She had to fight.
These were the words that echoed through her head. A sharp pain rung throughout her entire body, having laid dormant for over three hundred years, she was out of touch.
"H-hey, c'mon.."
The goblin rushes forward, its arm raising to the air, bloodlust pouring out of it's mana. The voice in her mind once again seemingly called out, a cold whisper she was incapable of recognizing. it called out again. Louder, telling her, urging her, demanding her, even.
"Move!"
She couldn't understand who she was hearing, but her body moved without her command. She dashes out of the way, a path seems to form in her eyes, it leads from her blade to the goblin. Following the path, she slashes exactly where she saw. She had slashed the goblin's side, cutting deep into it. It tumbles back, its red eyes glowing fiercely in the darkness of the dungeon.
"What was that..?"
She shakes her head, focusing on the fight. This was no time to be thinking about what or why, what mattered was winning. The goblin rushed back in, slashing from the side. She jumps back, barely avoiding the slash. She stumbled back from the weakness of reawakening. If her body kept dragging itself along, she would lose for sure. A faint feeling forms in her chest, at the same time, The System opened beside her, displaying a new page.
-------------------------------
{System}
[Passives]
[Soul Flame - LV.1]
[Solace Series - Mas.1]
[Skills]
[Soul Ignition - LV.2]
-------------------------------
"Shit-.. Use Skill: Soul Ignition!"
As she calls out those words, the sword she had picked up earlier burst into a deep blue flame. The flame carries a familiar feeling as it coats itself around the blade, but that isn't something she could focus on right now. The goblin doesn't hesitate to rush ahead again. This time, something within Maya had changed upon feeling the flames of her own soul. She rushes forwards, the goblin slashes from the side again. Instead of retreating back, Maya drops to the ground, sliding below it. As the goblin stumbles forwards from its missed attack, she quickly takes advantage of this. Maya raises her sword, the Soul Flame burning brighter as she brings the blade down, slashing the goblin down the middle. It was dead, The soul flame not only damaged its body, but its soul as well. After a few seconds, The System's screen appears once again.
-------------------------------
{System}
[Rewards]
[Defeated Goblin]
[+25 XP][+1 Cloth][+0.5 Soul]
[LV 1][25/100]
-------------------------------
Maya falls back, now laying on the ground, she looks up at the System's Screen. She was tired, after over three hundred years, the first action she was forced to take was a fight. Now resting, she was given a chance to think. One question took over her mind as quickly as it had come before.
"Who was that.. Hey, are you there?! Whoever that was-!"
She was met with nothing but silence. Her calls out were completely in vain, as to who or what called out to her, that isn't something she'd be able to find out just laying around. She forced herself to stand, enduring her exhaustion. It made no sense to her, this location, the System, and why she couldn't remember anything. Nothing was adding up, It was a miracle she even remembered her own name.
Now having a chance to rest, she looks at the sword she had picked up, It's blade seemed like it was coated with a faint blue aura. Despite being found on the ground, She felt an odd attachment to the weapon.
She continued to roam forward, this place she had woken up in seemed almost endless, there was no other signs of life. Being surrounded by nothing other than the cold air and dark halls, it was a depressing feeling. She kept walking, the lingering feeling in her chest that seemingly appeared from The System started to ache more.
"Really thinkin' about it, It's strange. There was just one Goblin, don't they usually stick in groups?"
Maya puts her hand on her chest, the aching starting to sting. She keeps walking, trying to ignore it. Her legs start to grow numb, causing her to collapse. She hears the snickering of goblins behind her. They approach her with a look of bloodlust. Maya looks to one of their hands, one was holding a blowgun. She began to think to herself with anger
"How did I not see that, I'm better than that.. No- That can't be my concern right now..!"
Without her awareness, a flare of Mana shot out of her due to the distress in her body. She starts to try & crawl away, However the goblin's were easily faster. One holding a dagger jumps forwards, stabbing down at her. Maya closes her eyes, bracing for the pain. A sharp howl of wind tears past the area, the goblin falling to the ground in two pieces. A calm voice echoes out through the tunnel.
