Chapter 3
Lynas trudged along on the long road ahead of her, looking as if she were carrying a heavy load on her back. She let out a loud yawn with each step, struggling to resist the temptation to sprawl on the ground and simply sleep. Lynas's dishevelled, greenish hair indicated she wasn't a morning person. It was all over the place, untamed and unkempt. In contrast, Alex's dark hair was immaculate, perfect, and radiant.
Both couldn't be more opposite from each other, and it was evident by the way Lynas moaned.
"Alex, you're going too fast," Lynas whined loudly. "Slow down."
Alex scoffed at his half-elf companion. "We wasted enough time camping yesterday. Now move! We are close to Riverfork. We need to arrive before midday."
"Uahh! Don't be like that!" Lynas whined loudly while forcing her feet to move faster behind Alex. "At least we could've rented horses!"
"You wasted all our money betting that you could beat that orc on arm wrestling!"
"I almost won—!"
Alex froze in place before turning to her with a look of shock and disbelief. "You broke your arm! In two places! We have to pay a healer so that you can use it again! Remember?! Miss, I am the best archer ever! He didn't even move his arm!"
Lynas chuckled nervously, slowly scratching her hair. "In my defence, I was drunk."
Alex took a deep breath. "We have just enough silver to purchase the necessary provisions but not enough to afford to rent a room."
"What?! Do we have to sleep on the ground again?!" Lynas exclaimed, shocked.
"Well, what do you expect to happen?!" Alex replied to her with an annoyed tone. "That's why I will find you a nice rock with your name."
"Don't be like that, Alex! Please, let me use your belly as my pillow."
"No."
Lynas complained once more, sounding like a young child throwing a tantrum. On the other hand, Alex struggled to come to terms with the fact that his companion was 93 years old. Of course, Alex was aware that elves and half-elves had different perspectives on the concept of age. Still, that didn't change the fact that it was a miracle that Lynas survived this long. It truly amazed Alex. When they first met, Lynas recounted a story about getting lost in the Grandier Forest and surviving by consuming raw meat and drinking rainwater.
Lynas spoke with pride about how she had to endure weeks naked in the wilds, with only a knife and her wits.
Alex thought, at first, that it was a lie and that Lynas wanted to look like some kind of experienced adventurer. But that wasn't the case after travelling with her for a month. Alex could see Lynas getting lost easily.
How can she be an adventurer if she can't even distinguish North from South? Alex thought life had many secrets beyond his comprehension.
"You probably just want to stare at my naked body while I am bathing in the river," Lynas whispered teasingly, slowly smirking and winking at Alex. However, Alex cared little about Lynas's naked body. He simply scoffed at her in a manner that hurt Lynas's pride.
"I don't care about your naked body. I've seen it before. Remember when we had an important meeting with the guild masters? You were hungover and had puke all over you. I had to help you clean up."
"Oh, yes, I remember," Lynas replied, slowly scratching her chin as she remembered that day with fondness. "Thank you for that. It must have been awkward."
Alex shook his head at Lynas's careless behaviour. Alex simply couldn't understand the half-elf. But then again, they barely know each other.
"You should be careful with who you drink. You didn't know me. It was quite irresponsible of you to get into that state. Someone could've taken advantage of you."
Lynas tilted her head, and then a genuine smile lit up her face. One that differed from the rest Alex had seen before. "You're a good kid, Alex. I trust you."
"How can you trust me when you don't even know me? We have been travelling for a month, more or less. There is a lot I haven't told you about me."
Alex replied, mumbling, before the tomboyish half-elf girl put an arm around him, smiling brightly at him.
"Perhaps. But, Alex, I may not look like it, but I've lived through some harsh times. I know a good person when I see one."
Alex noticed a more mature expression on Lynas's face. It was vastly different from before, like watching someone else standing beside him. Alex realised that he was wrong about Lynas. She may behave like a young teenage girl at times, but the reality was that Lynas was 93 years old and had lived a long life by human standards.
