A long time ago, from the depths of the Abyss, demons came to life. These beings, who had lurked there until then, tore through the veil of reality and launched an assault on the earth.
This event took place exactly 1,000 years ago. During their wave of destruction, countless beings perished, but no one was able to stop them. Darkn, their king, was invincible.
Then, one day, a human appeared. He had been chosen by the Goddess of Destiny to defeat Darkn. He succeeded, and the entire demon army vanished.
But one hundred years later, the demons returned, again with Darkn at their head. Once more, a human was chosen by the Goddess and struck Darkn down.
It became a habit—every century the same cycle repeated. This endless war was eventually named the Demonic Cycle, and the chosen human was called the Hero. For more than a thousand years, this has continued.
In the Moon Light Forest of the Kingdom of Nora, a knight on horseback was searching for a man who had escaped from prison. Just then, he heard a terrifying howl before being attacked by a giant wolf that knocked him off his horse.
As he fell to the ground, his helmet rolled off. The beast approached, growling. Trembling, the knight muttered:
"Damn it, where did this monster come from? I need to get out of here…"
The wolf pursued him slowly, savoring his fear. But suddenly, the beast's enormous head fell to the ground. The knight looked up to see a blond boy with green eyes, strikingly handsome, holding a sword in his hand. Judging by his clothes, he seemed to be a peasant.
The boy stepped forward and offered his hand.
Boy: "Are you alright, sir?"
Just then, a halo of light surrounded him.
Knight (shocked): "The Hero… the Hero has finally appeared!!!"
A few weeks later, in the village of Moon Light near the forest, villagers were whispering among themselves:
"Did you hear? Arthur has received the Hero's blessing."
"Arthur? The same Arthur from this village?"
"Who else? Of course it's him."
"It's no surprise. He's brave, strong, kind, and handsome."
Meanwhile, in another street, a boy of average height, slender, with long black hair tied back, sharp blue eyes, and wearing peasant clothes with baggy trousers, muttered to himself. This was Alex.
Alex (thinking): "Don't they have anything better to do? It's been three weeks since Arthur left for the capital, but his name is still on everyone's lips. It was worse before—'handsome, strong, kind, gentle…' Whatever. I get it. I'm just a poor orphan."
Just then, a loud voice called out:
"Alex!!!"
He turned and saw a red-haired girl with long hair—Eva.
Alex: "Do you have to yell like that?"
Eva: "Yes, since you're completely deaf! Come here, I want to show you something!"
Alex crossed the street and joined her.
Alex: "What do you want to tell me?"
Eva: "Nothing, just look at this poster on the wall."
Alex glanced at it and saw a drawing of a wild boar with a bounty of 1,000,000 gold coins.
Alex: "I'm not doing that."
Eva: "Why not? You need the money."
Alex: "True… but that's a sacred beast of the Goddess of Destiny."
Eva: "Still, it hurts to see you suffer because of my parents…"
Alex (thinking): She's right. I've been living with her family since childhood, but I'm more like a servant than a son.
Then he noticed another poster, showing the face of a scarred criminal. He ripped it from the wall and declared with confidence:
Alex: "I'll take this one."
Eva: "What is it?"
Alex: "It says a fugitive criminal is hiding in the forest. The reward is 10,000 gold coins."
He showed her the poster.
Eva: "That's fine, but… can you really handle it?"
Alex: "You want me to hunt a legendary beast, but you doubt I can catch a mere criminal? In that case, I'll head to Moon Light right away."
Eva: "Already? But it's almost evening!"
Alex: "Don't worry. I know that forest like the back of my hand—you should know that. I'll come back and help you with the inn at night."
He left, while Eva stayed behind, thinking:
(Oh Alex… the boy I love. I've never had the courage to tell him. My parents would never accept our relationship, not when he's so poor… But that's why I hope…)
In the forest, the wanted criminal had captured a merchant.
Criminal: "See? I don't have anything against you, but your cart and horses will be very useful to me."
He raised his sword, preparing to strike the merchant down. But suddenly, Alex appeared and spoke:
Alex: "I wouldn't do that if I were you."
Criminal: "Who the hell are you?"
Alex: "Nobody."
Criminal: "Then you're going to die."