Kairo fell to his knees in the blood-soaked clearing, his hands shaking uncontrollably.
He forced himself to dig a giant pit with his bare hands, fingers clawing through dirt and roots. One by one, he carried each child's body with heartbreaking gentleness. Their bones were twisted at unnatural angles, internal organs spilled out in horrifying displays. The metallic stench of blood and death clung to his skin.
His stomach finally rebelled. Kairo staggered several steps away and vomited violently, tears streaming down his face as his body heaved.
A hooded man emerged silently from the treeline.
"What are you doing here with those children?"
"They are dead…" Kairo's voice cracked.
"The King of Arrogance killed these children."
He broke down completely, shoulders trembling as sobs tore from his throat.
The hooded man stepped closer and placed a cool palm over Kairo's eyes. The moment he lifted his hand, the nightmare vanished.
The children were alive. Unharmed. Peacefully sleeping exactly where they had been earlier.
Kairo's breath hitched. Someone… was manipulating me into killing them.
One by one, the children began to stir.
"Big brother… what is happening?" a small girl asked, rubbing her eyes.
Kairo noticed a note pinned to a nearby tree. He snatched it with trembling fingers.
That power you are seeking for is deadly and it will corrupt your mind. So don't follow the lead of arrogance.
"We have no time. They will find us."
"Who will find us?"
the smart-looking boy asked, now fully alert.
"The King."
Kairo scanned the group.
"I have one question. Do you have mothers and fathers?"
A girl stepped forward.
"Actually, we are brothers and sisters. Our father is in prison because he changed his religion. We were sent here… and it happened yesterday when you came. That King killed many followers of the new religion. We were the strongest kids. We were able to hunt somehow because of our older brother, but he died. We were lost… then we found you, and you were taking care of us."
"Ohh… so it is because of the new religion."
Kairo ran a hand through his hair, exhaling heavily.
"Uhh, now I kinda hate religion and want to become atheist… but I don't know. I think religion is good too. It's just the people. Well, anyway… where are your mother and father?"
"We don't know,"
a boy replied quietly.
"We were just lost. They might find us."
"Uhh, you kids should have told me before. I didn't want to ask… I thought your parents were dead."
Kairo's expression softened.
"Well, I'm gonna use magic and ask other beings who aren't able to see with the naked eye to find where your parents are."
He performed the spell, hands glowing faintly. A bright path of light materialized before them.
"Ok, kids. Follow me. I know exactly where your parents are."
The children nodded with visible excitement, their eyes sparkling with hope.
"They are nearby… but there are way less people. Only ten adults accepted the new religion. They are very young, not old people. Hmm… so these people have been torturing them too. Not giving them food, not doing business with them, and torturing them, so they left. But their kids went lost because of a storm… and I stumbled and found them."
"So, did I say something wrong?"
"No, you are absolutely right. How did you know all that?"
one kid asked, wide-eyed.
Kairo offered a small, mysterious smile.
"There are things which I shouldn't reveal to you guys."
He led the way along the glowing path, the children trailing closely behind him through the dense, shadowed forest.
Kairo suddenly stopped, raising a hand to halt the children.
"You all run straight forward. There are predators here."
He scanned the dark forest nervously, head tilting as he sensed multiple presences approaching. A faint smile touched his lips as he looked at the children one last time.
"Well, farewell. I think you will meet your parents in a few minutes of running. If I came along, I would only be a burden. So… farewell, kids."
The children hesitated for a moment, then dashed forward into the trees. Kairo watched them disappear before transforming into his adult form with a swirl of mud magic. He turned and deliberately stumbled toward the approaching group of guards.
"Hey there. Searching for someone?"
he asked casually.
One guard's eyes widened in recognition.
"You! You are that person! Finally! I am the lucky man!" The guard beamed with excitement. "Yes! Please follow me, sir. You are our precious guest. Here, ride on my horse. I will make sure you reach our land and we will serve you in the most luxurious way possible."
Kairo nodded arrogantly, mounting the horse with a haughty expression. The guard walked ahead, holding the leash with visible pride.
Well then, kids… your big brother saved you.
As they traveled, Kairo spotted another group of men heading in the exact direction the children had gone. The moment they noticed him, the men abandoned their previous path.
"He found our next general! Or possibly our prince of this land!" the guard screamed.
Cheers erupted from the search party behind them. Yet among the celebration, several men grumbled with clear resentment.
"Uhh, damn it. I went here following those brats. If I had ignored them, I would have found the prince…"
"I wish I could kill those brats… but no time. At least I'll get some rewards for being in this search party."
