The wind howled through the forest shrouded in murky mist, bringing with it a cold, razor-sharp breeze. The murmur of running water and the sounds of animals and birds composed a lively — and strangely solemn — soundtrack. The cracking of branches broken by the force of the wind brings an unsettling tension to the environment. Dry leaves dance beneath the feet of a young woman. The sound of steel cutting the air echoes through the trees, with a precise rhythm. Launching firm, disciplined blows, reverberating even from a distance, where vision is completely obscured by the density of the mist.
No name was given to her. She was called only Eighteen.
Long dark hair, peach-colored skin, with a slight blush on her cheeks and the tip of her nose. Reddish lips, soft and delicate. Her face had small, discreet marks, scars from her brutal routine. Her light-colored eyes hid a disturbing depth, full of sadness and anguish from the weight in her hands. When she paused her movements, her gaze wandered to the horizon, as if searching for a time she had never lived.
On the palm of her right hand, a mark shone faintly under the moonlight. That sign linked her to the Bloodstain, the Sacred Weapon, the ultimate symbol of resistance against the Demon King. Those marked by this stigma did not live for themselves: they were born to fight, die and be immortalized in the memory of others.
The Bloodstain was more than a weapon, it was almost a divinity. It was not only capable of killing demons, it devoured them. Absorbing their souls and purifying them, thus bringing them the just punishment for their sins. It protected the bearer from the corruption of darkness, from the souls eating and was the only key to crossing the mystical barrier of the Infernal Valley. However, the sword, in a mysterious way, was the one who chose its bearer.
When a hero died, the Bloodstain resurfaced on its stone altar. Its brightness shone and its chosen ones knew what they should do. There was no way to refuse the call, for the chosen one's life was directly intertwined with Bloodstain.
The mark on his hand burned and glowed. The cycle had begun anew. His time had come.
Separated from her parents as a baby. Isolated from the world. Trained and shaped for her destiny, Eighteen knew only this world.
Growing up being cared for by hooded priestesses who never showed their faces. She had never seen a face, except her own reflected in puddles or in fragments of broken mirror. She remembers once, looking through the cracks in the sanctuary wall, seeing the profile of a man. She had never seen a man before. Even if it had been just for an instant, she could not forget it. It marked her much more than her scars.
But today was a different day from the others. After all the years of isolation, the iron gate of the monastery would be opened. The feeling of anxiety could no longer be contained.
The priestesses prepared her. They dressed her in ceremonial clothes, a bag with provisions. They also gave her a broadsword and a map. And for the first time in her life, the great gate was opened before her, and Eighteen crossed the threshold and felt as if she were being born for the second time.
Seven days of travel. Cold, rain, wind. Silence permeated the empty roads. It was as if nature itself was paving the way for the chosen one. The only things that broke the silence were the trotting and neighing of the horse, her only company and animals that sometimes appeared. And finally, the "temple", which was more like a damp and dull cave, hidden in the middle of the forest, was found.
No golden columns or celestial chants. Just cold and silent rocks.
Was this the right place? Or was fate, once again, playing with her expectations? Incessantly reviewing the references, there was no doubt that this was the place.
With a lamp in hand, she entered. In this limited space, each step echoed far away. But then, a sound... someone else's footsteps?
"Who's there?" Eighteen asked, holding a broadsword in her hand.
"I should be the one asking… Who would enter a place like this, alone, little girl?"
A hoarse, drawn-out voice answered her. A shapeless silhouette was sneaking behind the rocks, hidden in the darkness. Growing, watching, approaching, without revealing itself.
"Could it be you? Hihihihi… Master said it wouldn't take long. Only 5 springs? How fast… What will I gain when I kill you?"
A thin, skeletal hand, black as a burnt branch, reached out to her.
By reflex, she attacked.
Nothing. Her sword didn't even cause a scratch. The narrow space also hindered her mobility.
The cold that had previously come from the wind was now born from within. Her legs gave way for a moment, her chest heaved, the sword had never felt so heavy. She didn't know what it was called, she only knew that she wanted to run away from there immediately. But it wasn't.
"Delicious… Your emotions… How lucky. This is going to be fun."
Even in this situation, hope still shone stubbornly, albeit fragile.
She wouldn't run away.
Her destiny was waiting for her just ahead… she wouldn't give up here.
Running into the cave, she planned to outwit the monster. Since she had memorized the entire labyrinth and the traps in it, she could use this knowledge to get to Bloodstain. With the power of the sword, she could finish off the monster.
The labyrinth was not only complex, but also full of traps to keep looters and monsters away. Only with the map was it possible to escape and reach the chamber.
Following the path without looking back or resting, she ran until her legs couldn't take it anymore. Reaching a fork, she stopped and looked to see if she was being followed. No sign of the monster. However, a bad feeling still hung over her.
Walking through the place, she found the door that led to the Sacred Sword. It was a gigantic door with inscriptions on it. It read: "what gives meaning to everything."
