The stars shimmered like diamonds scattered across the velvet sky. The moons, glowing like an alabaster orb, cast a hauntingly serene light over the quiet land. Within a modest home tucked in the outskirts of the city, silence reigned—until a sharp knock at the door broke the stillness.
Mariola stirred in her bed, groaning. "Who in the heavens knocks at four in the morning…!?" she muttered, dragging herself from the warmth of her sheets and hastily slipping into a robe.
The knocking persisted, unrelenting.
She opened the door, only to instinctively duck as steel flashed—an elegant blade whistling past her face.
"What the hell is your problem?!" she barked, heart racing. Her eyes locked onto a woman standing tall in the moonlight—scarlet hair like wildfire, eyes burning red with unwavering intensity.
The stranger stepped forward, unflinching. "I heard Achlys and Tiabishi live here. I've come to get them."
Mariola narrowed her eyes, planting herself between the woman and the hallway so as not to let her inside, a cast-iron pan raised like a shield.
"Who are you and what do you want with my children?"
With the grace of a soldier and the respect of an old tradition, the woman placed her fist over her heart and bowed slightly. "Saria Colvani. Twenty-seventh Captain of the Loipetras Army. It's an honor to meet you, Miss Mariola."
Mariola lowered her pan, astonished.
"You're their trainer…"
Her expression softened, then bloomed into a hopeful smile as if stepping on a lottery ticket. "Will they become strong!?"
Saria's expression turned resolute. "I'll do everything in my power to make sure they do. And keep them safe." She took Mariola's hand in a firm, earnest shake.
Mariola nodded approvingly, then tilted her head. "But, why come so early?"
"I'm taking them on a training mission. A cave lies south of the city—today's lesson begins there."
Mariola's eyes twinkled. She handed over Achlys's sword and led Saria to their room. "Just... be warned. Tiabishi's not exactly a morning person."
The captain offered a smirk. "Noted."
With that, Saria entered the dim room. The soft sound of sleeping breath filled the space until her blade hit the floor with a thud. A soft incantation passed her lips. "Inferno."
The sword glowed red. Heat shimmered in the air.
Achlys groaned. "What's happening…!?"
"Glad you're awake, sleeping corpse," Saria said dryly.
Startled, Achlys jolted upright—only to awaken Tiabishi with a sharp jab in the ribs. "You dick!" she shouted, slamming her foot into his groin.
Saria winced in sympathy as Achlys crumpled, gasping, "Why do I always deserve this…?"
Tiabishi clung to him, eyeing the woman at the foot of their bed. "Why is the scary fire lady here…!?"
From the doorway, Mariola sipped her coffee and sighed. "They're being dramatic, aren't they?"
Saria nodded.
Mariola took a breath, then yelled loud enough to raise the dead. "YOU ABSOLUTE IMBECILES! WAKE UP RIGHT NOW OR YOU ARE WAKING UP IN THE GRAVEYARD!"
Silence fell like a guillotine. Achlys and Tiabishi knelt before her, eyes wide, perfectly still.
"You better behave. Or I'll give you a whooping you'll remember into your next life," she said sweetly, brandishing her pan. They nodded fervently.
Sighing, she turned and left.
The three departed as the first hints of dawn lit the horizon. At the city gates, the guards bowed low to Saria. Beyond the walls, they walked—past sunrise and into the burn of midday, until finally, at dusk, they arrived.
The cave loomed before them, bathed in eerie hues of green, blue, and red cast by the moons at their zenith.
"The cave draws power when the moons rise like this," Saria murmured. "It's when the monsters are strongest."
She conjured a fire from a pile of twigs. As flames flickered, Achlys asked, "What's the plan?"
Tiabishi leaned against him, exhausted. "Let me sleep a bit first… Elves and heat don't mix."
Saria stirred the fire. "At dawn, we enter. The creature inside won't wait forever—" Hearing their snores she realized they were already in their slumber.
"Rest as much as you can, you have a long day tomorrow."
The night passed slowly.
Hours later, rustling bushes shattered the calm.
Achlys sat up. "Candy guy? You here with snacks…?"
No answer—only a shadow. A goblin loomed over Tiabishi, its voice a guttural snarl. "Gruaaa—"
Steel sang through the night. Achlys cleaved the creature in two with a single strike.
Tiabishi jolted awake. "What the—? Thanks!"
She then promptly kicked him again.
"Why!?" he groaned, clutching himself as he stared at the twitching corpse. The strange mark on his cheek glowed, and whispers echoed in his mind.
Saria watched from afar with a faint smile, then dozed once more. But Achlys remained awake, gaze locked on the goblin's body.
When morning broke, Tiabishi yawned and sat up, her voice groggy. "Everyone still asleep…?"
She found Achlys staring blankly at the mangled goblin.
