Season Two – Part Two
Inside a barren wasteland that had once been famous for its lush greenery, only destruction remained. The scars of war stretched endlessly across the land. Blood and severed limbs littered the battlefield, and the mutilated corpses of fallen soldiers could be seen everywhere.
In the middle of this massacre stood a lone figure.
A torn and dirtied black cloak fluttered violently in the wind. Gold decorations still clung to the fabric, revealing its royal design despite its ruined state. His black hair danced through the air, and two shining golden horns rose proudly from his head.
He walked through the chaos without understanding when or why everything had happened.
Like a young man burdened with a responsibility far greater than himself.
The battlefield was filled with the bodies of his friends and stained with their blood.
Yet he continued walking.
As if nothing had happened.
As if he had lost so much that he had forgotten how to feel sadness.
Suddenly—
Kaith (annoyed):
"Old man Reinhardt, we get it. You were the amazing hero nobody could compare to. The guy who didn't even care when his friends died. Yes, your past is tragic."
His expression darkened.
Kaith (angrily):
"But hearing it once or twice is enough—not during every single training session!"
Reinhardt smiled.
Reinhardt:
"Doesn't this count as training your patience, you little brat?"
He stepped closer to Kaith.
Silence lingered for a few seconds.
Then—
A powerful fist slammed directly into Kaith's stomach.
BOOM!
Kaith doubled over instantly.
Reinhardt (slightly irritated):
"Isn't it shameful to mock someone's past? Especially their most painful memories, you damned little pest."
Kaith crashed to the ground from the sheer force of the blow.
Kaith (furious):
"Are you trying to kill me, you old bastard?!"
Reinhardt smiled lightly.
Reinhardt:
"No... I'm simply teaching you how to behave around your elders, little mouse."
Kaith slowly stood up, his legs barely supporting him.
Despite the pain, excitement appeared in his eyes.
Kaith:
"So when does the training actually begin?"
A New Location
They arrived at a vast land covered in greenery mixed with darkness.
Its plants looked unnatural.
Demonic.
This was the Black Forest.
A place known as the Graveyard of Talents.
One hundred years ago, ten prodigies had entered this forest to cleanse it.
Not a single one ever returned.
Standing on a cliff nearly six hundred meters high overlooking the forest were two figures.
Reinhardt.
And Kaith.
Kaith (confused):
"What are we doing here, old man?"
Reinhardt (annoyed):
"First, I'm not old. I'm still in my youth."
He crossed his arms.
Reinhardt:
"Second, if you keep irritating me like this, I won't help you this time."
Kaith (mockingly):
"And when have you ever helped me? You're just a bastard who throws me toward death and calls it training."
A faint smile appeared on Reinhardt's face.
Reinhardt:
"And yet, every place I throw you into somehow becomes a place where dying is impossible."
His smile widened slightly.
Reinhardt:
"But this time... you might actually die."
Shock immediately appeared on Kaith's face.
Kaith:
"What do you mean, Reinhardt—"
As usual, he never got an answer.
Instead—
Reinhardt kicked him.
Hard.
Kaith was launched straight off the cliff and sent flying into the heart of the Black Forest.
As he fell, Reinhardt's voice echoed from above.
Reinhardt (carelessly):
"If you survive here for three days, I'll teach you how to control your fire magic better."
Kaith (screaming furiously while falling):
"IF I GET OUT OF HERE, I'LL KILL YOU, REINHAAAAARDT!"
Reinhardt smirked.
Reinhardt:
"Not the first time you've said that."
Then he laughed.
Kaith's Perspective
When Kaith finally crashed into the ground, pain shot through his body.
But after a moment, he sighed in relief.
Kaith:
"At least it wasn't a mountain this time."
He looked around at the dark forest.
The twisted trees.
The unnatural silence.
The suffocating atmosphere.
Kaith (worried):
"What am I supposed to do in the middle of this demonic forest?!"
The answer came immediately.
A gigantic rock suddenly fell from the sky.
CRASH!
It landed directly on top of his head.
Kaith (furious):
"What the hell?! Rocks are falling from the sky now?!"
Then he noticed a letter attached to it.
He tore it off and began reading.
Message from Reinhardt
"I forgot to mention something."
"Those three days may turn into a month depending on how quickly you discover the reason behind the disappearance of the ten prodigies who entered this forest one hundred years ago."
"Best regards,
Reinhardt."
The moment he finished reading—
Kaith crushed the stone into pieces.
Dark flames began spreading around him.
Kaith (enraged):
"That bastard..."
The fire intensified.
Kaith:
"Is he trying to train me or torture me?!"
His eyes twitched.
Kaith:
"If he wasn't so strong, I'd rip his head off myself."
Reinhardt's Perspective
Far above the forest, Reinhardt looked toward the distant explosion.
A mocking smile appeared on his face.
Reinhardt:
"An explosion from inside the forest..."
He chuckled.
Reinhardt:
"How amusing."
His smile widened.
Reinhardt:
"He must have just finished reading the letter."
End of Chapter One
Season Two – Part Two