Chapter 13: The Birth of a Monster
Ken's breathing was uneven as he took in the eerie silence around him.
A chill ran down his spine as Valor's voice broke the silence.
"Now I'm certain. It's him."
Ken turned toward him, his eyes narrowing. "Who? Can you tell me?"
"It's 'Shadow'—an ancient undead who once served your father."
Ken's heart pounded. "What? What does he want?"
"It's not about what he wants. It's about what he can do," Valor said grimly. "His ability allows him to control people. His army of shadows merges with every shadow they touch, corrupting and controlling them."
Ken swallowed hard. "So… could it be?"
Valor's expression darkened. "Yes. This entire town is already under his control."
Ken stiffened as those words sank in. The streets, the homes, the people—were they all puppets now?
"The whole town… h-huh," he murmured.
His fingers curled into fists. There was no fear in his expression—only resolve.
"How do we find him? And even if we do… how do we stop him?"
Valor smirked. "Isn't it simple?"
Something in Ken snapped. A slow grin spread across his face. His blood boiled, his veins burning with a primal urge.
His voice dropped to a chilling whisper. "Then it's time to cause chaos."
Without another thought, he spun and drove his foot into the wooden door.
CRASH!
The door exploded off its hinges, splintering against the wall outside.
A guard standing outside flinched, his hand moving toward his weapon—but Ken was faster.
"Exhaust."
"Exhaust."
"Exhaust."
The air around the guard distorted as the weight of the spell slammed into him. His body trembled before his knees buckled, and he collapsed to the ground, gasping.
"Wh-why are…?" the guard stammered weakly.
But before he could finish, Ken flicked his wrist.
From the swirling darkness of a black void, a skeletal warrior emerged. Its glowing eyes flickered ominously as it raised a rusted sword.
SHIIING—
The blade struck down, piercing through the guard's helmet, splitting flesh and bone.
The man's body jerked before falling limp.
Ken exhaled sharply, his expression unreadable. But then—
The guard's shadow twitched unnaturally. It detached from his body and began slithering away like a living thing.
Ken's skeletal warrior reacted instantly. Its bones disassembled, flying like sharpened projectiles.
Each bone impaled the fleeing shadow, pinning it to the ground.
The shadow thrashed violently before letting out a silent, ear-piercing shriek—then began dissolving into nothingness.
Ken took a step forward. "Is he dead?"
Valor nodded. "Yes. The shadow is destroyed. But more importantly—how do you feel about killing the guard? This was your first kill… and he was innocent."
Ken was silent for a moment. Then, he smiled. A slow, twisted grin spread across his face.
"I don't feel anything."
His expression shifted—his white eyes gleaming, his breathing deep and erratic.
Then, a low chuckle escaped his lips.
"In fact… I want to kill more."
The laughter grew louder, more deranged.
"I want to kill. Kill! KILL!"
Valor's gaze darkened. "We need to move. Shadow must've noticed we took down his minion—"
But Ken wasn't listening.
"Kill… kill… kill…" he muttered under his breath, his grip tightening on his sword.
Then, he moved.
Like a specter, he rushed through the hallways, leaving behind a trail of carnage.
Every guard that stood in his way fell within seconds.
Blades tore through flesh. Blood splattered against the walls. Shadows desperately tried to flee—but they were no match.
Ken didn't stop. He didn't hesitate.
By the time he reached the mayor's chamber, his clothes were drenched in red.
The door stood before him, barely hanging onto its hinges.
With a powerful kick—
BOOM!
The door shattered, sending debris flying.
Ken stepped inside. Behind him, the hallway was littered with corpses.
"Now, now… that was quick," the mayor mused, smirking. "It's only been five minutes since my men took you to your room."
Ken's voice cut through the air—cold, emotionless. "Are you the ancient undead?"
Ken grin widened.
"I will kill you. Kill you. KILL! KILL!"
In the blink of an eye—
Ken was in front of the mayor.
His sword plunged forward—straight into the mayor's chest.
The mayor's shadow immediately detached from his body, slithering away to escape.
Ken's eyes flicked to the butler standing near the wall. Without hesitation, he twisted his blade from the mayor's body and lunged.
With one clean stroke—
SLASH!
The butler's head separated from his shoulders, rolling onto the floor.
As the body collapsed, the butler's shadow rose—but something was different.
Its eyes glowed red. Its form was more defined, sturdier than the others.
It smirked.
"Who the f* are you?"**