How is it…
that some people pretend to build you—
only to destroy you in the end… for their own amusement?
Is that what they call evil?
Or just… childish cruelty?
Either way—
I want answers.
And I won't stop until I get them.
I will stop at absolutely nothing.
As rage burned inside Jayden's chest—
spreading like spilled ink across a white paper.
Dark.
Uncontrolled.
The moment Fade grabbed his hand—
The world twisted.
—FLASH.
They stood somewhere else.
A rooftop.
Overlooking a broken city.
But this wasn't any city.
This was—
Hell.
The sky burned in shades of red and black.
Ash drifted like snow.
The air itself felt heavy.
Alive.
Watching.
"W-what just happened…?" Jayden asked, still disoriented.
Fade didn't answer.
He simply pointed forward.
"Just watch."
In the distance—
Something moved.
Jayden squinted.
"…Ugh—what the hell is that?"
His face twisted in disgust.
"That thing is hideous."
"Exactly," Fade replied calmly.
"Those are what we call… hell creatures."
Jayden focused.
And what he saw—
was wrong.
A single eye sat at the center of its face, its pupil sharp like a predator's. Two horns curved outward like scythes, and its body moved in a strange, unnatural way.
"Look, kid," Fade said, tapping his wrist casually, "I don't know what you were expecting, but this is hell."
A small pause.
"And your timing?"
"…Perfect."
He pointed again.
"That one."
"I want you to kill it."
"And while you're at it—observe it. Movements. Patterns. Instinct."
Jayden frowned.
"You expect me to just draw my sword again?"
Fade exhaled through his nose.
"I already know what's going on in that head of yours."
A pause.
"But like I said before… I was tricked too."
"…By the same person."
His tone dropped.
"So we're not letting them do as they please."
A flicker of anger passed through him.
"Never again."
He stepped closer.
"Jayden… from the bottom of my heart, we can't let that girl go unpunished for what she's done."
"Summon your sword."
"Fight."
"Climb back to the strength I gave you."
Jayden's eyes narrowed slightly.
"…Gave me?"
Fade smiled faintly.
"That power came at a price."
"My memories… gone."
"My friends… gone."
"All for the sake of completing the Ascension Trials."
Jayden didn't fully understand—
but the weight of those words lingered.
Fade glanced at him.
"Hey, don't make that face. I didn't say this so you could pity me."
"I'm just showing you reality."
Then—
a smirk.
"Think of it as a training arc."
A beat.
"After getting beat up by a girl."
"Sure—"
"W-wait, what—?"
SHOVE.
Jayden dropped from the rooftop—
and slammed into the ground below.
"Damn…" he groaned, pushing himself up.
"The air here…"
He coughed lightly.
"…burning ash and cinders…"
He dusted himself off and looked around.
"…Now where exactly is that hell creature?"
Then he saw it.
Still circling.
Slow.
Like it was searching for something.
"What is it doing…?" Jayden muttered.
The creature stopped.
Its eye locked onto him.
Notice: Defense has been reduced by 1.5%Warning: Avoid looking into its eye. It screams for help you cannot offer.
Jayden froze for a second.
The creature smiled.
A twisted, unnatural grin.
For some reason—
it reminded him of Iris.
Something inside him shifted.
Before he even realized it—
he had already moved.
The distance between them—
gone.
His sword—
already in motion.
A diagonal slash cut clean through the air—
—and through its neck.
-SLASH!
Blood splashed on the ground, covering the blade.
The creature's head dropped.
[-100% HP]1 Demon Eliminated
Silence.
Jayden stood there, staring at his blade.
"…What…?"
"…I don't even remember summoning it…"
Above him—
a slow clap echoed.
"Oooh… perfect."
Fade's voice carried down calmly.
"Now that… is talent."
Jayden glanced up.
"Sorry… looks like I killed it before observing anything."
"Oh."
Fade shrugged.
"Nice."
Then he clapped his hands once more.
"Everything's ready."
His tone didn't change—
but something felt… off.
To be continued…