Author-sama's Warning: Dear reader, we would like to inform you that this chapter contains very heavy and disturbing content, including violence, slavery, and dark themes. We remind you that if you feel uncomfortable with such topics, it may be advisable to skip this chapter. We respect the sensitivity of our readers. Thank you for your understanding and continued support of our work.
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My name is Lara. I was born in the beautiful capital of Runa, located in the central continent of Elysium. Since my birth, I've faced countless adversities and grew up in a life filled with hardships. While other children were blessed by the gods, I seemed to be an unlucky child, struggling to find my place in such a vast and full-of-opportunities world.
Life in Runa has always been a challenge for me. The city brims with energy and activities, but I always felt like I was on the sidelines, watching as others enjoyed the blessings and opportunities life had to offer. My days were filled with hard work and constant struggles for survival. Being an orphan, I never had parents to guide or protect me. I always blamed the gods for this injustice, questioning why some people are born with so much while others, like me, are left to fend for themselves. In this world, there are those blessed by the gods, known as apostles. They are the few who are graced with divine favor from birth, making this condition even more rare and special.
As an orphan, my life revolved around surviving in the shadows of society. Living in the slums of Runa, I had to learn to fend for myself from a very young age. I stole what was necessary to satisfy my hunger and sought shelter in the dark alleys of the city. Despite the adverse circumstances, I never allowed bitterness to consume me completely. Deep in my heart, a flame of hope burned, a belief that one day my luck would change. While the apostles enjoyed divine gifts, I relied only on my cunning and determination to survive.
The streets of Runa were a true maze, where every corner concealed dangers and opportunities. I learned to move like a shadow, to slide silently through narrow alleys, and to avoid unwanted attention. My agility and stealth skills became my weapons, allowing me to evade guards and acquire what was necessary for my survival.
I stealthily moved through the shadows of that dark night, my heart pounding in anticipation. My breath was fast and silent, my movements carefully calculated. I knew I was about to commit a theft, but not just any theft. It was a theft I had planned for weeks, studying every detail of the house that now stood before me.
My skilled hands slid the thief's tools as I worked silently to open the window. The house was silent, its occupants deeply asleep, unaware of the intruder infiltrating their residence. I moved like a shadow, avoiding traps I knew were scattered throughout the interior.
What I didn't know at the time was that this house belonged to Count Geralt Fortunate, a powerful and influential man in the region. My theft was about to set off a series of events that would change my life forever.
It was when I was about to reach the treasure room that my heart froze. A lantern shone, revealing a city guard conducting a surprise inspection. Panic flooded my mind, but my training kicked me into action. A frantic chase unfolded through the house, the guard on my heels as I used every secret passage and hiding spot I knew.
However, my luck was running out quickly. The guard caught up with me at the last moment, and I was captured. My hands were handcuffed, and my freedom vanished in an instant.
The next day, I found myself chained alongside other prisoners. We were the unlucky ones who would be sold as slaves, a terrible fate I had never imagined facing. The slave caravan set off, led by cruel merchants who had no scruples.
Midway through the journey, our caravan was attacked by goblins. The small monsters emerged from the shadows of the forest, their eyes gleaming with greed. I, still in chains, found myself in the middle of a new nightmare. Chaos ensued as the goblins attacked the caravan. The mercenaries, no matter how experienced they were, were outnumbered, and soon the battle became fierce. Men fell, screams echoed through the night, and blood stained the ground.
In the end, the goblins emerged victorious, with all the guards and merchants dead. We, the slaves, remained there, trembling with fear and uncertainty. We knew what could happen next, and fear was evident in our terrified eyes.
One of the goblins, with cunning eyes and a cruel smile, grabbed the chains that bound us and dragged us into the forest. We were forced to follow, our steps heavy, our hearts even heavier. We had no idea what fate awaited us in that dark and mysterious forest.
As we arrived at our final destination, a goblin village, we were greeted with hungry looks and red eyes filled with lust. The goblins drooled as their gazes roamed over the bodies of the slave women.
In the center of the village, there were several makeshift huts, and a large group of goblins approached, dragging some of the women into the tents. Terror was written on their faces as they were forcibly taken.
Meanwhile, some goblins began dealing with the men. Some of the prisoners knelt, begging for mercy amidst tears and pleas. Doubt hung in the air: did these goblins have any spark of compassion or empathy in their hearts? Or were they just cruel creatures, feeding their darkest desires?
I was the last one, left in a dark warehouse, surrounded by the anguished screams of the other women. My anger simmered inside me, but I was chained and helpless, unable to do anything to stop this terrible situation.
The injustice of the world seemed to weigh on my shoulders, and I wondered why the famous gods did nothing to prevent this. I had heard of their existence, and the question that echoed in my mind was: if these gods truly existed, why did they allow such atrocities to happen? The feeling of powerlessness and despair mixed with my revolt against a world that seemed so cruel and indifferent to the lives of those who suffered.
