Kyungsoo woke up with a start. His breathing was heavy as if he had just run a marathon. He tried to slow his breathing and calm himself down. He didn't think that the nightmare would have continued. He shook his head. He didn't have time to focus on a nightmare. He had things to do and places to be. He sat up from the lying position on the soft surface he was sleeping on. He looked around the room, taking in the details. He was in a dull brown room on a bed with grey covers. There was light filtering through the window on his left. He noticed that on his right, there was a desk with a plate of rice, bread, and carrots and a glass of water. His two bags were placed next to him on the floor near the desk. He swung his legs off the bed and reached for the glass of water that was on the desk. He took a large gulp and placed the half-empty glass back on the desk. He took the plate of food from the table and took the bread. He took a bite and found that it was soft. He then proceeded to eat the rest of the food on the plate and quickly finished the glass of water. He sighed in contentment before he grabs his bags and the dirty dishware and leaves the room.

He closed the door behind him and looked around. The hallway he was in had doors that were evenly spaced and looked just like his. To his right, the hall ended in a wall with a painting on it. It was too far away for him to see what it was. He looked to the left and saw a staircase at the end of the hallway. He turned to his left and walked down the hallway to the stairs. They were covered with a dull dark green carpet and the bannister was made of dark brown wood. He walked down the stairs at a slow pace, taking in his surroundings. When he reached the bottom, he found himself in a large lobby. He saw several couches and chairs the colour of green with people sitting and laying all around them. One of them, who is reading a book, looks up and sees Kyungsoo. It was a woman with greyish brown hair and wrinkles on her face. She stood up and placed the book she was reading on the table next to the cushioned chair she was sitting on.

"Thank goodness you are awake," she said as she walked toward him. The people in the room looked up from what they were doing at the sound of the woman's voice. Kyungsoo was suddenly surrounded by several people. He couldn't understand the unique things they were saying. There was a loud whistling sound and everyone became quiet. The women with greyish brown hair stepped between all of the people. She stood in front of Kyungsoo.

"Thank you for saving us," she said as she bowed at a 90-degree angle. Kyungsoo felt a bit embarrassed.

"Please, don't bow. Anyone with my ability would have done the same," he said humbly. She stood up straight and shook her head.

"I'm still thankful for your kindness, young man. We all are," she said, gesturing to the crowd of people surrounding the two of them. The people stayed silent but each of them nodded.

"I am glad you are all safe, but I need to continue with my journey," Kyungsoo said, becoming serious at the end of his statement. "I need to go to the border town to warn them of the beast that is coming. They need to be prepared for the coming danger," he reasoned. The people crowding him and the woman quickly dispersed and went back to their activities. Kyungsoo turned toward the door and started to walk toward it. He stumbled slightly when the woman behind him spoke once again.

"Good luck, young man. May the blessings of MAMA be with you," she said before she returned to her seat and her book. Kyungsoo didn't know that anyone else knew about MAMA. The people in this time called her several different names, but no one had ever called her MAMA. He thought about what the woman said as he walked out the door of the hotel. He snapped out of his thoughts and sped up his walk. He needed to make it to the border town before the beast, or destruction might be upon that town as well.

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SEVERAL HOURS LATER

Kyungsoo sighed in agitation. He had been walking for hours and he wasn't even near the edge of the village yet. He looked up at the sky to see where the sun was. It was some time after the sun was in the centre of the sky. He sighed again as he readjusted his bags. He looked around at his surroundings in boredom. There were trees, bushes, squirrels, and birds. Then in the far distance ahead of him, he saw a group of small figures. As he got closer to them, they turned into people. He looked around them and sighed in relief when he noticed that there was a long line of people waiting outside the gates of a town. Though, upon looking closer, he noticed that there were some soldiers scattered amongst the people. The soldiers were looking around with guarded looks on their faces while the people were all tense and nervous, flinching at anything that made a sudden noise.

