Espen stood in silence, her arms loosely folded, watching as Kaelis and Ripp disappeared into the grey horizon. The wind whispered through the dark expanse, brushing past her as if urging her to move, but she didn’t.

She just watched.

"You know," Ness said after a moment, his tail flicking lazily, "he’s gonna be alright, witch."

Espen scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Mhm. It’s not like I care about him—a human." She tilted her chin up slightly, her voice smooth, dismissive. "It’s just that if he dies, then you know what happens to me. That’s all I’m worried about."

The words were believable.

But not entirely believable.

Hael smirked. "Right. Totally not worried about him at all."

Espen ignored her. Instead, she exhaled sharply. "I need to refine my Kenda until we meet with him again."

Ness raised an eyebrow. "You sure about that?"

Espen’s expression hardened. "I’m not gonna be a fucking damsel*m again."

Ness and Hael went quiet.

Espen’s gaze darkened. "I’ve been on the run for too long. Never had time to just sit and train. It’s always been fight, escape, survive. Over and over. If we’re gonna do this, if we’re really gonna try to lift my bounty, then I need to be at my strongest."

She fell silent for a moment, her thoughts turning inward.

‘Helping the king might actually be a good idea.’

Hael stretched her wings, humming in thought. "We should stay at least a day behind Kaelis. Any longer, and we might not be able to catch up. We can track him through the feather I gave him."

Espen nodded. "Good idea. We’ll wait here and train until tomorrow."

With that decided, they turned and began making their way back to camp.

But just as Espen turned, something in the distance caught her eye.

She saw him. Kaelis.

His figure was small against the horizon, walking alongside Ripp, his posture relaxed yet alert. Espen didn’t say a word. She simply turned around. But her mind didn’t.

Images flickered in her thoughts—the memory of Kaelis, covered in blood, standing over the bodies of the White Brigade, his power uncontrolled, raw, monstrous. The dream, where he fought the shadowed king, the feral rage in his eyes. The moment he had grabbed her wrist, grounding her, pulling her back from the spiral of her own power.

And now, he was walking away to lift her bounty. For their sake. Espen exhaled, her voice barely a whisper.

"Could he be different?"

Her heart beat once, slow and uncertain.

"I need to see more… just to be sure."

‘Isn’t he just doing all of this because he has to? Because of the mission? Could that be the case? I never had a human go to such lengths for me. I don't know what to believe.’

…

"Come onnnn," Ripp whined, shuffling beside Kaelis, his arms still bound. "Can you just take these off already?"

Kaelis didn’t even glance at him. "No."

Ripp groaned. "I literally can’t do anything! What do you think I’m gonna do, attack you?"

Kaelis shrugged. "Wouldn’t be the first idiot to try."

Ripp let out a dramatic sigh. "Please?"

"No."

"Pretty please?"

"No."

"I’ll be your best friend."

Kaelis stopped walking, turning to him with a deadpan stare.

Ripp immediately shrank back. "...Okay, yeah, fair."

Kaelis sighed, muttering under his breath. "I’m gonna regret this."

With a sharp tug, he ripped the ropes off, tossing them to the ground.

Ripp stretched his arms dramatically, grabbing his staff from his back. "Ohhh, that’s so much better—"

Kaelis rolled his eyes. "Don’t make me regret it, please. I’m really trying to be under control..”

Ripp chuckled nervously. "Yeah, yeah, got it."

Kaelis ran a hand through his hair, his expression shifting to something more serious. "I got a question, though. A concern, actually."

Ripp blinked. "About what?"

Kaelis frowned. "The Apostles."

Ripp’s nervous energy dimmed slightly. "...What about them?"

Kaelis exhaled. "Let’s say we actually do lift Espen’s bounty. You really think they won’t react? Feels like we’re poking a nest we shouldn’t be poking."

Ripp hesitated before nodding. "It’s a gamble."

Kaelis clicked his tongue. "Great."

"But," Ripp continued, "the Apostles rarely commune with kings and queens. They don’t guide kingdoms. They’re… separate."

Kaelis narrowed his eyes. "Then what are they?"

Ripp adjusted his grip on his staff. "The Apostles aren’t human."

