A white-haired man knelt before an elder.
The elder had a long white beard, and his once-black hair was slowly losing its color. He wore a white robe marked with blue symbols.
The man before him wore a black robe with similar blue markings.
"Will you… honor our clan? Will you uphold its laws and resist corruption, even as its leader?" the old man asked.
The white-haired man raised his head, his voice firm.
"Yes. I will honor our clan. The Hyou Clan."
The elder let out a quiet breath.
"Be careful… That confidence may be your strength today, but tomorrow, it could become your ruin."
"Then I will be careful."
On a sunny day, Jay sat beneath a tree, holding a book beside his father, Poul.
"And that was the last known leader of our Hyou Clan, Jay. Unfortunately, we don't have many records about him. We only know that the clan eventually fragmented."
"Oh!"
Ever since that day five years ago… I haven't stopped reading.
Jay closed his book, stood up, and stretched.
The reason for the fragmentation was probably political… maybe conflicts over leadership or governance.
A thought crossed his mind.
"Dad!"
"Yes?"
"Have you already awakened your elemental powers?"
"Of course. Why do you ask?"
Jay paused, then looked up at him, eyes shining.
"I was just wondering… when will I awaken mine? Do you know?"
Poul raised a hand slightly, shielding his eyes.
Those eyes… they're way too bright.
"Well… it's hard to say. I awakened mine when I was around seven or eight. So maybe you'll awaken yours at eight… or nine."
Jay's excitement faded.
Seeing that, Poul smiled, stood up, and placed a hand on his head.
"Don't set your expectations too high, Jay. Otherwise, you'll only end up disappointed."
"…Okay."
"Let's head home?"
Jay nodded.
On their way back, Jay observed his surroundings.
Stone houses, some made of wood. Trees spread everywhere. Children ran and played freely.
It was a lively place.
Above them stood a massive wall, surrounding the entire city—at least fifty meters high.
Jay frowned slightly.
"Dad, why was that wall built?"
"You didn't know?"
Jay shook his head.
"I thought you did. You're always buried in books."
Jay scoffed.
That doesn't mean I know everything.
"Well… four hundred years ago, after the First Great War between species, the giants were separated. Some went to the Great Forest… others were sealed beyond that wall."
Jay's eyes narrowed.
"You can't climb it to get out. There's a magical barrier. It regenerates… it can't be broken."
A nearly perfect seal…
"It was built mostly with elven magic, along with dwarven craftsmanship and knowledge from dragons. And for some reason… many vampires and werewolves disappeared around that time."
Jay placed a hand on his chin.
"That's… interesting."
"The only part of the wall that isn't magical is the gate. By the time the elves and dwarves reached that part, they had already run out of mana. That's all I know."
"Thanks, Dad. That was really interesting."
"You're welcome."
When they arrived home, Maria was already eating.
Poul froze, shocked.
"Why didn't you wait for us?!"
Maria swallowed calmly.
"Because you took too long."
"But… it's exactly noon!"
"I finished cooking at eleven-thirty, and I was hungry. So I ate." She took another bite."That's reasonable, isn't it?"
Poul opened his mouth…
Then closed it.
Silence.
Defeat.
Jay lightly patted his father's back.
"Let's just eat…"
"Go on, go get your food," Maria said.
They did, and soon the room quieted.
Later that night, Jay lay in bed, reading.
His dark eyes moved across the pages under the dim light.
"So humans only have affinity for two types of magic… healing, which is common, and shadow magic, which is extremely rare…"
He turned the page.
"While elves can use any element… interesting."
He kept reading, more focused with each page.
Then—
In the silence of the night…
He felt something soft brush against his clothes.
And a voice.
A woman's voice.
Smooth… almost addictive.
"So interesting… that you didn't even notice my presence."
Jay jumped out of bed.
The book fell to the floor.
Standing before him was a woman.
A beautiful woman.
What the… who is this…?
Pale skin. Silver hair. Violet eyes. A faint purple aura surrounded her.
She wore a black dress, adorned with a dark flower at her side.
She smiled.
"W-Who are you?" Jay asked.
"Me?" She tilted her head slightly."I am Lillith… also known as Nox, the Goddess of Darkness."
Jay froze.
A goddess…?
"…How can someone be this beautiful?" he blurted out.
