After the fight with the demons and the witches, Aria stood on the mountain of demon corpses, looking down at her blades. She knew they were the only ones of their kind in the world, and she felt a sense of pride and power. But she also felt empty. She didn't know what to do, but all she knew was that she had to keep moving forward.
She cut through space and time, creating a small gap just large enough for her to fit her fist. She threw her blades into the gap and closed it, hiding them from the world. She walked down the mountain of corpses and started moving slowly, with no plan or destination in mind. All she knew was that she had to keep going. As she walked, memories of everyone she had lost flashed through her mind.
Overcome by exhaustion, Aria collapsed in the tall grass and fell into a deep sleep. The next morning, she opened her eyes and saw a beautiful mother dragon with two dragon babies flying beside her. She stood up and looked around. Seeing a river, she walked toward it to quench her thirst.
As she approached the water, she saw that it was dirty, not clean or healthy to drink. She put her hand in the water and chanted a single word that echoed through the forest: "Purify." As her hand glowed a soft blue, the entire river, from start to finish, glowed blue as well. Moments later, she opened her eyes in amazement. She could see everything through the water; it was cleaner than any well in the land.
Someone behind her had been watching. A bucket full of fruits fell to the ground, startling Aria. She spun around, her hand glowing purple, ready to kill whatever threat she was facing. But all she saw was a young girl and her sister standing there. Aria examined them and found that they were simply humans.
The black-haired girl approached her, her eyes shining with excitement. She took Aria's hands and said, "That... was... amazing!"
The other girl, who had green hair, also approached but was not impressed by what Aria had done. She stood with her hand on her wrist and said, "Amazing or not, what you did was beyond arrogant and stupid."
Aria was not annoyed by her statement but was curious about the reason for it. "I was only thirsty," she said. "I hadn't had a drink in days."
The green-haired girl said, "Thirsty or not, you don't just purify an entire river! Do you know how long this river is and what kind of attention it could bring?"
"Hey, Greina, back off," the black-haired girl said. "She didn't know."
Aria walked toward Greina and bowed. "I apologize if what I did will attract unwanted attention." Greina was surprised. She didn't want her to bow or apologize. "N-no need for apologizing," Greina said. "I just... sigh, never mind that."
Aria turned and looked into the pure water. "What are we going to do with the water?" she asked.
The black-haired girl began humming and walked into the water. As she entered, a blue aura surrounded her. She performed a beautiful dance in the water, and a blue, flower-like substance emerged, covering the entire river. Moments later, all the flowers that had covered the river glowed. Once the light disappeared, the water returned to being dirty.
Aria looked amused. She asked Greina, "The water... it's back to being dirty?"
"No," Greina said. "The water has been completely purified. What she did was create an illusion."
Aria looked confused. "An illusion? Elaborate further."
Greina sighed. "She put an illusion on the entire river because if other factions, let's say the Elves and humans, found out, they would go to war to control this water. Their dirty blood would cover the water and make it worse than it was before."
Aria, with her empty expression, nodded. Greina said, "Do you even have any emotions? Sigh, never mind."
The black-haired girl went back to them, still humming. With a cute expression, she said to Aria, "Your purifying skills are unique and beautiful." She held Aria's face gently and said, "I believe that with a little training, your magic is going to turn into the most beautiful of all flowers."
Aria felt nothing, but she played along.
"Let's take her to the village," Greina said. "Let the Grand Master decide."
The black-haired girl nodded, took Aria's hand, and walked into the forest. Aria thought to herself, "In order to get stronger, I need to train my magic power further. My physical strength and speed are unmatched, but to counter their attacks, I need to learn their skills. These two girls are the answer to that."
As she had that thought, the black-haired girl turned her face to Aria and smiled gently. Aria remained unfazed.
They took Aria deeper into the forest. After a while, they entered a magic barrier that was basically an illusion of a mountain cliff, making anyone who got close feel as though they would fall. After they entered the village, Aria saw many women flying on sticks and others training in flying, shooting, healing, and summoning magic. What confused Aria was that the entire village was nothing but women.
"Are they all women?" she asked. "Are there no men around here?"
The black-haired girl and Greina stopped. Their eyes went dark and empty. The black-haired girl said in a gloomy way, "What did you say? Men? I'm sorry, I don't know that word."
Greina said in a serious voice, "Never mention something so sinful around here. It's for your own good."
Aria suspected something was wrong. She remembered reading about witches in the academy who grew to hate the men of this world, especially human males. Aria's eyes grew gloomier, and she wanted to say something, but she held herself back because she was focused on getting stronger. She chose to stay quiet and nodded to them.
