chapter 9

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I woke up, my vision blurry for a moment. When my eyes finally focused, I saw an unfamiliar ceiling. It wasn't the ceiling I saw last before passing out. Where is this? Where am I now? I felt confused, but as I tried to move, my body felt weak.

Then, I turned my gaze to the side. A boy stood there, carrying a young child. His eyes looked at me, calm and expressionless. Without realizing it, I said, "Thank you." Something made me feel indebted to him, maybe my instinct. The boy just looked at me for a moment, then asked in a flat tone, "Who are you, and why are you here?"

I took a deep breath, holding back the pain in my chest, and tried to explain what I remembered about my condition—how I was forced to flee from enemies, how I was severely injured, and how I lost consciousness before finally waking up here. I still remembered, though vaguely, those last seconds—my blood pouring out, my body growing heavier, until I could no longer fight against my fading consciousness.

The boy listened to me without expression, but from his gaze, I knew he was taking in every word I said. When I finished speaking, there was an awkward silence between us. Yet, in my heart, I felt there was something special about this boy. He reminded me of something… or rather, someone my mother once spoke of in a prophecy. "He looks… just like in the prophecy," I muttered to myself, trying to understand the strange feeling that emerged as I looked at him.

We finally exited the cold, dark cave, and as my eyes adjusted to the light outside, I saw a sight that made my heart stop. There, stood the gods. They stared at us with threatening eyes, and then one of them shouted, "Kill the child from the prophecy!"

My body trembled. I felt my entire world stop, unable to think or move. They were after Ryan, this boy—the boy I had just met and, for some reason, I felt the urge to protect him. But before I could do anything, Ryan moved with astonishing speed. In an instant, he drew his sword and attacked the gods standing before him.

The battle was so brutal, like an explosion of power that was hard to believe came from a child. Ryan's movements were so fast and precise. Every attack from the gods was either blocked or dodged calmly, as if he had mastered every combat technique. I could only watch, stunned, unable to believe what I was seeing.

One of the gods swung a large staff at Ryan, but he agilely leapt to the side, avoiding the strike by mere inches. Then, without hesitation, he countered with a sharp slash of his sword, injuring the god so that blood flowed profusely. The god groaned in pain, soon followed by another god advancing in anger.

Ryan didn't back down an inch. With swift movements, he drew his sword, slashing the arm of one of the gods. Their blood splattered on the ground, and the metallic scent filled the air. I could hardly believe what I was seeing, and the memory of my mother's prophecy echoed in my mind again: "One day, someone will come who will conquer all. He will have a handsome face, golden eyes with a star pattern, and a power that will terrify the gods."

Before me, the prophecy seemed to come alive. Ryan displayed a power that no ordinary human could possess. The god whose arm had been slashed staggered, and Ryan, mercilessly, slashed again, bringing the god down to the ground. One by one, the gods fell, subdued by the power of this child.

When the battle was over, Ryan approached me with a cold gaze. His body was covered in the blood of the gods, but his breathing remained steady, as if he had just completed a small task. Without a word, he walked over to one of the fallen gods' bodies. Then, with a resolute motion, he cut off the god's arm and took a piece of its flesh.

I looked at him, confused and disgusted. But Ryan calmly chewed the flesh, then offered it to me. I immediately recoiled, shuddering at the thought of eating a god's flesh. But Ryan only looked at me sharply.

I jerked back, reflexively refusing. "I… I can't," I said, trying to turn my gaze away from the piece of flesh. But Ryan just looked at me coldly and said, "If you want to survive, you must accept this reality." There was harshness in his voice, as if he wouldn't tolerate any objections.

I fell silent, then tried to explain, "But…" My words were cut off as he retorted, "There is no 'but.' Eat it."

I felt trapped. There was no other option but to follow his command. Slowly, with trembling hands, I took the piece of flesh and brought it to my mouth. As I bit into it and tasted the strong metallic flavor of blood, my stomach revolted. I immediately threw up, unable to hold back the disgust that overwhelmed my entire body.

Ryan watched me without emotion, as if my reaction meant nothing. When I tried to settle my stomach, he handed me something to drink. I drank it quickly without thinking, but the metallic taste in my mouth told me that it was the blood of the gods he had just slain. The bitter, strangely sweet taste made me even more nauseous, but I held myself back from throwing up again. I didn't want to appear weaker in front of him.

We returned to the cave after all that had happened. Upon arrival, my body felt weak, and I immediately collapsed, nearly fainting. Every inch of my body felt exhausted, both physically and mentally. For a while, I could only lie down, trying to calm myself while fighting off the constant nausea.

As I began to feel a bit more settled, Ryan spoke in a firm tone, "You need to get used to it."

His words made me realize that this wasn't going to be a one-time event. If I continued with him, I would be forced to face situations I had never even imagined before. Yet, within me, a determination I didn't understand began to emerge. I knew I couldn't just run away from the fate that had brought me to this child's side. I looked at him with eyes full of determination, and with a soft voice, I said, "I… I'll try."

Ryan simply gave a short nod, as if he had expected that answer from me.