Corrupt Power!

At the sight of this hellish disaster that struck Eternus alone all so suddenly, surrounded by corpses of people he once held dear, he heard something snap inside of him. His eyes sparked and with that, everything went blank as a Golden Aura surrounded by an equally eminent Darkness emanated from the boy's body…

As the darkness of rage overpowered his light, Eternus lost control and his body vibrated vigorously and startled Inura who involuntarily loosened his grip, and the moment he did, Eternus twisted his body and kicked him away.

Inura looked up with surprise and found Eternus standing face-down with glowing golden eyes and holding a dagger while an ominous corrupt aura surrounded him.

"The brat swiped my dagger… but when!?" Inura exclaimed with surprise.

The only thing in Eternus's mind was chaos that intensified as he glanced at the devoured, torn apart, and lifeless bodies of the people around.

Yet, he couldn't dare look at his parents.

Out of the confusion of not knowing why it all happened and the boiling rage because of that, Eternus roared, his voice followed by a demonic overtone.

"AAAAAAAAAAAARRRGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!"

In his burning rage he released growls with increasing anger and his aura blared with every growl he made.

Suddenly at a random instant, he leaped and rushed towards the wicked horde of ghouls, attacking them wildly… Slicing and dicing through their undead flesh ruthlessly as his violent aura disintegrated them.

Even after destroying nearly half of them, his anger only grew. His weapon shattered with a particularly overpowered strike when his eyes turned red and he began pummeling them with his bare hands mindlessly.

At last, after destroying all the ghouls, His eyes land on his parents for a fraction of a second, allowing him a glimpse.

"Wh-y.. "

He asked with his voice grim and grave as that of a mad beast when he saw through the red blur of his eyes… that his parents were smiling.

Not a moment later than that, Vankolv put him to sleep with a spell. "This is enough, I'm sorry Little one." He said with sorrow.

Inura spoke with a surprised look, "I did not expect this, I only wanted him to watch, but he even avenged them... this boy is truly... a Monster.."

Vankolv then tore up another Teleportation scroll and all of them spawn in a special place in the middle of the Hidden Beast Glades.

[Present Time]

Back at the hilltop, the Moon shed its shadow and Eternus immediately stood up with a jerk, panting and sweating.

"WHO'S THERE?!?" He screamed out aggressively.

"What just happened? I couldn't move for a moment… and it felt like someone was watching me…" He said to himself after looking around and receiving no response to his call.

Thinking that he was finally losing it, Eternus looked at his hands and asked himself, "Why couldn't I move just now? Am I going crazy?…" He held his head in frustration and continued, "Why is there so much Darkness?"

It was now dark and Eternus got up to return.

Eternus silently entered the hut and sat on a chair placed in a corner, reminiscing about what happened at the hilltop.

Nearby, Inura was fidgeting with two orbs, one brown and one green. Not bothering to look back at him, "I knew you would come back. Your weakness curses you." He snorted condescendingly and continued, "You want to escape that weakness and for that, you need my help."

Eternus, hated the fact that Inura was right, responded bitterly, "I don't remember most of what happened 5 days ago… I don't know who is to blame for all this… I feel like somehow that the war was my fault. I want you to tell me everything about the war and how it is related to me."

Inura smirked and signaled Vankolv by snapping his fingers, "Vankolv! Show the boy the 'truth'..."

Vankolv released a sigh and began to speak while grooming his beard,

"Millenia ago in the conflict between the realms of High Heavens and Gehenna many wars were fought, the battlegrounds of this war was our Mortal Realm. It caused unimaginable destruction to a point where no life remained here."

"Both sides were equally matched and neither prevailed…Realizing that there is no end to this war, the Realms finally stopped after causing destruction and slaughter to margins that are still unmatched in history."

Vankolv waved his staff and conjured a Magic screen that showed a Tall White figure majestic in his stance, shaking hands with a Black muscular figure with horns pointing out of his head.

He continued, "The rulers of Heaven and Gehenna at last came to an agreement. Instead of an all out war, they agreed to send a representative, a Champion in a span of One Thousand Years to fight on their behalf. Like that, the war of entire Realms came down to a Battle between Champions fought once every Thousand years."

