The streets of the Avalom Empire were alive with the blissful sound of laughter.

The city had enjoyed peace for many decades, but that morning, an unusual sight caught the attention of its citizens: a large number of guards hurriedly making their way toward the city wall.

The citizens were mildly startled by the guards' strange behavior but chose not to ask any questions.

Rumble*

The ground began to tremble, and with each passing second, the tremors grew stronger, spreading fear and panic throughout the city. The shaking ceased for a brief moment, and a collective sigh of relief could be felt. However, before anyone could comprehend what had just transpired, the tremors resumed, accompanied by a shout from the city gate.

Suddenly, a voice sounded out loudly and desperately, "IT'S COMING!"

Panic-stricken, people looked around frantically. Then, without warning—

BOOM*

A massive explosion erupted, sending a wave of dust and fog from the direction of the city wall. As the dust settled, the bewildered citizens could finally glimpse the source of the disturbance.

"Oh, great star," a man muttered, his expression one of shock and disbelief, as he stared toward the site of the explosion. The once-impregnable stone wall had been blown away, leaving a gaping hole as large as a mansion. Debris from the shattered wall lay strewn across the city, wreaking havoc on numerous buildings.

As the dust from the explosion cleared a giant monstrous hand with razor-sharp claws reached through the gap

The citizens froze as they watched the giant monster slowly reveal itself

A giant humanoid monster emerges from the smoke.

It led out a blood-curdling screech, its razor-sharp claws started swinging randomly at the remaining wall, and when the wall destroyed the citizens saw an endless wave of monsters was pouring in from the open space.

The once-clear sky was now shrouded in thick, burning smoke, pierced by desperate cries of pain and agony.

Amid the chaos, a young boy stumbled and fell while fleeing. Curling into a fetal position, he tried to protect himself from being trampled. With his eyes squeezed shut, all he could hear was the frantic cacophony around him.

Tears streamed down his face as he cried out and begged for his parents to save him. Exhausted and overwhelmed, he soon lost consciousness, when he finally awoke, he opened his eyes slowly and weakly whispered, "Mom, Dad?" His mind was consumed with thoughts of his parent.

As he looked around him, terror overwhelmed him to the point that he wet himself. Tears streamed down his cheeks like a river, and his entire body went rigid with fear. Blood flowed in rivers across the streets, and mutilated bodies lay scattered everywhere.

The boy was paralyzed with horror, trembling in place. A noise to his left snapped him from his terror. He turned to find himself face-to-face with a monstrous, fish-like creature. Its eyes glistened with malevolent hunger, and its mouth drooled at the sight of him. The creature let out a spine-chilling scream.

Frozen in terror, the young boy could only stand helplessly. But before the monster could lunge, an axe flew through the air and struck its eye with deadly precision.

"Davis, run this way! Hurry!" a voice called out urgently.

The boy turned to see his father running towards him. With a cry of relief, he sprinted towards him, shouting, "Dad!"

The man scooped up his son and began to run back in the direction he had come from. However, the enraged monster pursued them with relentless fury. The man dashed around every corner, trying to outpace the creature, but it remained hot on their heels.

Soon, more monsters emerged, and the man realized he couldn’t afford to stop, not even for a moment. He pressed on, determined to protect his son.

Meanwhile, in the heart of the city, the guards banded together, gradually clearing out the monsters and rescuing the frightened citizens.

"Buy us as much time as you can! The heroes will be here soon!" the captain of the guard shouted, his commanding presence a beacon of hope for his comrades.

He turned his intense gaze towards the giant monster that had ignited the chaos.

"Why hasn't that thing… moved yet?" The captain pondered. His eyes locked on the creature standing motionless at the gate.

"Sir, I have good news!" one of the soldiers rushed towards him, breathless. "The four heroes have arrived," he announced with relief, still gasping for air.

"The heroes will split into three groups. Two will help us secure the east and west sides of the city, while the other two will deal with that giant—"

BOOM*

The giant monster, which had been standing idle, was jolted by a massive explosion that seemed to awaken it from its stupor. It swung its colossal claws wildly, trying to strike back at its unseen attacker, but with little success.

A young girl riding a broom was hovering around its head, "Wow I have never seen a dog as big as—"

Before she could finish her sentence the monster angrily swung at her but missed, the creature swung its other arm but only blood was splattered across the air, it turned to see that its left arm was severed completely.

"Let’s not drag this out any longer, Lyra," a man with a shield and sword declared from atop a rooftop.

"Aw, you’re no fun, Cale," Lyra replied with a hint of amusement.

The giant monster shifted its gaze toward the man, its growl echoing with rage.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the city, Davis’s father could run no longer. Collapsing to the ground, he covered his son with his own body, desperately trying to shield him from harm.

Suddenly, the giant monster let out a piercing screech that sent shockwaves rippling through the city. The monsters surrounding Davis and his father were momentarily distracted, their attention diverted by the deafening cry.

Davis’s father took this opportunity to run once again. But due to exhaustion, he could not run far as the monster came back to its senses it started looking around the area for the two.

