CHAPTER 1

A remote village, within the continent of Europa. It is a sleepy town, where people perform simple jobs, tending to their work, and living a quiet, peaceful life. A small wood is located at the edge of the town, which stretches for only a few miles. Great trees rose frombthe hard ground, green leaves swaying in the summer winds. An old man was walking into the woods, axe in hand. He was heavily built, with strong muscles that rippled as he swung his axe at the nearest tree. His white hair, which was cut into a near-military style was covered with sweat. The axe gets lodged deep within the tree, nearly halfway through. The old man pulled out the axe with a sigh.

'I guess I am getting old'

Just then, a small flash of light distracted him. As he turned, he saw a young kid standing, slightly wounded, blood staining his bright golden hair. He was a thin figure, his body covered in lean, shabby muscles. He had bright eyes, red in color. His clothes looked really old, a tattered robe that covered his body up to his knees, with multiple claw scratches having torn the robe. Considering his small stature and young face, which was barely visible from the distance, the old man guessed that the kid was around 10 years old. Who would have hurt such a young child? The old man got the answer faster than he expected.

'A stage-1 demon. Quick, hurry up and call for reinforcement, I will hold it off.'

A voice was heard somewhat behind him, followed by the sound of quick footsteps as a young man ran towards the old man, who turned to see him approach, another person running away towards the village. He wore a long, brown traveler's robe, which poorly hid the few pieces of shiny silver armor that the man wore. It was almost like he wanted to show off his new, shiny armor but was scared of being ridiculed since he did not possess all the pieces. The old man knew only a few people who wore similar clothes, and given the appearance of the young man, the air of importance he had around him, the old man knew who this person was. Loudly, he asked the young man

 'Group leader, what is going on?'

The man stopped near the old man and spoke while taking in gulps of air

'Stage...1...demon...sir'

The old man looked in the direction that the young man was pointing in. Directly in front of the young kid stood a giant creature, thrice the height of the young kid, dark brown with multiple burn marks, dark as the night sky. The creature looked like a mishappen human, with his muscles being swollen to the point that it seemed like a balloon just waiting to be popped. Its large belly shook every time it took a breath, and its face was grotesque, with a large mouth that seemed to be made to swallow everything it saw whole. The rest of its face was fortunately not visible due to the distance, although it might as well be that it lacked eyes and ears. Even in the slightest sense, it was impossible to think this creature was human, or even had a shred of kindness within it. The old man wasn't scared in the slightest. In his long years, he had seen many such demons, and many far stronger. He spoke in a casual tone

'Can you kill it? I am too old to help, and anyway, I have already retired. Although I do feel bad for that kid.'

'That kid, what is he doing there? I was surprised when the demon did not move much, but now I understand why. I was planning on waiting till replacements arrived, but I guess I have to kill it now. May I, sir?'

'Why are you asking me, go and do it. You are the knight here, the commander of your team of Stage 1 knights, why do you want to ask this old man for permission? I can barely chop this log of wood'

The Group leader hid a smile at the old man's words and unsheathed his sword. Just then, the temporary peace stopped, as the demon lunged towards the kid, claws going for his neck. The Group leader quickly ran towards the demon, much faster than before. The kid jumped back, avoiding the claws, then moved to the side of the demon. The demon turned to face the kid, but being so much bigger also made him that much slower. The kid punched the demon on its forearm, and the demon howled in pain, despite the punch barely leaving a mark. It then retaliated, swiping with its claws, hitting the kid on his left arm, and sending him flying towards the nearest tree. The force of the strike was so high, that the tree collapsed under the pressure, and the sound of bone breaking was heard by everyone present.

The demon then raised its fist and aimed a punch towards the kid. Before the punch could land, however, a sword swung through the air, and through the demon's forearm, cutting skin, muscle, and bone. the demon screamed in agony, holding the remainder of its forearm in its other hand. The knight stood in between the heavily injured kid and the hulking demon. The demon roared in anger, and as it rushed forward, the knight took a defensive stance. The demon took its severed forearm and attached it back, blood rushing to fill the gap, bone muscle and flesh reforming. The knight leaped forward, and the demon sent a swipe with its claws, which luckily missed, as the knight landed on the demon's neck. This demon really did not have either eyes or ears, and its nose was like a snake's, holes in the middle of its cruel face. Slashing his sword the knight aimed for multiple parts on the demon's back. The sword barely managed to cut through the demon's flesh, and as the knight landed on the ground, he knew something was wrong.

His fears were true, because from the woods two more demons rushed forward, both of them slightly smaller than this demon. That was the only difference, for both these demons shared the first one's ugliness and its bloodlust. The knight knew that he was doomed, but suddenly something else bounded out of the woods, right behind him. Someone else. At his back stood four other knights, all wielding leather armor( since they were not the leader, he was). Both sides charged and as they fought, he realized that the black burnt spots could be pierced more easily. Giving out this command, he rushed into combat. They had numbers, speed, and skills. Yet they lost. The Group leader himself slayed one demon, and his second-in-command killed another one. But the first demon was still here, injured but living. While his men were not dead, they all had major wounds and broken bones. He himself could not stand, not without one leg. The demon reached forward with the massive hand that he had cut off. Ready to crush his head.

Then the demon was cut in half, straight through its stomach, blood splashing over the leader's face. The demon was dead, but there was no assailant to be seen. Then he heard a voice behind him.

'Guess I still had some strength left in this old age'

'Sir Frederick, thank you.'

Sir Frederick, the old man was a retired stage 3 knight, was a celebrity in this small village. However, he did not like the fame and worked till he reached the age of 85, and the Great Knight personally ordered him to retire. All the younger people of the village had aspired to become like him, including the group leader and all the knights that work under him.

The knight turned his neck to see the old man was up towards him, sweat covering him, leaning forward while using his axe as a staff. He walked right past the leader, and the other knights, straight towards the kid. the kid himself was more injured than the knights and had almost passed out from the pain. The old man knelt down so he was face to face with the kid and asked 

'What is your name?'

The kid just stared at Sir Frederick, not showing any sign that he understood anything he spoke. Sir Frederick then pointed at the kid, and then moved his hand around, trying to ask his question symbolically. The kid seemed to understand and opened his mouth.

'X...X...'

His face suddenly twisted, showcasing extreme confusion. The old man was shocked. Not only did the kid not know the common tongue, that even some demons know, he did not even know his own name. This kid was also able to fight off a stage 1 demon, and did he leave those burn marks? There was too much to know, not to mention the danger this kid might pose to society if left alone. A lone person capable of fighting off the weakest demon was something most people couldn't handle. Especially if the assailant was an amnesiac.

'I will adopt him as my grandchild.'

Sir Frederick then picked up the kid in his arms and walked off.

'Could you call for people to pick us up as well, Sir Frederick? Or. you know, carry us as well?'

Sir Frederick nodded, and then set his axe on a tree, before leaving. He had not finished chopping that day's quota of wood.

ps.Stage 1 < Stage 2 < Stage 3 < Stage 4. Just because they are in the same stage does not mean their power will be equal while in combat.

 - ANONYM