The night was utterly still, silent like a held breath. The ageless moon glimmered brightly as the Sanguine, the crimson longship of the far-continent was sailing in the calm waters of Midgand. The ocean's surface glowed with sea sparkle in bright blue light. A lone man let out a prolonged sigh as he gazed over the sea through his cabin window on the ship.

He picked up a leatherbound journal from the nightstand beside his bed and seated behind a nearby table. He flipped the journal open. Smelling the salt in the air and feeling the boat creak under his feet were his daily experiences since his journey began a few months ago. He turned the screw on the lantern that was near the table, turning it on. His features glowed visibly by the light; The lush, blond hair was coiffed over his shoulders to perfection. His eyes were pale green, like the hue of spring; bright and soft all at once. But a deep and distant gloom waved behind them.

He dipped his pen in an inkwell and started writing on a blank page.

"From the Veritable and Staunch Accounts of Sir Avernus Diphda, valiant Knight of the Hyland Empire." He stopped as a sudden rumble shook the ship for a moment, eyes darting around the room. "...I have been sailing the ocean for two months before I finally arrived at Midgand waters. If lady fortune smiles at me, maybe I…"

"Having trouble sleeping, your majesty?" Avernus was interrupted by the captain of the ship who was standing in the door frame. A middle-aged man, long gray beard, wearing a blue and gold outfit of the Hyland navy, holding a bottle of rum in his hand. His tired eyes sank into his sockets. "We're already there. Although, I have a bad feeling about this, kid."

Avernus pinned his pen in the inkwell. "Yeah. You and me both, captain. Besides, I can't stop thinking about home." He crossed his arms over his chest, glancing back at the ocean through the window. "I hope I can find something in Midgand, otherwise…"

Avernus trailed off into the distance, thoughts hazed by a deep sadness. A sadness that he carried from the far continent deep in his heart. The captain cast an appraising eye over his equipment beside him; a long silver scepter that was leaned against the wall, an ornamented wooden chest, and two daggers in their sheathes. He favored Avernus with a nod of approval.

"Aye. It seems you've come prepared, lad. Your foresight will serve you well."

With that, Avernus noticed grey clouds slid in to cover the moon. Another rumble rocked the ship. Suddenly dread tightened in his stomach. "Something doesn't feel right…"

The captain took off towards the deck, and Avernus followed, picking up his scepter and darted out of his cabin.

"Report!", the captain yelled.

Suddenly they found themselves amidst a brewing storm. Shouts filled the air as the crew rushed about the deck.

Avernus felt the air getting thickened by malevolence; the corruption that took form emanating from the daemons; hellish creatures that roamed the earth, seeking to kill and feast on humans and malakhim.

The captain gestured at the front mast as it appeared to be damaged. "Look to the prow! If we don't fix her up, we'll be feeding the fishes!"

A violent gust of wind swept across the deck, throwing the sailors and slamming some into the mast and wooden walls. Avernus braced himself against the railing and raised his hand. "I don't have a malak with me, but I'll be damned if I'm gonna die here." A red, glowing sigil of magic circulated his wrist like a crimson bracelet. It scratched his cuff, and the blood that came out turned into a sliver trickle of mana.

"Heaven Bright!"

Rainbow-like magic raced out of his fingers and spread above the ship. The churning sea grew still for a second, but it didn't last. The whole boat lurched on the choppy waters again. Avernus slammed his arte into his surroundings again, trying to blast the clouds and winds away. "Can you just, like, chill?!"

Suddenly, the vessel listed starboard. Avernus thought it was from a gust of wind, but then a glistening tentacle, as wide as an oak tree, came hunting upon the deck from the dark depth of the ocean.

"Kraken!", the captain screamed.

The tentacle smashed a group of sailors against the deck, throwing their bodies away like used toys and sending shockwaves all over the deck. The rest caught up in the surge and fell overboard. Avernus hit his back to the railing. As he slumped on the ground, he saw the captain dashing at the tentacle and slashed it away with his cuttles.

The tentacle withdrew, slithering back into the briny waters. Avernus sprang to his feet. The captain waved at him from a few feet away. "I need your help, lad, or we won't be able to get out of this alive!"

Salt spray mingled with the relentless lash of rain whipped against Avernus' cheeks as he raised his staff, and the weapon extended itself from the top and bottom. He clenched his jaw in fury, "Show your foul face, if you dare! And I hope you dare!"

