Chapter 2: Nightmare

  The scene changed rapidly. The moonless night sky was engulfed in flames, consuming the small town below. Ruin lay scattered everywhere. Giant fireballs and countless stars filled the sky. A scene like a war unfolded. Thousands of Devil Beasts lay dead, their bodies scattered across the battlefield.

  Amidst the scene like hell, two figures stood in the air, radiating immense power that transcended humankind.

  One figure flicked their cloak. Hundreds of devil beasts flooded out. The other was enveloped in flames, countless massive fireballs filling the sky. The two engaged in a terrifying battle.

  At that moment, a colossal beast deflected a giant fireball. The fireball grew larger and larger in Nitaan's view until finally he realized it was heading towards him. It landed on his house before exploding violently. Nitaan, then 12 years old, watched as his parents quickly grabbed him and hurled him out of the house as the giant fireball engulfed it. In that instant, everything seemed to slow down. Nitaan saw his parents moving their lips, saying something, but the chaos around him prevented him from hearing anything.

  Nitaan was frantic with worry.

  "No! No! Dad! Mom! Run away! What are you trying to say? Run away!"

  The moment the giant fireball exploded, flames quickly engulfed Nitaan's parents. At that moment, the pitch-black star in Nitaan's consciousness space shattered and crumbled rapidly. As the star's light shone, Nitaan understood what his parents were saying.

  "Live well, Dearest."

  "My boy, you must live on."

  Nitaan discovered his second word of power at the age of 12.

  This was one of the events that remained deeply scarred in Nitaan's heart. He watched the scene unfold before him, seeing everything clearly as if it were happening again. His face was expressionless, but his fists were clenched. A few tears welled up in the corners of his eyes, and his gaze trembled slightly.

  The scene cut again, this time to Nitaan at age 15.

  "It's alright. You're safe now."

  "I'm sorry I couldn't help your mother and siblings," 15-year-old Nitaan said, trying his best to clean the wounds and feeding milk to the small black puppy.

  "You and I are so similar. We have no one left..." Nitaan whispered.

  The black puppy struggled to lift his head. His deep black eyes, like longan seeds, looked at Nitaan. Those eyes were innocent, emotionless, and devoid of any spark of life.

  "Want to live with me?" Like tinder that came back to life, something seemed to ignite in the puppy’s heart. A faint spark of life returned, shining beautifully.

  Woof!

  A high-pitched, hoarse bark came from the little one in his arms.

  Nitaan smiled.

  "My name is Nitaan, which means 'tales' or 'fable.' Something that brings happiness when people read it. So, from now on, how about your name being Kiita? Kiita means music. Something that also brings happiness when people hear it. You and me. pleasant tales and beautiful songs. Don't you think that we would become a perfect combination of happiness?" Nitaan's smile widened.

  Woof! Another high-pitched bark. But this time, it was full of energy. Little Tail began to wag.

  “So, you like that name too, don’t you, Kiita?” Nitaan stroked the little puppy’s head, a genuine smile on his face—something he thought he’d forgotten how to do.

  The scene changed again. This time, Nitaan’s face paled slightly, his lips pressed together tightly. He knew exactly what the next scene would be and how agonizing it would be for him.

  Here it came, another nightmare within a nightmare.

  Nitaan clenched his fists, bracing himself for what he was about to see. The scene changed to a forest. Nitaan was with Kiita and three other patrol unit members. The three, in their patrol unit uniforms, marched in formation at the edge of the forest. While their expressions were relaxed, they remained vigilant.

  Sigh…

  He would have to witness this incident again, and who knew how many times already. The incident about the moment he destroys his own future.

  At 18, Nitaan, after graduating, joined a patrol unit and is set to join an elite unit under the royal family, Tinder, at the age of 20. The incident Nitaan is about to witness again takes place during an ordinary patrol shift when he was 19.

  Everything starts normally, like any other time he went patrolling. 19-year-old Nitaan, almost 20, and three other soldiers from the same unit are patrolling the forest as usual. Beside Nitaan is 4-year-old Kiita. Kiita was so large at that time that his head reached Nitaan's stomach. If he stood, he could easily lick Nitaan's face. Kiita had become such a large dog that Nitaan thought he might even be able to ride him around.

