-The Beginning of the Beginning

Lia ran, and ran, and ran as fast as her legs could carry her away from the ogre, and away from the crazy farmer.

She didn't argue with the voice in her head, she didn't struggle, she just ran.

The maniacal laughter ceased at the sight of her escape, and the farmer, whose clothes were torn, face was ragged, and overall looked to be some insane psychopath, began barking orders to the ogre.

"Stop standing there like some dumb rock. After her!"

The ogre, hearing these commands, bounded after Lia, who was now several yards away, running down the road as fast as she could, cutting through the woods.

She needed to reach the village. A town in a place like this, where beast and monster attacks were common, she knew that they would have something to do against her attackers. But she couldn't be sure.

Already her mind raced with thoughts, clouding her judgment.

'What if they already reached the village? What if they caught me too soon? What if they can't hear me?'

Her mind and judgment was clouded with these thoughts, as she fought to ring them into control, and force them down.

But she couldn't, and it caused quite the effect on her, tripping over roots, rocks, and small mounds of dirt she cursed herself for not seeing.

Behind her she could hear the sound of large footsteps as they crashed into the ground, tearing trees and stumps apart.

She was deep in the woods now. Even if she screamed, no one would hear her with this thicket around her. If she was caught that is.

She ran faster now, knowing full well that the ogre would have a hard time getting through the large trees and the thick brush. It was her chance to escape.

But, run and run she did, she couldn't outrun the ogre who was gaining on her tail at rapid speed.

A loud crashing sound came from her side, as dirt and debris was thrown around. And after she crashed against a tree, knocking out the air in her lungs, she realized she had been thrown as well.

Before her, the ogre reared its ugly face to her, clutching a large tree trunk it used as a club. It was preparing to strike.

Lia tried to move, her mind screaming in fear and warning, but she couldn't. With a sharp stabbing pain at her side, she finally realized that her ribs were broken. And worse, her leg was bent in the wrong direction.

The sight of it made Lia gag, and forcefully try to call away, ignoring the pain. But it was just too much as she cried out in agony.

She watched in horror as the ogre raised it's arm, clutching the trunk like a club,

Dirt and leaves that still clung to the roots and branches fell at the sudden force of the ogre, who brought the trunk down, aiming straight for LIa who could only raise her arms in some weak form of defense against the blow she knew would kill her.

Time seemed to slow down as Lia thought back to the time in that dark expanse, meeting Cain, and feeling such a cold world as it grasped against her skin.

A question formed in her mind. She wrote it off as her last thoughts before death.

'Who was that man?'

Cain came as quickly as he disappeared from her mind. She could only wonder what type of person he was to know so much about her, and to flaunt that knowledge with a smile no less.

Lia knew he was someone she could never become. His power was faint, but she knew he was strong. He was cruel with his words. Fearsome with heis knowledge, and worst of all, he was evil with that look in his eyes.

The saying, 'Never judge a book by its cover,' did not apply here. He was evil, and it could be read on every page in his book.

This, Lia knew for sure.

But something in his eyes told her to get up and move. It was only a memory, but they felt so real. Alost as it he was there, right in front of her, telling her to move in that stupid sadistic tone.

As Lia remembered his smile and eyes, a new found strength arose in her, as her mind became calm, and her thoughts clear.

She was going to die, and she knew this. But if her enemies thought she was going to go down so easily, they were more wrong than they had ever been.

As the trunk of the tree neared her head, Lia instincts kicked in, and with her left foot, pushed against the ground, sending her main body out of the impact range.

However, the result caused her leg to be crushed.

"Arghhhh!"

Lia cried out in pain as tears formed against the edges of her eyes. The pain was quick and the numbness set in just as fast, but it wasn't that which made her cry, but the sound of bones and flesh breaking under toe which made her scream.

The sound was horrendous, but she pressed on.

'Who cares about a little pain? I'm going to die anyway!'

Lia positioned herself, propping her body up with one arm, she looked deep into the ogres eyes.

The maniacal laughter that had filled her ears before, now set in even closer. From the sides of her eyes, she could see the crazed farmer standing not too far off into the distance.

As Lia looked deep into the two dark and lifeless black eyes of the ogre, she cursed the both of them to damnation.

Lia's mind thought back to Cain, and his eyes that betrayed his sense of pure evil in his heart. Lia mimicked it exactly.

