Moments before the earthquake.
In a nearby village, a lively revel filled the tavern. A group of mages from two rival guilds had assembled beneath its roof. Though set against one another by name, their rivalry was not marred by spite but guided by honour and a shared sense of fairness.
At one end of the hall, amidst fair maidens and tables heavy with food and drink, sat the stubborn master of the Comet Guild—Aiden Maelgnir. A cup rested in his hand as laughter rang freely around him. At his side stood his loyal subordinates, among them his right hand, the Mirage Witch, Eltrish Campbell.
Opposite him sat his sworn rival—the very image of contrast—the master of the Legend Guild, the renowned Godric Heimfinger. Alone at his table, he quietly sipped green tea, his every motion composed and deliberate. His subordinates, seated not far from him, indulged in the feast, yet none dared intrude upon his solitude.
"Hey, Mister Lonely!" Aiden called out, his tone openly provoking. "What are you doing over there all by yourself? You should loosen up from time to time! Look at the ladies—they're all here for us. Am I right, ladies?"
"Yeah!" they answered, smiling as a faint blush coloured their cheeks.
Godric offered no reply. He paid them no heed; his attention fixed solely upon the quiet savour of his tea. Aiden, however, was not one to yield so easily and pressed on with renewed fervour.
"Aren't you going to say something? Don't tell me you're scared of women? Would you like some tips? There's no need to be shy, you know. We may be rivals, but first and foremost, we're friends. Ladies, would you give him a chance?" he teased.
"Why not!?" they chimed. "He's the famous Lord of the Storms, after all!"
"But I'm famous too!" Aiden shot to his feet in a sudden burst of pride, climbing atop the table as though it were a stage.
"Throughout the land of Utopia, I'm known as the greatest mage—some even call me the Flame God! This prick is nothing compared to me. I'm the mightiest!" he boasted.
His guildmates and the women alike raised their voices in cheers and applause, their praise swelling his arrogance as he basked in it. Yet a single voice cut through the clamour and brought him sharply back to earth.
"You are rather the god of fools," Godric said calmly.
The words struck true, pricking Aiden's pride.
Silence fell at once. One by one, the members of the Comet Guild turned their gaze toward their master, awaiting his reaction, well aware of the temper that smouldered beneath his bravado.
"What did you say?" Aiden demanded, his teeth clenched as anger stirred to life. "Say that again if you're a man."
Godric let out a quiet sigh, a trace of weariness crossing his features. He despised repeating himself. To a man who took pride in his intellect, such a thing felt beneath him—as though his words lacked the clarity to be understood the first time.
"Are you deaf? Besides, I'm far better with the ladies than you are. The reason I sit alone is that I value my personal space. You, on the other hand, are merely a second option. Hmph… pathetic," Godric said nonchalantly, turning his gaze away as though Aiden were no longer worth his attention.
At once, the members of the Legend Guild burst into laughter, their mirth unrestrained.
"The master is unmatched when it comes to insults!"
"He really called him a second option!"
Aiden's expression darkened. Such humiliation was not something his pride—or his station as guild master—could endure.
"It's easier to speak than to act! How about we put that to the test and see who the real fool is?" he shot back.
Mana began to surge from his body, a visible pressure swelling around him as his subordinates stepped forward in silent support.
"To resort to violence as a means of solving disputes is folly," Godric replied calmly. "But it is the only language fools like you seem to understand. If beating sense into you is what it takes, then so be it."
As his words fell, mana likewise poured from him, steady and imposing, his guild rising as one behind him.
Panic rippled through the tavern. The women and patrons fled in haste, chairs scraping and voices rising in alarm, while the tavern keeper hurriedly gathered his belongings.
"Things are getting out of hand! Let's leave before we're caught in it!" he cried.
Soon, only the two guilds remained.
The two masters stood facing one another, their gazes locked with fierce intent, their irises faintly aglow as their mana surged and clashed in the air between them.
"The first to lose consciousness or admit defeat loses," Aiden declared, a wide, eager grin spreading across his face. "And the loser grants the winner anything he desires. Do we have terms?"
"We have terms," Godric answered, his voice steady—yet carrying the same rising excitement as his rival.
Steel rang as both sides unsheathed their weapons, the sharp hiss of metal cutting through the air. At their masters' signal, they surged forward. Blades met, spells ignited, and the two guilds clashed in a fierce uproar, their leaders joining the fray without hesitation.
Then, A thunderous roar echoed across the land.
All movement faltered. The sound had not come from their clash.
Before anyone could trace its source, the earth itself trembled.
