Leonhart stepped forward slowly, placing each foot with extreme care. The forest floor was littered with dry leaves and twigs that threatened to betray him with even the slightest crunch.
Damn it... I've got no other choice.
He lunged forward.
Before he could make a sound, the pale creature moved with horrifying speed. Its unnaturally bent limbs lashed out, ripping Kairo's body clean in half.
Kairo's scream tore through the silence — raw, agonized, and filled with shock.
"What happened to meeeeeee—?!"
Leonhart's heart nearly stopped. Without hesitation, he jumped forward, grabbed the glowing flower the angel had pointed out, and scooped up Kairo's broken pieces before the creature could strike again.
Just as the monster turned toward him, a black-colored horse burst from the shadows, moving with unnatural silence.
Leonhart's eyes widened.
"No way... it's Kairo's horse! How did he even end up here?!"
The angel's voice rang out urgently.
"That horse is still young. Grab on to him — he is very fast!"
Leonhart didn't hesitate. He leaped onto the horse's back, clutching Kairo's severed body tightly against his chest with one arm while gripping the flower in the other.
The horse — Wind — shot forward like a shadow. Its hooves made no sound on the forest floor, and not a single leaf stirred as they raced through the trees. In mere moments, they were back inside the safety of the cave, the creature left far behind.
The horse vanished as suddenly as it had appeared.
The angel remained for a brief moment, his expression calm yet serious.
"Don't worry. Just be patient. You will eventually gain power. Be patient."
With those final words, the angel vanished into the golden light.
Leonhart collapsed to his knees, still holding Kairo's broken form. His hands shook as he stared at the gruesome sight. The flower glowed softly in his other hand, its power waiting to be used.
He was safe for now.
But the image of Kairo being torn apart was burned into his mind.
The real fight was only beginning.
Leonhart screamed, his voice cracking with raw despair.
"I'm so sorry, Kairo! I wanted to sacrifice myself... I wanted to sacrifice myself, but that monster was way too fast! I couldn't do anything! He was so fast I couldn't even react! But... I don't know why... how are you still alive?!"
Kairo remained unconscious, his body still split in two. Leonhart's shoulders shook violently as tears streamed down his face.
"I want to go home... I can't stay here... My father told me to be brave, but these monsters are way too scary! I can't... I can't stay here any longer! Someone help me! Help me!"
The sight of his friend torn apart had broken something deep inside Leonhart. At such a young age, the trauma had already scarred him for life. He didn't want to live anymore. He just wanted it all to end.
His trembling hand reached for a sharp piece of broken metal on the cave floor — a makeshift knife.
Before he could bring it to his own throat, a weak hand stopped his arm.
Kairo's eyes were barely open, his voice a hoarse whisper.
"Leonhart..."
Leonhart froze, tears still falling.
"I'm sorry, Kairo... I didn't want to... but yeah, I'm a fool. I'm sorry, Kairo. I will be even more brave. Thank you for comforting me."
He stood up slowly, wiping his tears. His voice grew steadier, filled with quiet resolve.
"I won't fear anyone except God."
Leonhart looked down at the glowing flower in his hand. It had only four petals.
"Well, how do I use this flower...? Hmm... let's see. I think we have to eat it. Okay, fine by me."
He carefully split the flower, eating two petals himself and gently placing the remaining two into Kairo's mouth. He helped Kairo chew, forcing the sweet petals down.
The effect was immediate.
Kairo's body began to heal rapidly. The torn flesh knitted back together. Out of pure instinct, Kairo started eating the petals on his own. They tasted incredibly sweet, releasing a flood of happy hormones that washed away some of the pain and exhaustion.
Kairo's eyes fluttered open.
"What happened to me... Leonhart?"
Leonhart's voice was hoarse but determined.
"It seems like we have gained a temporary power, Kairo."
Kairo sat up slowly, clenching his newly healed fists.
"Well then... let's go and kill him. Is it fine by you?"
Leonhart nodded, fire returning to his eyes.
"Yeah. Let's do it and kill that bastard."
Kairo paused, thinking.
"We don't have any weapon or armor. How do we even fight?"
Leonhart nodded grimly.
"Yeah... how do we actually fight someone that strong? Only a few of the strongest members could even move when his presence hit our land."