"My sincere apology for being late, I happened in the area, so it seems I was lucky enough there. Are you alright?"
"U-uh.... Yeah, I'm fine, Just numbed from some sort of paralysis.."
A man with bright winter blue hair walks forward. He glares ahead, a goblin that had been sneaking closer jumped back, screeching with fear. Maya looks closer at the man, she notices his sword is sheathed, yet he had cut a goblin in half.
"Hey, how'd you cut that goblin..? Your sword is still sheathed.."
"It was nothing, really. I simply slashed with my hand, These goblins aren't strong enough to unsheathe my blade for."
"You cut them, with your... HAND!?"
Maya stares at the man with awe and inspiration, Her eyes shining with excitement. He smiles softly, chuckling to himself at Maya's joy.
"It's a fairly easy to master skill. Allow me to introduce myself, I am Aurelion Van Astella. My position stands as the current Sword Saint of Myrium."
"Maya.. I'm Maya."
"Maya, how did you get here? Those clothes, Fashion like that has not been utilized in hundreds of years. I must ask, what is your surname?"
"Sur... name..? What's that.."
"My name is Aurelion Van Astella, my Surname, or Family name, is Astella."
"If that's what it is, Solace, It's Maya Solace."
"Solace, what a strange.. That cannot be, I have read of that clan, but they were completely eradicated years ago.. There is only knowledge of their existence within the Astella Library.. Maya Solace, I must ask again. How did you get here?"
"Eradicated..? What are you talking about.."
He looks at her with a sorrowful face. While he was still curious of her arrival, her comfort and care was more important.
"That Clan, The Solace Clan. They have not been around for over three hundred years, the reasoning was never figured out, but-"
He was cut off by her suddenly speaking, a cold voice broke through her silence.
"It's my fault.."
Her eyes seemingly filled with fear and sorrow near instantly. Tears began to flow down her face, her breath growing more panicked.
"I-If I'd just listened to Dad... Then.. Then... They never would have came..."
"Miss Solace, what are you saying?"
"Dad.. M-Mom... a-and..."
The complete realization sets in, her family was dead. Yet there seemed to be one thing- or, person that she couldn't remember.
"They're gone..!"
She begins to break down into uncontrollable sobbing, her cries echoed throughout the cold depths of the dungeon. Aurelion crouches down, offering his hand to carry Maya.
"I know it's hard, my dear.. Please come with me, I'll get you out of here. I will take you somewhere safe."
Maya, still sobbing, reaches out to him. He picks her up, carrying her out of the dungeon. No monster within the dark halls dared to approach him, even a mindless being could sense how dangerous he was. After some time of traversing seemingly endless halls, The two break away into the sunlight of a new world. Maya looks up through her now soft crying at the bright sun she hadn't seen for over three hundred years. She stares up with a shine in her eyes, something had changed within her, despite her sadness, an overwhelming feeling of relief had built up inside of her.
"Aurelion, was it..?"
"Yes, that was my name. Do you need something, Maya?"
As the two kept walking, she asks with a shy tone in her voice, she was clearly nervous about her situation.
"W-what year is it.?"
"A strange thing to ask, It's currently the year 1866."
"I-it's that far..? It's been Three Hundred and Twenty Six years..."
"Hm? What is it you speak of?"
"I woke up in that dungeon today.. My last memories, It was three hundred twenty six years ago, In 1540.."
"Miss Maya, you have nowhere to go, do you."
"Nope.. None at all."
"You can stay at the Astella Family Domain for now, then. It's a rather nice place."
"Are you sure.. Isn't that a fancy place..? I'm not fit to be somewhere like that.."
She looks up at him with a sincere gaze, she felt rude to intrude, despite being offered. Her previous sadness of Ardun and Ferns passing seemingly faded away. She wasn't ignoring it, rather it seemed to vanish from her mind, as if the burden was taken by another.
