Rabbits hopped around randomly inside a small pen. The pigs were gathered together, and a short distance away, a young boy of the Foxen race watched them with a wide smile on his face. He seemed genuinely happy. The place around him was a town—not a large one, but there were several houses. After a while of staring, another, much larger Foxen suddenly leapt onto the boy.
"Got you, Ponier!" the adult Foxen said as he picked the child up.
"Let me go, Dad! I don't want to study!!" Ponier shouted as he squirmed in his father's arms.
The father insisted on taking his son, and eventually managed to drag him back home. The house was simple. Another Foxen woman—Ponier's mother—was cooking. At the empty table, the father and son sat, waiting for her to finish and serve them lunch.
"How many times do I have to tell you not to run off? The pen isn't even a nice place to stare at, but you'll do anything to avoid studying," the mother said.
"I'm hungry! I'm hungry!" Ponier screamed, ignoring his mother's words.
After a while, the mother finally brought lunch. Not long after they started eating, Ponier tried to escape again, but this time he felt a hand grab his shirt. He gave up immediately, realizing there was no hope of escaping. Just then, a voice called from outside the house: "Ponier!"
"It's Grell!" Ponier shouted, slipping from his father's grasp and running to open the door.
At the door stood two children—one was a boy with damp brown hair, short in stature, and beside him was a girl with long hair. Ponier was delighted to see them, and a wide smile formed on his face. He turned to his father and said: "I'm going out to play. Grell and Nalla are here!"
"No way!" his father yelled.
"Please, Dad," Ponier begged as he knelt before him.
"Oh, Goddess... Fine! Just don't bother Holdan!" the mother said.
And with that, Ponier ran off with his friends to play outside. This was a glimpse into the childhood of the Foxen boy—a childhood spent in Omila Town, one of the towns under the Duchy of Ethelas, and the smallest town in the duchy. But what matters here is that Ponier's childhood was clearly filled with happiness—without suffering or any moment that could turn him into something monstrous. Or so it seemed for now.
"Yoooh! My plan worked!!!" the father shouted as he held a scroll high above his head, a smile stretching across his face.
"Did the project succeed?!" the mother asked with a wide smile of her own.
"What's going on..." Ponier mumbled, clearly just waking up.
"Beerol convinced them!! We're going to establish our own adventurers' guild in Iveleth!!!" the father shouted even more excitedly.
"That's amazing! Truly amazing!" the mother repeated, tears of joy streaming down her cheeks.
Yes, this was a major turning point in Ponier's life. That day, his father's project idea had succeeded. His father's vision was to establish an adventurers' guild, as it was one of the best ways to earn a significant profit at the time. Thanks to his merchant friend Beerol and his financial support, they managed to convince the kingdom and pay the required fees. Thus, the second guild in Iveleth Town was established, alongside the Alice Guild, which would become its competitor.
"Hey Ponier, suggest a name for the guild," the father said excitedly.
"Umm... M-Miracles!" Ponier replied with enthusiasm.
"Yooooh! That's a great name!"
The Miracles Guild was founded, and the competition began. In a short time, the guild achieved great success. Ponier's father and his friend Beerol gave it their all. Their hard work turned Miracles into a serious competitor to the Alice Guild. Ponier lived with his parents in Iveleth peacefully and comfortably. But amid all this, there was someone who wasn't pleased with how things turned out.
"Hah! How ridiculous. I'm the one who paid the fees and convinced the kingdom, and now that bastard is getting the same profits I get," grumbled a fat man to several people—Beerol.
"That's not all, sir. His son is the one who'll inherit the guild, since you don't have any children," said one of the masked individuals in leather armor.
"Ughhh! Don't remind me!!" Beerol roared in anger.
"Shall we proceed then?" one of the masked men asked.
"..."
"Yes. Do it... Kill them all," Beerol said, trembling with rage.
From this hatred, a group of assassins was formed, called "The Masked." They weren't widespread or seen as a threat in the town, mainly because no one knew they existed. But their work was about to begin. One night, as Ponier was playing outside with other children, his father was busy signing some papers, and his mother was immersed in her cooking. In that moment, the door was kicked in and four masked figures burst in, wielding short swords.
The house was quickly turned into a blood-soaked scene. They tried to find Ponier, but the cries of their victims made it difficult, so the assassins fled. Neighbors rushed in with Ponier and found the gruesome scene—two Foxen bodies horribly mutilated, and a fallen mask on the floor.
Ponier was deeply traumatized and became homeless in Iveleth. He lived in the orphanage and met new children, but that didn't help him forget the horrific scene he had witnessed. Every night, Ponier dreamed of his parents, waking up terrified and screaming. This caused major issues for the orphanage staff and children alike, and so they decided to get rid of him by any means necessary.
