-Chapter One-

Prelude: First Life

The bustling world of Vertex, ruled over by the Goddess of Time and Fate, Stecia, was home to dozens of magical species of humans, dwarves, elves, mermen, fairies, pixies, demihumen and numerous more, with a history spanning for thousands and thousands of years.

The human Kingdom of Farrien was home to billions of people, of which in the North lay the Aerianne Archduchy and to the South lay the Kanarian Archduchy. In the Capital City of Farrien, Farrien City, the Kingdom’s most prestigious Magic school was founded, the Sky Academy. Though its motto and principles were founded on merit and equal opportunity, it found itself to be the epitome of racism and power struggles between locals and foreigners, Nobles and commoners. Even Aelius Kanaria himself, as the son of the Archduke, faced his own fair share of bullying. Despite being Noble blood, his Magic was inferior to many of his peers, leading the many eyes falling on him to look away in disappointment. But the fifteen year old did not mind. He had found his own path in life. Or so he tried to convince himself. But no path is ever linear.

It was yet another day as Aelius hurriedly scuttled down the school’s traditional quartz-stone interior corridors. Lost in his thoughts, he felt the wind knocked out of him when someone walking past barged their shoulder into him. With a small exclamation in surprise, Aelius went down onto his rear as his books went flying all over him and the smooth marble ground. As his breath returned, he heard snickering from behind him and stole a glance over his shoulder at the perpetrator. A group of familiar faces gave him a sneer as they mockingly left him, pointing hand gestures at him. Shaking his head with a sigh, Aelius started to pick his books up one by one when a stranger leaned down to help. Upon looking up, Aelius blinked in surprise to find it was someone he knew. Wordlessly, after the books were gathered, the short, light blue-haired girl tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear and rose to her feet. “Next time, you should try to dodge him.” With a sheepish smile, Aelius slowly rose to his feet and gave her a nod.

“Thank you, Aria.”

“Don’t bother. I don’t know why you let them… hahhh…” her golden eyes narrowed at him, before she sighed and turned away. Aelius pursed his lips.

Though he and Aria Aerianne were childhood friends, meant to wed their families together in the future, ever since he had started falling behind their peers and became the object of contempt of many, she had begun to treat him indifferently.

“Aria, come on. Hurry up, we’re waiting,” a girl’s voice called from behind them. Without another word or a glance to him, Aria left him behind to join her friends and the group walked off. As he turned away to get back on his way, Aelius heard barely in earshot the same voice snicker and lowly whisper, “Why do you still associate yourself with him? He’s completely useless and a loser. He flunked his combat exam-” the words faded before Aelius could hear anymore. Looking at the ground with a solemn expression, he continued on his way.

“Loser,” another voice snickered in Aelius’ ear as he passed another group of students by. That is what this place is. Sky Academy, the toxic cesspit. But telling himself that repeatedly was no consolation, for it changed nothing. The truth simply is, he is weak. Making sure to now keep his eyes ahead of him so no one else knocks him over, Aelius continued his way across the campus. He happened past another group of girls leaning against the windows, gossiping about something as they always did. “Did you see the first Holy Knight? He was so hot, his muscles were huge.”

“Oh my Goddess, you always loved bulky men,” Aelius caught in his ears as he passed by.

Ah, right. The Holy Knights, Aelius recalled at their words. Earlier that same morning, the King of Farrien had made a sudden and shocking announcement to all of Farrien; that a new continent had been discovered. For time immemorial, it was thought that there is only one continent; the Sacred Continent. The news that there is a second was abrupt and difficult to imagine, as history had not a single record or indication of such. The hopes of all life on the Sacred Continent, at least, for the nation of Farrien, was placed onto the shoulders of eleven individuals; the Holy Knights, fighters handpicked by the King and Queen from prestigious backgrounds with unfathomable accomplishments. The Fourth Holy Knight, Quarren Leos, even at the young and tender age of twenty, was strong enough to rival Aelius and Aria’s father, the Archduke of Kanaria and Archduke of Aerianne, whom were both in their forties. They were the pinnacle of Magic all students at Sky Academy were striving to achieve.

As Aelius arrived at his destination, he slapped himself out of his thoughts and knocked on the fancy wooden door, with a badge on it reading: “Director”.

