Child of Doom

The Great Fall (1)

Slowly walking away from Seraphina, Kiyo found a place where he could compose himself and collect his thoughts. But he couldn't. Every time he drifted into his thoughts, he was reminded of how hopeless and unfair the situation was.

How was he supposed to solve a problem that two powerful factions couldn't?

His only hope seemed to be Seraphina. Despite her clumsiness, she exuded the aura of a powerful being. Yet there she was, tied up, helpless, and in a sorry state.

He chuckled, cracking his neck and stretching out his arm. 'When have I ever depended on anyone?'

With that thought, he abandoned any plan to free Seraphina and began to think about what he could do.

An idea formed: infiltrate the diplomatic meeting between the Star Kingdom and the followers of the Beast God, causing as much chaos as possible to spark a war.

The war was crucial to Kiyo's plan. If the protectors of both sides were preoccupied, Seraphina's blood fiends could rampage through their cities, destroying everything in their path. But only Seraphina could control her blood fiends.

While Kiyo had leverage over her—a knife that could grant her 'freedom'—he didn't know how far she was willing to go to achieve it. He would have to get what he wanted the roundabout way, as usual.

Kiyo was ready to change, ready to acknowledge an ally, but once again, he was disappointed in others. No matter where he went, no one lived up to his expectations.

With that, Kiyo worked out his plan for the future.

'Since we got this out of the way, it's time to check whatever that thing was.'

Kiyo had been so engrossed in the combat style of the seven men that he hadn't paid much attention to the spell words, yet he recalled them perfectly.

'You have received an Aspect Legacy, Legacy of the Shackled.'

Just as he had summoned the glowing runes before, he did it again. What he saw did not impress him.

Aspect: [Seraphina Creation].

Aspect Rank: Dormant.

Aspect Legacy: [Legacy of the Shackled].

'This spell is getting on my nerves.' Kiyo didn't know all the ins and outs of the spell, but he knew that dormant was the lowest rank, and he could kill creatures of that rank with little effort.

Legacy of the Shackled: [As seven men crossed the desolate expanse of the Lost Desert, a nameless figure watched them with a raging hunger. A hunger not for food, but for wisdom, power, and expertise. Who but the unnamed could look upon the suffering of others and find a way to profit from it?]

Kiyo coughed, trying not to dwell on the spell's description, and focused on what glimmered beneath it.

Legacy of the Shackled Mastery Level: [0/1].

First Relic: Unearned.

It was one rune, and he hadn't earned it yet. In the next moment, Kiyo pondered methods to claim the relic and came to one defiant conclusion: he had to master the combat style used by the seven men.

Kiyo stood up and looked around. There were two figures in the dark cave: one was the motionless ten-year-old, and the other was the sleeping Seraphina. Kiyo looked at her and wondered how she could be so carefree, only to be reminded that she had nothing to lose.

Shaking his head, he summoned the dormant memory [Mundane Sword] and performed a series of complex sword forms.

The night passed in a blur as Kiyo immersed himself in his training. He practised the fighting style of the first of the seven men, whom he had named 'Arthur'.