Davis’s father found a somewhat tight corner and, with no other options, covered his son with the soaked clothing of the deceased.

"Listen to me son, I need you to stay here and be as quiet as possible. Dad will go get help, okay?" He looked at Davis with tears of sadness in his eyes.

Leaning in, he kissed Davis’s forehead gently. "I love you, Davis. Please, take care of your mother and younger sister for me."

With a final glance, he ran off, making sure to create as much noise as possible to draw the monsters away.

Davis huddled silently beneath the drenched clothing, his heart pounding as he heard the rumbling of numerous monsters run passed him and toward his father’s direction.

Helpless, he slowly raised his hand to his chest and closed his eyes, praying desperately for a miracle to save his father.

Time seemed to stretch endlessly for Davis. Every second was filled with thoughts of his father. Suddenly, the soaked clothing was pulled away, revealing a silhouette that resembled his father.

"You’re safe now, kid." The man said, his voice telling Davis that he wasn’t his father. "Let’s get you home. There’s nothing to worry about—"

Davis lost consciousness once more from both the exhaustion and relief.

When Davis next opened his eyes, he found himself in a hospital room. "You’re finally awake, Davis" The same man’s voice greeted him.

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In his confusion, Davis turned and with a bright expression, exclaimed, "Dad!" only to see someone else other than his father.

"The Sword King!" Davis shouted, his face alight with excitement and happiness, Davis was star-struck by his presence.

Arthur offered a warm smile. "I’m glad you’re okay, Davis."

Davis scanned the room with hopeful eyes. "If you’re the one who came to save us, then that means my dad—"

Before he could complete his thought, the door burst open, and a middle-aged woman rushed in, a young girl of about five years old trailing behind her.

"Davis! Thank God you’re alright, dear," the woman cried, enveloping him in a tight embrace, tears streaming down her face.

Davis attempted to comfort her, but his vision blurred, his nose began to run, and soon he was crying too. The young girl joined in the weeping, adding to the emotional scene.

Arthur stood silently at the edge of the room, watching the reunion with a look of pity in his eyes.

Davis’s mother finally noticed Arthur and gasped surprisingly. "It’s you!"

Arthur nodded, and he responded with a warm smile. "Hello Miss Edwelt"

The middle-aged woman composed herself, turning back to Davis she asked, "Davis, have you seen your father?"

Davis looked at her and silently shook his head. The young girl, clinging to her mother’s side, whispered, "Dada."

Arthur approached them with eyes full of pity. "I’m sorry, madam… your husband—" He hesitated, his voice heavy with sorrow. "When I met him that day, his condition was beyond saving."

The middle-aged woman listened with a blank expression, but after a few long seconds of silence, she collapsed to the floor, overwhelmed by shock.

Arthur rushed to help her, after checking her pulse he urgently shouted, "Medic! Medic!"

Back at the city gate, the three other heroes gathered to investigate the incident.

"How could a monster wave occur so close to the city gate?" Cale asked, his tone laced with disbelief as he prayed.

Meanwhile, the guards worked to calm the citizens and clear the deceased bodies from the streets. The guard captain approached Cale, who was still lost in prayer. "Sir Cale, have you heard from the church?"

Cale opened his eyes, his expression one of disappointment as he sighed deeply. "I’m sorry, Sir Issac, but the church hasn’t contacted me yet."

"The east side of the city hasn’t been hit as hard," A man emerging from the shadows said.

Cale turned toward him, relief was evident in his voice. "I see… That’s good to hear. Have you received any news from Arthur, Kage?"

Kage, the Shadow King, shook his head and crossed his arms. "Unfortunately, I can’t say the same for the west side."

Issac spoke through gritted teeth. "We’re in a tough situation."

As they discussed the incident, a female voice resonated in the minds of the three men. "Hello, hello? Can you hear me? If you do, please respond."

The men replied in unison, "YES."

"There’s a trace of a dimensional breach all around the city but five miles to the north of the city gate. Come quickly—there’s something you should see," Lyra's voice instructed. The three of them exchanged glances at each other.

"Since Lyra has urged us so urgently, we should head out immediately," Cale said, rising and heading north, followed by Kage, who melted into the shadows beneath him. "Secure this area until I return," Issac instructed the guards before departing.

Arthur, from a distance, also received Lyra’s message.

"Around a week or two from now, the city will hold a ceremony for the deceased. You should see your father’s body one last time, Davis," Arthur said before leaving Davis and his younger sister with their unconscious mother.

At the destination, Lyra paced impatiently until she spotted the approaching group. "Took you long enough," Lyra pouted.

"We came as fast as we could," Kage replied.

Lyra rolled her eyes. "There’s a significant trace of a dimensional breach here… It seems a dimension gate just opened right where we’re standing."

Cale considered this before asking, "But that doesn’t make any sense. After we defeated the demon king seven years ago, these dimensional gates began opening randomly, but never this close to an area with such a large amount of mana in the air."

Lyra nodded. "Yes, it’s unusual. The city gate is surrounded by a force field constructed from pure energy by the Holy Empire’s Church of Light. So why isn’t the force field activated?"