What sort of life has she lived before becoming an adventurer? What types of experiences and mistakes did Lynas make? Alex couldn't help but wonder.
"Now!" Lynas then slapped Alex's back, making the young wizard hiss. "I'll make sure to introduce you to some nice girls if you want! Or maybe you want me?"
Alex changed his mind. Maybe Lynas was an eternal teenage girl. "No, thank you."
Lynas was on the verge of teasing Alex some more but suddenly stopped, just like Alex. The two adventurers gazed at the billowing black smoke rising from the ground in the distance. Being a wizard, someone in tune with magic, Alex could sense the foul odour of whatever caused that black smoke. It was tainted, evil, and powerful. Who could have done something like that? What sort of individual could've cast such a powerful spell? Alex had to know.
However, Lynas did not share Alex's intrigue or his desire to investigate the cause of the destruction. As a half-elf and someone with experience, Lynas knew precisely what the smoke meant and what kind of fire could produce it.
"We should go to Riverfork. It is close," Lynas mumbled, unsure why such smoke would be here of all places.
Lynas and Alex would soon find out why, and soon their lives would change, for better or worse. Only destiny would decide.
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Inside the temple, in Sister Helena's room, Avnas found herself fascinated by the topic of magic and this world's strangeness. Everything Avnas has heard so far excites her to learn even more. Of course, Sister Helena was brief in her explanation since speaking about magic was like talking about engineering or science. It would take more than an hour to articulate all of it. Even Sister Helena only knew enough to practice her own brand of magic.
During their conversation, Sister Helena elaborated on the concept of the nine tiers of magic, which were created to classify and differentiate various spells and abilities. It was a simple explanation, but Avnas got curious and asked if everyone could do magic. If that trait was universal in their world, Sister Helena responded that it wasn't that magic was universal, but Mana was. All living beings were born with that vital essence in them. The Mana resided in all of them. And, of course, some were blessed with more than others or, in really unique and almost unheard of cases, none at all.
In theory, everyone with Mana could learn magic. But not all do. The reason was simple. Because it was hard, learning magic was incredibly challenging for anyone. It was a long, arduous journey where people could spend decades learning just one of many types of magic. And some didn't have the patience for it and would rather be knights, rogues, or warriors.
However, those born with Talent would always be the ones who reached the highest levels of magic, power, and prestige.
Avnas was curious about those Talents. Are they job-specific classes, like in Antherion? Avnas wasn't sure yet. But she wanted to find out.
"So, your Talent is special?" Avnas asked, slowly sipping her coffee as Sister Helena nodded, chuckling slightly.
"I was born into a family with a long line of Clerics. A special and unique Talent to fight the darkness. Or so my family would say."
"They must have been proud of you for being born with a Talent," Avnas replied, making Sister Helena snort loudly.
"Well, I won't say they were proud of me. It was more like it was expected of me. The Haltwing family is respected across the world for their inherited Talent. We are special."
Avnas frowned, noticing the condescending voice of Sister Helena. But it wasn't directed at her. Sister Helena seemed to harbour some resentment towards her family. Why? Avnas wasn't sure if asking would be wise.
"My family was very fixated on breeding powerful users—people like me with Talents. It's common for high noble families to seek out other high noble families with special blood."
"Special blood?" Avnas asked, frowning slightly, slowly figuring out what Sister Helena meant by that. "Talents?"
"Families with inherited Talents are highly esteemed globally. They seek each other to form alliances, to intermarry, to produce children with unique Talents," Sister Helena scoffed, annoyed, noticing she was running out of cigarettes. "They would test the babies after they were born to see if they were special. A disgusting practice if you ask me."
Avnas was taken aback by the intense focus on Talents in this world. However, she realised that this was not surprising given the similarity to wealthy families in her previous world who sought to control all resources and keep their money to themselves.
It was the same here, except their blood was valued as gold. And their children were as expendable as they were valuable.
