Children, aged 10 to 12, were hitting a girl, 7 years old, dressed in rags, wounded all over. " Get up and give us some entertainment little girl. " they taunted her who was tired and collapsed on the ground. Her eyes were coloured in despair. She closed them and left a heavy breath. Then, she opened them, only this time, they were filled with anger and determination.
Standing up, she flexed her muscles like she wasn't wounded all over and exhausted at all. " Ho! so you want some more. " came a boy as he was teasing her. Just as he was about to hit her though, she narrowly avoided his punch and gave him one in the gut, knocking him over. His body bent in a v shape and flew, hitting a tree and collapsing, almost lifeless, onto the ground.
" What!!! " the children, shocked, fell on their butts, then ran away screaming. " So weak, couldn't handle an ordinary punch. " Aria shook her almost numb arm as she scolded herself for no reason. " I am dressed in rags and filthy. I should go to the house after I wash this blood away at least. " Walking to the edge of the pond nearby, she watched her face, cute and young.
" Hmm, not bad, I guess I am about 7 to 8 years old now. No wonder I am weak. " sololiquing for a while, Aria walked back to her village, empty-handed. She was in the forest to collect herbs but encountered these delinquents and got beaten. She could not continue collecting in her weak state after all. Returning to her village, she saw the carnage that was unfolding itself.
A huge, wolf-like monster was destroying her village and killing the villagers. A spark of anger was lit in her head. In her anger, she almost failed to see the golden glow emanating from her body. The glow started around the edge of her fingers and then coated her arm until her elbow like a hair-thin gauntlet. She appeared near the monster's head in an instant, like magic, and broke its neck like a twig, with her fingers. She then promptly collapsed due to sheer exhaustion.
After three days,
Aria woke up with a groggy head in a dusty bed. " Aria!!! " shouting so, a couple embraced her. " Mama, papa, I am fine. " " I am glad you are safe. " Aria's parents smiled at her. " Mama, aren't you scared of me? I killed a huge monster in a gory way. " " Aria is Aria. why would mama and papa be scared? Even if you killed a monster or become a cruel psychopath, mama and papa will always be with you. " " Mama!! " Aria sobbed, touched by her parents' affection.
At night, Aria walked outside her home and sat under a tree in her backyard. A small, metallic card in her hand shone for a while. Aria sighed, after a glance at it. It read;
Name: Aria
Age: 07
Gender: female
Species/Race: Spirit[Fairy] (Bloodline currently under suppression)
Dantain nature: Light (Attribute yet to be awakened)
Species-specific characteristics: immortality (Currently suppressed), the astral body (currently suppressed)
Titles: The lost spirit, the lonely child
Profession: none
Quirks:
1. Light manipulation [beginner level]
2. Body fortification [advanced level]
3. Personality switch [precision level] [3 personalities]
4. Thread weaving art [advanced level]
Physical skills: Flexibility [level 5], Martial artist [advanced level]
Criminal record: none
Title bonuses: Charm [level 5], Nature's friend [level 5] (currently suppressed), Empathy
(Author note: Yes, you guessed it. It was Sarcony.)
The moment she felt something off with her teacher's attack, she pulled Mo'er and the leader and fell back. But, she failed to escape as the skill swallowed her along with them as well. When she woke up, she was on the ground, beaten by the delinquents, pain all over her body. Other than her thread weaving art and her personality switch, she lost all of her skills and titles.
Using the body fortification, she defeated the boy and the wolf, but the price of overexertion was three days of coma-like sleep. She carefully assessed her chakra and found it increased due to super-compensation, but still pitiably low, when compared to her real self.
Aria returned to her bed and slept peacefully. The next morning, she woke up by a bird chirp. She started jogging after fresh up. THIS BODY IS NOT AS FREE AND ATHLETIC AS MINE. THE AMOUNT OF CHAKRA IS LIMITED AS WELL. I HAVE TO WORK HARD TO INCREASE MY STAMINA AND STRENGTH. Thought Aria as she ran past the curious villagers.
Returning home, she was greeted by an odd situation. Aria's heroic act of defeating the monster wasn't unnoticed. The son of the Duke was informed of this impossible fact by his spies. He immediately set off to find this girl and ended up talking to her parents. Owing to his upbringing, he tried to convince them to send Aria with him but as they refused, he ordered his soldiers to capture them. That's when Aria returned home and stepped in.
