The world had gone silent. There was only the feeling of the warm, sticky blood on her cheek and the tight, familiar grip of her hand on the sword. She wasn't thinking. She wasn't planning. She was just running, a single-minded wrath consuming everything else.

  Livern bellowed, swinging its greatsword down in a heavy, thunderous arc. Carol met the strike with her own blade, but the force was too powerful that she was sent flying toward the ceiling. Using the stone surface as a launchpad, she accelerated her speed, pushing forward and enchanting her sword with a blade of churning wind. She knocked the creature back, but only for a moment. She then vanished, reappearing on the ground in a flash.

  The monster roared in fury, casting a barrage of fireballs that streaked through the air behind it. Meanwhile, Carol gripped her sword tightly and went into her battle stance. She flickered in and out of sight, dodging every fireball the creature released. The wind from her movement destroyed the fireballs magic circles, allowing her to appear behind Livern. She swung her sword heavily, staggering the monster. Then, she vanished yet again, reappearing in front of Livern to strike its chest. She disappeared one more time, now reappearing from above with a heavy, downward swing.

  But this time, Livern was ready. It deflected her attack with its greatsword and delivered a brutal punch that sent her flying into the wall. She hit the stone with a sickening thud but didn't give in to the pain, her grip on her sword still tight.

  "Windiria Horizon!" She yelled, vanished and reappeared behind Livern. Her spell managed to inflict a sting of pain, but it wasn't enough. The creature's greatsword pushed her back toward the ceiling, where it grabbed her with a crushing force that threatened to snap her bones. Livern moved her around, slammed her against the wall, and tossed her aside like a broken toy.

  She couldn't do anything. The pain was too much to endure. She coughed up a lot of blood, and a crimson trail dripped from her forehead. In that moment, she knew she was powerless. She tried to grab her sword, but her exhaustion wouldn't allow it.

  (D-Damn it...that thing is too powerful. Am I going to die like this..?) Her mind screamed in protest as she tried to push her body to move, but with no result whatsoever.

  (But that Child...I can't let her death be in vain...)

  The creature slowly moved toward Carol, its footsteps menacingly rumbling the dungeon floor.

  (Please, move! Move, my stupid body!)

  An unknown whisper echoed in her ears again.

  (It's useless.)

  (Huh?) Carol thought, confused by the voice.

  (There's nothing you can do. A weakling nobody like you would never win...nor find your own peace.)

  "What...are you talking about..?" Carol mumbled to herself, her fists tightly pressed in anger.

  (Eventually, you will fall. Fall into your own demise. But I can help you. After all, I've know you more than you could think off.)

  "Is that so? But unfortunately..."

  A footstep could be heard from the other side of the dungeon, becoming louder as it approached her location.

  "You'll need to do better than that if you want to break me emotionally." Carol said, a defiant smile on her face.

  "O light, destroy my enemy and clear our path!" A voice shouted, and a light arrow shot forward, exploding on impact. The monster roared and backed down in pain.

  "Took your time, didn't you?" Carol said, looking up at her group. "Everyone."

  "What a surprise." Aria said with heavy sarcasm. "I thought you could handle it."

  "Heh, it was just a warm up."

  "A warm up that almost pushed you to the brick of death." Noire said, his tone suggesting he was already used to Carol's recklessness.

  The group walked toward her, and Aria pulled a potion from her storage.

  "How's the kid?" Carol asked Aria. "Did he get back to his mother safely?"

  "Yeah." Aria replied, kneeling down to feed the potion to Carol. "The mother seemed happy enough, but she was also worried about you."

  "Worried?"

  Carol drank the potion. Her wounds slowly closed, but only temporarily.

  "Can you stand up?"

  Carol slowly rose to her feet. Although she was still a little unsteady, she managed.

  "Thanks, Aria. But what do you mean the mother was worried about me?"

  Aria sighed in disappointment. "I don't know if you're stupid or not. Isn't it normal for someone to worry about a figure she sees as a savior?"

