The Tale of Tai:
The story begins with a man named Tai.
A broken soul, dragged from his world, forced into a life he never chose.
Now a father of two—
His daughter, Sin, barely four years old.
His infant son, Yutaro, just past his first birthday.
To Tai, nothing in this world mattered…
As long as he could see their smiles.
One day, under a clear sky and a blazing sun,
Tai and his companions left for the market to gather supplies.
The store was far—his home lay beyond the kingdom's edge.
After finishing the errands, they stepped beyond the kingdom's gate.
Tai froze.
His breath slowed.
His eyes caught the shadows of the dense forest.
Something was wrong.
A faint sound—metal scraping against metal—slithered through the trees.
Then came the staggered footsteps.
From the darkness emerged a tall man, clad in battered armor.
His eyes burned with hostility.
His voice, rough and jagged, sliced through the silence:
"I am the leader of the bandits… and we have a mission."
Tai didn't blink.
He stared into the man's eyes, as if time itself had stopped.
"What mission?"
The leader smirked, raising his hand to signal his men.
"To kill someone named… Tai."
A cold shiver ran through Tai's body.
It was as if fate whispered the name of the one behind it all.
Before he could speak, a sharp whistle tore through the air—
An arrow, aimed straight at his head.
Tai raised his hand.
A dark aura exploded from his body, shattering the arrow mid-flight.
The ground trembled.
The trees bent, as if bowing to an unseen force.
"Kill them all!" the leader roared.
As the sun dipped toward the horizon,
The sky turned into a canvas of deep crimson and fading blue.
The wind howled through the forest, carrying the scent of blood and burnt steel.
Tai stood at the front.
His eyes gleamed with a cold fury.
In his hand hung a black sword—
A blade that looked forged from pure darkness.
Beside him stood his allies:
Saven, shield raised to protect the group.
Liana, gripping her sacred sword.
Daron, spinning his flaming scythe like a storm.
Behind them, Milia and Celia chanted spells.
Tilly growled, her form shifting into a half-wolf.
Neva surrounded herself with a glowing aura of enhancement magic.
Across the field stood the bandit leader—
A hulking brute, his face carved with scars, eyes glowing like embers.
He held a massive axe dripping with blood.
To his sides, two of his fiercest men:
One wielding a jagged spear, the other a curved blade that shimmered in the dying light.
Behind them, the rest of the bandits gathered, eyes hungry for slaughter.
Tai smiled faintly, then whispered:
"Don't let a single one leave alive."
Chaos erupted.
The bandits charged like wolves.
Saven met them head-on, his iron shield deflecting blades and arrows.
The clash of steel echoed through the forest.
Daron tore through their ranks, his flaming scythe slicing heads clean off.
Blood sprayed like crimson fountains.
Tai watched.
Still unmoved.
Until the leader approached, axe raised.
Tai lifted his sword.
"Let's see what you've got."
The axe came down with the force to split stone.
Tai flicked his wrist—
A calm, sideways strike stopped the blow cold.
Sparks flew.
The air itself trembled.
Tai smirked, then delivered a swift kick that nearly shattered the man's ribs.
The two lieutenants rushed in.
One thrust his spear—Tai caught it barehanded,
Unleashing a surge of mana that blew the man into scattered limbs.
The second lunged with his curved sword—
Tai stepped back, swung once,
And a wave of darkness split the man in half, his insides spilling onto the earth.
The battlefield turned into hell.
Tilly ripped through bandits with her claws,
Her face drenched in blood, howling beneath the rising moon.
Liana's sacred blade carved paths of light that melted flesh.
Neva moved like lightning, her fists breaking bones with magical force.
Milia summoned flames that devoured all who dared approach,
While Celia healed the wounded, keeping them on their feet.
But Tai…
Tai was different.
He didn't fight to kill.
He fought to enjoy.
He mocked their attacks, dodged with ease,
Severed limbs, stabbed legs,
Then left them to bleed slowly.
The bandit leader collapsed, drenched in blood and exhaustion.
"What kind of monster are you?" he gasped.
Tai stepped forward, eyes glowing under the full moon.
"I am… the beginning and the end."
One strike.
His sword pierced the man's heart.
Blood erupted like a fountain beneath the moonlit sky.
The massacre was over.
But something was wrong.
They had come from the direction of Tai's home.