"Miss Maya, I wouldn't offer if I was not sure, okay?"
Aurelion smiles at Maya, his face brought a strange sense of comfort to Maya, Something about his aura just gave off a calming presence.
"I-if you say so.."
After some time of them walking, his pace begins to slow. She looks ahead to a giant building, It was unlike anything she had seen before. White marble walls, golden lining all over, anybody would assume it belonged to a Royal Family.
"Hey- Is this that domain thing you were talkin' about..?"
"Indeed, This is the Astella Family Domain. In truth, though, It's nothing more than a home and training grounds for my family."
"This is incredible.. I've never seen anything like it.."
Maya looks around with awe, her eyes full of wonder like she had happened upon an untouched gold mine. She darted around. looking and admiring everything around her.
An older man walks beside Aurelion, laughing loudly. He resembles Aurelion, except for the fact that he was clearly aged. He pats Aurelion's back, an excited smirk plastered onto his face. The two look ahead at Maya running around with excitement.
"Who's the brat, Aurelion! She's full of life, actin' like she's never seen the outside before!"
"Father, I wasn't expecting you to be home. This child, I found her in a dungeon calling out for help. She claimed her last name was that of Solace. I sense no lies within her, that name is lost to history as well.."
"A Solace Girl? How fortunate! It ain't makin' sense though, those folks died out hundreds of years ago."
"She seems to have been transported through time, that or she was within a powerful Time Stasis. Regardless of the situation, I've decided to take her into my care, I'll train her alongside Elionas."
"Are you sure you're prepared for that burden? Training a future Sword Saint alone is hard work, Takin' in another student, is that something you can handle, boy?"
"Nothing can say for sure, I just know she has nothing else here. As Myrium's Sword Saint, It is my duty to protect and assist any in need, she fits that category."
"You're a good kid, Your mother would be proud. So very proud.."
"Thank you, Father.."
He smiles softly, looking ahead with a clear slight pain in his eyes. His mother was a sensitive topic. Weirdly enough, Maya's joy bringing a strange sense of calm to him.
"I ought to get goin', If this is your wish, train her well, Lio."
"I will, By the Dragon's Honor."
Roderan waves as he walks off into the Domain's inner area, His aura slowly fades as he makes his exit. Maya runs back up to Aurelion, excitement still glowing in her young eyes, a new sense of life blooming in her.
"Hey! Can we go inside now? I wanna see it!"
"Yes yes, of course. We'll get going now."
An amused look seeps onto his face as the two start walking.
"I'm glad to see you in such a great mood, Miss Maya."
"Maya is fine, Y'ain't need to speak all formally.. I'm not one for that kinda stuff."
"Alright, Maya it is, then."
After walking the span of the building, they arrive at a door in the far right of the building. As Aurelion opens it, a giant room, roughly the size of Maya's entire house made itself seen. Maya's eyes light up with amazement and confusion, she quickly turns her head to Aurelion, an open mouthed smile seemingly stuck on her face.
"Is this my room!? It's huge!! You've gotta be messin', there's no way this is where 'm staying!"
"This is the guest room of the Astella Domain, feel free to stay your length, There is plenty to eat, the Library is not far from here. Head straight south, you cannot miss it."
"Hey uh, one more question. Do you know anything about "The System" thing..?"
"The System? Yes, I believe Systic Crystal's were much more scarce in your time. It's a well more common thing these days."
"What about this..?"
Maya puts her hand forward, that dim glow appearing on her palm as her Status appears in front of her. She points towards the bold text displaying "[Bio-Trait: Rollback]" .
"Bio-Trait.. That's strange, I recall having heard something like that before. I believe a Bio-Trait is the results of a Trait being forced into a User via experimentation.. But your Era, there's no way experimentation like that existed yet.. If you would like, Maya, I can have a team look into it."
"Yes! Please.. That would be appreciated.."
