KING OF RUIN-Chapter 44: Recollect

The Wind God Ruhamiel was gone. The air still carried his scent—cold, sharp, untouchable. The broken pillars, the shattered earth, and the unmoving body of Noah were the only proof that he had ever been there.

Kol stood beside the lifeless form of the giant boy, hands clenched, fury simmering beneath his skin. Elizabeth remained silent, her eyes low, her power slowly settling after the brutal battle. Kol knelt beside Noah's body and whispered under his breath, an apology that couldn't bring him back.

Fredrick, the Giant Chief, stormed through the dust, his massive frame trembling with rage. His grieving roars echoed across the ruined mountain. He shoved past Kol and fell to his knees beside his son.

Kol rose, placing a hand gently on Fredrick's shoulder. "I'll help you rebuild," he said quietly. "You have my protection—no harm will ever come to the giants again."

Fredrick turned, eyes bloodshot and wet. His voice came as a snarl. "Get out."

Kol blinked.

"Get out of my realm," Fredrick thundered. "You bring ruin with every step. Death follows you like a shadow. We should have remembered... We should have learned!"

Elizabeth stepped forward, frowning. "What are you talking about?"

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Fredrick's gaze didn't move from Kol. "He knows."

There was silence. No words. Just the sound of wind brushing across scorched stone.

Without another word, Kol turned and walked. Elizabeth followed.

They left the Giant Realm behind.

The path down the broken mountain was quiet. The skies dimmed, clouds rolling in like mourning veils. They walked in silence for a long time before Elizabeth finally asked:

"What did he mean, Kol? What happened in the past?"

Kol didn't answer. His eyes were distant. His soul was not in the present.

He remembered.

He remembered fleeing the Demon Realm, torn apart by his lies, betrayal, lost for power and the violence of his siblings. He remembered seeking shelter where none would follow—deep within the mountains of the giants.

And they had taken him in.

He lived among them for more than two decades, untouched by war or prophecy. There, among the peaks, he met her—the first reincarnation of Lisa. Her laughter, her calm voice, her eyes like the sky before a storm. For a time, Kol believed he could abandon power. He believed he could just be... a man.

But the Hunters found him.

They heard of a demon hiding among the giants, and came with sword, spell, and fire. Thirty elite Hunters descended on the Giant Realm.

They didn't know what Kol truly was.

In the chaos, giants died. Ten fell before the fight even reached Kol. Lisa died—again. Her scream, her blood. The silence after.

Kol lost himself.

His rage tore through the Hunters. All thirty died. But so did fifteen giants—caught in the storm of his fury. When the blood cleared, the Giant Realm was broken.

Kol left. He never returned.

His thoughts snapped back as something dark flew overhead.

A demon—wings torn, chest heaving, blood dripping from his mouth. He spiraled in the air and crashed near Kol and Elizabeth, dragging his body forward with a single clawed hand.

His eyes were wild, terrified.

"The Realm... is—"

He coughed blood. Then stopped moving.

Kol already knew.