1 A Demon out to hunt

Deep within the Hazecrest Kingdom, where the shadows lurked far beyond the light, a lonely boy continued his monotonous routine of working at the dock.

The salty smell of the sea filled the air as the sun beat down mercilessly upon him. The cool breeze would occasionally blow through, but it never lasted long enough to make any difference.

"Oy, Leon work harder, you need to get these crates unloaded before the royal family arrives." a gruff voice called out, snapping him out of his reverie.

With a sigh, the boy called Leon got back to work, following orders without complaint. His job wasn't so bad.

Sure, he had to haul heavy boxes around, but it was steady work. At least it was better than slaving away in the mines or the fields.

He would have preferred to be a sailor, but that ship had sailed long ago.

Leon couldn't help but look at his supervisor with envy. Although not because of his wealth or social standing. It was something else entirely.

A pitch-black tattoo with the Roman numeral II was etched into his arm. It was simple yet striking with its elegant curved and sharply defined lines. The ink seemed to be alive, almost pulsating.

The tattoo on his supervisor's arm was like a map of the battles he had fought and won against his inner demon.

Each number represented a trial he had overcome, a test of his strength and resilience. It was as if his skin was a canvas for his struggles, each mark a reminder of the price he had paid to keep his soul intact.

The tattoo was a symbol of his triumph over temptation, his victory over the darkness that threatened to consume him.

However, contrary to his supervisor, Leon himself did not possess a mark yet. He didn't even know his own demon as it never revealed itself. It was very uncommon for a demon to possess such patience.

Leon had heard stories of people with demons that had haunted them their entire lives, tormenting them with their presence and making their every waking moment a living hell.

But he never even got the chance to meet his demon.

For some, it may be considered lucky, but for him, it was everything but that. Without overcoming the trials presented by his demon, Leon would never be able to gain strength beyond his own limits.

Depending on the demon you could gain unique abilities or powers, and some even said that conquering your demon could grant you immortality.

Rumor has it, that the current king of Hazecrest has one of the seven archdemons residing in him that grants him the power to annihilate a whole army.

With 9 tattoos on his body, he only needs to overcome one more trial to completely conquer his demon and absorb its power.

However, not everyone is as lucky as the king. Most archdemons would immediately take over a person's soul and manifest themself completely in the world.

As a result of this, the world is already split apart with a large part of it plagued by demons, and another part controlled by humans.

"Hah, if only I could conquer my own demon." Leon thought to himself as he unloaded the last crate onto the ship.

The ship itself was mesmerizing. It was a massive vessel with billowing sails and intricate carvings etched into its wooden hull. The ship's flag, bearing the crest of the Hazecrest Kingdom, flapped proudly in the wind.

Trumpets sounded from the harbor, announcing the arrival of the royal family. Leon quickly wiped the sweat from his brow and stood at attention as the ship pulled into the dock.

The king, adorned in his regal attire, stepped onto the dock with his entourage following close behind. His eyes scanned the area, taking note of the workers who had assembled to greet him.

A small girl, around Leon's age, walked behind the king. She was dressed in a simple, yet elegant dress and had a sweet smile on her face. There was no doubt in Leon's mind; she was the princess.

Nonetheless, Leon had no interest whatsoever. He had grown up in poverty and had been struggling to make ends meet his entire life.

The idea of romance and love seemed like a far-fetched dream, something that was reserved only for the wealthy and privileged.

And even if he had the time, he would rather spend it to find out how to meet his demon. For him, his life revolved around his inner demon, and nothing more.

Leon couldn't even consider himself living right now as even the being he shares his soul with seemingly ignores him.

After a few minutes of meaningless talk, the workers dispersed and allowed the king to sail away from the harbor.

But as the ship began to pull away, something strange began to happen. The water around the ship started to churn and bubble as if something was stirring beneath the waves.

A deep rumbling sound shook the ground beneath Leon's feet, and he couldn't help but feel a sense of dread wash over him.

Suddenly, a massive tentacle shot out from the water, piercing right through the hull of the ship.

The ship creaked as the tentacles grabbed hold of it and slowly dragged it underwater. Everyone onboard screamed and panicked as more tentacles started to wrap around the ship.

They wildly trashed at the ship and flung around the passengers.

The royal guards as well as the king were quick to react, fending off the tentacles with their weapons but even they struggled against the overwhelming onslaught.

Leon himself was sure that this couldn't be the work of any ordinary creature.

