In a remote area, in a small village near the Saiz River, the weather was sunny and the heat was intense, with the sound of cicadas scraping all around.
Ren and his friends were on a fishing trip. Ren, a young man with black hair reaching his neck and black eyes as dark as his hair, wore a black medieval-era robe. Beside him stood his younger brother Leon, with short blond hair and gentle, calm features.
"Ren, how many did you catch?" Leon asked excitedly. Ren replied proudly, "I caught four. And you?" Leon answered with disappointment, "I only caught three..." Ren laughed mockingly. "Heh, looks like you lost again! Just give up, you can't beat me!" Rivalry flared in Leon's eyes as he replied in an angry voice, "I'll surpass you next time!" "Haha! I'd like to see that in your dreams!"
As the two pressed their foreheads together, about to start another fight, Mona stepped between them and separated them, anger rising on her beautiful face. Her long brown hair fluttered in the wind, and her face carried clear signs of reproach.
"Hey! Stop it! Why do you two start your stupid fights every time we go fishing?!"
Ren and Leon lowered their heads and replied together in remorseful voices, "We're sorry..."
Youn, Mona's elder brother, laughed and said with a reassuring smile, "Don't be too hard on them, Mona." Youn was a strong young man with prominent muscles, exuding power and respect. "But they start this fight every time we come fishing! I should've stepped in to stop them!" Mona said irritably.
Youn shook his head with a broad smile, revealing his white teeth. "It's fine. They're still in the prime of their youth, so it's natural for them to challenge each other."
After a few moments, Youn suggested, "Anyway, let's light a fire and grill the fish." Ren asked curiously as he jumped with his question toward Youn, "Brother Youn, how many fish did you catch?" Youn laughed smugly and answered, "I caught ten fish!" Ren and Leon's eyes widened in shock, and disappointment appeared on their faces.
"Ten?! Ah... it looks like we still have a long way to go to beat you..." Youn's face reddened slightly, and feeling a bit embarrassed, he said with a smile, "Heh, I don't know what to say!"
Ren and Leon considered Youn an older brother to them, and they were used to spending time together since childhood, always going out on fishing trips full of challenge and rivalry.
"Alright, the fire is ready, let's start cooking the fish," Youn said while they sat around the fire, leaning against tree trunks.
Mona tasted the fish and nodded in satisfaction. "Mmm... delicious!" Ren and Leon sat beside each other. Leon held a branch with a grilled fish on it and said eagerly, "Next time, I'll definitely beat you!" Ren smirked. "In your dreams! We'll see!"
The argument between them escalated again, and they almost started another fight, until their younger sister Lina, who had been assigned to gather firewood, cut them off. "Are you going to start again?!" she said with an irritated expression. They both replied in unison, "We're sorry..."
As evening approached, Youn said, "It's getting late. Let's go back to the village." At that moment, their father, Elias Hayes, appeared.
"Oh, you came. I'm sorry, it seems we're very late." Elias laughed and said, "Heh, no need to apologize. Did they behave well?" Mona jumped in to answer quickly, "They fight every time!"
Elias nodded sadly and said, "Seems they wore you out... what an unlucky father I am!" Youn laughed reassuringly, "Don't say that, we're friends."
Elias looked at Ren and Leon sharply, anger visible in his eyes, which made them stand straight in nervousness. Ren looked very much like his father, having inherited his black hair and deep eyes.
Elias said in a firm voice, "Come on, let's head back to the village. Your mother is worried about you."
Youn nodded and said, "Alright, I'll extinguish the fire. We'll catch up with you shortly." Elias turned to leave and said, "Anyway, I'll go back now. I still have village matters to attend to. Hurry back once you're done." Elias was the leader of Ron Village, a busy man.
After Elias left, Youn looked at his friends and asked, "Is everything ready?" Ren suddenly said, "Wait! I forgot my bag in the forest! You guys go ahead, I'll look for it and catch up later."
Youn tried to stop him, but he knew Ren was naturally stubborn. Mona stepped in and said reassuringly, "Don't worry, I'll bring it with me right away. You can go on ahead." Youn nodded, then said to the others, "Come on, let's head back. They'll catch up once they're done."
And so everyone began walking back to the village, while Ren and Mona headed into the forest to retrieve his bag. Ren ran through the trees while Mona followed, panting, "Why are you running like that?! I'm tired!"