Eternus responded to this explanation with curiosity, "What does it all have to do with me? I wasn't sent from anywhere, I was born here!"

"You have a white mark on your chest, Don't you?" Inura asked him with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes… What does that have to do with anything?" Eternus frowned.

Inura grabbed and tore up the Boy's collar just enough to make the white mark visible for him to see. Revealing an incomplete Yang part of the Yin and Yang symbol.

"That is no ordinary mark! It is the Seal of Heaven realm… The Champions of Light bore the same mark on their bodies when they were sent here to battle!!" Vankolv educated Eternus and continued after a sigh, "But you are merely just a child without proper training… Even we do not even know how to comprehend those powers."

Eternus fell into a deep ponder for a moment and thought about what he wanted to do.

Inura realized his confusion and cleverly stoked the fire, "You don't want that disaster to repeat, do you?" He smiled inwardly, "The only option you have is to grow stronger…"

"So tell me, what will you do?" Inura asked him while looking straight into his eyes.

Immediately, Eternus stood up from the chair and looked at the two masters, "I don't know yet… But I know that I have to get stronger and I will get stronger than you." He looked at Inura seriously, "Keep in mind, the day I surpass you, I will leave this place. So don't stop me!"

Inura found himself speechless and incapable of dissuading Eternus. Instead of insisting, he posed a question with curiosity evident of curiosity in his tone.

"And what if I were to stop you?" He asked.

Eternus's reply came in an empty, hollow tone yet shocking to the core.

"You'll die."

Inura marveled at the sight of such resolve coming from a boy merely 10 years old,

'Haha... You might find more reasons than just that, Boy!' He laughed inwardly.

"Uhm… Alright, Whatever you say… Your training begins tomorrow." Inura pointed at a small room behind him with his thumb, "That's your room, go get some sleep."

Eternus walked past Inura and very swiftly held his collar and kept on walking, tearing it twice as much as Inura tore his.

"My mother… sewed this for me." His eyebrow twitched, "Be careful, I might kill you next time." He said with drooped eyes and an empty tone and entered his room.

Inura remained quiet with a mild smirk on his face, and Vankolv was overwhelmed by the surprisingly gutsy behavior of this Ten-year-old boy.

Long after Eternus had shut the door, Vankolv looked at Inura and spoke to him about something that had been aching in his mind for so long.

"It surprises me that you are not the least bit sorry for the fall of an Empire whose army you once led into battle…" He showed disappointment and continued, "The boy is too naive to understand this matter but how can you abandon your nation and not feel sorry for it?"

Inura didn't look at Vankolv as he answered his question, "You're not a warrior so you wouldn't understand… The only thing in this world worthy of keeping is power, it is what keeps you alive!"

He stared at Vankolv and continued, "Our nation was weak just like our Emperor was, but I can rebuild it and rise as its new Emperor with that boy's power!"

Vankolv responded with sorrow in his voice, "I once thought of you as my friend and most trusted comrade. I suppose those days have left us." He raised his old gaze up, "To a point, where you made me your slave…"

Feeling annoyed, Inura snapped his fingers, suddenly triggering a stream of pain in Vankolv, causing him to fall to the ground holding his wrist tightly as if someone had placed a hot chunk of charcoal on it. Reddish light emitted from his wrist as grasped it, grunting with intense pain.

"Your job is to only observe and aid the boy… Heal him whenever it is needed and bring him food. I alone will train him, Understand, Vankolv?" Inura said to Vankolv who kneeled down, resisting every urge to scream out in pain.

The only thing Vankolv could say was, "Y-yes, I understand… Stop this pain!! Please!!!"

Inura relieved the pain from the old man after giving him one last word of advice, "You should be careful about what you say, Vankolv… The Boy might hear you…" He pointed at his wrist and continued, "You didn't forget about this gift I gave you, right?"

The pain finally stopped and Vankolv released his wrist which was printed with his finger marks because of all the force he held it with.

As prominent as those fingermarks were, they were nowhere near as ominous as what caused all this pain to Vankolv.

A Black Magic symbol with ominous and cursed air to it, hidden inside the long flanks of his cloak.