Kaelis raised an eyebrow. "Figured that much."

"But they look human," Ripp added. "They can heal people. Deliver people from their troubles. But they’re not omnipotent, not omnipresent, not omniscient. They just…are."

Kaelis frowned. "Espen called them ‘False Angels.’"

Ripp nodded. "A lot of people do."

Kaelis folded his arms. "So, what, they’re just wandering miracle workers?"

"...Sort of."

Ripp’s expression darkened slightly.

"Those who are saved by the Apostles—those who believe in them—gain a mark on their hand. A soul rune."

Kaelis raised an eyebrow. "And?"

"The Apostles say that mark will transcend them one day—to become like them. To be with them in the New Land."

Kaelis narrowed his eyes. New Land?"

Ripp shrugged. "No one really knows what it is. But people want to go there."

Kaelis frowned. "And what happens if someone refuses?"

Ripp hesitated. "...I don’t know."

That didn’t sit right with Kaelis.

But before he could dwell on it, the air around them shifted.

The land changed.

Ripp stopped, his eyes glimmering slightly. "We’re here."

Kaelis looked up.

‘Whoa…how come we didn’t see this from far away..?’

The terrain had transformed into something otherworldly. The trees were tall and spiraled, their trunks twisting unnaturally, their leaves shimmering in hues of deep blue and emerald green. The bark pulsed faintly, as if alive. Floating in the air were thousands of Caliber Butterflies—their wings glowing softly, leaving trails of silver and gold dust behind them. Some were massive, their wingspans as wide as a man’s arms, while others were no larger than a fingertip.

The air smelled different—sweet, like honey and something else Kaelis couldn’t place.

Ripp smiled slightly. "This is the Land of the Caliber Butterflies."

Kaelis stared, taking it all in. "...What the hell is this place?"

Ripp stepped forward, gesturing to the trees. "Caliber Butterflies are unique to this region. Their larva form cocoons that hang from these trees, feeding off the energy of the land itself. When they emerge, they carry traces of that energy with them, which is why they glow."

Kaelis watched as a cocoon pulsed faintly, something shifting inside.

Ripp continued. "Legends say that if a Caliber Butterfly lands on you, it means you bear a soul that was once a warrior in a past life."

Kaelis scoffed. "Sounds like some poetic bullshit."

Ripp shrugged. "Maybe. But people believe it."

The two of them walked further in, the glow of the butterflies casting soft, shifting lights around them.

For the first time in a long time—

Kaelis felt something close to peace.

Even if it wouldn’t last.

The landscape stretched before them, a dreamscape of impossible colors and drifting lights. The Caliber Butterflies flitted through the air like living embers, their wings trailing faint glows of silver and gold. Some were unlike anything Kaelis had ever seen—twisted, unwieldy shapes with petals and flowers growing from their wings, their bodies curled like vines, their flight uneven yet strangely graceful.

If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

Kaelis eyed them warily. "They look weird."

But in his head, his thoughts drifted elsewhere.

‘Definitely weirder than the ones back from my world.’

Ripp, walking beside him, caught his tone and immediately perked up, eager—almost antsy—to explain.

Ripp, practically bouncing on his heels, exclaimed, "These butterflies? They’re part of an entire ecosystem that only exists here. Their larvae don’t just grow like normal insects—they feed directly off the land’s energy, which is why they glow. The trees here are symbiotic with them—when the cocoons hatch, the remnants of their shells nourish the roots, and in return, the trees produce a sort of mist that protects the butterflies from predators."

Kaelis hummed. "Huh. So they’re like floating mushrooms, except they don’t taste like ass."

Ripp laughed and blinked. "...I-I mean, I wouldn’t eat them—"

Kaelis smirked. "Didn’t say I was gonna. Just saying they sound like the mushrooms I used to see back home."

Ripp paused, looking like he wanted to ask about that, but then his expression darkened.

"...This place was affected by remnants of gods," Ripp said, his voice quieter now.

Kaelis glanced at him. "Ah..the remnants. Heard of those.”

Ripp nodded. "The bones of a god of rot are buried beneath this land. Alongside the corpse of a demon who fought it."

Kaelis’s brows furrowed.

