The Proof of Man

(Please note: this is not a brainless power fantasy. It has dark elements and a slower pace, so read at your discretion.)

The gods are dead.

After humanity killed the blades hanging over their heads and slew their masters, they spent nearly a century basking in glory and arrogance.

But now humanity has gradually fallen into decline. That is the truth.

The ancient and mighty magic of old has long since been lost, and the towering buildings that symbolized humanity's achievements are no longer maintained.

In this age, a child descended upon the world.

The ugly child, the “monster” people despised and cursed, saw the sun.

The villagers angrily accused the child of being an ill omen that brought disaster. Even the child believed it wholeheartedly.

Yet perhaps by the lingering will of the gods, the child was given the name “Undying,” a power that used the feeling of fullness to grow new limbs and heal fresh wounds.

Even so, this did not change how people saw the child. Instead, it only convinced them all the more that the child was a monster.

Of course the child wasn't human... How could a human be so ugly... with such strange growths?

The child's family banished the child to a cold, merciless snowy wasteland, leaving the child to fend for themself and hoping they would never return.

As it turned out, they had made the right bet. The ugly one could not remember the way back and could only follow instinct, constantly eating the bones and fresh flesh of beasts in search of a sliver of hope.

Where could this ugly, unfortunate monster go from here...?

Until that girl... clearly heard his heartbeat...