“Come in,” a familiar, old, raspy but comforting voice called from the other side and Aelius opened the door into the homely study he had visited often before. Director Polia, an old lady in her seventies, sat at her desk and gave him a warm smile as he entered with his books. As soon as Aelius set foot in, he noticed there were two other guests, wearing familiar uniforms of white with golden accents. “Y-y-y-Holy Knights!?!?” Aelius exclaimed, dropping his books again after laying eyes on the elven girl and bulky man seated at the sofa. “Ah crap!” Feeling his face heat up, Aelius quickly bent down to gather his books for the second time that day. The somewhat familiar view of having a second pair of hands help him appeared, and Aelius looked up to see the elven girl smiling to him, holding his books out. “Ah… thanks,” Aelius felt himself blush as he took them.

“No problem,” she cheerfully smiled before taking her seat again. Taking deep breaths, Aelius tried to keep his eyes from settling on her and instead turned his focus onto the Director.

“Ms. Polia, you called for me?” he asked, spotting her giving him a patient and friendly smile.

“Please take a seat, Aelius,” she gestured to a side chair and he did as told. “As you noticed, our Sky Academy is being visited by two of the Holy Knights today,” she began to explain after Aelius was nestled in and comfortable, or as comfortable as can be in the presence of three people who could slap him to death like he was nothing more than a fly to be swatted. “They came with a very specific purpose, and that’s where I need your help. Aelius, please meet Alea,” Director Polia nodded to the elven girl, who gave him a friendly wave. “Alea, please meet Aelius.”

“Ah, it’s nice to make your acquaintance,” Aelius shyly murmured to her with a nod, keeping his eyes averted from her gaze.

“Aelius is our Academy’s best spiritualist. There are only about five of them, and though all of them are outstanding, Aelius is by far the most suited person for your purposes,” the Director continued.

“Perfect!” Alea clasped her hands together.

“Yes, indeed. I’ve booked one of the rooms under your name, Aelius. So go on ahead with Alea and see to her needs, yes?” the Director raised an eyebrow.

“Uhh… sure, of course. What is it exactly, you need?” Aelius asked.

“I need to summon a spirit,” Alea rose to her feet and turned to her partner. “We’ll be right back.” The bulky man who had remained silent the whole conversation, simply nodded while keeping his arms sternly crossed.

“Take as long as you two need,” Director Polia smiled with a wave, and Alea led Aelius out the room.

“Let me help you with those,” the older, taller eighteen year old took half his books, and cheerfully hummed as they went down the corridor. As they were coming up on a turn, Aelius felt an uncomfortable sensation well up in his stomach.

“Ehh… it may be best for us to take a different route to the training rooms,” Aelius suggested.

“Hmm? How so?” Alea asked.

“Well…” Aelius scratched his head. “There are a lot of eyes around the place. I’d prefer something a bit more discreet,” he wryly admitted.

“Oh…” she gave him an odd frown, but shrugged. “Sure.” Aelius sighed in relief at her agreement. He did not want to deal with the rumours of people seeing him walking around with a Holy Knight. As they walked in solitude, Alea turned her head to him with curiosity.

“You’re a first year, right?” she asked and Aelius slowly nodded. “How impressive,” she smiled and ruffled his hair. “Not everyone gets the Director’s recommendations.” Aelius thought he’d feel mild discomfort at her forwardness, but surprisingly found her words encouraging. Trying to keep a stupid grin off his face, he awkwardly turned away. “I’m thankful you think that way…”

“How humble,” she bellowed. “Anyhow, I’m placing high hopes in you. With the work us Holy Knights are going to be facing, the better of a spirit I can call upon, the better it is for all of us.” At her words, Aelius focused in and nodded. “What grade of a spirit we can summon will depend on your affinity with the element you want. I’ll do what I can to supplement the process but ultimately, it’s actually all going to be up to you,” he explained and glanced over to find Alea curiously gazing at him with a small smile. Embarrassment broke his concentration again and he quickly looked away.

“I see! Thanks for the in-depth explanation.”

It felt like an eternity before they arrived at the training room, after which Aelius immediately got to work. “Please stand in the centre of the room,” he gestured to Alea and she did as told before he began to draw a circle at their feet with white chalk. It took twenty minutes or so of adding renditions all over the room until a maze-like structure was formed. After the complex inscription was complete, Aelius began to dump deposits of Mana stones around the several dozen circles he had hand-inscripted.

