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Ulvala, Emree Grove, Time: 3:00 PM (5 Years Ago)
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In the forest of Emree Grove, a calm wind breezed through the woods of Ulvala. It was a peaceful day as two 15-year-olds, Mianne and James, traveled together with smiles on their faces, picking fruit and berries.
"You know, we might need these raspberries," James said, pondering for a second as he tried to remember what his parents wanted him to get.
Mianne chuckled at his cluelessness. "No silly, we're making a blueberry pie. Unless you wanted to bake one for me?" Mianne blushed slightly, daydreaming about James giving her a gift of pastries.
"Come on, the sun's about to set," Mianne warned, noticing the dipping sun. James nodded and picked up the basket.
"Hehe, we're gonna make the best pie ever," James declared, eager to take on the challenge of baking his first pie ever, though he didn't know how to cook.
Before they could walk back to Yosho's Empire, sinister figures emerged from the trees, smirking. They wore black and crimson outfits with medals bearing a golden skull with two red and blue gems.
"Well, well, fresh Ulvala meat," the woman chuckled, an easy score for them. Mianne clung to James, frightened.
"The boy's useless, but we could sell the church girl for a good price," the man remarked with a smirk, pointing at Mianne.
"Mianne, get behind me!" James stood his ground, protecting Mianne. He didn't have his halberd, having left it at home.
"An aspiring guardian? The boy's worthless, but we could harvest his organs," the bald one said menacingly, drawing his knife as they approached.
"MIANNE, RUN!" James yelled just before a hammer swung at his head. He took a nasty blow and collapsed, struggling to rise.
"We'll make an example of him not to cross Favoor Solace," the woman growled, stomping James' head mercilessly, intent on hearing his skull crack.
As Mianne watched in horror, her heart pounding with fear, the assailants continued their brutal assault on James. The once-peaceful forest now echoed with the sounds of violence and cruelty.
"Stop! Please, stop!" Mianne pleaded, her voice choked with desperation and terror. She clutched the basket tightly, feeling utterly helpless in the face of this unexpected and savage attack.
"Wow, you look mighty fine as well. We will sell you to those rich dudes." The assassin held her back as the bald man lifted James's head and put a knife around his neck, ready to split his throat.
In a desperate attempt to protect himself, James summoned the last ounce of strength within him. Despite the pain and disorientation, he managed to roll to the side, narrowly avoiding the incoming strike of the knife.
Mianne's eyes widened with a mixture of relief and hope. Seizing the opportunity, James, fueled by determination, attempted to crawl away from his attackers, hoping to create some distance.
However, the woman, infuriated by James's evasion, grabbed him by the collar, preventing his escape. "You think you can escape us, little boy?" she hissed, a wicked glint in her eyes.
Mianne, her fear transforming into a surge of adrenaline, scanned her surroundings desperately for any sign of help. The once serene forest now seemed like a dark labyrinth closing in on her.
"Stop it."
Mianne begged them to let him go, struggling to escape the assassin's grasp as the bald one decided to kick his teeth in. Her tears flowed like a river as she couldn't do anything.
"Woo, that's a fucking goal right there!" The bald man seemed to be enjoying this as he stabbed James's hand with his dagger, making him suffer even more.
James didn't even get the chance to scream as the female member decided to stomp his head even more, a bright smirk on her face as she ground her foot on his head.
"Stop it..."
"Ew, gross. This thing could cry a river." The assassin felt the tears on his hand and decided to make Mianne watch the whole thing, carefully lifting her eyelid.
"Ay, hit him with the bonk!" The assassin cheered his friend on. The bald one readied his hammer to crush James.
"Give me a countdown!" The bald one stated, preparing himself to crush a melon. Two of his friends started counting down.
"3"
"No..."
"2"
"Don't..."
"1!"
"STOP ITTTT!"
Mianne screamed at the top of her lungs, her eyes suddenly turning crimson. Everyone stopped what they were doing as the area around them suddenly became night and started to decay.
"Whoa, it's already night; could've sworn it was evening earlier..." The assassin stated, looking at his bald friend.
