“I’ll tell you the story about heroes of Light but only if you go to bed now.” Children would never stop their rampant activities before dark, so it is the mother’s job to negotiate. What God made children the most eager at sundown? The woman could not help but wonder. Luckily, the girl loved the Goddess of Light. How could somebody not? She was the savior of humanity after all. The young girl rushed to sit on her bed. All perked up to listen. Her exaggeratedly restrained posture, contrary to her vigorous demeanor just from moments ago, brought a smile to the mother’s face.

“Promise you will go to sleep after that.” Still keeping a stern attitude, the woman set the rules. Otherwise, she would find her kid running around shortly after. The girl nodded, eager to agree to anything just to listen to her favorite story. Mother sighed in relief and partially at the utter adoration. She breathed deeply a couple of times, preparing her storytelling voice. The soothing motherly one that people use to calm newborns. Still, the woman added notes of mischief in it, spicing up more grim parts of the tale.

“Once upon a time, A Dark Lord ruled over the World. He commanded monstrous armies and even Gods were afraid to face him. Except one that stood with humans until the very end. When all Gods turned their back, she stood brightly. The-

“The Goddess of Light!” That was the girl’s favorite part.

“Yes. The Goddess of Light. She blessed people with her gifts and together they fought to relieve the world from the dark power. Some were stronger than others. And finally, when a few chosen Heroes appeared, other Gods recognized the power of the Goddess. Together they made a magic spell that banished darkness.

“A small group of heroes ventured into the dark lands. The Evil Lord met them unfazed. But he knew, as strong as he was, he would never win. He fought against heroes to no avail. Chosen of the Goddess were stronger. And only ruins lay after their battle.

“The magic forever changed the land. The winds cut mountains like a knife. The ice spires broke the earth and remained until this day. Meadows became deserts. The whole region forever remains as the site of triumph over the Darkness.

“The Dark Lord was defeated. An honorable God of Lightning Odium chased the Dark God Sylverak away into the Infinity, where he hunts him until this day. No more Dark Forces control this world. The Goddess of Light brought peace. And with it made us able to enjoy the gift, which is this world.”

“The Goddess is amazing.” The girl lay in her bed, half asleep. Only the desire to listen until the end kept her awake. Now dreams of heroes speaking to Gods and fighting for the sake of the world filled her fantasy. The impressionable mind of the child did the rest. “I wish I was a hero blessed by her.”

The mother smiled like a fox.

“Well, in that case, you should help your mother tomorrow. I am sure the Goddess would notice your deed.”

“Alright.” The child giggled, but quickly it changed to a yawn. Her eyes closed. The closer the next day was, the better. Such was life in the village. Her mother looked at the girl one last time and blew out the only candle illuminating the small room of the wooden house.

Adira watched the mother as she left the bedroom. Next, her gaze fell onto the girl rolling in her rigid bed for a better position. The child was used to hard frames and cold nights.

Wake up. Adira called the young girl. She knew what was coming. There is no time to sleep. Please. She could cry out, but never could she approach. The night tightened its embrace around her, fixing her to a spot, as the time flew an hour in a second, inevitably moving Adira to the next destination.

The bell rang. Cries of pain and fear accompanied it, drowning each time the clapper hit the dome, only to resume when the ringing crescendo subsided. Shouts of panic were mixed with boots stomping onto the dirt, and bodies slamming into the ground. Animals cried their fears, adding to the mix of chaos.

The young girl opened her eyes. Mother rushed into her room, scooping the small girl into her arms.

“Wake up, Adira! We must run!” The morbid expression on the woman’s face flashed in Adira’s memory. White in terror, her eyes wide open, overly so, slightly red in the corners, she did not sleep much, lips curled inside her mouth, trying to catch each breath and make it as covert as possible.

“What’s going on?” The girl was not fully awake, but she sensed the danger just from looking at her mother. Her voice trembled, unsure whether she should speak or keep quiet. She had never seen her parents like that. Even when the neighbor's boy Tom hit her on the head with a stone. Her mother was scared but mostly angry. Now, however, she looked gravely terrified.

