Fire.
Blood.
Burning houses—and crimson eyes lurking between them.
As Aster took in the scene unfolding before him, his face turned pale as snow. He couldn't understand where to look, nor what was truly happening.
"What… what is happening here?" he whispered, his voice trembling.
His legs felt as though they had been nailed to the ground. He couldn't take a single step.
The flames that had swallowed half the village roared violently, devouring everything in their path and reducing it all to ash.
Though the fire was some distance away, its scorching heat reached Aster, burning his skin and forcing him to feel its presence.
The air was thick with a bitter stench—the metallic scent of blood mixed with the smoke of burning wood—assaulting his nose and drawing tears from his eyes.
Even standing at the far end of the main street, Aster could still make out what was happening near the village entrance through the haze of smoke.
Bodies were scattered across the road. Demon dogs tore into them, ripping flesh apart. The cries of women and children—screams of terror and pain—filled the air.
At the head of the street stood a humanoid monster.
Even through the dense curtain of smoke, the two horns rising from its head and its ember-like glowing eyes were unmistakable.
The moment Aster saw the demon, cold sweat poured down his body despite the oppressive heat. Every breath he took felt labored, as if he might forget how to breathe at any moment.
As Aster began to grasp the situation and looked more closely, he noticed someone lying at the demon's feet.
The demon held its spear pointed downward, poised to take the life of the person on the ground.
That person was Hans.
Seeing this scene, a sharp pain tore through Aster's head. Clutching it tightly with both hands, he screamed at the top of his lungs.
This scream was not born of fear.
Nor was it solely because of the village's devastation.
It came from something deeper—something far greater than the present moment.
How could this be possible?
'Who are they?!'
Silhouettes of unfamiliar people flashed through his mind.
Faces he had never seen before—people he had never known—passed before his eyes.
Suddenly, darkness swallowed everything.
The village scenery vanished, replaced by something else entirely.
A battlefield.
A vast, desolate plain, bearing the aftermath of a brutal and merciless war.
The battlefield was overflowing with corpses, piled into grotesque mounds. Among them lay not only humans, but demons as well.
Aster looked to the side and watched streams of blood merge into rivers, flowing across the land.
All at once, he felt nauseous. He clamped a hand over his mouth, struggling to suppress the urge rising from within.
'What… is this? Where am I?!'
He grabbed his shoulders with trembling hands, his voice filled with despair.
Never since his birth had Aster felt such overwhelming fear and hopelessness.
At that moment, a human voice echoed from somewhere across the field.
"He…lp…"
Aster lifted his head and looked around.
'A human voice!'
He rushed toward the source of the sound. When he reached it, he saw a man lying against a massive stone.
The man was wearing armor, yet a spear lodged in his abdomen had caused him to lose a great deal of blood. He was in critical condition.
Seeing the soldier's state, Aster felt fear—but he didn't abandon him. Instead, he moved closer, wanting to help.
"I—I'll help you!" he said, his body trembling as he reached out.
Aster tried to support the soldier and help him sit properly—
But his hands passed straight through the man's body, as if through water.
'What?!'
Still unable to understand where he was, Aster stared at his hands.
They were semi-transparent—like those of a ghost.
Only then did he realize the truth.
'These are… memories.'
Fragments of a past he didn't recognize.
A life that wasn't supposed to be his.
The soldier leaned against the stone, forcing his weakened body to move. He turned his head toward the west and spoke with all the strength he had left.
"De…mons…"
Aster turned in the direction the soldier indicated.
On the horizon, where the sun met the land, someone stood.
Long horns rose from its head.
Another demon.
Standing tall and imposing, it held a sword in its hand, its gaze locked onto Aster.
This demon was fundamentally different from the one he had seen before.
It wasn't about appearance.
It was the aura.
The demon's presence blanketed heaven and earth, declaring that no being on this land was stronger than it.
Even though Aster knew he was inside a memory, he felt it with every fiber of his being.
Gathering his final strength, the soldier spoke his last words.
"The… Demon… King…"
With that, the soldier breathed his last.
While Aster stood within the memory, a sudden sound reached his ears.
A whistle.
At that sound, the vision shattered, and Aster was dragged back into reality.
Though he had returned, he couldn't process the weight of what he had seen.
The whistle belonged to it.
At that signal, demon dogs emerged from all corners of the village.
As if receiving orders, they gathered before the demon, staring up at it.
The demon raised its hand and pointed directly at Aster with a single finger.
Following their master's command, the demon dogs charged in that direction.
Aster's entire body trembled. He had no strength left to move.
Suddenly, a voice he knew all too well rang out.
"Aster, run!"
Aurora appeared out of nowhere, grabbing his hand and pulling him along as she ran.
Her mind raced with countless thoughts—each one focused on escape.
'What should I do? I have to think of something—fast. The dogs will catch us soon. I need a way out.'
As she ran, she heard the roaring sound of the river flowing violently beside the village.
'The river! It can carry us far away. If we jump in, we might escape the demon.'
But then she heard the sounds of demon dogs closing in behind them.
They were almost there.
Aurora began to pray.
"Just a little more… please, my God! Just a little more! Aster, just a few more steps—"
She cried as she looked back.
That was when she saw it.
Behind them, the demon stood at a distance, spear in hand.
The dogs were closing in fast. If they stopped for even a second, the dogs would reach them.
'No… the demon… he's about to throw it. The spear… who is he aiming at?'
Aurora understood.
The spear was aimed straight at Aster.
'The river is just ahead. But the spear will reach us faster. Even if I dodge, it will still hit. If I stop, the dogs will catch us. Then… there's only one choice. No matter what… I must save Aster.'
With only two steps left to the river, Aurora suddenly stopped.
Feeling her halt, Aster turned back—
And Aurora shoved him forward with all her strength.
In that instant, Aurora felt tears stream down her face.
Even if it cost her life, she was happy—because she was saving her son.
As she looked at him, her life flashed before her eyes.
Especially the memories of her family… and her son.
The first time she held him in her arms.
The joy she felt when he was born.
The warmth of his tiny hand gripping her little finger.
She smiled as she remembered.
With the same gentle eyes and loving smile she had worn when she first held him, Aurora looked at Aster.
Even the tears flowing down her face couldn't diminish that warmth.
In a soft, tender voice, she said—
"I love you…"
At that moment, the spear pierced through Aurora's abdomen.
Despite the searing pain, she managed to finish her words.
"…my son."
Her body fell toward the riverbank.
Seeing his mother like that, Aster screamed with everything he had as he plunged into the river.
"MOTHER!"