When Kyungsoo joined the line, several people looked at him in alarm before they returned to what they were doing. He stood there, shifting from foot to foot in nervousness. If the border town was still intact, that meant that he had beat the large boar here. He became increasingly nervous as the boar wasn't seen. Then he felt slight vibrations in the ground. He concentrated and felt them becoming stronger. Something was moving toward the direction of the border town. He turned toward the direction as the faint sounds of thumping became louder.

Suddenly, a large boar that was around 24 feet tall appeared from the surrounding forestry. People started screaming and the scattered soldiers ran toward the beast with dull spears and arrows. People started to run away as the soldiers managed to distract the beast for a while as people started to run for cover in the surrounding forestry. Kyungsoo dropped his bags under a nearby tree and turned back towards the fight. Just as he did, he heard the pained yells of the men as they flew through the air and away from the boar. Kyungsoo quickly ran toward the beast, but it continued its rampage into the border town. Kyungsoo ran past the injured soldiers and followed the boar into the town.

Upon going through the broken wooden gates, he almost ran into a wagon of cabbages. He quickly used his ability to make a sudden lift in the rock under his feet. It made a catapulting effect and shot him over the wagon. He rolled to absorb some of the force of his impact and continued to run after the large boar.

Suddenly, the boar changes its movements. It stops its charge toward a building and turns to face two people that were trying to get away from the boar. They were cowering in fear after failing to enter a home through a locked door. The first was an elderly lady. Her grey hair contrasted with her brown and green clothing. The small child next to her was wearing the same colours, but a different outfit. From where Kyungsoo was standing, the child looked like a young boy. The boar began its charge toward the two of them and Kyungsoo felt helpless. He looked around for anything that could stop the beast from getting to the civilians. He saw that the boar was going to run past a brick building.

Kyungsoo closes his eyes, reaches out his mental hands and feels for the texture of the brick building. Once he does, he immediately makes a mental pull with his hands and causes the wall of bricks to tumble down onto the boar just as it began to run past. As the brick wall fell onto the beast, the creature let out a loud squeal and abruptly stopped moving. Kyungsoo ran up to the large boar, moving through the debris, to check if it was actually dead. He stood in front of the creature, but it was no longer breathing. Kyungsoo was relieved. He then turned toward the elderly lady and the child.

"Thank you, young man. You saved us from a terrible fate," the elderly lady said as soon as Kyungsoo had turned around. He looked over the woman and the child for any injuries.

"Are the two of you harmed in any way?" Kyungsoo asked. He felt a sense of worry well up inside him as the small child began to cry.

"Yes, we appear to be fine, young man," the elderly woman replied as she dusted off the dust left on the small child's clothes. Kyungsoo didn't notice, but as he was talking to the elderly lady, people began to leave the temporary shelters they had found. The sudden cheering from them surprised Kyungsoo. He quickly turned around to face the sudden noise. He watched as the people of the town walked toward the beast and surrounded it.

From the crowd, two men walked towards the three of them. The first one had some kind of silver armour on and was holding a spear. The other man was well-dressed in fine-looking clothing. As the two men reached their small group, the soldier went to the crying child.

"Taehyun! Are you okay?! I was so worried about you!" the soldier asked the younger child as he knelt down to the child's height.

"The monster was so big and scary! Its eyes glowed red and I was so scared!" the small child, Taehyun, cried to his brother.

"Well, you don't have to be afraid anymore, your older brother is here to protect you now," the soldier said, standing up with the child in his arms.

While that was happening, the man approached the elderly lady.

"Are you alright?! I thought something bad happened to you!"

"Well, you don't have to worry, son."

"But, you almost died!"

"Well, a kind young man saved us from that wild beast," the elderly lady replied to the man's worried exclamation. The soldier, who had finished talking to his younger brother, turned to the elderly lady as she spoke of the kind you man.

"Who is this kind young man? I must talk to him!" the son of the elderly lady exclaimed. The woman turned toward Kyungsoo who was looking at all the destruction that the boar had caused. He was trying to stay out of the conversations that they had even though he could overhear them. He turned back to the others just to see them staring back at him. He blinked in surprise.

