screamed and fled in all directions, running from the nightmare that was Altleno.
Later that night, Altleno climbed a tall tree to rest. The wind was cold and soft.
He gazed at the moon — calm, distant, and indifferent.
Then, from below, he heard faint voices.
Peering down, he saw four cloaked villagers carrying the body of the adventurer he had killed. They moved quietly, collecting every piece — even the torn part of his skull.
Altleno tilted his head, whispering to himself,
> "The traditions of these people are truly strange…"
He lay back, closing his eyes, letting the wind carry the scent of death away.