"I am neither a hero nor a villain. I am simply a man who walks by instinct."
Legends are rarely born from truth. More often they are born from fear, admiration, and the mouths of people who enjoy telling stories far too much. In a world like Aeras'Thal, a wrong story can grow into a myth in a very short time, especially if that story comes from two children who saw something they were never supposed to see.
From Irinthal Forest
The mist in Irinthal Forest was still thick when two small figures ran between the trees. Millo ran in front, almost tripping over a tree root sticking out of the ground. Kael followed behind him with heavy breathing.
"Faster!" whispered Millo.
"I am already fast!" Kael replied, gasping.
They had just climbed down from the tree where they had been hiding. What they saw still felt like a nightmare—or a beautiful dream for two boys who loved adventure far too much.
A creature as tall as a house. Huge horns. A body like living stone.
And then it exploded.
Just because a man stood in front of it.
Kael was still trembling.
"We shouldn't tell anyone," he said quietly.
Millo turned quickly. "Why not?"
"We entered the forest! We'll get scolded!"
Millo stopped in the middle of the path and looked at Kael as if he had just said something extremely stupid.
"Kael."
"What?"
"We just saw a man kill a monster as big as a house without a weapon."
Kael went silent.
Millo grinned.
"And you want to keep that a secret?"
Kael opened his mouth, then closed it again. He had no answer.
Running Back to the Village
The journey back to the village felt much longer than usual. The forest mist made every direction look the same. Several times they got lost. Once they almost screamed after seeing a large shadow between the trees—which turned out to be only a deer.
But eventually the trees became thinner. Sunlight broke through more strongly.
In the distance, the wooden roofs of Oryn village began to appear.
"Faster!" Millo said again.
They ran down a small hill and entered the dirt road of the village.
But their luck ended right there.
The moment they arrived in the village, someone immediately saw them.
The old priest of Oryn was sweeping the church yard. When he saw the two boys coming from the direction of the forest, his face changed instantly.
"MILLO!"
The voice made both boys freeze.
Kael whispered, "We're dead."
The priest walked closer with quick steps.
"Where were you?"
No answer.
The priest looked at their muddy feet, then turned his head toward the forest behind them.
His face immediately turned pale.
"You went into Irinthal?"
Millo tried to smile. "A little."
The priest immediately grabbed Millo's ear.
"A little?!"
"Ow! Ow! Sorry!"
Kael tried to explain. "We were only—"
The priest pointed at both of them.
"Do you know how many hunters never returned from that forest?"
The villagers began gathering. A woman carrying a basket of bread stopped walking. A woodcutter lowered his axe. Everyone stared at the two boys.
Millo raised his hand.
"Priest… actually there's a reason why we went there."
The priest sighed in annoyance. "What is it now?"
Millo and Kael looked at each other.
Then Millo said quietly, "We saw something."
A Story Too Big
At first, no one believed them.
A hunter laughed. "A monster exploded?"
A woman shook her head. "You read too many church books, Millo."
But Kael suddenly spoke.
"I swear… we saw it."
He swallowed.
"Sil'Turah."
The crowd immediately fell silent.
That name was not a name people said casually. Some even made a small prayer sign on their chests.
The priest frowned.
"Where did you learn that name?"
"From the books in the church library," Millo answered quickly.
He raised his hands and began telling everything with excitement about the large man covered in scars, about the monster that emerged from the mist, about the explosion that destroyed the creature's body, and about the small horned creature sitting on his shoulder.
When he finished speaking, no one spoke immediately.
Some people looked doubtful.
But the hunters exchanged glances.
One of them finally spoke quietly. "I did hear an explosion from the direction of the forest."
Another added, "I also saw smoke."
An old woman whispered, "Maybe the forest spirits are angry…"
Millo immediately shook his head.
"Not spirits."
He pointed toward the forest.
"That man."
The Story Begins to Spread
That day the village of Oryn talked about nothing else.
Millo and Kael's story was retold many times. Every time the story changed slightly.