"What if the child is not born with a Talent?" Avnas asked as Sister Helena simply stared at her.
"Normally, as long as that child is born with Mana, it should be fine."
"And if that child is not born with Mana?" Avnas asked, perhaps already knowing what the answer would be.
"They would leave the child at a temple's door or an orphanage if they cared enough. They would erase the existence of said child from the family. It was never born. Not even given a name and forgotten."
Sister Helena whispered, trying to look for another pack of cigarettes around her small office.
"Hopefully, not a common practice," Avnas stated before hearing a sudden chuckle from the sister.
"You're funny, but yes, it's not as common as one would think, but still, it's horrible to think it has happened before. Oh! There you are."
Avnas leaned back on the chair, trying not to pay attention to the sister's addiction to nicotine. The last hour or so has been quite illuminating for Avnas since she has learned more about the world she was in, but not enough to make her feel safe or comfortable at all. Avnas had yet to test her magic and abilities to see how strong she was in this new world.
Could I learn the magic of this world? Exploring is also an option. But I can't be careless. There is still a lot I don't know about this world. How should I proceed?
But while Avnas thought about her survivability, she also realised she had spent an entire hour talking to another person.
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Avnas, who previously lacked the confidence to break out of her shell to initiate a conversation with a stranger and was utterly terrified of the outside world, sensed no longer anxious thoughts in her.
I may be truly changing from the person I was before. Avnas looked at her hands, hoping to no longer be the same girl as before, but she also knew that not all changes could be good. I am a demon. How would that change me? How much of me am I willing to sacrifice to no longer be weak?
Avnas had a moment of realisation that she would eventually have to make a decision to forget her past self and start a new path. Yet, who would she become? What kind of person would that be? Avnas would have to find out. But before she lost herself in her thoughts, a sudden knock on the door caught the attention of both Sister Helena and her.
Sister Helena frowned deeply as she asked loudly. "Who is it?" However, the severe and cold expression softened as a young boy, perhaps 16 years old, entered the room with a bright smile on his face.
"Aunt Helena!" The petite boy with dirty blond hair cried happily.
"Mikael!" Sister Helena exclaimed, dropping her cigar and simply rushing to her nephew. "Oh, Mikael! My dear Mikael! Look at you! Look how tall you have become!"
Avnas was surprised to see such a strong reaction from Sister Helena. She seemed utterly joyful of watching her nephew.
"I missed you so much!" Sister Helena said, hugging her nephew tenderly. The joy on her face was almost contagious, even silly, especially knowing that the sister was a chain smoker and quite an eccentric sister. But family could bring out the best in a person sometimes.
Family—it must be beautiful to have a family. Avnas thought, trying to remember whatever memory of her family she once had, but without luck.
"What are you doing here?" Sister Helena asked while Mikael looked a bit nervous.
"Well—" Mikael tried to answer before another voice interrupted him. That person's voice brought back the cold expression on Sister Helena's face.
"We are here because of what happened in Bosque Viejo. Not too far from here. But I believe you already know it. After all, you are wearing your armour and cast [Holy Protective Dome] around the temple."
Avnas now realised why Sister Helena wore that armour and why the temple had the golden sphere around it. It's because of me. Avnas thought, cursing herself for letting her excitement get the best of her and bringing unwanted attention to her.
"Commander Markus," Sister Helena replied coldly, ignoring his comments.
"Captain Haltwing," Commander Markus nodded, albeit stiffly.
"Markus, as a civilian now, please refer to me as Sister Helena."
"Of course," Commander Markus replied. However, there was something in his eyes that Avnas couldn't quite get. Was it guilt? Bitterness? Disappointment? It was hard to say but at the same time. Avnas knew it wasn't her business to find out.
"In any case, hellfire has been cast near here. A part of the forest has been destroyed. And I am here to find out how that happened."
"And the sacred council sent a commander?" Sister Helena frowned.