The door wouldn't budge, no matter how hard she pushed. It was obvious that she had to understand the riddle in order to get through.
Beside it was a drawing of a person, dressed in ceremonial clothes, with a frightening mask covering his face. In the drawing, the man was pointing in a certain direction.
Eighteen hesitated. Just for a moment.
Then she took a deep breath and followed the direction indicated.
This part of the cave wasn't on the map, so she didn't know where she was going. The path didn't have any branches.
After walking for a while, she found a wider space. But when she looked more closely, she noticed something. She had been here before, just a few minutes ago. She was back at the door that wouldn't open.
"This has to be a joke!"
She had been walking in circles.
"Did you miss me?"
A voice whispered in her ear. The feeling that had taken hold of her before returned. It was the being that had found her before.
Turning around, a tall, skeletal-looking being with a smile on his face was crouched down, watching.
With black skin, like a tree and roots growing from his feet, it was clearly a monster that he had come across in his research. A Tree Demon.
It was a lesser demon, but that didn't mean it wasn't dangerous. In fact, it was deadly. Living in cemeteries and damp places, it used its appearance to imitate a tree, tricking travelers into getting lost, feeding on their feelings of anguish until they died.
It was a cruel being that enjoyed seeing people suffer and was there with the purpose of not letting the next chosen one reach the Sacred Weapon.
In the past, many chosen ones were killed by lesser demons when they were still children, so there was careful work to keep them a secret until their turn came.
Without much thought, the girl drew her sword and struck a powerful blow. Her broadsword was very heavy, but she had practiced all her life, so she could swing it easily. However, the sword didn't have much effect. Even though she was skilled and strong, demons are resistant to blows from non-magical weapons. And that was the case with her. Without a magical artifact, there wasn't much she could do against him. Even so, she continued to strike.
*Blam*
With a wave of his arm, the demon threw the girl against the wall, as if it were nothing.
The sword had stuck itself into what seemed to be the demon's shoulder, but it wouldn't be enough to defeat him.
"Hey little thing, you're strong! A sword like that shouldn't even scratch me."
He pulled the sword out of his shoulder, where a bit of dark liquid dripped out. Then he threw the sword towards the girl. The sword stuck itself into the wall, a few inches from her head. The demon was purposely provoking her.
"Come on, little thing. I want to see what you can do."
Despite all her training, Eighteen had never been in real combat before. Taking a blow during a fight was much more painful than she thought. It was different from being hit by a priestess or a punch in the stomach. Her legs began to shake much more than before and her hands were sweating incessantly. Her vision blurred and she couldn't breathe normally,
"Calm down. Fuuu. You can get through this."
Slapping her face, she tried to calm herself down and think. Even so, Eighteen couldn't believe the difference in strength between them. It was too unfair a difference. But, she still believed that she could somehow win.
(There must be some weakness in this thing.) she thought.
Taking her sword, she once again began to attack the demon, who did not dodge her attacks. He waited for the girl to move and counterattacked.
Over and over again. She dodged the demon's attacks with difficulty, especially since her vision was obscured by the lack of light. Her lamp had broken in the first attack she suffered.
But then, the inevitable happened.
*Blam*
The sword stuck in again and the demon was able to land a clean blow.
The force of this one was greater than the previous ones, destroying the armor the girl was wearing.
She was thrown many meters away, going through the door.
Inside a chamber illuminated by a large beam of light coming from the ceiling, there was a rusty sword, stuck in a stone altar. The girl had no doubt what it was.
Gathering strength to stand up, she staggered towards the sword. She stuck her hands on it and tried to pull it out, but she lacked strength.
"Well well. I thought I had made a mistake, but it seems you are not strong enough. I think it is better to wait for the next one."
Without responding to the provocation, the young woman continued to try to pull out the sword. Then the demon, treacherously, attacked her from behind, throwing her away from the sword.
"You will not pull it out. You are nothing more than a worthless little thing that I need to get rid of. I will slowly finish you off."
"Shut your filthy mouth!"
For the first time, a scream of anger came out of her mouth. She had never, in her entire life, raised her voice to anyone. Never disobeyed anyone. Never spoke her feelings to anyone.
But there, from the demon that was playing with its prey, she found the strength to scream.
"Shut up! Stop saying that I can't do it! It's not you who decides who I am!"
The demon was confused. Was she delirious? But her eyes were different from before.
Previously, the girl had been covered in fear and indecision. Despite her courage, she lacked confidence in herself.
She was physically strong, but her emotions wavered. But now, her eyes burned with determination and anger.
"You filthy little girl, don't look at me like that! Weak! Useless! The first thing I'm going to do is rip out those eyes, then use your guts to hang you!"
The demon became angry and attacked her with all his strength. However, unlike before, she did not close her eyes in fear of being hit. She kept them wide open, dodging the powerful attack. However, her left eye was pierced. It was too fast a blow to escape unharmed.