Kairo kept his expression neutral as they finally reached the grand palace. The King himself stood at the entrance to welcome him.
Kairo stepped forward and pulled the King into a bold hug. The King stiffened for a brief second before patting his back.
"Here in this land, it is forbidden to reveal names," the King said smoothly, pulling back with a sharp smile.
"The strongest of all should only be called by title. You have very big strength and beauty indeed. You are stronger than the other men. But you have to make sure that you obey the rules of this kingdom and follow its laws."
"What kind of laws?" Kairo asked, tilting his head.
The King's eyes gleamed with dark pride.
"The opposite of kindness is the most important rule in this land."
A heavy silence settled between them as the weight of those words hung in the air.
The King leaned back on his horse, eyes narrowing slightly.
"Why were you here?"
Kairo walked beside the horse, keeping pace with steady strides.
"Obviously to kill those children. After the ritual was over, I killed them. I saw something in the market—you were selling children's heads. I didn't know what to do… so I just ate them."
The King's lips curved into a pleased smile.
"Good. But how did you become weak? You have turned into a kid."
"Well, it's because I have a damn curse which reduces my age and makes me vulnerable for a time. That's the reason why I ran away from there."
Ohh god, that was so slick. Nobody's gonna catch me. It's embarrassing… but it's like that princess shoe thing. Except they want to kill me instead.
Kairo exhaled slowly.
"Ohh, King, why are you so interested in me? Like I'm just a traveler. A nobody. A cursed guy."
Ohh crap, I'm not arrogant right now.
He forced a sharp smile.
"But still, your nobles are too weak."
The King threw his head back and laughed.
"I thought you were not arrogant for a second. But you really are."
His tone turned mocking.
"That person you ripped the arm off wasn't a noble. He was just our weakest peasant."
Kairo's expression darkened, fists clenching at his sides.
"Uhh, damn it. I thought I was the strongest."
"No, you are not. Because nobody has defeated me even after hundreds of years. So even if you were in your full prime, if you stabbed me from behind, it wouldn't affect me at all, Kairo."
Kairo's steps faltered.
"How did you know my name?"
"I know more things. You are not from this world. Your world has a different flow of time than us." The King gestured ahead.
"Hmm… ohh, here we are again. In the city already."
Uhh, no way. How did time go so fast? Time is really strange here.
The King stopped in front of a grand building and turned to face him.
"You may stay in our most luxurious hotel. Tomorrow, your power will be tested. You will fight the generals."
Kairo nodded confidently.
"Yeah. I will defeat them in seconds."
As the King began to ride away, he glanced back over his shoulder.
"Kairo, let's kill that prophecy kid those old geezers were talking about."
"Yeah. We won't leave anybody."
Kairo watched the King disappear into the night before entering the luxurious hotel. Once inside his lavish room, he collapsed onto the bed, staring at the ceiling.
I'm screwed. I have to keep this adult form for twenty-four hours. Not only that, I'm making the bed dirty with this mud. And I can also sense that there are people watching me for hours.
The shadowy figure of himself emerged from the shadows, flickering beside the bed with a mocking grin.
"Now what will you do, Kairo? It is tomorrow. You will die without my powers. How will you survive it? No magic. No superhuman ability. Wait—you have learned the basics of magic, but strength magic is way too hard."
Kairo lay still, staring at the ceiling as heavy silence filled the room.
Yeah… I am dead by tomorrow. How am I supposed to fight those generals? Ohh god—ohh wait a second, why did I call god? I'm an atheist.
"Yeah, not even god will save you,"
the shadowy figure taunted.
"Thank you for telling me that."
The shadowy figure laughed. "So are you gonna think of that imaginary god you guys created?"
Kairo closed his eyes, voice quiet but firm.
"Yeah. Because these guys got powers from evil or satanic powers.
While my only hope is God. I don't have anything.
I am not arrogant.
I am quite the opposite.
I just don't like to be arrogant.
Let me die over and over again. Even if I fail, it's fine. I won't die as an arrogant guy.
After encountering these people and disliking the ideology of arrogance… instead of that, I became humble.
And that thing has brought peace to my heart i have never feel that good even with after being a prince having fame and wealth.
Only good deeds are making my heart light.
Even though I am doing the bad deed of not thinking God is real according to my father… I will find out if that God really exists or not by my faith.
If I fail, I will just die and let those evil people win. Even though I am all alone… I somehow feel I have an army Well who knows i just became a one man army himself."
The shadowy figure said nothing. The room fell into deep silence, broken only by the faint sound of distant laughter from somewhere in the luxurious palace