  "Savior..." Carol looked down, a wave of self-disappointment washing over her. "... But I couldn't save the child he requested me. She died because of me-"

  Aria slapped Carol, the sound echoing in the silence. Her action took the group by surprise.

  "I don't want to hear another stupid, heartbreaking word coming from your mouth." Aria said, grabbing the front of Carol's robe.

  Their gazes were fixed on each other. "Listen, you're supposed to be our leader, not a child who only mourns over death. I don't know what kind of situation you got into, but you have to pull yourself together. It's useless," Aria released her grip, letting go of Carol's robe. "If you just sitting here and do nothing."

  "Even if...it will never change?"

  "There 'Will' be a change, Carol." Aria said, turning her back on her.

  "Heh," Carol felt defeated, rubbing the back of her head in embarassment. "I guess you win this time."

  "Now, we're even." Aria said with a smug smile.

  Carol returned it with the same confident grin.

  The monster roared, rising into the air as many magic circles of different elements appeared behind it.

  "I think you made the monster angry, Saria." Noire said, nervous.

  "I-It was my fault, wasn't it? I knew I shouldn't have shot that arrow..." Saria said, her voice filled with a familiar self-doubt.

  Everyone looked at Noire with a menacing glare.

  "I-I'm just joking, okay?!"

  "Anyway," Carol said, stepping to the front line. "I'm glad you guys are here. Thank you."

  She retrieved her wand from the ground and transformed it back into a sword.

  "Let's go."

  Everyone nodded. In an instant, the monster released every spell from its magic circles to the group. All of them managed to dodge by leaping into the air.

  Just then, Saria shot another arrow, blinding the creature with a bright explosion. Aria, Revir, Rein and Carol landed, charge forward. Saria and Noire remained as the backup unit, ready to fire from behind.

  As Livern's fury rose, it began to wildly release all the magic surrounding it. The four on the front line dodged the barrage, with Carol and Aria using their cutter spells to destroy some of the magic circles. Rein threw his spear, which, enchanted by his ice magic, shattered another circle. He then clenched his fist, commanding the ice from his spear to transform the shattered shards of magic into deadly ice daggers, which he thrust into Livern's body. Meanwhile, Revir charged forward, stomping the ground to a halt. In an instant, huge rocks appeared in front of him, and he batted them to Livern with a single swing of his axes. He did it repeatedly, the flying stones destroying the remaining magic circles.

  With no circles left, Livern could no longer hold back its damage. It roared once again, swinging its wing. A powerful gust of wind appeared, combined with razor sharp needles of dark Ender, which flew toward the group at an incredible speed.

  Without a second thought, Noire rushed to the front, creating a powerful barrier to endure the attack.

  "Noire!" Carol yelled, her voice a mix of surprise and worry.

  "I'm okay. Saria!" Noire gritted his teeth, struggling to hold back the immense force of the attack, his body already hurting.

  Saria's bow appeared in a familiar light, ready for her most powerful attack. "Hear thy cry, o light."

  "That girl..." Zarikh sneered in amusement. "No wonder his Chimera was destroyed." The Zarikh watched Saria. "Her power is literally a holy magic. But sadly..."

  Livern suddenly swung its tail, shattering the barrier instantly and surprising Noire.

  "Shine upon us your holiness, and purify the evil within!" Saria's arrow landed on Livern's arm and exploded, but the loosen arm immediately transformed into needles of pure Ender. The needles travelled in an impossible speed toward Saria, who couldn't move in time. But in a flash, Noire protected her, getting pierced by the needles across his body.

  The Zarikh smiled. "... She still hasn't mastered it yet."

  Saria's eyes widened in horror. As he froze in place, blood dripped out from his body. The needles slowly disappeared, but the wounds remained. Noire collapsed to the ground, losing consciousness.

  Saria, still frozen in horror, lost her footing, sinking to the ground as tears streamed down her cheeks. A scene of her broken family and past trauma flashed in her mind, haunting her for a moment.

  Carol watched in silent fury. She turned her back on Livern, but Aria, Revir, and Rein rushed toward it first. The three were also consumed by emotion, gripping their weapons tightly.

