1: The Abyss of Tormented Souls

"Things would have gone much smoother had you handed me the treasure you hold, now your wife is unfortunately dead," said Wanu as he whipped his sword, ridding it of the blood stains on the shaft.

On the ground lay a battered and wounded Niva as she cried over her dead mother's body. Wanu, the Revered Mage Clan patriarch had just heartlessly decapitated her mother, and her father had all his tendons slashed through rendering him immobile.

Both father and daughter were heartbroken, crying to the point of losing their voice at the loss of the beloved wife and mother. Niva could not understand why the patriarch was treating her family this way because not even two days ago, the Clan were celebrating her abilities awakening.

However today, somehow they were accused of treason and stealing the clan's treasure, and what she was the most confused about was her father severing her veins, hence severing any chances of her becoming a mage in the future. She will never understand, and also what did her father mean he transmigrated from another world? She had never heard of such a situation before, but she had no time to think of such a complicated matter at the moment.

Her mother was lying lifeless in front of her, and she had to find a way to save her father.

"Patriarch, I beg you, please spare my father, my family truly did not steal the clan's treasure, please I beg you….I beg you," cried out Niva, crawling her way towards Wanu.

"You are correct little Niva, your family did not steal the clan's treasure, however, he did betray us, how could he hold such a wonderful power all to himself?" answered Wanu with a smug.

"I don't understand, my father does not have such a power…" defended Niva, the clan had dragged her family to this unknown place and started accusing them of stealing, and now the patriarch is saying they were not thieves.

"If your father does not have such a power, then little Niva, how do you explain the abilities you have shown us two days ago, and he had even severed your roots, and turning you now into a waste."

"No, no, no...he had his reason, he's only trying to protect me."

"Protect you from who? From me?" asked Wanu menacingly as he angrily walked towards Niva's father and kicked his head, sending his body flying over thirty meters away.

"Nooo! Father! Please spare him, please don't hurt him…." she screamed but her voice was hoarse from crying before and no sound came out. She froze at the sight of the patriarch endlessly kicking her father to death.

Niva's eyes grew red glaring at Wanu's cruelty, to think she was loyal to such a clan, to think she was so proud to have been a part of such an evil clan. Niva kneeled on the ground looking at the now stiff corpse of her father, whose last breath was taken away so unjustly.

Niva resolutely vowed to herself that she had to live, she had to leave this place and come back strong enough to burn everything down. She shakily stood up, and noticing no one paying attention to her, she started running.

"I'm sorry mom...I'm sorry dad...I promise to come back and avenge your deaths" she murmured to herself as she ran through the darkness. Noticing her running, Wanu did not hurriedly chase after her and instead grinned evilly seeing the direction Niva ran towards.

"Not to worry, that direction is the way to the end of the cliff leaning over the abyss of the tormented souls, we shall follow her there and she'll jump in there herself, hahaha!" The patriarch along with his elders followed behind Niva like predators tracking their prey.

Meanwhile, Niva had already arrived at the end of the cliff and she was cursing her shitty luck for choosing this way. She was terrified at the sound of haunting cries coming from down below, she could not see through the darkness but those cries made his soul shake in terror as cold sweats ran down her back.

"Little Niva, you've chosen a good place to die, jumping from here you'll be able to meet the souls of all of those who have jumped down from this cliff, you should be honored, hehe."

Niva was stuck now that the patriarch and his clan had caught up to him, she did not know what to do, she could not fight them and jumping into that hellhole was not even an option. She seriously thought about it, but watching that ugly smug on Wanu's face, she decided to gamble her life away, and suddenly jumped down the cliff into the abyss of the tormented souls.

"She really jumped! Hahaha!" laughed Wanu as he tiptoed over the edge watching Niva's body falling, and as he was about to curse her stupidity, he heard Niva's voice echoing through the valley.

"If I do not die, I will come back and I will give you an end worse than death, I will make you remember your end at my hands even after you reincarnate ten times over."

Wanu was stunned at the youth's declaration, although he did not take her seriously, he couldn't control his hair standing on ends, heck, even his mighty elders were creeped out.

"Unlucky place! Let's return to the clan, that guy must have buried the treasure in his home, we'll find it there," he said and turned away as he and his bunch scurried away like rats, leaving the eerie valley.