1 Chapter 1

The heat from the morning sun was gradually warming up a verdant field. The chilly morning dew was made all the more colder by a fresh spring breeze coming from the mountains in the distance.

A young man no older than twenty lay motionless, he was as skinny as a commoner, but his well-kept hair and unblemished skin revealed he had been privileged enough to be born into the aristocracy. The young man woke feeling panicked as a strong gust of crisp wind rustled through the nearby trees. He motioned to sit up, but his body felt as though it had been ripped apart before being smashed back together again.

Analyzing his slender body, he was unable to locate a source that would explain his discomfort. He tried to recollect his thoughts under the constant barrage of pain, but nothing came to him. He didn't know where he was or how he got there.

He didn't even know WHO he was. Attempting to stand, his body refused to obey, sending him tumbling face-first into the damp grass below. While he was spitting the dirt out from his mouth, his eyes spotted an oddly shaped spear next to him. Feeling frustrated, he grunted, grabbing the spear before using it to balance himself.

Carefully using the spear to stand, the sight of a vast grassy plain entered his vision. Off in the distance, he could see snow-capped mountains filling the horizon for as far as the eye could see. The broad valley met with a lush green forest on all sides, but there were no signs of civilization anywhere to be found.

He looked down and inspected himself, a plain brown tunic with common trousers. With a groan, he sat down and took a look at the oddly shaped spear he used to stand. The shaft was black, and as long as he was tall. The spearhead was two double-edged blades as long as his arm that gave the impression a lobster claw had grabbed hold of the spear shaft.

The tip of the spear made the weapon appear more like a bident than a spear as the two blades didn't meet at the point. Like his clothes, there were no markings on the spear that might give him a hint as to his identity. Looking down in defeat, he closed his eyes and attempted to remember anything, however again, nothing came to him. It was like an itch he couldn't reach, and scratching at it only left him with a feeling of helplessness.

"HELLO!" He yelled to no reply.

"IS ANYONE THERE!?" Yelling even louder this time but the only response was the echo of his voice in the distance.

"Anyone..." He mumbled and listened carefully.

The sound of a river could be heard nearby. His throat was hoarse, and a drink of water was a minor victory he desperately needed right now. Slapping his cheeks and using the spear to stand, he carefully shambled in the direction of the river.

His body gave the sensation that it was his first time walking, often using too much or too little strength, making him fall, which only exasperated the pain he felt. By the time he made it to the river, the sun was high in the sky, and his body began growing accustomed to the pain he was experiencing.

The river was small, barely more substantial than a stream, and surrounded by dense forest in all directions. He collapsed at the rocky shore before dipping his head in and taking a drink.

When the water became still once more, he witnessed his reflection for the first time, a young, gaunt face with straight black hair and purple eyes stared back at him. He could be called handsome if he gained some weight, but as it was, he simply looked like a hungry beggar.

'Why... Why can't I remember...' His thoughts were interrupted by the growling of his stomach.

"DAMN IT ALL!" The feeling of rage boiled over, and he slammed his fist into his reflection before collapsing onto his back. Closing his eyes to rest, sleep came to him quickly.

"Crack!"

The sound of a branch breaking nearby jolted the young man awake. He looked around but only saw the dim shapes of foliage swaying from a light breeze. Excited at the prospect of finding a person who could help, he yelled into the darkness.

"IS ANYONE THERE?!"

"Crack! Crack!"

He stood up and looked towards the dark shrubbery where the sound had originated, two large red eyes gazed back. His body hair stood erect, and he froze, allowing the fear to overtake him. The large red eyes darted at him as he reached for his weapon, but the beast was quicker.

The beast's massive claws rent the flesh from his shoulder, sending him tumbling back towards the rocky shore. Bruised and bloodied, he got to his feet as quickly as he could, getting a good look at the beast. It was a massive wolf with matted black fur, crowned with two thick white horns.

Its frame was imposing, and the beast's head alone was the size of his torso. The colossal beast locked eyes with his, circling him and cautiously looking for an opening to launch another attack. He refused to break eye contact, knowing that by doing so, it would mean his doom. He held his spear in front of him, ready to strike the moment the beast moved, but he knew it would be hopeless.

Even if he used to know how to fight, it meant nothing now that he was without a past. His only hope was to seem like an enemy that the beast would have to pay a price to take down and hope it fled for easier prey.

"Stay back you damned overgrown dog!" The young man yelled helplessly, swinging his spear. His weak body struggled to keep the spear steady, allowing fear to overtake him once more as his mind began racing to find a way out of this situation.

The beast seemed to sense his fear and hesitation, charging at him with fang and claw. He swung his spear down as if swatting at the creature, hoping to break its charge, but he misjudged the weight of the spearhead. Losing his balance, he pulled the spear to his chest, holding onto the spear for dear life as he fell forward towards the leaping beast.

"BANG! AWOOO!"

The spear dug into the earth, bending like a bow, before sending the man tumbling back as if he had been shot from a catapult. He lifted his grisly face to see the beast howling in pain while frantically trying to remove the foreign object embedded in its chest. The pain he felt was riled further by his tumble through the woods, and now he was covered in cuts and bruises, the worst being the deep gash on his shoulder.

He crawled to a nearby tree and sat up at its base, watching the beast's final death throes. When it exhaled its final breath, he sighed in relief. If the beast had lived, he would've put up as much of a fight as a side of beef.

He began to stand using the tree for support when out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a white light leaving the beast's chest. The light rapidly congealed into a bright white ball covered in tendrils of light. It looked like a tiny star had formed over the beast's body, but before he could admire the dazzling sight, the little star began darting towards him.

He lifted his tired mangled arms in a futile attempt to block this new attack. The tiny star passed right through them as if they were air, entering his chest and giving him a warm, soothing sensation. His sore and broken body felt refreshed for the first time since he awoke.

The young man leaned on the tree behind him, staring at his chest in a daze. After a few moments, the pleasant feeling was abruptly replaced with a wave of sheer agony. The sensation felt as if his chest was being ripped apart from the inside.

"AHHHH!" The young man screamed as he grabbed his chest. A dark purple tendril enshrouded in tenebrous smoke reached out as if slowly clawing it's way out his chest. He tried to fight through the pain, but by the time the shrouded purple star left him, his unconscious face was already firmly planted on the forest floor.

The shrouded purple star swiftly glided over to the beast's corpse before lowering itself into its chest. Its body convulsed violently for a moment before becoming still. Moments later, an ethereal black smoke poured out of the beast's wounded chest enshrouding its body.

When the beast opened its eyes, they were firmly locked onto the unconscious young man. Its red eyes now replaced with two deep purple flames hidden behind the ethereal black smoke.