Kairo's expression hardened with quiet conviction.
"Well, I think we don't need any armor. We need to believe in the angel. Leonhart, you know it's a divine message. So yeah... we need to put our faith in it. It requires faith, am I right?"
Leonhart nodded.
"Yeah... I guess so. Well then, when he arrives, we can kill him."
A whole week passed.
Kairo and Leonhart were on the verge of death. They hadn't eaten anything — only the small amount of water the angel had left them. Their temporary strength from the flower had long since faded.
Kairo leaned against the cave wall, breathing weakly.
"Damn it... even on the treadmill he used to give us food to keep us alive. But he left us like this. We're too weak right now..."
Then the mysterious figure appeared, his footsteps slow and menacing.
"You think I'm a fool, kid? You think I didn't see you grabbing that flower? Yeah, it's very rare even in this forest, and I used to save it for my magic ceremony. You brats just ate it. Now I'm tired of you. I will make sure you regret eating it. So now open your mouths — I have brought hot coal for food and lava to quench your thirst."
The figure approached slowly, carrying a bucket of glowing lava and coals.
Kairo's eyes narrowed.
"Well, you shouldn't step on that."
The mysterious figure froze, shocked, as he realized he had stepped directly onto the thorny remains of the deadly flower hidden beneath the petals they had eaten.
"No way... how did you even know that?"
Leonhart smirked weakly.
"Yeah, I saw it. Besides that flower, there was a deadly one. I knew that flower must be special. I saw many deadly mushrooms, and yeah, I could smell the poison. My father trained me how to tell whether food is poisoned or not. Gotta say, that poison even melted away my leather bag. Let's see how long you'll survive that."
The figure clicked his tongue in annoyance.
"Uhh, so annoying."
He removed the thorns one by one from his foot.
"Do you think this poison works on me?"
Before he could finish speaking, both Kairo and Leonhart lunged forward and punched him straight in the gut with all their remaining strength. Even as giants, they still looked like dwarfs compared to the towering being.
The mysterious figure staggered back, enraged.
"How dare you—!"
Kairo grabbed the bucket of lava and poured it directly onto the figure.
Instead of agony, the being only laughed maniacally.
"Well, our beings are born out of fire! How do you even kill us with fire?"
His laughter echoed through the cave, dark and triumphant.
The battle had only just begun.
And the mysterious figure was far from defeated.
Leonhart and Kairo punched the mysterious figure with every ounce of strength they had left. The blows landed hard, actually affecting him this time.
The mysterious figure staggered back, eyes wide with genuine shock.
"How… how did that happen?!"
Leonhart stepped forward and held up another glowing flower — smaller, but clearly the same type.
The figure's face twisted in disbelief.
"No way… How did you find another one? How did you… didn't you eat it and gain more strength? How is that even possible?!"
Kairo's lips curled into a tired but defiant smirk.
"Well, you know I'm much of a reader. When Leonhart didn't eat the stem of the flower, it still had its roots attached. We didn't eat the full flower. I read about it in the book. And even though we had only a little bit of water stored, this flower is so strong that just one drop is enough to make it fully grow."
The mysterious figure stared, stunned.
"No way… If I had known that, I would have made a whole flower field. Thank you for telling me."
Kairo raised his hands, his voice calm but firm.
"No. You won't remember this part."
He activated the Mind Memory Alteration magic he had once used during the war.
The mysterious figure laughed mockingly at first.
"That little magic won't work on me—"
But suddenly, his expression changed. The spell took hold far more effectively than expected.
Still confused, the figure lifted the bucket of hot coal and lava.
"So… I brought coal and lava to finish your thirst and your hunger. Which will you prefer?"
Kairo didn't hesitate. He punched the figure straight in the face with renewed force. The impact actually staggered the towering being.
The mysterious figure looked utterly bewildered.
"How did you find that flower and eat it? I didn't see you eat it!"
At that exact moment, the angel appeared once more. With a gentle wave of his hand, he summoned a gleaming sword out of thin air and placed it in Leonhart's grasp.
Leonhart didn't waste a second. He lunged forward and drove the blade deep into the mysterious figure's back.
Simultaneously, the angel handed Kairo a sharp dagger. Kairo moved with deadly precision, slashing at the figure's weak point around his neck.
