The wind howled like a beast. Snow fell heavy from the grey sky, burying everything in white.
Kaito stood frozen.
Before him stood a figure—tall, human-shaped… but not human.
He looked like a man, but the longer you stared, the less human he felt. His skin was pale—unnaturally so. His irises glowed crimson, and where the whites of his eyes should have been, there was only inky black, like the darkness had devoured them whole. Two jagged horns curled from his forehead. Steam rose from his breath despite the cold. He wore no armor, only a dark robe flowing in the wind, soaked in snow.
Kaito's instincts screamed.
I feel cold just by looking at him... This isn't a normal demon. No. He's something else… Something far worse.
He could hold back Father for a few seconds… Maybe even survive a couple of Mother's full-force spells.
The demon tilted his head with curiosity. Then, slowly, he grinned. His fangs gleamed.
"So this is the little Bloodcrest hatchling... pathetic," he said. His voice was smooth, lazy—like someone half-asleep and bored, but just awake enough to enjoy the kill.
He took a slow step forward.
Kaito tried to move. His mana gathered in panic.
The demon vanished—then appeared behind him with no sound at all.
Too fast.
Before Kaito could react, a backhand smashed across his face, sending him flying into a tree. Snow burst into the air as he hit the trunk with a crunch. Something cracked in his chest.
He gasped—pain bloomed across his ribs.
The demon didn't rush.
He strolled toward Kaito, dragging a single claw across the snow, humming to himself. Like a predator toying with a wounded cub.
Another blow came—this time a kick to the side. Kaito rolled across the snow like a ragdoll, coughing blood.
He's playing with me...
Kaito tried to retaliate, fire magic bursting from his palm—"Flare Blast!"
But the demon just... tilted his head. The flame fizzled before it could land, smothered by the demon's sheer aura.
"Was that supposed to hurt?"
He raised one long finger, coated with faint black energy, and slowly ran it down Kaito's cheek.
"So soft," he whispered. "Still a chick."
Kaito's body trembled. His breath hitched. He had never felt fear like this before—deep, primal, beyond reason.
The demon crouched down, eye-level with him.
"Run, little chick. Grow strong. Make your blood burn. Because I'll be watching. And when the time comes…"
He leaned close—too close—and smiled with lips stretched unnaturally wide.
"You'll call me Fear."
Then, with a sudden gust of icy wind—he vanished.
No footsteps. No aura. No trace.
Kaito collapsed, snow burying his legs. His vision blurred. He couldn't cry. He couldn't scream.
Why did he spare me? Why… did it feel like I already lost before I began?
He didn't know how long he crawled.
Eventually, through sheer desperation and willpower, he spotted a dark crevice in the snowy cliff—a cave.
He pulled himself inside, each movement dragging more blood across the icy floor.
The cold inside was merciless. But at least there was no monster here. Just silence. For now.
Kaito leaned against the stone wall, his breath ragged. His entire body ached.
And then, he began to feel it.
My ribs are cracked… My back's damaged. I heard something snap when I hit that tree. My legs… crushed from that kick. My left elbow's dislocated… I can't move it. My vision's hazy. Mana's depleted. I… I almost died.
He closed his eyes, but couldn't sleep.
What the hell was that thing?
I trained. I studied. I knew I'd face monsters. But this wasn't a beast. It wasn't even a man. It was a reminder… that out there, beyond the Bloodcrest estate—
Monsters exist who don't care who you are. Or what you're trying to become.
He gritted his teeth, holding back another wave of pain.
I thought I was ready... but I wasn't even close.
Then—
A loud thud.
Boots. Heavy ones. Outside the cave.
Kaito opened his eyes. His heart skipped a beat.
A towering shadow blocked the entrance. Broad shoulders, massive arms, and a colossal axe strapped across his back. Snowflakes clung to his thick beard.
The man stepped forward, voice deep and heavy like the earth itself.
The smell of blood brought me here.
"But. You actually made it."