Chapter 4

  The Birth of a Legend

  Three years had passed since the Wall Incident. Poul and Jay still suffered from nightmares of that fateful day. Poul, above all, carried the deepest scars. He couldn’t forgive himself for watching his wife die right before his eyes. That memory haunted him every day—no matter the moment, happy or sad, it always returned to consume him.

  Driven by vengeance, he trained endlessly. His swordsmanship, his physical strength, even his elemental abilities—everything was honed for one purpose: revenge.

  Meanwhile, the Nameless King had become infamous across lands. He destroyed entire villages—giant and human alike. Many had tried to kill him, yet none succeeded. The stronger he became, the more lost and directionless he felt.

  And so, another day began. Poul rose from bed, got dressed, and went to wake his son. But Jay’s room was empty. He walked into the living room and found him there, reading a book.

  ‘I’ve become addicted to reading... I never thought this would happen,’ Jay thought.

  “Jay, I’m going to have to work extra hours just to buy you new books!” Poul said.

  Jay looked up lazily and replied, “Alright.”

  ‘What a little brat,’ Poul thought, hiding a smirk.

  He walked into the kitchen, cracked a few eggs, and cooked breakfast.

  “Alright, Jay, breakfast’s ready.”

  Jay joined him, ate quietly, and after finishing, left for the park. Before leaving, he waved goodbye to his father. On his way there, memories of his previous life suddenly surged through his mind. He stopped in his tracks, holding his face as flashes of the past overwhelmed him.

  ‘Why was I brought to this world? Was I reincarnated for a reason, or was it just fate? What’s my purpose here? My destiny? It’s been three years of peace... too much peace. Something’s coming.’

  These were the same thoughts that had haunted him every morning in his previous life. They had returned since his mother’s death.

  ‘Are these thoughts truly mine, or just remnants of who I used to be? Eight years... and I still haven’t changed. Maybe I never will. Still... in this life, I don’t want to repeat the same mistakes.’

  Lost in thought, Jay didn’t even realize he’d reached the park until he heard a familiar voice call out. It was his best friend, Kyrai, waving at him excitedly.

  Meanwhile, Poul was at work. At the military training center, he greeted his superiors and went straight to his usual routine—training. Hours passed. He worked through sword drills before shifting to elemental exercises. His body had become far more resilient and attuned than it was three years ago.

  ‘I’m stronger now. I can protect my son from the evils of this world.’

  Suddenly, he was summoned by one of his superiors. In the meeting room, several soldiers had already gathered.

  “Well,” the captain began, “I gathered you all here because I have news that’s going to shake everyone.”

  A soldier raised his hand. “What’s the news, sir?”

  The captain sighed, his gaze sharp. “We’ve spotted a giant. But not just any giant—an earth elemental giant.”

  The room fell silent. Fear spread across the soldiers’ faces. Poul, however, smiled faintly—darkly—without realizing it, his hand brushing his jaw as if to hide his anticipation.

  “But how do we know that?” another soldier asked.

  “We’ve been monitoring the strange behavior of the forest giants. This confirms it,” the captain replied. “The city must be evacuated. A battle’s coming.”

  As the soldiers nodded and dispersed, the captain caught Poul’s grim smile and chuckled to himself.

  ‘Looks like someone’s eager for the fight.’

  Afterward, Poul drank some water, cooling himself down. But worry crept into his chest—Jay was still out there, at the park, with Kyrai.

  Meanwhile—

  “Jay, let’s have lunch at my place!” Kyrai said cheerfully.

  “What?!”

  She raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms. “You don’t want to come?”

  Jay sighed, realizing that if he went home, he’d have to cook lunch himself. Laziness won.

  “I’ll go! Absolutely.”

  ‘Thank you, Kyrai. You just saved me.’

  They arrived at Kyrai’s home, where Jay was warmly welcomed. Lunch was peaceful—until a deafening boom echoed through the city, followed by a crushing wave of pressure that made the air itself feel heavy.

