Dear diary:

  A week has passed, and that day was not okay at all. I couldn't forget it... the look on his face before he died.

  In the end, we couldn't recover his body because the storm got worse. A few days later they tried to retrieve it, but no matter how much they searched, they found nothing. They said his body probably turned into snow, since that's what typically happened to yeti bodies when they died. But I didn't believe that was the truth. A part of me wanted to believe that, somehow, he survived.

  I hadn't been able to sleep at all that week.

  "Everything has been shit. It's my fault he's dead. If I weren't so useless, I could have saved him..." I told myself while I was on a mission.

  Some zombies were causing panic in the Great Kingdom. They weren't like the "Beifa" zombies; these were more like corpses that had been "revived." I didn't know who did that, but they weren't a real problem. They were much slower and weaker than the zombies we faced in the Cyborg Kingdom, though they were a huge annoyance because there were so many of them—around fifty.

  We took them out quickly. I almost got bitten by one because I was lost in my thoughts, but I dodged just in time and crushed its head with a punch.

  "I'm already bored of this," I muttered.

  I used my True?ioion and cut off the heads of the seven remaining ones. I was so tired. I just wanted to leave. And that's exactly what I did.

  I used the True?ioion to float away, though I could hear Jake yelling at me to come back and clean up the mess. I ignored him and muttered:

  "Just shut up... I don't care."

  To keep him from knowing where I was going, I used electric camouflage to turn invisible. I didn't want to be near anyone.

  That kingdom was so big. I had never fully explored it. I had no idea where to go. I didn't know what I wanted. I just wanted a place to be alone, where no one would talk to me, and to forget everything.

  "I know! I'll go to a bar in the poor district."

  After walking for a while, I reached a very small bar called El Vertedero. A few years ago, Vixxie tried to take me there, but I refused. I'd never cared about alcohol, but at that moment I didn't give a damn about anything.

  I walked in trying to look as confident as possible. There were about five people drinking. They all had the same look I did—the look of someone who wanted to die. All of them, including the bartender, stared at me like they wanted to kill me.

  I ignored them and sat down.

  I didn't know shit about alcoholic drinks, so I asked the bartender what was on the menu.

  "We only have beer here, little girl," he replied irritably.

  I was about to punch him in the face, but I was so depressed that I just ignored it and told him to give me that. I'd never tried it before, but I just wanted to get drunk and forget everything.

  About ten minutes later he finally brought the damn drink. The glass looked kind of dirty, but I didn't give a damn. The drink was the same color as piss, though it had foam and smelled totally different, so I guess it wasn't the same thing. I decided to chug it in one go in case it tasted like shit, so I could smash the glass on his head without spilling anything.

  To my surprise, it didn't taste as bad as I expected. It was pretty refreshing. After drinking it, I started burping, but it wasn't as bad as I thought, so I ordered another one.

  By the time I'd had around thirty glasses, I felt dizzy. My vision was blurry, and my hands were tingling. According to Jake and Vixxie, that was normal.

  "Okay... so this is what being drunk feels like... I don't even want to stop anymore. I don't care about anything."

  I was so dizzy that I accidentally dropped my glass. Just before it hit the floor, a hand caught it and handed it back to me.

  "Be more careful."

  I couldn't see his face clearly—not just because I was drunk, but because he was wearing a hood and a robe. I thanked him, though I was so drunk I could barely speak properly. I was much more cheerful than I had been hours ago.

  I offered to buy the hooded guy a beer. At first he refused, but after I insisted, he accepted. Before I knew it, we had drunk about ten beers together, talking like we'd known each other our whole lives.

  His name was Crag.

  He said he had lived in the poor district since he was born, but recently he had become rich and moved to the upper district. Still, that day he came back to the bar out of nostalgia.

  I told him my story too—that I was the Thunder Knight and that I had recently lost a friend, so I was drowning my feelings in beer.

  He then told me:

  "You know, I came here for the same reason. Since I was little, I searched for my father's approval, but he always despised me. He said I was just like my mother—just as useless. But recently I escaped poverty, and my father finally looked at me. He said he was proud of me. I felt so happy... though for a while I have to stay away from him. I came here not just to vent—I'm looking for someone very important. If I find him, I'll be able to return to my father... Oh, sorry. I talk too much. That must've been boring."

  I smiled.

  "No, you're wrong, Crag. We're actually similar. I always looked for my father's approval too. I trained so hard to become as strong as him... but then he died, and I felt like there was no point in continuing. I miss him so much."

  He finally removed his hood.

  His face was strange—almost completely white, with several crimson lines or markings. His eyes were the same color. I had never seen a species like that, but the lower districts were full of weird species.

