"Are you sure this is the place?"
A man who was looking at a map suddenly turned and looked around the dark forest.
"According to the markings on the map, this is where the treasure is supposed to be. We'd better go inside that cave—there might be valuable riches we can steal."
Eric laughed loudly, and they immediately entered the cave to find out what was inside.
___
Inside the ruins buried for thousands of years, an eerie atmosphere lingered in every corner of the room.
Stones and strange carvings gave off a terrifying presence.
They kept walking deeper, but stopped when they saw an altar.
In the middle of the grand altar stood a terrifying statue of a demon—tall, horned, with a golden dagger embedded right in its forehead.
"Look at that! Is that an ancient dagger? If we sell it, we could get rich overnight!"
Marco looked hesitant.
"Wait… something's off about this place. I... I feel like something is watching us."
"Don't be a coward, Marco! It's just a statue. Just grab the dagger, quick!"
Without thinking twice, Eric stepped forward. His fingers trembled as he reached for the dagger's hilt. With one strong pull—
CRAACKK!!
The dagger came loose.
Suddenly, the ground shook, the air turned frigid, and black mist began to seep from the statue, slithering like a giant serpent.
The two men stared at each other in horror, realizing what they had just done.
The statue cracked... and from within it emerged a woman-like demon figure pale-skinned, with glowing red eyes, and large, black wings spread wide. It was Cyan the Demon Queen, who had long been trapped.
"N-No way! This isn't an ordinary statue. How is this thing alive?"
Marco stepped back, dragging Eric with him toward the exit.
"Run! We have to get out of here!!"
But it was already too late.
With one swift motion, Cyan floated toward them, eyes burning with hatred as she reached out her hand.
"Your energy… is mine." she said, locking eyes with them.
Shadows wrapped around the adventurers' bodies. They screamed in agony as their life force was slowly drained, leaving their bodies shriveled, empty, and dry.
After absorbing it all, Cyan stood in the center of the chamber, her crimson eyes gleaming.
She took a deep breath, feeling the power surge through her veins.
Cyan let out a cruel laugh, her voice echoing.
"At last, I'm free... That cursed healer will pay. Him and his bloodline will die by my hand!"
Her laughter echoed menacingly inside the ruined cave.
Cyan raised her hand, conjuring a vortex of black fire that burned through the sacred seal in the air.
She spoke to herself:
"I swear... the blood of healers and their descendants will soak this land. I will rip them apart one by one. No sanctuary. No mercy."
She began to walk slowly, each step turning the ground beneath her feet black. Her dark wings flapped gently, leaving destruction in her wake.
"This world will kneel before me once more… and no one is strong enough to stop me…"
---
Origo was cleaning the ancestral altar in his family's sacred chamber when a wooden panel suddenly loosened and fell to the ground with a loud crash. His heart pounded. He instinctively stepped back, sensing something was off.
"This is strange…" he muttered.
Feeling uneasy, Origo quickly ran to the main house and called for his grandfather the elderly man who had always been the keeper of the family's lineage and ancient stories.
"Grandpa! Something happened at the altar… a wooden board just fell on its own."
The usually calm old man turned pale. His body trembled. He closed his eyes tightly, as if hearing something in his mind.
"This… can't be…" the old man whispered. "The dagger… has been removed…"
"What do you mean, Grandpa?" Origo asked, frowning.
Grandfather sighed heavily, then looked Origo straight in the eyes.
"The demon's soul… sealed by our ancestors thousands of years ago… is now free."
Origo stepped back in shock.
"Wait, Grandpa… that demon story… wasn't it just a legend?"
"No, Origo," the grandfather answered firmly. "The demon is real. She isn't just a creature of darkness, she is the Queen of Destruction sealed by the blood of our ancestors. And now, she will come for me, and for you the descendants of the sacred healer's bloodline to exact her revenge."
Origo stepped back again. He never imagined the legend to be true.
Now, what could he possibly do? He didn't even have any powers. He felt like just an ordinary human weak and unworthy of his ancestors.
"I don't know how to fight a demon… I don't even know what she looks like. What should I do? I'm just a foolish man without any strength,"
Grandfather Togo held his head gently and closed his eyes.
"You're 24 now… and soon, when you turn 25, the universe will grant you its power—the power of energy, of mind, and strength beyond anything you've ever imagined. Do not be afraid, for we are destined to seal the Demon Queen's soul once more,"
Origo fell silent.
For now, all he could do was hide...