Monk's Life — Flashback
Before He Was the Monk
His name was Kenny.
Before the fire.
Before the screams.
Before the bargain.
He stood within the fortress walls—young, disciplined, and strikingly handsome. His body was honed by endless training. Every morning. Every night. Never skipping a day.
Kenny wanted only one thing.
Kendra energy.
He trained harder than anyone in his class, yet one by one, they all awakened their Kendra.
All of them—
Except him.
At first, Kenny didn't think much of it.
Next time,he told himself.
Then one day, everything changed.
He was nearly killed on patrol.
A shadow burst between him and death—
A warrior wielding a manifested Kendra blade, cutting down the threat in a single strike.
Kenny stared in awe.
That power…
That certainty…
From that day on, the hunger never left him.
He begged his teacher.
"Let me enter the Void Room."
The teacher's face hardened.
"Not yet," he said firmly.
"You won't survive it."
Kenny didn't listen.
Late at night, alone, he stepped into the Void Room.
At first—nothing.
Then the void awakened.
The walls dissolved.
The world twisted.
His nightmares crawled out of his mind, taking shape before him.
His deepest fears.
His failures.
His weakness.
Again.
And again.
And again.
"AAHH—!"
Kenny screamed.
The nightmare reset.
"AAHH—!"
A loop.
Endless.
When soldiers finally forced the doors open, they found him collapsed, clawing at the floor, eyes empty, mind shattered.
"What happened?!" one shouted.
They dragged him out—
But it was too late.
Kenny was never the same.
The fortress cast him out.
*Mentally unstable.*
*Unfit.*
*Failed.*
He returned home.
He tried to live a normal life.
He married.
He smiled.
But the emptiness never left.
The desire festered.
The thought that he could have been more gnawed at him every waking moment.
One night—
He left everything behind.
He climbed into the mountains and began to meditate.
Days passed.
Then weeks.
Nothing happened.
No awakening.
No sign.
Finally, something broke.
Kenny screamed into the empty sky, voice tearing apart.
"WHY ME?!"
His fists slammed into stone again and again.
"Why does everyone have Kendra energy—"
"WHY DON'T I?!"
Blood ran down his hands.
Tears streamed down his face.
"I just wanted to be powerful…" he sobbed.
"So I could protect my family."
The mountain answered with silence.
And somewhere in that silence—
Something listened.
Lightning cracked across the sky.
BOOM.
Thunder roared through the mountains, shaking the ground beneath Kenny's knees.
Rain began to fall.
Then—
A voice.
"Hey there."
Kenny flinched violently and spun around.
His breath caught in his throat.
A figure stood behind him—
Tall. Still. Wrong.
"W–Who are you?" Kenny stammered, scrambling backward.
The figure tilted its head slightly.
"I am nobody," it said calmly.
Kenny's heart hammered.
"A… a ghost?" he whispered.
"You may call me that," the figure replied.
"But I am more than a ghost."
The air grew heavy.
"I can make your dreams come true."
Kenny froze.
"Power," the entity continued.
"More than you have ever imagined."
Kenny's lips trembled.
"In return," it said softly,
"I will take something from you."
Kenny swallowed hard.
"W–What do you want?" he asked.
The figure shook its head.
"I won't tell you."
Kenny's eyes widened.
"It is your choice," the entity went on.
"If you agree to the contract, you will gain power."
A pause.
"And in return… I will take something precious."
The figure raised its hand.
Dark light gathered in its palm—
Flickering. Twisting.
A sheet of paper materialized from the glow, old and worn, covered in shifting symbols.
"You must sign," the entity said.
The paper drifted toward Kenny.
The rain soaked through his clothes.
His hands shook.
Power…
Or nothing.
And somewhere deep inside him—
Fear and desire screamed at the same time.
"I… I don't even know if this is real," Kenny whispered.
Rain slid down his face, mixing with tears.
"But I want Kendra energy," he thought desperately.
"I lived my entire life for it."
He clenched his fists.
"Yes," Kenny said aloud. "I agree."
He looked at the floating contract.
"Is there a pen?" he asked weakly.
The figure tilted its head.
"I do not have a pen," Tithe replied.
A knife appeared in its hand.
"But this will do."
Kenny stared at the blade.
His breath trembled.
Then—he grabbed it.
Without another thought, he slashed his palm.
"Ahh—!"
Blood poured from the cut and splashed onto the contract.
The symbols burned bright crimson.