They returned to normal and took her to Grand Master Magia.
When they entered her palace, Aria looked around at all the luxury. She knew they hadn't created these marvels. "How did you get this?" she asked.
"Raiding human villages," Greina said.
Aria clenched her fist. "Tell me... are you both from... the northern lands?"
In the blink of an eye, the black-haired girl was beside Aria, smiling. "Why, yes, of course we are... And you happened to have our blessing, too... How beautiful."
In that moment, the flames in Aria's eyes were about to ignite, and she was ready to annihilate them both. But at that moment, the doors opened, and two female guards entered the room. Behind them was a tall lady with a long cape, wearing exotic clothes that didn't seem fit for a witch. As she looked at Aria while smoking, she sighed and told the other two witches and the guards to leave them alone.
They all left, and Aria and the witch were alone in the room.
"My name is Magia," the Grand Master said, walking in her high heels. "I am the Grand Master of the village of Westalvania." She walked around, removed her high heels, and threw them at the door. She then walked into a large closet and opened it. It was full of all kinds of clothes and boots. She took some stirrup stockings, walked to her desk, and sat on the table. She raised her leg toward Aria's face and put them on in front of her.
As she was putting on her stockings, Aria said in a serious voice, "I have a request."
"And what might that request be, dear?" Grand Master Magia asked.
"I have magic," Aria said, "and I want to get stronger."
"Really now?" Magia said. "And what do you have to offer?"
Aria said, "What do you want in return?"
"Your soul and body," Magia said. "I want to devour them and make you a part of me."
Aria was not phased by her words. "I'm not joking."
"Me neither, dear," Magia said.
"Devour means absorbing my life source," Aria said. "And what do I gain? A collar of enslavement to show everyone who my master is?" she said sarcastically.
The Grand Master laughed. "No, dear. No need for a collar. Your body will belong to me, and your life will merge with mine, becoming one mind, one life, and one strength."
Aria clenched her fist, and the flame in her eyes lit up. "I refuse. I'll see myself out of this village."
Magia teleported in front of her and said, "No need to get all serious now. That offer is something only the northern witches would accept because they value no life, not even their own." She walked back. "The northern witches have some kind of connection between them. It only works for females, though. I assume it's because their hatred for mankind is unmatched."
"What happened in the northern lands, and what kind of kingdoms are there?" Aria asked.
"The northern lands had one of the strongest empires to ever exist in our human lands," Grand Master Magia said. "They called themselves the Old Guardians. They had a hatred of their own against the non-humans and all that goes against human logic."
Grand Master Magia opened her desk drawer and took something out. She threw it to Aria, who caught it. She opened the letter, and it said, "For those who seek magic, enter thy domain."
The Grand Master said, "There is a place not far from here, and no one from around here knows about it. Go there, hand them this letter, and they shall train you to the best of their power."
"Why are you helping me?" Aria asked, confused.
Grand Master Magia crossed her legs. "Why not, dear? You wanted power, didn't you?"
"That's not my question," Aria said.
"I know you hate the witches of the North just as much as I do, dear," Magia said. "But the difference is, for once, I want this stupid conflict to come to an end. I want to enjoy my life, travel, and not be a fake ruler to such rebellious witches who ran away from the North. Ugh, those bitches."
"You mentioned something about devouring; was that also true?" Aria asked.
"What?" Magia said. "Oh, yeah, I suppose I said that. It's just a metaphor to make them believe that these rules exist in the modern witch world. So I force them to kneel and kiss my feet, worshipping me as an idol." Aria looked disgusted, but the Grand Master didn't care. "And once they degrade themselves, I put my mark on them. If one day they disobey me, they will die. Simple."
"Witches are witches no matter where they are from," Aria said.
Magia chuckled. "You know better than anyone else, dear. Now, before anyone notices, you may leave. And the day you become as strong as me, I shall grant your wish... to be alone and peaceful."
Aria knew Magia had read her mind. She took the letter and left the village unnoticed. She went to the mountain side where Magia told her to go, and when she crossed the forest, she finally found it: the City of Magic. She noticed wizards and witches flying all over the place, along with normal people who had come to learn magic. Aria was disgusted by how her own race had become slaves to magic.
She entered the city and looked around, seeing every single person using magic. Some were performing on the streets, while others were doing clinics. She looked up, and the sky was filled with witches and wizards. She looked at the letter she had and went to the Adventurers' Guild. On her way, she noticed that the city wasn't just filled with humans but a mix of all creatures: centaurians, lizardmen, goblins, demons, and angels. Aria's thoughts went to her plan: "To counter magic, I have to learn it, and now I have a bigger opportunity to learn about other creatures as well."
