"Run?"
Coker blinked at Elira, heart still racing, hand still warm from the power that burst out of him.
She nodded, already checking her gear. "Yes. Now. That demon wasn't alone."
"But—what if more show up?"
Elira met his eyes. "Not if. When."
She turned and sprinted into the woods.
Coker stood there for one second longer, confused, overwhelmed—then chased after her.
Branches whipped past his face. Roots pulled at his feet. The forest behind Vaelgard was thick, wild, and mostly unexplored. Normal people avoided it.
But Coker wasn't normal anymore.
He dodged branches and leapt over fallen logs, surprised at how fast his body moved. It was like something inside him had unlocked.
Elira glanced back. "You're keeping up better than I expected."
"I'm full of surprises," he said, almost tripping over a rock.
They didn't speak again for a while.
Just ran.
Far behind them, a loud howl echoed—low and beast-like.
Coker froze mid-step.
"That… wasn't a wolf."
Elira's voice was calm, but tense. "No. That was a Hellbound."
Coker blinked. "A what-now?"
She kept moving. "Lesser demon. Travels in packs. They track people with cursed magic… or vessels like you."
He shivered at the word.
Vessel.
He still didn't know what that meant.
They reached a small cliff edge and stopped to catch their breath. Elira checked a compass-shaped crystal in her hand. It glowed faint blue.
"We're not safe yet," she said. "They're coming fast."
Coker leaned against a tree. "Then maybe it's time to stop running and fight."
Elira turned sharply. "No. Not until you can control that power."
"But I knocked a demon into a tree!"
"By accident!" she snapped. "You think that means you're ready? That thing in your chest—it's not just power. It's something alive."
Coker's mouth went dry. "Alive?"
She nodded. "And hungry."
A sudden sound—crack—came from the trees.
Then another.
Then... silence.
Elira motioned for him to stay still. She crouched, pulling out both daggers, eyes scanning the shadows.
"Stay behind me," she whispered.
Coker clenched his fists, his heart hammering again.
BOOM!
Something exploded from the trees—small, fast, and snarling.
A Hellbound.
Its skin was black and slimy, with glowing white eyes and sharp teeth too big for its face. It moved like smoke and shadow mixed together.
Elira dashed forward, spinning and slicing clean through it.
It shrieked and burst into dark mist.
More followed. Three. Then five.
They poured out of the trees like a wave of darkness.
Elira fought with grace—her daggers dancing like silver lightning. Each cut made the creatures vanish, but they kept coming.
Coker backed up as one rushed toward him, teeth bared.
His hand glowed again—red-hot with energy.
He didn't know what to do, so he just reacted.
BOOM!
Another shockwave—stronger than before—pushed the demon back into a tree, splitting it in half.
Elira turned mid-fight. "Good! Try to hold it steady!"
"I don't even know what it is!" he shouted.
They fought side by side for what felt like forever. The clearing filled with smoke, dust, and the smell of burnt magic.
Finally, the last Hellbound fell.
Silence returned.
Coker dropped to his knees, breathing hard. "Are they gone?"
Elira nodded. "For now."
He looked at his glowing hand. "That wasn't a spell… right?"
She crouched beside him. "No. You're not using magic. You're using what's sealed inside you."
He stared at her. "Then what am I?"
Elira's voice dropped lower.
"You're a key. A gate. A weapon the demons fear.
The last God Vessel."
Coker laughed once. Dry. Bitter.
"I was just trying to pass the rank test. I didn't sign up to be some… cursed weapon."
Elira stood and helped him to his feet. "I didn't sign up to protect one either. But here we are."
He sighed. "So where are we even going?"
She looked north. Past the trees. Past the cliffs.
"To someone who can help you stay alive."
Just as they began walking again, a deep rumble echoed beneath their feet.
The ground shifted slightly.
Coker froze. "...Was that thunder?"
Elira shook her head.
"No. That was something waking up."
Far beneath the surface, where forgotten ruins slept, a giant metal door pulsed once.
Its chains cracked.
A red light blinked inside.
And a voice spoke—
"The vessel has taken form.
The hunt begins."