Aria spoke, " Why are you threatening my parents? " Under ordinary circumstances, this would have been brushed off as a joke, but with the horrendous amount of aura she gave off, it wasn't funny anymore. Aria's threat worked, but, in a wrong way. " Soldiers, arrest this arrogant girl who dares speak against the duke's son. " The soldiers moved in at their captain's order to arrest her while her parents pleaded for them to be arrested in her stead.
But instead of screaming in fear, or paralyzing on the spot, the girl simply challenged the soldiers and broke their bones along with their pride. The brawl ended in 5 minutes with Aria slightly wounded and exhausted. The duke's son wasn't fazed by this. " Hmm, you wouldn't have been able to kill the wolf monster if you aren't this strong. I guess I have to step in. "
<
~~Clap~~ An old man in his seventies walked towards the glaring Aria and the duke's son while clapping his hands. " Excellent job. As expected from the girl loved by the spirits. " He glared at the man for fighting instead of convincing. The Duke's son was angry but couldn't do anything as the old man's authority exceeded even his father's.
Crushed by humiliation, he left while cursing at the old man. The old man then walked towards Aria and spoke, " Girl loved by the spirits, I am Gustov, an Archmage working under the king. I would love to take you and your family to the Imperial city and introduce you to the king. I am sure he will be delighted to find such a gifted child. " He had a benign smile on his face.
" My name is Aria, sir. " Aria grumbled. " Oh! Aria, what a lovely name. So, sir, would you allow me to introduce your daughter to the king? " " Respected Archmage sir, I am but a lowly peasant, it is a great honour for us to even speak to you. But, as this issue concerns my daughter's future, I humbly request you to state the reason for this sudden benevolence. "
" Oh! I am sorry, I almost forgot. You see, we were travelling all over the country hunting the monsters whose activities have grown lately. I hope you know the excessive shortage of strong warriors like the mages and the like. Seeing a little girl barely 8 defeat a fully grown wolf monster with mage craft astounded me. I could see enormous potential in her. So, I wanted to take her to the king and get his permission to take her as an apprentice. " Aria's parents discussed for a while and decided that Aria learning mage craft might help and agreed to Gustov's request.
Arch-Mage Gustov led the caravan of twenty knights and Aria's family to the Imperial city. In the journey, Gustov and Aria had to eliminate a group of bandits, monsters that attacked the caravan on their own volition and an assassin who tried to kill Gustov while impersonating a knight but was found by Aria, who was on guard and promptly silenced by Gustov.
Gustov was honestly impressed by Aria's performance, decisiveness and her growth via constant battles. She was an excellent support to Gustov who was a mage of slow but powerful chants. She kept the enemies at bay, giving him the time to chant his spells and obliterate them. He was careful in aiming his spells to avoid friendly fire, yet, Aria's impeccable timing in retreating from the front lines was flawless. He barely had to expend any concentration to avoid harming Aria.
At the imperial city, Aria finally revealed her childish side, skipping in joy while holding her parents' hands, asking for sweets and in general, smiling at everyone. She was fascinated by the beauty of the Imperial city. They retired in Gustov's mansion to rest for the night. Gustov took them to the Royal palace the next day after their travel exhaustion was swept away.
" Gustov, I am happy that you returned safely. " The king greeted Gustov as an acquaintance rather than a subject. " Your majesty, I found this little girl with good potential in a nearby village. So, I brought her to your presence to take her as my apprentice. " " She can use mage craft!! At such a young age? amazing. What's your name, girl? " " My name is Aria, your majesty. " Aria gave a picture-perfect curtsy and spoke with a clear, loud voice filled with confidence.
" Very good. Your parents taught you well. So, what kind of mage craft can you do? " " I can control light to some extent, your majesty. " " Light!! " The king was surprised. He never expected to see a light mage after they stopped appearing since his grandfather's reign. Light mages are important to any country as they can reduce soldier casualties and are extremely effective against monsters.
Their kingdom was cursed to never have another light mage take birth after a very powerful dark mage spent his entire life force to fuel the curse. As the upper echelons were the only ones who knew this, their kingdom wasn't abandoned yet. A place that experiences monster attacks everyday would never have populace if not for the mages of light.