  Revir and Aria enchanted their weapons with their combined Ender, creating a fiery sword of flame and a massive stone axe. They swung them, but the monster defended with its greatsword, despite losing its arm. They struggled to hold back its force but were staggered by it.

  Dark Ender appeared behind Livern, creating countless needles to pierce Aria and Revir. Luckily, Rein saved them, thrusting his spear into the ground and creating a huge chunk of ice in front of them. The ice was instantly destroyed by the creature's next swing.

  The Ender combined, creating a huge hammer that swung slowly toward them. In a desperate moment, Rein leaped to Revir and Aria. He pointed his spear at the hammer, creating an ice barrier to minimize the impact. But the barrier wasn't enough to absorb the attack. It was too much, and it instantly sent the three of them flying into the wall as the hammer struck the ground.

  The impact was so strong it left a massive crack in the floor. Revir, Rein, and Aria lost consciousness. They coughed up blood and couldn't fight anymore.

  Saria, still reeling in horror, slowly stood against Livern. She turned her wand back into a bow, but it was unstable. She was still trembling in fear, unable to focus on the target in front of her.

  (I can do this... I'm not going to run... Not again!) She thought, trying to convince herself.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  But the glowing red eyes of Livern sent a shiver down her spine, recalling every bad person from her memory. The fear immediately canceled her spell, and she fell once again, looking at her hands and thinking everything was her fault.

  "It's not your fault, Saria." Carol said. Her tone wasn't reassuring, her anger was still lingering. "Stay put and don't move. I don't want you to risk your life if you can't stand up properly."

  Saria fell silent, only guilt in her heart.

  Carol walked slowly toward Livern. Her breathing was unsteady as she tried to focus her Ender. Livern, holding nothing back, created many needles around her. As she took a single, echoing step, the needles immediately shot toward her.

  "Windiria," Carol said, lifting her sword with a serious expression. "Horizon!"

  A barrage of wind slashes, instantly destroyed every needles around her.

  "Wind Rush." Carol said, swinging her sword in a wide, heavy arc. The attack released a huge chunk of high speed wind that inflicted a small wound on Livern's body.

  Suddenly, magic circles appeared all around Livern, and one appeared directly beneath Carol's boot.

  Saria gasped, amazed at how many circles Carol had summoned.

  (I had no idea Carol could do that...but I know it's probably draining her Ender faster than she can move) She thought, her worry for Carol returning.

  Carol stomped the ground hard, instantly vanishing and reappearing in front of Livern. She swung her sword at the wound she had created, this time in a much higher speed. The wound became much larger than before.

  Carol backed away and stepped on one of the circles, vanishing again. She reappearing, swinging her sword at Livern's face before disappearing once more. All the magic circles around Livern became a launching pad for Carol's movement. She became a blur to Livern's eyes, too fast for it to respond. She used this opportunity to attack every side of its body repeatedly without rest.

  (The way she moves... It's like the Windiria Horizon spell, but it's different...) Saria thought, watching the fight and clenching her fists, hoping Carol could defeat the monster.

  Carol, now behind Livern, thrust her sword into its wing. The pain was so immense that Livern thrashed around, trying to make Carol release her sword. But she held on. In a final struggle, she swung the sword with all her might, and the wing tore free from its body.

  The dark Ender from the wing tried to push Carol toward the wall, but she vanished from her own circle just in time. Now on the ceiling, she used it as a launching pad to accelerate, flying directly toward Livern. She gripped her sword tightly, and an enlarged wind blade covered the entire blade.

  "Destructive," she swung her sword heavily as the monster swung its own. "Whirlwind!"

  The clang of their weapons echoed throughout the dungeon. Carol pushed forward, while the monster struggled to hold back her force.

  "JUST.BE.GONE.ALREADY!" Carol yelled, pouring all her remaining energy into this one, singular attack.

  Livern's sword shattered. It could not hold back Carol's Ender, and her slash sliced deep into Its body.

