All demons have to perish
In the heart of Eldora, a village that once basked in cool warmth, disaster struck as rivers dried, forcing migration. Many perished en route, their throats parched by days without water.
The village head, desperate to save his people, convened with Elders. Amidst the dust of desperation, an ancient solution emerged. Gudon lake, devoid of water yet brimming with dormant energy, held the key.
Uniformed in pristine white, priests gathered at the barren lake. Celestial Crystals met the lake's depth, channeling celestial energy into the sky. Spells echoed as torrents of energy fused with the atmosphere, transforming serene skies into brooding clouds.
Moisture clung to every breath as nature prepared to release tears upon the waiting earth. Droplets of water fell, bestowing life upon surfaces long deprived. Joy swept through the villagers like a long-lost friend.
Yet, in their jubilation, a sinister anomaly unfolded. A larger droplet, ominous and black, shattered to reveal solid darkness. Bewilderment gripped the crowd as the droplet dispersed eight keys in different directions.
Chaos erupted as black fumes materialized, demons unsealed by the ancestral keys. Spells were cast, but the dark forces, hungry for revenge, proved unstoppable. In moments, the priests fell, their magical essences drained by the demons.
[One year later]
Quade was at the riverside, playing football with his friends. He often escaped home to evade his father's insistence on cultivating or practicing meditation under the peach tree with his mother.
After demons invaded Earth, cities mandated that every child be enrolled in a martial arts academy at sixteen. Quade, anticipating a life he despised, opted to enjoy his free time before clocking sixteen next year.
"Hey, Quade, your mom is on her way to fetch you," a playmate warned.
Before Quade could react, his mom grabbed his ear, twisting it. Later, they climbed a mountain and sat under a peach tree on a glacier.
"I hate meditation even more than cultivating with Dad. This is too boring," Quade lamented.
"Are you saying you prefer your dad over me?" Siobhan Quillan teased.
Quade made a tut, continuing meditation. His mom then stated that to become a powerful individual, he must first attain self-control through meditation.
Quade had no future dreams; he simply wanted autonomy and happiness with his parents. Yet, they hoped he would become very powerful in the future.
"Master Quade, you can stop now."
He opened his eyes, asking, "Is Dad at home?"
"No, he went to discuss matters with the village head."
"Then we'll starve to death," Quade giggled. He stood up and ran from her as she tried to grab him.
"Are you holding me responsible for my inability to cook?" Siobhan asked.
Quade sprinted down the glacier, assuring her he would prepare dinner and took his leave.
Just as the cloudy sky transformed into a cloudless one, Siobhan glanced back at the peach tree, spotting a mysterious man.
Quade retraced his steps to the riverside, finding none of his friends present. A woman was inquiring if anyone had seen her husband, but no one had.
Subsequently, an elderly man noticed the absence of children as darkness settled in.
"My husband has been gone for—" as the woman informed the people, black fumes emerged beneath her. She screamed, and the crowd panicked.
The woman collapsed lifelessly, her skin sagging and wrinkling.
"Demon!" the people cried, fleeing for their lives. Quade's mom was strangled to death by the enigmatic figure, who later drained her magical essence. The figure wore a black cloak and a hat that concealed his face.
Quade returned to the village and was shocked to witness the villagers being slain by demons. As he advanced, he inadvertently stepped on a hand.
Upon looking down, it was one of his friend's mother. His heart raced, and he felt heat in his chest.
At that moment, the black-cloaked figure emerged. With his last ounce of courage, Quade confronted him with a cudgel, only to be tossed away by an unseen force.
Quade grunted. Upon standing, his father appeared and attacked the figure. The figure smirked beneath his mask, skillfully dodging sword strikes. Eventually, he tightly grasped the sharpened part, taking control.
Quade fretted as he witnessed his father being overpowered. Without hesitation, he reclaimed the cudgel and charged toward the figure.
"Quade! Run away!" his father cautioned. "Get back, Quade!"
Ignoring the warning, he charged on, only to be strangled by the figure and thrown onto an elongated piece of wood from a building, impaled.
The mysterious figure drained Quade's father's energy, dropping his lifeless body.
"Humans are so dumb. They are bound by foolish emotions that lessen their concentration," the black-cloaked figure remarked with a tut, turning his back and departing. Simultaneously, a key materialized from a distant direction, radiating with excess light and appearing before Quade.
His body was gently withdrawn from the wood, suspended in the air. Light emanated from the key into him, enclosing the stabbed part of his abdomen.
"Did the Inferno Lock just acknowledge him as its master?" pondered the masked figure, as he turned back.
Quade's eyes burned with blue flames as he pointed at the masked demon, lifting him into the air.
"Wow, this is interesting! It's truly intriguing! A young awakened master! A master of ancestral key!" the figure shouted amidst his suffering and cackle. As Quade clenched his fist, rays of fluorescent lights traveled into the demon's body, converging and bursting it into pieces.
Afterward, Quade fell to the ground unconscious, and the key settled in his body.
Two days later, his aunt came to take him to her house, the day his parents' and some villagers' lifeless bodies were placed on floating ships.
His face was pale and scowling. He was given a flamed cudgel to incinerate his parents personally, feeling a pang of sorrow as he attempted to.
Nonetheless, he cremated their bodies, hoping they would rest in perfect peace.
As his aunt escorted him away, he gritted his teeth and clenched his fist, inwardly declaring, "All demons have to perish! None of them should remain on the surface! They all have to die!"