  Everyone froze. Jay’s chest tightened. The fear he’d buried for three years came flooding back. He couldn’t let this family experience the same tragedy.

  Before he could speak, Kyrai’s father, Luis, stood and shouted, “Everyone, get to the basement! Now!”

  They obeyed immediately.

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  At that same moment, near the city wall, Poul was stationed with a partner when he felt the same overwhelming pressure.

  ‘It’s coming from the east!’

  He turned toward it just as his partner collapsed, trembling uncontrollably.

  “We’re... we’re going to die,” the man stammered.

  Poul’s eyes followed the man’s shaking hand—toward a massive mountain of earth rising in the distance, littered with the corpses of giants. At its peak stood a towering giant, gazing down at everything with disdain.

  The mountain surged forward like a living wave, aiming straight for the wall.

  “Fire! Fire, damn it!” Poul shouted at the artillery crews.

  They loaded and fired—but the “mountain” opened a colossal mouth and swallowed the shells whole.

  Poul clenched his jaw, extended his arm, and unleashed a torrent of ice that froze the advancing mass—and even part of the giant itself. But the attack came at a cost. His arm was nearly frozen solid.

  He dropped to one knee, panting heavily.

  ‘Did I do it? Did I save the city?’

  He looked toward the city, relief flickering across his face—until he heard a sharp crack above him. He looked up. A giant, over seven meters tall, was descending from the frozen mountain.

  Poul dove aside, rolling across the ground. Gasping, he raised his arm for another blast of ice—but the giant slammed his hands into the earth, creating towering walls of stone on both sides. Poul fired again, but the ice was weak this time, barely coating the wall before freezing the rest of his arm. Exhausted, he collapsed, his breathing ragged.

  The giant shattered the stone walls and stared down at Poul. Seeing no threat, it ignored him and leapt toward the city.

  “No... no...” Poul gasped, his voice trembling. “Jay... I need to... save... my... son.”

  The giant landed inside the city. He scanned the area, cautious of ambushes. Houses crumbled beneath his steps, but no people remained—the evacuation had already begun when his pressure wave hit.

  Then he heard something. A faint sound. He turned toward it—only for a sudden projectile to pierce his leg. He fell, dragging across the streets, crushing buildings and injuring several civilians.

  Growling, the giant stood. The wound closed almost instantly. A massive spear of earth materialized in his hand.

  “Ready the artillery!” a captain shouted. The soldiers aimed once again.

  “Fire!”

  The giant hurled his spear at the same time the cannons fired. The impact caused a massive explosion that shook the entire city, sending people into panic.

  In the basement, Jay sat trembling beside Kyrai. Luis stayed near the door, alert, ready for anything. The explosion’s echo faded—then came the sound of the front door being smashed open.

  “Search the whole house! Find the residents!” barked a rough voice.

  Dozens of footsteps thundered across the floorboards.

  Luis gripped the handle of his sword, standing guard by the hidden door to the basement.

  Jay’s heart raced. He couldn’t stand waiting. He wanted to help his father—but he couldn’t leave. Not with intruders above them.

  He turned to Luis. “Where can I help?”

  Poul, still outside, was regaining his strength. His arm throbbed painfully, the freezing spreading across his skin. He clenched his teeth and forced himself to stand. His body screamed in protest, but he looked over the devastated city with burning hatred.

  ‘I failed again... I failed to protect them.’

  Then a voice—low, familiar, and cold—whispered inside his mind.

  “Poul, use your power. It can do more than launch blasts.”

  He froze. He recognized that voice.

  ‘More than blasts?’

  He focused—and from his back, wings of ice began to form. He spread them wide and leapt from the wall, soaring through the air toward the earth giant. While flying, he shaped a massive ice sword in his hand.

  Below, the artillery crews were nearly out of ammunition. The giant advanced, destroying the remaining guns. He lifted his hand, and the ground trembled violently. Dozens of stone spikes erupted, impaling the soldiers and their cannons.

