1 "Scar of a Lifetime"

In the nation of Arceterus, peace was always the way of living of their lively people. The kingdom was peaceful itself, where the palace of Arceterus stood majestic and large, ruled over by the throne of the royal family of Arceterus, King Amito, Queen Miya, and their son and daughters, Princess Kiara, Princess Imera, and Prince Ichiro. Peculiarly, the Princesses' identities were kept undetected by the orders of the King. In the kingdom, also remains that last Family of Cresta or also known as the Clan of Cresta. The Cresta was like any other family clan, although they had a strong bond in their members and it was one of the greatest clans as having the best magic users in their members which showed their dominance above the other family clan. Unfortunately, the Cresta was hunted and captured for the true power that lies within each and one of them that can act as a weapon.

Shizu Cresta and Amikagi Cresta were both family members of the Cresta family and are siblings to each other. Their parents, Emiko and Kazuko Cresta both were a part of the Imperial Arceterus Mage Regiment. They both served the regiment as high-ranking officers and were one of the best magic users of the Regiment.

Their father, Kazuko were usually out deploying on battles and patrols all around the nation with his brother-in-arms, Colt Kaiser. Meanwhile, their mother, Emiko, usually trains her children to combat and defense against magic with magic. During their magic combat lessons, Emiko usually shows them the magic arts of Aeromancy, which is the art of air magic. Usually, Shizu and Amikagi took a lot of time to learn the arts of Aeromancy, but as time goes on through hardships their mother hand given them, all the obstacles they've gone through had made them more knowledgeable and more powerful in the magic arts of Aeromancy.

Their father was away, battling against the demons and the enemy nations in the interim. Kazuko's brother-in-arms, Colt Kaiser was always beside Kazuko and they were almost inseparable. Both of them enjoyed slaying and eliminating demons and the enemy nation's infantry mages.

Whenever Kazuko was home from his duties, he would always train Shizu and Amikagi to the point where both of them would collapse from exhaustion. Heretofore, Kazuko had trained Shizu and Amikagi to use their mana at full capacity which resulted in making them collapse and faint during those training. Kazuko was strict towards his children to prepare them to join the mage regiment and make them capable of protecting themselves.

Shizu and Amikagi were close as siblings. They regularly went out and walk together in the forest which led them to an open field where they both usually hang out and lay for the rest of the day until evening.

One day, when they were out on the field as usual until evening came, the sky was strangely dark at the time and they went out to go back as they saw the dark smoke-filled sky. When they got back, they saw their neighborhood chaotically in flames. The palace itself had fallen and almost half-destroyed, when they went on to return back to their home, there were multiple demonic creatures roaming and multiple colossus type demons walking in the city wrecking the skyscrapers, ones with horrific body shapes such as a long torso, misplaced head, pierced body, and most of them were terrifyingly massive in shape compared to humans. They were rampaging on the streets, slashing and cutting off the panicked civilians. Some civilians even tried to fight against it but most of them had failed to kill some of them and only got a portion of them.

"Ami... where's mom and dad??" Shizu spoke in a trembling voice.

Amikagi then grabbed his brother's by his wrists and she tried to convince his brother to run away with her to somewhere else, "We need to run, Shizu. We could get killed if we went in there."

Shizu then pulled his arm back to him from his sister's grasp. "No... Ami. We need to find dad and mom. They could help us."

"Please, Shizu! We can't fight them, there's too many of them there."

"No, Ami. We can't just abandon our home and parents... I won't listen to you anymore... I'm still going to find mom and dad." Shizu shouted while running into the chaotic demon-filled neighborhood to find his parents.

Seeing her brother going against all the odds, she decided to join him in search of their parents. As they walked through the neighborhood, dozens upon dozens of houses were burnt and civilians' blood-curdling screams were heard all around the neighborhood. While Amikagi had tailed along with his brother, they both had to avoid every demon by hiding in alleyways and inside every building they see.

Once they've reached their mansion, they quickly went inside and were met back with their parents, which were in a state of panic. Shizu's father, Kazuko was badly injured and his left shoulder was entirely bleeding all over and his blood spilling onto the ground and left him unable to fight against the demons.

"Are you two alright?" Their mother asked.

"We're fine, mom." Shizu answered.

"Why did you both even thought about coming back here? It's dangerous, you both should've run away when you had the chance to." Her mother scolded them.