Cale joined in and started explaining, "The force field needed to be manually activated, but something is disrupting the mana from activating."

Arthur’s voice came from behind them as he arrived at the site. "Too bad the force field wasn’t activated. We might have avoided the worst of it."

As the group turned to Arthur, they noticed three more figures approaching.

They recognized them immediately: Her Holiness, the saint of light, His Majesty, and the Crown Prince. They bowed respectfully to the three distinguished figures before resuming their discussion.

"When I arrived to investigate the source of the monster wave, I found something else here," Lyra said, reaching into her special bag. She pulled out a sigil with some kind of symbol that none of the group had ever seen.

"What is this symbol?" His Majesty questioned with a curious gaze. The crown prince took the sigil from Lyra and examined it closer. "I have never seen anything like this before, seems to be some sort of religious symbol"

They turned to the saint, only to see her shaking her head. "I have no idea what this symbol meant either, but I will notify the Holy Church as soon as I return."

After a long discussion that led them nowhere, they decided to keep information this to themselves.

"Until we figure out what this symbol means it is best not to let anyone else know about this, 8 days from now we will publicly calm down the public worries, as well as a holding nationwide mourning for the decease" His Majesty spoke before leaving with the crown prince, the pope, and Arthur as their guard.

The others exchanged glances one last time before departing separately on the day of nationwide mourning. The once cheerful streets were now filled with sadness and despair as everyone gathered to mourn their loved ones.

Davis walked from the paramedic center to the heart of the city, where the ceremony was held. After enduring a long speech from His Majesty, who vowed never to let such an incident happen again, Davis turned and made his way toward his father’s grave. His trembling hand clutched a bouquet as he followed the other mourners toward the cemetery.

Everywhere he looked, flowers adorned every shop and corner of the street. When he reached his father’s grave in the crowded cemetery, he stared at the name inscribed on the stone.

There were millions of things he wanted to say, but his trembling lips could not form a single word. All he could do was stand there, lost in silent reverence, staring at his father’s name engraved on a tombstone in front of him.

Someone slowly approaches him from behind, Davis turns to see none other than Arthur holding a bouquet and placing it in front of Davis’s father's grave before respectfully bowing.

"He was a brave man and a good father," Arthur stated, placing his hand on Davis's shoulder as a sign of comfort. Davis wished to reply, but in his depressed state, he couldn’t find the words. He stood there, not moving an inch.

Arthur continued, "When I saved him on that street that day, he was covered in wounds and being hunted down by hordes of monsters." He narrated his experience with a solemn tone.

"After examining his condition, I realized he might have a chance of survival if I rushed him to a paramedic or the Saint of Light." Arthur's voice was a mixture of respect and regret.

He let out a long sigh. "But he begged me, with eyes full of determination, to save you first, even though he knew his condition."

"Please save my son… Those were the words he uttered to me as he was slowly bleeding to death," Arthur continued.

Arthur's words made Davis’s eyes well up with tears. Before leaving Davis to grieve alone, he handed him a golden pendant.

"In the future, if you ever find yourself in a terrible situation, you can always come to me, and I'll help you, no matter what. That is my promise," Arthur said before leaving.

When he reached the graveyard entrance, he saw his comrades—Lyra, Cale, and Kage—waiting for him. With a curious expression, Lyra asked, "Is he someone you know, Arthur?"

Arthur let out a sigh and looked back. "Yes, I'm repaying my life benefactor."

Arthur let out a sigh before looking back. "That boy's father… Before I became the Sword King 12 years ago, I was just an orphan living in a small village. His parents took pity on me and gave me shelter, food, and a job as an errand boy at their bakery."

"When I unexpectedly became the disciple of the previous Sword King and eventually defeated the Demon King with everyone, I tried my best to find them, but they had already moved away," Arthur spoke with palpable pain. "Who would have thought that I’d meet them again like this..." His eyes were full of regret.

Cale saw this and comforted him. "It’s not your fault, Arthur." Kage silently nodded in agreement with Cale's words.

"If so, why don’t you take him under your wing?" Lyra asked.

Arthur frowned. "I can’t do that. His father always wanted a peaceful and happy life for his family. And bringing Davis a country boy under me will put him in the spotlight, envy and jealousy will be directed toward him… just like they always do." Arthur explained, remembering his experience.

With one last glance at the gravesite, Arthur and the others left to attend to their duties.

Davis stood in silence, watching the name on his father's grave before returning to his mother. "Don’t worry, Father, I promise to shoulder your burden and protect our family," Davis softly whispered as he stared at his father's name.

Somewhere deep inside the forest, a voice softly rang out with difficulty. "Where am I? What am I?" The voice came from a wooden sculpture of a tree snake coiling around an apple tree.

"Where is this place?" The spirit inside the sculpture looked around and saw a small dimensional rift above it that was slowly disappearing.

"Uriel," the voice growled lowly. "Where is Uriel?" The voice from within the sculpture glowed bright crimson as it shouted violently.

"Too painful, too tired." The voice slowly faded. "Uriel… wait for me" The crimson glow finally dissipated into nothing, and the sculpture was left under a pine tree next to a large clearing.