If it had made her shiver in fear, it would make the ogre tremble. And she was right.

As the ogre's gaze met hers, all the creature could see were the eyes of evil staring back. In fact, it was so surprising, that it made him stumble a few feet back, before quickly regaining his senses.

Rather than waste the energy of bringing the trunk back up over his head, the ogre simply chose to drag it across the ground, hoping to send the evil woman flying with his strength.

But as Lia saw the incoming attack before it even began, she chose to meet it head on. Fearless some would call her, a fool the others. But one thing no one could deny if they saw this brave action, they would all say they held their breaths in anticipation.

And as the log came forward, further crushing the leg that laid beneath it, Lia bit through the pain, and cried out in her mind.

'So be it!'

'If I am to die in this godforsaken world where everything and everyone is against me, then so be it!'

Soon, her cries were no longer inside her mind, as the last words she uttered could be heard by them all.

"COME ON THEN!!!"

As the log tore through the ground, a bright flash of light, and the sound of wood splintering, blinded Lia from seeing the result of her death.

However, where she expected to fall some yards away, she found herself sitting in the same spot as before.

Her hand touched the fallen pine needles and leaves that crinkled and crunched beneath her hands.

She was alive, breathing, and well.

Minus, of course, the many injuries she had gained from this encounter, she could say that it didn't matter. She was alive, and that was all she needed.

As the feeling of warmth came back to her, she suddenly felt the texture of cloth fall against their back.

She reeled around, but was blinded by the glimmer of light against its armor.

When her eyes settled before her, she found the sight to amaze herself. The black armor reflected the light so perfectly against its smooth shell, in an almost impossible manner.

The cloth of his cape was blood red in color, mixed with the black of his armor, and the mask on his face, he looked like a demon from hell.

But demons did not have skin that broke in pieces, acting as armor against an attack, nor did they have fur beneath the crevices of those smooth pieces of metal.

This was a man, no demon. A man who wore armor, designed to be fearsome. His sword was curved, as was the hilt, in such an odd manner.

But the way he held his sword made it all fade away. It didn't matter the shape of its blade, or the look of its mask. With one look at the way he held his sword above his head, and the stance he took, Lia could instantly tell he was a warrior.

Her mind reeled back to the times her master would lecture her on the different summons one could call, and the rankings they had in terms of power and strength. Highest to lowest is what he said.

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Warrior- class 10

Wizardry - class 9

Commander - class 8

Healer - class 7

Assassin - class 6

Morpher - class 5

Beast - class 4

Forger - class 3

Scholar - class 2

Flykers - class 1

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The classes were ranked to consider the power and might a summoned warrior from one of these classes might hold.

Given that a Warrior class summons, even at C rank, would be better than a Scholar class at A rank.

But as her master had once told her, it didn't matter the class of the summons, or how high their rank was. What mattered was the set of skills they provided, and the power that they could hold for the summoner, if used right.

An example he had given was how a Scholar class would be better in terms of strategy, rather than a Warrior class, who would simply act as a soldier.

Even her master, who was famed for having a Sea serpent, expected to be from the Beast class, was actually more of a Scholar class beast according to her master. But no one believed him when he brought up the topic, he just now keeps it to himself.

But even with all her training and expertise, Lia could not tell if this person was really a summons. He looked so real, like a warrior out of fable.

The samurai.

And what was once a tree trunk, used as a club for the ogre, was now just a splintered mess that fell to the ground in pieces.

The ogre's surprise was a sight to behold. Such a foolish and mindless monster could not comprehend just what had happened to the club he was using. While the ogre looked lost, the samurai repositioned himself, as the maniacal laughter ceased in sudden shock.

The ogre soon realized what had happened, the samurai had cut clean through the trunk, and reared forward in a sudden burst of rage. But it was too late.

By the time the ogre had even bothered to step forward and press its attack, the samurai had already readied a stance, and thrust out, bursting in sudden speed, his feet flying faster than the eye could see. And with one quick movement, the decisive blow was delivered.

A clean cut, with an even sharper blade, as it tore through flesh in such a smooth manner, Lia didn't even hear the sound of flesh as it quenched beneath the blade.

A clean chop, the leg was gone, and the ogre fell forward off its balance.

For a moment, Lia was afraid it would hit her, as it came tumbling down to her. But once again, she was proven wrong, as the samurai's speed was quick, it had already picked her up, and carried her to safety beyond the tree line, mindful of her wounds.