Ren stopped and turned to her. "I'm sorry. Do you remember where you last put it?"
"I think you dropped it between those thick bushes..."
They searched for a little while until they found it.
"There it is!" Mona said happily.
"Alright, let's head back quickly."
But before they could move, a sudden explosion rang out, followed by a terrifying wolf howl.
The trees shook, and crows burst out from between the branches, screaming in panic.
Mona gasped in fear. "Ren, did you hear that?!"
Ren raised his hand, signaling for silence, and whispered, "Shh... I heard it. Stay here. I'm going to see what's happening."
"Will you be okay?"
"Don't worry. Just stay here."
He moved cautiously, his heartbeat accelerating. Suddenly, strange words slipped into his ear:
"It's coming... it's coming... It seems fate has favored you..."
He froze in place and said in shock, "Who... who's speaking?!"
There was no one there.
He continued forward until he saw before him a wolf corpse the size of an elephant, surrounded by blue lightning sparks, with teeth sharp as swords and giant claws.
As he approached, he felt an invisible force pulling him into nothingness. Amid his voiceless cries as he struggled to hold onto the ground, he was whisked away in the blink of an eye to a place unknown.
He found himself in a long corridor illuminated by a green flame emerging from the mouths of small dragon heads carved into the black walls, covered in ancient golden symbols that gave the place a mysterious atmosphere.
He continued walking until he reached a vast hall, where an old man with a long white beard sat leaning on a staff topped with a dragon head, seated on a golden throne adorned with ancient jade-green symbols.
The old man spoke in a calm voice. "Hoh... you have arrived. Let us see your motives now."
Ren stepped back. "Who are you? What is going on? Where am I?!"
The old man answered in a cryptic tone, "It doesn't matter where you are now, and it doesn't matter what this place is or who I am. All you have to do is answer."
The old man moved his staff toward Ren and said, "I will ask you... would you rather live in peace, or would you rather the world live in peace?"
Ren answered in confusion, "What is this question? What are you trying to say, old man?"
The old man said sharply, "Answer."
Ren, helpless, began to sweat and replied hesitantly, "Of course, who wouldn't want peace? Who wouldn't love it? But if it comes at the cost of my companions and those I cherish, then I'm ready to burn it all myself for their sake. World peace is secondary to me; as long as I live happily, that is my world and everything in it."
The old man burst out laughing madly. "Hahahahaha... an interesting answer..."
Then he asked the second question: "If it asked of you to save the world at the expense of the people you care about, who would you choose? The world? Your friends? Your family? Or the one you love?"
Ren answered without hesitation. "I already said it: I'm ready to burn it all myself for their sake."
The third question came: "Do you want power? Yes or no?"
Ren said firmly, "Of course I want power! Who would refuse to be strong?!"
"You are indeed a remarkable person..."
The old man's laughter grew louder, and Ren grew more anxious.
Ren lifted an eyebrow mockingly. "Are you talking about me?! Me?! What are you talking about?"
"..."
The old man gave a small laugh and said, "You want power? You shall have power. But remember, there is always a heavy price."
Then the old man's body was swallowed by a strange mist, as if melting into the air. His body slowly vanished until he disappeared completely, as though he had evaporated.
Ren tried to leap to grab him, but his hand passed through empty air. There was no trace of the old man.
Suddenly, the sound of something falling echoed, followed by a metallic impact, as if they had been created from nothing.
Ren turned quickly and found a strange sword beside an old book covered in the dust of time.
Before he could touch it, the world around him began to fade, returning him to the point where he had vanished.
He felt strange, confused, and worried all at once. He tried to push away his thoughts and focused on the sword before him. The moment he touched it, he collapsed unconscious.
When he woke, he had no time to think about what had happened. He found Mona crying beside him.
Ren looked at the sword; it was marked with the number one above its hilt.
"Ren! Are you okay?!"
His first words were, "Mona? What's going on now?"
Mona pointed at the sky and whispered, "Look..."
Ren raised his head, and his eyes widened in horror.
The sky had turned red, and the moon in its center was round, crimson, and shining like blood.
Mona whispered in fear, "Ren... what is happening?!"
Ren stood up quickly. "We have to hurry. It's coming! Everyone is in danger!"
Mona asked in worry, "But... who is coming?"
