“My lady-” An androgynous voice emerged from a pillar of swirling shadows and pitch-black runes, appearing behind a young lady in a beautiful ball gown dress. The gloom of the dark hallway was only suppressed by the incandescent light of the glowing full moon.

A person in charcoal clothing that masked every inch of their skin stepped out of the shadows, their face obscured by the gloom. They kneeled on one knee and bowed their heads.

“Shadow.” The young lady said, looking at the full moon. Her back was exposed to the shadow, somewhat hidden by her long, black flowing hair. The night sky was woven like a silken tapestry, each star playing its own role in it. She couldn’t help but remember a small childhood story told by her grandmother.

The person cloaked in gloom nodded as they heard their name. This subtle movement was caught by the lady, as she turned to them.

“What do you have to report?” After a long silence, she finally spoke, her voice calm and composed, carrying an undertone of an unintelligible infernal language. To the untrained ear, it sounded as if there were two people speaking at once.

“My lady. It is no longer safe in the Kingdom of Arden.” The shadow’s voice carried a sense of dread as if they were in great pain.

“...Has the second prince made their move?” She turned around, her face covered by a featureless polished silver mask. A glass of blood-red wine was held in her delicate hands.

“Yes. I…” The Shadow hesitated, clearly in pain. “I-I have been sent to scout. There-... There  will be future incursions soon…” The shadow forced out. Beads of dark sweat dropped to the floor. “An assassination will be coming soon, for your family.”

A sigh came from the masked lady. “It seems our endeavor is doomed.” She set down her glass of wine on the balcony nearby. “Your Curse limits you to complete loyalty to the kingdom… and me. It seems that the second prince has gotten his hands on the ailing king.”

The shadow simply let out a nod, not daring to meet their lady’s eyes. “Go, inform my Husband at the First Prince’s hall. Tell him that our child has left for the East, and he should go protect her at Farwind. I will take care of the second prince.” She said, her voice carrying a hint of anger. A small spark lit in her eyes, like embers igniting dry, dead wood.

The shadow nodded, a myriad of pitch-black runes appearing around them. A pillar of dark shadows engulfed them, and with that, they were gone. The lady was alone in the room once again.

“To think the Second Prince has become this daring…” A frown appeared on her face. “No matter. The child takes priority.” She snapped her fingers, and a circle of bright white runes appeared near her. 

“Go. Take Charlotte east, to Farwind, protect her until then.” From the bright white runes, a white magic circle appeared within its volume, the figure of a beautiful human male slowly emerging from the circle. “As you wish.” The man bowed, his eyes deep and hollow. 

A gentle breeze came, and the man disappeared, no doubt carrying the orders of his esteemed lady. She sighed once again, and picked up her wine glass, drinking the rest of it in one gulp. “Let's just hope the name of the Rayne family can keep the second Prince in line…” Suddenly, her grip tightened, and her wine glass shattered into millions of tiny glass shards. Her eyes burst aflame, the embers now becoming a raging inferno “...or the name of the Witch of Crimson Flames will.”

Once the words left her mouth, her beautiful black hair seemed to catch afire, with it suddenly turning a fiery, magma red.

She glanced back out at the window and murmured. “Second prince… are you really willing to challenge me?” 

The sky was especially beautiful tonight. The stars themselves were singing the grand orchestra, led by the first Moon herself. Hundreds of thousands of twinkling little stars were embedded into the black tapestry of night, each performing their little dance. A shame that this might be the last time she’ll ever see it ever again.

…

---

“By the gods-!” Something massive crashed into the trees behind him, mere meters away. He didn’t want to know what it looked like, nor did he want to be anywhere near it. “Fuck!” He ducked as a condensed blade of energy flew right above him, where only moments ago his head was. 

Dead leaves, twigs, and litter cracked beneath his feet as he ran crazily through the jungles. 

He was crazy. He should’ve known better. The Devil’s valley wasn’t given its name without a godsdamn reason! No matter the reward, nothing was worth more than his life!

Another condensed energy blade flew, crashing and toppling a tree to his left. Splinters and pieces of the tree flew in every direction, some pummelling his tunic.

He cursed again, barely catching his balance. If only he had his sword…

He still remembered when they were attacked by these creatures. In the dead of the night, their caravan was ambushed by hundreds of these things, horrifying amalgamations of man and beast. They resembled black, shadowy panthers with human faces and 6 arachnoid legs, its face contorted into a permanent sneer. Deceptively soft fur covered their bodies. He knew better than to touch one though, seeing how one of his men was instantly skewered by it.

He didn’t know how they were able to cast condensed energy blades, but he rather not get close enough to find out. Dodging another blade which exploded once it arced into the ground, he fell through the shrubbery and into a familiar-looking clearing.

A line of broken caravans dotted the clearing, an extinguished campfire sitting in the middle. Dried blood stained everything, corpses and body parts once belonging to his friends and comrades were scattered haphazardly across the clearing. 

