The elf capital was burning.
For a moment, I couldn't move.
My chest tightened, my breath hitching as memories surged uninvited.
Fire.
Blood.
bodies on the ground.
My father's voice echoed faintly in my mind.
Run.
I shook my head.
No.
I won't let that happen again.
I won't let the same tragedy repeat itself in this world.
And I ran forward.
The closer I got to the capital, the worse it became.
Elven homes lay in ruins, their once-beautiful white stone walls cracked and blackened.
Bodies were scattered across the streets—guards, civilians, elders—blood pooling beneath
them like dark mirrors reflecting the flames above.
The sound of screaming sliced through the chaos.
My blood boiled.
I tried to sprint faster, but the mana surging inside me was unstable. My broken mana core
throbbed violently, every step sending pain through my body as I pushed forward anyway.
Near the outer plaza, I saw them.
Statues.
At first, I thought they were decorative—ancient guardians carved into grotesque shapes.
But then one of them moved.
Stone cracked.
Joints twisted unnaturally.
A yokai-like construct—its body made of dark stone and covered in cursed markings—raised a massive arm, preparing to crush an elven guard pinned beneath rubble.
I didn't slow down.
I slipped behind it and placed two fingers lightly against the center of its back.
The creature froze, confused.
I spoke calmly.
"Vol Ignis."
Fire erupted from within the statue, blowing it apart in a controlled burst. Stone fragments
scattered harmlessly away from the guard as the construct collapsed into ash.
Pain tore through my chest.
I coughed up blood.
…That was too much for my core right now.
The elf stared at me, stunned.
"Y-young human…?" he whispered, struggling to sit up while clutching his wounded side.
I nodded. "What happened?"
Panic flooded his eyes.
"Please—hurry!" he gasped. "Elarion—the king—the queen—they're in danger! Two… two beings attacked us. They commanded those monsters. They asked about a prophecy. We told them we didn't have one. They didn't believe us."
My heart dropped.
"They slaughtered anyone who stood in their way."
I didn't wait to hear more.
I turned and ran.
The castle gates were shattered.
What once stood as a symbol of elven pride now lay broken—its spires cracked, banners burned, stone melted as if reality itself had been warped by overwhelming power.
Inside the courtyard—
I saw him.
Elarion.
Suspended in the air, held by one hand wrapped tightly around his throat.
The one holding him was not human.
Its form was tall and twisted, its body wrapped in dark, creeping energy. Horns curved from its skull, and its eyes glowed with something cold and cruel.
Beside it stood a woman.
Elegant.
Calm.
Terrifying.
Her hair flowed unnaturally, untouched by the chaos around her. Her eyes were sharp—calculating—as if she were watching a performance rather than a massacre.
Behind them, the king and queen shielded Ayeloria.
She screamed—
"GRANDPA!"
Something inside me snapped.
The image overlapped with another—
A man choking.
Blood soaking the ground.
My father's lifeless body.
I had been powerless then.
But not now.
My mana exploded outward.
My hair turned white as energy surged through my veins. My teeth sharpened into fangs. Claws formed at my fingertips. Lightning crackled violently around my body.
I moved.
In an instant, I crossed the courtyard.
My fist—packed with electricity and compressed mana—slammed into the yokai's chest.
The impact sounded like thunder.
The creature was launched across the courtyard, crashing through a stone pillar and skidding across the ground as black blood spilled from its mouth.
Elarion dropped, collapsing to one knee as the pressure released.
The woman's eyes widened—just for a moment.
I turned to attack her—
And my body screamed.
Pain exploded through my core. My mana shattered inward. My vision blurred as my mana core felt worse than ever.
I collapsed to the ground.
Then she smiled.
"So," she said softly. "There you are."
Her gaze locked onto me.
"The Prodigy."
"It's quite pathetic to see you in such a miserable state."
She vanished.
Pain detonated across my face as her kick sent me flying into a wall, my body crashing into stone.
She was fast.
Faster than me.
"You're skilled," she said pleasantly. "Impressive for something so young."
I gargled blood and forced the words out.
"Who… are you?"
Her smile deepened.
"That," she replied, "isn't important."
