Many years ago, there was only one continent on earth. A continent where all trade routes, cities, palaces, and lands were one. A period of time when humanity could think as a single brain. And this one gigantic continent had a powerful king. Someone who had an unbreakable will, a passionate heart, and a brave soul. And that was "King Einar". Except for his exalted rank among people and the achievements he has made, King Einar also had a strong will, a generous personality, and a compassionate heart. He was a man who fulfilled his rule in the kingdom for a long time and has ensured that people live peacefully until the present. But just like any other leader, his time was coming to an end.

After a long reign, he understood that he could no longer rule the kingdom in any way. He was old. The likelihood of making the wrong decisions was very high. So there was only one thing he had to do. He decided to call his five sons. His own children, who were noble and proved themselves as honorary knights. He called them, to choose a new heir to his kingdom. And although he had concerns about this as a king, he was still adamant about what he would do. This kingdom needed someone, and it had to happen right now. He needed someone. Someone who could take his place to keep the people and its peace safe in place. So giving every one of them different duties, he said them one thing,

"Whoever completes his mission successfully will be the next king."

So on, after the King's words and his order, each brother accepted their duties and left the palace about being determined about what they were going to do. But this determination had made them somewhat ambitious. After a while, they all began to compete with each other and perform the tasks they had only to succeed. This was no longer a matter of honor, it had turned into a competition. They were angry, ambitious, greedy. But it took one move, just to make it all fall down.

After a short time they completed their missions, each brother returned to the palace having completed all of their duties. When they walked in the first time, each brother was very confident in what they were doing. They all thought that they had achieved something, even how they became leaders better than others. How they achieved something bigger compared to others. It was obvious that arrogance had already taken over their body and had now become tangible and visible.

However, at that moment very moment, the king said something. Something that will shock every brother from deep inside.

He told that every brother failed his test. Except, for the youngest brother.

This situation was a memorable moment for each of them. Because of the disappointment, confusion, and anger that each brother felt at that moment, it was all on a separate level.

But the eldest brother and the most powerful brother, "Yores" stood in front of the king and went against the situation. He was frustrated. His agony and his ideas were colliding.

So he angrily asked why he did such a thing. Why he would do something like this

"My king! There is no meaning in the movement you are making! Please reconsider your decision, and make a decision without ignoring what we have done and what we can! "

He replied, in a calm manner,

"I did not give you your duties to show off your power. Being a king is not about only being powerful. It is about determination, being patient, and finding out what you could do to protect your people."

"You can't let your other four sons down so easily!"

Yores got out of control at that moment. His anger was drooling from his eyes and he was clenching his fists. Breathing heavily. He was both furious and terrifying.

"We have achieved outstanding success in the tasks you have given and completed. And we didn't think about going out on any orders either. So tell me, why would you do such a thing for no reason!"

King shouted back,

"I gave you the test you needed! And it was in your hands whether you could pass it! It's pathetic of you to complain about things you couldn't do as both a warrior and a knight! It is no acceptance that you can oppose a situation like this, Yores. I've made my decision now, and I don't intend to come back from it. So keep your manners calm and accomplish your duties as I say."

There was great anger in the eyes of Yores.

At that moment, everything he thought about his father, everything he believed in and saw in him, had changed. Now it seemed to him that he was nothing more than a father than just a stupid king. His eyes went mad and he didn't even blink once. He was looking at the King, as a dangerous monster. But he hushed up the huge anger that was growing in his heart and spoke in a calm tone.

He said, "You will regret your decision, my king. I assure you that."

Yores left that day, with all his anger.

He knew his father wouldn't change his mind. So he made a deal with the most powerful lineage, the Apocalypse Lineage, to take the throne and by obtaining incredible power. And he started a rebellion.

Yores had killed his own father in front of his brothers and thrown each of his brothers into a dungeon. And after he took the throne, people in the Kingdom called him a nickname because of his evil reign. "The Ruthless King Yores." He had become an invincible beast as time went on. He had neither the nobility nor the honor left when he was a knight. He was just a king who took the lives of his people for his own enjoyment.

This continued for such a long time, until that day.

A wolf descendant, a person from one of the strongest lineage, challenged Yores.

It surprised everyone in the kingdom to see someone who could stand up to such a ruthless leader. His name was spoken everywhere, in newspapers, houses, and bars. Everyone started to know about him.

That person's name was Jiro. The strongest wolf descendant. Jiro was the most powerful person among his own lineage and other lineages. So that's why they called him "Alpha Prime."

Alpha Prime one day visited Yores, right in his castle.

He stood before him and said:

"The state of your kingdom seems rather messed up. Don't you think it's bad that you don't think about the state of your people? After all, they carry such valuable things to you and spoil you more."

"How brave of you to stand in front of me as a pathetic citizen. But I must tell you. I've already decided what kind of king I'm going to be the day I throw that old man off the throne. That's why I'm not going to take advice from a bug like you."

"So it's like that. Alright, I won't interrupt the king game that you are playing."

He then added,

"But it is enough with your evil ruling. It's time to put an end to the suffering of these people."

"Well, you should have known I'm the most powerful king in these lands. I don't give orders by hiding among others like other cowards."

"Then you can show me that power, can't you, Majesty?"

It was at that very moment, that the battle of Jiro and Yores had started. And it was going to be something life-changing for both of them.

Their battle continued for three days, being heard all over the continent and damaging an incredible area. It was a legendary battle that nobody had to courage to stop. It was the fight of two titans, who were the greatest at their own bloodline and kingdom.

Luckily, when the war was over, Yores went to the bottom of the dark waters. His reign was now over and Jiro had won. But unfortunately, the consequence that it left was so big, Jiro paid his price with his life. So he died from his severe wounds. That day, right on the battlefield.

And since their war, the entire continent has been divided into five.

The king's children had agreed among themselves, and each of them was divided into parts of the continent, and thus five kingdoms were born.

-EIGHTEEN YEARS LATER-

(First Kingdom, The Proun village)

"You can not hide. You. Know. That."

That made me jump out of my bed. I was now heavily breathing because of what I saw. My back was sweating like an animal. I didn't know what did I see in my dream, but it was sure horrifying.

Then I realized that I was still in my room. Like other days, today started with a nightmare.

When I was about to get out of bed, my uncle came and asked about how I was.

"Did you have the same nightmare again, Ryuu?"

"Yes, as always." I replied while wiping my sweat with my hand.

Even though I've seen this nightmare every time, I've never understood it, I was being chased over and over again every time. But by what? It didn't look like a monster, but it didn't look like a person either.

*I think it's going to stay in my head for a while.* I thought.

Then my uncle approached me with a glass of water in his hand, and said,

"Here, drink some water."

Then he added,

"Are you feeling better now?"

"Yeah, I'm better."

Maybe I wasn't psychically in pain, but mentally it wasn't getting out of my head.

"Good, we have to go down to the square with you today, remember, we'll get something for the farm." He said while getting ready.

"All right, Uncle, I'll get ready" I replied, getting out of my bed to wear my clothes.

As I prepared and left the room, my uncle handed me a black cape,

"Don't forget to wear this."

It was one of those long black capes that covered a person's back and head and used to hide people. But I didn't understand why we would need such a thing and why he handed me this.

"Why do I have to wear this?" I asked with confusion.

"The whole village complains a little about your clumsiness, so it would be better if you didn't show up."

Clumsiness? What have I done?

"I don't think I'm that clumsy."

"Oh is that so? Do you remember last week?"

"When we visited the village?"

"Yes, that's right. But I'm talking about the time you almost burned the village. And the week before that you let the horses escape, and the week before that....."

"Okay, okay. I understand. I'll wear this."

"Good, I'll wait for you at the door."

It was kind of embarrassing and annoying to be reminded of what you've done. And especially when I didn't even remember what exactly happened. It looked like I had more things than I imagined.

But not thinking more about it, I caught up to my uncle and got on the horse-drawn carriage with him to travel.

It took us about thirty minutes of traveling and chatting a little. But we managed to reach the square of the village towards noon. And the good part was, the markets were crowded as usual and a lot of festivities were organized.

"Why are there so many festivals today?"

