Prologue

It was a late evening, just like any other, the setting sun colouring the sky auburn painting a calming visage.

Despite the hours drawing late the bustling atmosphere of Skye Mage sect, the top magic sect of Opal Kingdom, was exceptionally raucous.

A wedding was being held between two elders of the sect, quite the joyous occasion with most of the sect members being gathered together congratulating, booming laughter and conversations heard everywhere on the giant main plaza.

Among the wedding guests were a couple, a beautiful woman in her early forties and a good looking man of similar age sporting a large scar across his face, granting a scary image to what was clearly a once out of this world handsome man in his younger years.

They were enjoying a blueish alcoholic beverage and engaging in casual comversation with another pair, when an ear deafening explosion suddenly sounded from the sects west gates, along with splatters of flying blood and limbs shooting over.

The man grimaced but didn't panic

"Honey, prepare for battle" he said, with a stoic frown.

"Damian don't I have a bad feeling about this I think we should run"

"We're the strongest sect in Opal and almost all our members are gathered here, what are you so worried about Hon?" He replied with a raised eyebrow.

"Thats exactly what worries me, if they dare attack while all of us are gathered in the same spot they must have confidence they will be able to defeat us all, I would rather be wrong and hailed a coward than die here and repeat Elise's end leaving our boys without parents."

Despite his wife's obvious unease Damian would not be convinced, as he drew a blood-red long sword from his scabbard, his blue robe fluttering from his sudden movement and made his way towards the west gate.

Calming her turbid feelings Alania decisively drew a gorgeous amethyst sword, and followed after her husband.

As they drew near the gates violent sounds of metal clashing, aggrieved yells and the sound of flesh being pierced grew increasingly loud along with Alania's sense of unease.

Soon their pace grew to a quick jog and they quickly reached the gates where multiple fights were unfolding, but it was quite obvious that it was mostly a one sided massacre being dealt by a group of gray robed assailants, free from any identifying traits there were easily a thousand gray robes, complete with gray hoods and smooth white masks exposing only their cold, murderous eyes.

Damian swiftly joined the battle, locking onto the nearest gray robe efficiently wielding his masterfully crafted sword swiftly dispatching the enemy with simple but efficient moves.

Quickly a gray robed head flew up, and Damian was on to the next.

Alania didn't lag behind facing her husband back to back the duo weaved through the battlefield with tacit understanding covering each others blind spots.

~~~~~

Thirty minutes later the battle still raged on, but at this point Skye Mage Sect was losing ground rapidly, the grey robes showing superior endurance, with magical techniques flying around left and right, the battle of swords being a mere probe.

The grey robes started gathering in organized ranks front row advancing swords in hand, with the back throwing basic elemental spells of all kinds magnifying their effects through number, mere Rune Grafting level fireballs, wind blades, earth spikes, and icicle bullets merging to become a veritable elemental storm tearing through Skye's mages like a hot knife through butter.

The ground was already dyed red with blood, Damian and Alania were running out of mana despite being Lake Transformation mages they had been utilizing their mana reserves to hold out against the storm of basic spells for far too long.

Damian already shared his wife's pessimistic view on the situation and they were fully attempting a hasty retreat, still back to back.

In spite of their attempts, they were struggling to create any kind of distance between themselves and the gray robes as too many of their comrades already shared their intentions, giving ground to the enemy faster than they could back away safely.

"Hon, on my count we turn our backs and make a break for it we cant keep fighting like this"

"I'VE BEEN TELLING YOU THAT FROM THE START DAMIAN, HURRY UP"

"3, 2, 1, RUN"

Sheathing their weapons they both turned to run, alas due to their valiant efforts in dispatching gray robes, somebody had already taken notice of them.

One of merely ten black robed men, complete with a blue mask had been slowly trailing behind them acting like he was merely taking a relaxing stroll through a perfectly safe park the entire time, occasionally swinging his sword to behead any who approach him, merely waiting for them to turn away, immediately ran up to Damian with lightning speed.

Damian hurriedly swung his sword holding it vertically in front of himself as he jumped backwards.

Before he could even register what had happened the black robe casually struck out with a horizontal swing slicing right through Damian's sword and subsequently his neck.

The strike was so fast it simply looked as if the man was instantly pointing his sword to his right, without even a speck of blood adorning the pitch black blade, in style with his robe.

All Alania heard was a quick *SHING* and as she loked back she saw Damian collapsing to the ground, his head bouncing away never to be one with his body again.

She almost swore she could see a sadistic grin behind the mans smooth blue mask as she kept running, holding back tears.

The black robe did not give chase, seemingly taking great satisfaction in the torment he was intentionally causing, clearly having had enough strength to easily exterminate both of them with a single swing, yet he had allowed them to go on this long.

All Alania could hope for was that he would not follow up, giving her a chance to make it home to her boys.

She kept running without looking back, but unfortunately she did not make it far before her right leg simply detached from her with no obvious cause.

She struggled to keep jumping on, with only her left leg to support her weight but yet even that hopeless wish would not be granted, as it too detached after no more than a few meters.

With no legs to support her, she fell face first onto the once beautiful white bricked plaza, having somehow made it all the way back from the west gate, now dyed fully in wet sticky blood and bits of human flesh.

She painfully rolled over, and screamed tearfully at the black robed man, now standing over her

"JUST FUCKING KILL ME YOU DESPICABLE SON OF A *****"

The black robed man casually crouched down resting his left hand on his knees, lifting his blue mask halfway with his right showing off a nightmarish toothy grin revealing his clean shaven face and pearly whites, showing himself to be quite young perhaps only 20 or so.

"Don't you worry sweetheart, I think I'll take my time with you. Cant let you off that easy for killing so many of my men after all"

Pushing his mask back into place, he carved a small piece off Alania's right arm, clearly enjoying her suffering as she screamed her lungs out, tears streaming harder with each piece.

~~~~~

That fateful day, which was supposed to be a happy occasion Skye Mage guild was dyed red with blood before the sun had finished setting, screams echoing throughout their headquarters and long after the sun had set blazing fires dyed the night sky a bright orange, strangely no smoke arose and the fires continued burning past next morning's sunrise.