I don’t know what caused this, but today Father Daniel seems far more serious than usual. His eyes are fixed on me with a sharp gaze, and he grips his hammer so tightly that I can see the veins bulging beneath his skin. I don’t know why he’s so angry today, but I can sense that the sparring session we’re about to have will be far more terrifying than usual.
I take the initiative to attack first, while Father Daniel remains completely still. Our hammers clash, and I strike with all my strength, but he doesn’t budge at all—standing firm like an unshakable rock. I try attacking from every angle, searching for a blind spot, but I can’t find one. It’s as if he has eyes all over his body, tracking my every move. I attempt to attack from behind, but he effortlessly deflects my strike.
What should I do now? Attacking from behind is futile, and a frontal assault is even more useless. To make matters worse, he hasn’t moved from his original position; he’s still standing in the same spot.
“Pathetic. You should have at least been able to injure the hobgoblin last night. Sure, you’d still lose, but you should’ve been able to land a hit.”
“Impossible. I attacked that monster with everything I had. Even my Divine Hammer didn’t scratch it.”
“How long have we been training?”
“Six years.”
“For six years, we’ve just been wasting time. You still don’t understand the essence of this martial art.”
His words infuriate me. I’ve dedicated six years of my life to this martial art. What does he mean by ‘wasting time’? I’ve trained from morning till night, protecting the village as an excuse to practice. Every day, I’ve forged this body solely for this martial art. What does he mean with such demeaning words?
I grip my hammer tightly, feeling the blood pumping fiercely through my veins. I try to find a way to attack, but there’s no way to land a hit on Father Daniel. No matter where I look, I can’t find an opening. Frustration builds, and I feel a deep anger—especially toward myself.
“You look angry. Can’t accept the truth?”
I attack Father Daniel with all my might, trying to deceive his eyes and move quickly, but it’s pointless. He still follows my movements effortlessly. I try to strike with everything I have, but my own body trembles as if I’m hitting a block of steel. I unleash every technique, every move, even some experimental ones, but nothing works. He deflects everything with ease.
“Now it’s my turn to attack.”
Father Daniel strikes swiftly, each blow filled with such force and energy that my arms ache with every block. How can an old man like him unleash so much power? His movements flow like water, as if his body moves on its own.
Blow after blow rains down on me. I try to block each one, but some still land on my body. Quickly, he knocks my hammer out of my hand and swings his hammer toward the side of my head. At that moment, all I feel is death. It’s as if I’m staring into the gaping maw of death itself.
“Even now, you still don’t know what to do. Pathetic.”
The hammer stops just beside my head, and I can feel the cold metal against my skin. Father Daniel then pulls the hammer back, attaches it to his belt, brushes the dust off his clothes, and walks away without a word. Before he leaves, as the hammer rests beside my head, our eyes meet. I see deep disappointment in his gaze, and I can sense sadness behind it.
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“Remember what you’ve lost, Sebastian. Find it again, and your strength will return.”
I fall silent, confused by his words. What does he mean by something being lost? I collapse to the ground, feeling both bewildered and frustrated. What should I do now? What am I supposed to find? I look up at the blue sky, hoping to find an answer to these questions.
*
I stay in the training area until nightfall, swinging my hammer until my hands go numb. My mind keeps drifting back to Father Daniel’s words earlier in the day. What exactly have I lost? Have I forgotten something important all this time? That stupid riddle keeps ringing in my ears.
Swing after swing of the hammer fails to solve the riddle now deeply embedded in my mind. The cold night wind begins to seep into my bones, and the moon shines brightly in the sky. Did my mother come by while I was training alone? I can’t remember. My mind is so far away that I’ve lost all sense of time.
I stop training and take a short break, then walk home alone through the now-quiet village. Nights like this, so silent, are rare. Almost every night is marked by monster attacks from the Sullar Forest. If it’s not monsters, it’s bandits or thieves breaking into villagers’ homes.
I open the door to my house and see a plate of chicken and bread on the table. I peek into my mother’s room and find her already asleep. I eat dinner alone, illuminated by the full moon shining through the window. Occasionally, I glance outside, where I used to see the forest clearly—now replaced by the towering village walls. This chicken and bread taste so good. It’s been a while since I’ve eaten meat like this. I need to savor every bite, chewing it slowly.
In the middle of my meal, a sudden flash of light shoots into the sky from the Sullar Forest. The event lasts only a second, but it’s enough to catch my attention.
What was that light? Is there a monster that can emit such a glow? I stand up, walk out of the house, climb the village wall, and head toward the Sullar Forest. This might sound foolish to most people, but something inside me tells me to investigate.
The deeper I go into the forest, the more the moonlight fades, swallowed by the dense canopy. I use my martial arts technique to enhance my vision, covering my eyes with holy magic to see through the darkness. I spot dozens of monsters roaming the forest, but most are ordinary creatures. Nothing seems out of the ordinary.
I sneak past several monsters—some asleep, others wandering—until I see a faint light through the thick trees, likely from a lantern. I move closer, wondering why anyone would be in the Sullar Forest at this hour.
“Damn it! I accidentally used too much magic!”
“Relax. It’s the middle of the night. Few people saw it, and who would even come into this forest at this hour?”
What are they doing? I need to get closer. Something feels off about this. As I approach, I see them channeling magic into something... no, it’s a monster. What are they doing to it? I continue sneaking closer until I can clearly see the two figures.
Both are dressed in black robes, but I also spot the church emblem on them. They must be agents from the diocese, but what are they doing to that monster? It looks like they’re inserting something into the head of the helpless creature. Are they conducting some kind of experiment?
Suddenly, a knife flies toward my face, but I dodge it swiftly. The two figures stand up, their eyes now fixed on me with murderous intent. I have no choice but to fight. Fortunately, I still have my hammer and shield.
I charge through the dark forest, knowing that staying defensive will only corner me. Attacking head-on is the better strategy. I swing my hammer at the two figures, and they counterattack. The sound of our clashing weapons breaks the silence of the Sullar Forest. I notice many monsters stirring, drawn by the noise. I need to finish this quickly or escape as fast as possible.
“WHO ARE YOU?!” one of the church agents shouts.
“Who I am doesn’t matter!”
I keep pressing the attack, leaving no opening for them to strike back. From the way they fight, these two agents aren’t skilled in martial arts. I take advantage of their carelessness, attacking relentlessly. This fight might as well be another training session.
After fighting for a while, I feel my energy draining. The exhaustion from training all day is starting to take its toll. My attacks slow, and the two agents begin to counterattack.
Blow after blow comes my way, but I still manage to strike back and injure them. However, I can feel my body growing weaker, and the world spins around me. Eventually, I collapse to the ground, my vision blurring. The two church agents glare at me and raise their swords high. It seems this is the end for me—my carelessness and overconfidence have led to my downfall.
My eyes grow heavy, and I fall completely to the ground. Everything turns black, and I feel the cold air brushing against my neck.