But luck seemed to smile on him this time. One day, a luxurious carriage stopped in front of the orphanage. A richly dressed man stepped out, clearly wealthy, flanked by two guards. This man was Avilat, the master of the Alice Guild. Of all the people in Iveleth, Avilat was the only one who agreed to adopt Ponier.
Since then, Ponier lived with Avilat from the age of thirteen. He lived a happy life. Avilat treated him like a son, and Ponier came to see him as a father. Over the years, Avilat continuously planted ideas in Ponier's head—that the Miracles Guild and other guilds were the ones who killed his parents. These ideas became firmly rooted in the Foxen's mind.
When Ponier turned seventeen, Avilat sent him to study in the capital, Ethelas. It wasn't just any school—he enrolled at the grand Lelinos Academy, where he studied martial arts, magic, and even rune, all for the sake of revenge. Years passed, and Ponier studied hard until he turned twenty-two. Then, he returned to Iveleth as a graduate of Lelinos.
"This is the mask worn by those killers—the same one you saw in your house, right?" Avilat asked the Foxen sitting across from him.
"Yes..." Ponier muttered, holding the mask in his hands.
One night, Beerol was celebrating with a few maids after earning a large profit. Candles lit up his room alongside the moonlight. Suddenly, one of the windows shattered, and a gust of wind blew in, extinguishing the candles. Slowly, a mysterious figure advanced, clad in black leather armor and wearing a mask.
"W-Who are you?!!" Beerol screamed.
That was the first night Ponier ever killed someone. Beerol was dead, but Ponier didn't feel satisfied. This was just the beginning. After killing Beerol, he came to believe that only the Alice Guild deserved to exist and dominate. Or rather—it was the only guild worthy of being called a guild. And so, the Dark Eye was born.
◆ ◆ ◆
Above the Forests of Yavan, a huge cloud of smoke billowed into the sky. Flames spread through the trees. From above, the place looked like utter chaos—but what was happening below? Below that view was a scene from hell: trees burning, smoke everywhere, and in the middle of it stood two figures—Ponier and Ralce.
"Lisa, put out the fire!" shouted Ralce as he launched a fiery slash from his sword at Ponier.
Ponier dodged the slash, and at that moment, he landed on a patch of rainwater that extinguished the flames and sent smoke rising. In that instant, Ponier disappeared and reappeared behind Ralce, but the armored man quickly spun around with his fist and punched Ponier in the face. The foxen stumbled back, spitting blood from Ralce's punch.
"Stop this. I've memorized it," Ralce muttered, with wounds on his face, gripping his greatsword tightly.
It seemed the fight between them had gone on for a while. Ponier launched several fireballs, but Ralce blocked them all. Then Ponier appeared before him, and a fierce clash erupted between them. Sparks flew from the colliding blades, and each tried to stab the other. In a terrifying moment, the foxen managed to wound Ralce's cheek—but it wasn't easy, as Ponier couldn't avoid Ralce's counterattack either, which struck part of his arm.
They both backed away. Ralce's face was bleeding heavily, and Nowy even tried to step in, but Ralce refused. Ponier gave a faint smirk and disappeared again. This time, he started appearing rapidly and launching fireballs, making it hard to track the angle of the attacks. The fight continued like this—Ponier vanishing, reappearing, casting a spell, then vanishing in the blink of an eye.
Ralce struggled to block them, and worse, the spells were damaging his armor. Not blocking them would be a big problem. While Ralce was busy dealing with this, Ponier suddenly leapt at him and smashed Ralce's nose with a powerful knee strike—then disappeared again.
"Aaghh! Damn it, my nose is broken!" Ralce screamed, trying to touch his nose as blood poured out.
"You're really weak, man," Ponier muttered.
"Shut the fuck up!!!!!" roared Ralce, charging forward with force.
At that moment, Ralce broke a green gem on his blade, then swung his sword at Ponier. A massive whirlwind burst out—something the foxen never expected. It sent him flying and crashing violently into a tree. Ralce took the opportunity and leapt toward him, but Ponier vanished just in time and reappeared atop a nearby stump.
"His rune is almost depleted," Lisa whispered.
"Yes, I noticed that too," Nowy replied.
"When it's out, let me know. Please," said Rommy, focusing on the battle.
This time, Ponier was the one who charged at Ralce. Ralce blocked the strike, but Ponier followed with a powerful kick to his chest, tearing a gash in the armor. Ralce realized his armor could no longer withstand attacks. In a strange move, he began removing it, revealing a light leather outfit beneath. He then spun his sword while glaring at his opponent.