Ripp continued, his voice more solemn. "Most lands in Kalhalla have been tainted by the remnants of godly battles, either positively or negatively."

Kaelis narrowed his eyes. "And what about this place? Positive or negative?"

Ripp hesitated briefly before saying, "Positive. For sure."

But there was doubt in his tone.

‘I really hope it’s positive, the Caliber Butterflies home are always hidden…I just didn’t think we’d stumble across it!’

They kept walking, the butterflies hovering high above them, drifting lazily like golden leaves in the air.

Then Kaelis noticed something.

Some of them gathered in clusters, hiding in the darker corners of the forest. Their glowing forms flickered like dying stars, but they weren’t just sitting there. They were following him. A slow, uneasy feeling crawled up Kaelis’s spine.

Then—

A whisper.

Soft. Faint.

"The king will awaken…"

Kaelis stiffened.

"The cocoon is hatching…"

His breath slowed.

‘The fuck are they saying? I have a bad feeling about this.’

The whispers didn’t come from Ripp. Didn’t come from the wind.

It came from the butterflies.

Kaelis clenched his jaw. "Ripp—"

But before he could say anything, the sharp sound of yelling echoed through the trees.

Both of them froze.

Up ahead, in a clearing, over twenty Hunters were gathered. Some stood around in groups, others leaned against weapons, their armor gleaming faintly beneath the dim light.

Ripp’s eyes widened, and instead of fear, he looked excited.

"Oh, wow—that’s Velgreis the Hollow Spear! He once impaled a wyvern through its skull from a hundred meters away!"

Kaelis raised an eyebrow. "The hell kind of name is that?"

Ripp pointed again. "And that’s Issa the Moonlit Blade—her Kenda lets her turn invisible in moonlight!"

Kaelis exhaled, shaking his head. "You know all of them?"

Ripp grinned. "Well, yeah! These guys are big names! They must be here for a contract!"

Kaelis frowned. "A contract? Here?"

Ripp nodded. "Hunter and Adventurer contracts don’t have to be noble, Kaelis. Gold is the root of everything in Kalhalla."

Kaelis didn’t like the sound of that.

He and Ripp stayed behind the tree line, watching as the Hunters argued amongst themselves.

One of them—a massive man with dark gold hair tied back, his arms thick with muscle and glowing red tattoos—crossed his arms impatiently. His voice was gravelly, deep with irritation.

"Standing around isn’t gonna do shit. We lure it out."

Another Hunter, a slender woman with silver eyes and a jagged scar across her cheek, scoffed. "Oh, yeah, brilliant plan, Brann. Let’s piss off whatever we’re hunting in a place literally infested with magical creatures. That always goes well."

Brann—clearly the antsy one—rolled his shoulders. "If it bleeds, it dies. Simple."

A younger Hunter with dark violet war paint across his face snorted. "That’s the dumbest thing I’ve heard today, and I spent the last hour listening to Velgreis talk about his spear collection."

Velgreis, a tall and gaunt man with piercing green eyes, sighed dramatically. "My collection is impressive, thank you very much."

Issa, the Moonlit Blade, leaned against a tree. "Look, we don’t need to start swinging weapons at nothing. If the contract’s real, our target will show up eventually."

Brann grunted. "Cowards."

Kaelis exhaled sharply. ‘Idiots.’

Then—

One of the butterflies drifted down from the trees.

Brann snarled at it. "The hell do you want, bug?"

The butterfly flapped its shimmering wings.

And then—

It spoke.

“The king will awaken from his cocoon…"

The moment those words left its mouth—

Brann grabbed it mid-air with his bare hand.

And crushed it.

The sound was wet. A sickening squelch as golden light leaked from between his fingers.

Kaelis stiffened.

‘This is bad…’

The other Hunters paused.

Brann laughed, shaking the crushed remains off his palm. "Hah! See? Weak as hell."

Then—

Silence.

A long, heavy, unnatural silence.

Kaelis’s heartbeat slowed.

Something—something fast—moved in the shadows.

Then—

In an instant, half the Hunters were dead. One moment, they were standing. Talking. Scoffing.

The next—

Bodies exploded.

Not just cut—ripped open.