" Call the head priestess, " The king ordered. After a while, a woman dressed in white habit walked into the courtroom. " Your majesty, " " Gustov claims this girl to be a light mage. I would like you to verify it. " " A light mage!!! " The woman gave a benign smile to Aria and examined her from head to toe before asking her to perform some mage craft. Aria's hand gave off blinding white radiance, after which appeared a gauntlet that Gustov has seen her use the entire journey.
" Hmm, she is indeed a true light mage, but...." " Woah! who is this cutie? " a tall, beautiful woman walked into the throne room and stared at Aria with her golden pupils. " Celestina! how many times did I tell you not to barge into the throne room like that? " " Shut it. I was just missing my student, wasn't I, Randolph? " " Yes, yes, teacher. " answered the king.
Celestina crouched in front of Aria and gazed into her eyes. She then lightly squeezed her cheeks. " Uwah! she is so adorable. " She continued to play with Aria's cheeks for a while. " Celestina, the girl, Aria, is a light mage. " " Oh! so the aura I felt from the throne room was hers. Not bad for a seven-year-old. I want to see her capabilities. Will you show them to me, sweetie? "
" I will, sister. " Aria calling her sister somehow made Celestina so happy that she lifted Aria in her arms and twirled round and round. " Celestina! " " Head priestess, forget about teacher. She always does whatever she wants. We can only watch natural disasters, we can't stop them. " " Oy! who are you comparing to a disaster? " " Ah! no-nothing teach. Go on. " " Hmph! "
" Aria, all of my siblings are brothers. I've always wanted a sister. You calling me sister made me so happy. Will you stay and learn with me? My house is big enough for your family to stay comfortably. What do you say, Aria's father? " " M-My lady, it is an honour for us to visit your mansion but staying in it is a bit...." " Why to hesitate, this king is my student, he obeys me. You don't need to worry about anything. Just relax and follow me. "
Celestina was an easygoing, humble woman with tremendous strength that doesn't match her slender frame. " But, Sir Gustov told me that he would take my child as his apprentice. Then wouldn't she have to stay with Sir Gustov and learn? " " Nonsense, what can that idiotic student of mine teach her? I am a Seraph mage, an existence levels above Archmage. I can teach her much better than he can. Also, it is my duty as her elder sister to train her, isn't it? "
" Teacher!? aren't you shaming your student? " Gustov spoke, indignant. Giving a bright smile, Celestina simply turned away with Aria in her arms. " Aria, will you learn from me or that oldie? " Aria fell in thought. The moment Celestina arrived, Aria's body subconsciously went into a defensive stance. She felt powerful despite not releasing any aura or suppression. Aria felt she would most likely have to run away if she were to battle Celestina. She nodded her head.
" Sister, what is the difference between Seraph mage and Archmage? " " I will answer everything in detail once we reach the house, okay? " " Okay. " " So, Aria's father, what is your decision? " " Um, your majesty? " " Please stay with my teacher. She is a very good person, but very stubborn. She will never listen once she decides something. She is the best mage you can find. "
Aria's family followed Celestina to her mansion. Celestina and Aria sat in the balcony. " Mages are categorised into 6 classes namely; Seraphs, Cherubs, Thrones, Dominions, Archmages and mages. Each level is several times stronger than the one below. An Archmage can toy with many mages but a Dominion can play around with dozens of Archmages. Such is the difference.
The difference doesn't arise from the quantity of magicia possessed but the quality of it and the depth of their knowledge. A mage's magicia is like murky water while that of a Seraph is crystal clear spring water. The quality of magicia affects the quality of the mage craft after all. "
" Are there any levels above Seraph? " " Quite greedy aren't ya? Yes, there is a level known as the Hand of God above Seraph but I've never seen or heard of one before. They say one existed at the beginning of the lore. But after her demise, there has never been a sighting of another mage of that level until now. " " What kind of mages exist? " " Mages can be classified based on the type of mage craft. Elemental mages, the ones who manipulate elements, Spirit mages or Summoners, the ones who can summon spirits and form contracts with them, paying in magicia to use spirit magic and dark mages, those who absorb the magicia of living beings to fuel their mage craft killing them in the process as the life force gets absorbed. They are the ones who create most of the monsters by pouring resentment-filled magicia into beasts. They are enemies of the kingdom. "
The questioning session between Celestina and Aria in her lap continued till dinner. At midnight, Aria stood on the roof, gazing at the stars. She gained a good amount of understanding of this world today. " Aria, what are you thinking? " Celestina's voice brought Sarcony back to this world. " Just enjoying night sky, sister. " Smiling, Celestina picked Aria into her arms.