"Sorry mom, it was Shizu's idea. I told him we shouldn't be returning back but he was eager to find you." Amikagi responded.

During their talk, they suddenly heard a loud roaring and rumbling of thuds coming from outside. It sounded as if a demon was near and the demon had overheard them.

Suddenly, their father stood from where he was seated and shouted, which was followed by him coughing blood. "Both of you! Get under the basement... Go, now!"

"You too, Emiko."

"I'm staying up here with you, Kazu."

Emiko gave her daughter her hairpin which resembled a shape of a flower. She then ushered them to hide quickly. "Remember us... Amikagi. I love both of you so much."

Amikagi and Shizu quickly ran down the basement and peeked through one of the wooden plank gaps to observe the situation. As their parents were ready by casting magic and a sword. The front wall suddenly burst open by an explosion magic, which exposed the entire front of the house to the public, and in front of their parents were demons and two people from the Hydra Kingdom. One of them had a dark hood and the other one had blue hair with blood splatter all over his white mage robe.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't the greatest mage of Arceterus of all time." the man in blue hair spoke.

"Who are you? What do you want." Kazuko responded.

"The Cresta really has a nice home. Kazuko, Cresta... Kazuko, Cresta! Ah, the Cresta Family!" the man with blue hair shouted while looking at them with a sinister smile.

The man then casted an air magic which ripped off Kazuko's right arm. Kazuko was screaming in pain and Emiko was shocked and horrified while attending to Kazuko's injuries.

"Oops!" the man with the blue hair said followed by him laughing hysterically.

"Kazu!" Emiko shouted while attending to Kazuko's injuries.

"What do you want?" Kazuko shouted.

"Well, this is more of a... repayment of you killing my associates. Blood needs to be paid by blood, after all." the man answered.

The man then moved quickly, too quick as if he had teleported towards Kazuko and placed the tip of his sword almost close to Kazuko's forehead. The man then decapitated Kazuko.

"Wow! I killed a Cresta!"

"No!" Emiko cried out while swinging her sword towards the man which was quickly blocked by his companion in the dark hood that had moved quickly as if he teleported.

"That was bold of you. Love, love! Lustful desires of a man over a woman." the man with the blue hair yelled.

"Oh well. Tell Kazuko that I said hello." the man said while stabbing Emiko in her heart.

The fall of Emiko and Kazuko brought their children to tears. Seeing their father decapitated and their mother stabbed was certainly a traumatic experience that will leave them scarred for their whole life. After seeing their parents fighting with all their might against the opposition, Amikagi then went upstairs even after her brother tried to persuade her and she attempted to attack the enemy. She charged at them with a sword but was quickly defeated when the man kicked her in the face, making her fall and thrown back. Shizu stood in silence and with tears while watching his sister's struggle.

"An offspring of the two? What an astonishment. Let's take her!" the man said.

"No! You murdered my parents in cold blood. I will kill you!"

"An earnest child!" the man began.

Amikagi then sprinted towards the man with her sword that she had picked up from after being kicked. Amikagi was then halted when the man teleported behind her and placed his palm behind Amikagi's head and casted sleep magic and made Amikagi fall onto the ground.

"Sleep tight."

The man then took Amikagi with him and left. Leaving behind the residence of the family with the remains of Emiko and Kazuko and Shizu. Eventually, the Mage regiment had got back from their nation patrol and they searched around the residence of Kazuko and Emiko. Kazuko's brother-in-arms, Colt, was left upset and he had cried out for help while holding the head of Shizu's father. Colt then heard Shizu's cry and went down only to find Shizu sitting in a curled-up position. Colt then went over to Shizu and tried to comfort him.

"It's fine now... I know you're hurt... I'll take care of you." Colt spoke.

"Where's your sister?" he asked

"She was taken by the evil people, the ones that killed mom and dad." Shizu spoke while crying.

"I'll teach you how to destroy all of them and find your sister. Do you want that?" Colt spoke while trying to give him encouragement.

"I... I do!" Shizu responded.

"Alright."

Suddenly, one of the mages that were mounting the remains of Emiko and Kazuko went over to Colt and spoke, "Noble Officer, the nation is cleared. The opposition nations had withdrawn their infantry and the left demons were eliminated."

"Send the report to the royal throne and all of the nation's high-ranking officers. Let them know what they've done. We are now at battle against Hydra and the underworld."

"Assuredly, sir." the man spoke while saluting and walked off.