The Legacy of Hellframe

"When I was clearing a quest near the border..."

I was searching for some herbal plants that grow near the border region for over two hours, but could not find any trace of it. The sun was about to set.

***

Meanwhile,

An old man in a black cloak was running.
He halted.
And caught his breath to run again.
But soon after, he tripped and fell down, panting.

***

I was wandering nearby when my beast senses caught up something strange. So I went to investigate. I noticed an old man panting and rushed to help him.

"Gramps, are you alright? What happened? Why are you near the border? This place is not safe." His cloak was drawn up, partially obscuring his face, but what truly caught my eye was far worse... his left arm was missing.

The old man looked at my face and gazed for a while, "Your face... It is quite familiar!"

"What! What are you talking about?!"

"Anyway, we should run! He is coming!"

"Who is coming? What does he want from you?" I asked, confused.

"There you are, traitor!"

The sight put me on my edge as I could not believe my own eyes—it was a real DEMON!

"Sharing information to a beast, you traitor! None of you can escape now. I, Kyreith, will be your executioner. Prepare to die!"

Without wasting a moment the demon jumped to kill the old man with his long-sword.

Clang!

I parried the sudden attack with my Amberocule.

"Don't interfere, you bastard!" Kyreith snarled, striking again with overwhelming force.
But I blocked.

"Guess the stories about the demons being unstoppable are just bluffs."

"Don't you dare insult us, you mere kitten! I guess I have to kill you first. No more holding back."

Suddenly I could feel Kyreith's pressure in the air. "All right, come on. I am ready!"

Our eyes met as we moved in a circle surrounding each other. Then—

Kyreith lunged forward with frightening speed, his long-sword cutting the wind with a sharp swish.

I twisted my torso just in time, narrowly avoiding the edge of his blade. The demon's strike cut through the air, slicing a tree behind me.

Sword met sword as Kyreith parried my strikes, the force of our clash sending vibrations up my arm. Sparks erupted from the contact, illuminating the sunsetting forest like fleeting fireflies.

Kyreith twisted mid-air, then surged at me again with a brutal thrust.

I raised Amberocule just in time, our weapons grinding together with a teeth-rattling screech. The pressure behind his blade was monstrous. Raw demon strength forcing me backward.

Each exchange came faster than the last.

The sounds of battle echoed through the woods, like a violent storm tearing through the trees. My muscles screamed, my breath came with an unusual order, but I couldn't relent. Kyreith's killing intent was suffocating. One misstep would mean death.

I was having a hard time fighting like that.

...

"That is a minor demon! Use your spirit arts and you'll have a chance to win." The old man shouted.

"How do you know that?!"

Kyreith landed a slight blow on my left shoulder.
"Tchh... I was in the middle of a talk!" I growled, blood trickling down my arm.

His next attack was a wide sweep infused with his full strength, fast enough to be blurry, almost invisible.
I skidded backward, heels digging into the soil, heart pounding.

I gritted my teeth.
Enough playing around.

Slamming my palm to the earth, I called upon Terris.

The ground rumbled. Rocks cracked. A violent tremor tore through the soil beneath Kyreith's feet. His stance faltered as the earth betrayed him.

"Wha—!?"

Seizing the moment, I thrust my hand upward... an earth pillar erupted beneath him, launching the demon off balance. Before he could recover, I twisted my fingers in the air, commanding the ground.

Chains of stone burst forth from the pillar, coiling like serpents. They clamped around Kyreith’s limbs and dragged him down. He roared, struggling, but the chains tightened.

"Let go off me, you damn spirit user!"

I stepped forward, bloodied but unwavering.
I punched Kyreith so hard that he became unconscious.
"Hah! That was quite intense!", I exhaled.

My legs wore off.

...

While I was resting on the ground, the old man approached. Only then did I notice, he did not look like an elf, though his ears were pointy but the difference between him and an elf is quite noticeable.

"Very very thanks to you, young lad. I can never repay this. You put your life in danger for a complete stranger like me. Thank you very much."

"It's alright. But, before you leave, I have some questions—"

The old man spoke before I could finish.
"Here, this is a small repayment for your good deeds."

He pulled out a sword from his cloak.
"This is my sword, Hellframe."

***

"...As I picked the sword I felt dizzy. Slowly, I lost consciousness. When I woke up, it was night, and to my utter surprise, a dagger was plunged into the neck of the demon. It was dead and the old man had disappeared. I was holding the Hellframe."

The guests clapped, amazed that their King had beaten a demon in the past.

"And today, I am giving this to Basalin."
The King touched the sword's hilt to Basalin's little hands, and the ascension completed.

"Now, I guess it's my turn." Temina stepped forward to Basalin.

She held out both hands toward him, and Basalin started to glow.

"I, the seventh guardian of the spirit realm, Temina, bestow upon you, Vulcan, to inhabit this little boy! Help him in his long journey through life!"

The glowing faded. And Basalin remained still.

Even the King never expected this sudden act of Temina.

The visitors were unable to complain after that and the party concluded with their grievance.