The surface of the water bursts with a splashing sound as several giant tentacles start to rise from seawater, each nearly as long as the ship's mast.

"Ready the cannons, men!", the captain desperately cried as the seawater rained down on them from the tentacles.

"They're going to crash on us!", one of the sailors shouted in fear. Avernus scoped the enormous tentacles that were surrounding them.

"No fire, no earth. Only wind and water. My choice is clear then,"

The sigils whirled around his wrists and sucked the blood out of his veins, turning it into mana.

"Whirlwind Slash!" Wind solidified into sharp mana and flew at super speed towards the tentacles. The scales on the monster's skin were too tight, but the arte managed to cut some of the arms. The beast shrieked in pain and started hammering the deck. Avernus dodged the attacks, diving left and right until his second arte charged up, rushing to his hands.

"Aqua Sphere!" A large circular warding shield was conjured above the deck, stopping most of the tentacles in their tracks.

His arms shuddered. "I can't hold them for too long! Load the cannons and fire!", Avernus yelled at the sailors as he held the tremendous force of the Kraken's tentacle at bay. The remaining crew managed to reach the cannons, lighting the fuses.

"Ready... Fire!"

First, the port side cannons fired, and then the starboard side emptied their ammunition on the tentacles. The steel cannonballs drilled into the flesh of limbs, tearing and burning them away. The large chunks of rotten flesh fell into the sea.

"We got them! Yeah!" The sound of cheering filled the air as the tentacles began disappearing beneath the dark water.

For a long moment, the sea churned only of its own volition, frothing and foaming like a horse's lather. Avernus probed the surface but saw nothing stirring beneath the angry spume.

"It's not over! Re-arm the cannons, men!", the captain ordered again.

Then, with a tremendous roar like a hundred thousand death knells ringing as one, the colossal daemon broke the surface. Avernus brandished his weapon and whipped it at the monster as it stared back with its pale yellow eyes.

"Wind Lance!" Avernus attacked the Kraken with swarms of wind arrows, targeting its eyes. The elemental bolts pierced the monster's right eye, but it lifted a massive tentacle, crusty barnacles clinging to its suckers, preparing to strike.

Having no choice as his arte hasn't recharged in time, Avernus dropped to one he knew, teeth clenched, bracing for the daemon's blow. The Kraken brought its mighty tentacle down upon the deck, showering them with slime and fragments of shattered wood.

The Sanguine heaved upon the colossal impact, listing madly to and front.

Amidst the shaking, Avernus saw the captain challenging the beast, running at it with his sword drawn. "Get out of my ship, you ugly piece of sh-!"

Avernus watched in horror as the Kraken brought down an arm and smashed the captain with ease as if he were a little mosquito.

Avernus scrambled to his feet, rage cutting across his face. "Whirl…"

Before he could finish his arte, another tentacle batted him from behind, flooring him against the deck. A surge of burning anguish enveloped his body. Just as he was trying to move, he saw yet another one of the tentacles grab the captain's wounded body and pulled him off the deck as he was cursing something unintelligible at the monster. Avernus crawled but immediately winced in the pain of his broken ribs, coughing up blood. The Kraken's mouth yawned, and the body of the captain disappeared inside of that infinite blackness, beneath a ring of thousand sharp teeth.

The Kraken reared up, fixing Avernus in its gleaming, beady gaze. It windmilled its flailing arms, beating them upon the angry water. Unbowed by its fury, Avernus blinked away the sting of seawater and rain and staggered to his feet.

His body was numbed to the pain. "Abomination... I will show you what real pain is." Avernus raised his arms and clawed his hands. "For all the dreams that are lost!" The sky above them turned red. His breathing intensified. A new weight was pushed into his soul from beyond. "You will come to know my fury, beast, and you will learn to fear it!"

Rumbling, the Kraken surged forward and tangled its limbs all around the vessel. The deck quaked and bucked beneath Avernus' feet. Its grotesque head loomed ever closer, blotting out the lightning-riven sky so near that Avernus could see himself reflected in the glassy, fearsome orbs of its eyes.

Two dark, purple sigils appeared in front of Avernus, and he pushed his hands into them. "May my face be the last thing you ever see! Begone! Celestial Crush!"

