The soft morning light streamed through the kitchen window, filtered by the white curtains that swayed gently with the breeze. Lucas was sitting at the table, his gaze fixed on his daughter, Clara, who was playing with one of her favorite toys. She was focused, building a small city out of colorful blocks, her eyes shining with curiosity and concentration. For Lucas, those simple moments meant everything.


    Clara, at three years old, was the center of his world. Every laugh of hers, every little achievement, made the problems of his day seem insignificant. His work as an analyst was always filled with challenges, but nothing compared to the joy he felt seeing her smile. Even with the rare illness she had, which caused delays in her development, Clara had always been the reason for his fight.


    “Daddy, look! I made a castle!” Clara exclaimed, lifting an unstable tower with her small hands, smiling proudly.


    Lucas smiled warmly. “It’s amazing, princess. The most beautiful castle in the world.”


    She turned to him, with the confidence of someone who knew her father loved her above all. He watched her, enchanted by her innocence. She was his refuge, the foundation of his existence. Every sacrifice he made, every effort in his work, was to ensure Clara had the best life possible.


    “Daddy, look! I did it!” Clara shouted again, her laughter echoing through the house.


    At that moment, the kitchen door opened. Lara, Clara''s mother, entered with a soft smile. She was dressed in a comfortable robe, her expression calm. Lucas looked at her, relieved to see her there, as she had always been a solid and reassuring presence for Clara.


    “You and Clara are always making these wonderful things,” Lara commented with a smile. She approached her daughter and hugged her affectionately, playing with her hair. “What are you two doing today, girls?”


    Clara looked up at her mother and proudly said, “We made a castle!”


    “I see that. Well done, princess.” Lara smiled, caressing Clara’s head. “Your dad and I are trying to finish a few things here in the kitchen, but we can play with you later.”


    Lucas looked at his wife, grateful for the calm she brought to their lives. Lara had always been a present, caring, and strong mother. She understood the challenges Clara faced and did everything she could to ensure their daughter had a life filled with love and care, even with the illness she carried.


    “I have to go out today, but I’ll be back soon,” Lucas said, taking a cup of coffee, still soaking in the last few minutes of peace.


    “It’s okay, Lucas,” Lara replied, her voice soft. “I’ll stay with Clara. Don’t worry. A break will do you good; you deserve it.”


    Before he could say anything more, the atmosphere began to change. The air around Lucas grew heavy, and he felt a rising hum intensifying, as if an invisible force was pulling him. He tried to grab onto the table, but it was no use. Desperately, he looked toward Lara and Clara.


    “Clara, no! Stay with your mom!” he shouted, stretching toward her.


    Lara, confused and frightened, stood up suddenly. “Lucas, what’s happening?”


    But there was no time for further explanations. In the blink of an eye, the reality around Lucas distorted, and he was violently pulled to another place. Lara screamed, but the sound was muffled, as if he was being dragged into another world, far from everything he knew.


    When Lucas’ eyes opened again, he was in a completely different place. The environment was dark, almost medieval. The ground was covered in stones, and large stone columns rose around him, as if he were in an immense, ancient castle. He was stunned, his feet firmly planted on the ground, but his mind was still spinning, trying to make sense of what was happening.


    In front of him, an imposing figure watched him— a king, with a cold expression, surrounded by soldiers and nobles. The king smiled, but the gesture conveyed no kindness.


    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    “Finally, you’ve arrived,” the king said, his voice filled with authority. “You’ve been chosen.”


    Lucas tried to absorb the information, but his mind was in turmoil. “Where am I? What’s happening? I need to get back to my daughter!” his voice trembled with panic. The memory of Clara almost made him lose control.


    The king remained unshaken. “This world needs a hero. And you are our hero.”


    “I’m no hero!” Lucas replied, his anger beginning to overflow. “I just want to go back to my daughter! You don’t understand, I need to go back! I... I can’t lose her.”


    He looked at the soldiers around him, breathing heavily and irregularly. Clara... He had to get back to her, no matter the cost.