"This is hellfire, Helena. You should know what it means," Commander Markus stated coldly. "Or have you forgotten what it can do?"
Sister Helena froze, but her eyes were filled with anger and pain. "Not at all."
Commander Markus then glanced at Avnas and frowned deeply. The suspicion arose quickly as he watched those golden eyes of Avnas.
Don't act suspicious. Don't act suspicious. Avnas thought while awkwardly taking a big breath. "Good day. My name is Avnas."
Commander Markus only glanced at her, watching every detail of her body. It was uncomfortable, in Avnas's humble opinion.
The commander then approached her and offered to shake her hand—a strange, sudden action from the man with grey hair and a stubble beard. But, again, Avnas wanted to remain under the radar, especially from a commander of a nation she barely knew anything about.
So, with that in mind, Avnas shook his hand. But what she thought would be a fast shake of hands. It became a relatively long and bizarre affair. Commander Markus held her hand tightly while staring directly into her eyes.
Ah... what is he trying to do? Avnas thought, and her anxiousness started to shift into annoyance. Suddenly, Sister Helena's voice interrupted Markus' actions.
"Enough, Markus; she is not a demon," Sister Helena stated firmly.
Soon enough, the commander stopped holding Avnas's hand. He even looked quite perplexed about something.
Avnas noticed a coin in Markus's hand—a silver one with strange symbols.
"I apologise," Commander Markus replied, looking at the coin before glancing at Avnas again and sighing. "For the sudden action, my lady. One can never be too careful."
"I understand," Avnas said, playing along, still trying to figure out what the man was trying to accomplish. "Things are tense as it is. It doesn't hurt to be careful."
"It doesn't; that's true," Commander Markus replied while Sister Helena scoffed.
"You would think that someone who spent five years in the Hellfront would know a thing or two about identifying demons," Sister Helena hissed at Commander Markus, feeling insulted at the lack of respect coming from him.
"I never doubted your abilities, Helena. But one can never be sure about demons and their trickery," he replied firmly.
Yeah... those demons and their trickery. Avnas thought nervously.
"Whatever," Sister Helena muttered before starting yet another cigar. "Still, why are you alone, Markus? Where are the Holy Knights?"
"They'll arrive soon enough. While the Kingdom of Aplacia is accommodating, we can't move forces into their territory without a good reason."
"And you brought Mikael because—?" Sister Helena whispered dangerously at the commander, who only stared back at her.
"He has to learn to use his talent," he only replied.
Talent? Does that kid have a talent too? Avnas thought while looking at the young boy, who looked quite uncomfortable about his aunt and father's conversation.
"So he learns to serve and die for the Holy Kingdom, eh?" Sister Helena muttered, and Commander Markus's sudden cold expression appeared.
"Mikael, can you wait outside?"
Commander Markus spoke while Sister Helena briefly glanced at Avnas, signalling that it was a private family matter.
Avnas and Mikael left Sister Helena and Commander Markus alone in the room. And awkwardly stood side by side.
"Uh, sorry for that. My father and aunt don't have the best relationship," Mikael stuttered nervously, giving small glances at the tall woman next to him. The woman had long, straight, snowy white hair that cascaded over her shoulders, softly caressing her every time she walked. Her golden eyes shone like bright stars on a dark night, which only elevated her perfect and captivating face.
Avnas carried herself with the grace of a noblewoman or someone of royalty without her knowing. But more importantly, Avnas had not realised how attractive she was to people.
She is so beautiful! Mikael blushed as he diverted his eyes to the ground, trying not to look at Avnas's body lustfully. B-big! They are big! Mikael squealed inside his mind while praying to clean his mind from evil thoughts.
"It's alright," Avnas replied, not truly paying attention to the young boy's blushing face. However, she heard him muttering something, and curiosity got the best of her. "What are you doing?" Avnas asked, glancing at him.
"N-Nothing!" Mikael mumbled while trying to hide his blushing.