Fuck. He had just circled around back here!

Another energy blade soared over him and he dove and rolled forward, the missed energy blade beheading a half-eaten corpse and the bloodied carriage behind it. A cloud of splinters and dirt exploded upwards as he ran towards the other side of the carriage.

He can’t keep this up. Sooner or later, something had to give. His stamina, or the monstrosity chasing him.

And he was pretty sure it was his stamina first.

Now halfway across the clearing, he hurriedly scanned his eyes for anything he could use as a weapon. Seeing that not a single blade emerged unscathed from the past struggle, he grit his teeth as he pushed his legs even further, ignoring the pain that felt like liquid fire was circulating within.

Suddenly, through the corner of his eye, he caught sight of an Ivory white color in the mound of brown dirt and splintered wood. 

He hesitated for a second. Should he make a gamble, continue running, or uncover whatever had that Ivory sheen?

The beast gave him no room to decide, however, as yet another energy blade coursed forward. The man cursed, and jumped sideways, leaping into the destroyed carriage, his bloodied fingers digging through the cloth and wood to grab the item.

Once he did, his legs groaned as they were forced to continue carrying his weight.

The man glanced downwards, at the item in his hands. It was a sword. More precisely, it was a sword within a beautifully decorated scabbard.

‘YES!’ Years of swordsmanship led to this moment! He sensed the monstrosity behind him and continued to run. He needed the extra distance and preparation. Placing the sword and scabbard by his hip, he stomped his right foot forward on the ground, and twisted his body a full 180 degrees, pulling the sword out. 

The silvery white steel extended for a full 75 centimeters, and the hideous glint of cold steel glinted under the sunlight peeking through the canopied jungle roof.

‘Light!’ He thought. He couldn’t even feel his hand as he moved it in an arc. The next moment, the man was showered with black blood, covering his entire frame. The lifeless body of the monstrosity that was relentlessly chasing him just moments prior crashed lifelessly against the soft Jungle floor.

‘...what?’ Just like that? A Black Ranked beast gone with a single slash? He subconsciously looked back down at the blade. Was it just him… or was the eerie blade glowing?

‘What?’

Davis shuddered, remembering similar words when he obtained his first Curse at the age of 14. Curses were given to the lucky, the ability to wield powerful skills and magics, at the cost of having a price. 

Not all Curses were made equal, and sometimes the ‘price’ simply outweighed the Curse’s value. ‘Price’ was what the owner had to pay in return for any Curse. The scrolls determined the ‘Price’, and it could range anywhere from relatively insignificant to terrifying.

‘Shit… Will it force me to eat more? I barely have any food left on me!’ He quickly glanced at the dead monstrosity at his feet and swallowed his saliva. There was no way he was eating that thing either. 

Davis’s face fell. He got his wish, but at what cost? At least it wasn’t that bad… he just didn't have to draw his blade unless absolutely necessary, right?

“...” Davis didn’t know how to feel. His emotions were akin to a boat in a heavy storm, constantly heaving up and down, switching between moods. In the end, he decided to laugh with joy.

“AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!” He cackled maniacally, silencing the natural noises of the jungle. He didn’t understand the full scale of it, but he was more than a hundred percent certain that he had picked up a treasure. Davis held up the sword and admired it. It was of eastern descent, a Tachi. Silvery, moon-like metal made up the blade, the entire length of the blade stretching for some ¾’s of a meter, with a slight curve to it.

Several lines were carved into the middle, alongside delicate etchings that painted a beautiful, scenery of the full moon. At the base of the sword, a cryptic insignia of a Hammer paired with a 7-sided star. Smaller runes were written underneath the star, but Davis couldn’t translate them.

His laughter was suddenly interrupted as he doubled over in pain. “GODS!” He groaned. The pain was coming from everywhere, radiating from his core outwards. It was pain unlike anything he have ever felt before, a chronic pain that closest resembles being flayed while lemon was being squeezed over every wound. Except throughout the entire body, including his bones and organs.

Davis’s fingers trembled as he shakily sheathed the blade, breathing an instant sigh of relief as the pain disappeared. So that was what it felt like…

Beads of cold sweat dropped from his forehead. He would rather never feel that pain again. 

‘Shit-...’ Unless absolutely necessary, he would never unsheathe that accursed sword.

“Fuck…” He struggled to his feet when suddenly he heard a low growl. Then another one. And another. And another.

Soon, his instincts told him that he was surrounded on every side by the same monstrosity that had chased him relentlessly. It seems that its dead corpse had attracted the attention of its brethren. 

“Haaa…The goddess of disaster is surely smiling on me…” With a self-pitying chuckle, he flinched as he unsheathed the blade once again, the silvery steel of moonlight extended for the full 75 centimeters. At the very least, he will get Aether as consolation.