  The captain looked up in horror.

  ‘That... that’s impossible! With just one gesture... he wiped out my entire unit! That’s no creature—that’s a monster!’

  He gritted his teeth and drew his sword.

  ‘Even if I can’t win, I’ll hold him long enough for the civilians to escape.’

  Then, from above, a faint shape appeared—a man with wings of frost. The captain’s eyes widened. It was Hyou Poul. He was diving straight toward the giant.

  Poul raised his ice blade, aiming for the creature’s arm. The giant sensed him at the last second and swung a fist covered in stone. Poul twisted midair, narrowly dodging, and slashed downward, carving through the giant’s arm. Ice spread rapidly along the wound.

  When Poul released his blade, he caught a glimpse of the giant’s other hand coming at him—too close to dodge. The blow sent him flying, crashing into the city wall. He felt every bone in his body scream in pain. His left arm and legs refused to move.

  The giant charged, raising a sword of earth. He leapt high and swung downward. The blade of stone came crashing toward Poul—

  But it stopped. Frozen solid, mid-swing.

  Poul’s eyes widened as blood filled his mouth. The giant’s arm, sliced earlier, was completely frozen, unable to regenerate. He fell to one knee, roaring in frustration.

  Poul’s lips curled into a trembling smile. He looked at his shattered arm, focusing every ounce of his remaining energy. Ice spread from his wounds, crawling across his body until his left arm reformed entirely—glimmering, translucent blue.

  Pain surged through him, sharp and burning, but he stood.

  Half his chest and arm were now encased in solid ice. His breathing was shallow, his gaze fierce.

  He began walking toward the giant. Around him, sharp spikes of ice burst from the ground, spiraling upward. The giant did the same, forming walls and spears of stone to counter.

  For the first time in his life, the giant felt fear.

  The two powers collided—ice and stone crashing together, explosions of frost and dust filling the air.

  Through the cloud, Poul walked calmly, each step radiating killing intent.

  When he saw the giant’s foot, he raised his hand. An ice spike shot upward, impaling it. The creature screamed, its roar echoing across the city. Poul silenced it with a wave of his hand—more ice, more spikes, encasing the sound itself.

  The giant tried to defend himself with a stone wall, but Poul appeared through the haze, swinging his sword with a bloodthirsty grin.

  The blade cut deep through the giant’s neck.

  Blood sprayed across the battlefield. Poul’s hands trembled, drenched in crimson.

  For the first time, he had killed a giant.

  Meanwhile, in the basement, Luis and Jay were prepared for the worst. The door burst open. Without hesitation, Luis lunged at the first intruder, grabbing him by the neck and strangling him. When he saw the man’s armor, he froze—it was a soldier.

  Jay rushed forward, grabbed a knife from the man’s pocket, and stabbed him in the head. The soldier collapsed instantly. Jay stared at his hands, now covered in blood.

  ‘I... I killed someone. No, I had to. If I didn’t, we’d all be dead. Still... what does that make me?’

  Tears began to fall before he even noticed.

  ‘Does this make me a monster?’

  A faint, dark smile crossed his face.

  Luis searched the soldier’s body and found what he was looking for—a sword.

  “Kid,” he said gently, “I know you’re blaming yourself for killing someone. But it was necessary. If you hadn’t acted, we’d be dead. I’m sorry you had to do that.”

  He hugged the trembling boy.

  “Jay, can you lead Kyrai and Mary to safety while I deal with the others?”

  “Yes, sir,” Jay said quietly. “Once they’re safe... can I come back to help you?”

  Luis hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

  He moved silently, killing the remaining soldiers one by one, dragging their bodies into the basement. He burned everything to erase the evidence before returning to his family.

  Later, Jay finally found his father inside a medical tent. Poul lay on a stretcher, his arm still coated in frost. Jay ran to him and hugged him tightly.

  “I’m just glad you’re alive, Dad.”