“The Director said you were the best Spiritualist in our Kingdom. It makes me wonder, what grade spirit do you have?” Alea asked out of curiosity as Aelius worked.

“Actually, that title is somewhat… unbefitting on me,” he sheepishly chuckled. “I definitely have an easier time summoning spirits than most, but… none of them are willing to sign a contract with me.”

“Really?” Alea exclaimed in wonder. “How come?” she asked.

“Well… no one really seems to like me. As soon as they arrive and see me they turn away, not wanting to talk, until eventually the Spirit Gate closes and they get pulled back to the Spirit Realm again. I don’t know what’s up with that… but it shouldn’t be an issue with you. I hope,” Aelius sprung to his feet. “There, done. Now,” he turned back to Alea and approached her. “Your hands, please.” She put her palms out before him, and Aelius slipped his fingers through hers, interlocking their hands. He noticed her face turn red for the first time since they met, but kept his focus intact this time.

“I’m starting now,” he said with a nod before he began his chant. With every sentence he finished, the ground began to vibrate and the air began to whisk about with wind, until he reached the end of the incantation. Alea’s hair lifted up as overhead, and she looked up in wonder and awe as a ball of green manifested out of the air. Aelius felt all of his Mana sucked from him and gasped for breath as there was a flash of light, and a silhouette descended from the portal to them. Glowing eyes and a mouth of green gazed at him, before he saw distaste and scorn cross over the spirit’s face.

“What do you want, human?” the spirit asked, but Aelius was staring at her in shock.

“S-S-S-Spirit Queen Gaia?” he asked.

“Bah! Even if you know my name, it does not erase any of the disfavour I hold toward you,” she spat at him. “You wasted your time and Mana. I refuse to do anything for you,” she sneered.

“It’s this one who summoned you, and seeks a contract,” Aelius pulled Alea to the front. “If you were summoned, you must know she has a high affinity with plants and nature.”

“Hmm…” Gaia narrowed her glowing eyes at Alea. “Hmm… very well. As long as it’s this one, I am willing to sign a contract.” The flying silhouette descended to them on ground level and outstretched her arm.

“Well, summoner? Care to make the pact?” she asked Alea, who swallowed and nodded, gathering her thoughts.

“I, Alea Langston, offer you a pact for life and request you to become my power. In return, I offer you stability to the Real Realm,” she reached out and took Gaia’s hand.

“I accept,” the spirit responded and there was another flash of light, leaving nothing remaining behind. Aelius finally felt the pressure in his chest relieve and gave a deep breath, when he saw Alea fall to her knees. Lunging forward and catching her by the shoulders, Aelius gently whisked her to the ground. The Mana recoil must have been insane after summoning a Royal Spirit, he quickly realised. “Alea, are you okay?” he asked anxiously in worry and concern as her head drooped to the ground, before she suddenly pulled him into a hug with a shout.

“Yess!!! I can’t believe we actually got to summon the Spirit Queen. Thank you, Aelius!!!” she hugged him tightly. Feeling something against his chest, Aelius felt his face heat up to the point he almost passed out, until Alea pulled away.

“It was my… honour,” he took a deep breath and gave her a small smile.

“No, the honour’s all mine,” Alea rose to her feet and offered him her hand. “I have a feeling you’re destined for great things. Truly. Once you graduate, I look forward to us meeting again!” she smiled. Aelius took it and was pulled to his feet. “Shall we return now?”

As Aelius followed Alea from behind while she cheerfully made her way back to the Director’s office, he found his mind wandering.

What do I have to do to get as strong as her? he wondered. To be a Holy Knight. He felt an ache form in his chest. It’d be nice if I could spend all my time around someone like this. He gazed at her platinum blonde hair from behind. Someone like the sun, truly. Everyone around me are all dark holes. But you’re different. Her smile was so bright. But alas, Aelius knew his place. He had failed everyone in his life, including himself. His parents still loved him, but he knew they were disappointed. The Director was nice to him, but he knew she really wanted more from him. Being the son of Kanaria means he has big shoes to fill. But at the same time… if he wasn’t born as the son of Kanaria, he would have never met this amazing woman. “Alea…” Aelius began to say, feeling his face heat up. He can dream and fantasize all he wants. But falling for a Holy Knight will only make things end up bad between them.