The terrible situation seemed to have no end, and the goblins' lust was insatiable. Time dragged on, and I had completely lost track of the hours. Those piercing screams and moans mercilessly echoed in my ears, like an unrelenting hammer pounding my mind.
I was dragged out of the cabin, where the sunlight filtered through the leaves of the tall forest trees, painting a scene of devastation. Women were strewn on the ground, their bodies vulnerable and exposed, their clothes torn to shreds. A sticky, viscous substance covered their skin, and it was evident that the depravity of the goblins knew no bounds.
Revulsion and indignation surged within me. My breathing was labored, and my heart beat like a mad drum. Every fiber of my being cried out for justice, but I was too weak to fight. The goblin, naked and repugnant, approached, and horror washed over me. I tried to resist, but my strength was drained, as if hope had already abandoned my body.
However, when I was taken into a cabin and brutally tied to a bed lined with furs, my last hopes seemed to vanish. The goblin approached, its breath heavy and malevolent filling my ears. I closed my eyes, preparing for what would come next, for the suffering I was about to endure.
But then something unexpected happened. The goblin simply stopped. It didn't move, as if it were paralyzed, with its grotesque intimacy dangerously close to my most intimate parts. In that moment, overwhelmed by anger and hatred, I thought about how much I hated this cruel and unjust world, and everything it represented. Tears streamed from my eyes, and I muttered words of contempt in my mind.
That was when the voices began to whisper in my ears, as if they were the distant echo of a dark chorus. "Destroy," they said, their words reverberating deep in my mind. "This world is tainted. Everything must be swallowed." The voices consumed me, filling me with a dark determination as I stared at the paralyzed goblin before me.
The light that had once filtered through the tent was abruptly swallowed by darkness. At that moment, the goblin who was paralyzed clearly demonstrated an emotion he had never experienced before: fear.
However, this emotion was completely foreign to me. Instead, I felt drawn to that darkness, as if I were being pulled by an invisible magnet. I looked through the cracks and holes in the tent, and what I saw before me was an extraordinary creature. It was a quadrupedal form, similar to a wolf but much larger and more imposing. Its bluish fur seemed to emit an ethereal glow, and its eyes gleamed like distant stars in a night sky. The creature's presence exuded a profound darkness, one that strangely drew me in more and more.
The voices in my mind grew louder in intensity, their words echoing like a dark choir. "The Harbinger of Chaos," they whispered, "accept your destiny. Destroy this cruel and relentless world." "No one deserves mercy. This world is filthy."
The words, in an ancient and mysterious language, entered my mind overwhelmingly, and I began to recite a somber prayer, as if I were being guided by a force beyond my control:
"Oh, Harbinger of Chaos... In this cruel and relentless world, let darkness rise and swallow the light of day... let destruction be our only sentence.
Accept my devotion, oh Harbinger, lord of chaos and pain... For in your shadow, I find purpose and redemption, And together, we shall embrace annihilation."
As I recited these words, I felt more and more connected to the darkness, and a feeling of uncontrollable power washed over me.
Under the influence of the prayer's words and the dark power that flowed through me, an overwhelming sense of power took hold. It was as if the creature and I became one. I felt power coursing through me, and in a moment of intense determination, I realized that the chains that bound me were disintegrating into black dust, slowly fading away. The sensation of power was overwhelming, and the desire for destruction pulsed within me.
I decided to touch the arm of that wretched goblin. The touch was like a death sentence, as his body began to disintegrate slowly, and I could see the desperation in his eyes. He tried desperately to escape, but his form disintegrated, and he began to thrash in agony. Nothing could stop the black mist that emanated from my hand, and it spread, enveloping him and inflicting excruciating pain.
As I watched that goblin slowly disintegrate before my eyes, the whispers in my mind became louder and unbearable. They were like countless souls screaming in unison within my head. Unable to contain the pressure, I began to scream as well, letting my voice join the chorus of tormented voices echoing in my mind. The feeling of power and chaos was overwhelming, and I was at the center of this whirlwind of darkness and destruction.
As everything began to darken around me, collapsed on the ground, my hands still trembling after the terrible act I had just committed, I looked through the tent's openings. The imposing creature, the Harbinger of Chaos, was gradually fading into the darkness of the forest. Its eyes, which had once shone like stars, now dimmed slowly, like dying embers.
A strange sensation coursed through my body, a mixture of relief and excitement. By killing the goblin, I felt good. It was as if something inside me had awakened, a dark force I had never known I possessed. Amidst the chaos that surrounded me, a part of me longed for more power, more destruction.
The last phrase echoed in my mind before I fell into darkness: "Harbinger, God, Savior, and Judge..." As I plunged into unconsciousness, I struggled against the incessant whispers, voices of countless souls in agony.