A pair of giant, dragon-like claws tore through the air and grabbed the Kraken's head and crushed his eyes, pointy thumbs drilling into them. It thrashed its colossal head back and forth, clear ichor seeping beneath the claws that dug deep into its eyes. The Kraken shrieked in a piercing cry, seeking to unknot itself from the hull. But it was grasped onto Sanguine too tightly and couldn't break free. Avernus twitched his hands, and the summoned dragon hands mimicked his movement perfectly.

The rest of his stamina left his body as Avernus put the last of his endurance into one final movement twist of his hands, pressuring them and crushing the Kraken's skull with a bone-crunching sound. The monster's large body slumped and began to sink into the sea, pulling the ship alongside its lifeless arms with it.

A massive wave of water hits Avernus, and his consciousness was washed into the darkness as his senses blackened.

But as fate would have it, he eluded the hands of death for now.

Amongst this silent dream, Avernus sensed someone talking to him from a distance. The voice kept getting closer and closer.

"Rise and shine, sleepyhead.", a young and eager voice called to him, kicking his legs.

Avernus slowly opened his eyes. An enormous pain engulfed his skull as the light entered his sight. He raised his head to glance at the man; a skinny, short man with a missing front tooth was smiling at him. His ragged and vagrant outfit screamed one word: Pirate.

"Great. Thieves.", Avernus observed, mumbling.

The pirate smirked. "Boss, the pretty boy's awake!" He exited the room in a rush. Avernus grunted in anguish and tried to move his body, but ropes tied his hands and legs. Destroying his bindings was an easy task for him, but what could he do in the middle of nowhere with pirates?

Another much taller and friendlier figure entered the cabin and opened his arms. "Welcome to Midgand, traveler."

The man was wearing a purple coat with a purple hat and a pointy beard. Avernus sneered at his clothing. "Nice outfit. For a pirate."

The pirate turned to his subordinate in surprise. Avernus' gall seemed to spark some interest.

"Benwick, look! Our man can bark!" He chuckled and turned to Avernus. "Such audacity! Wounded, broken, and tied up, and yet you do not beg for your life." The pirate crouched near him, shaking his head. "You are one interesting fish."

"Shame you can't differentiate between a shark and a fish.", Avernus mocked him, glaring from behind his messy hair.

"Even sharks are nothing but herrings in my grasp." The pirate clapped his hands. "Bring in the good stuff!"

Two pirates entered the room, carrying Avernus' wooden chest and his scepter. Then another tall blond man followed them and sat on a nearby crate behind on the far side of the room. His attire consisted of tailored black trousers tightened with two belts and brown boots and gloves. He also wore an orange shirt, a loose white shirt, and a black waistcoat finished off by the long-dark business type jacket. He pulled a coin out of his pocket and tossed it in the air.

Avernus' frowned eyes widened as the sensation of earth affinity washed over him alarmingly. The blond guy's gaze suddenly fell upon Avernus, and they stared into each other's eyes. A sense of imminent danger and dread pierced Avernus' heart. That man had the eyes of death as the reaper himself was digging into his soul. The pirate leader followed Avernus' gaze. As an average human, he couldn't see the man, but he chuckled instantly.

"So you can see our ghost. That means you're a special one, pretty boy. Like one of those exorcists! This must be our lucky day, Benwick!"

The blond guy, now identified by Avernus as a malak, quickly took off and exited the room.

The young man shook his head at this coincidence. "Give me a break."

The pirate captain picked his scepter and swept an endorsing gaze over it. "It's a lovely staff you got there, gold with ruby stones engraved in it. It's yours, I presume?"

"Maybe.", Avernus replied in an indifferent tone and maintained his icy demeanor.

"You know, I like something about you, and I don't know if it's your bravery or your foolishness." The pirate captain reached his coat and pulled out a gray and silver pistol.

Avernus sighed at the sight of the gun. "An anti-dragon weapon in the hands of a pirate. Who would have thought?…"

The pirate placed the barrel under his bloody and dirty chin, raising it. "You see, I'm aware of your handicrafts, and I have to say, your weapons are magnificent pieces of art!"

After staring for a few seconds, the pirate smirked and withdrew the gun. "I'm looking forward to adding this beauty of a staff, and whatever you stashed in that chest, to my collection. So until you can open your mouth and tell me how to use this weapon and the magic password for that chest, you're staying here as our guest."