Velgreis didn’t even get to scream before his torso split apart, his ribs shattering outward like a broken cage. His spear clattered to the ground, soaked in his own blood.

The Hunter with violet war paint staggered back, clutching his stomach—his hands pressing against a wound that hadn’t been there a second ago. His fingers tried to hold his insides together, but they slipped through the gaping hole in his abdomen. He gasped, eyes wide, before collapsing face-first into the dirt.

Issa barely had time to disappear into the shadows before something caught her mid-vanish—a blur of motion, a flash of claws. Her body snapped backward, her spine bending the wrong way before she was dragged into the darkness.

Brann turned, snarling, raising his fists—

And then his head was gone.

It wasn’t cut. It wasn’t severed.

It was obliterated.

His body stood for a second longer, blood gushing from his torn neck, before it crumpled to the ground.

Kaelis’s panicked, saying, “This is fucked…”

Ripp nodded, “This is bad..r-really bad!”

The remaining Hunters snapped to attention, weapons drawn, eyes wide with shock.

Velgreis’s spear flicked up. The survivors stood back to back.

Something was here.

Something fast.

Something watching them.

Kaelis’s fingers curled into fists.

And somewhere, deep in the trees—

The butterflies whispered.

"The cocoon is hatching…"

Kaelis’ heart thumped, The world around him blurred. His fingers clenched and unclenched, but his nails bit into his palms with a dull sting that felt distant—like he wasn’t inside his own body.

He could feel it. The thing inside him. Lurking. Writhing. The Shadowy King.

It laughed. A low, guttural echo inside his head.

‘No…no..please not now!’

Kaelis staggered back as the world tilted, his stomach twisting in knots. The air was thick with the scent of iron, of death. Bodies were torn apart, some still twitching. His vision swam as the dark edges of his berserk state crawled at the corners of his mind. If he gave in—if he let it happen—he wouldn’t come back.

He didn’t want this. But the battlefield didn’t wait for his fear.

Something moved. Fast.

A blur of vibrant colors and unnatural motion erupted from the shadows—a humanoid form with wings like a butterfly, but not delicate, not soft. They were jagged, edged in shimmering hues of emerald, obsidian, and violent red. The creature’s body was sleek, almost translucent, with veins of golden light pulsing beneath its skin. And on its head—where hair should have been—were mushroom caps of deep violet, their spores releasing faintly glowing mist with every motion.

Its eyes, an eerie, inhuman blue, locked onto Kaelis.

And then it vanished.

A Hunter barely had time to react before the creature reappeared behind him. A flash of movement—an arm twisted, something sharp glinted.

Then the Hunter’s head snapped sideways—twisted completely around. His body stood frozen, nerves still firing, fingers grasping at nothing before he collapsed, lifeless.

Ripp’s face twisted in regret, his body trembling. “Damn it…” he whispered. He had thought they could just walk through here.

‘This is my fault! I should’ve tried to lead me and Kaelis out of here, or turn around and find another way, but I let my excitement get the best of me! I’m sorry, Kaelis. I don’t know how strong you are, but we have to fight to survive this! This would’ve gone smoothly if those Hunters weren’t here!’

Then he gritted his teeth under his mask. The wind howled.

His staff twirled, spiraling Wind Kenda wrapping around it like a coiling serpent. The fear in his eyes faded, replaced by something sharper. A predator’s glint.

His voice, usually laced with nervous energy, was low. Menacing.

“Alright then…” Ripp whispered. His foot dug into the dirt.

He moved.

A butterfly humanoid lunged at him—its arms elongating mid-air, curved claws poised to rip him apart.

Ripp twisted, using the wind to launch himself forward, flipping over the strike. His staff snapped outward—mid-air, he released it, and the Wind Kenda kept it spinning on its own, carving through the air like a whirling guillotine. The creature shrieked as the staff connected, the force shattering part of its wing.

Ripp landed, exhaling slow. His staff hovered beside him, the wind keeping it afloat. “Fast…” he muttered.

More of them emerged.