  At first, his fellow soldiers were worried about Nitaan bringing Kiita along on patrol. They feared Kiita would mess things up. While patrolling wasn't always life-threatening, it was still dangerous. If Kiita ran around or made too much noise, it could affect the overall situation. However, their worries quickly vanished when Nitaan demonstrated just how intelligent Kiita was.

  He never strayed more than 10 meters from the group. He’s able to sniff out the scent of the devil beast to guide Nitaan and the other soldiers. He would even warn them if he sensed a strong devil beast. With all of his quality, Kiita became a full member and teammate of the unit.

  The incident began when Kita started barking loudly as a warning. He turned towards the bushes, growling and baring his fangs, preparing to fight.

  Nitaan and the other three soldiers tensed, bracing for whatever Kiita warned them of.

  The bushes rustled from something large moving within them.

  A giant, emerald-fur bear slowly emerged from the bushes, its eyes fixed on Nitaan and the others with malevolent intent, saliva dripping from its mouth.

  This giant emerald-fur bear was over 3 meters tall, with long, sharp fangs and claws. Its eyes emitted a faint light, and a spiritual energy radiating from it could be sensed—an energy typically found only at the Learner level and above.

  “A…a…a Learner level beast…” someone among the three soldiers blurted out.

  “How did it get here? It’s less than a kilometer from the city gate,” another said, his voice trembling.

  Nitaan’s heart raced. He tried to calm himself with deep breaths, his mind racing, desperately trying to find a way out of this dangerous situation. His body trembled uncontrollably.

  The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

  He wasn’t a panicker, but he wasn’t the type to remain calm in every situation either. It would be a lie to say he wasn’t afraid in such a dangerous situation.

  Nitaan spoke softly, without taking his eyes off the giant bear. Kiita remained beside Nitaan, baring his fangs menacingly at the bear.

  “You guys hurry and get reinforcements. With that size and spiritual aura, it’s definitely a Learner level beast. It might even be a 2-word Learner. If possible, bring an Engraver. I'll buy you some time."

  The three widened their eyes.

  "A 2-Word Learner…?" one of the soldiers said despairingly.

  "Nitaan, Are you crazy? We know you're skilled, but you're still just a Newborn. You haven't even performed the Engraving Ceremony yet. How are you going to fight this thing?" another soldier said.

  "I said, buy time, not fight. I'm not crazy enough to fight this thing. This place is less than a kilometer from the city. You guys hurry and get reinforcements. It'll only take 10 minutes. If it's only 10 minutes, I can survive. Besides, I've already discovered 2 Words of Power." Nitaan explained rapidly, his eyes still fixed on the giant bear.

  "Hurry up! Both of you haven't discovered any Word of Power yet. You can't do anything here. Do you want to die or what? If you want to die, you can run straight towards it, but I don’t. So hurry and get help. I'm not going to be a hero and sacrifice my life to buy you time," Nitaan sneered.

  "Oh… okay. We'll hurry." "You have to be safe," the three soldiers slowly backed away.

  "Kiita, just distract it. Don't fight it." Nitaan watched the giant bear intensely, his deep blue eyes beginning to glow faintly.

  Seeing the three soldiers retreating, the giant bear narrowed its eyes before lunging swiftly towards Nitaan, hoping to quickly finish off its prey before the others could escape.

  Seeing this, Nitaan's eyes also glowed faintly, a light insignificant compared to the bright glow in the giant bear's eyes. Nitaan focused on the bear's right front paw, which it used to propel itself forward in an attack.

  At that moment, it strangely lost its balance and fell face down onto the ground.

  The giant bear was puzzled, staring at its right front paw. It was stuck to the ground as if glued there. The fact that it was pushing forward with all its weight but its feet wouldn't move caused the bear to lose its balance and fall.

  It was like an athlete sprinting at full speed upon hearing a signal. But the hand touching the ground was firmly fixed, unable to move.

  Link!

  The second Word of Power Nitaan discovered stemmed from a desire to understand what his parents said before they were engulfed in flame. At that moment, Nitaan linked himself faintly to his parents, allowing him to perceive their words. He used this power to link the giant bear's feet to the ground, causing it to lose balance and fall.

  Nitaan was only a Newborn. He hadn't yet undergone the ritual of having his power engraved, so his abilities were limited. Furthermore, he couldn't use multiple points simultaneously. Therefore, he targeted only the bear's front paw.