" Aria, can you perform mage craft now? I want to see. " Aria once again created the gauntlet. " You don't need to chant at all? How are you able to do it? Answer me, Who are you? " " Sister, I am Aria, a light Fairy. " " No wonder you were able to condense magicia into a tangible object. I am a Sprite, a Spirit, just like you. Very few people know of the Spirit race and their abilities, The king is the only one besides you who knows that I am a Sprite. He is a Dominion level Spirit mage after all. "
" Sister my bloodline is suppressed. Can you help me unlock it? " " Hmm, bloodline suppression, that is only possible if a spirit takes birth rather than just arrive from the spirit world, I guess you're one such spirit. I may not look like it but I lived a very long life and came to this world as a fully grown adult. I can help unlock it but the procedure is painful and long. "
" It's fine. I can endure it. " " The pain feels like your body being ripped apart piece by piece, I don't think you can endure such pain in your current state. Why don't you train your body for a while and then undergo this procedure. " PAIN LIKE BODY BEING RIPPED APART? I GUESS I CAN'T ENDURE IT IN MY CURRENT STATE. " Okay sister. " " Good girl, go sleep. "
The next morning, Aria was panting, crouching on the red, dusty ground. She was exhausted from running followed by sparring with the greatest mage of all times, Celestina. Her knees were scraped and bleeding. " Oh! you are wounded.
Species/Race: Spirit[Fairy] (Bloodline awakening: 1%)
The light of healing used by Celestina was assimilated by Aria's body while her own chakra was mobilised for healing. All of this was done without her conscious intervention. The assimilated magicia, in turn, unlocked her bloodline. Magicia was a unique kind of energy Sarcony never experienced before. All her mage craft arose from her chakra and not magicia.
This process of awakening was painful nonetheless but much more bearable. Aria decided to awaken her bloodline in this natural way than some artificial means and asked Celestina to delay the procedure even further. She then continued her sparring and body flexibility building training for another 3 years. She was now a beautiful young lady, dressed like a knight. her status was;
Name: Aria
Age: 12
Gender: female
Species/Race: Spirit[Fairy] (Bloodline awakening: 75%)
Dantain nature: Light (Holy Attribute) (Healing) (Fortification)
Species-specific characteristics: immortality (Currently suppressed), the (partial) astral body
Titles: The Spirit under wraps, the sole heir to Celestina's household, The Leviathan rider
Profession: Imperial mage of Randolph's kingdom, Free Adventurer [Level 3]
Quirks:
1. Divinity Aura manipulation [precision level]
2. Body fortification [perfection level]
3. Personality switch [perfection level] [3.75 personalities]
4. Thread weaving art [advanced level]
5. Domain of Salvation [Level 2] [ Side skills: Purification [level 3], Light of Providence [level 2], Angelic descent (currently unusable) ]
Physical skills: Flexibility [level 2], Martial artist [precision level], Fortification [level 3], Archery [level 2]
Criminal record: none
Task completion: 20%
Title bonuses: Charm [level 2], Protector of Nature [level 3], Dignity of a Duchess [level 2], Protection of the Adventurer's office [level 3], Guild master's blessing, Rider of the fearsome monster
Eh! TASK COMPLETION?? WHAT IS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN? WELL, I WILL FIND THE ANSWER SOMEDAY. FOR NOW, I HAVE TO CONCENTRATE ON TASK AT HAND. IT HAS BEEN THREE YEARS SINCE I CAME TO THIS WORLD. I HOPE …...…...
" Aria nim, Duchess nim is waiting for you at the dining hall. " The maid who walked in as Aria was thinking, gazing at her Unveiling gift blushed while requesting her. Aria, sighing, walked over and kissed the maid on her cheek before smiling mischevously and running away. The maid was already a heap on the floor, fainting from sheer ecstasy, her face as red as a tomato.
