Vincent learned a tale he had never heard before. It wasn't about holy heroes or savior gods, but rather, it was about the heavens splitting open.
He first heard it from an old woman who sold bread at the Sun District Traditional Market, a place where he and his siblings often stopped. She happily gave them bread and wheat, treating them like her own grandchildren. From her, Vincent learned about the world he now inhabited and the Sun District's inhabitants, who lived alongside the Human and Daemon races.
"Just because your predecessor was the Tyrant Demon King doesn't mean you should discriminate against the remaining Daemon race. We understand all that," the old woman said, gently squeezing Vincent's hand.
Vincent recalled the tale from widely circulated history that later became official history. Two thousand years ago, the sky cracked. On a moonless night, the world's horizon split like glass and emitted a dense purple light that poured down like rain. All living creatures in the Earth Realm witnessed this strange phenomenon.
They called it the Day of the Celestial Convergence.
At various locations around the Earth Realm, enormous structures emerged from the void—massive gates adorned with glowing runes. A thick breath of corrupt curse emanated from these gates, infecting all living things. Many humans succumbed to the infection, but the infusion of pure power reversed the situation, bestowing power upon some humans and making them the first Sentinels.
It wasn't just humans who changed, though. From within the gates emerged figures that resembled humans but were not human. With horns on their heads and flowing with deep purple blood, these creatures spoke the human language, displaying intelligence, structure, and power. They called themselves the Daemon Race.
In that early era, the Daemon Race learned and mastered the Heaven Sky Tower more quickly than humans did. They conquered floor after floor of the tower and the gates, controlling the resources. Within a few centuries, the Daemon Race became the greatest rulers in the Earth Realm.
At the apex of this terrifying history stood a name feared across races: the Tyrant First Demon King, Demon King Aldous. Under his reign, the gates of the Heaven Sky Tower were weaponized. They became invasion routes, and Demonic and Magical Beasts were unleashed upon human territory, weakening their resistance.
Cities collapsed. Kingdoms burned. Humanity teetered on the brink of extinction. But the Sentinels rose up in resistance. The five pillars of humanity, at the peak of Sentinel Extreme's power, were able to turn the tide. They studied the tower, regained control of the control lines, and ended the Daemon Race's domination.
The great war lasted nearly a century. Demon King Aldous was finally defeated and beheaded in the city square, watched by cheering humans and captive Daemon Races. The territory formerly ruled by the Daemon Race was transformed into a special zone called the Demon Banishment Frontier.
From then on, the Heaven Sky Tower was predominantly human, and the victors rewrote history. However, not all truths were recorded. Not all Daemon Races were tyrants, nor were all humans saviors.
Nevertheless, Vincent's thoughts remained fixed on his race, now living in the Earth Realm. Perched atop a tree, he aimed his mana-imbued arrow at the Level 2 Demon Beast, the Green Mantis, lurking behind the trees.
The monster was nearly two meters tall with a body like a praying mantis covered in a green metallic coating. Its hands were transformed into scythes, and it walked like a human. Vincent took a breath, sharpening his focus. But his arrow missed, and the Green Mantis immediately noticed him.
The monster's wings spread and it moved swiftly above Vincent's head in an instant, swinging its sharp scythe.
Before Vincent could react, Annabelle leaped forward. She jumped from tree to tree, using her golden shield to block the monster's scythe. Vincent quickly reloaded his bow and aimed for the Green Mantis's head. The arrow hit its mark, and the monster fell from the tree and landed hard on the ground.
Vincent exhaled softly, descended calmly, and landed on the ground.
This time, the Demonic Beast hunt was quite successful. He collected several Black Crystal Hearts from the monsters and stored them in his bracelet. However, he had yet to find the blue crystal stone that was his next target in the forest.
"We're not far from the spring. After this, we can rest," said Johan Walker. He had black hair with a hint of brown, wore turquoise robes, and held a long staff tipped with a red crystal. He was a Squeance 4 Sentinel Saint of the Mage Path and the captain of the six-member team.