She proceeded to the Adventurers' Guild. When she entered, a small goblin hit her leg and ran away. Aria was not fazed. Before the goblin could go further, Aria caught him by the neck and pushed him to the ground. She saw him holding her money sack and took it away while the goblin's face was completely crushed on the ground. Everyone saw what Aria had done, but she didn't care.
The guards came on their sticks and questioned Aria, who explained what had happened. The guards were not sure if she was telling the truth, but a voice from behind Aria said, "Leave her be. Mr. Goblin is a thief, and he stole her money."
The guards stood down and took the unconscious goblin away. Aria turned around and saw a tall, big man covered in bruises and cuts. "What business are you here for?" he asked.
"Who are you?" Aria said in a serious voice.
The man chuckled. "A tough young lady, for sure. My name is Rider, and I'm the Guild Master. How can I help you?"
Aria handed him the letter. "I need to find this person in the letter. Do you know where I can find him?"
Rider looked at the letter, and his eyes widened. "Wh-where did you get this?" he asked.
"It's not important," Aria said. "All I care about is finding this person."
"He's the Royal Guardian of the Magic Order, Grand Master Wizerdon," Rider said. "You can find him in the tallest tower in the city."
She looked around and saw a tall tower glowing with magical orbs and auras she had never seen before. She thanked Rider and left.
Once she entered the tower, she saw many people performing outstanding magical attacks and tricks. She asked someone to meet the Grand Master and showed them the letter. The person took Aria to a big, tall door. The door opened, and she saw a man reading a book from the shelves. He looked exactly like the wizard who had trained and cared for her. She had a flash of his image as she saw how identical he was.
"Are you Grand Master Wizerdon?" she asked.
"And who is asking?" Wizerdon said.
"I am," she said. She got close to him and gave him the letter. He turned around, looked at Aria, and saw something strange in her. He took the letter and read it. He was shocked. "Where did you get this? No... how did you get this?"
"From Grand Master Magia," Aria said. "She said I could trust you."
"Magia... Northern witches..." Wizerdon said, annoyed. He looked at Aria and calmed down a bit. "They don't allow anyone to leave... How did you manage it without being seduced by her schemes?"
"Because she saw my hatred for them," Aria said. "Besides, my will is stronger than being seduced by a low-life witch."
The wizard was amused. "How do you see them, or what do you think of them?" he asked.
"They have a weird obsession with feet," Aria said. "I can't understand it."
Wizerdon said, "And you don't have to. These witches from the North have a great obsession with feet and other things I will not mention... But they are not alone with these weird obsessions, as other creatures have also developed these acts against humanity and other races."
"Disgusting," Aria said.
Wizerdon agreed. "If I may, I see a strong sense in you that feels familiar for some reason."
"You also look like someone I used to train with," Aria said. "His name was Wizard... and he was the Guardian of Avadoria."
Wizerdon's face turned sad as he knew who that was. He said in a low voice, "The fallen city... Where is he now?"
"Slain by demons and the witches of the North," she said. She looked at the ground with her empty eyes, and he saw how angry she was.
"What is your purpose here then?" he asked.
She looked at him with angry eyes, an expression he had never seen before. "To learn how to counter magic using physical strength," she said.
He was shocked by her request because using physical defense and attack on magic is nearly impossible. She continued, "That's why I need to learn magic. In order to counter it, I need to learn it. So help me."
The wizard nodded and patted her head, seeing the sadness in her eyes.
A few days later, he was training her with magic. He was firing all kinds of fire projectiles. Aria saw the similarities between him and the wizard she knew; she knew that this one was his brother, but she didn't say anything.
She dodged every single attack Wizerdon cast, and in the blink of an eye, she was beside him. Before he noticed, she had already made the fatal strike, her execution style: striking the neck. Once she did, he disappeared.
She was confused as she looked around. Something almost hit her from behind, but she barely dodged it. The wizard was there, sitting while smoking and laughing.
"What you were fighting was nothing but an illusion," he said. "In order to fight illusions, you need to strike hard. Don't dodge. Don't tire yourself."
"Then how do I fight it?" Aria asked.
"Throw something hard," he said. "For example, hard iron. Illusion magic can't melt or deflect thrown objects. Try it now."
He made another illusion of himself behind her, and they both started casting fire projectiles. She threw her throwing blades at one of them, and it was true—they couldn't deflect or dodge it. The second one cast his own spell, and Aria had nothing but her armor. She raised her hand to protect her face. The fire was overwhelming, but she felt nothing, as her armor was pure iron from the Adamantium steel. She moved to the right, picked up a rock, and threw it. The illusion saw her and threw another fireball. The rock hit the fireball, shattering it and making it disappear. The wizard was shocked by her attack and strength. The rock hit the illusion, and it disappeared. All of this happened, and Aria didn't even break a sweat.