  He smiled at me.

  "Even after everything, you don't give up, huh? You're right. We are similar."

  We kept talking until we were both completely wasted.

  He helped me walk out of the bar. I nearly smashed my face on the ground again, but he saved me.

  "I really like this guy," I thought.

  He offered to let me stay at his house since I lived far away in the Grass Kingdom.

  I agreed without thinking much. I didn't want to see Jake's face that day.

  His house looked old and dark, but I didn't care.

  He was surprisingly strong. Even though he was skinny, he carried me easily. I kept vomiting along the way and apologizing, but he just laughed.

  He threw a blanket over me and told me to sleep on my side so I wouldn't choke on my vomit.

  "Damn... I didn't think the consequences of drinking this much would be so annoying," I muttered.

  I was so tired I could barely keep my eyes open. Out of nowhere, I fell asleep...

  —OH MY GOD! MY HEAD HURTS LIKE HELL! —I shouted as soon as I woke up.

  Crag told me it was a hangover—basically the side effects of getting drunk. I wondered if Jake and Mary were worried about me...

  —Bah, who cares? —I said out loud.

  I suggested to Crag that we go have some fun around the Grand Kingdom, since I had plenty of money to spend. He agreed with a smile.

  Just as we stepped out of his house—which honestly wasn't that bad, just pretty dark—three idiots showed up. One of them pulled out a knife and pointed it at us, telling us to hand over everything we had.

  I looked back at Crag. He looked pretty scared, which surprised me, since he should be almost as strong as I am.

  I decided to raise my True?ioion into the air and summoned a thunderbolt. Then I activated electric speed.

  —This will be a fun morning workout —I said.

  The idiots realized I was the Thunder Knight and looked terrified. In the blink of an eye, before they could run, all three of them were on the ground, knocked out.

  Crag stared at me in shock.

  —Why are you surprised? You already knew I'm the Thunder Knight.

  He laughed.

  —That's true, but I forgot. You don't look very intimidating at first glance, haha.

  We decided to leave the poor district and go have fun at a mall I used to visit when I was a kid. We bought a ton of candy and beers.

  Crag had never tried candy before, which surprised me.

  —You definitely have to try these.

  —What are they? —he asked.

  —The best invention humanity ever made: GUMMIES! They're insanely delicious. Come on, try them.

  We spent the whole day buying more candy and other stupid stuff. We even went to the movies and picked a film at random. It was ridiculously funny.

  That day was going amazingly... until I suddenly remembered what I had forgotten.

  "I shouldn't be having fun... I should've died instead of Krok."

  Just like that, my mood went to hell. I didn't feel like doing anything anymore, so I walked out of the mall. Crag followed me. He looked confused, but I didn't feel like explaining anything, so I just kept walking...

  We wandered aimlessly for a long time. I didn't even know where we were anymore. It was so dark.

  Crag said:

  —Hey, let's grab some beers. What do you say?

  —Nah, I'm heading home.

  —Pff, what are you talking about, buzzkill? Let's go already.

  He grabbed my hand. When I turned around to yell at him to leave me alone, several lights appeared. It was the police.

  I could see the sheriff with the others, aiming their guns at us.

  —Umm... Sheriff, what's going on?

  —Tommy, get away from that guy. He's very dangerous. We've been looking for him for weeks. He's killed a lot of people. Looks like he fooled you. Come on, help us arrest him.

  "WHAT? You've got to be kidding me... why does this always happen? Everyone I meet either is a piece of shit or abandons me... it can't be. God... why do you hate me so much? Or do you enjoy watching me suffer? I'm so tired of everything... I just want to cry..."

  —There must be a misunderstanding.

  —Huh? What are you saying, Tommy? We have tons of evidence against him. Plenty of witnesses. Why do you think he wears a hood?

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  —YOU'RE WRONG!

  I immediately summoned an electric tornado and grabbed Crag with me. We escaped at top speed.

  —Don't worry. I'll prove you're innocent.

  I could hear several helicopters chasing us. Electric tornado was the fastest way to escape, but it drew a lot of attention. I increased the speed, but they started shooting at us.

  Thanks to the electric tornado, I could deflect the bullets. I was careful not to kill anyone—I just disabled the helicopters. As they fell, I also redirected three missiles back to the ground, causing a huge explosion.

  Taking advantage of the fire and smoke, I deactivated electric tornado and we dropped into the river below. We swam quickly to shore. We were near the train station. We hid there.

  It was pretty late. No one was around; it was a good place to hide.

  —Looks like we lost them —I told Crag.