"Today is the 18th anniversary of the Kingdom's founding, they are probably preparing things for that."

Then I pointed people dancing in the middle of the city with my finger, and asked,

"And what are they doing over there?"

"They dance in the middle of the city to celebrate. It's some kind of appreciation and It's usually something couples do."

"Well, when you were young, would you come here as a couple with somebody?

My uncle seemed that he was a little annoyed with my question.

*Sigh* "I guess I shouldn't have brought you."

He then looked at me, and added,

"I have a little bit of work. Buy some apple from here, I will meet you later in the square."

It wasn't far away from here since we didn't come here walking. And I thought it would be better to leave him alone after my question.

"Ok, I'll take care of it." I said.

Then I quickly got out of the carriage and started walking. My uncle quickly rode away from me and went to gather some things before we went home.

"At least I tried it."

Now I was alone. I've been walking through all the vendors, looking for things that interest me. dec. Some of the stands had different candies and sweets, some had award-winning contests, and some had items for sale. It was like a normal festival, but it was many times and many times larger than usual. It was obvious that a large part of the kingdom was celebrating this.

But just then I was passing by, I noticed something in the marketplace. Some people had gathered, watching an event in fear. They were looking at something that made them terrified.

It was a man. But a troubled type. He was beating an innocent man in front of everyone.

"You still haven't paid what you owe me, you scum."

"I'm sorry! I promise I will pay you back soon enough!"

"I'm sick of your lies!"

I waited that someone would stop him and get him on the ground. But to my shock nobody did something. They were shocked too. They were terrified. But to stop it, they did nothing. Nobody was speaking about it nor they were acting.

It was a disgusting view.

I wanted to do something. I wanted to help him since others didn't. But I realized that I was too scared too. I couldn't move. I was going to stop him, but I didn't know how I could. Fear had already taken over me. And now, I was shaking.

"You should have thought about that from the very beginning!" The man shouted once more before punching the other innocent man.

"I beg you! Please stop! It's my fault, give me one more chance!"

But then I realized something else too. Yes, it was scary. But the anger that grew in me was just as big as my fear. I knew I was scared but now my body was shaking with anger. It appeared inside me, then it took over my whole body.

"Stop now! If you continue like this, you will kill him!" I shouted

This made the man stop for a couple of seconds. He got up, stood there for a second, and said with a grin while looking at me,

"Did you tell that to me, little boy?"

"Yes, I said it to you! You asshole! You have no right to attack this man! Leave the man alone!"

"So you told me that? You talk a lot, kid."

I thought I could stand against him. But before I knew what was happening, I got a punch in the stomach. It was very painful and I was knocked down in seconds.

"Do you think you have the courage? Little brat? Huh!" He looked angrier and now he was shouting.

I tried to move, but I could barely breathe. And before I could get up he approached and continued to kick me. He was kicking me relentlessly and punching me with all of the anger he gathered.

And just then, I saw someone coming from the corner. It was a familiar face.

"That's enough." He said with a thick voice. He seemed angry too.

"What are you going to do old man, you will try to bea-"

The man tried to talk cocky. But in the blink of an eye, the man had already entered the wall of one of the houses, standing unconscious. The other man had already punched him and made him fly at the speed of light. It was so cool to watch and I felt a little bad for the man. But my bones were hurting really bad.

"I told you to get the hell out of here."

It was my uncle. He had found me in this crowd and helped me out. I don't know how he found out this quickly, but I was happy that he helped me. And on the other hand, everyone was watching what was happening in amazement. "More amazed" to be exact. They didn't act anyway.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

"Yes thank you, Uncle, I'm fine."

"Come on, let's put ice in your eyes before your eyes swell."

We got out of there and started to go through the little stores. My uncle took some ice from above the road and put it in my eye,

He then said,

"Why do you have to be so irresponsible every time? You have been the same since you were a child."

*And a scolding once more. I guess I wasn't going to get away from it.*

"Was I supposed to watch that guy get beaten there?" I responded angrily.

"Your father entrusted you to me and you don't make the rules here. If you want to survive, you will listen to my words, understood?"

But his anger was bigger than mine. And the way he said his words, scared me to the core.

"I understand."

"Good, we have a lot of work to do, let's go."

My uncle has been like this since my childhood, he used to show his authority. But no matter how much he acted like this, he always had a kind side to me. So I didn't hold any grudge against him.

After we got on with our chat, we decided to leave there and I helped my uncle with carrying stuff.

He and I loaded the equipment for the farm. We stayed under the sun for a long time, and our work was finished towards the sunset. It was very boring and it was tiring. But we eventually got on the horse-drawn carriage and started riding away. I was happy that I could help my uncle. Also, the festivity in the city square became even more enthusiastic after the sunset. It was more enjoyable to watch.

And just then I was getting lost in the view, I asked my uncle,

"Uncle, can be other kingdoms be like this?"

"It depends. The rulers of kingdoms may be brothers, but each kingdom is ruled differently from the other. You can see many more similar or different ones from this kingdom here. So it is not entirely the same."

"Then does that mean the kingdoms are so different from each other?"

"Yes, no kingdoms are alike. They are all developed and talented in different matters. For example, The first kingdom that we are in is a developed kingdom in terms of agriculture. We usually sell valuable fruits and vegetables grown here to other countries. That is why it is a very important kingdom in terms of land.

The second kingdom is rich in minerals. This kingdom, on the other hand, usually sells the powerful materials it has to the fourth kingdom, which can make weapons, or the fifth kingdom, which is mostly rich. Thus, they ensure their trade in their own way.

However, the third kingdom is the most important in terms of trade. It is the kingdom that is rich in commerce. As I said before, they do their imports and exports thanks to this kingdom. Materials or deconstructed things are brought here and a commercial connection between other kingdoms is provided, just like a bridge.

The fourth kingdom is advanced in weapons and technology. Just like I said before. They produce the necessary weapons for armies or troops and sell them. Therefore, their military power is quite a lot. It is a very powerful kingdom if you stood against them.

And finally, The fifth kingdom. The richest kingdom among all. It's a kingdom that is much more advanced than the others in power and in many aspects. Thanks to the money they have, they can buy minerals, weapons, and everything they want related to agriculture at the same time from other kingdoms. That is why it is a highly developed kingdom, both as a people's and as a fighting force. And this makes it one of the most frightening kingdoms. The only difference that kingdom has that is not ruled by a family member."

"I understand all of them. But the fifth one is stuck in my mind. Who's in charge of the duties then?"

"Nobody knows, they always hid this issue. They acted as this was a top secret. But that didn't make anything worse either. Their system works perfectly fine even today."

Loyalty, power, money. The things my uncle told me that day was the things that ruled people in the world we lived in. They were things that most of the people trusted actually. But I had to learn more too. Because if these were the only things that ruled the world, then it meant nothing to explore it. There had to be something else.

*Maybe I'll never understand it until I see it with my own eyes.*

"I would like to see the kingdoms outside." I then said while still looking at the festival.

"It is natural that you want to go to the kingdoms outside. To explore. But I must keep you here. I do this for your safety."

And before I could say something back, My uncle pulled a packet out of his back pocket and added to his words,

"It may not be a great gift, but I still think you will like it."

A gift? But why was he giving me such a thing at such a time? I reached for the package slowly and opened it to see what was inside.

There was a map in it. It looked old and a little bit dusty, but it looked like it was something unique too.

"This is a map. But what's the point of this map?" I asked.

"This is not an ordinary map. There is more than it is on it."

It was a very nice gesture that he was thinking of me and bought a gift to make me happy.

"Thank you so much, Uncle. I mean it." I said with a smile.

He didn't say anything. He just continued to ride the horse. But after traveling for a while, my uncle stopped the carriage.

"What happened?" I asked confused.

He took a deep breath and replied,

"Thinking again, you worked really hard today. And it's also your birthday."

"Birthday? Oh! That is right! It's my birthday today! I even forgot it was, since the things we did today."

He sighed,

"I was going to tell you that, you can take your time on your own. You can go to the celebrations and have a little fun."

He's letting me go? He didn't usually let me. Even though I asked kindly. So it was rare that my uncle usually let me go.