“A monster is attacking. A strong one!” The woman carried the girl to the house entrance. Strangely Adira could only remember the wall with the window on it. She could not even see the door that they were supposed to escape through. Mother stopped near that window. She glanced outside carefully prying the shutters open. People ran outside. A fire raged across the square. Far away but quickly spreading.

What was her face like? Adira watched through the eyes of a child at the woman sneaking around the window. She knew it was her mother, but could not recall her face, only a blurry remnant. The time ate the rest. The girl wished to forget that night as well, but all she forgot was the face.

The child jumped into the mother’s arms as the woman ran outside. The beast rampaged over the other side of the village. It was as good a time as any to run for her life. The woman dashed towards the road. To safety, or rather, a safer place. Night forest can be as dangerous as the beast attacking them.

Her escape was cut short. It felt like the world rolled around Adira, until she hit the ground. Something wrapped around mother’s ankle tripping her. She looked down at a thread wrapped over her leg. The woman was trapped. Her eyes shot towards the child and Adira’s memory forever caught that expression. Guilty and horrified.

“Mother and a child. A pathetic meal. I hope you would scream enough for me to enjoy it.” A monster descended from the night. Twelve spear-like legs fell over the mother like a cage. The monster leaned over its victim. Wrapped in darkness it looked like a spider. What terrified Adira was the human part of it. Half a spider, half a human. Shackled by terror and darkness the girl could not see the monster’s features, only a silhouette. Behind her human body were numerous twitching appendages, darting chaotically to the sides.

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Adira knew now that the creature was called arachne. It was not as horrific as the night portrayed. But in the child’s eyes, she looked like a God of Darkness that descended and reached over her mother.

“Look closely, child.” A screeching voice cut into the girl’s ears.

Don’t look. Adira begged, falling onto her knees. Her arms hung helplessly against some invisible wall that was stopping her from rushing for help. She was forced to stay slightly behind the child watching from the same angle, as her parent came to die.

All eyes fixed morbidly on the woman on the ground. The monster reached with one of its spiky legs and pierced the mother’s body. She cried out in pain, but a flurry of strikes cut her cries short. Each monster’s leg pierced and opened the woman’s back, ripping something from the inside and throwing it away with the brutality of a wild animal. The strikes rained so fast that the blood fountain seemed endless. The mother’s life was taken fast, but her horrid frozen eyes still fixated on her child. A gaze the young girl would never forget.

The creature tossed the woman’s body aside like a broken toy. The arachne moved closer to the pair watching. But her eyes locked on Adira standing behind. The monster was able to see her. It strolled past the child as if it was not there. The horrific face inched closer. Red eyes embroidered in her skull flickered with the fire coming from the village. They all turned to look at Adira. The human part of arachne’s body was stained with fresh blood. Closer and closer the monster's face approached, until it was the only thing the girl could see.

“You are a lovely meal.” A set of needles that was arachne’s teeth bared. She opened her mouth and Adira gazed into the darkness of it. The girl jerked to avoid the approaching monster, but she could not move. Fear, and something beyond it, gripped her tightly, holding to the place and forcing her to look at what was coming. The monstrous jaw wrapped over her head, only darkness surrounded her now.

Snatch.

Adira sat down. Her jaw ached from clenching her teeth together. She was used to this kind of awakening. The times when her scream woke the others had passed. The cold grasp of the nightmare slowly peeled off, releasing the grip on her body, and leaving a parting kiss on her fingertips. A reminder that it will come back tomorrow. No matter who she fought or how terrifying her opponents were, that one night overshadowed it all. Even after almost twenty years, that was still her most horrifying memory.

Adira crawled out of her tent. She looked for the comfort and embrace of the fire. Bonfire gave her peace of mind. Unfortunately, it was on its last leg. Selene kept watch. The girl jerked to the sound of shuffling grass and was relieved to see it was Adira.

“Are you awake already?” The girl yelped nervously, hiding her blunder behind an idle giggle. If it was an enemy, her warning would come too late.

She was the caster of their group. An ice mage. Even younger than Adira. Selene got into this party thanks to her talent. Or, more likely, a pretty face and her relationship with Kelgan. Nothing infuriated Adira more than seeing Kelgan and this girl together. She charmed him into everything she wanted, and the man hurried to play favorites.

