The Child Who Returned a Monster
For the first time in centuries, Valtherion stepped beyond the shadow of Phorashia, leaving behind the only world he had ever known. The forest, now reduced to ash and silence, seemed to whisper its resentment at his departure, but he ignored it. His entire body still pulsed with the white-hot essence of Mega Fire, a power so immense that even the ground trembled beneath his bare feet.
The world outside was blinding. Elyria's sun shone like molten gold, almost painfully brilliant after the perpetual twilight of Phorashia. Wind tugged at his hair, carrying scents of wet soil, distant rivers, and the faint tang of coastal salt—the symphony of life that the forest had never allowed him to fully experience.
He exhaled slowly, tasting air that was crisp and alive.
"Three hundred and fifty years… and the world still feels the same," he murmured, his voice a low rumble. But he wasn't the same boy who had once stumbled through the forest.
His aura pulsed briefly, a faint tremor of white flame, and the grass surrounding him instantly browned, curled, and turned to ash—a stark reminder of the power he now wielded. Valtherion blinked, startled.
"…Oops," he muttered with a hint of dark amusement. Carefully, he compressed the Mega Element within, reducing it to a quiet spark rather than a raging star. The grass slowly returned to green, and the world around him ceased dying.
Ahead lay the long, dusty road to Moonlit Harbor, the place of his earliest memories, and the home of the parents he still thought alive.
---
Journey to Moonlit Harbor
The path was not without challenges. Low-tier predators—beasts barely stronger than the ones he had trained on for centuries—emerged from the woods, drawn to his massive aura.
A pack of Mangler Foxes, claws weak and eyes dim, darted from the underbrush. Valtherion didn't even break stride. He raised a hand lazily; a spark of white flame leaped, and the creatures vanished in an instant, leaving only smoldering pawprints behind.
Further along, a group of Hollow Vipers, thin and frail, lunged at him. Their fangs barely grazed the air around his aura. A flick of his fingers sent a wave of heat, and the snakes were erased without effort.
Even walking past them, he felt the passive tremor of power they triggered—a reminder of how far he had surpassed even the most dangerous creatures of Valvyx.
Hours passed. Daylight waned. He kept walking, eyes fixed on the horizon. The coastline gradually appeared: Moonlit Harbor, once a bustling port of vibrant wooden houses, now a city slowly rebuilt from centuries past, its stone and timber streets winding like veins toward the central harbor.
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Arrival at Moonlit Harbor
At the gates, two guards clad in polished steel noticed him. Their expressions were neutral, standard procedure for a lone traveler approaching a port town.
"Halt! Identify yourself!" one barked.
"Just a traveler," Valtherion replied simply. His voice, carrying the faint resonance of his Mega Element, didn't startle them—yet they unconsciously stepped back slightly, sensing his presence.
"Very well. You may enter," the older guard said, though his eyes lingered on Valtherion with a hint of unease.
The boy nodded, stepping into the bustling city streets. People moved past him, merchants shouting prices, children laughing, sailors hauling goods along the docks. But none recognized him. The city had changed, and the decades—no, centuries—had erased almost every familiar face.
Valtherion began asking townspeople about his parents, starting with market vendors, fishermen, and street sweepers. Every inquiry ended the same way: confusion, polite dismissal, or shaking heads. Names like Ardan and Lira had faded from memory. Few had lived long enough to remember them, and none survived from that era.
Hours passed. Exhaustion set in. He wandered down twisting cobblestone streets, through alleys and across bridges spanning the harbor canals, asking every passerby. Still, nothing.
And then, finally, a faint clue. An old wooden sign dangling above a small house read: "Elder Mirena—Apprentice of Ardan & Lira."
Valtherion's pulse quickened. He had found someone.
---
The Meeting with Granny
The house was small, with faded paint and a garden wild with flowers and herbs. Inside, an elderly woman tended to dried herbs, her back bent with age. She looked up slowly, suspicion etched into her face.