"Seriously?"

"Yes, but in half an hour. We have to go."

But still, having the opportunity, I became happy I accepted it.

"Understood. I'll be here in half an hour."

He and I should have trusted each other more in situations like this. Maybe my uncle had a protective personality, but sometimes it's good for a person to have fun like this. I've also wanted to see him smile too. Having him have fun, but it looked like it wasn't the time for it.

And so on, I ran towards the place of celebrations with excitement inside me. While my uncle continued his work from where he left off.

---------------------

-20 minutes later, In Kaika's house-

---------------------

Only twenty minutes had passed since Ryuu and Kaika had spoken. Ryuu was on his way to the festival and was having fun. And Kaika, on the other hand, had returned to his house in the forest and was slowly checking the items he brought.

But while he was doing that, a woman appeared and approached him.

"It's been a long time, Kaika." She said with a calm voice.

It didn't last long for Kaika to realize him either,

"Oh, Pelena. It's been a long time."

And after greeting each other, they had decided to enter the house, sit down and talk there.

"When I heard you were here, I thought I should say hello." said Pelena.

"Well thought. I'm grateful that you did. How about your situation? Are you well?"

"I'm fine, thanks for asking. I actually have a daughter now. It is kind of hard to deal with finding her some time, but I am handling it. I just have a beautiful life as always."

"It's really good to hear that."

*I wonder how I will tell him that.* thought Pelena.

But she started speaking anyways,

"I'm here to talk to you about a special topic."

"A special topic?"

Kaika didn't seem to be expecting a thing like that from her.

"You know he's searching for you, right?"

"Are you sure about that?" Kaika replied with fear.

The expression on his face took on a frightened and anxious expression and he now seemed scared and nervous.

"This bad. No, this is worse than I thought."

"But you said you had a second plan in mind. Why are you so nervous?"

"The boy doesn't have the strength to fight yet. And I don't know how strong Miron has become. So we'd better go out of here for the sake of everybody. Pelena, you have to meet me at my home at midnight."

"Kaika calm down. What are you going to do if we do so anyway?"

"Ryuu is alone in the city square. I have to get him from there."

(At the same time, In the city)

"There's really a lot to taste and see here. I wish my Uncle was here too."

After looking at the activities around for a while, the vitality of the people there impressed me. I ate many candies and tried many little games. And the good part was everybody was so nice. After all, it was the first time I saw such a good event.

"I apologize for stealing your precious time, my speech will not take long."

After the dance show in the center was over, a man wearing a black cloak went on stage and said something. It was a man that had a cape just like me, but his face wasn't visible. He seemed to be wearing some type of vest and black pants. I couldn't see his face, but his voice felt really convincing. It was as he was somebody very kind.

"I came here looking for two people. They are some people who are dear to me actually."

He then added,

"Someone is an old man. He is tall, big, with short brown hair, a brown beard, and eyes. Have you people seen this guy? Didn't you see him? Interesting."

One of the people shouted,

"We are not here to listen to you, we came to listen to music! Get down from that stage!"

People were not happy with this situation. Some continued to shout at him, while others were talking about how absurd it was.

Everyone was very angry, and they seemed annoyed by how somebody stopped their fun. But until the man moved. At that moment, He created a huge power wave by hitting his foot on the ground. And because of the wave it created, all of the viewers lost their contribution with fear.

"People are always the same, aren't they? They put what they want above the wishes of others. They don't know what is to be understanding. And as a result of such behavior, they get what they deserve. Do any of you know what that is?"

Nobody could have answered the man's question. The people that were shouting with anger, was now shaking with fear.

And since he didn't get an answer back, the man said,

"So no one knows. Then let me show you."

Then the man held up his right hand towards the sky and purple light started to glow and cover his hand. And after a short silence, suddenly the sky turned purple. Everybody was trying to understand the situation, most of the people looked around but they saw nothing until somebody said,

"What are these creatures?"

Now there were spirits coming from the sky. It was just like a scene that came out of a book. The crowd was running away in fear. Some were tripping, some were trying to get past each other. But everybody cared for something, and that was their lives.

I looked around in fear and nervousness. It was very difficult to watch what was going on, and every second I was thinking about what to do. But at that time, two of the ghosts saw me and flew towards me. I was so scared like other citizens, now two of the ghosts were after me. So I started running quickly. Trying to get away from there. I knew I had to get away from there and find somewhere to hide.

But after running away for a while, I tripped and fell. And I noticed the ghosts were catching up with me. They were now so close to attacking me. I was afraid and I didn't have the time to do anything. I closed my eyes and wished that what had happened would end, and I think my wish came true.

"Are you okay?" was the first thing that I heard.

It was my uncle. Once more.

"Yes, I'm fine, but now many people other than me are getting chased by these spirits. What are we going to do?"

"We have to save our lives for now. We are getting out of here."

"But what about the other people?"

"If we get out of here they are going to be safe."

"How is this possible?"

"I don't have time to tell. Follow me."

When we turned around the man in the black cape was right in front of us.

"Here you are, Kaika."

And at that moment, my uncle hit the ground with his hands. Creating a big crack in the ground. This made the man stop chasing us for a moment and gave us the necessary time.

"We're leaving, now!"

We quickly walked away from there without looking back.

"How does that black-caped man know about you?" I asked while trying to look in front of me.

"All you have to know is that guy is a very dangerous person. Especially for us."

"So what are we gonna do?"

"We'll go back home. And then we'll leave this kingdom. When Miron finds out that we are leaving, he will leave the kingdom too."

We were attacked at an unexpected moment and the palace was now surrounded by spirits. I was worried about the people that we left behind but I also had a lot of questions in mind.

Who was this guy? Why was my uncle so afraid of this man? And why we had to escape from the palace we did live for so long? It was all too hard to think about and I didn't know. However, hoping that he would tell me sooner or later, I have followed him to our house.

And after running, we got home in a short time. But the surprising thing was, a carriage was waiting in front of the house.

There was a woman at the carriage and a girl in the carriage.

By looking at them, I asked while breathing and trying to stand still,

"Who are these people?"

"They are the people who will take you from here. She is Pelana, a friend of mine. And that's her daughter." My uncle replied in a serious voice tone.

*Pelena? Lezlie? But why are they here?*

"Wait for a second. What are you going to do?"

"If I come with you, your life will be in danger too. And I can not bring danger with me. For your safety, I will stay here and take care of him."

"You said the man was very dangerous and now you want to fight him?"

The woman in the car approached me and said,

"Your uncle is right. This is the best way for both of us. If we stay with him we could lose more than enough life. He also can find us easily."

"This is nonsense we can all escape together. Come with us!" I replied while ignoring the woman's words.

But he just sighed. Then he looked at me right in the eyes and said calmly,

"I've run long enough. And if I keep running, he'll come after me again. One more time. But now is the time to stop. I have to put an end to this. "

His words stuck in my brain like a bullet. My heart didn't had the power to leave him there. It was as if I was watching him fade away in front of me. And I wasn't able to convince him. But I didn't had the power to take him with me either.

"You never listen to what I say."

I was in tears, I didn't even know that such a farewell would happen soon.

"Uncle, please be careful." I said while trying to hold my emotions.

"Don't worry about me, I'll make it. Go before he gets here."

After getting into the back of the cart, I looked at my Uncle one more time. I saw him one last time. He just stood there. His beard was shaking from the wind. And he was looking at me with sad eyes. His eyes were telling one thing.

-I trust you."

And after a while, I could not see him anymore.

He was now gone.

"Ryuu, you don't need to be afraid. He's a pretty strong guy. I knew him for a long time. I'm sure he'll handle it."

"How do you know my uncle? How do you know he is going to catch up to us?"

I then looked at her, half angry and half sad.

"Who are you anyway?"

She sighed,

"You have to calm down. I know you are in big pain. But there isn't anything we could do for now. So please sit and listen to me."

She was right. I was in great pain. And I couldn't control my feelings. I wanted to yell and scream so much at that moment, but I listened to her since it was like what she said.

"I'm sorry..."

"No problem. It is a thing that humans normally do after all. I'm sorry for not introducing us earlier. I just wanted your safety."

