Journey to Become the Zenith

The Day Destiny Opened Its Eyes

Only after some time did the three spot tracks left by a creature.

The forest had grown quiet.

Too quiet.

A hush crept through the trees, every bug frozen mid-motion. Silence pooled like spilled water, so deep even a leaf refused to tremble.

Bent low, Leon studied the torn-up ground where someone - or something - had been digging. Leaves crunched under his fingers as he pushed them off one by one. Twisted branches caught his attention first, then scratches carved into bark nearby. Heavy dents pocked the dirt like dropped stones, telling a story without words.

His face showed nothing at the start.

His forehead creased, inch by careful inch.

Victor noticed immediately.

Something bigger left these marks behind.

Big it looked, that mark on the ground.

Heavy.

Too deep.

Something powerful had passed through here.

”It would seem today is not a good day to hunt stone rabbits,” Leon said lightly, rising to his feet. ”Let’s return to the village.”

Easy came his voice, calm without effort.

Too relaxed.

Fooling Videl could happen. He may pull it off.

Fooling Victor was something he simply couldn’t do.

Worry sat heavy on him. A quiet tension filled his thoughts.

Deeply.

A sudden stillness came over Victor, his interest cutting through the noise. Thoughts leaned forward where moments ago they had lingered. The world narrowed to one quiet point.

A shadow moves where even foxes hesitate. Something prowls near the riverbank each dusk. The old trapper ties bells on his boots now. Silence follows it, not sound. Not claws. Not breath. Just absence. People vanish slower than they should. Their names fade first.

”Why?” Videl protested. ”I really wanted to try hunting something. Are we going to try again tomorrow?”

Out of nowhere, Leon started to speak -

The ground trembled.

Underfoot, a low hum pulsed into the ground, climbed up their shoes, settled in their frame. The tremor moved slow but sure, carried by earth instead of sound. It was felt more than heard - like pressure building behind the eyes. Each step they took seemed to echo deeper than it should. Something below was shifting, not loud yet impossible to ignore.

”ROAR!”

Out of nowhere, a roar ripped across the trees. The woods shuddered under its weight. Sound crashed like stone against bark. Silence had no chance. This noise owned every root and shadow.

Fleeing upward, birds burst into the sky like smoke from burning wood.

A flicker crossed Leon’s face.

Foot planted, he pulled back the string with one smooth motion.

”The two of you, run back to the village and call for help!” Leon shouted. ”Tell them it’s a Red Bear - and it’s an adult! Go now while I distract it!”

”Uncle Leon, I won’t leave you here!” Videl cried. Her voice trembled. ”Victor, say something!”

His eyes stayed fixed on what lay before him.

Not in fear.

In anticipation.

”Damn it, kids! Leave now or we’ll all die!” Leon barked.

Footsteps pounded near. A growl sliced through the quiet.

Branches snapped.

Footsteps, thick and loud, broke through the brush below.

Frozen in place, Leon found seconds slipping through his fingers like sand.

”Here, Videl, catch!”

Faster than a blink, he sent the dagger spinning toward her.

Almost too late, she grabbed it.

Out of nowhere, there it was.

A huge bear with fur like rust-colored fire moved into the open space.

Four meters tall.

A heavy hide stretched tight as muscles swelled underneath, lit by a gaze sharp with wild thought.

A second roar tore through the air, sending leaves spiraling down. Trees shivered under the force of it.

Videl froze.

She had felt brave before, but now it was gone.

Her hands trembled.

Frozen still, Victor watched the creature without a flicker of fear.

Curious thought. Maybe the flavor surprises me.

Leon fired.

A flash cut through air, aimed straight at the bear’s eye. It moved fast, like light thrown hard. The point neared its mark without sound. Distance closed in a breath. Target almost touched.

A heavy paw sent it flying. The red-furred bear barely glanced at what fell.

It lunged.

Leon tried to dodge -

After that, his mind turned to Videl right there at his back.

The claws descended.

Fists tight, Leon shut his jaw hard.

Time slowed.