"Demon attack! A Demon has manifested!" A soldier cried out and dashed off toward the source of the threat.

The crowd quickly broke down into chaos. Soldiers scrambled to organize themselves while the civilians ran for their lives.

However, the ferocious tentacles tore through the ship with ease, ripping it open like a piece of paper.

'What kind of demon is that?' Leon wondered. No normal demon would have the strength to do so much damage to an entire ship and cause such panic amongst the population.

Leon initially thought that this demon was an archdemon and belonged to the king of Hazecrest, but its attacks weren't even intentionally directed at the king and his entourage.

It was as if the monster was searching for someone else.

Without hesitation, Leon made a move on his own and darted off away from the ship. Of course, abusing the chaos to his advantage he stole a few valuables on his way.

Out of nowhere, he heard a faint voice calling for help. It was the princess. Bruised and battered, she was struggling to stand up as a humongous tentacle hovered above her, ready to strike.

Leon didn't think twice and rushed towards the princess. He leaped and tackled her out of the way, saving her from certain death. However, the tentacle was quick to follow and grabbed hold of Leon instead.

Gritting his teeth, Leon braced to get crushed by the tentacle but instead, it dragged him down into the depths of the ocean.

The shocked expression of the princess was the last thing Leon saw before he was completely submerged.

'So this is how I die?" Leon asked himself.

As much as he wanted to say that he saved the princess and died for it, he knew deep down that it was just an excuse. In reality, the princess was just a convenient reason for him to put his life on the line.

Even in the face of death, everything seemed so distant. Leon could feel his heart pounding in his chest, but he barely felt anything else.

It was better for him to die this way than to live on as a useless nobody Leon figured.

Even at 16 years old, Leon still had no trial to face from his demon. Meanwhile, his peers have long overcome their first trials and are already moving forward with their lives.

At least this way, both he and his demon would perish together, Leon thought.

As Leon was dragged deeper into the ocean, he felt the icy cold water envelop him like a suffocating embrace.

The darkness around him was so thick that he could hardly see anything, except for the glint of the tentacle that held him captive. It felt like he was falling into an abyss with no bottom in sight.

Meanwhile, the chaos at the surface subsided and the tentacles started to calm down. Then, as if a curtain had fallen on the scene, they retracted back into the depths of the sea and the ship sank into the ocean with them.

As Leon's ribcage started to compress under the crushing force of the tentacle, he pulled out a tiny dagger from his pocket and tried to plunge it deep into the tentacle.

'I won't go down without a fight!' Leon shouted to himself.

However, his body was too injured and limp to allow him any leverage. Never-ending darkness surrounded him as he was dragged deeper and deeper below the surface.

Unable to breathe, Leon's vision started to blur and a heavy throbbing took over his body. His life was slipping away faster than he could comprehend it.

The pain was excruciating enough that he wished to cease all sensation and just fade away in the darkness.

Then suddenly, a red glow appeared in front of him. Leon squinted his eyes, trying to focus on the source of the light.

As he stared, the glow grew brighter and brighter until it completely enveloped him. In the midst of the light, a shape started to form, gradually taking on the form of a massive creature with long tentacles.

'A Kraken.' Leon realized.

Its two menacing crimson-red eyes blazed in the darkness. Its mouth opened wide, revealing rows of sharp jagged teeth.

Leon's heart couldn't help but pound as he stared into the creature's eyes. It somehow reminded him of himself. He felt as if the Kraken was staring right into his soul... as if it was part of his soul.

Despite the immense size and terrifying presence of the Kraken, Leon couldn't help but feel a strange connection to the creature. It was as if they shared a common pain, a shared struggle.

Suddenly, a strange sensation gripped Leon's heart and soul. Something was invading his mind and forcing itself inside.

Leon tried to resist the intrusion, but it was too powerful. Images and memories flooded his mind, overwhelming him with their intensity. He saw visions of a past that he didn't recognize, of a life that wasn't his.

His willpower seemed to be fading in and out, weakening each time he tried to resist. The Kraken continued to stare at him with those burning red eyes. It spoke to him as if it was reading his thoughts.

"Astaroth." The Kraken said in its deep inhuman voice. "Give in to me. Your dream will end here and now. Give in to my power. You shall serve me forever, giving birth to new nightmares to plague your people."

A sudden realization hit Leon. This phenomenon, this way of crushing the spirit and tempting humans and endangering them, was something that the Demons did to their prey.

'This isn't the King's archdemon or any other demon...'

'...this is my demon.'