"I've just taken a huge weight off. I'll be faster now," Ralce said, his face covered in blood.
He charged again—this time, much faster. Ponier didn't vanish, so he was struck by Ralce's powerful charge and knocked backward. It was clear that Ralce had overpowered him in terms of strength. Ponier tried to block the attacks, but they were much faster and harder to parry now.
"His rune is finished," Lisa muttered.
Just then, while Ralce was preparing to deliver a killing blow, he felt something sharp graze his left side. He quickly backed off and touched the area—his palm came back red with blood. Far off, Ponier was licking his blade, now stained with Ralce's blood. It was a swift and serious blow, one no one had seen. Ralce began to feel strange—dizzy, and it was getting harder to walk.
"Rahhh!!" Rommy screamed—but this time, she was right behind Ponier.
She tried to stab him with one of her daggers, but Ponier easily blocked the attack. She retreated and locked eyes with the fierce foxen. He rushed at her, and a clash began between them. Meanwhile, Ralce could barely stay on his feet, but suddenly shouted: "Rommy, I told you not to interfere!!"
At that moment, instead of responding to her leader or doing anything else, the red hooded girl just stood there. She didn't move. In front of her, Ponier was also standing still. Then, in a horrifying sight, Rommy collapsed to the ground. Ponier turned around with a sinister smile to watch the others' reactions as they saw their comrade drowning in her own blood.
"R... Rommy?" Ralce muttered.
"ROOOMMMMYYYY!!!!!" Nowy screamed.
Everyone was in shock, unable to believe what they were seeing. But the truth was clear—Ponier had killed a member of Ralce's party. Rommy. The red hood. Ralce stabbed his sword into the ground and tried to stay standing while staring at his fallen comrade. The sight was unbearable. Suddenly, a radiant white aura surged from him, and his wound slowly began to heal.
"I'll kill you!!!!!" Ralce roared, charging forward with fury.
Ponier tried to block him, but Nowy's enhancement had boosted Ralce's strength, and Ponier was knocked to the ground. Just then, he saw a stone ball falling toward him. He quickly turned and dodged it, but what awaited him was a berserker charging at him with a greatsword. Ponier fired several fireballs, but they all vanished as a glowing shield formed around Ralce.
When Ponier tried to block the attack this time, one of his swords broke. He quickly retreated, dodging any follow-up attacks, but Ralce kept charging like a madman. Then, in a terrifying moment, Ponier narrowly dodged Ralce's strike and, in a flash, slashed his sword across Ralce's neck. The berserker's head could then be seen flying off his body.
"..."
"Raaalcee!!!!!!!!" Lisa screamed.
"I told him a thousand times—charging in recklessly is dangerous... Damn it, he managed to land a serious wound on me," Ponier muttered, touching his bleeding chest.
"Hey Lisa, can you heal me? I can't fight like this," Ponier asked with a vile grin, staring at the two shocked girls.
At that moment, a silver sword shot toward Ponier's head like lightning. If he hadn't moved his head slightly, it would've pierced his skull. Even so, it cut his cheek and left a wound. But it didn't end there—the sword came flying back, this time held by another man. A different man, clad in heavy armor, gazing with one fierce eye and the aura of a great warrior.
"Vinnel..." Ponier muttered, wiping his cheek.
Just then, Vinnel vanished. Ponier realized the danger and tried to flee, but Lisa created a massive stone wall in front of him. In that moment, Vinnel appeared behind him. Ponier turned around—it wasn't just a knight he saw. It was death. Vinnel stared at him with one eye—a terrifying eye Ponier would never forget if he survived. Ponier tried to raise his short sword, but it shattered the moment it clashed with Vinnel's blade.
"How could someone like you kill my nephew?" Vinnel said with a look of disappointment.
At that moment, Ponier was suddenly stabbed in the chest. His vision blurred, his breathing labored. He tried to stay standing but couldn't, grabbing onto Vinnel for support—yet still, he fell. He struggled to breathe, his eyes slowly closing. But as he opened them once more, he saw a different scene: a peaceful forest—the same place before the battle. But instead of Vinnel, there was a foxen smiling widely at him.
"Maybe leaving you alone was hard. We're sorry for that—truly sorry. But it was out of our hands. Well, now that you're alone, I'm asking you—work hard to make the Miracles Guild the best guild in the world. That was your father's wish. Please, fulfill it, my son," the foxen said.
"I... I'm truly sorry..." Ponier whispered his final words before collapsing as a lifeless corpse.