Kylia saw the keys on the floor with fear written across his face; he knew which one was the key to escape, but he was terrified of doing it. He didn’t know what would happen to him once he was outside the dungeon. He only knew he didn’t want to give birth to whatever it was he had inside.

  ?He stretched out his weak hand and took the key; in a burst of strength, Kylia positioned himself and ran toward the exit. Heavy footsteps echoed; Kylia’s power was spiraling out of control, a sort of red vapor shooting out like wind waves from his body.

  ?He opened the door, and a flash of light took hold of his body. Without time to think, he ran as fast as he could. The stones cut into his small feet; his stomach began to ache. He stopped after he started vomiting blood, hiding in some bushes several meters away from the dungeon. There, Kylia fell unconscious; he had no strength left.

  ?Time passed, and night had fallen. Dried blood was the first thing Kylia saw upon waking. As he composed himself, he began to feel a sharp pain in his stomach; muscular contractions tightened forcefully around his midsection.

  ?It felt as if sharpened blades were being driven into his stomach; after a while, the pain became unbearable, and Kylia collapsed to the ground again. His stomach contracted; the pain was agonizing, but changes began to occur. His stomach, previously bloated, was now flat, and a lump began to move up through his chest.

  ?Kylia began to open his mouth unconsciously; his mouth began to lubricate with saliva and, in an instant, he vomited a sort of fluid that looked like blood, but blacker and more viscous. After vomiting for a few seconds, through the desperation and the tears in his eyes, Kylia managed to see something.

  ?He saw a sort of dead fetus on the ground; he didn’t know how it had happened, but he had vomited that thing. Looking at the dirt floor stained with his own blood, Kylia broke into tears. His moans echoed through the forest, but no one heard him; he was too far from anyone, and no animal was willing to even look at him.

  ?After a few minutes, Kylia’s eyes began to dry. His irises, once a radiant color, lost their luster. This child's soul had been snatched away, and he promised himself he would never be anyone’s victim again.

  ?Some time later, Kylia had made a cave his home. He had to kill animals to survive; among them were blood wolves and an invisible bear. It was no easy task; Kylia had to learn to control his powers at just 11 years old. Among these were the "quick leap," the "light beam," and his strongest one: he could wrap his body in a certain mist that made him imperceptible to anyone not looking directly at him.

  ?With this, and a bit of foul play, he managed to get food to survive. The cave was cold, a dark and damp place. It wasn’t where Kylia wanted to be, but he soon grew accustomed to it. “After living through that, who couldn’t handle just any old cave?” Kylia thought to himself before relaxing.

  ?Kylia looked at the ground; the campfire beside him provided warmth, and the food in his right hand was cooking. Sitting there while watching his meal, Kylia remembered his parents. “Dad, Mom, your deaths will not be in vain; I promise I will bring glory to your names.” After saying those words aloud, Kylia cried all night long.

  ?The next day, Kylia went out to hunt as usual, but this time he went further than habitual. This time, something was different: Japo, a boy who was always excluded by others, was now standing in front of him. The fear on Kylia’s face was evident. He feared being despised, of now being the boy everyone mocked.

  ?But it wasn't like that; the blond, fair-skinned boy took the malnourished Kylia’s hand and said: “It’s been so long, Kylia, we’ve all missed you, friend.” Those simple words made tears well up in Kylia’s eyes. Japo, with his kind nature, just hugged him and let him cry on his shoulders.

  ?After Kylia finished crying, Japo took his hands and led him to the village. Kylia was afraid; after all, his appearance was ghastly. He felt like neither man nor woman; his body was shattered, and deep in his heart, he knew he didn’t deserve love from those around him.

  ?But the reality was quite different; when they reached the village, the people's reception took Kylia by surprise: he received hugs and worried faces; after all, he had been gone for nearly a year. In the arms of the elderly village chief, Kylia tearfully recounted everything he had lived through. He saw the people's expressions shift from worry to fear and contained rage. But knowing is not the same as being able to act; after all, they were just common folk.

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  ?Kylia noticed some looks of contempt and fear from some of the children, but it didn't matter as long as Japo was with him. Months went by; the connection between Kylia and Japo was improving—they were best friends, spending all day together without interruption.

  ?Kylia’s physical appearance began to improve; his body was neither male nor female. Although he had a masculine appearance, his chest and face were feminine. Even standing over 1.70 meters at just 12 years old, he was still looked down upon by other children his age, though the adults were more understanding, sometimes even inviting him to eat.

