ARC I — "ASHES OF THE FAITHFUL"
The forest was quiet, but tension hummed in the air.
Adrian crouched atop a broken boulder, eyes scanning the patrols moving through the mist. Black-red aura curled around his body like smoke, alive and aware. His movements were effortless, casual, yet every breath, every shift in stance radiated lethal intent.
"Ah, look at you," the demon whispered. "All calm and collected… and still you'll kill anything in your path. Delicious."
Adrian didn't reply. He simply watched. The soldiers glided through the fog below, unaware of the predator above.
He lifted a hand subtly. A thin tendril of aura slithered down silently, wrapping around the nearest tree trunk. In a single motion, the tree snapped, sending splinters raining toward the patrol. The soldiers barely dodged, confused, looking around.
"Pathetic," the demon taunted. "Let me do the talking. You're too polite."
Adrian's lips curled into a faint smirk. He let the aura surge through his legs and arms, moving fluidly, instinctive — the forest itself seeming to bend to him.
A soldier spotted the movement of shadows and raised an alarm. Beams of light cut through the mist.
Adrian stepped off the boulder, landing silently behind them. His aura flared outward like liquid fire, a visible pulse of energy that distorted the air.
"Look at that, effortless intimidation," the demon purred. "You're practically a nightmare in red and black."
He extended both arms. Aura tendrils formed into sleek, razor-sharp blades, swirling around him with perfect precision. He slashed once — and the first patrol member's staff shattered before it touched him. Another soldier lunged, and Adrian sidestepped, the aura extending like a phantom hand, grabbing and throwing him into a tree.
"Careful," the demon teased. "Don't strain yourself… though watching you toy with them is… amusing."
Adrian didn't reply. He moved through the patrol with fluid grace, aura forming shields around him, tendrils disarming soldiers, blades striking silently. He was both predator and phantom — precise, detached, unhurried.
From a distance, a larger alien officer approached — his armor glowing blue, more advanced than the rest. He raised his arm cannon.
"Ah… a proper challenge," the demon whispered. "Finally, some fun."
Adrian tilted his head slightly, aura twisting around his form. He didn't rush. He didn't panic. His gaze was steady, unreadable. With a faint movement, shadow tendrils shot forward like lightning, wrapping around the officer's legs and pulling him off balance. The officer fired blindly, light slicing through the mist, but the aura bent around Adrian, redirecting it harmlessly into the trees.
"Hmm… adaptive," the demon noted. "You're learning fast. Soon, I won't even need to hold back."
Adrian's eyes glinted red. One step, one precise motion, and the officer was disarmed and unconscious before he could react again.
The remaining patrol froze. Adrian's aura pulsed in short, sharp beats, almost like a heartbeat in the dark. He didn't move — he simply was, an inevitable force.
"They think they can touch you," the demon whispered. "Such ignorance. Delicious."
Adrian stepped forward, each motion casual, deliberate, nonchalant. Aura blades swirled, slicing through metal weapons effortlessly, throwing soldiers off balance without ever breaking his rhythm. He never raised his voice. He never ran. He simply walked among them, untouchable, lethal.
When the last patrol member fled into the forest, Adrian exhaled, letting the aura recede slightly. The mist cleared, leaving only the sound of dripping water and distant alien engines.
"That's it?" the demon teased. "A little anticlimactic, isn't it?"
Adrian glanced down at his hands, faint red veins glowing under the skin. "I'm just getting started."
The forest seemed to respond — shadows stretching and bending around him, whispering like a warning. The patrols would return, more prepared next time. But Adrian didn't care. Calm, collected, dangerous — he had tasted power, and the world would soon learn that the boy they hunted was no longer ordinary.
"Soon," the demon murmured, almost reverently. "Soon, the fun begins. And you… will awaken more than even you imagine."
Adrian's eyes reflected the crimson sky above, aura flaring faintly. He didn't speak. He didn't need to. Every motion, every breath, every pulse of the aura broadcast the truth: he had changed.
And this was only the beginning.