Then she added,

"I am Pelena. A witch. And the person next to me is my daughter Lezlie. She is also a witch like me. We are the people your uncle saved the lives of a long time ago. And since then we haven't talked until today."

"You were his friend? Did he save your life?"

"Yes, that is correct. One day, at night, suddenly a fire broke out in our village. At first, we all thought it was somewhat accidental. But the fire was made not accidentally but made of grits. The people who started the fire did something like this to kidnap children or women from the village. It was so disturbing to think about it, but it did happen. My husband tried to protect us, but they killed him in front of our eyes without mercy. And were hopeless. But at that moment, your Uncle came out. He alone saved me, my daughter, dozens of people. Then he became a hero in our eyes after that day. He didn't want to endanger us because Miron was following him. So he left us after a short while."

"So why suddenly have you decided to come and visit us today?"

"Strong witches can see the future even for a short time. And bad enough, I saw a dangerous future for you and your Uncle. That's why I came to warn you. Witches like me don't like to be in debt, and I decided to pay off my debt to your Uncle by saving you. That's all."

"So why didn't we help him? Why are we leaving now?"

"I can't. Miron is on another level. Even for me. Also, I'm not good at fighting. I'll just be an obstacle to your uncle."

Then she looked at me one last time and said,

"He is a terrifying monster."

(At that same time, Back at the village)

I sat on a stone and waited for him. I knew he was going to come. Because he always did to hunt his prey. It was just his style.

He slowly approached me through the trees.

Miron. The wolf hunter.

"It's been a long, long time, Kaika. You seem unhappy to see me."

"I don't have time for your nonsense chit-chats Miron. How did you find me?"

"That's my job. Remember? I'm a Wolfhunter. And do you know what's funny about it? Over the past years, you have run away from me. One of the biggest hunters in the forest, running away from another hunter. All the people in the wolf bloodline I killed, died fighting with dignity. But you, you chose to hide like a coward."

Then he added, opening his widely like a maniac,

"How pathetic isn't it?"

These were just words to try to get into me. But I wouldn't fall for it.

"You killed innocent people, Miron. And killed half of my lineage. What did you get at the end?"

"Fear, Kaika. Fear is my biggest goal. I grew up and developed in fear. Ran away from fear. Hid with fear. And now I will show everyone that fear is stronger than logic."

"Is that so? Then you must know that life is very simple. You get what you give."

"A meaningful word but unnecessary."

He looked like he remembered something and said smiling evil,

"Oh! And also I forgot to ask. I saw you protecting a kid today. What intention do you have with that boy? Actually, no. The real question would be who was that boy and why did you protect him?"

"You will learn nothing from me and this is none of your business. So stop trying about it Miron."

"Oh, I understand that. That's why I will learn the hard way. Good, but troublesome."

And the moment I dropped my guard, he pointed his hand at me and sprayed the Spirit flame at me. It was his power that he used against his enemies. But even though he caught me off guard, I managed to escape by jumping very high. It hit the trees behind me and they were heavily damaged.

He then kept attacking without letting me breathe. I tried to avoid his attacks as quickly as I could. And I got behind him and hit his waist hard. With this, his hand aimed at the ground and I hit him in the stomach. He then started flying towards my house, hit and shattered it.

And after a couple of seconds, he stood up once more and said,

"Not bad, despite your old age, you still maintain your strength. But unfortunately, I didn't stay the same this whole time too."

Putting both hands together, he once again ignited the spirit flame. But this time the fire was much stronger and much more durable. It was aimed for a bigger range. So I couldn't escape the fire. This time I tried to protect myself from the flame with the irons on my wrists.

The fire continued to devastate dozens of trees in the forest and my arms were badly injured. There was also an incredible pain that didn't go away.

But before I recovered just a little, he then switched to melee and tried faster attacks. He tried to kick me and punch me in a fast way. I tried to throw several punches at the same time while dodging in his fists. But the moment he saw my open spot, he covered his hand with spirit fire and dealt me a very strong blow. I was unable to escape the blow and it hit my stomach. With it, I flew into the mountain behind me and crashed into the mountain.

There was blood coming out of my mouth now and great damage was done on the mountain.

*I think I broke a few bones. But that's not the problem. He's too fast. I have to catch his fists.* I thought to myself.

"There is nothing I can do, I have to win!"

Shouting strongly, I increased my speed with every punch I threw. I was frustrated about how he beat me up and got the advantage. I needed to find a way to get him on the ground. He dodged my fists easily, but there was something he forgot.

"You dropped your guard!"

Getting behind him, I hit him hard in the face with my elbow. This made him slide a little bit. And made his nose bleed.

But Miron didn't bother. He wiped the blood from his mouth and smiled. He then kept attacking again with all his power. As soon as I thought his attacks were slowing down he smiled and attacked again,

"You dropped your guard!" he said with a grin.

Then before even realizing it, he punched me towards the mountain and made me fly once more.

I was done now. I had no energy left, no willpower to fight. Because Miron had been hitting me all this time not in a normal way, but with fists covered with spirit flame, I could no longer fight. My body wasn't even working properly. I tried to breathe, but this old useless body didn't let me.

"If I could... Just one more time."

*I just wanted to see that boy once more. Just once."

"But I can't just wait to let this go to waste either!"

Miron was walking away, thinking that I was dead.

"He didn't even last that long. Less than I thought actually. I expected more from Kaika. But it seems that everything ends. One way or another."

But that wasn't going to end there. As soon as he was leaving, he felt a shaking in the ground,

Then he looked back with confusion,

"Hmph?"

When he turned around, the view was beyond words. The huge mountain was shattered and huge pieces were thrown towards Miron.

"Giving up isn't for you, huh Kaika?

At the same time, Miron prepared a huge spirit flame and sprayed it towards the rocks.

Their battle changed the world's destiny, forever.

By morning, we were still on our way. And I kept thinking about how my uncle was. About if he was alive or not. But Pelena and her daughter didn't talk at all. Their mind seemed to be filled with something else. Or they were just grieving silently. It made me very nervous to have no questions answered, but I had to be calm.

As I was thinking about how to handle things, the carriage stopped.

"Here we are, Ryuu. You will stay here for now." Pelena said while looking at me.

The place where we arrived was a region of a high mountain. It was just like a normal flat land, but in the middle of the area where we were, there was a house made of wood. It wasn't that big, but looked enough for a single person to live in.

I didn't understand why we came to such a place. And I also didn't know why someone lived alone in such an area. However, Pelena was very confident that we were in the right place. It was like she had been here many times before.

"What is this place?" I asked her still trying to figure out the situation.

"This is Ronk's house. He is a friend of mine that I knew for a long time. Just like your Uncle."

Just as I was about to ask who he was, a very violent sound came from the forest behind us. It was a very loud sound that made the birds fly away from the forest. It was a deep, tough, and merciless sound. It was just like a lion's roar.

And just as I turned in the direction of the incoming sound, I began to hear strong footsteps. Someone was slowly coming towards us. With deep and strong steps, the sound got stronger every minute. It felt like a huge animal was coming in our direction. But to my surprise, it was something completely different.

It was a man.

But not someone looks ordinary. He was bald, bearded, very well body-built, and an extremely tall man. He was someone who had cruel looks in his eyes but still walked calmly. It was scary, but he wasn't doing anything bad either. He was approaching us, while carrying a deer-like giant creature on his shoulder.

I thought he was going to talk to us. But not breaking his calm state, he just walked past us without saying a word. He entered the house, leaving the creature he had hunted on the ground.

*I guess he doesn't like strangers.* I thought to myself.

As I was looking towards the house, Pelena got out of the carriage and said,

"He doesn't usually talk to anyone. He's a little sulky, but if you get to know him better, you will love him."

I figured it was the "Ronk" that she was talking about. And I knew they were friends, but his movements and gesture seemed like it was telling us to go away. As if he didn't want any intruders or old friends.

But Pelena didn't stop anyway. She was sure that he would talk to him in some way and walked towards the house.

Just then she approached enough and knocked on the door,

"Ronk! It's me! Pelena!" She said loudly.