Rolling towards the sword that was stuck in her, she pulled it out. This time, determined, she had the strength to pull it out of the stone.
"What? It's not possible!"
With the sword in her hands, she felt something different. It was lighter than it looked. It was very rusty. She felt that there was something wrong with it, it didn't feel like the sword she was used to using.
The demon immediately attacked her with its most powerful attack.
The girl then raised the sword in her hands to block the attack. However, the blow not only hit the girl, but went through and broke the sword in half.
She had never experienced such acute pain as she did now. Her mind began to fade, as if she was about to faint.
With a mortal wound and her only hope, the supposed Holy Sword broken in half, the girl's determination also shattered.
According to legend, the spirit of the last wielder would guide her. The sword, when wielded, would flood her with ancestral memories and strength, making her capable of defeating demons.
However, there was no guide, there was no strength. It was just an old, rusty, and now broken sword, hidden in a dark cave.
"Hyaahahahahahaha! You little shit! See, you're nothingeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!"
The demon then kicked her away violently. He struck her several times, causing many injuries and tearing off her left foot and two fingers on her right hand.
Grabbing her by the neck, he lifted her up to eye level. Her wounds were bleeding profusely, especially the hole in her belly.
"I said I was going to rip your eyes out. Now all that's left is this one. Then I'm going to split you in half. Ahhhhhh!"
When the demon threatened to pierce the girl's right eye, she grabbed the sword that was still stuck in the demon, along with the broken sword that she hadn't let go of to rip off the hand that was holding it.
Since she had hit him many times in the same spot, it was enough to get rid of his blow. However…
Screaming in fury, the demon attacked her, throwing the already weakened girl into the wall again.
This time, she could hear the sound of her bones being crushed by the impact and knew that her end was near.
(Scream your name.)
A thought appeared in her mind, almost like a dream. Was it a hallucination because she was on the verge of death?
But she still didn't want to give up, not here, not now.
Get the Bloodstain meant everything to her, not only the "honor" of being its bearer, but also her freedom. It was her only chance. Therefore, she could not hesitate, she could not weaken, she could not fear.
Even if it was futile, she wanted to believe in her own strength. To believe that everything she had been through was not in vain.
Remembering that, when she left the monastery, she felt as if she was being born again, so she should stop being called by a mere number. She chose a name for herself. From now on, she would no longer fear any enemy or trial.
"My name is not little thing, nor girl, nor Eighteen! I am SERENA!!!"
It was not for the devil. It was for the world. It was for the echoes of the cave, for the faceless priestesses, for the destiny she did not choose. "I am someone. I exist."
Raising her broken sword, she then shouted her new name. At that moment, the sword shone brightly.
The small stone, which was attached to the sword, radiated this light. Ever since she entered the cave, holding the sword, she felt that something was wrong. Her determination did not stop growing.
The demon, once confident, now displayed a cautious demeanor. He knew she was the chosen one, but he believed he could easily kill her before she reached the chamber. How did the sword just appear before her?
"You… no! I won't let you!"
Running fiercely, the smaller demon threw stakes at Serena at great speed. But his projectiles disappeared into the light and smoke.
When the light dissipated, Serena was there, unharmed. Her previously fatal wounds were gone. Her broken sword had transformed into a scepter, which emanated a powerful magical aura.
Even though she had focused her efforts on fencing skills and dedicated little time to studying magical arts, just by looking at the demon she knew that she was facing an almost incomprehensible being.
"What kind of monster are you? This doesn't make sense."
Looking at her hands, covered in flames, which protected her from the Tree Demon's attack, she felt no pain.
Her mind was at peace, like she had never experienced before.
The demon attacked again, seeking to hit her from behind, like the last time.
Serena's hand rose, launching a fire attack without her having to cast it. It was as if her body knew exactly what to do.
The demon was incredulous. Something like this was not supposed to be possible. Humans cannot cast spells without prior incantation. This is complete insanity.
"I'm sorry... but I don't have time to waste on you."
"You little thing, how dare you look down on me. I'll..."
As the demon raged, Serena spoke calmly. Pointing her scepter at the demon, who was trying to attack. Before he could even finish his words, a beam of light burst through the room.
In a blink of an eye, the tree demon was on the ground, its chest completely split open by the flame magic that had struck it.
As soon as this happened, Serena fell to her knees. All that powerful aura disappeared and she returned to normal.
(What was that?)
She asked herself.
(Is this the Bloodstain? Shouldn't it be a sword?)
Bloodstain reacts to its host. It guides him to be who he was meant to be. It carries ancestral memories of its former bearers.
"That voice. Was it a memory?"
She didn't know, but it saved her. Now she had proven herself worthy of wielding the legendary weapon, the Bloodstain Sacred Scepter…
"Why a scepter? I don't like magic~!"
Serena muttered sadly. Even though everything had gone well in the end, there was still something out of place. Her memories were jumbled.
However, she had no time to think too much, for this was the beginning of her journey for the fate of the world.