Maybe next time, Anna... I’ll find you again when it happens once more.

His vision darkened.

-

Victor whispered a sleep spell.

Leon collapsed instantly.

A sudden yank pulled Victor’s father off his feet. He moved fast, urgency clear in every step.

Fine. That’ll make him believe someone knocked him out cold.

Out of nowhere, a deep growl ripped through the air as the Red Bear realized the animal was gone. Then silence fell again.

Staring straight at Victor.

”Heh. What are you looking at, teddy bear?”

The beast blinked -

Then flew backward.

A sharp kick from Victor exploded into its gut.

Wind magic coiled around his legs, layered with a surge of raw force - his power climbing to match mages halfway through their training. Strength wasn’t just muscle anymore; it pulsed from within, sharp and sudden like a snapped wire.

Back then, creatures like that would wipe out entire groups of knights without effort.

”Damn it! This body is still so weak!”

The bear survived.

Victor grinned.

”Well, bad news for you. Now I have to beat you to death. Killing you instantly would be too flashy.”

His gaze shifted toward Videl for a moment.

”Hey, Videl. Didn’t you want to be a hero? Then why are you standing there shaking? Didn’t I already teach you how to fight?”

He charged.

Videl watched, stunned.

Fires of embarrassment flared deep inside her chest.

She had talked about being a hero -

Motion stopped as threat arrived.

Falling into blackness, Leon stayed still - her presence had knocked him out cold.

A sudden shine appeared in her gaze.

A second roar split the air.

Far from the red bear stood Victor, locked in struggle.

Out of the woods came another bear. A sudden crash in the brush, then it appeared.

Smaller.

Two meters tall.

Its cub.

Barely a sound came as it rushed at Leon.

Videl stopped hesitating.

Into her bones went the surge of Boost, pulled tight by her own hands.

[Enhance] on the dagger.

She ran.

The cub swiped.

Out came the claw, pulled sideways without a sound

Backward he flew, struck by a sudden headbutt.

Pain exploded through her body.

Out of nowhere, the bear came at Leon once more.

Victor sensed everything.

His playfulness vanished.

A single blow ended the bear’s life. The animal fell without a sound. Bone cracked beneath his strike. Its body dropped into the dirt. Stillness followed where it lay.

Then turned -

Faster than expected, Videl was already ahead.

A sudden glow lit up her skin. Light spilled across her arms without warning. Brightness rose from within, breaking through like dawn cracking night.

Fountains of power burst from inside her.

Victor halted mid-step.

His eyes widened.

She felt invincible.

She swung.

Out of nowhere, a flood of magic wiped out the young beast along with everything green around it.

A hole took their place.

Videl collapsed.

Victor stared.

That glow felt familiar to him.

The Awakening.

The power of heroes.

Folks once said each champion carried it long ago.

A burst of power, ten times stronger, fuels a single devastating blow.

It was no secret how many who carried that strength he had already brought down.

Footsteps soft on the ground, he moved toward Videl. Distance between them shrank with each quiet step.

His expression darkened.

”So you became a hero after all...”

His hand rose.

Now he held the power to stop her life.

Let her escape a future shaped by gods’ hands.

Still, his arm shook.

Fear gripped his ribs like cold fingers squeezing slowly.

Memories surfaced -

Her laughter.

Her stubbornness.

Her tears.

His closest companion.

Not a hero.

Not a pawn.

Videl.

His fingers curled.

Down went his hand.

”Hmph... it seems my heart has turned human as well. Weak. Soft. Annoyingly compassionate.”

Out of nowhere, a grin crept across, sharp at the edges. It lingered like smoke, heavy with risk.

”Fine. Then as your friend, I’ll help you break free from destiny itself. We’ll follow the script - and rewrite it.”

Down he glanced, seeing her still features below.

”I won’t let the gods control you.”

Then -

A sound like gears turning spoke within his head.

Beep. Host found. Conditions for startup satisfied. Unlock sequence begins... 1%... 7%... 25%... 52%... 70%... 88%... 97%... complete.

Victor’s eyes narrowed.

So... it begins.