  —Yeah.

  By the way, his hood and robe had fallen off during the chaos. I could finally see his full body. He appeared to be naked, though his body seemed covered in white plates; his real skin was crimson.

  "What a strange race," I thought.

  Crag said he knew a shortcut to his house. For that, we had to walk along the train tracks. After a while, we reached an abandoned train. It was very dark inside.

  Crag said:

  —Damn, I messed up. This isn't the way. Well, since we're here, let's rest. I doubt anyone will come to this place.

  I replied:

  —You're right, but this place gives me the creeps.

  He laughed.

  —Don't be scared, haha... Hey, thanks for defending me, even though it wasn't necessary. You just got yourself into trouble because of me.

  I answered:

  —I know it might sound weird since we've only known each other for a short time, but I always defend my friends.

  He said:

  —Haha, stop, you're making me blush.

  After a while of silence, I couldn't help but cry.

  —What the hell am I doing? I'm always like this, always doing stupid things. It seemed like everything was getting better, but it just keeps getting worse. It's like the universe, God, or whatever hates me...

  Crag put a hand on my shoulder.

  —I understand how you feel. I used to think it was punishment for being so useless. But after so many years of suffering, I came to the conclusion that that's just life: a damn cruel one.

  We stayed sitting there. I was so tired that, without realizing it, I fell asleep.

  A few hours later, my eyes opened because of a very bright light. I tried to get up quickly, thinking it was the police, but it wasn't them. In front of me, I could see a strange purple circle. I remembered it was a portal; my mom used to create things like that from time to time.

  I also realized I was tied up with a very strange rope. It was black and extremely strong. No matter how hard I tried to break free, I couldn't. It was made of some incredibly tough material.

  "Where's Crag?" I thought.

  I shouted his name, but there was no response. I couldn't feel my True?ioion anywhere.

  —What the hell is going on?

  While struggling to free myself, I accidentally fell to the floor. I could hear footsteps. I couldn't see anything since I was face down.

  —Who's there? —I shouted.

  —Oh, you're finally awake, Thomas.

  It was Crag's voice.

  —What the hell is going on, Crag? —I asked.

  He replied as he lifted me off the floor:

  —Oh, I'm sorry, Thomas. I know you're very confused right now, but don't worry. Soon you'll be able to rest forever.

  —WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? UNTIE ME RIGHT NOW OR I'LL KILL YOU, YOU SON OF A BITCH!

  He didn't answer. He just sat me down and punched me in the stomach.

  —Don't get cocky. Don't you realize you can't threaten me? You can't move and your True?ioion is disabled. Just stay there quietly. Soon it'll all be over, okay?

  At that moment I thought:

  "I'm an idiot... How the hell could I trust someone I only met yesterday? I'm so stupid... Mary, Jake, Dad, Mom, Krok... I'm sorry..."

  NO! Don't give up, idiot. There has to be a way out of this.

  I pushed myself as hard as I could, trying to break the ropes around me, but no matter how much strength I used, they wouldn't snap.

  While I was trying to break the ropes with all my strength, someone stepped out of the portal in front of me. I couldn't tell what species he was; his whole body was covered in some kind of strange armor.

  "Maybe he's a mage," I thought, since he held a crimson staff, just like the rest of his armor.

  My mom used to tell me that most mages used staffs or wands to channel their magic. But she also told me that mages and witches had gone extinct many years ago.

  That guy didn't say anything. He just stared at me.

  Suddenly, Crag appeared and seemed surprised to see the strange man. He knelt before him and said:

  —Welcome, Your Majesty. As you can see, I've completed the mission you entrusted to me.

  The strange man finally spoke, his voice calm but imposing—chilling just to hear:

  —Good work, Crag. By the way, did you disable his artifact?

  —Of course, Your Majesty. Here it is.

  Out of nowhere, my True?ioion appeared, floating inside a bubble. It was much smaller now, about the size of Crag's hand.

  I didn't understand anything.

  —No, you keep it. I was just passing by. Take this crystal; it will help you take control of the artifact. Use it, then kill the boy.

  He handed him a small crimson cube-shaped crystal.

  —Of course, Your Majesty, as you command.

  The strange man left the same way he had arrived—through the portal. It closed, and the train was filled with darkness again.

  An idea came to me.

  —Who was that weird guy?

  —All you need to know is that he'll be the next ruler of your planet. Well, it doesn't matter if you know or not—you're going to die today.

  —Hmm, I see... he's your father, right? That's why you were so obedient. You just want your daddy's approval. Haha, you two look alike—you both look like idiots.

