18 First Battle

Slowly opening her large beady eyes, Aurelia suddenly shot up, touching her body. A glow of excitement raging through her eyes as she lifted her arms high,

"I-I-I did it!" She roared, unable to hold back.

With traces of Arcana within her muscles, the young girl could not help but tear up only for a ruthless flick to explode upon her forehead. Blasting her out of her joy, Aurelia glared into the silver gaze of Lord Zireael.

"Dumb Dumb, come battle, Aurelia!" She shouted, feeling motivated to defeat the boy around her age.

Pressing his palm upon his cheeks, Lord Blackwater chuckled, "You? Even with that little Acana and skill, keep dreaming. And even then, you will not be at my skill level. None have ever been able to match me in skill. One can hold more Arcana than me or have a stronger body, but none shall ever match me!"

"Come now, Master, have you never lost ?" Talia suddenly asked, causing the master to nod to their surprise.

"I have been defeated millions of times. I have never won in a real battle against my brother. With his spear, even I felt death approach many times." stated Zireael, lifting his lips into a warm smile never seen by Talia before.

"So you lost, how can you say that..."

"I never said I lost; I just said I never won!" Zireael explained, returning to his condescending smile, "All of my team had higher cultivation than I, but none could match my comprehension of Mortal Dao."

"Mortal Dao?" Aurelia questioned,

"Wind, Earth, Fire, Lightning, and Water are all heavenly Dao, something that comes from nature, but I am unable to use them. Born a god, I was once said to be a cripple until I began comprehending the Dao of Swords and The Self. Touching on truth, my power skyrocketed. While I am still at some disadvantage depending on how one uses their Heavenly Dao, I am... "

"Wait, so Heavenly Dao is nature, and mortal Dao is... Are swords and stuff made up by people?" Aurelia cluelessly asked, still a little confused.

"In a way, yes, there are those that borderline between Heaven and Mortal, but for the most part, you are correct. But unlike me, you can use Heavenly Dao, so worry about that for now. I will help you form your mortal Dao later." explained Zireael turning towards the moonlit night.

Scrunching his brow, the carriage suddenly came to a halt startling everyone. When the robotic voice of Anima sounded, "Currently surrounded. Sixteen Amber Hounds found! Distance ten meters."

"We are getting attacked more and more." Muttered Talia, "This is the fifth attack today!"

Sending a subtle glance towards Aurelia, eying outside the window, Zireael did not speak, knowing it was this girl's fault. Ever since he allowed her to advance, a rich aura began to flow into the air, captivating those with lesser minds around her, including Talia and Innis. It was subtle and invisible to mortals, but its power was very weak. At least it was now.

"Aurelia, you handle them, it's night, but I am sure you can handle it. They are just a little stronger than a fully grown adult, but they lack your skill and speed. In theory, it should be an easy battle." Commanded Zireael snapping his fingers.

Letting his carriage doors open, Aurelia's golden eyes opened wide, "Aurelia cannot see well!"

Not caring, a powerful force tossed the little bun outside. Skidding across the grassy earth, Zireael closed his gaze to the outside world. Letting darkness fill his consciousness once more.

"AAHWOOOO!!!"

Hearing the howls of the Amber Hounds, Aurelia leaped to her feet, ignoring the bloody scrapes upon her skin. Tensing her muscles, her golden eyes flickered within the dead of night. Her only source of light being the moon.

All of a sudden, the sounds of footsteps and the rustle of bushes caught her attention. Pulling the longsword from her side Aurelia gulped, feeling a chill spread to her limps. Feezing in dread, something flashed within her sights towards her neck at an impeccable rate.

Gathering her strength, Aurelia leaped out the way, rolling upon the bushes. Frighten, she felt a warm-colored liquid flowing upon her tunic. Touching her neck at the small scar, a chill once more began to spread down her limbs.