Avnas only hummed. Mm, he's cute. He looks like a girl. Avnas then heard a soft groan coming from the next room. The girl is awake again.
"What's that noise?" Mikael asked, stopping his inner prayer.
"It's a hero who came from the Hellfront," Avnas replied, slowly approaching the room where she could see the young girl trashing her bed in pain.
"The Hellfront," Mikael muttered before noticing the girl lying on the bed. As soon as he laid eyes on her, he knew the reasons for the cries of pain. "Hellfire burns."
"It seems quite painful," Avnas said with no empathy in her voice. She just stood there, watching the girl move in her sleep, covered in sweat and blood.
"It's one of the most painful wounds ever, the sensation of burning never stops," Mikael murmured as he wiped away the girl's sweat. He knew he could only cast a minor healing spell that would temporarily ease her suffering, but it wouldn't last long. "I've seen soldiers from the Hellfront who would rather cut their limbs off to avoid dealing with a hellfire burn."
"And what about those whose burns are not in their limbs but in their body?" Avnas asked, noticing the sorrow on Mikael's face.
"They would find the tallest building and jump from it."
"I see," Avnas responded, perhaps understanding the position of those brave soldiers who decided to end their lives to avoid more pain. Avnas wished she had been that strong before in order to do something like that.
Or maybe Avnas mistook their courage for despair. Since, In her eyes, it was the same. After all, if she had been brave enough to end her life back in her old world, Avnas would've been happy with the empty outcome of her death.
I should stop thinking like that.
Out of nowhere, Avnas felt the hands of the girl grasping her tightly. Mikael jumped out of bed, shocked by the sudden reaction of the young hero. Yet, Avnas remained still, only watching that uncovered blue eye pleading with her to end her suffering.
"P-please—!"
The girl whispered in agony. Her breathing was rash, and the blood coming out of her burned face was black and smelled foul.
"I am going to call my aunt!" Mikael left, almost falling on his way out.
Avnas ignored it. She focused on the girl.
Poor little creature. So fragile and powerless. Avnas thought, lingering with malice and joy, before realising that her thoughts were being twisted by an outside force. Or maybe it was her all along.
She shook her head before deciding to do something—a small act of mercy.
"I can end it all," Avnas whispered in the girl's ear. "Fast, without pain, freeing you from suffering."
Avnas moved a few strands of the girl's blue hair. Gently caressing the side that wasn't burned. A gesture that hopefully would allow the poor one to come to a fast conclusion.
"I—!" The girl gasped for breath, watching Avnas, perhaps too feverish to think she was actually real.
"Say it, tell me you want to die," Avnas whispered again, but the girl's answer wasn't what the white-haired demon expected.
"I don't want to die!"
Avnas froze in place, shocked to hear the girl's response. Something was stuck in Avnas's throat—a bittersweet feeling of rage and humiliation. The fact that this lowly girl, in pain, suffering from third-degree burns of cursed fire, still wanted to live struck Avnas's pride.
This lowly human girl showed more resilience and will to live than Avnas ever did in her past life.
Avnas's demonic side was raging inside of her. It didn't want to admit defeat. That she was the weak one there. Avnas was angry at herself. A demon shouldn't express weakness of any kind. But she should've known. Avnas was projecting her own past insecurities onto the girl.
I genuinely am pathetic, eh? Avnas thought, chuckling to herself, how she was still dragging so much from her past. Indeed, she wasn't even a few days old in this world. But if she wanted to change for the better and become stronger than she ever was, Avnas had to realise that her past self was not the best person to take examples from.
"Thank you, girl," Avnas whispered. "I learned a good lesson from this. And because of that, I shall take this pain away from you."
The girl was having a hard time figuring out what Avnas was saying. But soon enough, Avnas put her hand over her.
"Tier 9 can only cure this burn, right?" Avnas mumbled. "Then, I guess, I shall cast something of equal power. [Cure Greater Wound]"
A bright light covered the girl, surrounding her gently. Taking away the pain and the curse left behind on her body by the hellfire.
