Tara slowly opened his eyes. His head felt heavy, as if he had been asleep for days. He was staring at a stone ceiling. Thin light seeped through the old cracks above. The air smelled ancient—burned incense mixed with the cold scent of stone.
For a while, he lay there without moving. Then he slowly tried to sit up.
At that moment, a calm but aged voice spoke.
"Are you awake, child?"
Tara turned his head. A few steps away sat an old man with a long gray beard. He wore an old but clean robe and held a long staff in his hand. The wrinkles on his face carried the marks of many years, but his eyes were still sharp and alive.
Tara frowned.
"Who are you?" he said in a harsh voice. "Where… am I?"
The old man stood up, leaning on his staff.
"This is an old temple," he said. "A forgotten place. Far from the eyes of the gods."
Tara looked around. It was indeed a wide hall surrounded by stone pillars. Faded symbols covered the walls. Some resembled swords, others looked like the crests of ancient kingdoms.
The old man continued speaking.
"We… are what remains of the Toryos Dynasty."
Tara's eyes widened.
"Toryos?" he said in surprise. "The kingdom the gods destroyed?"
The old man slowly nodded.
"Yes."
For a moment, there was silence.
Tara asked again,
"Why am I here?"
The old man stepped closer and examined Tara carefully.
"Because you are the savior of humanity."
Tara's expression hardened instantly.
He suddenly stood up from the bed.
"That's nonsense!" he said.
But then something crossed his mind.
"Wait…"
His eyes widened.
"The slaves… did they escape?"
The old man remained silent for a few seconds.
Then he spoke coldly.
"No."
"None of them escaped."
"Edrar returned… and killed them all."
At that moment, the air in the room changed.
Tara's breathing grew heavy.
His hands began to tremble.
Then suddenly he lunged forward.
He grabbed the old man by the collar and slammed him against the wall.
"Don't lie to me!"
Tara's eyes slowly began turning red.
A crimson aura began spreading from his body.
Even the stones of the temple trembled from that power.
"Stop rambling!"
"What savior are you talking about?!"
Tara clenched his teeth.
"I'm weak!"
"I couldn't even fight a single god!"
Despite his throat being squeezed, the old man was not afraid.
Instead, there was a strange calm in his eyes.
Struggling to breathe, he spoke.
"Because… you still don't know your power."
Tara frowned.
"What are you talking about?"
The old man spoke slowly.
"You… possess Blood Synchronization."
The moment those words were spoken, Tara's grip loosened.
He released the old man.
Then stepped back.
"Blood… synchronization?"
The old man held his throat and took a deep breath.
"Yes."
"In the world of Alion, some humans can synchronize with elements."
Tara listened silently.
Zuzit continued.
"Those with Fire Synchronization can control flames."
"Those with Wind Synchronization move like shadows."
"Those with Earth Synchronization are nearly invincible."
"And those with Water Synchronization can heal their wounds rapidly."
Zuzit walked slowly, leaning on his staff.
"But all of those are elemental powers."
Then he turned toward Tara.
"Yours is different."
"Your power does not come from the elements."
"Your power… comes from your own blood."
Tara frowned.
"I don't understand."
Zuzit took a deep breath.
"Blood Synchronization… is the rarest power in human history."
"This power turns your body into a weapon."
"You can strengthen your blood."
"You can push your muscles close to the level of gods."
"You can heal your wounds far faster than normal humans."
"And most importantly…"
Zuzit's voice became heavier.
"You can harm divine beings."
Tara's eyes widened.
"Harm… gods?"
Zuzit nodded.
"Yes."
"That is why the gods fear Blood Synchronization."
"Because it is the only human power capable of breaking their armor."
Tara remained silent for a while.
Then he spoke slowly.
"But I can't do any of that."
Zuzit smiled slightly.
"Because you have not been trained yet."
"This power is born with you, but controlling it takes years."
Tara took a deep breath.
"What is your name, old man?"
"Zuzit."
Tara nodded.
"Zuzit… can you train me?"
Zuzit thought for a few seconds.
"Yes."
"But it will not be easy."
Then he pointed to a large door behind the temple.
"This temple is the last refuge of the Toryos Kingdom."
"The royal blacksmiths once worked here."
"If we wish… we can forge armor and a sword for you."
Tara raised an eyebrow.
"Normal armor?"
Zuzit shook his head.
"No."
"Armor made from your blood."
Tara looked at him in surprise.
"From my blood?"
"Yes."
"The blood of Blood Synchronization users can merge with metal."
"This armor can protect you from divine attacks."
"And your sword… can cut through the armor of gods."
Tara's eyes slowly changed.
The anger inside him was turning into determination.
"If we do this…"
"Can I kill the gods?"
Zuzit looked at him for a long moment.
Then he spoke slowly.
"Yes."
"One day… you can."
Tara clenched his fists.
"Train me, Zuzit."
"I want to become stronger than Edrar."
"So that no human will ever be a slave again."
Zuzit smiled faintly.
"I was waiting to hear that."
Then he struck his staff against the ground.
"Then your training begins tomorrow."
He paused for a moment.
Then looked at Tara.
There was a strange glimmer in his eyes.
"Prepare yourself…"
"Tarataryos."
"The God Killer is being born."