More than 2 years ago.
"Hey little girl, your parents sold you for money and power. I had to pay them a high sum, so you are going to repay me. You will work and then be sold again." Baron's hateful tone made it clear that he would not care about her. The only thing he cared about was how much money he could make with her.
Personia found herself working hard. She cleaned the whole mansion alone, and when she was not doing that, she had to engage in the work she hated the most: preparing slaves for sale. It was terrifying to know that she would face the same fate and not know when that fate would happen.
Baron, the leader of a powerful clan, treated the slaves terribly. They were beaten for making mistakes, and they were beaten even if they didn't. The only rule was not to hurt the slaves about to be sold.
Men were often sold into forced labor or used as cannon fodder in wars, while women were frequently sold to perverts or illegal brothels. The children, on the other hand, were broken to keep them compliant, preventing them from starting riots.
Personia looked at her small hands, covered with cuts and bruises, just like her entire body. Her body bore scars from the mistreatment she endured.
"Aaarghhhhhh! With my feet, I can't walk." Personia fell to the ground, looking at her bruised feet. She tried to get up but couldn't. She had to get to work, or she would suffer even more injuries. In that moment, an armored man saw her and shouted, "Hey, get up, or do you want to get beaten up?" Before Personia could do anything, he kicked her in the stomach so hard that she flew a few meters away.
Struggling to get up, Personia managed to walk, though it was difficult. She tried to escape from the horrible man who was pursuing her.
Eventually, she stood in front of Baron's office, where he informed her that she would be sold to some sect to be sacrificed. To some god. That claimed that it was for the good of mankind.
Suddenly, she found herself lying on a marble altar, witnessing Baron's glee at the money he would make from her sale.
"Baron, listen!" Personia's voice was dark and full of hate and sorrow. She hated that man so much, and for the first time in her life, she spoke what she wanted to say.
"I was born to die for a race that does not deserve to survive and will be sacrificed for it. But mark my words, the second I die, I will go down to hell and come back. I will gladly sell my soul to a demon just to kill you. I will make sure that you die a death way more miserable than my own, and I will laugh when I see you with me in hell, ASSHOLE!" Personia shouted everything out, leaving everybody silent, but not Baron.
"I am surprised that you know such words despite looking like a five-year-old girl. It looks like you should never judge a book by its cover, huh?" He was not impressed while everyone was silent and terrified of a little girl.
"I know, right? Those are pretty bad words for a little girl, right?" A man with a cloak walked past him, getting closer to Personia.
"Are you the one who is going to perform this ritual? Come on, do it." Baron did not want to see something like this. Yes, he did not like Personia, and he did not care what would happen to her. But he had already sold many slaves to various sects with their rituals. He didn't want to see anything like that again.
The man with the cloak positioned a dagger high above his head and swung it down.
"Ahhh! Huh HUH!" The dagger pierced Personia's little belly, making her scream. She tried to flee, but the ropes that tied her to the altar wouldn't let her.
SPLASH!
Suddenly, the head of the man who had just stabbed her belly exploded, and another man appeared beside him, along with a woman. The woman freed Personia from the altar and carried her away. Her last memory before fainting was the sight of a man slashing down a dozen people.
"Hey Roxanne, do you think she'll make it?" A young man asked in a worried voice.
"I don't know. The doctor said her chances of survival were 50 percent," Roxanne replied, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"How can people do such a thing, especially to a little girl like her? I mean, look at her. She looks like she's five years old or something," Roxanne's sadness turned to anger as thorny vines started growing from the ground.
"Who are you guys? Are you going to hurt me too?" Personia's trembling voice expressed her fear.
"We won't hurt you. I will help," said Amon, his anger evident. The gate appeared behind his back, and a white wing grew out of his back. He covered himself in white energy and gathered it into a ball. He pressed the ball on Personia's wounds, and they soon disappeared. However, Personia noticed that he was bleeding from his eyes and mouth.
"No, what happened to him?" She became anxious again, worried for her savior.
"The power he used was too strong for his body to handle. He can't handle it, and he'll suffer unbearable pain," an elderly man with a long gray beard said, wearing a mask.
"We'll make sure you just have to lie there and recover!" Leon said in a high voice while carrying his friend.
A day later, they all introduced themselves to Personia. They were four traveling magicians on a quest to hunt down the sect that had tried to sacrifice her.
"I'm so thankful to you. How can I repay you?" Personia bowed down in front of Amon, feeling guilty for the suffering he endured because of her.
"Just live a happy life; that's enough repayment," Amon replied, clearly uncomfortable with the situation.
"Then I will come with you. I can wash your clothes, clean your armor, or do anything else, but please don't leave me or send me away." Personia was scared, especially knowing that Baron might still be out there. She had heard the others talking about a man who escaped, and there was a high chance it was Baron.
"Don't worry. We didn't plan to leave you or send you away," Amon reassured her. He felt bad thinking about her working for them, but they were constantly traveling and had no permanent place to stay.
"That's a good idea. You'll help us with our things, and we'll protect you. How does that sound?" Roxanne said, while her elf ears twitched. She felt a maternal instinct towards the little girl, even though she had no children of her own. She wanted to be there for Personia, like a big sister or mother.
And so, they continued on their journey, and Personia's remarkable talents began to shine. She inadvertently overheard Amon and Leon engaged in a conversation about certain items that had the potential to slightly alter the wearer's appearance. They were hoping to find a solution for Roxanne, so she wouldn't have to constantly wear a cloak when in crowded places. Unfortunately, the effect of the item they discussed was too weak; it might have only concealed a small scar, but nothing more. Intrigued, Personia decided to delve deeper into the matter and took it upon herself to improve the item. She studied it and later discussed her findings with Amon and Leon. In the end, her modifications allowed the item to effectively conceal Roxanne's ears.
Roxanne tested it, and her elf ears disappeared, making her look like a typical human. This was necessary because humans would hunt them out of the city if they spotted their elven ears. Roxanne continued to wear the item to this day.
"Right, that was funny back then." Personia woke from the dark void of her memories as she thought about the many things she had done with the guild. She decided to face her fears and leave the dark room, heading towards the hall of the twelve coats of arms. Memories flooded her mind as she walked, reminiscing about working on inventions and studies with her guild mates, playing with Amon, Roxanne, and others.
And soon, she stood in front of the hall of crests.