| Euphoria, the City of Phoenia, Noble District, 8 years ago |

A large manor loomed over a small girl with light pink hair. She basked in its large illustrious windows and light-gray exterior.

"It looks amazing, papa!" The girl laughed with a radiating smile.

A green-haired male had a stern look as he shifted his gaze away from the mansion.

"It's not all that great…."

He gets his hair ruffled by an older man wearing silver armor. "Never prone to say what you really mean, huh Dai?"

"K-Knock it off!" Dai attempts to move his father's hand from his head.

The young girl laughed while running toward her family.

"… Saori…"

"... Saori!"

A girl with auburn hair shook her comrade awake.

"We're here."

Saori rubbed her eyes and took her feet off her cot. She glanced outside of the wagon's white drapes.

The carriage bounced on gravel as it passed by a large cave.

Three small figures covered in cloaks jumped from the wooden wagon as it started rolling away.

"I heard the pay for clearing an Emerald-rank dungeon is pretty good from the Adventurer's Guild." Dai uncovered his hood looking towards the area.

Natsumi uncovered Saori's hood and brushed her hair back. The young girl's pink bangs barely covered the top of her eyes.

"I'll take the lead, Natsumi. Watch over Saori and cover me when you can." Dai took out a short sword from his back scabbard.

"Got it." Natsumi looked over to the girl and smiled. "Stay by me, Ok? We're going to be fine."

Saori nodded slowly while clinging to her guardian's cloak as they started walking towards the tunnel.

The entrance was ominous and dull in contrast to the brightness being displayed by the sun's rays outside. The trees surrounding the area swayed in the wind as the green grass crossed by the cloaked children was serene.

They reached the entrance to the cave and started straying forward; The light from outside slowly started to dim. The children started slowing their pace as their path became pitch-black.

"Lumia."

Natsumi held up her finger, and a bright ball floated above her nail. Its light bounced on the ceiling and surrounding walls.

"W-what types of monsters are usually in caves?" Saori gripped Natsumi's cloak even tighter while staying close to her side.

"Since this an Emerald-rank dungeon, usually goblins and smaller monsters… Nothing that your big brother can't handle." He turned his head to grin at his younger sister.

Her eyes beamed as she loosened her grip on the cloak.

The dungeon-dwellers reach a small room with a high ceiling. In the middle laid a granite rock with a scroll perched onto it.

"What's that?" Dai walked over to the rock and peered onto its slick surface. A piece of parchment, quite worn with cuts on its edges, basked in the light coming from the top of the cave.

Natsumi and Saori joined him with interest.

"That wouldn't be a—" Natsumi loomed over the item with wide eyes.

"... Not good."

Dai looked to his left and right. Two paths, excluding the one they came from, were shown to them.

"RAAARGH!"

The three children looked behind them in fright as a small figure with bright blue eyes appeared from the shadows.

Dai ran to the front and shielded his party, clasping his sword.

"STAY BEHIND ME!"

Natsumi wrapped a hand around Saori as they heard another growl from the left and right.

Soon, eyes of crimson, ivory, and sapphire covered all of the cave passages.

"GRAAAH!"

The eyes started to walk forward to show their true form. Their body was small but sturdy; Their skin was colored green, with some having pointed teeth coming from their mouths.

"Goblins…"

Dai backed up as the goblins started to advance.

Saori held her friend's cloak tightly. A small bead of water formed in her eye.

「… Little girl…」

Saori turned to the side as a male's voice beckoned to her, echoing throughout the cave.

「… What do you seek...?」

Saori faced backward as the parchment on the rock started to unroll.

「… You want power …I can give it to you …For a price.」

"Ah!" Dai covers his head as blood starts to drip from a wound.

A small rock dropped to the ground in front of him, thrown by one of the goblins.

"You bastards!" Dai scorns the goblins as he takes another step back.

One of the goblins takes a small sword from his hilt and jumps at the boy.

Dai kicks the goblin mid-air, and they fly towards the wall.

Natsumi takes a bow from her back and points it toward another goblin. She fires an arrow that hits him directly in the chest.

"Graah!"

The figures grow in the dozens as green-skinned foes surround the room.

「… You're in trouble …Take my power... I won't ask for much….」

The voice beckoned to Saori once more. Her eyes were still focused on the parchment.

「… How rude of me… My name is Akugaki….」

"Saori!"

The girl looked up as a goblin leaped in her vicinity.

Natsumi took out another arrow and shot it at the goblin. It fell to the floor and started to expel blood.