"Hey, blood traitor! Take our stuff!" Claudia exclaimed, waving a medium-sized bag in front of Vincent and giving him a lopsided smile. The blonde, wavy-haired girl was a Sentinel Master Sequence 1 of the Summoner Path and always mocked him as a "blood traitor"—a term for Daemons who chose to live in human territory.
Antonio, who was wearing a black jacket with a hood pulled over his head and was a Sentinel Master Sequence 2 of the Assassin Path, laughed loudly at Claudia's antics.
Vincent took the girl's bag, but not to carry it. He casually threw it and it caught on the highest branch of a tree.
"Hey... are you serious?" Claudia shrieked angrily, jumping up and down, trying to retrieve her bag from the tree.
"We went first, Claudia," said Lupin, Sentinel Master Sequence 2 of the Healer Path. He walked away from her without a care.
Vincent remained calm. He ignored his team members' insults. They were born and raised in a relatively stable economy. They were the children of wealthy families and not from the despised Daemon Race. They had no idea who they were facing. All they knew was the First Demon King who ruled the Earth Realm—not Vincent.
"You don't need to listen to Claudia and Antonio," Anna said, gently patting Vincent on the back.
Annabelle Evans was the only one who truly understood him. The beautiful girl with long black hair tied in a ponytail and bright green eyes came from a wealthy, aristocratic family. She was the third daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Tom Evans. She was a Sentinel Master of Order I of the Knight Path.
"She could have picked it up herself. Why act like that? I didn't throw it that high," Vincent said, not actually turning around but tilting his head back slightly.
"Hey, blood traitor! You shouldn't have acted like that with Claudia!"
Antonio's voice was sharp, followed by the flash of a curved dagger swinging toward Vincent's neck.
Vincent exhaled softly. Too loud. Too easily provoked.
With one simple movement, he grabbed the Sentinel Assassin's wrist and pulled. Antonio lost his balance and fell to the ground.
"There are consequences for your actions," Vincent said softly and emotionlessly.
"You two, stop!" Johan's firm voice cut through the tension.
"I didn't do it! He started the commotion!" Antonio replied angrily, pointing at Vincent.
Vincent didn't feel the need to answer.
"Weren't you and Claudia the ones who caused the trouble in the first place?" Anna asked, standing beside him. "Don't blame your girl for everything."
"Really? A useless fuss," Lupin muttered as he passed them without slowing down.
Vincent stared at the man's back for a moment, then turned to continue his journey. This kind of treatment was nothing new to him. He'd heard the whispers and taunts far too often, all of which were rooted in one thing: the Daemon Race.
It was still the first day of the D-Rank mission: hunting a Demonic Beast and retrieving the Black Crystal Heart. The heart was highly valuable for crafting weapons and magical artifacts. However, they hadn't found a single blue crystal stone yet, which was a crucial component in mana fusion to advance the power rankings.
Johan, the team captain, was a Sequence 4 Sentinel Saint. Claudia and Anna were Sequence 1 Sentinel Masters. Antonio and Lupin were Sequence 2. As for himself, he was a Sequence 3 Sentinel Master.
Ironically, the difference in power wasn't what kept him away.
It was his blood.
After a day of hunting, they came to a river with a moderate current. Vincent chose to move away from the group and seek a quiet spot among the riverbank rocks.
Silence is always more honest than people.
He knelt down and refilled his bottle with running water. It was cool and refreshing. He took a slow sip, then washed his face.
His reflection was clearly visible on the river's surface.
His blue eyes—pale yet deep—stared back at him. There was something in that gaze. It was something he would never allow to resurface.
His long, black hair fell straight to his waist in the back. The front was different, though; wavy strands cascaded down to his shoulders, neatly framing his face.
It was as if two personalities lived side by side within him.
They refused to merge.
His black garment hung down his body. The fabric split on the left and right sides, revealing the front when the wind blew. Above him, black armor with gold stripes covered his chest, shoulders, back, and part of his wrists. It was light yet sturdy.
Outwardly, he appeared to be twenty years old.
That was, if one counted only this life.
But for Vincent, age was no longer something to be counted on one hand. He had lived countless lives, watching the world change, collapse, and be reborn countless times.