But Ronk didn't open the door. It was just pure silence for seconds and there wasn't even any movement. It was like he never heard or seen us.

Pelena then knocked on the door one more time,

"Ronk! I have to talk to you! It is urgent!"

To my surprise, that was enough to make him angry. So he finally opened the door,

"What do you want?" He said in a tough voice tone.

Then Pelena started talking,

"I need a place to hide someone."

"Who?"

She then showed me and waited for his response.

He didn't seem like he wanted to be hospitable. And examined me from toe to head. It felt like an eternity with his deep scary eyes, but just then, he made his decision.

"I have no place to hide a little boy here. Go find some other place Pelena."

But just as Ronk was about to close the door, Pelena held it and tried to convince him one last time.

"This is the boy I've been telling you about for a long time. He's a wolf descendant, a relative of Kaika. And he needs help right now."

We weren't able to see his face at that moment. But him being silent once more, gave it away. He just then opened the door and looked at us. He was now looking at us surprised.

He then said,

"Come on in."

Then we finally entered his house.

When we entered, it was so dark. Only the light that entered through the door made it visible inside. And just then Ronk lit the fireplace and heated the House. Now it was both warm and I could see the inside of the house more comfortably. But I wasn't that happy to see it. It felt like his house was very old. Pretty empty to be exact. Because except for a bed, a table, and a few chairs, there was nearly nothing in the house.

*I wonder if he lives alone or not.* I said to myself.

And then, when everyone sat down at the table, Pelena started talking.

She turned against me and said,

"I know you wanted to know these sooner, but it was the best for all of us to say it now."

She then added,

"Do you know why your Uncle acted like that back there?"

Why did my uncle do something like that? Why he didn't say anything? Why did he decide this quickly? Any of these questions were unanswered by me. I wanted to trust his actions, but I wanted to know so bad too.

"He didn't tell me anything till this day. It was like he wanted to keep some secrets from me. But I'm not sure. Maybe I was just overthinking."

"You weren't overthinking, Kid. He had things he needed to keep away from you." Ronk said while calmly sitting in his chair.

I wasn't waiting for a reply from him, but he looked like he had things to say too.

Then Pelena contiuned to talk,

"Your uncle wanted to hide who you were to protect you. Not for any bad reasons. He just wanted to hide your bloodline, because he knew danger would come after you if he didn't. We didn't say anything because of him, but now it doesn't matter. Because now, Miron knows you're a wolf descendant. He knows that you have a power inside you."

"Miron? Power? Are you talking about the man who attacked us that day?"

"Miron. He is also known as The Wolf Hunter. He hunts everyone in the Wolf bloodline one by one with his ghosts and the powers he gets from them. He is just a cold blood killer with a psychopathic personality." Ronk once again replied while looking at me.

A hunter who hunts all people of the wolf lineage. Miron. The very first day I saw him, his personality wasn't some big of a deal. He seemed even like a normal person. But the day he fought with my uncle, I almost felt a huge field shake. Him chasing us, fighting us trying to kill us, and every time he laughed when he found us, was enough evidence for me to truly understand him. He was a person that went all the way long to kill so many wolf descendants.

"Why is he doing this?" I asked Ronk with a slightly nervous expression on my face.

"Simply, he's an evil person. Scaring people amuses him."

Ronk then turned to Pelena and said,

"I didn't know Kaika had a child."

"The truth is, it's not his child. It's Jiro's son."

"Jiro's son? Jiro died eighteen years ago. And he wasn't somebody to left his child behind."

"And this kid is exactly eighteen years old. He was born the day his father died. That is why he never saw him."

Jiro. It was my father's name and that was the first ever moment I heard it. I didn't know what he looked like, sounded like, or acted like. And I didn't know how Pelena met him. But it sounded like he died protecting me in some type of way.

And after her words, Ronk took a long look at me. He was now examing me closer and more in detail. He was looking at me as some type of mysterious person. But I was still trying to figure out what was going on.

"Did you know my father?" I said nervously.

"Your father was Alpha Prime himself. The most powerful man of all lineages."

Alpha Prime? What did he have to do with a popular name? I mean it was very important for me to hear this because my uncle always told me about Alpha Prime when I was little. I didn't know that I was so close to him.

"It seems that the child's power has not yet awakened."

Ronk said another word that I completely didn't understand.

"That's why I brought him here. Only you can awaken the child's power. There isn't anybody else that I can trust."

"Are you sure that I'm the one who should be training the boy? Kaika didn't have a single friend and he was a powerful man. I'm aware that he could have done something in the past."

"You are indeed correct. That is why, Kaika knew you were going to say that. So he told me to give you this letter."

She slowly reached out to her pocket and gave Ronk some type of letter.

The letter had a red seal on it and seemed to have been closed for a long time. It was a little outdated. It was as if Pelena had waited a very long time to give it to him. But why did my uncle prepare a letter for Ronk? How did he know I had to be trained by someone? And what was his intention anyway?

After reading the letter. Ronk burned the letter by throwing it into the fireplace. It was unexpected for me to see him throw something that value into the fireplace. But he didn't even look back. He then took a deep sigh, looked at me, and started talking.

"Child, you will stay here until your power awakens. And I will train you with every possible I can. You will always, and I mean it. Will always do what I say. And when the time comes and your power awakens, it's up to you what you want to do."

"But what power? Nobody told me anything about it?"

"You will learn when the time comes." He replied.

Ronk seemed more domineering and more disciplined than my uncle. He didn't even flinch, smile, or laughed. He was cold as ice and as steady as ice. He was staring at me not even blinking once, as if all the joy in him had been ripped away. That made me a little bit scared. I had no choice but to give a definite answer.

And just then Pelena stood up and said,

"I'm glad we agreed, it's up to you from now on."

She then looked at me one last time and added in a quiet voice tone,

"I'm sorry that I have to leave you now, Ryuu. But he is the only person that we can trust right now. You just have to go along with what he says. Then time passes by, you can then do what you think is right."

It was a hard moment for both us, since I didn't want to train and she didn't want to go like this. But even though someone like Ronk was teaching me, I had no other choice than to stay and make another plan later on.

So I nodded.

After her words, Pelena quickly got into a horse-drawn carriage with her daughter and told me to be careful before leaving. She was sure that he could help me. So she trusted her and got out of there without looking back.

But the situation wasn't the same for me.

I couldn't say a word to Ronk until morning arrived. His cold personality and scary presence, was something that made me stay away from him. I felt like he was going to shout at me the first moment I talked to him. So I quietly slept and waited for the morning.

And when it arrived, In the early hours of the morning, Ronk woke me up.

"We're starting your training, Kid. Wake up."

I didn't know what happened and was very sleepy. But I didn't want to get scolded by Ronk, so I did as he said nervously. We went out without eating or even waking up properly. And it was extremely cold outside since he lived in a place so high like a mountain. It was almost freezing.

"Take off your shoes and clothes." He said in a thick voice tone, while still looking forward.

Right here? How was I even going to survive in a cold like this?

I replied since I thought it was a crazy idea,

"In deadly cold weather like this?"

But he had no mercy.

He shouted,

"Do as I say, now!"

Why was that happening to me? I just wanted to sleep a little more and the look on his face is really scary.

"*sigh* I think I have to do it." was the thing that I said to myself.

I quickly took off my shoes and clothes. I was now half-***** and shaking uncontrollably. And Ronk started running slightly, asking me to follow him.

"Come on, don't stay behind."

Now I was shaking while I was running. The air was also getting colder every second.  Ten minutes later, I started sneezing and I felt like I was now getting a cold. But I kept running. Maybe I had no explanation, but I at least had the chance to find out. So I ran faster to catch up to him.

As I ran, I started to get wounds under my feet from the pointed stones on the ground. I didn't have my shoes on. And we ran for almost two hours. For the entire time, Ronk never opened his mouth, nor reacted to something. He continued without getting tired.

*Breath* *Breath* "How long are we going to go on?" I said almost falling to the ground from exhaustion.

He didn't wanted to chat, he just said,

"Don't talk, just follow me."