  If the giant bear had been aware of this beforehand, a simple tug would have easily freed its paw. However, such a surprise attack had immense advantages. The unsuspecting giant bear fell face down on the ground.

  Although such a surprise attack could only be done a few times, it was enough to create an opportunity for Nitaan.

  When the giant bear got up again, Nitaan and Kiita had vanished like smoke. The giant bear scanned the area but couldn't find both of them anywhere.

  Just then, a rustling sound came from a tree nearby, in the spot the giant bear had previously scanned. The giant bear tries to focus its mind and stares at that spot. It saw Nitaan expertly climbing a tree nearby. Nitaan's body was now fading, as if obscured by mist. If one didn't concentrate, one could easily overlook him.

  Fade!

  This was the first Word of Power Nitaan possessed, discovered at the age of 8. This power caused Nitaan's body and everything he carried to slightly fade, as if viewed through thick smoke. Without intense focus, one could easily overlook it.

  The giant bear, having spotted its target, charged and slammed into the tree, causing it to shake violently, hoping to unbalance its prey and make it fall. But Nitaan didn't fall. His figure remained clinging tightly to the branch.

  Nitaan had already used his power beforehand, this time linking his legs to the tree trunk. Although he didn't fall, the immense impact was enough to force him to rely on his two hands for support.

  Damn, that's heavy. Nitaan thought, his face pale.

  Seeing this, the giant bear became enraged. His paws glowed faintly, the muscles bulging, brimming with immense power.

  Maybe 'power enhancement' or 'power gathering' Nitaan squinted, pulling out three short knives.

  The giant bear swung both paws with great force at the tree trunk. In that instant, Nitaan accurately hurled the three knives at the bear's face. Seeing the rapidly approaching danger, the bear turned to observe the trajectory of the knives, hoping to dodge, but the knives faded like smoke, their paths becoming hard to predict.

  Unable to guess the attack's trajectory. The giant bear used one paw to deflect all daggers, sending them away from its face.

  Its skin was tough and durable; even a direct hit to its face wouldn't harm it. But its eyes were different. It wouldn't risk having a dagger hit its vitals.

  Kiita, who had been absent for a while, reappeared from behind, biting the giant bear's hind leg with full force. The fangs of an ordinary animal like it couldn't penetrate the skin of a higher-level Fate Scripter, but Kiita wasn't trying to inflict a wound but to create an opening for Nitaan.

  The giant bear paused briefly, startled by the surprise, but it was able to regain its balance in less than a second. Nitaan needed only that one second. The three daggers, about to collide with its claws, change course slightly. This unnatural trajectory allowed the daggers to slip through the gaps in the giant bear's claws without losing speed.

  Link!

  This was one of Nitaan's most adept ways of manipulating his power. Nitaan linked the tip of the knife to the giant bear's face, slightly changing its trajectory.

  Two knives only grazed the giant bear's skin before bouncing off without injury, but the last one accurately struck its left eye. It instantly lost sight, followed by sharp pain.

  The giant bear screams loudly in pain. Fortunately, Nitaan, being only a Newborn, was physically only as strong as any other human. The knife had penetrated almost to the hilt but not deeply enough to inflict a life-threatening wound.

  The giant bear shook its head in agony. Its remaining right eye was now filled with a murderous glint. Nitaan used that moment to activate his Fade ability, leaping to another tree.

  The giant bear roared in fury. The fur on its back bristled and hardened into tiny needles. Nitaan's pupils narrowed. He quickly jumped down from the tree, using the thick trunk as cover.

  Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!

  Hundreds of tiny needles shot out in rapid succession. The tree Nitaan was hiding behind shook violently. When everything stopped, the sturdy tree seemed to have transformed into a cactus. The area was riddled with holes, with almost no space left intact.

  It is indeed a 2-word Learner, and one of its words was a long-range attack at that. Was it the word ‘needle’ or ‘shoot’?

  Large beads of sweat streamed down Nitaan's face, his breathing was heavy, yet his gaze remained fixed on the giant emerald-fur bear.

  The giant bear pulled its paw, which was glued with Nitaan’s Link, off the ground before sprinting towards him again.

  This kind of cheap trick only works once.