  Just as I wanted, he got angry. He walked up to me and punched me in the face. It hurt badly. With just that one hit, I could tell he was a bit stronger than the Plant King in his monstrous form.

  —Don't call the King that, you damn human. You know nothing about him.

  That was my chance.

  I headbutted him with all my strength. He fell to the ground and dropped my True?ioion. I tried to call it, but I couldn't move it. I threw myself to the floor and bit down on the bubble holding it as hard as I could. My teeth hurt like hell, but I managed to break it in time.

  Crag was about to attack me, but I struck him with my True?ioion. He dodged at the last second.

  I took advantage of his step back to finally cut the ropes and stood up.

  —I've always thought I was the biggest idiot in the world, but I was wrong. You and your father are way more stupid than I am. Haha. You really pissed me off, bastard.

  I summoned two thunderbolts and fired a medium-powered fire bolt, destroying the train.

  —That bastard was pretty strong, but this should be enough to finish him.

  —Haha... sorry, but I have to tell you a secret. I'm a demon. My planet is full of fire and lava everywhere. If everyone on this planet went to mine, they'd die very quickly. Your attack was just like a breeze to me, idiot.

  He emerged from the rubble without a single scratch.

  —DAMN IT! —I shouted as I summoned countless thunderbolts, letting my fury take over.

  I propelled myself forward with fire bolt, trying to cut off Crag's head, but that bastard was fast as hell. He dodged my attacks. He started running, and I chased him as fast as I could, driven by the True?ioion while shouting in fury. That bastard just kept mocking me.

  I decided to fire a fire bolt at the ceiling, and a bunch of rocks came crashing down on top of him.

  —YES! —I shouted happily.

  I moved in to cut his fucking head off, but suddenly an explosion sent me flying into a wall.

  —HAHAHA. I can create fire too—but not the fire that exists on this shitty planet. This is demonic fire. By combining my demonic energy with normal fire, I can create this powerful flame, one that can even kill demons. Only the strongest and most experienced demons like me can create this fire.

  It was true. That explosion left me with a few burns, but I managed to survive by using the True?ioion as a shield. The fire was the same color as his skin—crimson. I had to be careful or he'd kill me.

  We both got ready. Crag ignited fire in both hands, while I prepared to launch fire bolt. In an instant, we both unleashed our attacks and they collided. His fire was stronger than mine.

  —You were calling me stupid? I already told you your fire does nothing to me. You're going to die, HAHAHA!

  I answered with a smile.

  —You're the stupid one.

  Before his fire could hit me, I propelled myself with fire bolt at full power straight toward him. Just before reaching him, I deactivated it and summoned electric fists, punching him with all my strength. But the bastard managed to deflect the blow, though he was still sent flying into the wall.

  I planned to slam him to the ground and beat the shit out of him, but suddenly I heard a train approaching. I turned my head for a second, and Crag took the chance to run.

  I chased him as fast as I could, but he was faster than me. He used his fist to punch a hole through the wall and escaped. I kept chasing him.

  The train almost hit me, but I managed to jump onto it. I decided to break through the roof and climb out. Not far away, I could see Crag running. I chased him while throwing rocks I had picked up earlier, but that asshole was really good at dodging.

  He threw fireballs at me to try to stop me, but I dodged them. One almost hit me, but I managed to redirect it toward Crag with my electric fists, and he fell to the ground after being struck in the back by his own attack.

  I took advantage of that to get close and try to hit him, but he dodged my punch. Still, I used the other one and managed to land a blow. I finally hurt him a bit, though he sent me flying with his fire.

  I covered myself with my fists while he blasted me with a wave of flames. His fire was stronger than my electric fists, but he didn't expect me to send my True?ioion at him. I managed to wound him in the back, though the bastard saved himself from dying by propelling himself away with his fire.

  I propelled myself with the True?ioion and reached him. I brought both fists together into one and struck him with all my strength, sending him crashing to the ground.

  —TAKE THAT! —I shouted.

  I did some serious damage. I fell to the ground too. Crag was trying to get up, but I stopped him and started punching him as fast as I could, not giving him a chance to use his fire.

  Suddenly, I started remembering how much fun I'd had with him.

  "How much of what he told me was a lie?" I thought.

  I also remembered how betrayed and furious I felt.

  "I'm still so immature... Why the fuck did I defend him when they came to arrest him? I'm a mess. I'll never be like the people I admire. I don't deserve this power..."

  I stopped punching him. He shouldn't have been able to move anymore. I deactivated electric fists and decided to call the police.

  As I was pulling out my phone, a knife flew straight at my face. I managed to dodge it, though it sliced my cheek and blood started pouring out.

