Under the wide blue sky, in the middle of open fields, a lone man sat beneath a large oak tree.
His name was Harals.
He rested his back against the trunk, one hand placed calmly on the sword beside him. His eyes were closed, as if waiting.
Footsteps approached.
"So," Harals said without opening his eyes, "are you the ones looking for warriors to defeat the Demon King?"
A young woman stepped forward confidently.
"Yes. My name is Friea. And this is my brother, Thorkel."
Harals opened his eyes and studied them.
"So you're the siblings the villagers have been talking about," he said. "They said you saved them from a demon attack."
Thorkel nodded proudly. "That was us. So… are you ready to travel with us?"
"Wait," Friea interrupted, raising her hand. "Before that, I'd like to test you."
She narrowed her eyes slightly.
"What kind of magic can you use?"
Harals picked up his sword and rested it over his shoulder.
"I can't use magic," he replied calmly. "It's just me… and this sword."
Friea's eyes widened. "What?! Do you even understand how strong the Demon King is?"
Harals stood up slowly.
"I'm not afraid of death," he said quietly. "I just want to fight that damn monster."
There was no hesitation in his voice.
Friea looked at her brother. "Do you really think we should recruit him?"
Thorkel crossed his arms. "We're running short on warriors. And he doesn't fear dying. That alone makes him useful."
After a moment of silence, Friea nodded.
"Fine. Welcome to the Demon Defense Alliance."
And just like that, Harals became a member.
Their journey began.
"Where are we heading?" Harals asked as they walked.
"We're meeting the other alliance members," Friea replied.
Thorkel added, "We don't have many yet. But the man who started this whole movement — Mr. Thomson — has ordered everyone to gather."
"And where is this meeting place?" Harals asked.
"It's about a month away," Friea said. "We leave at sunrise. Tonight, we'll stay in the nearby village."
That night, the village was quiet.
Too quiet.
Then—
Screams shattered the darkness.
"There's a demon!!"
Friea shot up instantly. "Sounds like a demon attack."
Harals grabbed his sword. "Yes."
Thorkel already had his hammer in hand. "Let's move!"
They rushed outside.
In the center of the village stood a massive creature nearly twelve feet tall, its body formed entirely from rocks and dirt. Each step shook the ground.
Friea raised her hand. "Divine Destr—"
"Stop!" Thorkel shouted. "That attack will destroy the entire town!"
Friea clicked her tongue. "Right. Then you attack."
Thorkel grinned and lifted his hammer — Mjolnir — crackling with lightning.
"Mjolnir Smash!"
BOOM.
Lightning exploded on impact. The rock monster shattered instantly into pieces.
Thorkel smirked. "That demon didn't stand a chance."
Harals gave a small nod. "You're strong, Thorkel."
"Wait," Friea said suddenly. "There's another one!"
"What?" Thorkel turned.
Harals narrowed his eyes toward the distance.
"I think that man over there just summoned it."
A figure stepped forward from the shadows.
"I am the Earth Demon… Higura."
The ground trembled as he raised his hand.
"Demonic Tornado."
A violent spiral of wind and debris erupted, trapping Friea inside.
"Ahhh!" she cried.
"Frieaaa!" Thorkel shouted.
"I'm fine!" her voice echoed from within. "Just stuck!"
Harals focused. "We need to defeat the caster. That tornado will collapse once he dies."
"But how?" Thorkel asked.
Harals leaned close and whispered quickly.
"…Do you understand?"
Thorkel's eyes widened — then he nodded.
"Let's do it."
"Mjolnir Smash!"
Thorkel charged forward, forcing Higura to focus on defense.
At the same time—
Harals ran straight into the tornado.
Wind tore at his clothes. Debris cut against his skin.
He gripped his sword tightly.
"Thorkel!" he shouted. "Lightning attack… now!"
Using the tornado's force, Harals spun and hurled his sword at terrifying speed toward Higura.
"Lightning Swing!"
Thorkel's lightning strike hit the flying blade mid-air.
The sword became a bolt of pure lightning.
It pierced directly through Higura's chest.
Silence.
The demon's body shattered.
The tornado dissolved instantly.
Friea collapsed to her knees as the wind faded.
She looked up at Harals. "That was… incredible. We won because of your quick thinking."
Thorkel laughed. "Yeah. Nice plan."
Harals shook his head. "It wouldn't have worked without both of you."
Villagers slowly emerged from their homes.
"Thank you… you saved us," one said. "But… fourteen people didn't make it."
Friea froze.
"…Fourteen?"
Tears filled her eyes.
Harals stepped closer. "Don't blame yourself."
"We tried to save as many as we could," Thorkel added quietly.
Friea clenched her fists.
"I swear," she whispered, "I will eradicate every demon… so no innocent lives are lost like this again."
Harals watched her silently.
The next morning.
Friea stretched her arms and forced a bright smile.
"Alright then! Time to begin our journey!"
Thorkel raised his hammer. "Yeahhh!"
Harals picked up his sword.
"Yes."
And so, the three heroes began their journey toward a war that would change the world.
To be continued…