With the pirates laughing out loud, Avernus was left alone, broken and wounded in the dank corner of his cell. But little did they know what a sorcerer was capable of doing. Even without a malak bound to his spirit, he had some tricks up his sleeve. The mana that he had built up started to travel through his veins, fractured bones, and beaten muscles.

A day had passed. On the next midnight, the healing spell cured most of his wounds. Avernus conjured a minor fire arte and burned his binding. He raised onto his feet and caught a glimpse of the coastline through the small window. He decided to put his escape plan in motion before the pirate ship distanced itself from the coast. Avernus silently trashed the cell's lock, breaking it.

He peeked over the wall. Two pirates were playing cards, oblivious to the fact that their prisoner was now on the loose. Avernus crept up behind them and quickly bashed their heads against the table, knocking them out cold. Avernus spotted his chest near their table, but his weapon was nowhere to be found, although he didn't need to know its location. After all, his weapon was bound to him. Avernus picked up the chest and moved outside.

Avernus was stopped in his track as he saw the blond malak in black, sitting on top of a stack of large crates, casually flipping his strange coin while and waiting for him.

"Can't get a good night's sleep?", the malak asked, stoically in a threatening tone.

The sorcerer sneered, treating it like a joke. "Nah, didn't like the hospitality nor the smell. Also, it's too boring for me here, and I crave for action, malak."

The malak jumped down to the deck in a quick move. "That's a shame, but you're not going anywhere." He bumped his fist together, gazing threateningly at Avernus. "Get back to your room nicely, and I won't have to break your fingers and your nose."

Avernus rolled his eyes and let out a sigh before leveling a challenging stare at him. "Stand aside, malak! I'm not in the mood to play games. Besides, why do you care? They can't even see you."

"You know nothing, stranger. They are an interesting bunch, and to me, they're important."

The Benwick guy ran outside of the crew quarters, watching Avernus standing there on the deck, alone. "What?! The prisoner has escaped!"

Avernus turned uncaringly towards the pirate. He knew that to them. It probably looked as if he was talking to himself.

"Last warning.", the malak threatened, prompting Avernus to turn back to him.

Avernus shifted into his battle stance. "Alright, let's dance, malak."

He raised his arm and opened his hand. "Dreamshadow, come to me!"

A thundering sound roared from the captain's quarters. The malak, fully aware of what was happening, rushed and pulled his arm, ready to slam Avernus with his clenched fist. The great staff broke through the wooden walls. Twirling like a boomerang, it flew back and reached Avernus in time to block the malak's punch. The force of the malak's fist connecting with the protective ward boomed around the deck. Avernus slid a few feet back.

"Damn it!", the malak gritted his teeth and pinned Avernus under his reaper's gaze.

The malak threw another punch, but Avernus dodged it in time. Then, a solution crossed his mind.

"He's powerful, but he's also an earth malak on the sea, which means…"

Avernus grinned. "Bad mistake, my friend."

The young man's eyes started to glow bright white as magic waved through his body. "Colossal Surge!"

Suddenly, a massive wave towered over the ship and divided onto the deck, causing both Avernus and the malak to fall into the sea. Avernus quickly whipped his staff, and the water solidified under his feet. He turned back, only to see the malak paddling in the water for dear life. "Have a nice swim, you stupid malak!"

After a few more minutes of surfing, his mana ran out, in time for him to crash into the shore. His exhausted body couldn't handle much more. After rolling over in the sand, he turned on his back and gazed into the sky.

"Welcome to Midgand, Mr. Diphda…", he said to himself, breathy.

Another day had passed—a day of non-stop walking into unknown jungles. With no map and no clue of where he was, Avernus desperately probed the area for any signs of civilization. During mid-day, he came across a small river, flowing with clear water. He dropped to his knees and dipped his filthy face into it. He pulled his head and ran his fingers through his long, messy hair.

"Water… I wished I had time to bathe myself, but I've wasted enough time already."

His hearing picked up footsteps nearby. Avernus raised his head and scanned the area. To his surprise, he spotted a small blond girl, wearing white attire and holding a strange umbrella, standing on the other side of the river, looking at him with a stony face. She glared, her eyes checking his body.

Again, the vibes of another earth affinity malak radiated from her. Avernus squinted his eyes at her. "Is that another malak?"

She turned her back to him, looking like she shrugged him off coldly, and with slight disgust, she vanished into the jungle.