"Hello?" Kyungsoo waved, unsure about what he should say. The soldier and the man walked up to him.

"Thank you! You saved my little brother," the soldier thanked with a small smile.

"Yes! And you saved my mother," the man thanked right after, a happy expression laid on his face.

"There is no need for any thanks. I just did what anyone else would do," Kyungsoo replied humbly to their thanks.

"Still, this town is in your debt," the man paused for a second before he introduced himself. "I'm Mr.Lee from this small border town. Who are you, young man? And how did you manage to defeat such a large creature?"

"It is nice to meet you, sir. My name is Do Kyungsoo. All I did was crush the creature with a nearby building. It was not that impressive, sir," Kyungsoo replied with a slight blush on his cheeks from the subtle praise. The soldier stepped forward.

"Thank you, again. If you ever need help with anything, just ask me. It's the least I can do for you since you saved my brother," the soldier replied before leaving with Taehyun.

Kyungsoo looked back at the village and all the destruction. "Is there any way I could help rebuild or at least help? I can't help but feel like this is my fault," Kyungsoo asked. Mr.Lee looked around at the surroundings as well.

"Well, you could help if you want to. We do need all the manpower we can get to rebuild the town," Mr.Lee replied thoughtfully, looking at all the rubble on the street. Mr.Lee and his mother began to approach the other civilians and soldiers who were helping in the cleanup.

Kyungsoo made his way back to the gates of the village and toward the trees in the surrounding area. Under one of the trees, he found both of his bags, neither had been touched. He sighed in relief and grabbed them, throwing them onto his back. He returned to the village, walking past people that were wandering or tending to the wounded. As he returned to the place with the most damage, he placed his bags on the side and began helping.

Kyungsoo went to the nearest debris. It was as large as a cow. Kyungsoo grabbed the rock and lifted the piece into the air. As he did that, he mentally grabbed the rock and lifted. The rock became lighter as he moved it toward the nearest cart of debris. Kyungsoo smiled as he brought the heavy rock to the pile. He could definitely get things done now.

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A FEW HOURS LATER

By the time it was starting to get dark outside, a savoury aroma had spread down the street. A small group of villagers had taken the boar away and had sent a young lad to invite the workers to eat. Kyungsoo went over to where his bags sat and grabbed them. He then quickly followed the other villagers as they all stopped working and walked down the street after the lad. Kyungsoo rounded a corner and what he saw fascinated him. Wooden tables had been set up in the village square. It was usually full of carts and booths that were set up for market day. The tables were filled with bread, cooked vegetables, and trays of meat.

"Kyungsoo! Come eat with us," a new but familiar voice said from one of the tables in the centre of the square. Kyungsoo turned and saw that Mr.Lee had invited him to eat with them. Kyungsoo walked over to the table and sat down in an empty seat. The only people at the table were Mr.Lee and his mother.

"Thank you for inviting me, but you did not need to," Kyungsoo thanked in a formal way. He placed both of his bags onto the empty bench next to him.

"Ah. Kyungsoo, we are among friends and family. There is no need to speak so formally to us," Mr.Lee's mother stated. Kyungsoo thought for a second before realising he didn't even catch the woman's name.

"I'm sorry ma'am, but after what we have been through, I still don't know your name," Kyungsoo said as an embarrassed blush came onto his face.

"Well, Kyungsoo, my name is Hye-soo," Mr.Lee's mother said with a smile. Kyungsoo smiled back before he began to eat the food on his plate. Just as he was about to bite into a piece of meat, Mr.Lee began to speak.

"So, Kyungsoo. Why do you want to cross the border?" Mr.Lee asked.

Kyungsoo felt a bit panicked at the question. He took a deep breath before responding with the story he had decided to tell those who asked.