“Yes?” she turned to look at him with beaming, sparkling eyes. At her bright gaze, he felt all of his resolve break down.

“I… I wish you great success wherever you go.” Her small smile faded into an expression of genuinely being touched by the sincerity of his words, before her usual demeanour quickly returned.

“You too, Aelius! I wish you the same. I see greatness in you. In the future, if you ever need any help, feel free to call on me or my name. I will never forget this deed you have done for me today. It’s amazing… amazing how you summoned the Spirit Queen,” she excitedly told him.

“No, no,” Aelius shook his head. “I already said before we even started, it’s up to your affinity. If anyone is destined, it’s you. Honestly, the last time Gaia was summoned I think… at least in the historical records, was a good four hundred years ago. You’re the only one since to do it.”

“Us, then. We did it, hehe,” she cheerfully chuckled.

“Hah… okay, sure. Yeah, we did it,” Aelius smiled warmly.

As Aelius watched Alea and Quarren leave, descending the long steps leading into the city, he thought to himself with determination, I’ll work hard. So I can stand by your side, I’ll work harder than I ever have in my life. Someday, we will meet again. I will make sure of it. Until that day, keep well, Alea, Aelius turned away, returning into the Academy with narrowed eyes. Until that day.

Alea cheerfully hummed as she descended the steps, brimming in upbeat while her colleague, Quarren Leos, shot her a look of skepticism. “So… were you right about him?” he asked doubtfully. She came to a stop for a moment, her humming falling silent before she shook her head, waving her medium length light-blonde hair from side to side.

“I was wrong about him.” Quarren raised an eyebrow in confusion at the convoluted response.

“But you seem quite happy?” he asked again.

“Because I am. But I was wrong about him. He was… so much more than I ever expected.” Alea looked at the sky overhead with a smile. “That boy… no, that man, is amazing. I firmly believe he will come to stand on top of any adversary he faces. He is destined. He is Chosen.” Quarren snorted as he stepped past, shaking his head.

“Okay. Each to their own beliefs but you’re sounding like a nutjob. That skinny twig? Everyone calls him a cripple, you know,” he shook his head.

“Rumours are always false, Leos,” Alea answered with a disapproving shake of her head. “You wouldn’t know. He is so, so much more.”

“I saw him with my own two eyes. I didn’t see anything redeeming,” Quarren rebutted.

“Well…” Alea chuckled. “You haven’t seen what I’ve seen.”

-3 Years Later-

A young man, tall, fit and lean with muscle, carrying a blade by his hip, hid away his brown hair beneath his brown hooded cloak.

Aelius Kanaria, the hailed prodigy, aged eighteen, was wandering through a country town when he coincidentally began to hear the call of the Goddess. A subtle voice drawing him onto a path. The second time in his life she has ever shown herself to him. So he followed.

It led far into the deathly purple, misty, swamp forests until eventually, Aelius came upon a cave opening in the ground. Though he could feel the power of the Goddess beckoning him, he felt deathly ominous. Regardless, the young man began his descent into the deep pit, falling hundreds of metres. As the Goddess’ voice grew louder and louder in his ears, he felt his chest begin to tighten and his heart begin to pound. Her soft singing strung him along, faintly at first but as it became clearer, Aelius could feel the sadness in her song. Flat ground awaited him at the bottom, and after following that path through windy rocks and forests, he finally came to a flat greenland.

Before him, a gigantic oak stood towering over him, sitting at its thick trunk completely still a fallen soldier with his silver armour in a bloody mess. Aelius took in the crest on the dead man’s shoulder with shock. A soldier belonging to the under-corps of the Holy Knights, he observed and felt his thoughts frenzy and scramble, but he quickly reigned his irrationality back in. No, he cannot panic yet. He cannot formulate any conclusions until he goes deeper in. But please, Goddess Stecia. Don’t let it be the worst scenario. Please, he prayed to himself as he pushed on. Aelius followed the path through the trees, and with each step he took, his heart began to beat more anxiously. He came upon corpse after corpse the further down he went. It was nothing short of a massacre. Each of them were taken out by one hit. Most of them in groups all at once. They faced a single, overwhelming opponent. Someone strong enough to over power even a Holy Knight. Aelius couldn’t help but pick up his pace. The soft voice was overwhelming now. A sobbing. A crying. A familiar voice. No! Please. No! Aelius cried internally. “Is someone there!? Can you hear me!?” he called. He heard her voice softly gasp, and her cries caught his attention to his right.