She bows her head to Aurelion, with her rather rough personality, it was easy to tell she was trying hard to be formal and proper as thanks.
"You needn't force yourself, I understand you are thankful. Please take your time to get used to this place, Call out for me if you may need anything."
He closes his eyes, smiling softly to her before making his way out. Now sitting alone in the room, Maya falls back onto the bed, sighing loudly.
"This feels nice.. A bed again."
Maya closes her eyes, falling asleep near instantly. Her exhaustion was clear, Maya's body was worn down beyond belief. Her being able to stand for longer than 5 seconds alone was no less than a miracle.
After some time, Maya awakens, finding herself in a now unfamiliar location. It was cold, almost freezing. Darkness enshrouded the space around her. That feeling of emptiness coiled within her like a sickness, the silence started to turn uncomfortable, despite how briefly she had been here. Maya stood up, attempting to move forward. Yet the ground sunk with each step, preventing her from making any notable progress.
She falls to the ground, sinking deeper and deeper with each ounce of struggle. In a desperate plea, she opens her mouth to scream out, yet no sound seems to escape. As she sinks further, her movement grows stagnant, flowing down at a slow pace. That darkness seems to fill her body, her mind, even her soul. Even more, she was unaware of what that darkness even was, why it felt this way, what it means. Beneath her, the ground opens up, dropping her into a gray forest. As she lays on the ground, three figures walk towards her. Maya lifts herself up enough to look at their faces, as her eyes locked onto theirs, a wave of confusion yet familiarity washed over her. Their faces appeared to be blank, she couldn't recognize them at all. One thought occurred in her head, looping repeatedly.
"Who are these people?"
That was all she could manage to think, not what they were, why they were here, just who. The largest figure, clearly an adult male, began to speak. As his mouth opened, once again, no sound escaped. It felt so familiar, why did it feel so familiar, who are these people, why do I feel this way when I see them, why does it hurt so bad, Maya couldn't understand why the sight of these unfamiliar faces hurt to look at. Before she could process the situation, tears began to roll down her face. As she tried to observe the figures closer, their presence grew more distant, leaving her sight. Maya's mind burst forth a thought, her eyes widened with fear. The single thought rang through her head. That was her family. Yet, their voices, their faces, even their names.
"I forgot it, all of it.."
Her voice was coarse, the realization hit her with the force enough to make her burst into tears. Yet it still remained quiet, her cries of pain fell onto deaf ears. Her shaky hands rose to hold her head, tears fell into the seemingly endless void below her. She knew those figures to be her parents, yet the third, who was that younger one. That was the question she had to herself, unaware of who it was, she felt they were important, but she could only remember her parents existed, not what they looked like, who they were, any of that. She looks over to a tree, forcing herself up, she starts to walk slowly towards it. As she stands before the tree, she grabs hit, winding her head back with closed eyes. She swings forward, her head bashing into the rough bark of the tree, a slow stream of blood trickling down her face, it felt warm. She repeated the action with one purpose, escaping this pain in her heart. With the fifth strike everything went black.
She jolted up out of her bed. Everything that had happened was in her head, yet it felt so real.
"Why. Why can't I remember them.."
She looks down at her shaking hands, the feeling of dried tears on her face. This feeling was dread, she couldn't understand it. The System's screen appeared in front of her. With tired eyes, she slowly looks up to the screen.
-------------------------------
{System}
[Quest]
[Past Memories]
[Learn Your Past: 0/1]
[Recall Lost Faces: 0/3]
[Discover Your Purpose 0/1]
[Rewards]
[XP - 1,500,000]
[Soul Mastery +25]
[Solace Clan Technique]
[???]
[Accept? Y/N]
-------------------------------
"A quest... Sure, yeah..."
She reaches forwards, softly pressing the Yes option before falling back onto the bed. She was tired, too tired to concern herself with something like a quest. Maya would finally rest, properly this time.
-Chapter Four: END-