Wizerdon knew that the fireball was real. He wanted to see if she could do anything against it, but he never anticipated anything like this. He clapped, impressed by her performance.
The entire week, she trained against all kinds of illusions and magic attacks. She learned to counter each one in a very short time. On the last day of her training, Wizerdon created many illusions. Some were melee, and others were ranged, along with other creatures as extras. She performed countless counter-strikes and attacks in a beautifully synchronized way.
One of the melee illusions tried to attack her from behind as she was countering a ranged magic attack. She spun around, turned to the left, and walked normally while the magic she was countering hit the one behind her. Three ranged magicians started shooting at Aria, and she dodged every single one, using only her normal speed without a magic boost. After countless strikes, the dust settled, and Aria was nowhere to be seen. She was already behind them and cut their heads off in a single strike.
There was another one attacking her from behind and one from the front. She countered the first one, breaking his blades. From the counter, she flipped her blade and struck the one behind her before he could get close. She struck his face and sliced it in half. From the attack, she continued spinning until she hit the one in front of her. In her sheer strength, she sliced him in half.
Wizerdon was shocked and amazed by her performance. She had destroyed 50 illusions identical to Wizerdon's original strength.
"You now know everything about countering," Wizerdon said. "Let me teach you about magic itself."
He took her to the library and gave her a mountain of books. "Read them," he said. The next morning, Aria had read every single one. She performed the magic she had learned, creating things that modern wizards couldn't. She summoned true birds and other animals from different worlds. She also created purple fire, the strongest fire that exists only in stars far away. She learned about immortality and growth, growing her body to be fit like an athlete. Her status changed and grew as she grew her body. She cast the immortality spell on herself without knowing that it can only be cast once.
The next day, she researched what the witch told her, but she found nothing. Wizerdon noticed her and the words she wrote. Later, he called for her to come to his office. When she arrived, he said, "I know what you have been researching... Trust me... you don't want to find out."
"What are you talking about?" Aria asked, confused.
He said the words that left Aria shocked and surprised: "Himsveia lavartos bena arctartos..."
"Then tell me," she said. "What do they mean?"
"Are you sure you wish to know?" he asked.
She nodded. Her empty eyes widened, and a small tear came from her face as she remembered the horror of what that witch had done.
He said, "Himsveia means humanity. Lavartos means death. Bena means chaos. Arctartos... means to us all. In human language, it means, 'May death consume humanity with your rage, may chaos spread wide and high with your hatred, and may you become one of us till all are one.'"
She knew that witch had cast something but never knew why. She also remembered that something had saved her from this curse. "When she cast it on me," Aria said, "something stopped whatever it was trying to enter my head. What was it?"
Wizerdon said, "The spirit of the Old One... We call them the real angels, not the ones you see, but rather something else. An entity that the Iron Age humans used to believe in. They sometimes take the form of humans, and they sometimes guide us, saving us by doing the simplest thing. But worry not, it's not gone, as I noticed its existence."
Aria nodded. "I know I have been here for only a month, but I would like to ask you something."
Wizerdon nodded.
Aria asked, "Was the Guardian of Avadoria your brother by any chance?"
Wizerdon chuckled. "Yes... he was my older brother. We learned magic together, yet we both had the same power and technique, hahaha. I miss that bastard."
"I'm sorry," Aria said.
Wizerdon motioned with his hand not to worry. "We are Guardians for a reason, and my brother had his own. I'm sure he died with pride and honor."
Aria cut through reality, made a small gap, and drew the heavenly white blade mixed with green energy—the one the wizard had. She showed him. Wizerdon's jaw dropped. "A gap in between space and time? Impossible! And this blade... oh, dear brother..."
"If you wish, you can take it," Aria said. "He dropped it in battle for me to find."
Wizerdon said in a gentle voice, "Don't worry, Miss Aria. If my brother dropped his blade, it was for a reason. Though I myself also train with blades of my own, this blade was meant for you, Aria. So take good care of it, shall you?"
Aria nodded and threw the blade back into the gap.
"What are you going to do with Magia?" she asked.
"Nothing," he said. "As long as she contains those northern witches, which is her job, I'm fine with her. But worry not, I have a plan if one day she plans to conquer this city, hahaha."
Aria's lips twitched as she tried to smile. Wizerdon noticed that and said, "Tomorrow, we shall continue our training. You may go and sleep, dear."
Aria nodded and left.