Chapter 4: The City in Flames
Sirabs kept striking the dead body of the prince again and again with his sword. The prince was already dead, but Sirabs hit him like a wild wolf devouring a helpless rabbit. The prince's body was soaked in blood—so much so that no one could recognize him anymore. The jungle burned all around them, and most of the royal soldiers had either died in the flames or been crushed by falling rocks. The survivors fled in terror toward the city of Alobsto.
Alobsto was a wealthy city, full of merchants and noblemen who lived in luxury, served by slaves. But the poor people of the city had nothing. Their only hope was to obey the nobles.
One of the surviving knights arrived at the city's gates, shouting in panic,
> "A demon attacked us in the jungle! Most of our knights are dead! Many are injured! The prince is missing! We need reinforcements!"
From the wall, a guard shouted back,
> "What are you saying? Who could attack the king's son? Are you drunk?"
But the knight insisted,
> "I'm not crazy! Inform the Second Captain!"
The guard ran to the captain's quarters and delivered the news. The captain, alarmed, grabbed his sword and ordered,
> "This is serious. Form a team now. We need to find the prince!"
The rescue team rode out into the jungle. They passed wounded knights who were burned and screaming for help. The captain ignored them.
> "The prince is all that matters," he said.
Eventually, they found the prince's dogs lying dead on the ground. The captain stopped his horse.
> "These are the prince's hunting dogs... something terrible happened here."
They went deeper and found more dead knights, some torn apart.
> "Only a demon could do this," one of the soldiers whispered.
Then they found a horrifying scene: a blood-soaked boy hitting a corpse over and over again. When they got closer, they realized it was the prince's body, and the boy was Sirabs.
> "Don't kill him," the captain said. "If we bring him back alive, the king will reward us. He can't kill us for the prince's death if we present the killer."
Sirabs stood and smiled.
> "I surrender," he said calmly.
The soldiers were shocked, but they quickly chained his hands and legs. The captain picked up what was left of the prince's body.
> "Who could have done this…" he muttered.
They began their journey back to Alobsto. Along the way, the captain asked his men how many knights Sirabs had killed. The answer shocked him—thousands had died.
Back in the city, nobles gathered to see the captured "devil boy." They were afraid to look into his eyes, which were filled with rage and bloodlust. His clothes and skin were soaked in blood.
At the city hall, the captain stood before the crowd and declared,
> "This monster has killed Prince Albertos, son of the Great King, and 6038 royal knights. Another 3962 are alive but mentally broken. Today, we will cut off the head of this devil and send it to the king!"
The crowd shouted,
> "Kill the devil! Kill him!"
A knight approached Sirabs and asked,
> "Any last words?"
Sirabs stared at the people and said,
> "I will kill you all. Every one of you who believes your life is more valuable than others. I am The Hunter—and I will hunt you all!"
The executioner swung his sword and cut off Sirabs' head. Blood spilled everywhere, and the people cheered. The captain shouted,
> "This is the fate of anyone who defies the kingdom!"
But just as they were about to remove Sirabs' body, something terrifying happened.
Though his head was cut off, Sirabs' body began to move.
The soldiers screamed. Sirabs' hands reached out, grabbed his head, and placed it back on his body. His wounds healed instantly.
The captain cried out,
> "What are you!?"
Sirabs opened his eyes and replied coldly,
> "I don't know... but you can call me The Hunter."
The captain charged on his horse with his sword ready. But Sirabs jumped, knocked him down, and placed his hand on the captain's face.
> "Open the doors of Hell," Sirabs whispered.
The captain screamed as his body ignited. Flames burst from his skin, and he transformed into a fire demon. He roared like a beast and attacked the city.
Sirabs walked through the flames as more soldiers ran at him.
> "What have you done to our commander!?" they cried.
Sirabs calmly replied,
> "Do you want to join him?"
They didn't listen, so he repeated the ritual—turning them all into fire demons. The city descended into chaos.
In just a few hours, the city of Alobsto was destroyed. Sirabs then tried to help some poor villagers trapped in burning homes. He saved a mother and her two children. But instead of thanking him, the woman screamed,
> "You monster! You caused this fire! You brought this destruction!"
Her words crushed him.
> "She's right…" he whispered.
Feeling guilt, Sirabs opened his black magic book and found a spell to absorb fire.
> "Let all fire come to me. I will be its home," he chanted.
The fires of the entire city rushed into his body. The city was saved… but it was too late. The nobles were dead. The army was destroyed. And Sirabs had no one left to protect.
As he walked out of the ruined city, exhausted, a terrifying figure appeared—a monster made of iron bones.
> "So… you destroyed this city?" the creature growled.
"I am the God of Fire, one of the Twelve Demon Protectors of this land. And now… I will destroy you!"