“Just the usual.” Adira shook her head and wiped her eyes, rubbing the sleep out of them. Selene sighed clearly disappointed. She hated to keep watch at night. It was not fun.

“But, you know, since you are awake…”

“Yeah, you can go to sleep.” Adira sighed. Selene had an immovable belief that if she asked nicely, people must do what she asked of them. Even at their own inconvenience. The thought that she was taking advantage of others to do her bidding never crossed her mind. Adira was in no mood to argue about that again. She tried multiple times but had only been called rude in return.

“You are the best!” The caster jumped, exhilarated to get what she wanted. The girl rushed to pick her things up and stuff them into a tent. Seeing Adira’s tired look Selene stopped for a moment. “You know, if you were less grumpy all the time, you would be adorable.”

Adira sat near the dying bonfire. The annoying part of dealing with Selene was over. Experience dictated that ignoring her was the best option. It was always a mistake arguing with the mage. Good thing that she is as stubborn as she is fickle. Tomorrow her opinion would change again.

“Good night.” Selene disappeared inside a tent. Adira waved in response. Her attention was focused on the campfire. Luckily bringing it back to life was not difficult. The wood still smoldered underneath. The girl was almost happy, she woke up early. Selene and responsibility did not go together, but the leader of the group would always cover for her.

So convenient. Adira wished she could allow herself to be this careless. But she never will be. The reality hit her very early. First, losing her parents and home to the monster attack. Then receiving this cursed class.

The Godslayer.

As pretentious as it sounded, the skill that came with this class was poorly suited for combat. The girl doubted it would hurt a God. However, the mana usage of that skill was so enormous that it as well might be made to kill one. Despite her skills being too costly they were powerful enough to let the girl fight alongside a high-level party.

After she was rescued from the village attack, the girl sought revenge and began training with the hunters. When the System granted her the first level, she received this class. The hunters from the guild that sheltered her were not able to find any information about it. Their search quickly reached scholars from the capital. That’s how she ended up catching the attention of the king.

At first it looked like a lifetime opportunity. She was only a trainee but the king himself ordered royal hunters to take her on the missions. No one had been shown such a disposition before, to be allowed to skip a regular hunter’s work and join the royal forces right away. Adira was exhilarated to fight with the royal hunter’s party. Until she ended up assigned to Kelgan.

Hunting with royal hunters was both prestigious and dangerous. Within a year and a half, she got more experience than in her whole life training. That’s when she began to realize what it is like to carry the high hopes of the powerful patron. Kelgan was arrogant. He favored those he liked and appreciated power over anything. The girl could not blame him for seeking out powerful allies, so it made sense he was unhappy to receive an absolute rookie like her. Still, he loathed her more and more no matter how hard she tried. In the end, this assignment turned into a total disaster making the girl curse every day she had to spend with her teammates.

The fourth member was nice to her at least. Stoneson was their main line of defense. Strong like a mountain and similarly built. He was a kind man and shared her burden if only a little. Yet he would never cover up for her, and his expectations were on par with their leader. As much as she tried to find an ally in the man, there was no companionship between him and Adira. He fought alongside Kelgan for many years. They were battle brothers, forged together in a fight. Adira was an outsider.

The girl returned to her tent, picking up a glaive and a satchel full of potions. She sat down near the growing fire and took a sip from her waterskin. She tied her red hair behind, making sure nothing was in the way of her sight. The night embraced her, and she focused on it in return.

Soon Adira felt the rhythm of a night watch. A state of mind when you do not feel the hours passing, consumed by the observation, somewhat asleep, yet alert. The sky reddened slightly, a sign that the sun was about to rise. It was her cue to shift the watch. Adira stood up, shaking the clasp of night from her joints. The night watch was a pleasant break from the nightmares. The girl sneaked her head into a tent and shook a sleeping man. A moment later Stoneson got out already looking full of life, as if waking never affected him. He met Adira with a friendly smile.

“How are you holding up?”

“Fine, I think. The night was calm.”

“Get yourself some sleep. Tomorrow is a tough fight.” He did not need to tell the girl twice. Without hesitation Adira crawled back into her tent, thankful that the sleep would not be long enough for nightmares to return.