Ten Years Ago - The Last Peaceful Time
The lush forest near a small village was filled with children's laughter. Two small figures ran between the trees illuminated by morning sunlight, chasing wild rabbits with boundless enthusiasm.
"Got it! I got it!" shouted a small brown-haired girl—Kim—while hugging the white rabbit she had just caught. Her face beamed with happiness. "Big sister, look! This rabbit is so cute!"
She rubbed her cheek against the rabbit's soft fur. "Its hug is warm, hihi!"
Her sibling, a girl almost the same age, smiled gently seeing her sister's joy. "That rabbit is indeed beautiful, Kim. Just like you."
Kim laughed cheerfully, spinning around while carrying the rabbit. The world felt perfect at that moment—nothing to fear, nothing to worry about.
But that happiness didn't last long.
Suddenly, black smoke billowed high from the direction of their village. The sounds of screaming and destruction echoed in the peaceful morning air.
Kim turned, her cheerful eyes turning confused and afraid. "What's happening there, Sister? Why is there smoke?"
Her sister stared toward the village with a face filled with worry. Her instinct screamed that something very bad was happening.
"I don't know, Kim. But we have to get there quickly!" She grabbed her sister's hand. "Papa and Mama might be in danger!"
---
They ran as fast as their legs could carry them, Kim's hand held tightly by her sister. The white rabbit fell and ran back to the forest, but Kim no longer cared.
Upon reaching the village outskirts, a horrifying sight greeted their eyes.
Monsters resembling giant wolves, two-headed bears, and other inexplicable creatures were tearing down houses. Villagers ran in panic, screaming in fear amid the extraordinary chaos.
"Kim, to the house! Quickly!" her sister commanded, trying to sound calm though her heart was beating very fast.
"Sister, I'm scared..." Kim trembled, tears beginning to flow. "Those monsters... are terrifying..."
"Hold my hand tightly. We'll be alright, I promise," her sister said, though she herself wasn't sure of her promise.
They ran through the crowd of panicked people, trying to reach their home. But a group of small monsters noticed the two children's presence and began chasing with gleaming fangs.
Sharp claws nearly snatched Kim's head when—
WHOOOOSH!
A blaze of fire shot from the distance, finishing off the monsters in one strike. Ash and dust scattered.
A woman emerged from behind the smoke, her aura blazing like living flames. Her hair was bright red, her eyes sharp yet full of concern.
"Are you both alright?" she asked, her voice firm yet warm.
Her sister nodded quickly, still in shock. "Y-yes, thank you! Who are you?"
"I'm Saphira," the woman answered, small flames still dancing around her hands. "I'll clear out the monsters here. You find a safe place, now!"
Without waiting for an answer, Saphira leaped into the midst of the monster horde, fire burning everything she passed.
---
Her sister pulled Kim and ran toward their house at the edge of the village. Hope still existed—maybe their parents were safe, maybe they were hiding inside the house.
But when they opened the door...
Both children froze.
Their parents lay on the floor, lifeless bodies in pools of blood. Wounds from monster claws and fangs were clearly visible on their bodies.
"PAPA! MAMA!" Kim ran toward them, sobbing. "Why did this happen? Why won't you wake up?"
She hugged her mother's cold body, hoping the warmth of her embrace could wake her mother. "Mama, I'm scared... wake up, please wake up..."
Her sister stood frozen at the doorway, tears flowing heavily. Her world collapsed in an instant. That morning they were still laughing together in the forest, and now...
With trembling steps, she approached Kim and hugged her tightly. They cried together beside their parents' corpses, while the sounds of destruction continued to echo outside.
---
On the other side of country, the chaos was escalating. Monsters came in endless waves, destroying everything they passed.
Suddenly, a storm wind roared with incredible force. A large tornado formed and struck the monster horde, lifting them high before throwing them to the ground.
A silver-haired man—Loid—stood on a house roof, sharp blue eyes surveying the battlefield.
From below, a brown-haired man shouted to him. "Loid, can you hold the monsters in this area?"
"Leave it to me, Parli!" Loid answered with a voice full of confidence.
Parli nodded. "To the east there's the roar of a large monster. I'll go there with the others!"
Loid moved both his hands, creating several small tornadoes spinning around him. Monsters were sucked into the wind vortex and torn apart.
"Too easy," he muttered with a grin.
But monsters kept coming from the forest in unimaginable numbers. Hundreds, thousands. Loid began to be overwhelmed.
"Damn, they're endless!" he hissed, sweat beginning to pour.
Loid's eyes swept around and saw several villagers still trapped in burning houses. They screamed for help.
A crazy idea appeared in his head.
With an expression turning cold, he raised both hands high. A giant wind vortex formed above the village, sucking all the air and oxygen in a wide radius.
The monsters began to choke and fall. But along with that, the screams of trapped villagers were heard from inside the houses.
"Help! I can't breathe!"
"Someone help us!"
"My children are still inside!"
Loid heard those screams, but his face showed no remorse at all. He even grinned.
"Tch, turns out there are still some people in this area." His eyes turned very cold. "So be it. Your sacrifice will be remembered as part of our victory."
He continued maintaining the wind vortex until all the monsters—and several civilians—died from suffocation.
---
Meanwhile, on the eastern side of the village, Parli arrived at the location of the large monster's roar. There, two of his companions were already involved in a fierce battle.
Zenya, a purple-haired woman with electric-flashing eyes, was dodging the claws of a giant creature resembling a two-headed lion. Beside her, Ranga with a darkness aura surrounding him tried to attack from blind spots.
"Zenya! Ranga! Are you both okay?" Parli shouted while running closer.
"Tch, this monster is fast even though its body is as big as a house!" Zenya complained, gasping from constant dodging.
"Parli, can you hold this monster's movement for a moment?" Ranga asked, red eyes glowing in the darkness.
Parli nodded, stamping the ground hard. Large stone pillars emerged from underground, trying to bind the giant monster's legs and body.
But the creature destroyed all the stone bindings easily, with one claw swing.
"Looks like simple tricks won't work," Parli muttered, getting serious.
Zenya looked at both her companions, then activated her Divine Mark. Lightning shimmered around her entire body, eyes shining bright blue like lightning.
Ranga wasn't to be outdone. He summoned seven wolf shadows from the darkness, eyes glowing red full of killing intent.
"Let's end this!" Parli shouted.
On that day, the 'heroes' were born.
But also on that day, seeds of hatred began to grow in the hearts of some who lost everything.
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TO BE CONTINUED...