Nox blinked.
"…Huh?"
Then she laughed softly.
"Interesting… very interesting."
She tapped the bed beside her.
"Come. You can lie here. I'll read with you."
Jay hesitated.
This is dangerous…
But… I don't really have a choice, do I?
He picked up the book and slowly laid down beside her.
"Ah, before we start… you can call me Lillith."
Jay nodded.
They began reading.
Hours passed.
Then more time passed as they discussed what they had read.
At some point—
Jay fell asleep.
The next morning, he woke up slightly disoriented.
He looked around.
She was gone.
"…So it wasn't a dream."
He got out of bed and started his day.
Brushing his teeth. Eating breakfast.
Then leaving with his father, waving goodbye to his mother.
On the way, Poul suddenly stopped.
He turned to Jay and knelt in front of him, gripping his shoulders firmly.
Jay blinked, confused.
"Even if you're still a child… I know you understand right from wrong."
He paused.
Then spoke firmly.
"There is one rule in our clan. One absolute rule."
Jay focused.
"You must never kill a human. Under any circumstances."
Jay nodded seriously.
"I understand."
Poul smiled slightly.
"Good. Let's go."
Then—
A loud siren echoed.
A desperate voice rang through the city.
"Citizens, retreat immediately! Head to the ships now! The giants are out of control—they're killing everything in their path! One has breached our defenses—hurry—!"
Before the message ended, Poul grabbed Jay's arm tightly.
Jay understood enough.
We need to get Mom.
Poul's face was pale.
Terrified.
He grabbed Jay and ran.
They reached home.
Maria was gathering things.
"Maria, take only the money! We need to leave now!" Poul shouted.
"Poul, grab the bags—"
"Maria!"
His voice turned sharp.
She froze.
"…Just take the money. We don't have time."
Her eyes trembled.
"…Okay."
She grabbed the money.
They ran.
Explosions echoed.
Cannons fired.
Roars shook the air.
People ran in panic. Some dropped their belongings. Some dropped their children.
Some… didn't come back for them.
The smell of smoke and blood filled the air.
Then—
They saw the ship.
Still empty.
Hope.
Step by step, they got closer.
Lighter.
Faster.
Then—
BOOM.
A massive explosion shook everything.
People screamed.
Houses collapsed.
Jay turned—
And froze.
A giant.
No—
A colossus.
Its empty eyes stared ahead, filled with nothing but boredom.
More giants poured in behind it.
Then—
One of them looked directly at Jay.
And started running.
Panic erupted.
People scattered.
Each step of the giant crushed the ground—and lives.
The smell of blood grew stronger.
Jay glanced back.
His legs trembled.
It was right behind them.
Blood covered its body.
Its bone blade dripped red.
One more step… and I'm dead.
Then—
A sudden pull.
Maria.
Her eyes filled with tears.
"N… no—!"
A massive hand struck her—
Sending her crashing into a house.
Jay froze.
Something tightened in his chest.
He wanted to go to her.
But—
He turned and ran.
"Go…! Live… my loves…"
Her voice was weak… but clear.
Tears streamed down her face.
"I… lo—"
Silence.
Jay's vision blurred.
Poul and Jay reached the ship.
The giant stopped chasing them, turning to fight another.
Poul didn't even realize what had happened.
But the weight…
It was already there.
Loss.
Guilt.
Jay trembled.
Is it my fault…? If I had been faster… she would still be alive…
Then—
An arm wrapped around him.
A familiar, gentle voice.
"It's not your fault… You did what you could."
Jay broke down.
Crying uncontrollably.
Poul stood beside him.
Silent.
Tears falling.
Far from there—
At the gate—
The Wall King stood still, facing the horizon.
Then—
He felt it.
A presence.
Small.
Yet enough to send chills down his spine.
He dodged attacks from giants and leaped forward.
At the edge of a lake, a man sat peacefully, fishing.
Cobel.
He admired the calm scenery—
Until he felt it.
He slowly drew his metallic sword.
A bone blade clashed against it.
Clang.
"Oh… so you're strong," Cobel said calmly.
That weapon… it can only mean one thing.
"…So you're the Wall King. Interesting."
The king's gaze turned cold.
He took a step forward.
"Shall we begin?"