"Well... I've recently become 18, so I'm finally allowed to cross the border. Ever since I was young, I've always wanted to share my food with the world. I've actually been cooking and baking foods since I was around the age of 6. I always enjoy working in the kitchen and seeing people eat my food, so I'd like to do that in Exodus," Kyungsoo replied with a bright smile in the end. He was glad that he had thought of that question and had prepared an honest but only partially true answer. He was not ready to share anything about the Legends.

The dinner continued on quietly before he yawned. Kyungsoo covered his mouth as he yawned. "I'm sorry, I have to leave and find a place to sleep for the night," Kyungsoo said as he stood up, grabbing his bags as he did.

"Kyungsoo," Hye-soo called. Kyungsoo turns back around to face the older woman. "You can stay in my guest bedroom. I haven't had visitors for a long time. It would be nice to have some company," Hye-soo offered. Kyungsoo thought about the offer for a second but nodded anyway.

"Sure, but only if you're sure about this," Kyungsoo replied. Hye-soo stood up from her seat and walked away from the square. Kyungsoo quickly followed after the woman. They walked until the streets were clear, then Kyungsoo spoke.

"Thank you, for letting me stay with you tonight, Ms.Hye-soo. It was very kind of you," Kyungsoo thanked.

"It was my pleasure," Hye-soo replied. A few seconds of silence went by before she spoke again. "I know who you are, Kyungsoo," Hye-soo said seriously. Kyungsoo felt fear when she said that.

"What do you mean by that?" He asked, hiding his fear with confusion.

"Now, now, Kyungsoo. There is no need to be like that. I know that you are the reincarnation of the Legend of Strength."

Kyungsoo sighed. "How did you know? I tried to keep my abilities as discreet as possible."

Hye-soo looked at Kyungsoo. "My ancestors passed down the story of the Legend of Strength from generation to generation. It was common knowledge that the Legend of Strength had the ability of Earth, and in turn, had the ability of great strength," she began. "Though it was also said that the Legend of Strength would do anything to save those in harm's way, including placing himself in harm's way. Along with the story, my ancestors passed down a picture of him and you, my boy, look like a carbon copy of him," Hye-soo sighed as she began to finish. "Sadly, the picture of him was destroyed when I was young."

Hye-soo then stopped in front of a small single-story house in a respectable area. "Well, here we are," she said. Hye-soo unlocked the front door and entered. Kyungsoo entered after her and looked around. The door opened into a small living area with a fireplace with two comfortable looking chairs at one end of the room on his left. To his right was a small kitchenette with cupboards and a table with chairs. Just past the living area was a small hallway with three doors.

"The door on the right is the guest room. The door at the end of the hall is the bathroom if you need it," Hye-soo said as Kyungsoo followed her into the hallway. "Have a nice rest, Kyungsoo. You're going to need it for your journey," Hye-soo said as she started to close the door behind her.

"Good-night to you too, Hye-soo. I'll see you in the morning," Kyungsoo said as he opened his door, walked in and closed it gently behind him. Kyungsoo leaned against the door as he surveyed his sleeping accommodations for the night. The room was quite spacious, with a wood plank floor that was much warmer than the cool stone walls of the bedroom. There was a dark green coverlet on a good-sized bed that was centred on the left wall with a wooden chest at the foot of it. Across from the doorway under a window, was a wooden desk with a chair. Kyungsoo placed his bags on top of the wooden chest. Kyungsoo sagged as a wave of exhaustion hit him from the extreme use of his gift. He wasn't used to using his gift as extensively or for such a long duration of time as he did today. He stumbled over to the side of the bed and took off his shoes. It was then that he noticed that there was a soft rug on the floor by the edge of the bed. Someone had been thoughtful and placed it where he would have to put his feet in the morning. As he laid on the bed and pulled up the covers, he noticed how soft the mattress and the pillows were. He fell asleep seconds later, snuggling into the warmth of the covers.

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One by one the lights in the houses went out as the townspeople turned in for the night, but no one noticed anything unusual. In a nearby dark alley, a set of dark red eyes glowed brightly in the dark as a shadowy figure let out a low and evil laugh before disappearing into the darkness.