The battlefield became a surge of chaos; A Hunter wielding Blood Kenda lashed out with jagged crimson tendrils, forcing two creatures back. Another, wielding Mirror Kenda, twisted his blade in a way that made it shimmer and reflect light in random patterns, making his movements impossible to read. But the butterfly humanoids were relentless. One of them split into two, a perfect duplicate of itself forming from golden spores. Another melted into the shadows, only to reappear above a Hunter, legs twisting unnaturally as it descended like a spear, impaling them.

Kaelis watched it all, chest rising and falling rapidly. He clenched his jaw. His fingers twitched. His mind was slipping—his vision flickering. He bit his tongue so hard he tasted blood. His own body trembled as his limbs spasmed, struggling against the creeping violence. His breath came in ragged gasps.

‘This crazy ass state of mine, it’s trying to jump out. Everyone will be in danger, even me!’

One of the creatures lunged at him—he barely dodged, his instincts screaming. His hand flicked up—too slow. The creature’s claw raked across his shoulder, tearing flesh.

Pain.

It grounded him.

‘Why am I fighting it in a situation like this? I’ll get destroyed if I don’t fight! But I don’t wanna lose myself to this power again, it hurts and I don’t want to be controlled again…’

It smiled at him as it pulled itself back together.

“What the—?”

Ripp vaulted over Kaelis, twisting mid-air.

“Don’t worry! I’ll protect you, I hope!”

His staff, guided by the wind, followed after him, striking three times before he even landed. Each hit cracked bones, wind pressure exploding outward with every impact.

One butterfly humanoid retaliated, its wings flashing, sending razor-sharp dust in all directions.

Ripp spun his staff, wind howling around him, creating a vortex that blocked the attack.

He landed, breathless.

‘They’re ruthless..can I keep up? And protect Kaelis at the same time?’

Nearby, a Hunter with Sound Kenda was moving too fast for the eye to follow, his speed enhanced by sonic booms every time his foot touched the ground.

Then, without warning, his head exploded.

A butterfly humanoid stood behind him, arm outstretched. Its fingertips were vibrating at supersonic speeds—enough to disrupt the molecular structure of flesh.

The Hunter’s body crumpled. Kaelis saw it all. His hands trembled. His vision pulsed. Blood dripped from his mouth.

“You’re wasting time,” the dark voice in his head whispered.

“Accept it.”

Kaelis gritted his teeth. “Shut… up…”

Ripp moved like a storm. His staff lashed out—mid-air, it twisted on its own, Wind Kenda guiding it like a living blade.

He ducked, spun, countered. His strikes weren’t just attacks—they were a dance, seamless, flowing.

But there were too many.

A claw ripped across his side. He gasped, blood spraying.

Ripp staggered, but he didn’t fall.

His staff snapped back to his hand. He exhaled. The wind howled.

And then—

Everything froze.

The creatures stopped moving. Their eerie blue eyes all turned in unison.

“Are they adapting?!” A wounded Hunter yelled

“Stay on guard!”

“Fuck this! I’m leaving! I’d be better off hunting that witch Espen than this!”

Kaelis followed their gaze.

The cocoon—deep in the heart of the battlefield—was cracking.

A blue light shone from within.

Kaelis’ stomach twisted.

Something was coming.

More Caliber Butterflies approached at fast speeds, and the Hunters got ready, forcing themselves up and into defensive positions.

“Fuck..fuck man! There’s no way out!”

“Someone look for an opening!”

The battlefield was now in chaos.

The butterflies were not just fast—they were adapting. Every time a Hunter landed a killing blow, another creature twisted its body unnaturally, mimicking the attack, refining its movements, countering it perfectly.

The Hunters didn’t back down. They couldn’t.

“Keep your formations tight!” a Hunter roared.

“Sorin, on your left—duck!”

A man with Gravity Kenda slammed his foot into the ground, and suddenly the air became heavier, forcing one of the creatures to crash into the dirt before his greatsword cleaved through its head. Another butterfly humanoid shifted mid-air, its wings twisting at an impossible angle to avoid an attack, before retaliating with a deadly lunge.

But a woman with Thread Kenda flicked her fingers, and thin, near-invisible strands wrapped around the creature’s limbs, snapping taut like a vice. “Got it!” she called, locking the beast in place.

The Gravity Kenda user didn’t hesitate—his greatsword crashed down, shattering the creature into glowing fragments.

More creatures came. Dozens.