" Aria, have breakfast before heading to the Adventurer's Office. " " Okay mama. " " Aria, don't forget to take your packed midChronos meal, water satchel and the sword. " " Okay papa " " Aria, return by dusk, no excuses. I have a surprise for you tomorrow. " " Alright sister. Love you all. " kissing her parents and sister on their cheeks, Aria ran out of the house while greeting the maids and butlers lining up on either side of the path bowing to her.
She was now a full fledged Adventurer. It was her duty(?) to complete the missions on a regular basis. Most of them were for her training and enjoyment, with an occasional windfall of hard tasks that were requested as assistance from her. Her training made her virtually non-existent Chakra pool big enough and improved its purity by a large fraction.
" Aria nim! you came, I am glad. " " Ah! Reina, are there any level 3 or higher tasks today? " " No, there aren't. But, there was a request from the neighbouring kingdom. Their kingdom has been our allies since a long time. Would you like to try it? " " Um, no thanks. I don't want to leave the kingdom for a while. " " Ah! that is ....." " Reina nim, emergency. A huge unidentified monster was seen in a nearby village. " a ragged, wounded adventurer ran into the office.
" What are the characteristics of the monster? " " It is huge, black and shiny. It is a never seen before Di-tusk Behemoth like creature. " " Aria nim, would you take on this mission? a typical Di-tusk behemoth is a level 3 job in itself, but a unique one is even more dangerous, a level 2 threat. " " I will. "
" Ah! Aria nim, I can't thank you enough. Please follow me, hurry, or we will be too late. All the adventurers of the locality are already engaging the monster. " The adventurer ran to his mount and gave Aria a hand. She shook her head and blew a whistle.
~~Roar~~
A loud roar shook the vicinity. A huge pitch black Serpentine monster with glaring red eyes landed from the sky and folded its wings. It was a limbless serpent with two pairs of wings, a Leviathan. Aria climbed onto its head and shouted, " Mo'er, follow the adventurer's lead. " ~~Roar~~ <
Going back in time by a year,
" Aria, we are going on a journey to the neighbouring kingdom, Arache. It is ruled by a queen who stands neutral. So, we don't have to worry. " " Okay sis. " Celestina and Aria had to travel through a desert and a vast wasteland to reach Arache. They rested for a night in a nearby oasis town.
" Hafuu.., the night scenery by a huge lake in the midst of a desert is wonderful, isn't it? " " Sis, you're right. " " Ha! I wish... " ~~Roar~~ a loud roar stopped Celestina mid sentence. She immediately stood up and called for Aria who didn't respond unlike usual.
" Ari...eh! " Aria was sobbing with a bright smile on her face making an odd sight to behold. MO'ER, IT IS DEFINITELY MO'ER, I CAN FEEL IT. SOMEHOW, I CAN SENSE IT IS HER. " Mo'er!! " ~~Roar~~ Shouting her name, Aria ran towards the towering serpentine monster that was surrounded by the locals. Before they could warn or stop her, she ran towards the monster and tightly embraced it.
" Mo'er, I can finally see you again. I missed you a lot..... " ~~Roar~~ <
Mo'er didn't resist the taming crest put on her by her beloved Onee sama and became her tamed beast. The moment it succeded, Mo'er could talk to Sarcony telepathically and reduce her size to an arm's length to curl around Sarcony's arm like a serpentine gauntlet.
Species/Race: Spirit[Fairy] (Bloodline awakening: 80%)
Dantain nature: Light (Holy Attribute) (Healing) (Fortification), Water (psuedo dantain nature acquired due to life and death contract with ancient beast) (Cloak of Leviathan)
Tamed beasts: Mo'er (The Ancient Water beast, Leviathan)
Taming the Leviathan allowed Aria to gain psuedo water dantain nature. " Fool, why did you enter a life and death contract? " <
Their journey went unimpeded, mostly due to Aria-Mo'er team being extremely effective. Celestina was surprised at their cooperation. They didn't look like rookies who have just become master and tamed beast, instead, they were more like pair of sisters who had fought countless battles together developing impeccable coordination and timing with each other.