"Hey, you! Wait!" Avernus stood up, raising his arm, but it was already too late. As he picked up his chest, a wooden sign close to the river grabbed his attention.

"The village of Aball." As he read the sign, a glimmer of hope sparked within him. "It seems lady luck is smiling on me-"

A supernatural howl pulled him out of his little comfort. His ears alarmed to an enemy who's kind he was familiar fighting with for the last six years of his life. Six years of untold responsibility would crush a man's soul.

"A werewolf!" Avernus whirled his head towards the sound and sprinted in haste. He sprinted away from the bushes widely to the side and jumped into a wide clearing. He suddenly found himself between several broken pieces of bottles and shattered crates. A traveling merchant had lost their stash. Avernus raised his head only to lay eyes on a man, appearing to be the merchant himself, twitching, wincing and howling. His breathing became quick and ragged, his eyes turning red. Hooked claws burst through his fingers, dark fur rippling over his skin. Moments later, an enormous, jet-black wolf bared its fangs, howling a challenge toward Avernus.

Avernus stared at the Lycan's long, vicious fangs. He dropped his chest and readied his staff. Duty called for him once more. He had no malakhim, and there wasn't enough blood to spare in that pale body to fuel his mana. But he wasn't a man to back down. Never.

His fingers fumbled around the middle of his staff, and the top extended with a metallic bang, and a pair of transparent scythe blades came out in parallel. Their surface was crystal clear and radiated with extreme magic built into it. "This is not a normal staff that any Shepherd can wield. This is a gift from the malakhim." Avernus heaved a heavy breath. "I shall grant you eternal rest, forsaken soul."

Avernus squared off against the daemon, catching his breath. "Come and meet your salvation!"

The werewolf stamped a gargantuan paw then charged forward, howling. Avernus pulled his long scythe-staff away and lunged to meet his opponent. The beast threw a clawed hand at him. Avernus shifted his body to the side, dodging its attack. Then sprang forward, slashing open the Lycan's chest. The beast bellowed, blood gushing from two deep wounds.

Avernus' heart pounded furiously. Suddenly his sight hazed. His exhaustion finally took its toll on his broken body. He stumbled back. Avernus struggled to control his balance. But he barely caught a glimpse of a young village girl watching the fight from afar. Avernus whipped his arm violently. "Go! Get out of here!"

Taking advantage of Avernus' disorientation, the werewolf landed a solid punch on his chest, bowling him over. Avernus slid into the dirt and his body snapped against a rock, and his head cracked against the stone. Another pain surged in his back as he cried in agony. The daemon jumped on him and hammered viciously at his guard, landing blow after blow.

He was sensing his stamina flushing away. Avernus focused a sliver of his blood and streamed it into his weapon. The magic lit up his staff and enveloped it in a beam of light that blinded the daemon. "Veil's Edge!"

His staff fired up his arte as a rainbow stormed into the werewolf's body. The daemon flew off of Avernus and slammed into the side of a tree, causing it to buckle outward. Avernus pulled himself up, his eyelids heavy and obscured by blood trickling from his forehead. Both adversaries, wounded and out of energy, prepared themselves for the final showdown. The forest surrounded their war cries and howls for battle. Avernus launched himself at the daemon and slashed a full cut to the daemon's stomach.

They both stood still for a moment, locked into their fighting pose, before the daemon went limp, falling to the ground with a crash that shook the jungle beneath Avernus' feet.

His staff fell as the blades retracted and disappeared. Avernus' crippled body faltered, stumbling to the ground as the last of his stamina escaped him. The world stilled, and once more the darkness was his host. His senseless body crumpled to the ground.

Again, he floated in darkness. There was nothing. No light, no ground to stand on. Then, as if a dam had split open, several voices flooded him. He sensed a golden light flaring to life a few feet away. The light grew closer, swelling outward to form a scene. Avernus reached out to the light as it dimmed.

For a mere second, he was taken back to his body. He opened his eyes to see a pair of blazing eyes watching over him. A gentle hand put a wet cloth on his forehead. He squinted his eyes at that shining face. "You need to rest, mister." The warm voice soothed his mind, but he passed out again from the pain.

In the infinite darkness, Avernus looked for that fiery gaze, and his hand desperately reached for the light, to that warm, kind voice before darkness consumed him once more.