“I’m here… I’m here…” he rounded a corner and came to a brief stop, gasping in horror. A large boulder sat before him, the side facing him deeply bathed in blood. His breath caught in his throat and his heart began to violently thrash about in his chest as the surreal reality rapidly took grip of him. The ear-shattering ringing in his ears immediately faded into dead silence and his eyes darted frantically around the bloody scene before him, absorbing each and every little detail all at once. First was the short platinum blonde hair, almost silver, smothered red.The next were her fading blue lips, weakly gasping for breath. And then were her tears falling down her bloodied cheeks, forming at her bloodied eyelids… Aelius fell to his knees. It can’t be… Exposed flesh ended where her legs ought to have continued, she was missing her dominant arm and two bloody holes sat where her eyes would have been. “This can’t be real,” Aelius cried, slowly nudging up to her. “Alea…” he choked, gently grabbing onto her hands. One final wound sat on her chest, a gaping hole formed by her own sword, which even now still pinned her to the boulder behind her. “Alea…”

“A-Aelius… is that you?” she coughed, spilling blood from her lips.

“It’s me… Alea. What in the world-?” he couldn’t finish his sentence as tears dropped from his cheeks.

“Aelius… my fated…” she began to sob. “Am I dreaming…? This can’t be…”

“I’m here. I am here,” he assured her, grasping her hand.

“I must be lucid but… I’m so happy that I get to meet you once more… before I die…”

“Alea… please…” Aelius looked over her wounds again in despair. There was nothing he could do to save her. They were fatal.

“It’s a bit of a pity, though, I can’t see what handsome face you’ve grown up into…” she chuckled but choked on blood again, and her voice broke as more tears began to stream. “Shit… please… Aelius… please… I don’t want to die,” her wailing picked up and echoed through the caverns. Aelius lunged forward, gently embracing her in a hug. “We were supposed to have a happy life together.” Through her heart-wrenching sobbing, she leant her head against his shoulder. “I’m scared, Aelius. I’m so scared. I don’t want to be alone without you,” she clung tightly to him, weeping her heart away.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” the young man’s dam came overwhelmed, and his tears began to flow endlessly as he hugged her tighter. “I’m so sorry I wasn’t there to save you… I’m so sorry-”

“No…” she softly shook her head. “You would’ve died too… this way, at least you can survive,” she sniffled, gradually calming down.

What sort of devil did this to her? Aelius asked himself begrudgingly.

“Aelius,” she tapped his shoulder, and he softly pulled away, looking at her with worry. Her breathing was slowly fading. “Thank you for seeing me one final time,” she mustered a shaky smile. “At least I can pass with this precious memory,” they joined hands again, as she relaxed her head up against the boulder. “We haven’t seen each other for so long. You seem very strong now. Can you tell me your story? Since the last time we met? I… I always knew you’d make it,” she asked him.

“Alea… w-we have to get you to help-”

“Please, Aelius. Please… grant me this. My… death wish.” she said to him and he felt his heart seize.

After a short moment, he gathered his composure and began to tell his story.

He spent another year after she left tirelessly training his Mana and swordsmanship before Director Polia let him go from the Academy. With her reference, he joined a mercenary group for a year. After a while, they disbanded and he’s been drifting alone ever since. As he recounted the details, and she softly hummed along, he noticed her chest slowly stop moving. Her head rested peacefully up against the cold rock, the rest of her body still as nothing.

“A-Alea?” Aelius called.

“Hmm…” she simply continued to softly hum, unresponsive to him, slowly, slowly, fading away, right before his very eyes.

“Alea…! Wait, Alea! Wake up! Alea!” he cried, softly tapping her cheeks, with no reaction. “No… Alea… please… stay with me,” he choked, hugging her tightly. “Don’t leave me!” Her soft breathing was now slow, and the tension in her body had released, leaving her lying up against the boulder peacefully. “Alea…?” he pulled away, gazing at her still face. Her heart was now no longer beating. “N-no… no!” Her final expression was that of a small smile, attaining a small happiness in her final moments. And like that, she was able to go, while remaining there, in her battered state, up against that cold rock.