Two goblins with short swords ran towards Dai. He jumped forward and clashed with them.

"Dai!" Natsumi, overwhelmed with concern, shot an arrow at the leftmost goblin's neck.

Dai, relieved of one of his attackers, kicked the second goblin off his blade.

"Gah!" Natsumi's cloak started to turn red as she clasped her arm. She fell to the floor as a dagger dug into her flesh.

"Natsumi!" Dai attempted to rush over to her friend but was kicked to the ground by a goblin twice his size.

「… You're going to die here …You and your comrades…」

Dai shuffled backward as the bulky goblin walked over with a wooden club.

"…Dai…" Natsumi attempted to pick up her bow, but the pain from her wound made her drop the weapon.

The goblin threw the club in the air. Its piercing yellow eyes had no remorse for the boy that was about to be smothered.

Dai looked up at his attacker with wide eyes. He shivered in fear as he braced himself for death.

Saori walked forward and touched the paper. A cut started to form on her right arm gushing blood.

「…You should sacrifice your friends, they're quite pathetic…」

The girl looked behind her with cold pink eyes.

「...If you want lives, take theirs...」

The cut stopped bleeding and was replaced with a pink tattoo. The parchment then dispersed into rays of light.

「…Take them for me...」

"RAAAAH!" The goblin threw down his club down as the boy shielded himself with their hands.

—GUSH

Dai opened his eyes and saw his little sister's hand lodged into the goblin's stomach.

She released her grip as heaps of blood and guts fell to the floor.

The tattoo on her arm grew in size.

「… More…」

Saori picked up her brother's blade and teleported to a nearby goblin, and swung the iron at its collar.

The goblin's head tumbled onto the ground and pink meat from his neck started gushing blood as the rest of its body fell to the ground.

「… More!」

A goblin jumped into the air behind her.

She turned her head and threw the sword at her mid-air attacker. The sword sliced through the goblin's torso as slimy green intestines and blood spewed from the sky.

Saori ran over and grabbed the sword before it touched the ground. She shifted her gaze around the room. Her pink-colored pupils were burnished.

"GRAAAAH!"

All of the goblins rushed towards the girl.

She turned to the side and threw the sword at another goblin, lodging it in their arm. She teleported over to the impaired enemy and cut the limb clean off.

"GRAH—"

—CRACK

Before the goblin could react to the pain, she threw a jab to its backside, breaking its neck.

The tattoo on her arm started to grow even larger.

Two goblins threw daggers from behind her.

Saori blocked one of them with her sword, but the other cut the side of her arm. She winced in pain, but the tattoo on her arm glowed brightly.

「… No weakness. More killing…」

The girl walked over to the goblin while a red liquid drizzled down her cloak.

"G-Grah?!"

The goblin backed away from the girl, who seemed not to fear death or pain.

Saori jumped into the air and drove the blade into its neck. Blood spurt on her face as she released it from the body.

A spear glinted in her right eye as she ducked down. The goblin looked downwards as their opponent slid towards them and cut both of their legs off.

"GRAGAHH!"

The goblin's legless torso fell to the ground as blood seeped from its wound. Saori stood up and held the blade over the goblin's head.

She smiled as she dropped the blade into its eye. The goblin stopped moaning as its arms fell to the ground, lifeless.

"S-Saori..?" Natsumi stood up and looked at her friend. The smile planted on her face and the content in her eye was nothing she'd seen before.

"G-GRAAH!"

The goblins started to back away and run down down the tunnels surrounding them.

They trampled over each other, leaving a smaller goblin to fall to the floor.

Saori looked towards the downed opponent and walked towards them.

"G-Grah!"

The goblin started backing away, its back pressed against the cave's wall. Its eyes were full of angst and panic.

The young girl loomed above them with her sword clenched at her side.

"I want more…."

She whispered out loud as she held the sword in the air. The blade's steel shimmered in the light as it came down.

The goblin flinched and closed its eyes.

"SAORI NO!"

The girl stopped her assault and looked behind her.

Dai stood hugging her from behind. He held the arm with her sword struggling to keep it from coming down.

"We're Ok… You don't need to kill anymore."

Saori's brightened eyes started to dim as she fell back into her brother's arms.

The goblin shimmied to the side then stumbled as it ran down the tunnel.

Natsumi ran over, still clenching her arm.

"What was she…?"

Dai looked past her with widened eyes.

Natsumi followed his gaze and peered at the rock, searching for the parchment long gone.

"She formed… A pact…"

. . .

I had so much fun writing this chapter and I hope you enjoyed it too!