Episode 2 – The Tiger Fist and the Fallen Star
The father and daughter walked toward their small wooden cabin — their cozy little home.
“Papa! Look at this! This is my Tiger Fist! And this one—Tiger Combo Punch!”
Eire’s eyes sparkled proudly as she showed off her new “skills.”
Her short arms flailed in the air, but it was clear she was putting her whole heart into it.
Michael clapped with a calm, proud smile.
“Our daughter now has three secret techniques!”
“Hehehe, I’m the best! Now I can be the boss of the alley too!”
“Yes, my daughter. But you must never skip training. While Dad’s resting, are you still doing your punches every day?”
“Nooo! Daddy has to train too! You can’t just lie down all day!”
“Even lying down can be a kind of… meditation training…”
At that moment, Michael suddenly froze in place.
His relaxed eyes turned sharp as if he had spotted something.
“Eire, sweetie. Why don’t you go inside first? Daddy will pick some chestnuts for you. The ones you love.”
Chestnuts!
Roasted over a crackling campfire until golden brown —
They burned your fingers at first, but once peeled, the soft, sweet nuts melted in your mouth!
Eire’s face brightened with pure joy.
She decided to postpone scolding her lazy dad — just this once.
“Hmm. Okay! But only…”
She held out her tiny hand and began folding her fingers one by one, counting carefully.
When her fist finally closed tight, she declared,
“Five! Just pick five and come back quick! Don’t be greedy! Get home safe!”
“Alright. Not four, not six — exactly five. Got it, little nagger.”
“This isn’t nagging! It’s a thoughtful warning! You’ll see when you grow up!”
Eire puffed her cheeks proudly and ran off toward the cabin.
Michael watched until she went inside — then his face hardened.
He turned his head toward a nearby cliff.
There, a sword lay abandoned on the ground.
Michael approached the edge and looked down.
Below stretched a bottomless chasm — the Devil’s Gorge.
A deep, eerie rift glowing faint blue —
A mysterious crack where no one who entered ever came back.
“Someone went in again…”
Michael frowned and nudged the sword with his boot. It fell, vanishing into the abyss.
“Hundreds of holy knights have already died here…”
He let out a heavy sigh.
“And yet, people keep coming.”
Memories of the past weighed on him.
“…We’ll need to find a new place to live.”
Turning away from the cliff, Michael disappeared into the forest.
***
Four years earlier — The Kingdom of Asteria
The once peaceful kingdom was collapsing.
It began with the sudden appearance of the Devil’s Gorge on the Selanium cliffs.
Soon, more glowing cracks appeared across the land,
and through them poured hideous monsters the world had never seen.
Cities fell into chaos.
People screamed and died.
This was the First Monster Invasion.
When everyone thought the world was ending, a man appeared.
“Do not fear. I am here.”
It was Archbishop Chronos.
With a single wave of his hand,
he reduced tens of thousands of monsters to ashes.
Then, his voice thundered:
“People of Asteria! The gods have abandoned us!”
He declared that the strange cracks were gates to hell,
created by God Himself to wipe out humanity.
The people trembled in terror.
But Chronos continued, calm and powerful.
“Do not despair. For I, Chronos, will protect you.”
Having witnessed his miraculous power,
the people’s fear turned to blind faith.
But one man doubted his words —
Michael Arkhanid, the commander of the Holy Knights.
“God abandoned us? Why would He?”
Michael could not believe it.
And what happened next deepened his suspicion.
“Michael,” Chronos said later, “Asteria faces its doom again.”
After the invasion, Chronos locked himself in the temple.
He disappeared for a month — then returned with a terrible prophecy.
“On the longest night of the year, at midnight, a demon child will be born.”
“A demon child…?”
Michael stared at him, stunned.
“Every child born that night must be killed before dawn.”
Michael’s face twisted in disbelief.
“What are you saying?”
“I foresaw it. That child will bring ruin again.”
“That’s not what I’m asking,” Michael pressed.
“Are you saying every baby born that night is a demon?”
Chronos’s eyes narrowed.
A cold aura filled the room.
He lifted his chin, bathed in light from the temple window —
his hair glowing like gold.
“Do you doubt me, Michael?”
“Your Excellency…”
“We don’t know which child it is, but one of them will be the demon.
A small sacrifice to save thousands — do you disagree?”
Michael clenched his jaw so hard his cheeks sank.
He couldn’t say a word.
Then the longest night came.
Newborns cried out — only to fall silent moments later.
They were killed before seeing the sunrise.
Michael stood in the fields, staring blankly at the sky.
“This can’t be God’s will…”
At that moment —
A shower of glowing meteors streaked across the heavens.
And then, a voice echoed in his mind:
“My faithful servant, Michael.
Protect the Saint — she will save this world.”
A shiver ran down his spine.
Michael turned toward where the meteor fell —
and ran without hesitation.
He found a quiet lakeside deep in the forest.
Among blooming evening primroses, something glowed faintly.
It was a baby —
sleeping peacefully, surrounded by light.
“…A child?”
He lifted the infant carefully into his arms.
She stirred, snuggling closer against his chest.
“Wuu…”
Her warm little breath tickled his neck.
And Michael thought — This can’t be a demon.
“She’s an angel.”
He held her close, his heart steady with resolve.
That night, Michael fled the capital —
taking the child far, far away.
***
Present day
Michael looked down at the sleeping girl beside him — Eire.
“So pure and gentle… and they called you a demon. That mad Archbishop.”
“Mm…”
Eire shifted in her sleep.
“Sorry, sweetie. Daddy was just… thinking of his crazy old boss.”
“Ugh… Daddy… don’t die… please…”
Tears welled up in her eyes as she twisted in her blanket.
Michael’s heart clenched.
“Eire. Daddy’s here.”
“Don’t die… please…”
He pulled her into his arms.
“It’s okay. Daddy will always stay by your side. Always.”
Just then—
BOOM!
A deafening explosion shook their small cabin.