The ogre was out of sight now, far within the forest. The samurai, she knew, was fast but not as fast to travel in the blink of an eye.

"Um.."

Just as she was about to question the warrior, the sudden pain from her wounds hit her hard once again, and she reeled back, sucking in breath to die down the pain.

The samurai, seeing this, could be noticed to have subtly changed its aura. The warrior drew his blade once more, followed by a shorter kantana, that was about half the length of his harm.

With one decisive moment, he was gone, and Lia was all alone once again.

His speed carried him on the wind, like a hawk diving to the ground below to catch its prey. But this one was fast, faster than any summons she had ever seen.

"You alright?"

Lia whirled around to the sound of a voice.

The man behind her had snuck up, seemingly as quiet as a mouse, without her ever knowing. He had a deep voice that resonated through her ears, but that wasn't the reason she was so shocked.

The man was Cain.

He was here, right in front of her. From the darkness to the Abyss, to the light of her world, he was there, standing before him, and Lia had no idea how to act.

Surprised? Angry? Afraid?

A dozen emotions ran through her but all she could do was look at him. His dark crimson eyes shimmered in the sunlight, and his demeanor betrayed the feeling of dignity and superiority he had over her.

"H…How?"

It was all Lia could ask. With a pain seeping through her lungs, clouding her mind , and with all that had happened, she couldn't think of what else to say.

"How? Well, that's a good question."

However, instead of answering her , he simply knelt down next to her, reached out his hand, and gently touched Lia's crushed and broken leg.

"What are you -"

But Lia didn't get to finish, as the moment his hand touched her skin, her leg exploded in pain. It felt like she was being burned from the inside out, scorching her flesh and blood.

It was a searing pain that she felt coarse through her entire body, as she cried out in pain.

But, just as quickly as it came, the feeling was gone. Though Lia felt like it had been an hour, it was in fact only seconds of pain.

"Done."

What broke the silence that followed her wails was Cains, who slowly stood up, glancing down at her with a smile.

"I assume that feels better?"

To Lia, who had just gone through a torturing pain, the sound of Cain's voice did not at all help her cope. In fact, to her, it sounded like sarcasm.

"What the hell does that mean?"

Lia cried out, as she stumbled and struggled to get back on her feet. And when she did, she could hardly stand as nausea settled into her stomach and head, causing her vision to blur.

"Calm down Lia."

Cain reached out a hand to stabilize her, but she slapped it away. In her eyes he could see hatred and fury, something that caused Cain to force his smile from appearing.

"Look."

Cain pointed down at her legs, and it was then that Lia realized she was standing. Something she could never have done if her leg was in the shape it was before. But now, it looks completely healed.

There were no burns, no scars, cuts, gashes, or crushed bones. There wasn't even so much as a bruise.

"You…how-"

"If you want an explanation, then I'm afraid you'll have to wait."

Once again, before Lia could ask anything, Cain had cut her off, disregarding her for the fight that could be heard in the distance.

The sound of metal clashing against metal, and the sound of flesh being torn gave Lia the impression that someone over there was dying, and she hoped that it wasn't the samurai that had saved her.

She shook her head, clearing her mind of distractions. What mattered now was that she questioned Cain. If he was truly a friend as his healing suggested, or her enemy.

But one thing she could guess was that he was no human. People in her world did not have access to mana, but only the remnants their summons allow them to use.

And even then, if the Samurai was in fact Cain's summons, he shouldn't have been able to use healing magic. A samurai was a Warrior class, that she had no doubt.

'So just what is he?'

"If you want answers then I suggest you look down."

The sound of Cain's voice brought Lia out of her thoughts and into reality one more.

"What?"

Cain scoffed, making Lia even more frustrated. He was mocking her, this she had no doubt of.

"If you want answers to the questions you no doubt have, all you need to do is look down."

It was then, before he suddenly vanished in the blink of an eye, gone with the wind, he pointed downward at her hand.

And when Lia looked down, she nearly fainted from the sight.

There, on the backside of her palm, she could see the faint outlines of a black circle, with three other smaller circles on the inside. Between each circle however, were runes. Runes that Lia could only attest to having seen dozens and dozens of times within her master's study.

Summoning Runes.

And the undeniable pattern on her palm suggested only one thing.

'I've awoken as a summoner?'