"Oi, Dylan! Why'd ya stop? Make it colorful already!" He noticed that his friend suddenly just stopped.
Dylan felt like his skin was crawling with something, as he started to scratch himself. "Give me a second, just itchy or something..." Dylan's skin started to turn red all of a sudden, and he felt the itch everywhere on his body.
He started to feel a bunch of petals.
Dylan looked at his hand to see that it was mangled into a rose in a near-impossible way.
"WAAAGH!!!" Dylan was suddenly scared as his right eye felt like it was turning into a flower as well.
It started to spiral before shaping itself into a yellow flower, and Dylan was terrified at his body morphing.
"Oi, we are being attacked!" The assassin stated before pulling out his sword, ready to face off whatever was attacking them.
Mianne was let go with her head looking down on the ground, her eye shadow over the moonlight.
The female member watched in horror before spotting a flower with an eye on it. "You disgusting freak!" She stomped the flower in quick haste; she wasn't paid enough to deal with this.
She lifted her foot to see the flower's eye seem to turn into a wicked smile. She quickly stepped back in fear, preparing to run.
"I need to get the hell out of here-" Before she could run, her entire body leaked blood everywhere.
It was like an explosion happening inside her; her face morphed into a rose with her arm opening up like a scarecrow.
A wooden cross appeared behind her before it strapped her into the cross, making her look like a statue.
"SHOW YOURSELF, YOU COWARD!" The assassin had enough of this; he was gonna make sure that his friend was avenged by him.
"Boss..." He could hear a faint noise below him; he looked down to see Dylan's body was about to morph into a petal of flowers.
"I'm scared..." Dylan looked up to his boss's gaze before his body turned into a petal, which blew through the wind, leaving his clothes behind.
"FACE ME IF YOU DARE!" The assassin threatened before Mianne rose behind him, her eyes vibrant in a rose color.
The assassin turned around to finally face the true cause of this whole horror.
"You bitch, you've been hiding this power from us! I WILL MAKE YOU SQUEAL, YOU WHOR-" Before he could even lunge at her, his head was cut clean off by something sharp before it came back to Mianne's hand – a rose fan as she fanned herself.
Mianne, now holding the rose fan with a graceful yet menacing air, spoke with a cold tone, "You were never worth the trouble." Her crimson eyes glowed with an eerie light as she looked down at the fallen assassin.
The surroundings, once transformed into night, began to return to their natural state.
The sunlight illuminated Mianne's figure, revealing an air of mystique around her. She approached the wooden statue that used to be the female assassin, her fan tracing a delicate pattern through the air.
"I warned you to stop," Mianne whispered, her voice carrying a haunting quality. With a subtle motion of her hand, the wooden cross behind the statue crumbled into a shower of petals.
The assassin's form, now freed from the enchanted restraint, collapsed into a pile of flower petals as well.
Mianne turned her attention back to the fallen bald assassin, or what remained of him. The petals of flowers that once represented him now scattered in the wind, carrying away any trace of his existence.
Mianne finally snapped out of it, her eyes returning to their vibrant pink. She realized what she had done - she had killed a living person.
Sure, they were bad people hurting her friend, but she had stained her hands with their blood.
"No, no, no..." She shook with denial before looking at her blood-stained hands. Mianne held her head and curled up into a ball, crying. Her morals flew in and out, unsure if her actions were right or wrong.
Suddenly, a clock ticking was heard before a mysterious figure appeared behind Mianne.
The woman wore a black suit and leggings, black gloves, had long orange hair, freckles on her face, and vibrant emerald eyes. She was wearing a red beret and held a pocket watch with a curious expression.
"The screams should be around here somewhere–" she stated before noticing Mianne holding onto James, whispering for him to wake up.
"Oh my god! Are you both okay?!" She rushed over to check on them. Seeing Mianne crying over an injured James, she knew what to do.
"Come on, let's get you both out of here." The woman grabbed Mianne and James. In a sudden swift motion, all three disappeared into the wind, leaving nothing behind.
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