A violent earthquake struck, tearing through the ground beneath them. Balance was lost in an instant, and friend and foe alike were thrown to the floor, bodies colliding in the chaos.
"What was that!?" they cried out.
Yet it did not end there.
As they struggled to rise and regain their footing, another force swept over them—no wave of water, but a suffocating tide of presence. Ominous and vast, it bore down upon them, pressing into their very beings, instilling fear… and demanding submission.
"What the hell is this aura!?" Aiden exclaimed, his voice laced with both excitement and caution.
Gron, Godric's right hand and confidant, glanced down at the compass in his grasp. Its needle spun wildly in every direction, refusing to settle.
"Master!" he called. "My compass is reacting—it's picking up something abnormal. Something strange is approaching us… slowly, but surely!"
"Tch." Godric clicked his tongue, his gaze sharpening. "The villagers come first. Go—ensure their safety. Prioritize the women and children," he commanded.
"Yes, sir!!" the members of the Legend Guild answered in unison, already scattering to carry out their orders.
Aiden was quick to act as well, unwilling to fall behind his rival.
"What are you all standing around for!? Do you want them to steal the spotlight?" he barked. "Move your asses! And make sure you save more villagers than them!"
"Right away, boss! Sorry, boss!!" they shouted, hastening off without delay.
With the tavern emptied, only the two guild masters remained.
"Come with me, Aiden!" Godric called as he made for his horse.
"Shut the hell up! Don't order me around!" Aiden snapped, yet followed without further protest.
The two men mounted and rode at full gallop, leaving the village behind. Only when they had gained sufficient distance did they pull on the reins and halt. Dismounting, they stood side by side, their senses sharpening as they felt it—
A presence, drawing nearer. Slow… but undeniable.
"Someone is approaching. Stay on your guard," Godric warned.
"Don't state the obvious. I'm not a child," Aiden replied, clearly irritated by his rival's composure.
They waited in tense silence, every instinct alert, the air itself growing heavy with anticipation. Suddenly—
A voice echoed within their minds.
Its tone carried the fury of storms and the crashing wrath of raging seas.
"Don't get in the way. Move!"
"Telepathy? Hey, Godric… did you hear that?" Aiden asked, gripping his head in surprise.
"Of course," Godric answered, his gaze narrowing. "Telepathy alone is already a rare skill—but to reach multiple minds at such a distance… that is no ordinary feat. Whatever approaches us is no common threat."
The voice returned, sharper this time, edged with impatience.
"Do you not value your life? Out of my way. No one shall stand between me and my destiny."
Neither man moved. They stood their ground.
"Don't blame me for what happens next," the voice concluded.
At the end of that declaration, a sudden burst of ferocious winds erupted from the approaching menace, surging forward with savage force and tearing through everything in its path.
"Godric!!" Aiden shouted.
"I know!" Godric answered.
Drawing upon their power as one, the two combined their mana, raising a barrier against the raging current. The violent gale crashed against it, howling in resistance, before finally dispersing into nothingness.
But it was far from over.
For the presence was no longer approaching—It was already upon them.
In the blink of an eye, instinct took hold. Aiden shoved Godric aside and met the assault head-on, his mana-clad arm colliding against a blood-stained blade.
The impact rang out. And in that instant, he saw her.
"A woman!?" he exclaimed, caught off guard.
Indeed—a woman; The fallen princess.
"Do you have a problem with that?" she replied coldly.
He was given neither the time nor the chance to answer.
With overwhelming force, she struck him—sending him hurtling away. His body crashed through several houses in succession before disappearing.
"Aiden… lost a contest of strength?" Godric thought, astonishment flickering beneath his composed exterior.
Yet he did not rush in blindly.
Godric was a man who sought reason above all. He did not act on impulse or emotion, for he believed that all beings, no matter their nature, were driven by purpose.
And so, he chose words over force.
"Who are you? Where do you come from? I have never seen you before… and you are not listed within the official records of mages."
Victoria met his gaze in silence. Unmoving. Unyielding.
Her only answer—Was nothing.
Then—A thunderous crash broke the stillness.
Aiden burst forth from the wreckage, landing before them in a storm of debris. Minor wounds marked his body, yet his expression held no anger… no frustration.
Instead, He smiled.
And something was unsettling in it. The passion for battle.
"Stop asking dumb questions, Godric! An enemy is an enemy!" Aiden began, rolling his shoulders as he loosened his limbs. "Dead men tell no tales! Whoever she is, wherever she comes from—if I crush her here and now, none of it will matter, will it?" he added with a grin.
"Just admit you want to test your strength against hers," Godric sighed.
"Nah… it's more than that. She sent a big guy like me flying like I was nothing. My ego took a hit. I need to fix that."