  I stepped back, getting ready to keep fighting.

  "What the hell is this guy made of? He shouldn't be able to move after all that," I told myself.

  He was covered in blue blood and staring at me with pure rage.

  —DAMN YOU! I HATE YOU SO FUCKING MUCH! WHY WON'T YOU JUST DIE?

  As he screamed, his whole body began to glow. It was so bright I had to close my eyes for a few seconds. When I opened them, I was looking at myself.

  —What the fuck? —I said out loud.

  —Huh? What the fuck did you do to me? ANSWER ME!!! WHY DO I LOOK LIKE YOU?

  For a moment, I thought he had the ability to take other people's forms—but he looked just as confused as I was. He looked exactly like I had a few hours ago.

  I was already exhausted. He didn't just have my appearance—he also had my True?ioion, which meant he could probably use electric abilities too.

  —I see... you don't know why... ha, ha, ha... HAHAHAHAHA! Very good. This is perfect. I just have to use this artifact to kill you. I don't need you anymore. YESSS, THIS IS FUCKING AMAZING!

  He laughed like a complete lunatic.

  "I have to get out of here," I thought.

  Before I could react, he lunged at me. I was right—he could use my electric abilities, because he summoned electric fists.

  I had saved up three lightning bolts, but I had used them to escape from the police.

  He started beating the hell out of me. I covered myself with my arms as much as I could. My fists hurt like hell. I couldn't do anything—just lie there on the ground and take the blows.

  "So this is how I'm going to die? In a situation this ridiculous? This has to be some sick fucking joke..."

  I couldn't feel anything anymore. I couldn't see anything either. My face was covered in blood. I imagined I had broken a lot of bones and that my organs were probably badly damaged.

  "I'm sorry, everyone... for disappointing you..."

  I thought I was dead because I couldn't hear Crag anymore. But I could feel someone lifting me off the ground. They were hugging me. I couldn't see who it was, but I could feel their warm body.

  Then I heard her voice. It was Mary. My brother was there too. I couldn't understand what they were saying, but they were yelling at someone. They had come to rescue me.

  I couldn't help but cry.

  The last thing I heard before passing out was Crag shouting:

  —BASTARD! YOU'LL SEE! DO YOU HEAR ME?! I'LL BE BACK! I'LL COME BACK AND KILL YOU! DO YOU HEAR ME?! I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU!!!

  I heard a strange sound. If I remember correctly, that's what Mom's portals sounded like when they closed.

  It sounded like Jake and Mary were calling my name.

  All I could manage to mumble was:

  —Shut up already... you're too loud...

  I opened my eyes.

  —How much time passed? Shit... my body hurts like hell —I muttered.

  Mary was asleep beside me, resting her head on my leg.

  The door opened. It was Jake.

  —You finally woke up, sleepyhead. How are you?

  —Oh, I'm great. No, wait... what a stupid question. Obviously I'm not okay—can't you see the bandages?

  We both laughed.

  He told me the sheriff had gone to tell them what happened. Without thinking twice, they went out to look for me. Luckily, they arrived before he killed me.

  I explained to them and the police what had happened—that Crag and his father were apparently from a race called "Demons." No one in all of Totium had ever heard of a race like that before.

  "That fucking monster that killed my parents was a demon... but demons are cosmic beings that seek chaos, and Crag looked completely different," I thought.

  My mother had told me demons were beings made of negative energy who only wanted to cause chaos in the universe. But the demon my parents fought was far more powerful than Crag. And according to him, he was an expert demon, so I didn't know what to think.

  It was also a mystery what they wanted.

  —Why did they want to use my True?ioion? Whatever it was for, that bastard now has a copy of mine.

  —Don't worry, idiot —Jake said.

  —We're Team Totium —Mary added, now awake.

  —You're right. We'll defend Totium from whatever the hell those bastards are planning.

  After apologizing to the police for helping that bastard, they forgave me since I was a "hero."

  I stayed in the hospital for a few days. At the end of the week, I was discharged, though I still had some injuries.

  I also apologized to Mary and Jake.

  —Maybe it's too late, but I'm sorry for being so stupid.

  They stayed silent for a few seconds.

  —Even if you're an idiot —Jake said—

  —We still love you —Mary said.

  Those words made me want to cry, but I held it in.

  We stayed quiet, but the three of us had smiles on our faces as we drove back home.

  "Maybe destiny does exist. Maybe there's a reason I didn't die that night... Maybe I really was born to be the Thunder Knight. If that's true, I'll protect Totium with all my strength."

  End of Chapter 7