The Strongest With Nothing Left

As the days passed, the grand celebration marking the end of the war slowly faded into memory. The kingdom had finally returned to peace, and with it, Li Vrak knew it was time to leave the capital and return home.

Standing in front of the castle gates, he faced King Aldric one last time.

"So, you're leaving already?" Aldric asked, his voice carrying a tinge of something rare—sentimentality.

Li gave a small nod. "I was never one for celebrations. My job here is done."

Aldric sighed but smiled knowingly. "Still the same as ever. Just don't disappear completely this time."

Li scoffed. "No promises."

"Did you really think you were leaving without us?" Arin grinned, standing next to him.

Mia crossed her arms. "We're going home together, aren't we?"

Elise smirked. "You better not have planned to ditch us, Sir Li."

Li paused for a moment, then sighed. "…Fine. Let's go."

And so, together with Mia, Arin, and Elise, Li Vrak left the capital not as a lone warrior, but as someone who had finally found a place to return to.

As Li Vrak, Arin, Mia, and Elise stepped through the familiar gates of their town, a wave of voices erupted.

The once-quiet streets were now alive with cheers. The people gathered, clapping and shouting Li's name something that had never happened before.

"Welcome back, Sir Li!""Thank you for protecting the kingdom!""You're not the Living Nightmare we know that now!"

Li froze.

He wasn't used to this.

For years, he had been feared, avoided, and treated like a walking calamity. Now, the same people who once whispered behind his back were smiling at him.

Mia nudged his side playfully. "See? Told you you're not scary anymore."

Arin grinned. "Master, you're basically a hero now."

Elise smirked. "Doesn't feel too bad, does it?"

Li sighed and shook his head. "…It's strange."

But even as he said that, he couldn't deny the warmth spreading in his chest.

For the first time in a long time, he wasn't just a warrior. He wasn't just a weapon.

He was home.

This is the story of Li Vrak a man once known as the Living Nightmare. A warrior feared across the land, an empty husk who walked the battlefield with no purpose, no emotions, and no will to live. A man who awaited death, not out of weakness, but because life held nothing for him.

A reckless boy who challenged fate itself, standing against a monster he had no hope of defeating.

A single moment one act of bravery, of foolishness, or perhaps of fate was enough to crack the walls Li had built around himself.

Through battle, through bonds, and through the people who refused to let him stay lost, Li Vrak found something he never thought he'd have again.

A reason to live.