"Is it possible… they were sent by the kingdom?"
A magical explosion echoed from his house.
Tai ran.
Smoke rose from his home.
"That smoke… it's coming from my house.
Please… let it not be mine."
Each step crushed his breath.
His heart pounded.
His lungs tightened.
He arrived.
His home was burning.
He screamed—
A deep, broken cry that shattered his silence.
Inside, through the flames,
He saw his wife shielding their son, Yutaro.
Tai trembled.
Lost.
His emotions tangled.
He rushed to her.
"Can you hear me? Are you with me?"
Her voice was faint, barely alive.
"I protected our son… but I didn't see Sin."
Tai sobbed.
"Are you okay? Please answer me. Can you see me?"
She placed her hand on his cheek, tears falling.
"I've always loved you… I still do."
Tai's body shivered.
Memories flashed—
Laughter, warmth, love.
"I love you too… please, don't die."
Her hand fell.
She was gone.
Tai's pupils widened.
The light in his eyes vanished.
Darkness consumed him.
He turned to Yutaro.
Held him.
He was dead.
Suffocated.
"You gave your life for our son…
But he died in your arms."
Tai carried them both outside.
His face… no longer human.
A voice echoed inside him:
"Look what they've done to you…
This is what they wanted.
Now… what do you want?"
Tai's eyes bled tears.
"I want revenge."
His aura erupted.
The ground cracked.
With every step, his power grew.
His hair turned white.
His eyes—red.
He became a killer.
Saven trembled.
"Is that… Tai?
What did he see?"
Tai conjured a magical coffin.
Placed his son inside.
Held his wife.
Leaned against it.
Lit a cigarette.
Rain fell.
He laughed.
"They did this to me.
They don't know the pain of loss."
His laughter turned to rage.
"They think they're safe because they're rich.
I'll wipe out every human who stood against me…
Even if it costs me my life."
A mad laugh burst from him—
A laugh soaked in grief, hatred, and death.
"They'll know loss.
They'll know what it means to lose everything."
He walked toward the kingdom, laughing.
A friend stepped forward.
"Where are you going?"
Tai's voice was cold.
"That's none of your concern."
She tried to stop him.
Saven shouted:
"Stay back, Your Majesty!"
Tai turned.
His eyes burned.
"Majesty?"
Saven felt death in the air.
He tried to protect her.
But Tai…
Severed her head in a blink.
Saven's armor screamed:
"Run! Don't die! Don't provoke him!"
Saven cried out:
"Run! He's a monster!"
Liana whispered:
"A monster?"
Tai spoke with chilling calm:
"I considered you my friends."
Rain poured.
He stepped forward.
"Let's play a little."
Fear gripped them.
"How… will you play?"
Tai's voice slithered through the air:
"My beautiful friends…
Saven, Liana, Tilly, Milia, Celia, Daron, Neva."
"I've killed one of you.
Who's next?"
He pulled out two cores.
"Do you know what I hold?"
Saven replied:
"A core?"
"Correct.
You'll be the last to die.
But these aren't ordinary cores.
Do you know whose they are?"
Saven tried to speak—
Tai cut him off.
"Someone else answer, or you all die now."
Daron stepped forward, trembling.
"Cores… of demon kings?"
Tai smiled.
"Correct.
But that doesn't mean you'll live."
Everyone froze.
Their minds fractured.
Panic spread like wildfire.
Tai raised his hand.
"It's time to summon them."
A surge of energy erupted from his body.
The earth cracked.
Spirits trembled.
Even the air tried to flee.
"Come forth… Demon Kings."
One hesitated.
He despised the idea of servitude.
But Tai's power left no room for choice.
The other—she accepted.
Tai's voice thundered:
"From now on… you are mine."
The kings spoke:
"What shall you name us?"
Tai replied coldly:
"You… Diablo.
And you… Draculina.
Go to the kingdom. Scout it."
They nodded.
Draculina asked:
"What will you do?"
Tai's voice turned sharp:
"That's none of your concern.
Leave… or die."
She flinched.
"We only wish to serve, Master."
Tai's eyes narrowed.
"Know your place… or I'll erase you."
"I apologize," she whispered, and vanished.
Tai stood still.
Each step he took was a death sentence waiting to be delivered.
He whispered:
"Let me enjoy this…
Make it entertaining."
(End of Chapter One)