  ?Life in the village was peaceful; neither beasts nor monsters haunted the town, as the men kept them at bay. The houses of straw and wood were decorated by Kylia’s powers and artistic talent. He was the light of the village.

  ?But not everything was happiness. Coming back from a hunt with Japo, holding hands, they saw fire coming from the village. They ran together and saw houses burning; in the distance, Kristine led an order against the villagers, capturing every child in town.

  ?Without time to react, a man struck Kylia from behind, making him let go of Japo’s hand and sending him flying two meters away. The bulky man, six feet tall with dark skin, shouted: “Lady, I found him!”

  ?Japo looked at him trembling. He drew his sword and looked at the man; for a second, he looked at Kylia on the ground and then stabbed the man's leg in front of him. The dark-skinned man screamed: “AHH, you damn brat!”

  ?Japo shouted to Kylia: “Kylia, run, I’ll be fine; please, save yourself.” The man, with a gash in his abdomen, grabbed Japo by the throat, choking him. Japo’s body stopped resisting and fell prey to the lack of oxygen. The man tossed Japo’s body near a bush so some scavenger beast would “clean up” the place.

  ?Kylia saw Japo fall; rage took hold of him. Shaping his finger like a gun and pointing it at the man: “Tch, take this, you bastard!” A nearly white beam shot from Kylia’s finger, piercing the man’s heart and killing him instantly.

  ?Kylia composed himself and looked at the burning village; he aimed and fired at several of Kristine's men. He missed some shots and killed others. Kylia is just a child... and if war pursues him, he will play with the strings of fate until he forces them to bow in his favor.

  ?With silent tears, he gazed at Japo’s body. He knelt and hugged him one last time. If the Church has decided to make him an enemy, then he will keep his will intact... until their cathedrals learn what it means to burn.

  ?Kylia ran as he never had before; his body was honed for it, his long, strong legs allowing him to cover great distances; his long black hair flew in the wind. And time passed; the years followed, but Kylia never forgot his promise.

  ?Sometime later he returned to the village, changed; his once-grim appearance had transformed. While he maintained his androgynous features, he was stronger, more determined, and notably more attractive. The village where he spent his childhood had resurfaced; the children from that time were now adults; Kylia himself, now 25, was quite a man. Or well, whatever that means.

  ?Kylia set up a laboratory in his village with the money he had been saving for years; the "swords" and "shields" were the best investment of his life. In his lab, he took charge of repairing the physical damage caused by the Church of the Lady Mother of the Earth.

  ?Little by little, healing his “friends” began to heal his own heart. He still missed Japo but tried not to think of him. Emotion knocked on his door when he heard that after the “incident,” Japo had returned home and was looking for him. This filled Kylia’s heart with joy, but after hearing that he had left the village to search for him, he only grew more worried, though he was glad to know he was alive.

  ?One ordinary day, Kylia hears someone knocking at his door. In the city, no noise is heard, so Kylia opens it casually. Upon opening, he saw someone he never wanted to see again: Kristine.

  ?The greetings were short; Kristine grabbed Kylia by the neck, trying to subdue him. The strangulation, though painful, was not enough to stop him. Kylia used his beam: “Tch.”

  ?Inflicting a wound on Kristine’s torso, she let go of Kylia and struck him with a kick. Kylia took the blow, which sent him flying; the pain was too much, as his body was not built for hand-to-hand combat. Kristine lunged at Kylia again; her body remained firm despite being over 90 years old.

  ?Kylia, who was nearing 50, could not stand up to someone with a 3rd-level bond. So, in his mind, he devised a plan. Kylia took Kristine’s hit and flew toward a nearby mouse, turning into it.

  ?He used his shadow technique and vanished from Kristine’s sight; she, filled with rage, blew up Kylia’s laboratory along with all his scientific advances. Kylia saw his home burning from afar; Kristine simply left. And Kylia retreated from the place.

  ?He walked for a long time, changing from animal to animal, until he reached a village. While trying to steal some food, he encountered a boy who looked young.

  ?“...”

  “That was all, Blaise.”

  “What? Seriously, that’s it? Well, that’s quite a short story, Mr. Kylia,” Blaise said with a sarcastic tone.

  “Fine, we should do something in the forest now that we’re here; let’s keep hunting, I’ll teach you how to use my basic techniques.”

  “But Mr. Kylia, what happened to Japo?”