As he spoke, flames began to gather around his body, flickering and growing with each step he took forward.
"Very well, if that is your wish," Godric replied, his tone calm. "But do not disgrace yourself. You are already a fool—if you become a clown as well, it would be far too demeaning to call you my rival."
With that, he leapt away, granting them space.
"Just shut up and watch the best! Twin Ember!" Aiden roared, a wide grin spreading across his face.
The blazing mana he had released surged toward his arm, gathering into his fist and forearm, condensing into a dense, searing mass of heat.
Across from him, Victoria raised her sword, her entire body enveloped in a steady, overwhelming aura.
"Let's go!"
Aiden launched himself forward at once, his battle cry echoing as he closed the distance in a flash. His fist came crashing down, wreathed in roaring flames. Victoria met the strike with the flat of her blade—
But the force proved too great.
She was hurled backward, crashing through the land and forest beyond, trees splintering in her wake. Aiden gave her no time to recover.
"Firefly!"
At his command, a swarm of blazing, insect-like embers formed around him—dozens upon dozens—each pulsing with volatile energy. With a sharp motion, he sent them surging toward Victoria, the air hissing as they flew, ready to erupt upon impact.
The fallen princess shifted into an instinctive stance, anchoring her feet firmly against the earth. With remarkable physical prowess, she deflected every one of the incoming Fireflies, scattering them into the air where they detonated in a chain of explosions on all sides.
By forcing her to remain within that confined space, Aiden seized his opening.
He descended like a falling comet, his both flaming fists crashing down upon her like a Warhammer.
Once again, Victoria met the strike with the flat of her blade.
The impact was monstrous. A crack ran through the sword, and the ground beneath them caved inward, a shockwave blasting everything in the vicinity apart.
"I always considered violent women to lack elegance. Don't you agree?" Aiden asked with a grin.
"Who cares what you think?" she shot back.
"Touché!" he replied, pressing down harder, forcing her further into the cratered earth.
Finally, it happened. Victoria's blade shattered.
Aiden landed lightly upon the ground.
Now disarmed, the fallen princess did not retreat. Instead, she mirrored her opponent. Her weapon was gone—but her body remained.
She became the weapon.
Her senses sharpened to an extreme, every movement refined under absolute focus. Mana surged through her frame as she reinforced her fists and arms, replicating Aiden's method. In an instant, she stepped into close combat.
The two clashed.
Fist against fist. Arm against arm.
Blocking, jabbing, evading, elbowing, feinting, shifting footwork—each exchange a blur of violence and precision.
Aiden employed everything at his disposal, fusing martial skill with magic in relentless succession. Yet, as the battle prolonged, something unsettling became clear.
The fallen princess was adapting.
Improving.
Refining herself with every exchange.
"Is this a joke?" he thought, grit tightening his jaw. "Her movement makes this obvious. She has no formal training in magic or hand-to-hand combat… It's like fighting a wild beast that relies purely on instinct. What kind of power does she possess to withstand someone of my level?" Sweat traced down his face as the realization settled in—heavy and unwelcome.
At the village's entrance, Godric stood waiting as members of both the Legend and Comet Guilds finally regrouped.
"Master, the villagers are safe!" Gron reported.
"Good," Godric replied.
"Where is our master!?" Eltrish asked, confusion tightening her voice.
"He is fighting the enemy," Godric answered calmly.
"Are you saying you left him alone to face that strange presence we all felt!?" she shouted at him.
Godric's gaze sharpened.
"Are you implying your guild master is not strong enough to defend himself?" he asked, his voice low and piercing.
Eltrish flinched, stepping back instinctively. Her companions did the same.
Godric exhaled slightly, easing the pressure in his stare.
"Do not misunderstand. Aiden may be my rival, but he is also like a brother to me. I would never stand by and watch him walk to his death. He will do what is necessary… trust him."
His words settled over them like a final verdict.
As they stood waiting for Aiden's return, something tore through the air and slammed violently into the ground before them.
"What's that!?" several voices cried out.
It was Aiden—on his knees, coughing up blood.
"Master!!" the Comet Guild members shouted, rushing to his side.
"I was careless!" he admitted between ragged breaths.
In the distance, Victoria emerged once more. Her body was regenerating, steam rising from her skin in faint waves. She spat the remaining blood in her mouth onto the ground, her gaze fixed coldly upon them.
Across Aiden's body, strange, ancient-like markings began to glow as he forced himself back to his feet.
"I'm going all out this time," he said, blood still trickling from his mouth. "I won't underestimate her again."
