A very long time ago, far away from the great kingdoms, far away from wars, heroes, and gods, there existed a small village lost between mountains and immense forests where the world seemed to move slower than anywhere else. There were no castles, no giant walls, no armies marching along stone roads. There were only small wooden houses built through effort, green fields swaying with the wind, and humble people surviving day after day far from the chaos of the outside world.
And among those few homes, inside a small house illuminated only by oil lamps, a woman screamed in pain.
The night was cold.
Rain crashed violently against the wooden roof while the wind made the windows tremble.
Inside that room, several women surrounded the young mother, desperately helping her while trying to calm her down.
—Breathe!
—The baby is almost out!
—Don't give up now!
The young woman could barely hear them. Sweat covered her entire body while tears ran down her cheeks. The pain was unbearable, as if her body were slowly being torn apart from the inside.
Outside the house, beneath the storm, a man paced back and forth filled with anxiety. His hands trembled as he constantly looked toward the door waiting for news.
He was tall.
Dark-haired.
And from between his hair protruded two small black horns.
But inside his eyes there was only worry.
Because inside that house were the two most important people in his life.
Then—
The cry of a baby broke through the sound of the rain.
The man froze.
His eyes slowly widened.
And seconds later, the door of the house opened.
—Congratulations!
One of the women smiled tiredly.
—It's a boy.
The man felt all the air leave his lungs.
His legs nearly gave out from relief.
He quickly entered.
And there he saw her.
His wife held the newborn baby in her arms while silent tears ran down her exhausted face. The child was wrapped in a white blanket still slightly stained with blood, and although moments earlier he had been crying with all his strength, now he remained silent.
Because he could feel his mother's warmth.
The woman smiled weakly.
Her tired eyes filled with love as she slowly caressed the baby's small forehead.
—Look at him… —she whispered.
The man slowly approached as if he feared breaking that moment.
And when he saw the child…
He smiled.
An honest smile.
Pure.
He knelt beside the bed and gently kissed the baby's forehead before taking his wife's hand between his own.
That night…
The rain continued falling.
But inside that small house, there was only happiness.
And that was how Kael's life began.
---
The years passed slowly.
The small village remained the same peaceful place forgotten by the world. Barely fifty people lived there, but everyone knew each other, everyone helped each other, and everyone seemed to be part of one enormous family.
Kael grew up surrounded by that tranquility.
The fields.
The river.
The mountains.
The laughter of children running between the houses.
They were warm memories.
Simple memories.
But real.
And for Kael, there was no one more incredible than his father.
Because his father was strong.
Far stronger than anyone else in the village.
He could carry enormous logs by himself, walk through storms without fear, and smile even after working himself to exhaustion.
But there was something else.
Something that made him different from everyone else.
The horns.
Dark.
Curved.
Protruding from his black hair.
Kael always stared at them with curiosity.
Because no one else in the village had anything similar.
Not even his mother.
One day, while both rested on a hill watching the sunset, little Kael finally decided to ask.
—Dad… why do you have horns?
The man looked toward him.
And then smiled.
—Because I'm a monster.
Kael opened his eyes in surprise.
—Eh?
His father roared dramatically while trapping him between his arms.
—I'm the monster that lives under beds and eats children who misbehave!
Kael started laughing while trying to escape the tickling.
—That's not true!
—What do you mean it's not? Look at my horns!
—Liar!
Their laughter mixed with the wind.
And for a moment…
Everything seemed perfect.
But then someone screamed from below.
Kael's father immediately raised his gaze.
The expression on his face changed instantly.
The smile disappeared.
And that alone was enough to make little Kael feel afraid.
The man quickly stood up.
—Come.
His voice was serious now.
He grabbed his son's hand and they quickly descended toward the village.
When they arrived at the house…
Kael's mother was unconscious on the bed.
Her body trembled violently.
Sweat completely covered her skin while she struggled to breathe.
—We found her collapsed —said a village woman worriedly—. The fever won't go down.
Kael's father quickly approached.
His hands trembled as he touched his wife's forehead.
She was burning up.
For hours they tried lowering her fever.
Cold water.
Herbs.
Basic healing magic.
Nothing worked.
And outside…
The storm worsened.
The wind slammed against the wooden walls while thunder illuminated the sky.
The man looked at his wife.
Then at his son.
And made a decision.
He quickly grabbed a leather bag and began preparing to leave.
Kael immediately ran toward him and tightly grabbed his clothes.
—No…
His small eyes trembled.
—Don't go…
The man knelt in front of him.
And although he tried to smile…
His eyes showed fear.
—Kael, listen.
He gently caressed his head.
—I have to find medicine for mom.
—But it's dark…
—I'll come back quickly.
—I don't want to stay alone…
Those words made the man close his eyes for a moment.
Because something inside him…
Broke.
But even so, he smiled.
—You're strong, right?
Kael slowly lowered his gaze.
—Yeah…
—Then protect the house while I return.
The little boy slowly nodded.
The man kissed his son's forehead.
And then left beneath the storm.
The door closed.
And Kael never saw him again.
---
His mother's illness worsened as the years passed.
The healers could do nothing.
No one knew how to help her.
And while the woman's body slowly weakened…
Kael remained by her side every single day.
Until finally…
Four years later…
She died.
And Kael was left alone.
---
—So then…
Kael's voice weakly echoed inside that infinite darkness.
A tear slowly descended down his cheek.
His legs gave out.
And he fell to his knees.
Thousands of emotions collided inside him at the same time.
Confusion.
Pain.
Emptiness.
Because something was wrong.
Very wrong.
Those memories felt real.
Too real.
But then…
Who was he really?
The Demon King?
The child from that village?
Both?
Neither?
His breathing began to grow unstable.
—Who… am I…?
His hands trembled.
—What… am I really…?
And then it happened.
His body began to deform.
The flesh slowly melted as if it were losing its original shape. His bones cracked while his entire existence seemed to collapse inward on itself.
Kael opened his eyes full of horror.
But he felt no pain.
Only emptiness.
And seconds later…
Where Kael once stood…
Now there was a small white rabbit.
The little animal breathed heavily while looking around in confusion.
Then a voice spoke behind him.
—Relax.
The rabbit slowly turned.
A young man stood in the middle of the darkness.
He wore black clothes.
And over his face he wore a white mask with an enormous smile drawn on it, but without eyes.
That mask seemed to observe even without a gaze.
The young man slowly walked toward the rabbit.
And crouched in front of him.
—You protected me for a very long time.
He gently caressed the small animal's head.
—Thank you… my little friend.
The rabbit trembled slightly.
And then slowly began walking away into the darkness until it completely disappeared.
The young man remained silent for a few seconds.
Then he slowly raised his gaze.
And a monstrous pressure began spreading outward.
—Now…
His voice had changed.
It was deeper.
Colder.
More dangerous.
—It's time to return.
Slowly, he raised one hand toward the white mask.
—To where my body is.
And then—
A smile appeared beneath the mask.
—I…
The darkness trembled violently.
—Kael…
Black aura exploded around him like an infinite ocean.
—I have awakened.
And in the real world…
Kael's eyes opened once again.
In front of him…
The Minotaur King smiled savagely.
Without knowing…
That he had just awakened something completely different..