Ren answered in a trembling voice, "The Demonic Beast Calamity."
And suddenly, the sound of a devastating thunderbolt shook the earth, like the scream of the end of the world. A giant gate opened in the sky, vast enough to swallow the heavens, like a hole tearing the fabric of reality. From within it came a wolf the size of a mountain, as though it had emerged from the deepest pits of hell, surrounded by lightning bolts blazing all around it. It was not alone; huge wolves the size of elephants followed it, pouring out in countless numbers, like a hellish flood sweeping across the world.
The giant wolf stood in place, as though it were the king of this destruction, while the other wolves stormed the ground, spreading ruin in every direction. Upon seeing this horrifying scene, Ren whispered in a trembling voice:
"The Lightning Calamity Wolf..."
In Ron Village, the people stared hopelessly at the sky.
One of them whispered, "Is this the end of the world...? We're all finished..."
Panic spread rapidly, and with the arrival of the lightning wolves' army, a merciless bloody massacre began.
The villagers tried desperately to protect their children, and one leader cried out in a trembling voice, "Hide in the cave!"
Elias Hayes, Ren's father and the village leader, stood on the front lines, overseeing the protection of the children. Beside him was Youn, with his powerful frame, helping to repel the attack.
As for Elena Hayes, his wife, she watched with deep concern, her beautiful eyes shining with unease, her snow-white skin glowing beneath the terrifying lightning. Her silky blond hair fluttered behind her, making her look like a celestial being amid this hell. It seemed Leon had inherited some of her features.
"Will they be okay?" Elena whispered anxiously.
Elias placed a hand on her shoulder gently and reassured her with a sad smile. "Don't worry. Everything will be fine."
But Leon cut them off seriously as he looked toward the horizon. "Mother, Father, hurry inside. The wolves are coming!"
By then, both Leon and Lina had already reached the village, only to witness the catastrophe with their own eyes.
Elena tried to hide her worry and said in a calm voice, "Don't worry, we'll be fine."
But suddenly, before she could even finish her sentence, the wolves arrived faster than anyone expected.
Elias shouted while waving his hand, "Elena! Youn! Close the stone gate now!"
Without hesitation, Elena pushed both Leon and Lina inside the cave, then closed the huge stone door behind them, preventing them from seeing the massacre unfolding outside.
Inside the cave, Lina sat on the floor, hugging her knees, her trembling eyes fixed on the closed door. She whispered sadly, "Will they be okay?"
Lina had inherited many features from her mother: her pale white skin and silky blond hair, yet at the same time she had some of her father's traits: a long nose bridge and thick eyebrows. She was simply breathtaking.
Leon gently patted her head and said, "Don't worry. Everything will be fine."
But deep inside, his heart told him that things would not be fine.
A wolf lunged at her and tore her apart with its sharp fangs.
The child stood frozen in terror, staring at the wolf approaching him with slow steps. But he felt nothing...
Before he could understand what had happened, his head was already flying through the air, his eyes wide open, staring into the eternal void.
That child was Mona's younger brother Fous.
Youn screamed madly, clutching a wooden spear and rushing forward to save his family, but tears covered his face.
He had just witnessed the massacre... the bodies of his family scattered before him.
He fell to his knees, his eyes wide open, as though he could not believe what had happened to him.
But before he could take another breath...
His head flew into the air.
His head fell to the ground, and everything was over.
Some had surrendered to death, accepting it, waiting only to become pieces.
Some fought desperately, but ended up torn apart.
Some raised their swords, trying to resist.
None survived.
The smell of blood alone was speaking.
Elias looked at his wife in despair, as though he no longer expected anything but death.
He said in a hoarse voice, "Elena... run, I'll distract them for a while!"
But she refused, her eyes shining with determination. "Impossible! If we're going to die, then we die together!"
Elias smiled sadly. "Run... please."
But she didn't move, nor did she even think about fleeing. They looked at each other in silence...
Then, after a few moments, they embraced tightly, as though trying to preserve this final moment forever.
Elias said in a gentle, calm voice, "I love you."
Elena smiled, her eyes filled with tears. "I love you too."
At that moment, they regretted nothing.
Then—
A giant wolf pounced on them and swung its claws!
And tore them apart completely.
When Ren reached the village, his body froze in place, helpless and powerless.