"Don't use your artifact," Godric said, stepping forward. He raised his sword toward the sky. "I'll immobilize her. Cast that spell you bragged about last time. Let's see if it truly holds the power you claim."
Aiden smirked at the suggestion and began to channel his mana.
Above Victoria, dark clouds gathered in an instant. She was given no time to react, no space to understand what was unfolding.
"Bolt of Taranis!"
Godric brought his blade down from the sky toward her, and at once, a tempestuous lightning bolt descended upon the fallen princess.
The strike did not end in a single impact.
It became a sustained torrent of divine lightning, raging and unrelenting as it consumed her and tore through the surrounding land.
Victoria screamed in pain—her voice piercing, almost deafening beneath the storm.
"Now!" Godric signalled.
Aiden leapt into the air, gathering the vast mana he had accumulated…..
"Comet!"
He unleashed a colossal fireball, descending upon Victoria like a divine judgment.
At that moment, it would not have been an exaggeration to say the fallen princess was in hell itself.
She screamed in agony as flames and lightning tore through her flesh, rending skin and bone alike. It was a torment she would not have wished upon anyone—except Helios, of course.
Yet still, she regenerated repeatedly, her awakened body desperately clinging to life, refusing to yield.
Then—A voice, too deep to be feminine, too distorted to be human, erupted from the fallen princess's throat. It was raw rage—pure frustration and wrath given sound.
"What is wrong with you people!? Why are you blocking my way!?"
The force of it made them all clamp their hands over their ears, fearing their eardrums would rupture.
"Why do you stand against me!? Are you defending him!? Do not interfere where you do not belong! I must kill him! No one will deny me my vengeance!! You… wait… I will kill you, Helios!!"
Her roar shook the air itself.
Her body convulsed violently. The sclera of her eyes darkened, and an otherworldly, pitch-black mana erupted from her like a catastrophe unleashed.
Aiden and Godric's combined spells were forcibly dispersed.
The wind itself trembled. The sky seemed to fracture under the pressure.
"What is she!?" Godric asked, shock breaking through his composure.
He was not alone in that realization.
"You see? I told you," Aiden said, grinning despite the imminent danger. "We can't afford to hold back. She's the real deal."
Gathering an immense surge of mana, Victoria drove her fist into the ground.
A minor earthquake erupted on impact.
The earth trembled, dust exploding upward in a thick cloud that swallowed the battlefield. In an instant, all visibility was lost, and balance was stolen from beneath their feet.
"She's trying to blind us!" Godric added sharply.
"Stay on your guard! Keep your eyes open!" Aiden commanded.
Within the dense veil of dust, Victoria moved.
Swift. Silent. Ruthless.
Like a shadow tearing through the storm, she struck from within the obscurity—each blow precise, brutal, and efficient—knocking out guild members scattered across the field.
Realizing her intent, Aiden and Godric sprang upward at once, channelling mana to disperse the dust with a coordinated spell.
But it was a fatal miscalculation.
As the dust was torn apart, they revealed themselves midair—And so did she.
At point-blank range.
Victoria hovered there waiting, already above them, her palms extended toward their faces, her gaze cold and murderous.
They froze. They had not anticipated her arrival.
Caught completely exposed, with no room to evade, they poured every ounce of mana into reinforcing their bodies, bracing themselves for a strike they were not even certain they could survive.
And then—someone intervened.
Between the three of them, in an instant that defied perception, a woman appeared.
She was beautiful—unreal in her presence.
Silver hair flowed around her like a quiet current of moonlight. Her skin was light-toned and refined, smooth like polished porcelain untouched by time. Each of her eyes bore a different hue—one azure, the other emerald—both shimmering with an otherworldly clarity. Her attire, elegant and unconventional, seemed to reflect the uniqueness of her very existence.
She moved slowly, almost unnaturally so, as though the laws of nature did not apply to her at all.
Her smile was gentle. Her gaze… dangerously captivating, enough to ensnare the soul of anyone who met it.
With a graceful motion that mirrored the softness of her expression, she brushed Victoria's arms aside as though it were nothing more than drifting dust, shielding Aiden and Godric effortlessly. Then, lifting her index, she lightly touched the fallen princess on the forehead.
"Good night," she said softly.
At the sound of her voice, Victoria's eyes slowly closed.
The woman caught her in her arms, drawing the unconscious princess close and resting her head against her chest as though soothing a child. In moments, Victoria's fierce presence dissolved into peaceful slumber.
"Grand Master!!" Aiden and Godric both exclaimed in shock, recognizing her instantly.
Their reaction was only natural.
For the being who now hovered before them was none other than the legendary, unclassified witch—
Titigueti Aristovelli, the strongest of this era.