And when we got home, I almost blacked out. I was so tired that I couldn't stand up and my body was having a hard time finding its balance. Ronk lit a fire, heated the flesh of the creature he killed yesterday and gave me a large piece of meat. That was the only moment that I felt he was interacting with me. But I was also so hungry at that moment. So I didn't try to talk and I tried to warm myself by staying by the fire. And just enjoyed my food.

Just then, when Ronk finished his meal, he put out the fire.

"Stand up and follow me. We are moving on to the next training."

And before I can finish it up, we were once again outside. But just after a short walk, we stopped. We were in some part of the mountain and they were a lot of rocks around. I thought some kind of training was about those rocks.

Just then Ronk looked at me, and said,

"You are going to push that big rock, down the mountain."

Just as I thought, it was part of the training. I thought I can handle it. But as I was about to push it, he stopped me and said something.

"Not that one. The other one."

The rock that he just pointed me out, was three times bigger than the current one that I was pushing. I felt bewildered. Just at the beginning of the training, we ran for hours, stayed in cold weather, and now I was pushing a rock that was out of my size. And it looked like it weighed the same as a carriage.

"How am I going to push that? And it's not even just big, It's huge!"

"Everything seems impossible until it's over. But in fact, it is not."

*Seems impossible? It was impossible!*

"Wouldn't it be better if I did this training later? I don't think I can do this now." I replied while still looking at the big rock.

"You'll do whatever I say, Just like I said before. Now push the rock."

It was worthless. How much I looked and talked to him, he was going to wait there until I pushed it. So I got behind the rock, took my position, and gave all of my power both on my legs and arms.

"Here I come!"

I started pushing the rock with both of my arms. While I was trying to stay still on the ground. But how much I tried to push it, it was nearly impossible to move it. And Ronk went into a corner and just watched me pushing it. For half an hour I was unable to move the rock. And I was able to feel the gaze of him.

It was now almost evening. I was so hungry and so cold. I was trembling with sweat. The rock wasn't moving. It was like a tree that was stuck on the ground. It made no sense for somebody like me to push something that big, but Ronk had watched me try to push the rock for hours without breaking his stack. He was waiting for me to really push it and go back to him.

Looking at him hopelessly, I tried to talk to him.

"This isn't working."

"You are not trying enough."

"It is impossible for a normal person to move this stone. How am I going to do it, while it is something so hard?"

I thought I was right. But Ronk just got up, went behind the rock, grabbed the rock with one hand, and lifted it. The huge rock that I tried to push that almost felt like an eternity, was now in his hands like a feather. He was holding it in the air and was looking at me. Then dropping the rock to the ground, he started walking.

He said,

"Tomorrow you'll try again and again and again until you move that stone. There will be no excuses."

He just lifted that giant rock. With no actual effort. But I had tried that much. For minutes and hours. Maybe I was just at the beginning of my training, but how was it possible for a human being to lift something like that anyway?

That got me pretty angry, but I still accepted that he was right. I couldn't be like that when I was only at the beginning of training.

Eventually, I caught up to him and asked something that I wondered.

"Ronk, I have a question."

"Hmph?"

"How many trainings do I have to go through before my strength wakes up?"

"We'll see it. Trainings are things that are hard to comprehend. They do not give results until they mature and reach a certain level. So before we go into serious training, you have to rest for now. We'll continue tomorrow."

*Serious training\, huh? I guess Ronk had so many things that were going to surprise me.*

After we got home and I ate and warmed up, I immediately went to sleep. Then the other morning, Ronk woke me up again at the same time as yesterday. He told me to take off my shoes and top again and we ran the long way we ran yesterday. After jogging and eating, we went to a different area this time for training.

That time the place we came from was a long way from home. In these parts of the forest, there were many wild animals and monsters. They were very creepy and the creature sounds in the environment could make any person very nervous. Also, as usual, Ronk was moving forward without talking.

Then as he did usually he stopped out of nowhere, and said,

"Here we are. Weeping forest. Somewhere that you shouldn't be that often."

"Then why are we here? What am I supposed to do here?"

"Stay alive and come home."

"One second! What do you mean stay alive!?"

When Ronk got behind me, he just disappeared. I was once again left unanswered and now, what Ronk said made sense. I was alone in a vast forest of dangerous animals and creatures. And the only thing I could do was to reach back home alive. Given the situation I was in, I started running quickly towards where the house was. Without even looking back.

When I was getting through many parts of it running, I faced a lot of difficulties. I saw weird bugs, plants, caves. And I was tripping, climbing, falling and I was hiding from some monsters. There were tons of places in that mysterious forest.

But my only goal was to get home as fast as possible without infecting any creatures or wild animals. So I ran, I ran for hours. But for some reason, I couldn't find my way home, and when it got dark, the sounds of the creatures multiplied, I heard more scary sounds. Many more of what I had heard before. And at that moment, a creature appeared in front of me.

It was a bear with two heads, twice the size of a normal bear, and had more pointed teeth. People called this creature "Bearos." My uncle told me a lot about creatures like this when I was a kid. And the survival rate is very low when a Normal human encounters a creature like Bearos. But I also had no idea to defend myself against it.

I didn't act to avoid attracting the creature's attention. And I was hiding myself being quiet. But It was coming at me slowly. I didn't know what I would do in a situation like this. They were a species that knew the smell of humans, so I was sure it was going to attack if it smelled me. But if I tried to escape, It was going catch me pretty easily too.

So when it approached me enough, a strong animal sound came out from the forest and distracted Bearos. And when it went towards the sound, I ran out of there as fast as I could.

"Why does this have to happen to me!"

I felt frustrated while going back home. And after a while, when I stopped running. I hid in a place that looked like a cave and waited for it to be morning. I was once again very tired like I had gone through one of Ronk's training. So I found myself sleeping there.

In the morning, I set off and managed to get home half-dead at noon. Ronk was waiting for me at the door. He probably waited for me to talk nonstop like before. But I broke into the house without telling Ronk anything. I put on my clothes, and after I warmed up a little, I fell asleep once more.

When I got up, I smelled a good smell of meat. Ronk was cooking a big piece of meat again.

"You must be hungry, come, eat some."

Surprisingly he looked more kind than before. He didn't seem like he was going to instantly drag me into something crazy. And I was starving too, so I started eating without waiting.

"At least you could have told me you'd leave me alone in the forest."

I said while taking big bites of the food.

"We don't know what will happen tomorrow or any other day. When you were living with your uncle two days ago, you were in a different lifestyle. You didn't know what pain was. Getting tired was. Nor effort was. And without living them, you only lied to yourself. With this kind of power being inside you, you can't just sit and relax. There will be dangers that come after you. And they will haunt you at the most unexpected moment. So to be ready, you have to work harder than every single person that you can come across."

Then he added,

"In addition, these pieces of training may tire you, but you could be training with someone even worse, or even be dead. You could have been somewhere that had no hope for the future. Which is the worst thing you can come across. Therefore, that's why it is also a virtue to respect and be grateful for every blessing we have."

This moment brought to my mind a moment when I was sitting and chatting with the mu uncle. It was a cold winter day when I sprained my ankle. He was angry and was scolding me no matter what I was trying to say. But there was another feeling that he carried in his eyes that day. Worry and the need to think about the well-being of another person. It was indeed scary, but him being nervous, shook my heart. I felt really sorry that day. That gone on and on, repeating itself throughout my child out. But I did realize that I was maturing. And I didn't want to do the same things to Ronk. I wanted to more or less empathize. Stopping me from my mistakes and regrets, for my sake, maybe that's what Ronk wanted. That is why I was also glad I wasn't in an even worse place. I was grateful.

So not to make any fuss, I just asked one question.

"Did you save me in the woods by making that sound?"

He just sighed. Not saying a single word. I knew it was him.

Ronk then stood up, and said

"We will try to awaken your power as quickly as possible. So get enough rest, because your other training won't be easy."

After working out for a couple of weeks, we came to the end of another workout. Ronk had put me in so many kinds of different training the recent days, I was having a hard time focusing on one. I was incredibly sore all over, but the good thing was, as the day went on, my body became more and more used to every situation. It was more durable and Ronk's scary attitude was appearing less than before. I guess he was now trusting me a little bit on the workouts.

