Chapter 3: The First Battle

Kuro’s thoughts were in turmoil as he prepared for the upcoming battle. The revelation from Zara weighed heavily on him, and he couldn’t shake the feeling of betrayal. The demons weren’t the noble warriors he had been led to believe—they were conquerors, oppressors. And he had been fighting for them.

But now wasn’t the time to dwell on those thoughts. He had a mission to complete, and he couldn’t afford to be distracted. The demon army had received orders to launch a raid on a human settlement near the border of the Shadow Realm. It was to be Kuro’s first real battle, and he knew he had to be ready.

As he strapped his katanas to his back and donned his armor—a sleek, black suit that melded with the shadows around him—he felt a sense of dread. This wasn’t what he had signed up for. But he had no choice. For now, he had to play the part, to go along with the mission until he could figure out his next move.

Zara and Thorne were already waiting for him at the edge of the training ground, along with a dozen other demon soldiers. General Kael stood at the front, his eyes cold and calculating as he surveyed his troops.

“This is a simple mission,” Kael barked, his voice carrying over the assembled soldiers. “We hit the settlement, take what we need, and leave before the humans can mount a defense. You all know your roles. No mistakes.”

Kuro nodded along with the others, his mind elsewhere. He couldn’t shake the feeling that something was about to go horribly wrong.

The portal to the human world opened with a crackle of dark energy, and the demon soldiers moved through it with practiced precision. Kuro followed, his heart pounding as he stepped into the swirling vortex of shadows.

When he emerged on the other side, the scene that greeted him was one of chaos and destruction. The human settlement was small, just a cluster of wooden buildings surrounded by fields. But it was clear that the demons had been here before—many of the structures were already in ruins, the ground scorched and littered with debris.

The humans were trying to defend themselves, but they were outmatched. The demon soldiers tore through their ranks with brutal efficiency, their dark powers overwhelming the defenders. Kuro hesitated, his instincts screaming at him to stop, to help the humans instead of fighting them. But he forced himself to move, to play his part.

He drew his katanas and engaged the nearest human soldier, a young man who looked barely older than Kuro himself. The soldier’s eyes widened in fear as Kuro approached, and he raised his sword in a desperate attempt to defend himself.

Kuro deflected the blow easily, his movements fluid and precise. But as he prepared to strike the killing blow, something in the soldier’s eyes made him pause.

There was no hate, no malice in those eyes—only fear and confusion. And something else… recognition.

“Jayden?” the soldier gasped, his voice trembling. “Is that you?”

Kuro’s blood ran cold. The soldier knew him—knew his old name. For a moment, he was paralyzed, his mind racing. How could this be? How could someone from this world know who he was?

Before he could react, another demon soldier stepped in, slashing at the human with a cruel laugh. The soldier crumpled to the ground, his life extinguished in an instant.

Kuro stared at the fallen soldier, his heart pounding in his chest. The recognition in the soldier’s eyes had been real. Someone in this world knew who he was, who he had been before he became Kuro.

But before he could process what that meant, a sharp voice cut through the chaos. “Kuro! Focus!”

It was Zara, her tone sharp with warning. Kuro snapped back to the present, realizing that the battle was still raging around him. He couldn’t afford to be distracted—not here, not now.

But the doubt had already taken root. He had seen the truth in that soldier’s eyes, and he knew he couldn’t continue like this. He couldn’t keep fighting for the demons, knowing what he did now.

He would have to find out more—about the soldier, about this world, and about why he had been brought here.

But first, he had to survive the battle.

With renewed determination, Kuro turned back to the fight, his katanas flashing as he cut down the enemies that came at him. But his heart wasn’t in it. All he could think about was the dead soldier, and the questions that now plagued his mind.

Who was he really fighting for? And why had he been chosen for this?

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