The pain the girl endured for weeks vanished in a matter of seconds. No trace of it ever consumed her was lingering on her body anymore. The girl's face was flawless, and her skin was soft. One would think that nothing ever happened to her in the first place.
"Perfect," Avnas hummed, slowly tracing her finger on the girl's cheeks and inspecting her face. The scar was no longer there. "Well, at least I know my spells work as intended."
Avnas's touch slowly woke the girl from the slumber she had been in, thanks to her high fever and pain. But now that it was gone. It was strange. She recalled a figure standing on top of her. Two golden eyes and snowy hair. Was she dreaming? Or was she meeting the Harbinger of Death? If that were the case, why had no one told her how beautiful death was?
"You're awake. Interesting. It has a different effect than before."
The blue-eyed girl lay there, wide awake now, trying to make sense of everything. The pain vanished. Nothing that brought her misery lingers there anymore. And she touched her face to see if she wasn't dreaming.
"What happened?" The girl mumbled, still trying to understand anything.
"I could pinch your cheek if that would make you happy," Avnas chuckled as the girl stared at her, utterly stunned.
"How can it be?"
Avnas turned around and saw Sister Helena, Mikael, and Commander Markus standing at the door, utterly shocked by what Avnas had just done.
"You healed her. The hellfire wounds are gone," Mikael whispered, slowly approaching her. "You used Tier 9 Magic!"
Sort of? [Cure Greater Wound] is a Grade 12 spell. But I guess I could've used a scroll or maybe a potion. Well, it's too late for that. Avnas thought before coughing awkwardly.
"Yes, Tier 9," Avnas replied clumsily.
"It's impossible," Sister Helena stared at her, almost wary of Avnas. "Only the heralds of this world had the power of the gods. Who are you?"
Heralds of this world? Something else to look into, but still, who am I? Who can I be? Avnas contemplated deeply. That has yet to be seen.
"You," Commander Markus glared at her, now truly believing something was amiss. Everything seemed highly suspicious in his eyes. A forest burned with hellfire. This strange woman could use tier-9 magic. He wasn't stupid to think this was all a simple coincidence.
However, soon, a loud, thunderous noise invaded the temple. An explosion rocked the foundations of the place.
Bells ran across the town of Riverfork. Bells could only mean one thing. They were being attacked.
But that couldn't be right.
Riverfork being attacked was impossible. This town was so far from any danger and was in the middle of two powerful nations who were allies that the thought of it as the centre of a raid was outlandish and ridiculous.
But it was happening, and once the group stepped outside the temple, they saw a large black cloud above them, raining fire blazes from the sky. Hitting the ground and exploding, devouring everything. It was a storm like no other.
"This spell is [Firestorm]," Commander Markus stared at the dark cloud above them. That meant that a powerful demon knight was attacking them, and if that was the case, that demon brought minions with him.
"To attack this far into the continent," he muttered, angry at himself. "Our Oriclium Orb should detect them, and then—"
"We can't wait for reinforcements!" Sister Helena yelled. "Innocent people are in this town!"
The cat people! Avnas thought worriedly.
Avnas thought that since she had exposed herself a bit, it was an excellent opportunity to test her power and see what this world offers. Besides, she could get something in return. Saving a town from a threat would put her in a good place and give her some leverage in the future.
"There won't be a need for reinforcements," Avnas said, strolling slowly as she stared at the dark cloud above her. This is a very small [Firestorm], very minuscule compared to what I've seen. I wonder what sort of tier it is? Maybe the fifth or sixth tier? I guess for this world is quite big.
Mikael, the young squire, stared at her. He could see her white hair waving gently and her aura of confidence. It was hypnotising to see. "What do you mean? They could be demons!" He stated this urgently as Avnas glanced back at him and smiled, making his innocent heart beat faster.
Demons? Perfect. It's time to test my racial traits.
"Don't worry," Avnas replied. "It won't take me long."