"Excuse me, granny," Valtherion began cautiously. "Do you know if there was a house here before? Many years ago?"
The woman's eyes widened slightly, recognition flickering. "Yes… that was my two masters' house. Why do you ask?"
Valtherion's throat tightened. "…What happened to them?"
The woman's hands trembled slightly. "Why are you asking? Who are you?"
"…Because I am the son of the two people who lived here before," he said softly, the weight of centuries in his voice.
Her eyes welled with tears, and a trembling smile spread across her face. "Oh… so you're the child of my two masters, Ardan and Lira… I am glad you are alive…"
Valtherion felt a chill in his chest, a mixture of hope and dread. "Then… they…" His voice faltered.
The old woman nodded gently. "They fought the twelve High Elementals… They… did not survive. I… I could not save them. I…" Her voice broke as tears rolled down her cheeks.
Silence fell. Valtherion's eyes shimmered with unshed tears. The reality of centuries and loss struck him with unbearable force. His parents, the protectors he had idolized, were gone—erased from the world by those monsters. His heart burned—not with grief alone, but with the white-hot core of fury igniting inside him.
A vow formed. The twelve High Elementals who had destroyed his family, who had killed all the fire users before him—he would find them. And when he did… they would pay.
"Thank you," Valtherion said quietly, bowing. His hands trembled, still resonating with the raw energy of Mega Fire.
He stepped back into the city streets, feeling the enormity of his purpose settle into his bones. Ignis Cor would be his next stop—the source of fire, the place where the kingdom's molten heart beat, and the place where his new journey truly began.
---
The Road to Ignis Cor
Valtherion's aura shimmered faintly under the moonlight as he left Moonlit Harbor behind. The roads ahead were long, lined with forests, hills, and rivers. Occasional low-tier monsters emerged, curious or aggressive, but each one fell before him in moments. They were insignificant—mere training for what lay ahead.
As he walked, he let his mind focus on the future, on his revenge, on the twelve High Elementals who had taken everything from him. His thoughts sharpened, clarity forming in the white-hot blaze of his fury.
"I will find them… and they will all burn," he whispered, the words like sparks igniting a storm inside.
Valtherion stepped into the open world of Elyria, leaving behind the ruins of Phorashia and the memories of a lost childhood. The sun burned bright over his skin, wind tugging gently at his hair, carrying the scents of earth, river, and sea.
He exhaled slowly. "Time to see what's left of this continent," he declared, determination hardening his features.
The roads ahead were alive with danger. Bandits, wild beasts, scavengers—all were irrelevant before the force he had become.
A Boulderfang Bear charged, massive claws and armored hide threatening destruction. Valtherion raised a hand lazily. Snap. A spark leapt from his fingertip.
FWOOOM!
The bear vanished, erased as if it had never existed.
Further down, Ravagers attacked from the shadows. Their killing intent brushed against his aura. Ten creatures collapsed instantly, mana cores rupturing, bodies twitching before falling silent.
Valtherion scratched his cheek. "I… should probably adjust the output," he muttered, realizing the passive, destructive power he now radiated.
Travelers at a distance gawked at him, sensing an unnatural disaster walking among them. He didn't notice. His eyes were fixed on the distant red stone walls rising at the horizon: Ignis Cor, the city built atop volcanic veins, the floating red crystal at its center pulsing with the elemental heart of fire across Elyria.
The gates towered above him, a fortress of embersteel and lavaglass. Guards in crimson armor, spears glowing with sustained flame, blocked his path.
"Halt! State your purpose!" one demanded.
"…I want to enter Ignis Cor," Valtherion said steadily.
Suspicion flared in the guards' eyes. "Do you have a pass?"
"Pass?" Valtherion echoed.
"Entrance Trial. Go to the arena. Pass the trial. Then you enter," the younger guard explained, fear coating his voice.
Valtherion nodded, understanding. He turned toward the arena, unaware that the guards sagged in relief, whispering about the terrifying aura he exuded.
And so, his path to Ignis Cor, and the next stage of his journey, began.