But with that said, he had put me through all of those training without pity. Even though he knew I was going to get through the pieces of training and taught me less knowing I can do more. He didn't want me to lose any of my seconds. But I had no intention of giving up either. I needed to get better.

The day after that, when tomorrow arrived, we went to a big waterfall for practice.

Then Ronk showed the waterfall with his hand, and said,

"Today you will train here."

He wanted me to go under the waterfall. It was freezing as usual. But entering that waterfall was probably going to "freeze" me entirely.

"What are we going to do in this training?" I asked him with curiosity.

"Take off your clothes, and go under the waterfall."

And without my clothes? Now, this had become a real challenge for me. The idea of standing under a very cold waterfall was not such a good idea anyway. But what can I say, there was nothing I could do. It was a part of the training.

"But why do I have to do this?"

"We'll measure your patience and resistance. You'll be waiting with your eyes closed."

"Well, what's that for?"

"It will make you learn by hearing, not by seeing. And patience is essential for a human being. You can't go on without patience nor resistance."

Giving him one last look, I took off my clothes and went under the waterfall.

It was very cold as the water came from a high plain. And it felt like I was almost in icy water. Every drop of water, hitting every part of my body, felt like cold bullets. And whenever it hit my remaining clothes, it made them wet and made it impossible for me to warm up entirely. I was under a waterfall that was going super fast. And I couldn't stop shaking. As Ronk said, I closed my eyes and waited under the waterfall sitting on a rock.

"Good, now wait patiently. And don't come out until I say so." Ronk said while watching me.

*I really didn't want to die without exploring the real world\, to be honest.* was the thing I said to myself at that moment.

"Don't think about anything, leave your mind empty, and focus on the sounds."

I tried. I tried to focus as hard as I could. But the feeling of cold surrounding my body made me shake every two seconds. I even started to feel like I was getting sick once more. Then I tried to sit patiently and it was like starting to work.

But the trouble was, the waterfall was no longer a problem. Because as soon as Ronk went silent and I opened my eyes slightly, I saw Ronk throwing a big piece of rock at me. Big pieces of rock, right towards my face.

"Trust your ears! You'll stay there and you will not move until you block the stone I threw!"

"What are you talking about!? I can't just dodge big pieces of rock!"

"You have to trust yourself!"

*I know it's Ronk. And I know he is crazy. But for goodness sake! Was he that crazy!?*

He threw pieces of rock at me without even telling me. And I was scared to death. But I tried to dodge them anyway. I jumped, crouched, even laid down, just to survive in that freezing cold. And the worst part was, the rocks that Ronk threw were almost like bullets. They were coming towards me at a speed that almost killed me for a second. And he threw them at a moment I never expected. Making me almost dead while dodging the other.

I couldn't do anything for an hour. And my body had turned white from the cold. I wanted to keep saying I couldn't do it, but I didn't. Because I kept remembering my uncle's training he did alone. He wouldn't stop in a situation like this and wouldn't want me to do the same. So I wanted to see it till the end. I wanted to fight like him.

At that moment, I managed to block the stone he threw.

*Wait a second!? How did I do that!?*

At that moment, I felt like something small was moving inside me. A small type of power that I felt for the first time. And just then, while I was trying to figure it out, I blocked another stone that followed, and I did it again and again for a while.

I kept going like this for a while.

"Enough for today, Ryuu, come on."

That was the first thing that I heard after blocking countless rocks. I immediately got out of the water, put on my clothes, and started walking towards him. I was in sweat and my body was hurting. But it was getting less and less tiring was very shocking for me. I was very surprised that I made it and I was also happy.

Maybe it was related to the "power" that he was talking about, maybe it was just my body getting used to what it was feeling. But either way, I was enjoying what I was gaining.

Ronk said,

"Not bad, but next time we come, your training will be difficult."

"Is there a continuation of this?" I replied while still thinking about the thing that I felt.

But to my luck, he didn't reply. And that made it pretty sure that I was going to keep doing this.

By the time we left the waterfall, it was getting dark.

I was passing once again through the forest, where I ran through with fear yesterday. As usual, the forest was full of voices and I was extremely nervous. But this time I wasn't too scared because I had Ronk with me. Also, even if we went into any training, I would have him with me if there was a problem.

But I thought about it too soon.

As soon as we were halfway through, we started hearing noises. But not like any other ones. This one was bigger. And it was scarier.

Ronk looked around to check if something was approaching us, but it didn't. That made it more suspicious. And it was probably. Something hiding somewhere in the trees.

"Stay close behind me, and be careful."

We were both nervous.

So I asked scared,

"What kind of sound that was?"

After training all this time, it was really annoying to deal with something like this. When I was tired, I couldn't help Ronk or defend myself. I'd just be a burden to him.

"Don't ask questions and stay with me." Ronk said while still trying to see the creature.

I had a bad feeling. I was having a difficult time finding the creature just like him. And just then Ronk pulled out his ax, which he never used and always carried on his back.

The ax glowed and flames began to rise around it. It was phenomenal. It was like a magical object that carried its power inside the top part. The flames were surrounding its top and it was glowing like a darker flame.

It was also the first time I'd seen an ax like that. Probably being one of the Magic Weapons my uncle was talking about.

But before I could ask why he pulled out the ax, a big creature appeared through the trees.

And it was a very aggressive kind of creature. The creature named "Colon". A mixture of an orc and a giant. Being as tall as a tree, these kinds of creatures usually lived in forest sides. And knowing that I was baffled by how I forgot that. My uncle told me about these creatures before. These creatures carried a stick half their own size as a weapon and usually hunt living beings that were smaller than them. But the trouble didn't end here, there were four aggressive wolves next to it.

I didn't know how that giant didn't attack those wolves, but they probably appeared right before it saw us. They had probably chased a deer's blood or something to find us just like the creature, and to get the bones from our bodies in case we died.

Three were gray, one was black. They were all mature wolves. So that made them quite dangerous too. They probably knew how to hunt better than the other ones. My uncle also told me that black wolves were the ones who always led their group, just like the one in the middle.

When we were thinking about what to do, and just then Ronk looked at me,

He said,

"When I distract them, get out of here. You understand me."

I just wanted to discuss it like the last time it happened to me. But I knew both ways his eagerness wasn't going to let him get convinced.

So I nodded. Ronk then grabbed his ax, created a big fire on top of it, swung it at Colon and the Wolves, and spread a very big fire towards them. This was distracting them enough, so I didn't lose time and ran away from there. As much as I wanted to help Ronk, I would have failed the plan in a way.

Two of the wolves managed to get through the fire. Ronk tried to throw them back, by holding them by their tails. But just then the giant attacked Ronk. It made Ronk fly backward by hitting him right in the chest.

While Ronk was dealing with him, the other two wolves targeted me and started coming after me. And they were quite fast to catch up to me just in time.

I couldn't speed up enough because of the training. I was so tired. My legs felt like they were falling apart whenever I stepped. On the other hand, my chest was beating too. Every time I took a breath, my nostrils started burning and my chest felt heavier aching second by second.

The wolves were getting closer too. And I realized I couldn't escape.

So finding the best solution I had at that moment, I stopped and climbed the tree next to me. I stepped every branch I could step and got on top of it in a matter of seconds.

But now I had to hide and I was gasping for air.

I tried to regain my energy. Looked around carefully, and made sure that none of them had seen me.

"Seriously -" *breath* " they're so fast." *breath*

But unfortunately, they had stopped too, and they were looking for me.

I tried to be as quiet as possible. I got my breathing as slow as possible and stayed still. It was a matter of seconds before they wouldn't find me. But because of my weight, a small piece of tree branch broke and fell one of wolf's head.

"Now I am done." I said while shaking with fear.

The Wolves realized I was up in the tree, and they were growling ferociously. They were angrily clawing it too. But I was up there thinking about what they could do if they took me down.

And just so as I thought, The tree started shaking. I looked down and saw The Black Wolf hitting the tree with its paw, but with incredible power. It was landing big blows to take down the tree easier and faster. I tried holding on to the branch tightly, struggling not to fall.

But after the Wolf threw four or five blows to the tree, he hit it as hard as he could one last time, and the tree finally fell.