Ripp took the lead.

His staff whirled, carving the air. Wind Kenda twisted around his arms, coiling like serpents. His feet barely touched the ground as he vaulted, spun, twisted, his body an extension of the storm.

‘My Kenda is fading! This is all my fault! Me and Kaelis wouldn’t even be trapped in this if I wasn’t so damn eager…! We won’t be able to free the king at this rate!’

A butterfly humanoid lunged. Ripp didn’t evade—he leaned into the attack, his staff flicking backward mid-air, the wind controlling it like a living weapon. It curved around him and speared through the creature’s stomach.

Ripp twisted, using the momentum to flip over another assailant. His foot connected with its jaw—but he didn’t stop there. He used the impact to launch himself higher, his staff still spinning in the air before it rocketed back to his grip.

Then, with a snarl, he slammed it down.

“RAGHHH!!!!”

Wind howled.

A shockwave blasted outward, hurling the nearest creatures back with enough force to break trees.

Ripp exhaled sharply, his usual grin gone. His eyes burned with something darker.

“They’re learning,” he muttered.

And they were.

One of the butterfly humanoids mimicked his movements, using the wind itself to launch forward. Its fingers curved into talons, slashing forward in a perfect mirror of Ripp’s last attack.

Ripp barely dodged.

“Crap—!”

He twisted his body, but the creature pursued him mid-air, adjusting its course instantly.

Then a Hunter with Bone Kenda slammed his hands together. Spikes erupted from the ground, impaling the butterfly in an instant.

“I’ll create an opening! Don’t worry! We’re Hunters, we survive crazy stuff all the time!”

It let out a shrill, horrifying scream.

The Hunter with Bone Kenda user didn’t flinch. His body was already changing—his own ribs expanded outward, forming a spiked exoskeleton around him, turning his body into a living fortress.

The creatures weren’t stopping.

A Hunter wielding Ink Kenda flicked his wrist, and his sword morphed into liquid, splitting into dozens of black talons that lashed out, wrapping around multiple creatures at once. The ink hardened, trapping them in mid-air—just long enough for a Hunter with Sunlight Kenda to ignite his fists and punch through them like meteors.

The air was filled with screams and dust.

But the battlefield shifted again.

The butterfly humanoids stopped attacking.

Their blue eyes flickered.

Then, one of them twisted its head backward at an unnatural angle. It shuddered violently, as if something inside it was breaking apart.

Then, all at once—

They shed their skins.

Faster. Stronger. More lethal.

Ripp tensed, “Tch! They’re adapting again?!”

A fresh wave of them descended in unison, striking like a storm of blades and venom.

One pierced through the Thread Kenda user before she could react—her body severed at the waist. Another ripped through the Sound Kenda Hunter, vibrating so fast that his entire form collapsed into dust.

Even Ripp was struggling now.

The Wind Kenda around him whirled, his body twisting, flipping, dodging—but every attack was closer than before.

Then—

A whisper.

“Give in.”

Kaelis clenched his head, staggering. His veins pulsed. His vision flickered between reality and something far darker.

His heartbeat was wrong. Too fast.

‘This is the reality of this world..the Hunters and what they go through…even the creatures that don’t seem to be dangerous…turning out to be vicious. And I rank among them…I’m scared..I’m fighting this as hard as I can, making me bleed from the inside, but who’s gonna pull me out of if I’m in too deep?! Deeper than last time?!’

The battlefield was slipping away. He could feel his body failing, his mind crumbling under the weight of the laughter in his head. “You can’t win like this.”

Kaelis felt his body moving—his arms twitching, his instincts screaming. The berserk state was crawling up his spine, whispering in his ear, digging into his skull like fangs.

His mouth tasted like blood.

Kaelis fell to his knees, trembling. His breathing was erratic, his body locked in the space between control and chaos. He could hear every heartbeat on the battlefield, every scream, every wet crunch of bone.

‘Everyone’s scared…but fighting with everything they have…’

His fingers dug into the dirt.

His vision darkened.

Then—

Kaelis stood up.

Slowly.

Swaying.

A deep, guttural chuckle left his throat.

Ripp froze. “What…?”

Kaelis’ eyes glowed red.