In the hands of the hunters, the man became a legendary monster hunter.
In the hands of the farmers, he became the guardian of the forest.
In the hands of the village children, he became a mysterious hero who killed monsters with only a glance.
But the story did not stop in the village.
Because every week, a salt merchant came to Oryn.
And merchants always carried two things: goods… and stories.
From Village to Village
Three days later, a salt merchant named Haret left the village of Oryn with his cart.
Along the journey he stopped at several small villages. And in every place he told the story he had just heard.
"Have you heard about the man in Irinthal Forest?" he said while drinking liquor.
"Sil'Turah appeared there."
People immediately turned their heads.
"And then?"
"That creature exploded."
"How?"
Haret smiled mysteriously.
"A man simply stood in front of it."
The story changed again.
In the next village, the man was said to have eyes that burned monsters.
In another village, they said he had an ancient demon serving him.
In the next small town, he became known as the guardian of the cursed forest.
And within days…
a name began to appear in that story.
Without Noc's permission.
And without his knowledge.
A Tavern in Western Cerythralis
The evening sky hung gray.
A tavern stood at the edge of a stone road, where mercenaries and travelers stopped to rest. Tobacco smoke mixed with the scent of alcohol and wet wood.
In the corner of the room, a man leaned against the wall with an empty bottle of liquor in his hand.
His eyes were sharp like a wild beast.
His face looked calm, yet dangerous. His long robe was black.
Beside his chair rested a large plain sword. It had no decoration, yet the atmosphere around it felt heavy.
The man was Augustus Kael'dorn.
A wandering swordsman respected throughout the world.
He bowed to no order, served no kingdom, and believed in no dogma.
The only rival of a Sword Saint.
Yet there was one principle he always followed.
Augustus believed in only two things.
He lifted his glass.
"Instinct."
"And the sword."
Valdryss
The sword's name was Valdryss.
A silent sword from the Era of Concordia.
Forged from a dragon's vein, washed with the first water of the world, and bound by the oath of a queen on the day of her death.
Valdryss was not just a sword.
It was a witness of history.
It possessed awareness.
Sometimes it sensed the intentions of others.
Sometimes...
it whispered.
Its blade did not shine. It was not magnificent. Just a long piece of iron with carvings almost erased by time.
But for those who knew, Valdryss was one of the great creations of the Third Era.
At the table near Augustus, two old hunters were talking.
"They say the man just stood there… and Sil'Turah exploded."
"They say the nature around him reacted."
"Maybe he's an ancient entity."
"They say the Church has started looking for him."
"And there was an ancient demon… sitting on his shoulder like a symbol of power."
Augustus slowly spun his glass while staring at the fire in the hearth.
"Irinthal Forest…" he murmured. "I haven't heard that name in a long time."
Valdryss vibrated softly beside him.
Invisible to others, but Augustus felt it.
Like a whisper.
"I remember the scent of Sil'Turah."
Augustus stood up and took his sword.
One of the old hunters swallowed nervously.
"Y-you're… going to that forest?"
Augustus smiled faintly.
"I'm just curious."
He opened the tavern door. Cold wind entered.
"If that story is true, I want to see it myself."
He stepped outside.
"Whether that man is truly human… or something more."
The old hunter asked again.
"And if he's strong?"
Augustus stopped for a moment.
"Then we talk."
He turned slightly.
"If he's weak…"
his smile thinned.
"…I will make sure he pays for wasting my time."
He walked away along the evening road.
"But my instincts are never wrong, unless… my instincts have truly become dull."
And in the silence, Valdryss whispered again.
"Perhaps… there lies your chance to break your limits, Augustus."
In the distance, mist began to gather toward the direction of Irinthal Forest.
And without anyone realizing it, two different legends were walking toward the same place one guided by instinct, the other by accident.
The world did not yet know that their meeting would change more than just one village.
Because with one accidental explosion, a legend was born.
With one unheard whisper, fate shifted.
And within the mist of Irinthal, the shadow of a sword began moving toward the destroyer of Sil'Turah.