"Kukuku…"
Tithe smiled.
The paper dissolved.
And—
**BOOM.**
Kenny's body convulsed as Kendra energy exploded from within him. Dark light burst from his chest, wrapping around his arms, his spine, his veins.
He screamed—then laughed.
Kenny stared at his shaking hand.
"I… I can feel it," he breathed.
"This power…"
A smile spread across his face.
"My power."
"Your strength is now beyond human," Tithe said softly.
"Kukuku…"
Then—
The energy shifted.
Something wrapped around Kenny's body.
Dark. Cold. Crushing.
"H–Huh?" Kenny gasped.
"W–What's happening—?!"
Tithe's voice lost all warmth.
"It is time to pay your debt."
Kenny's eyes widened in terror.
"In return," Tithe said calmly,
"I will take what is most precious to you."
The shadows tightened.
"Your eyes."
"Your face."
"Your hands."
"Your beauty."
"N–NO—!!" Kenny tried to scream—
But his mouth was sealed shut.
Invisible hands forced his head back.
Kenny's eyes widened in pure horror as Tithe's fingers dug into his face—
"AAAAAAHHHHHH—!!!"
Blood sprayed.
His screams were muffled as his eyes were torn away.
The knife carved into his face, peeling away the features he once admired.
His strong body withered, muscle draining away, skin tightening over bone.
"You were possessed by your own beauty," Tithe whispered mockingly.
"Was I wrong?"
"Kukuku…"
Kenny collapsed onto the ground, blind, broken, bleeding.
"Ahh… ahhh…" he sobbed weakly.
"Mom…" he cried.
"M–Mom…"
His voice cracked.
"I don't want to die…"
The rain washed his blood into the dirt.
The power remained.
But the man named Kenny—
Was gone.
Only the Monk was left behind.
He thought he was dying.
His body lay broken in the mud, blood washing away in the rain. His breath came shallow… slower… weaker.
Then—
**THUMP.**
A heartbeat.
Kenny gasped.
**THUMP. THUMP.**
His heart started pounding again—harder than before.
His veins burned.
Kendra energy surged through his chest, forcing his pulse to continue.
"I… I'm alive," he whispered hoarsely.
He tried to move.
Pain exploded through his body.
"I—I can't see…" he cried.
"M–Mom… please help…"
Tears spilled from empty sockets.
Then—
Something changed.
A cold sensation spread across his face.
Light—faint, unfamiliar—returned.
Blue.
His ruined eyes glowed with a dull, unnatural blue light.
Shapes appeared.
Blurred.
Distorted.
Unclear.
"I… I can see," Kenny breathed.
"B–But not clearly…"
The world looked wrong—edges warped, colors bleeding, shadows stretching where they shouldn't.
His Kendra energy twisted inside him, unstable, corrupted.
This wasn't sight.
It was Kendra perception—a cruel replacement.
Power keeping him alive.
Power refusing to let him die.
Power turning his suffering into eternity.
Kenny screamed into the rain.
And the mountains answered with silence.
Kenny returned home.
The door opened—
And fear filled the room.
His wife screamed.
She stumbled back, clutching her chest, eyes wide with terror.
"M–Monster—!"
His father stepped in front of her.
"Get out," he said, voice shaking.
"Whatever you are… you're not my son anymore."
His mother couldn't even look at him.
Kenny fell to his knees.
"I'm still me," he cried.
"Please… please look at me…"
But the door slammed shut.
Outside—
Villagers gathered.
Whispers turned into shouting.
"Demon!"
"Cursed!"
"Kill it before it spreads!"
Torches rose.
Blades flashed.
They attacked.
Kenny didn't want to fight.
But fear became pain.
Pain became rage.
And rage became slaughter.
When it ended, the village was silent—bodies scattered, blood soaking into the dirt.
Kenny stood alone.
Shaking.
"What… have I done…?" he whispered.
He ran.
Far.
Until the sound of water drowned out his thoughts.
The river.
Kenny stood at its edge, staring into the rushing current.
"Please… let it end," he sobbed.
He stepped forward.
The water swallowed him—
And spat him back out.
His lungs refilled.
His heart beat again.
No matter what he did—
His body healed.
Regenerated.
Refused death.
He collapsed on the riverbank, laughing and crying at the same time.
"I can't even die…"
Then—
Slow clapping echoed behind him.
Kenny turned.
A man stood there, thin smile, nervous eyes.
Dan fisher.
