THE LEGEND OF DANZO:SAVIOR OF THE UPPERWORLD

 

Danzo

Once upon a time, there was a kingdom called the Upper World. For generations, it had been tormented by demons and monstrous beasts from the Underworld.

At the age of thirteen, every male was sent to the border—the perilous land between the Upper World and the Underworld—to defend the kingdom from the dreaded demon clique. Those sent at thirteen had to serve seven long years before being declared men.

Few survived to tell the tale. The borderlands teemed with evil at every turn. A single injury often meant death.

Danzo was twelve when his father explained the horrors of the border and the constant danger they lived in. Tragically, Danzo lost his entire family that same year and was forced to survive alone.

When Danzo turned thirteen, he was sent to the border to fulfill his duty.

On his first day, while patrolling with his group, he became separated and fell into a strange, inescapable pit. Then, an apparition appeared—the ghost of a legendary warrior of the Upper World.

Danzo was not afraid of ghosts; he lived in a land soaked in evil. So he demanded, “Why have you separated me from my group?”

The ghost replied, “I am Congo, legend of old. I have chosen you to inherit my knowledge. I have chosen you so this generation may have a new legend—one who can save them.”

Danzo asked, “How?”

Congo answered, “I will teach you my swordsmanship and all that I am known for, so you may survive… and save the world.”

Congo appeared in mortal form one final time to pass his skills to Danzo, the next savior of the Upper World.

He taught Danzo his legendary swordsmanship and how to enter the Underworld undetected. It was Congo who revealed the existence of the Tree of Life—a sacred tree whose fruit could cure any sickness and even bring the dying back from the brink of death.

It was the last seed of the Tree that Congo had used to return to mortal form, fulfilling an ancient prophecy. In ten years, the seed would grow into a new tree, ready to be harvested by any brave enough to enter the Underworld and survive its horrors.

“A time may come,” Congo warned, “when someone—or a group—must be sent to retrieve the fruit.”

“Why?” Danzo asked.

“It was foretold long ago,” Congo said. “You know how prophecies are.”

“No idea,” Danzo admitted.

Congo chuckled. “Times have changed.”

“What exactly does the prophecy say?” Danzo pressed.

Congo’s voice grew grave:

“A time will come when the legend will choose from the many—a young man of courage and skill—to pass on his knowledge.

The king must keep what he cherishes most close, for danger lurks even in the palace.

Only the Fruit of Life can save.

And only if the king fails.

Then will he seek the one who must enter the Underworld to claim the fruit—or life will be lost.”

Meanwhile, Danzo’s patrol group assumed he was dead. They moved on. Recruits vanished daily in the borderlands; no one searched for the lost.

Danzo was a swift learner. Within months, he mastered Congo’s swordsmanship. For the first three months, he trained blindfolded—eating, walking, fighting—everything in total darkness.

When he complained, Congo said, “This is the trick that will save you in the Underworld.”

Congo explained: “Any being from the Upper World who enters the Underworld becomes a beacon. You will be hunted no matter where you hide. The journey from the border to the Tree of Life takes seven days of constant movement and combat. Only at the Tree will you find safety—and aid.”

“Then why the blindfold?” Danzo asked.

“Because,” Congo said, “deep in the Underworld lies the Night Eye—a realm of absolute darkness. There, you must navigate by touch, sound, smell, and instinct. And worse—creatures dwell there that will turn you to stone if you open your eyes. The blindfold is not punishment. It is survival. You have a crucial role in humanity’s salvation.”

They trained in a hidden cave in the Forest of Nowhere, deep in the borderlands between worlds. It was a place of sudden vanishings and ancient dread. When Danzo disappeared, his group never even searched.

One day, Congo gave Danzo a task: track a beast from the Underworld roaming the Forest of Nowhere.

Danzo felt no fear. He had no one to mourn him. He accepted fate.

He left the cave with only his sword—a legendary blade forged from substances of both worlds. It could pierce any hide, slay demons and beasts permanently, preventing regeneration. This was Congo’s own sword, hidden for centuries… for this very day.

Following tracks and scent, Danzo reached The Dwellers, the last town before the Forest of Nowhere.

On instinct, he visited the stream behind the town to scout the land. There, he saw the beast—cornering a young maiden.

Danzo acted.

He shouted to distract it. The beast turned.

It had the body of a man, but twisted—deformed limbs, a crushed face, and three horns: two small ones on the sides, one massive on the forehead. It screeched like an owl and snarled:

“Who dares interrupt my meal?”

Danzo gripped his sword. “I do. And I will send you to the great beyond.”

The beast laughed. “I have feasted on your kind for centuries. No weakling has ever challenged me!”

It charged with blinding speed. Danzo barely dodged a crushing fist.

He rolled, putting distance between them. The beast charged again.

This time, Danzo was ready. As the beast raised its arm to smash him, Danzo lunged forward and jabbed its side. Green blood sprayed. The beast roared.

But it was fast. A massive kick slammed into Danzo’s stomach, hurling him into a tree. His vision blurred. He saw two beasts. Another kick cracked his ribs.

He sidestepped a third blow and swung wildly. The blade bit deep into the beast’s leg. It screamed.

Danzo rolled behind it for a killing thrust—but the beast, despite its wound, spun with terrifying speed. A backhand struck Danzo’s shoulder, sending him crashing into the stream.

When he surfaced, gasping—the beast was gone.

Danzo returned to the cave, battered but alive. Congo nodded. “You begin to understand.”

Months turned to years. Danzo trained relentlessly. Blindfolded. In darkness. Against illusions. Against pain.

One night, by the campfire, Danzo sharpened his sword. Congo appeared—ghostly, flickering.

“Congo,” Danzo asked, “what must I do to save our kingdom?”

Congo’s eyes glowed. “You must enter the Underworld. Retrieve the Fruit of Life from the sacred Tree. Only then can you save our people from darkness.”

Danzo’s heart raced. “How will I find it? How will I survive?”

“Trust your training,” Congo said. “The path is deadly—but with courage and skill, you will prevail. Never stop moving. Never lose sight of your goal.”

Danzo set out.

The journey was hell.

He fought through swarms of shadow-wolves.

He crossed rivers of black fire.

He climbed cliffs that bled.

For seven days, he never rested.

Finally, he entered a vast chamber glowing with eerie light.

At its center: the Tree of Life—its branches heavy with radiant, pulsing fruit.

Danzo approached. His hands shook. He plucked one fruit. It burned warm in his grip.

Then—a voice, cold and ancient:

“So… the legendary Danzo seeks the Fruit of Life.”

A figure emerged from the shadows—tall, cloaked in darkness, eyes like dying stars.

“Who are you?” Danzo demanded.

“I am the Guardian of the Underworld,” it hissed. “Sworn to protect this tree from thieves.”

Danzo drew his sword. “Step aside.”

The Guardian laughed. “You will die here, boy.”

Steel clashed.

The Guardian was a nightmare—faster than the horned beast, stronger than any demon. Every strike shook Danzo’s bones.

He bled. He tired. His vision swam.

But Congo’s voice echoed:

“Blindfold. Darkness. Instinct.”

Danzo closed his eyes.

He felt the air shift.

He heard the Guardian’s breath.

He moved.

A flurry of strikes—blind, perfect, lethal.

The Guardian roared. Too late.

Danzo’s blade pierced its heart.

It fell. Silent.

Danzo stood over the corpse, chest heaving. The fruit glowed in his hand.

His journey was not over.

But now, he carried hope.

He was no longer a boy.

He was Danzo—heir to Congo, bearer of the Fruit of Life, and the savior of the Upper World.