"Why are you so fixated on that corpse?" she asked.
Achlys didn't look away. "I killed without thinking. My body moved on its own…"
Saria stirred. "It was instinct. Mana reacting to danger. You'll feel it more as you grow stronger."
"But…" Achlys flexed his fingers. "It had a soul."
Tiabishi wrapped her arms around him. "You protected us. That's what matters."
Saria nodded, then tapped his head with her sword. "Let's get moving. The cave awaits."
They entered the cave with their blades drawn. Goblins fell quickly to their strikes—Achlys becoming swifter, deadlier, while Tiabishi exhaled frost with each step.
Saria watched Achlys leap off a wall, wind whistling behind him. "You ain't getting away!" His sword struck with precision, cleaving a goblin cleanly. Blue blood sprayed as he landed.
"Did I do well?" he asked, hopeful.
Saria smiled. "You're improving."
They pushed deeper.
"This mana reaction thingy, I think there is something more to it than just casting magic." Achlys noticed some small wavelengths of mana surrounding his body. "It is as if, it's covering me all over."
"Indeed, mana surrounds you like a bubble," she explained. "It senses threats. But it reacts slowly—only enough to save your life, not win a fight. It has a sloppy reaction speed, so one must train his instincts more than the mana they possess."
"I see…" Achlys still not satisfied, continued thinking.
As they dived in more, they found—
Carved into the cave wall were strange inscriptions: The Grimoire of Death. The Orb of Memory. The Sword of Emotions. The Ring of Ambition.
Achlys furrowed his brow. "By the way, I've heard of... Orders. In dreams. Since I was eight."
Saria asked to confirm if she heard it right "What!?" She froze for a second but then realized how naive they still are. "You must never speak of them again. Not even to each other. The Orders are... dangerous." Grabbing their shoulders, she pressed with concern. "Do not let anyone know about this, it is about your life."
Suddenly, a scream pierced the cavern.
Tiabishi bolted.
"Wait!" Saria shouted, but it was too late.
Around the corner, they found her in the grip of a monstrous being.
The creature was grotesque—six ears, eight eyes, and a vertical maw lined with jagged teeth.
"How graceful the gods have become, sending me an elf deep within this cave." Its breath stank of decay. "Pull out this sword! The sword of Nora is mine!" the creature screeched, tightening her grip as he ordered Tiabishi.
"Take your damn hands off her!" Achlys getting swept in his anger, roared.
"That's… an artifact," Saria gasped.
It pushed Tiabishi toward a burning blade embedded in the ground.
Saria leaped and kicked the creature right into its jaw, pushing it back. The grip loosened and Tiabishi fell from its hand.
Achlys surged forward, catching Tiabishi as Saria struck. Her blade met the monster's arm, but it barely flinched.
The battle began.
The creature widened its arm and increased the size of the hole on its back. Readying itself for an attack, it chanted. "Lights…Edge."
Beams of light rained down.
Tiabishi hugged Achlys' arm— scared, she tightened her grip.
"I'll protect you."
Achlys shielded Tiabishi with his body as explosions shattered the cave around them.
"Shield of flames!" Stabbing the ground, Saria summoned a shield to protect the both of them. "You two step back!"
The air crackled with heat, dust, and fear.
When the smoke cleared, Tiabishi noticed Achlys standing in front of her—still.
"Achlys…cough… Are you okay?" As she tapped on his shoulder, he fell— unconscious as he was— lying on the ground.
"ACHLYS!?" Tiabishi took him in her arms.
A blinding light emerged, shielding him. A voice whispered: Protect him until he wakes...
"What…?"
With no time to time to think, she fled with Achlys in her arms.
Saria battled the monster—Myogafu, it called itself—with fire and fury against an ancient evil. The creature consumed her magic, grew stronger, and summoned dozens of flaming spheres.
Saria summoned a shield but that all was for naught as the monster broke it with just a touch of his finger. It consumed the broken shield particles.
"I WILL SHOW YOU WHAT REAL POWER IS!" the creature summons hundreds of the same shield as if copying her magic but on a completely different level. To amuse himself, he summoned orbs of fire just to throw them at the shields.
The orbs bounced back from the shield and continued bouncing in all directions threatening Saria's life as she dodged every orb she could.
But that didn't last long, soon she was hit by one and got blown away— landing next to the artifact itself.
Saria grasped the artifact sword.
"YOU, HUMAN BASTARD!" the monster screamed— voice echoed through the cave.
Deafening her ears, a voice within her cried: Run!
But she stood her ground. "I will not let you have them."
Myogafu laughed as it made its way to her. "Remember my name, human."
"I will," she whispered.
Then she slashed the air, igniting a path of fire, and fled with her charges towards the exit, making her way out of the cave.