Ezram and Montelia
The kingdoms of the lesser humans—at least, that's what the game called them. In this world, many different creatures existed: elves, Kaleeds, dwarves, sea nymphs, vampires, wolf-kin, and dragons.
The reason the world wasn't plunged into absolute chaos was solely because of the dragons, who maintained the fragile peace among these races. That didn't mean squabbles didn't occur from time to time, even internally. After all, there were two types of humans—lesser and higher.
Ezram and Montelia belonged to the lesser humans, while Albion was the domain of the higher humans. Well, it wasn't quite that simple. Albion held that title only because most of its people were inexplicably stronger than those from the other kingdoms. They claimed it was because they were descendants of a god—though no one really knew for sure. That didn't mean individuals from other kingdoms couldn't surpass them. No, it simply meant that people from Albion had a stronger starting point in the world of Ascension. But what was a little head start without the effort to keep moving forward?
Still, the notion persisted, and the discrimination was most evident within the Arcane Legacy.
The academy—owned and operated by dragons—was the ultimate institution of learning. All races competed for a place within its hallowed halls. It was the apex of knowledge, the cradle of legends. It was where future heroes were born—yes, heroes.
You see, gods existed in this world, but they didn't rule just one. No, they presided over many. And there came a time when the gods grew bored… and decided to play games.
The Arcane Legacy was built for one purpose: to raise warriors who would face heroes from other worlds in battles to save their own. It had happened before—and it would happen again.
Crackle.
"Haah…"
Anna's eyes shot open, the first thing she saw was the night sky.
"Huh?" she frowned, confusion settling in. She tried to move—
Pain.
"Kyaa!" she screamed, agony lancing through her body.
"Can you not attract ether beasts?" a voice said coolly.
She turned her head and saw a young man calmly eating roasted rabbit.
"You…" she whispered.
Then her eyes widened as the memories slammed back into her.
Her spatial ring.
The healing potions.
She looked down—and there, on his finger, was her ring.
"My ring… give it back," she growled, gritting her teeth as pain surged with every movement.
"Hm?" he tilted his head slightly. "It seems you still don't understand the gravity of the situation," he said, thoughtfully stroking his chin.
"I don't know what you did to me," she hissed. "But if you don't give me back my ring right now, I WILL MELT YOUR BONES!"
Her eyes flared with a fierce blue glow.
He stared at her for a long moment.
And then, it returned.
Dread.
"Stop breathing."
The moment the words left his lips, her body responded.
"KYAAAAAAAAAAA!"
She felt as if her body had caught fire. The pain was unlike anything she had ever known. Even the broken bones trembling under her weight couldn't compare.
Her body wasn't cutting off her breath.
It was forcing her to stop breathing.
But—how could she? She'd die!
The torment continued, growing in intensity. Her mind was being torn apart, her body writhing, squirming, trembling violently. She cried out, sometimes managing to hold her breath—only to gasp a moment later, causing another wave of searing pain from her fractured bones.
"Noisy," he muttered calmly.
He picked up his well-earned sticks of roasted rabbit, securing them to the side of his trousers—new clothes, likely meant for someone named Auston, pulled from her own ring.
With great effort, he climbed a nearby tree, settling on a branch and watching her writhe, scream, and sob like a child. He had never seen her cry before—so the pain must have been considerable.
"Good," he murmured.
There was no satisfaction in his voice. No gloating. No triumph.
Only cold, chilling indifference.
He let his legs hang off the branch and stared through the leaves at the pale moon above, quietly scheming his next move.
"Hm," he hummed to himself. "The North Pole it is."
He closed his eyes, resting against the tree trunk, and fell asleep.
Below him, the girl was still in the throes of torment.
"HELP! PLEASE! UGH! AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"