"I—I saw what you did to that village," Dan fisher said, swallowing hard.
"Y–You're terrifying…"
He hesitated… then forced a grin.
"But people like you," he continued,
"they deserve more than this."
Kenny stared at him.
Empty.
Lifeless.
"I can give you purpose," Dan said quickly.
"W–Work for me."
Silence.
Kenny didn't respond.
He didn't care anymore.
Not about right.
Not about wrong.
Not about living.
And that was exactly why Dan smiled.
Back in the present—
The Monk lay still, flames crawling weakly across his ruined body.
His gaze drifted upward.
The moon hung above the village—pale, distant, untouched.
"…Working with Dango," he whispered,
"I finally had a reason to stay alive."
His breath rattled.
"A purpose…"
Ash fell from his lips as he smiled—small, tired.
"I just wanted to help him… one last time."
The fire flared—
Then began to fade.
The Monk's eyes dulled, still fixed on the moon.
His chest rose once.
Then didn't.
Silence.
Kairoz stood over him.
He looked down at the burned face—what was left of it.
No anger.
No pity.
Just empty eyes.
The moon reflected faintly in Kairoz's gaze—
And for a moment, it was impossible to tell
which one was colder.
The Tithe stood behind Kairoz.
Silent.
Watching.
"So," it said softly, its voice echoing like a whisper from a grave,
"what's it going to be?"
Kairoz exhaled slowly.
"I refuse," he said calmly.
He turned—
And began walking away.
"I don't need to borrow power to achieve something," Kairoz added, his voice steady and unshaken.
A hollow laugh echoed behind him.
"Kukuku… or are you afraid?" the Tithe murmured.
"Afraid of ending up just like him?"
Kairoz didn't stop.
"I know what you're trying to do," he said coldly.
"It won't work on me."
Silence.
Then—
The laughter stopped.
For the first time—
The Tithe grew serious.
"What if," it said slowly, "I tell you the price… before we make the deal?"
Kairoz halted.
Just for a second.
He turned his head slightly, glancing back over his shoulder.
A faint, unimpressed look crossed his face.
"You're starting to sound desperate," Kairoz said.
"Kukuku…" the Tithe laughed again—quieter this time.
But it didn't move.
"But still… you stopped," the Tithe said quietly.
Kairoz clicked his tongue, annoyed.
"I don't have time for this," he said. "Say it quickly."
The Tithe tilted its head.
"It's simple," it replied.
"I'm not going to take your eyes… your face… or any part of your body."
Kairoz's gaze sharpened slightly.
"Instead," the Tithe continued, its voice lowering,
"I'm going to give you a task."
"A task?" Kairoz repeated, unimpressed. "What task?"
For the first time—
The Tithe grew completely serious.
"Kill the king."
Silence.
Kairoz paused.
His eyes widened slightly.
"…You've got to be kidding me," he said flatly.
He turned away again.
"Dying is easier than killing the king," Kairoz
"That's impossible."
He started walking.
"The reason I'm here," the Tithe said behind him,
"is because I believe you can do it."
Kairoz didn't respond.
He kept walking.
"Impossible stays impossible," he muttered.
Then—
The air shifted.
A violent surge of energy flickered around the Tithe.
Dark.
Distorted.
Unnatural.
Kairoz stopped.
His eyes widened.
He turned back—
"What—?"
The Tithe moved.
A hand of condensed energy formed—
And struck Kairoz's head.
THUD.
"AAAHH—!!"
Kairoz collapsed to his knees, clutching his head.
Pain exploded through his mind.
"AAAHHH—!!"
His screams echoed through the empty street as both hands gripped his skull, veins pulsing, body trembling violently.
Then—
Silence.
Kairoz fell forward, gasping.
"Uff… uff… uff…" he breathed heavily, struggling to stay conscious.
"What… did you do to me…?" he whispered.
"Kukuku…" the Tithe laughed.
"Nothing," it said calmly.
"I simply gave you power."
Kairoz's eyes narrowed weakly.
"You can use it… three times," the Tithe continued.
"A small gift."
"Do whatever you want with it."
Kairoz glanced down.
His hand—
Text was etched into his skin, glowing faintly.
"Finish my task," the Tithe said, voice echoing,
"and that power will become yours… permanently."
"Kukuku…"
The presence faded.
Gone.
Kairoz remained on the ground, head spinning, body heavy.
He tried to stand—
But staggered.
The words on his hand burned faintly as the cold wind passed through the empty street.