The eastern reaches of the Lillian Kingdom, at the border of the Demon Capital, were known as Snake Canyon, named for its endless winding ravines. The terrain stretched on in near-identical twists and turns, making it all too easy to lose one’s way. Even worse, monsters from the Demon Realm that could rip Masters apart roamed around. Because of that, no traces of human life could be found here. However… 0

Whoosh…0

White smoke rose from deep within the forest. Billows puffing upward in a steady rhythm were evidence that someone had made a campfire.0

Crackle, crackle...0

Above the campfire, skewered meat blackened over the flames. A man sat before it, eyes fixed on the charred lump. He looked like a wild man. His gray hair, roughly cut, jutted out like a wolf’s pelt, and the crude clothes sewn from animal hides made him seem even more feral.0

“It’s done,” he muttered, lifting the skewer. 0

It used to be a rabbit, but now, it was no more than a shriveled, blackened, screaming cinder ball. The man bit into it with a crunch.0

Crack!0

It sounded nothing like meat. It might as well have been charcoal snapping between his teeth.0

Crunch, snap, grind...0

The man who was savagely chewing noisily with unsettling noises, suddenly turned. From...0