With death riding her back, Aurelia suddenly grew calm. Feeling a powerful force calming her nerves, she gripped her blade staring at the large hound, with rotten flesh from bast battle covering its body. Its gaze and fur were Amber in pigment, with defining muscles upon the deprave hound foaming at the mouth.

Growling, a sea of amber eyes hidden by the darkness glimmered within the night, their cold bloodthirsty gaze bringing those with a weak will to their knees.

Raising her blade, Auriela's breath grew even and still, her face pale as the midnight moon. Surrounded on all sides, she did not move nor speak, simply staring at Amber.

Circling her body, trying to get a feel of its small target, the leader of the hounds, the same hound that attacked, first studied its target.

Suddenly two hounds charged towards Aurelia who's ears suddenly trembled; twisting her back in haste, her blade shimmered under the moonlight bringing crimson to the air. Severing the two hounds heads with a single arch of her blade, Aurelia suddenly dashed into the bushes.

"AHWOO!!!"

Howling once more, Aurelia felt a chill upon her soul, yet fear did not spread, only a chilling calmness that did not belong to her age. Calmly measuring the situation, her icy golden gaze captured the locations and movements of her enemies with cold precision. Pressing her back to a large tree, Aurelia waited.

With only a certain direction they could appear from, three more hounds darted towards her vitals. Leaping into the air, one hound attacked from the dark skies while the other two came from the East and West.

Releasing her tense breath, Aurelia inhaled once more, kicking a few meters into the air. Her blade met the hounds center, who could not move within the skies severing it in half. Remembering Innis's cold words of having no movement within the air came to mind, Aurelia suddenly kicked off the severed body of the hounds spinning in the air, landing behind a confused hound. Stabbing her bade through its skull Aurelia twisted her longsword, tearing its life away.

"Three down," muttered Aurelia, coldly focused.

Hearing more and more sounds of growls fill her ears, capturing her attention, Aurelia turned towards the only wolf still in view. Taking the initiative, she charged ahead, rolling away when ten wolves suddenly leaped towards her.

Returning back to her feet in desperate haste, Aurelia cursed as a vicious slash from a random wolf tore into her chest. Groaning, The child warrior leaped in the air to escape landing upon a tree.

"Aurelia should not have rolled; it leaves time for the enemy to attack!"

Whispering to herself at her mistake, her palm gently pressed against the vicious gash upon her chest, oozing blood at a quick rate. Slowly growing labored, Aurelia watched thirteen hounds slowly circled her tree.

Gritting her teeth, she looked at the carriage a few meters away. Noticing the Silver boys sleeping peacefully, a rage began to fuel her small heart. Tightening her blade, she glared hatefully towards the hounds waiting to pounce.

Waving her arms, Aurelia suddenly severed the large branches upon the tree; watching the Amber Hounds' temporary scatter she leaped down, rocketing towards a lone hound. Plunging her blade into its heart before it could howl for help, Aurelia suddenly gripped its fur, ruthlessly tossing it towards one of its brethren.

Releasing a pitiful whimper, the Golden flames within Aurelia's heart grew ablaze as her steps began to become brazen and confident. Watching the army of twelve hungry beasts charge, a dance quickly began to form. Using all the basic techniques Innis taught. Aurelia abandoned her defensive style taking a more fluid and aggressive approach.

Akin to a moving stream of water, Aurelia danced within the squad of depraved beasts clawing at her flesh while her blade danced like the reaper. With elegance within her step, more and more wounds began to cover her small body turning her skin crimson, but with each step, she took Aurelia slowly began to find her rhythm within the chaos of battle. Slowly none of the hound's pounces or claws could even find its target, while Aurelia continued tearing life away like an apostle of death.

Arching his lips from within the carriage of Lord Blackwater, Zireael opened his cold silver gaze towards the bloody girl sounded by a graveyard of bodies.

"She found her rhythm, well done. " Said Zireael, signaling to Talia, "Help her in, she has lost far too much blood, but for her first battle, she did amazing."