A horn—jagged, twisted, colored in black, red, and grey—pierced through his skull, forming as if his body had finally given in. His veins were black, pulsing with something inhuman.

The battlefield fell silent.

Even the butterflies stopped moving.

Kaelis tilted his head slightly. His lips curled.

His voice was different.

Richer. Deeper. Darker.

“…Oh,” he breathed. “I feel incredible.”

Ripp staggered back, his grip on his staff tightening.

“W-What the hell is going on with you?” he whispered. “Are you okay?!”

Kaelis laughed again, a slow, eerie sound. His laugh got louder and louder, his smile widening. Then he took a step forward, “I’ll kill the lot of ya!”

Kaelis twitched. His breath was shallow, uneven—his body burned from the inside out.

The black veins across his arms pulsed like living things, writhing beneath his skin. His fingers curled, and then—A blade erupted from his fist. The Blade of Uuen. It was jagged, unnatural, alive—a blade of black and red energy, fused to his flesh. Crimson embers flickered off its surface, twisting like shadows torn from a nightmare.

He lowered himself into a primal stance, his body coiled, ready to pounce. Every muscle trembled with impossible strength. His head tilted. Red and black energy swirling around him in that stance, making everyone feel uneasy, especially the Hunters.

“Oi! The hells wrong with him?!”

“Is he gonna turn on us too?!”

“That power..it’s strong, we won’t be able to beat him!”

Kaelis saw them, Not just the butterfly humanoids—but the Hunters.

Ripp.

They were all enemies.

‘No they’re not…!’

Kaelis screamed inside his own mind, thrashing, trying to rip himself from the shackles of his own body, but the berserk state didn’t care. It didn’t listen.

A growl rumbled in his throat.

Then—

He launched forward.

FWIP!

His speed was relentless, A blur of red and black destruction, his blade carving through the air like a guillotine. Laughing as he aimed for the first Hunter he saw.

And then—

A massive dark red and green vine erupted from the earth.

It was as thick as a boulder, covered in pulsing veins and jagged thorns, moving with unnatural speed.

BOOM.

The impact blasted Kaelis backward.

“HAHAHA! Something got me! Kaelis laughed.

He tore through a tree—then another—then another. Bark shattered, wood splintered, the entire forest shaking under the force. The vine did not stop—it kept pushing him, grinding him through the land like a cannonball of raw force.

And Kaelis—

Kaelis was laughing the entire time.

Mad, unrestrained laughter. A distorted chorus of amusement and rage.

Then—In a blink—

He twisted his body mid-air, his blade screaming with black and red destruction, and he spiraled through the vine. The energy tore through it like a collapsing sun. A shockwave erupted, the ground ripping apart as Kaelis landed in a crouch, his blade humming with malevolent energy.

His laughter turned into a feral roar, shaking the trees.

Then the ground beneath him split open.

And something—

Something monstrous—

Burst from the depths of the earth.

The King of the Caliber Butterflies had awakened.

——————————————————————

It was colossal, its vast wings blotting out the sky, a grotesque fusion of insect, plant, and nightmare.

“Oh…? Who disturbed the peace…of the ones who live?”

Its face—human, wrong—was pale and sickly, with black pits where eyes should have been. Its mouth was unnervingly stretched, frozen in something between a smile and a grimace. Its body was a twisted blend of muscle and carapace, patches of flowers and fungi sprouting from its flesh like parasites feeding on its own existence. Its arms, elongated and coiling, ended in razor-thin fingers, their edges lined with shimmering golden dust. Its wings pulsed, releasing a wave of spores that shimmered like dying stars.

It spoke. A voice that should not exist.

A voice that vibrated wrong, as if layered over itself a thousand times.

“I am VORH’ZUL.”

The name seeped into the air, an echo that did not fade, as if the very land was branding it into existence.

“You have disturbed the sacred peace. You and the other humans. But you…you…a remnant of a demon…I must eliminate…”

Its head tilted, its hollow eyes locking onto Kaelis.

“You are corruption.”

Its voice shuddered, deep and layered, as if multiple beings were whispering the same words from the depths of a dying world.

“And I shall erase you.”

Kaelis grinned.

He raised his blade.

And the battle began.