Shadows of Vengeance: Aria's Journey Begins

Shadows of Vengeance: Aria's Journey Begins

While Aria was in her dream, the world was not so peaceful. Aria lived in the coastal part of the Caleoria continent, in a small village called Gren House. On the seaside, a tall man in a grand armor could be seen, followed by dozens of similarly armed knights. The armor combined pure white and black with hints of red.

As the man looked down, a wicked smile appeared on his face, and before he could say anything, he heard a shout.

"Hey, you damn flying fish, what the hell are you doing here?"

On the coast, there was a drunken man with a bottle in his hand, swaying from side to side. After a few seconds, he started shouting again.

The armored man, named Gaust, lifted his sword to the sky and with a single slash, unleashed a powerful burst of energy, evaporating the man.

"Those insects dare to speak to us like that," Gaust said. The anger and hatred accumulated for centuries were evident on his face.

"Finish them all, leave none alive," Gaust shouted, prompting the knights behind him to separate and head to different areas.

Elena was resting at home until she heard screams. She rushed out to see what was happening, and what she witnessed paralyzed her: men, women, grandparents, and children being ruthlessly killed by the knights. Before she could react, a knight with a lance stood before Elena. She tried to pull back, but before she could do so, the lance pierced through her, leaving a large hole in her chest. Her eyes intermittently ceased to sparkle, as if struggling to hold onto life.

Aria was waking up from her sleep, and upon hearing the noises and screams, she couldn't help but feel bewildered. She descended the stairs and approached the open door, only to witness a scene that shattered her soul: her mother was fighting for her life, her hand on her chest, with a towering armored knight standing in front of her, measuring over 2 meters in height.

Aria didn't have time to scream as the knight raised his lance and, with a swift motion, evaporated her mother from her sight.

Aria was furious, and her tears kept flowing. She thought it was a dream, but reality struck her when she received a system notification.

[Warning: The enemy before you far surpasses the level of this planet. It is a being that should not exist in this world.]

Upon hearing this, Aria felt frightened, but her anger and frustration, coupled with her inability to do anything, pushed her to lose her sanity. She lunged forward and attempted to strike the knight, but instead, Aria was sent flying backward, crashing into the furniture.

"I won't die here. I won't die until I kill you. I will avenge my mother," Aria declared, consumed by rage and unable to differentiate between power levels.

"Hahaha, so you're the daughter of that woman. Very well, I will take pleasure in torturing you before I kill you. I didn't spend years in that damned continent just to kill you without making you suffer. I will make you experience the worst moments of your life," the knight sneered.

The knight lunged forward, grabbing Aria by the neck, and with her dangling in his grip, he cast a spell.

[Detection of nightmare magic and soul-breaking]

Upon hearing this, Aria, in her deplorable state, felt an intense pain unlike anything she had ever experienced. It was as if everything ceased to make sense. Her body wasn't in agony, but she felt a pain she had never imagined before. It was like someone grasping her heart and continuously crushing it, a constant suffering that showed no end.

She couldn't utter a word, and as she fainted, she entered a dream where nightmares were relentless. She experienced scenes of monsters devouring her alive and other horrifying encounters. When Aria woke up, she was greeted by the knight who used his magic to torment her soul. Whenever she would faint, the nightmares would torture her.

Aria was losing her sense of self and didn't know what to do. In these moments, she wished she were dead, believing that death would be a better feeling than enduring all of this.

But in the midst of her nightmares, a light appeared. A man with features similar to hers approached her and spoke in a soft, soothing tone, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I couldn't be there for you, but I hope this can help you escape from your suffering."

A faint light with silver and golden hues began to expand and grow, vanquishing all the nightmares until Aria found herself in a moment of peace. Her mind was at rest, and she felt a warm sensation that made her feel relaxed.

Outside of Aria's dream, the knight observed as the girl before him started to radiate a bright light. The brilliant light made him recoil, instilling a fear that not even his king could impose. Within seconds, the girl vanished from his sight.

[Detection of light and spatial magic. Not harmful to the host, but the destination is unknown.]

In the middle of a forest, with trees that had leaves in shades of purple and pink, a girl with radiant red hair and emerald green eyes could be seen. She was engaged in a battle with a wild beast that resembled a giant bull, with horns in a shade of green and black. The beast had a silver color.

The girl was wearing a knight's armor that combined red, golden, and black colors. She made a swift cut, thrusting her sword forward, causing a gash in the beast and eliciting a cry of agony. The beast opened its mouth, revealing its jaws, and suddenly a brilliant silver-colored light emerged from its mouth. The light shot out, but the girl, anticipating the attack, leaped to the side before approaching the beast from one of its sides. With a single cut, she cleaved the beast in half.

[You have defeated the Silver Beast of the forest +20 EXP]

"Perfect, with this, I can finally afford the sword," the girl said, picking up a small mana stone.

Before she could turn around and leave, she heard a loud impact sound and rushed towards the source of the noise. There, she found an injured elf girl whose wounds seemed to be healing rapidly, and she had a large silver-colored protective cloak around her.

Upon seeing the girl, the knight hesitated for a few seconds, but her knightly honor wouldn't allow her to leave a person behind in potential danger. Aria stood up, feeling somewhat confused, but her memories started to come back, tears streaming down her face as anger welled up inside her. She wanted revenge and to kill all those who had caused such suffering to her mother.

"Where am I? This room is quite strange. Have I been captured to be tortured?"

Aria said, her tone slightly frightened. With her pent-up emotions and desire for revenge, she couldn't fully grasp the situation she was in. She didn't know where she was, and on top of that, the room she was in was very peculiar. It had shields hanging on the walls like trophies, and there were swords of all kinds scattered around.

The room was made of a rare wood that she had never seen before. As she turned to look out a small window, she was taken aback. There were three moons: one red, one pink, and one purple.