  All the attacks and every spell she had learned finally paid off. Despite the victory, she felt so exhausted that she slowly began to fall to the ground.

  However, the creature, Livern was still alive. Its low rumble shocked Carol greatly. She only smiled nervously in the process.

  "Are you kidding me...do you have a second heart or something?" Carol said, in disbelief.

  With its last remaining strength, Livern summoned a barrage of Ender needles.

  "No... Please, no..!" Saria said, still trembling as she tried to raise her wand toward Livern.

  Carol looked at Saria with sympathy. She shook her head.

  "It's useless, Saria."

  The needles pierced Carol precisely in the chest, leaving her to bleed profusely.

  Saria couldn't respond. Her eyes became hollow, devoid of any hope. Her friends were all unconscious. She thought it would have been better if she were the one to die instead.

  (After everything I've done... It's still not enough, huh...) Carol thought, clinging to her last bit of energy. (I feel so useless...here I thought I could atleast act like some sort of hero.) She coughed up blood, which dripped from her mouth.(Heh. I'm sorry, uncle...for rebelling against you...I should've listened to you...Because of me, everyone around me in on the verge of death...)

  (A failure, always a failure.)

  Her sight became different. A whisper emerged in a form she couldn't believe. A version of herself covered in dark Ender.

  (I guess I've surprised you, huh?) The whisper said in her mind.

  (So that's your form...) Carol replied.

  (Like I said, I know you more than you could ever think. Everything you've done is just a waste of time.)

  (Waste of time..?)

  (Heh.) The figure's lips twisted into a smirk.

  Carol's eyes widened in horror. The dark figure wielded her sword, which was now covered in an unknown Ender.

  "What the..." Saria said,shocked.

  Carol, who was supposed to be dying, rose once again. She grabbed her sword, and the transparent body of the blade became corrupted.

  (You...)

  (Don't you forget why we're here in the first place, Carol.) The figure lifted the sword above its head, ready to swing.

  (Revenge is the only purpose we have. Revenge is the way for us to receive peace!)

  (What are you-)

  A piercing scream echoed in her mind. (Remember their requiem, Carol. This is a reminder for you.)

  Carol did not answer. She was frozen.

  Unconscious, Carol lifted her sword. Livern, seeing an opportunity, attacked her again.

  (You have to find that bastard, no matter what.) The figure lightly swung its sword toward the ground.

  In response to the figure's action, Carol sliced Livern in half, splitting its body as if it were nothing. After this mysterious event, the corrupted sword returned to its original form, and Carol collapsed to the ground.

  Another set of footsteps echoed from the other side of the dungeon. "I've found them, Professor Grey!" One of the students shouted.

  "Where?!" Grey's eyes widened in horror as he saw the group in bad condition. Carol, especially, was in the worst shape he had ever seen.

  "Help me patch them up, We need a medic! Now!" Grey yelled, rushing to Carol. He gently held her in his arms, a look of anguish and frustration on his face. "Oh, Carol." He murmured.

  "Hmm. Well, atleast it was worth the show. In fact," The Zarikh's voice giggled. "I've finally seen a glimpse of the Priestess's true power! I bet he's going to be so jealous!"

  The Zarikh's figure slowly dissolved into thin air.

  "The next curtain is coming soon. Until then, stay alive and well, Priestess." The voice echoed slightly around the dungeon, a final, chilling whisper.

  As Carol slowly opened her eyes, a bright light from the ceiling shone in her face. In a panic, she tried to sit up, but a jolt of pain shot through her body.

  "W-what is this place?" She asked.

  "You're finally waking up." Aria said.

  Carol looked around and saw all her friends bandaged and resting.

  "Is this the infirmary?"

  "Y-yeah... This is the infirmary..." Saria said, appeared to have no wounds herself.

  "Uhm... I want to say," Saria bowed her head in guilt. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry for everything I've done!"

  Everyone looked confused.

  "All I did was just tremble in fear, not doing anything useful at all. Noire almost died because of me, and Carol too!"

  "Saria-" Aria began, but Saria cut her off.

