THE LIFE OF HANZ

The journey to the Plebian civilizations had begun at dawn. Shu, Hannah, and Hanz moved quickly, maps in hand, the weight of their mission heavy on their shoulders. Behind them, the mage remained in the old forest home, watching over the sleeping Tobi—his body pale, motionless, but shifting ever so slightly each night.

The mage often sat beside him in silence, his thoughts drifting through time. The situation was dire. Dracula’s influence, even in death, was unlike anything he had seen in recent years…
…except once.

He closed his eyes, recalling a boy from the future—a boy whose kantar echoed that same chaotic duality. One born of both darkness and light. A hybrid.

Hanz.

Back then, in the year 2036, the boy was just thirteen.

He was an orphan of what had come to be known as the Great War of the Heavens—a brutal conflict between the celestials and the Dark Emperor. Both of Hanz’s parents had been killed by the Dark Emperor’s army. Afterward, he was taken in by Hannah, who had chosen to remain on Earth and rebuild the orphanage in honor of the reverend sister who once kindly took her and her son in.

Over the years, the orphanage had evolved. It was now larger, better staffed, and more structured. Hannah had more freedom to travel across the middle realm, but she still returned from time to time—always checking in, always watching over the children.

It was during one of these visits that she first noticed Hanz. His kantar stood out—a strange, volatile blend of something ancient and dark, yet laced with human calm.

“That kantar… it feels demonic,” she murmured to herself as she watched the tall, somber-faced teenager among the crowd. “But there’s stillness in it too. Could he be… a hybrid?”

She studied him carefully. His expression was empty, hardened by a life too heavy for a boy his age.

“I’ll need to keep an eye on him. If his inner demon ever breaks through, it could be catastrophic. Judging by his aura… it may already be happening.”

After playing with the other children, as she always did, Hannah called Hanz aside.

“Yo,” she said casually. “Do you know why I called you over?”

Hanz blinked, unsure. “No, ma’am.”

Hannah frowned, mock-offended. “Ma’am? Do I look that old?” she said as she touched her face dramatically.

Hanz gave a small chuckle. “Didn’t mean it like that. I was just trying to be respectful.”

“Well, cut it out,” she smirked. “Just call me Hannah.”

“Alright then. Nice to meet you, Hannah.”

She gave him a thoughtful look. “Hey… do you wanna have superpowers?”

Hanz’s eyes widened briefly, but then his face darkened. He shook his head firmly.

A flashback raced through his mind—of a night when the demon inside him had asked that same question. Naive and unaware, Hanz had said, “I guess so. It’d be cool to have powers.” The demon had laughed, grabbed his hand, and in an instant, white goo-like substance spread over his body. He experienced his first tainted transcendence.

He lost himself completely that night. Leaping from the orphanage window, he slaughtered anything that moved. Fortunately, the other children were already asleep, leaving only the livestock as victims. But that horror stayed with him.

His body, not yet adapted to the transformation, eventually gave out. When he awoke amid the carnage, guilt consumed him. Ever since, the demon’s voice haunted his mind, a constant torment.

Hannah saw all of it—peering into his memories with her celestial abilities.

“Ah,” she muttered softly. “Guess I should’ve phrased that differently.”

She knelt down and looked him in the eye. “How about this—would you like to be free from your demon’s torment?”

Hanz’s eyes lit up. “Wait… you can really do that? I could be normal?”

Hannah smiled. “Well… maybe not normal normal. But I can teach you to control your powers. And when you’re strong enough, you’ll defeat your demon. Until then, I can place a temporary seal—it’ll weaken its influence and make it easier to suppress. So, what do you say?”

Hanz paused, then nodded. “If it means finally getting rid of him… I’m in.”

And so began a bond that would surpass space and time itself—a master and student relationship forged in shadow and light.

But not everyone was supportive.

“Why is Lady Hannah associating with that demon boy?” one caretaker whispered to another.

“I don’t know,” the other replied grimly. “The only reason we’ve kept him here is because even the soldiers feared him. But now… we may need to save Lady Hannah from his influence before it’s too late. And there’s only one way to do that—end his life.”

Next chapter releasing next week.