  Nitaan darted to the side, hoping to use the bear's blind spot in its left eye to buy time, but the giant bear didn't even care if it could see its target clearly. Its fur bristled, spewing sharp needles from its back.

  Nitaan narrowly took cover behind a large rock, but parts of his body were scratched by the needles.

  As Nitaan prepared to climb a tree again, he felt his body sway, his right leg sinking into the earth up to his ankle. Looking down, he saw the giant bear's pawprints directly beneath his foot. The pawprints glowed faintly, emitting a strange spiritual energy that softened the surrounding soil, making it thick and viscous like mud. Nitaan's leg sank completely to his ankle.

  Damn it! It's a 3-word Learner!

  The moment the thought crossed his mind, the giant bear was within its striking distance. Both paws slammed down on Nitaan with full force. Nitaan, still trapped in the mud, could only use his hands to defend himself, crouching down, hoping the attack wouldn't hit a vital spot.

  Nitaan gritted his teeth, bracing for the incoming blow. Kiita's body suddenly reappeared beside Nitaan, running at full speed and leaping to headbutt him. Due to Kiita's size and weight, Nitaan was sent flying like a kite without a string. Everything slowed down again as the giant bear's claws slammed into Kiita's back. Bright red blood splattered everywhere.

  "Kiita!!!"

  The 21-year-old Nitaan, watching, closed his eyes. He didn't want to see this scene again. No matter how many times he had nightmares about this incident, he still couldn't bear to see Kiita almost die.

  Who could ever get used to it?

  Kiita's body, violently struck, slammed against a tree. The black figure lay motionless beneath the tree, his chest rising and falling faintly, his breathing shallow. Blood flowed profusely, staining the ground bright red. Before Nitaan could even get up and regain his composure, the giant bear, seemingly unsatisfied, lunged at Kiita's vulnerable body, hoping to finish him off completely.

  At that moment, a powerful desire surged through Nitaan. Another one of the pitch-black stars in his conscious space fractured, and cracks began to spread.

  The instant the giant bear's claws headed for Kiita once more, Nitaan screamed hysterically, his voice aching.

  "Kiita!"

  Nitaan reached out his hand, grasping Kiita as if desperately trying to reclaim something precious. He clutched frantically, but at such a long distance, all he grasped was despair.

  As the claws flew just inches from Kiita's head, images of everything that had happened since Nitaan adopted Kiita flashed through his mind. walking him, eating treats together, cuddling at night, his warmth, and his moist nose twitching to wake him every morning.

  Nitaan gritted his teeth, his face contorted, his deep blue eyes bloodshot as if about to explode. He screamed at the top of his lungs. The cracks in the pitch-black star spread rapidly, then enveloped it completely.

  "Why can't I reach it?! Come here! Kiita! Come here!! NOW!!"

  The pitch-black star shattered, revealing a purple star within, radiating power around its orbit.

  Suddenly, Kiita's body twitched, dodging the deadly claws that would send him to the realm of the god of death, Tiran, by a hair's breadth.

  Kiita's body seemed to be drawn towards Nitaan, slowly moving closer. Though only a few inches, it was enough to make the claws narrowly miss his target. The deadly claws plunged into the ground beside Kiita's head.

  The hazy Word in Nitaan's mind became crystal clear.

  Gravity!

  In this life-or-death moment of his last family member, Nitaan miraculously discovered his third Word of Power.

  But Nitaan had no time for pride or joy. Everything was driven by instinct. His body became weightless. His footsteps and movements were silent. Nitaan leaped away with incredible speed. Leaving not a single footprint at its starting point, like a feather leaving no trace on the snow when it falls, the figure of Nitaan faded, vanishing like smoke. His speed increased to its peak.

  The invisible figure darted through the air towards the unconscious body of Kiita.

  The giant bear, realizing it had missed, raised its paw again, but this time its claws were firmly planted on the ground—the same trick Nitaan used repeatedly, seemingly without weariness. The emerald-fur bear jerked its paw away, using the same method it had used before.

  It noticed something was wrong. The paw, which should have easily released, now refused to budge. It felt as if its paw was as heavy as a giant rock. It roared in annoyance, struggling against the increased weight, gathering its strength again to pull its paw free. But by the time it turned back, the fading figure of Nitaan had vanished into the forest.