    The king remained calm. “You have no choice, stranger. The fate of this world is tied to yours. If you refuse, you will face the consequences.”


    Lucas was growing more desperate. “No! You don’t understand! It doesn’t matter what this world needs. I have a daughter! She needs me! I need to get back to her!”


    He looked around, searching for any sign of a way out. But the reality was too cruel. I can’t lose Clara.


    “I… I won’t accept this!” he shouted, the pain in his voice giving way to pure rage. “You’re going to let me return to my daughter! You will do this, or you’ll see what happens when a desperate man loses everything!”


    But the king, still unmoved, responded firmly. “You cannot fight against your fate, Lucas. What’s done is done. You must choose: follow the hero’s path or be lost in the shadows he leaves behind.”


    Lucas felt as though the ground was disappearing beneath his feet. Despair consumed his heart. It can’t be... He looked around again, searching for any sign of escape. But the reality was too cruel. I can’t lose Clara.


    With his eyes fixed on the king, Lucas felt a rising wave of power within his body, but frustration and despair made him waver. He wasn’t just fighting the king; he was fighting the very fate that had trapped him.


    Suddenly, a wave of energy exploded from deep within him. An overwhelming force, as though something inside Lucas had finally been unleashed. The nearest soldiers trembled, their bodies lifted into the air, as if they were made of paper. Before they could react, the wave of energy crushed them, their bodies disappearing in a burst of light.


    Lucas didn’t know where the power came from, but it consumed him. He looked at his hands, the palms pulsing with energy. This... isn’t possible. He had never had abilities like this, but the pain and despair were now so intense that he could barely control what was happening.


    The sensation of power was strange, as though he had become an extension of the destruction around him. Without thinking, he raised his hand, and the energy took form, turning into a wave of destruction that cut through the castle before him.


    The king watched with a cold smile, but Lucas couldn’t think of anything else but his daughter. Every life he destroyed, every wall he tore down, brought him closer to the only goal that mattered: returning to Clara. The walls of the castle crumbled as though made of glass, and the sound of destruction echoed through the entire kingdom.


    “You won’t stop me!” Lucas shouted, the energy vibrating around him. “I will destroy everything until I can return!”


    The king, visibly trembling, looked at Lucas, unable to react. Lucas approached, his eyes fixed on the weakened figure.


    “You brought me here to save this world,” Lucas said, his voice low but filled with deep hatred, “but you will be the one to witness its destruction.”


    With a swift movement, he grabbed the king by the neck and lifted him off the ground. The monarch struggled, but his strength was nothing compared to the power Lucas now possessed. He dragged him out of the castle, to the devastated gardens, where the sky was covered with smoke.


    “Before I kill you,” Lucas said, his voice choked, “I will destroy everything you love. Your kingdom will be destroyed before your eyes, and nothing will remain but the rubble of what you called home.”


    He extended his hand, and with a gesture, fired an immense wave of energy that ravaged the fields and villages surrounding the castle. Flames engulfed the horizon, and the villages were consumed by the overwhelming force of his fury. The king, powerless, watched the destruction of everything he had ruled, his face contorted with fear.


    “You… you’re not a hero,” the king said with a forced laugh. “You are... the Demon King. It was him who was summoned.”


    Lucas looked at him, his eyes devoid of any pity. “Maybe I am the Demon King. And I don’t care what they call me. What matters is that you destroyed my life. And now, your life will end.”


    With one final gesture, Lucas focused his energy and unleashed an explosion of power directly at the king. The monarch tried to react, but he was destroyed instantly, disintegrated before his very eyes.


    With the remains of the castle around him and the pain of his transformation consuming him, Lucas knelt in the devastated field. He touched the bracelet once more, feeling it warm against his skin. The longing for Clara consumed him. He looked to the horizon, knowing he had no more time. What he had become was no longer who she remembered.


    But still, he would fight. He needed to see his daughter, even if it was for the last time.


    “I will come back, Clara. I promise…”


    And with those words, he prepared for what remained of his journey.