The longest time passed in the dead silence as Aelius simply stared at her with tears in his eyes. Until his voice softly fell from his lips. “Then what about me?” Aelius felt his eyes sting painfully as he looked upon her. “I have to remain in this life without you? How can I bear such a cruel fate…” he sobbed. Oh Goddess. She’s dead. She’s actually dead. She died horrifically. What the fuck. What the fuck. How in the world did this happen? Why…? Why? Please, just why?

“Alea…” he could feel his head splitting. The ground was shaking. The air began to burn his lungs like fire. He felt his entire body tear away at itself as he took in the gruesome scene. And then he heard a loud snap. Or shattering. It came from within his eardrums. But his heart was pounding so hard he didn’t notice it at all. Instead, his brain was racing in other directions.

Which bastards did this to you!? Who was so heinous!? Callous!? And barbaric!? To leave you mangled in this state? I will pay back this debt a hundred fold. I will dedicate this life to killing the fuckers that did this. I don’t care about anything else. I vow, I swear on my heart, on my soul, I will avenge you, Alea. Oh, Alea… my sweet, sweet Alea. The rage quickly died away, leaving him in silence next to her corpse. A long moment passed again as Aelius felt the world encroach on him. “Ah… ahhh….” he began to cry again. Quickly replacing the once burning fury was now a deep, dark, depressing sadness and grief.

As Aelius remained at her body, weeping and further time passed him by, he suddenly heard an odd sound again in his ears. Like a ‘bling’. Blinking through his tears, he pulled back to notice some sort of menu had appeared in his vision. A golden, glowing plaque floating freely unattached before him. Squinting his eyes, Aelius wiped his nose quickly and began to read the text.

-Incoming message-

System awakened!

Innate constitution acquired.

Your soul is now synced with your physical body, and the System can now successfully enhance your abilities through tweaking your soul.

Congratulations, user!

-New skills acquired!-

-Grief of the Goddess’ Chosen-

-Passive Buff-

Convert all grief points to rage points.

Sadness is powerful, but unmotivated.

Turn your emotions into fire, let rage burn your soul.

Become the embodiment of wrath and fury.

-New skills acquired!-

-Arbiter of Vengeance-

-Passive Buff-

Gain the power to extract rage points into Mana. Mana points harvested from rage points gain a x1000 efficacy.

Emotions only exist within our minds and souls. Even so, they can become our power.

Gain the ability to manifest the power you feel coursing through your heart and soul into reality.

Side effect: Alter!

Your nature shifts to suppress your negative emotions.

In exchange, your negative emotions are inherently and intrinsically more intense and negative.

Be forewarned, upon meeting a certain threshold of negative emotions, there is a high possibility of an explosion / overload - the Alter prerequisite.

When such situations arise, the System recommends the user to avoid stressful or negative emotion-inducing situations.

Additionally, the user may counteract the negative emotions with positive emotions.

If the Alter prerequisite is satisfied, Alter will activate.

The user’s destructive capability is enhanced by x500.

-New skills acquired!-

-Blessing of Stecia-

Gain the ability to wield divine power, the natural nemesis of dark power.

You are loved. Out of all, you are loved the most. This power attests to such.

As Aelius’ eyes reached the end, he simply remained still for a long moment.

And then he began to laugh. He laughed hysterically. Because it was all so laughable. So this was the hand fate dealt him. He just couldn’t have gotten this power any earlier. He had to get it just as Alea died. Loved? Really? Really..? Yet as Aelius processed things more, isn’t this a blessing? From the other side of things, so what? So what if he has this power? Now he has no choice but to go for revenge, and he has no excuse to fail. This power changes nothing. He already devoted his life to revenge. Instead of feeling resentment, shouldn’t he be grateful? Aelius scoffed to himself.

-New Title Acquired!-

-Beloved Child of the Goddess-

-Passive Buff-

Mana reproduces limitlessly within your core.

Mana is the energy of the world. You are attuned to the world and loved by it. This power attests to such.

Aelius began to laugh again. How incredible. What is with all of this favour she showers on him, when the corpse of his beloved lays right before him? Laughable. All too laughable. Aelius broodingly rose to his feet and gazed at Alea for a short moment before he deeply inhaled.