The dark yokai behind her rose slowly.
"What matters," she continued, "is that the system has finally made its move."
My heart skipped.
System…?
She tilted her head, eyes gleaming.
"Did you really think your awakening was a coincidence?"
The ground trembled.
Behind me, Elarion weakly shouted, "KID—DON'T LISTEN TO HER!"
The woman laughed softly.
"Oh, I think he should," she said. "After all…"
Her gaze pierced straight through me.
"He's standing at the center of it."
And somewhere deep within my chest—
Something stirred.
A notification appeared before my eyes.
The same notification I saw when I was in the hospital..
Do you wish to know the truth behind the system?
The woman giggled.
"It looks like our job is done."
"If you want answers," she added lightly, "I suggest you trust that notification."
I was about to speak—Wait, you can see it?—
But she and the yokai vanished.
Elarion tried to get up and screamed as pain tore through his body. Ayeloria, the queen, and the king begged him to stay down, but he refused to listen.
I forced myself up and rushed to his side.
"Calm down," I said weakly. "Please."
He grabbed my arm tightly.
"Do you believe what that woman said?" he demanded.
I hesitated.
"…Of course not."
That wasn't true.
But I couldn't tell him the truth.
I couldn't tell him I had died once—
That I had come back because of the system.
This burden was mine alone.
The knights and healers finally arrived, pulling Elarion away as they began healing the wounded.
As I watched the ruined capital, something became painfully clear.
I couldn't stay.
If I did, everyone here would die.
I remembered the hospital incident.
Now this.
They weren't attacking kingdoms.
They were hunting me.
The notification appeared again.
I didn't answer it again.
But I knew what I had to do.
The next day, as the elves worked to repair their broken capital, I stood on a hill, staring at the sky.
Elarion approached, his arm wrapped in a cast.
He asked me what I was doing.
I told him everything—how grateful I was, how much his guidance meant to me, how this place had become important to me.
Then I told him the truth.
That I had to leave.
That if I stayed, the danger would only return.
He was silent for a long time.
"…What are your plans?" he asked.
"I'm leaving tonight," I said. "I have to get stronger. I have to find my family. I have to find answers."
He didn't like it.
I could see it in his eyes.
But he nodded.
"I support your decision," he said. "And I'll make sure you have everything you need."
I smiled. "Thank you… for everything."
He smiled back.
That night, Elarion, the king, and the queen stood at the entrance.
Ayeloria ran to me, tears already falling.
"Do you have to leave?"
"Yes..."
"Please dont!"
"I'm sorry...."
"Fine, if you leave let me leave with you!"
I sighed and placed my hand gently on her head.
"You know you can't."
She cried harder.
"Will I ever see you again?"
I didn't answer right away with a sad expression on my face.
Then I smiled.
"Yes," I said. "We'll meet again. And when we do, we'll both be stronger, strong enough that we don't have to worry about any of our love ones getting hurt."
she blushed slightly, wiped her tears, and nodded.
"Okay…"
She slowly returned to her parents.
The notification appeared again.
I pressed Yes.
A portal formed before me.
I looked at Elarion.
He nodded.
I turned to Ayeloria as she raised her hand toward me—
Elarion pushed her head on his stomach to comfort her and she began to cry more.
"Grandfather do you think well ever be able to see him again?"
He didn't answer straight away but said:
"Indeed, don't worry Ayeloria this isnt the end, but we need to understand that this isn't about our rise anymore haha cause right now the rest of the story is for him to write."
I looked back at the portal and smiled.
I remembered how weak I had been.
How everyone in the tournament thought I was too weak.
Too small.
Too ordinary.
But the truth is—
Weakness is only the first chapter.
I choose this journey.
I choose this path.
I choose the pain.
I choose the fight.
And step by step, I prevailed.
And I became stronger.
And now this story begins not in my world but right here
I stepped into the portal.
It's time to begin this story, my rise, my Yokai Awakening.
As I walked in the portal, I was teleported into a strange, desolate world.
Nothing but endless sand stretched in every direction.
A final notification appeared before my eyes.
You have two years.
Slay one million Yokai Beasts.
Complete this trial—
And the truth you seek will be revealed.