Together, the two boys stabbed and cut over fifty times in a frenzy of desperate, accumulated rage.
The mysterious figure roared, staggering backward.
"I am still the strongest! Uhh… how did I even get defeated by these kids… uhhh…"
He fell to his knees, blood — or whatever passed for it — pouring from countless wounds.
Kairo's dagger suddenly shimmered and transformed into a full-length sword. Leonhart nodded at him, eyes burning with determination.
In perfect sync, both boys swung with all their might.
Their blades sliced cleanly through the mysterious figure's neck, severing his head in one powerful motion.
Without pausing, they continued slashing, cutting the body into tiny pieces. Finally, they gathered the remains and threw them into the very bucket of lava the figure had brought to torment them.
The lava hissed and bubbled as it consumed the pieces.
For a long moment, silence filled the cave.
Kairo and Leonhart stood there, breathing heavily, covered in sweat and blood that wasn't entirely their own.
They had done it.
The monster who had tormented them for so long was gone.
But as the adrenaline began to fade, the weight of everything they had endured started to settle in.
Leonhart looked at Kairo, his voice quiet but filled with quiet awe.
"We… we actually did it."
Kairo nodded slowly, staring at the bubbling lava.
"Yeah… we did."
Yet deep down, both boys knew this victory was only the beginning.
The real trials — and the long road home — still lay ahead.
Then, suddenly, Leonhart clutched his chest, his face twisting in pain.
"Why does it feel so hot around my chest area...?"
Kairo's eyes widened in shock. He looked down and realized the truth in an instant.
The mysterious figure, even in his last breath, had triggered a secret trap meant for Kairo. The deadly attack had struck Leonhart instead because he had been standing in the way. With the contractor's death, the one who had signed the contract lost his immortality — and the backlash had claimed its price.
Kairo's heart seized.
"No... Leonhart, wait! You can't leave me, buddy! No, Leonhart... you can't just sacrifice yourself for me!"
Leonhart's eyes were already growing blurry, his massive frame swaying unsteadily. Blood seeped slowly from the wound in his chest where the trap had pierced him.
"Thank you, Kairo... Will you remember my name? If I don't make it out... tell my father and mother that I fought bravely. I didn't die as a coward."
Kairo's mind raced. Removing that dagger would cause massive blood leakage... I think I should let it be for now.
He grabbed Leonhart's shoulders, voice cracking with desperation.
"Leonhart, I won't let you die. I promise. We will somehow make it out alive. I swear to God. Leon, believe in me."
Leonhart's eyes fluttered shut. His breathing grew dangerously shallow.
Kairo immediately poured every ounce of his healing magic into his friend. The green aura flared brightly, removing some of the poison and stabilizing the worst of the damage. But it wasn't enough. Leonhart had fallen into a deep coma, and his life remained in grave danger. Without proper medical care, he wouldn't survive.
And they were still trapped deep inside the forbidden forest.
The angel appeared once more, his expression urgent.
"Kairo, go straight from here. No matter what happens, don't change direction. Just rush forward. Let me handle the rest. Will you?"
Kairo nodded fiercely. He lifted Leonhart onto his back in a piggyback carry, adjusting his grip carefully so the dagger wouldn't shift.
"Thank you so much. I will run with all my might."
The angel's voice softened with quiet approval.
"Very well. This is our farewell."
With those final words, the angel vanished in a soft burst of golden light.
Kairo took a deep breath, his legs burning from exhaustion and the lingering effects of their long torment. Leonhart's weight pressed against him — heavy, but nothing compared to the fear of losing his friend.
He broke into a desperate sprint, straight ahead through the twisted trees of the forbidden forest.
Every step sent jolts of pain through his body, but he didn't slow down. The green healing aura continued to flicker weakly around Leonhart, trying to keep him stable.
The forest seemed to close in around them, dark and hostile. Strange sounds echoed from the shadows — growls, whispers, and the rustle of things that should not exist.
Kairo's heart pounded violently in his chest.
Hold on, Leonhart... Just hold on a little longer.
He had made a promise.
And no matter how exhausted or terrified he was, he would keep it.
The exit — and any hope of saving his friend — lay somewhere straight ahead.
He could only run.
And pray.