  "I'm useless. All I did was bringing a bad luck upon us. You guys were hurt, fighting on the front lines, while I couldn't do anything." She sighed heavily, gripping her wand. "I hope...death can end my torture."

  Just then, Grey appeared from behind Saria and lightly knocked her on the head. Saria turned around, rubbing her head in pain.

  "P-Professor Grey?!" She said in panic. "Did you just hear all that?!"

  "Oh yes, I did. And I'm quite disappointed on you, in fact."

  "Huh?"

  "Saying that death is your only way out makes me want to snap your neck."

  Saria trembled slightly.

  "See? Why do you wish for death to end your torture if you're afraid of death itself?"

  "But..."

  "You're still young, Saria. If you really want to end your torture, you have to prepare and face your own pain. Remember, life isn't going to have mercy on everyone, including you, if you can't stand up against it."

  Saria fell silent, but the burden in her heart felt slightly lighter.

  "And as for you, Carol."

  Carol gulped nervously, preparing for whatever consequences her uncle would inflict.

  "I'm glad you're still alive," he showed a relieved smile. "It seems you're capable enough to survive even the most hopeless situations."

  "Uh, what do you mean by that, sir?"

  "You've exceeded my expectations. And here I thought I could atleast keep you out of danger."

  "So, no overprotectiveness?"

  "Don't mistake that, Carol. I'm still going to watch over you."

  Her mood soured.

  "What I'm trying to say is..." He held out Carol's wand, giving it back to her. "You can go anywhere you want."

  She watched intensely on her wand. There's a glimpse of dark Ender lingering around it.

  "Carol?" Grey asked, confused of her sudden behavior.

  "Oh, nothing!" She only laughed a little. "But, thanks for your consideration. I'll keep that in mind."

  "Now, for the final matter."

  He looked at Rein, handing him a letter.

  "This is..." Rein's expression hardened.

  "A letter. From your family."

  He took it and read the content.

  "What does it say?" Carol asked.

  "An ongoing war will be starting soon." Rein said, his voice tense. "They need all the family members for a meeting. I can bring atleast five people with me."

  "An ongoing war?" Everyone said in unison.

  "I supposed it's a war between the Holders." Grey explained. "They were literally have a truce for twenty years. Why break it now?"

  "I guess we'll know more if we go there." Aria said.

  Rein watched silently, the letter's words weighing on him.

  (What do you want to accomplish here, brother?) He thought, concerned about the situation.

  At Calle forest in the dead of night, the mysterious figure read the grimoire in anticipation.

  "Took you long enough, Mary." He said.

  The Zarikh's form shimmered, revealing a young woman in a maid's outfit. "Can't you stop calling me that, Dein? Only my Priestess can say that!" She said with frustration.

  "Oh, sorry. Bad habit," he pulled back his hood, revealing a scar-covered man. "I guess it should be 'Chief Maid'. After all, you have the longest history with her when she still a child."

  "Right, Right. But sadly..." She sobbed. "Seeing our Priestess finally grow up beautifully... I'm so jealous I couldn't watch her growth!"

  He sighed in annoyed. "You're really a mess. You do know that she might have already forgotten about you, right? She still a three to four years old at that time."

  "I know. Though, are you sure about this?"

  "About what?"

  "To awaken her power too early? Didn't our lord say we had to keep her watched until the moment was right?"

  "Chief, I already told you," he said, turning from her and closing the grimoire. "Right now, I'm working for that power driven Holder. Doing so will accelerated her awakening."

  "But..."

  "Isn't it what our Lord Leviathan wants? He wants us to inflict as much destruction as we can get, for it is his desire."

  He showed a sinister smirk. "As the world took his happiness, it's only right that we take theirs as well."

  "Easy for you to say," Mary said, looking at the grimoire. "Especially when you're using lord's grimoire without permission."

  "This things play a major part in the show, you know? Having two Leviathan around will speed up the process, won't it?"

  She sighed in annoyance. "You really love breaking rules, Dein."

  And with that, the cold night passed, and chaos was over... for now.

  [Arc 1: Ended]