User has cast the passive skill Arbiter of Vengeance.

Convert Rage points into Mana points.

“Gaiaaaa!” Aelius roared and a green portal erupted out of the air before him. A familiar silhouette came flopping into the ground with a thump.

“Ugh,” Gaia shook herself awake and rose to her feet slowly, clutching her temple. “Damn you, human. What did you call me back for? To spite me for my failure to protect my contractor?” she questioned him with her voice seething through her teeth.

“What the fuck happened here? Tell me!” Aelius lunged forward and grappled Gaia by her shoulders. “Explain yourself!”

“You wouldn’t want to know,” she pushed him off her and pulled away, brushing her shoulders with disgust.

“Fucking tell me!” Aelius shouted at her again.

“…I already told you that you’d rather not know but if you insist…” she sighed and put her palms out before her, forming a small ball of light that she then whisked Aelius’ way. Aelius watched apprehensively as the small orb of light green approached him and nestled itself into his forehead. He felt his body and his vision melt away.

What was meant to be another routine recon mission for Alea turned out catastrophic. While she was stationed at the high perch, the guards under her began to get taken out rapidly group by group. Her eyes frantically darted through the trees at what was encroaching on her. Each sensory pulse she sent out returned no signal, until finally, it was in view of the naked eye. Aelius felt her fear first-hand as her heart seized in her chest at the ominous red eyes staring at her from within the shadows. It suddenly flashed out with inhuman speed and Aelius felt pain soar up his arm, blood splatter in his vision and his back break as he was shoved into a boulder behind him. Gasping for breath, he looked up in terror as the humanoid demon, cloaked in black and emitting a nauseating, overwhelming aura of black and red slowly approached him with a snarl and a sneer. Aelius could feel his heart pounding in his chest. The demon suddenly flashed and Aelius saw both of Alea’s legs get sent flying and heard her howl in pain. As she cried and wriggled, it reached out with its clawed hands to her eyes, leaving Aelius only able to hear a gruesome crunching as pain shot through his head. After a short moment in the darkness, he felt a blade stab through his chest, and then the soft patter of the demon’s footsteps as it left, leaving Alea all alone to die.

Aelius’ vision returned to him and he gasped for breath, falling to his knees and roaring out in pain, shaking from the shock he just experienced. “Argh!!!” Shaking violently, he looked at his arm to see it was still there. The same for his legs. But Alea… she genuinely went through this pain. He only felt it for a moment. For her, it was her reality.

Why? Why!? Oh Goddess, why!? he felt grief overcome him as he began to weep on the ground.

“I told you that you didn’t want to know,” Gaia coldly spoke as the portal overhead began to close, and her silhouette faded away into nothingness. Aelius paid her no mind as he slowly sat up, gazing at Alea’s peaceful, small smile.

Alert!

Rage points are breaking the threshold.

Alter imminent!

…

…

Alert!

The side effect: Alter prerequisites have been satisfied.

Alter is now in effect.

Though tears still streamed down his cheeks, Aelius wore a firm, stone face as he pushed himself to his feet. Taking slow, deep breaths, he pulled the blade from her and examined it. “I will hold onto this for you, my dear.” Tucking it away, he knelt down to pick Alea up, and bridal-style, began to carry her to the dungeon’s exit. Through it all, he made not a single noise. His mind wandered not a single moment. Only one thought occupied his entire being.

Revenge.

In the year 917 of the Imperial Calendar, the Great War had just ended between dozens of nations. Farrien welcomed home millions of troops and warriors with the Archdukes of Aerianne and Kanaria leading them at the forefront. Since the founding of Farrien, the Aerianne and Kanarian Archduchies have been pillars upholding the Kingdom from enemies. It was common belief that they possessed special blood blessed by the Goddess Stecia, who gifted the lineage to the first King of Farrien when he first founded the country. All were ecstatic when the current generation of the two Archduchy's, after the war, agreed to let their children wed. The excitement was short-lived however when the Aerianne Princess proved to be a dragoness among men but the Kanarian Prince was worse than even mediocre. The Prince disappeared and the wedding was shortly forgotten as society lived on. Until one day the Young Heir of Kanaria returned to Farrien a changed man, bringing demise with him.