And as soon as it did, I fell to the ground too with a branch of the tree falling on my leg. It didn't hurt me to fall from a height like that and the branch didn't hurt me too. But I wasn't able to move and I was now stuck.

My body still had its strength, but the branch was so badly stuck. I wasn't even able to pull my leg back an inch.

And now the Wolves were slowly approaching me too. After chasing me that much, they had more anger towards me. Their saliva was dripping and their eyes were wide opened.

At that moment I was sure I was going to die.

As the Black Wolf attacked, I put my hand forward and closed my eyes.

But nothing happened.

The black wolf suddenly stopped and the terrifying looks in Its eyes were gone. It was licking my face like a pet. Its eyes and its facial expression were so calm, it intended no harm.  I had no idea what was going on. And It was so cute that even the fear inside me disappeared. I was looking at it with shock.

But there was something bad about it too. The wolf in the back still wanted to eat me and now they were growling towards their friend. And they tried to attack as soon they didn't get any reply from their leader. But as the wolf was about to attack, The Black Wolf turned towards it and growled hard at it.

The horrifying expression was on its face once again.

Now both I and the other wolves were very surprised. Their leader, with whom they were chasing prey, had turned his back on them and was snarling at them.

There was nothing they could do anymore.

So they turned against their direction and retreated quickly.

On the other hand, I was still in shock.

The one who chased me around and wanted to eat me for so long was now protecting me against his friends. But why was it doing something like that? Even though I didn't do anything against it, it saw me on its side and prevented me from getting hurt. However, I was sure that I would not be able to save my life.

*That's not what I should be focusing on right now.* I shook my head and said to myself.

I still hadn't found Ronk, and my leg was stuck in a branch. If I didn't manage to get out of here, I would probably starve to death.

And just then, I heard yelling from somewhere.

"Ryuu! Where are you?"

Immediately after I recognized the voice, I shouted back

"Ronk! I'm here! I'm stuck!"

In just a couple of minutes, Ronk managed to find me. But he wasn't that good too. He was covered in blood that went from his head to his chest. It was some type of colorful and normal red blood. It was obvious that he hunted some creatures while on his way here.

And then, when he saw the Black Wolf next to me, he took his ax in his hand.

"What are you doing? Ronk?"

He didn't stop. He just went towards the wolf slowly.

I thought he got angry because all the time he searched for me and now I looked like I was in danger. But the real situation was much more complex than that. It was something that Ronk wouldn't sit and listen here all day. And I knew he wouldn't listen to me. So I tried my best to do something.

"Hey! Ronk! Stop! That wolf didn't do anything, calm down!"

But even though I tried to stop Ronk, he was still approaching, angrily.

Just then he pointed his axe. But not towards the wolf, but towards me.

"If that's true, There's only one way to know."

"Ronk, what are you doing?"

"We'll now understand If this wolf is loyal to you."

And to our guess, The Black Wolf began to bark and growl furiously. It looked at Ronk like he was an enemy like it wanted to protect me. And tried to approach Ronk.

But not waiting for too long, Ronk cut off the branch I stuck with his ax, and put it back, making the wolf stop.

He said,

"Congratulations on activating one of the Wolf powers."

With great surprise that I gained from all those events, I asked,

"One of my wolf powers?"

"This is the power you have, it's not such a simple power. It's called "Wolf Control". And it only works on leader wolves."

"Leaders? But how will it help me?"

"Although this power will help you in other situations, it allows you to ask for help from wolves in the most difficult situations. So focus on that power and make the most of it, son."

"Why is it necessary? Can't we focus on my other powers?"

"Because if you don't learn to control it yet, you won't have a chance with your other powers. And it doesn't take you to the future in any way."

It was very surprising that one of my wolf powers was already activated.

So I asked him again,

"So how many forces are there in total?"

"There are three main forces, but we'll talk about them at home follow me."

Ronk and I got home after an hour of walking. The problem was that the Wolf followed us home. It was like a pet just like I imagined it to be. But it wasn't that much of a problem. It stopped in front of the house and waited there.

And because I couldn't control my power well, I couldn't order the Wolf to go back and such. I did the most logical thing to do, and I named him. My first pet, Max.

Maybe it was very weird for a human to have a pet wolf. But the wolf was very happy when I called him by that name. So we got along with each other and got connected in minutes. After that, I kept calling him Max, and we didn't hurt each other.

Ronk wasn't happy about it, but he said he wouldn't say anything until I could control my power. He said I had to focus even if I had to do something like this.

And when we got home, we lit the fire and ate, as usual. I threw two pieces of bone in front of Max, and sat beside Ronk to rest a little bit.

At last, it was a difficult day.

"Ronk, the powers you're talking about today, what are the three main powers?" I asked Ronk as we got comfier.

He then sit properly and started explaining,

"Three main forces. It consists of wolf control, the claw of brutality, and endless howling."

He then added,

"First of all, wolf control. Wolf control is a power that will help you control the Wolves. It is something manipulative that will help you to gain more defense in battles. This way, even your blind spots will be covered with somebody who will protect you. Besides normal Wolves only take orders from alpha wolves and alpha wolves take orders from lineage people. Just like you. And if you can control your power like your father, you can control them all.

The second one. Claw of brutality. This power is something that can get you out of control when you lose so much blood. It takes control over your body, and just like a wolf, it turns you into a predator. And It only happens in extreme blood loss. So it's a very dangerous power and you have to do it when you have the smallest chances."

"But what happens if I can't? What will happen if I can't control it?"

"If you don't and If you can't control it, you will not notice good or bad. You will only attack the person in front of you. And that is something you don't want to do."

Talking about topics like these made me uneasy for a second. Because attacking someone very close to me was something I had a hard time thinking about. Even though I had no friends to lose, it was something that I had reconsidered, for the sake of my future.

And Ronk was doing his best to prepare me for it.

"And finally, "The Endless Howl". With this power, a man can be almost immortal. The endless howl grants you three hearts."

"Three hearts?"

"Exactly three hearts. Even if one disappears, the other one will be what keeps you alive."

"But isn't that something very powerful? And do other lineages have the same powers?"

"No, they're all different. Every lineage has its own power. And even though some can't reach immortality in a way like this, you can be sure they can compete head-to-head with you."

Something powerful as immortality. It sounded impossible, but if there were seventeen bloodlines in total, it was something normal. And their powers could have been scarier than mine.

So I asked Ronk more questions,

"Do you know anything about some lineages? Like how many lineages are there in total that people know about?"

"To the point of my memory that I can reach, there are seventeen lineages in total. But I only remember a few names."

He then added while trying to remember the names,

"Wolf bloodline, Destruction bloodline, Death bloodline, Assassin bloodline, Knight bloodline, Demon bloodline, Angel bloodline, and finally Dragon bloodline. They all have some sort of a creature-related name or a power, but some are more mysterious than we think. And these are just a few of them."

"They all have names presenting something. But are they all that powerful compared to the others?"

"They are more dangerous than the others, but the Wolf, destruction, and Dragon are the three most powerful lineages among them. People get terrified by them the most. But as you know, the Wolf Bloodline almost went extinct, if you have died."

"So there is nobody beside me, huh?"

"I have no knowledge about it, Kid. And even if I knew, I wouldn't do this to scare you or have fun. Knowing that you are alone, or lonely, is a priority that you must know. Because you can't know if it will make you stronger or weaker. But if you can cooperate with that idea, and move forward, you will have a better mindset than your enemies."

As Ronk said, even the thing I saw as my "Disadvantage" was something I could have turned into an "Advantage". And something that could make me more powerful than I was now.

"I understand." I said quietly looking down.

There were many lineages that I had no clue about, which they all had names like dangerous monsters. And if some of them even existed, it was going to be a big problem for me. Because like Pelena said before. If I did leave there, completing my trainings and reaching a level where I can travel by myself, I was going to see one or two of them.

And there was nothing to do, besides entering more and more trainings.

So I looked at Ronk, and gave him a very serious look,

"Ronk, I will awaken all my powers, no matter what."

He looked at me for a second. He then brushed it off with,

"We'll see about that."