"All my years, there wasn't a single time where I failed to predict someone's future, Aryan. You know that too. But this...boy is an exception. Something is seriously wrong with the kid."

"Well, what are you suggesting? Kill him? A kid? You want to get rid of him." He said. "It would be simple, seriously. I could just zap there and zap him and zap back here in a matter of zapsecond." He snapped his fingers and chuckled. "Do you want to give me that name too? Child murderer?"

"I'm not suggesting to kill him." Her voice eased up, feeling his frustration. "Send him home. Send him back where he came from."

"The world is at a war, Ein. You can feel it here, right? And we need a hero to step in." His pupilless eyes focused on the boy laying on the ground marveling at his prosthetic mana arm.

"There is a hero- a young and capable one out there. There is no need for another one. It will only create unnecessary problems."

"You felt it, right? The boy is special! Something in the boy feels strange. Like his soul or spirit or something. I can't put a word to it. But what I can say is, he's special. Special beyond words. And I want to check him myself and what better way to do than teach him."

There was a moment of silence hung in the air. No sound of the wind nor the sound of the beasts came near the vicinity. It was like the whole world was still for a moment.

Then the tension eased up and the old woman slowly started to walk away.

"We've seen terrible things in our lives, Aryan. I hope you know what you're doing."

"Please don't send more of those little devils at him, okay? Give him some peace for the time being." He waved to her.

But there was no one in the area as she had already vanished from the place.

Poof! Just like that.

"Come on! Climb on! I'm itching to know how you know me and I'm dying to hear your made-up lies." The old man grinned, still gazing at the boy.

...

Down at the second steps, after resting for a bit, Damien opened his eyes.

His stomach growled as hunger seethed through him.

Damien stood up, rubbing his stomach. "Okay, time to find some food. I can't fight on an empty stomach."

As he walked, he stumbled upon a monkey swinging from a branch, it was not the monkey that fascinated him but rather its tail.

Its tail was wrapped around a hilt, a hilt of a sword. "Wait, what?" he muttered to himself. "A monkey with a sword? This must be a hallucination from hunger."

But no, it was real. The monkey looked at him and started swinging away, wrapping the sword on its tail like it was its most prized possession. "Hey, come back with that sword!" Damien yelled after it.

The monkey screeched and swung away even faster as if taunting him to chase it. Damien hesitated for a moment. Should he really be chasing a monkey for a sword? But his hunger and curiosity got the best of him, and he started running after the monkey.

As he chased the monkey, he realized that it was leading him through a dense forest, jumping from branch to branch. "What is this, a game?" he muttered. "Well, at least I'm getting some more fucking exercise."

The monkey led him to a clearing, where it perched on a large tree. "Ah, there it is," Damien said, panting. "The sword."

But as he reached for it, the monkey jumped on his head, causing him to stumble and fall. "Hey, get off me, you little monkey!" Damien yelled, trying to shake the monkey off.

The monkey screeched and held onto his hair with one hand, while holding the sword with the other. "Okay, okay, you win," Damien said, holding his hands up in surrender. "Just give me the sword."

The monkey screeched again as if mocking him. "Fine, you want to play dirty?" Damien said, standing up and glaring at the monkey. "Two can play at that game."

He started chasing the monkey around the tree, trying to catch it.

As Damien chased the monkey around the tree, he noticed that it was no ordinary monkey. It was quick, agile, and seemed to have a strategy. Damien was panting and sweating as he chased the monkey, his mana ice arm feeling heavier with every step.

Suddenly, the monkey stopped in its tracks, causing Damien to almost run into it. "What the-?" he started to say before he realized that the monkey was holding a sign that read "Property of King Kong."

Damien rubbed his eyes, not believing what he was seeing. "King Kong? As in the giant gorilla?" he muttered to himself. "How the hell is there a King Kong here?"

The monkey screeched and started to run again, leading Damien deeper into the forest. Damien had no choice but to follow, hoping that he would find a way to get the sword from the monkey.

As they ran, the monkey suddenly disappeared from sight. Damien stopped in his tracks, looking around for any sign of the monkey. "Where did it go?" he said, frustrated. "I'm never going to catch that monkey."historical

Suddenly, he felt something hit him on the head. He looked up to see the monkey perched on a branch, holding a coconut. "Oh no, you don't," Damien said, realizing what the monkey was planning.

But it was too late. The monkey threw the coconut at him, causing Damien to stumble backwards and fall to the ground. The monkey screeched in triumph and ran away, still holding the sword.

Damien groaned as he got up, feeling the pain in his back. "That monkey is going to pay," he muttered to himself, determined to catch it and get the sword.

He started running again, but this time he was more cautious. He knew that the monkey was using its wits to outsmart him. As he ran, he noticed that the monkey had dropped a banana peel on the ground.

Damien chuckled to himself. "Nice try, monkey," he said, avoiding the banana peel. "But I'm not falling for that old trick."

But as he continued running, he didn't notice the vine that the monkey had tied between two trees. He tripped over it and fell to the ground once again, feeling a sharp pain in his leg.

The monkey screeched in delight and ran away, still holding the sword. Damien rubbed his leg, feeling the pain shoot up his body. "That's it," he said, standing up. "I'm done playing games."

He started running after the monkey once again, his determination stronger than ever. He had to get that sword, no matter what

The monkey swung around the tree, holding the sword like a skilled swordsman. "Oh, so you want to fight, huh?" Damien said, grinning. "Well, bring it on, monkey!"

And so they dueled, Damien with his normal and abnormal fists and the monkey with the sword. It was a comical sight, as they circled each other, Damien couldn't help but feel a sense of unease. He had never fought a monkey before, and he wasn't sure what kind of tricks it might have up its sleeve.

The monkey seemed to be sizing him up, as well. It chattered and hooted, occasionally lunging forward to swipe at Damien with its sword.

Damien dodged and weaved, trying to stay out of the monkey's reach. He was surprised at how agile the monkey was, and he quickly realized that he needed to be careful if he wanted to come out of this fight unscathed.

The monkey lunged again, and this time Damien was ready. He sidestepped the attack and swung his sword at the monkey, but the monkey was too quick. It darted out of the way and circled around behind Damien.

Damien spun around, trying to keep the monkey in sight. But the monkey was too fast. It darted in and out, taking swipes at Damien with its sword.

Damien was getting frustrated. He couldn't seem to land a hit on the monkey, and the monkey seemed to be enjoying the fight a little too much.

"Come on, you little monkey!" Damien shouted. "Stand still and fight me like a real warrior!"

The monkey just chattered in response, seemingly unfazed by Damien's taunts.

Finally, Damien saw his opening. The monkey lunged again, and Damien sidestepped the attack. But this time, instead of swinging his sword at the monkey, he reached out and grabbed its tail.

The monkey screeched and tried to pull away, but Damien held on tight. He spun around, using the monkey's momentum to send it flying through the air.

The monkey landed in a heap on the ground, and Damien quickly moved in to finish the fight. But to his surprise, the monkey just lay there, panting heavily.

Damien approached cautiously, icy hand at ready. But as he got closer, he saw that the monkey was holding out its sword, hilt-first.

Damien hesitated for a moment, then reached out and took the sword. The monkey chattered and hooted, then scampered away into the forest.

Damien was left standing there, sword in hand, feeling a little bit bewildered. He wasn't sure what had just happened, but he was grateful for the sword.

He tested its weight and balance, and he was pleased to find that it was a high-quality weapon. He couldn't help but grin to himself. He had come to the steps in search of adventure, and it looked like he was going to get it