CHAPTER 11 – Start of the Trial
Clack. Clack. Clack.
The sound of hooves echoed steadily as a black carriage rumbled down a stone path. Two massive horses pulled it forward—both beasts pitch-black with glowing red eyes. The crest of the Warborns was etched into the side of the carriage, cold and proud.
Inside, Kaden sat in silence.
His chin rested lightly on the hilt of Reditha, the weight of the journey ahead pressing down on his shoulders. He was on his way to leave the Stronghold—for the first time in this new life—and beyond that, he would walk alone.
And across from him sat someone unexpected.
"Why are you even here if you won't look at me? Let alone talk to me?" Kaden asked, irritated.
His sister, Daela, sat with her arms crossed, gaze turned to the window, her expression unreadable. She didn't reply. Didn't even flinch.
Kaden sighed and gave up.
He was already anxious—this was his first time outside the Stronghold walls since his rebirth. And he'd be alone. Completely alone.
To say he wasn't afraid would be a lie.
He needed someone. Just someone to acknowledge him. To say something. But instead, he got Daela. Cold and distant.
He sighed again, more heavily.
What he didn't realize… was that Daela was silently panicking.
In Daela's Mind
'What do I say?'
'Do I offer encouragement? A few kind words?'
'Should I hug him? No—that's too intimate.'
'Maybe a handshake? No—that's too cold.'
'Ugh, it's my brother. A hug's not too intimate… right?'
She hadn't been prepared for this. Their parents hadn't told anyone that Kaden was leaving so soon. She didn't even get time to think about what to say.
I didn't prepare anything!
She was literally freaking out internally, but on the outside, she remained stone-faced. Watching the empty blur of trees and buildings outside the window.
The journey continued in silence, the atmosphere thick with awkwardness.
Eventually, Kaden gave up on his sister entirely. He clutched Reditha close—it was the only thing that offered warmth now.
Soon the carriage came to a halt.
Outside the Stronghold, a vast sea of green stretched endlessly. Towering trees, thick underbrush, the wildness of the world.
Kaden stepped down. Behind him, Daela followed, still quiet.
He wore a simple black training tunic, the Warborn insignia on his chest. Slung over his shoulder was a small pack—just enough food and water to last a week. No more.
Reditha hung at his side.
After checking everything once more, he turned to leave.
"I'm going," he said flatly, not expecting a reply.
He took a step. Then another.
But just before the third step—
"Be careful."
A voice, soft and clear, broke the silence.
Kaden stopped.
"Don't die," Daela said, her red eyes glowing with fierce intensity.
And then—
"I mean it. Don't die. Or I'll come find you, revive you… and then kill you myself."
Her tone was serious. Dead serious.
Kaden stared at her, and for a second… he believed she would do exactly that.
A small, crooked smile tugged at his lips.
He turned back, continuing his path forward, but his voice drifted behind him—
"I won't die. Death, after all… is a friend of mine."
Daela stood there, silent again, watching his back as it faded into the forest.
"I hope that's true… little brother," she whispered, her fists clenched tightly at her sides.
…
Later—Deep in the Forest
Kaden crouched high in a tree, perched on a sturdy branch. In his hand was a crumpled map—his only guide.
"Hm. The dungeon's in the northern part of the forest," he muttered. "That region's known to be Forest Wolf territory."
He tried to recall the sparse bestiary he'd read back at the Stronghold.
"Most of them are Awakened-rank like me… but a few might be Intermediate."
That wasn't encouraging.
He needed to preserve his strength for the dungeon. That was his goal. So stealth and evasion until he got there.
That was the plan.
Until—
DING!
Kaden flinched slightly.
His eye twitched.
[You have received a Quest.]
[Quest: First Blood]
[Difficulty: Variable]
[Description:]
You are a child of war. A child of blood. And you choose stealth over battle?
Unacceptable.
Show us what the Child of Blood can do. Take your first kill. Spill your first blood.
Objective: Kill at least 3 Forest Wolves.
[Reward:] Depends on performance.
[Penalty:] -100 Death Coins
[Time Limit:] 3 Hours
Kaden exhaled deeply.
He had wanted to save his strength. Keep his energy for the real fight.
But as always… he was denied.
"You want me dead, don't you?" he muttered.
[Yes.]
[And you should want the same. Death is the optimal path to growth for you.]
He didn't answer.
Not because he disagreed.
But because he wasn't ready… yet.
To die again.
Without another word, Kaden dropped silently from the tree, landing in a crouch. Reditha was unsheathed in a single motion, its blade humming faintly.
He moved cautiously—each step measured, every sense heightened. The forest whispered around him, but he ignored the wind, the insects, the birds.
He was hunting.
And then—finally—, after almost a hour of searching he found them.
A small clearing. Four large wolves, their fur greenish and matted, blood dripping from their jaws as they devoured a freshly killed deer.
They were massive. Muscles rippled under their fur. Their fangs were long, their eyes wild with hunger.
All four were Awakened-rank.
Kaden crouched behind a thick root, Reditha held tight in his grip.
He breathed slowly.
'Let's do this.'
—End of Chapter 11—