Chapter 3 - Chapter

"To mortals, we are the creatures of the night, but to ourselves, we are the guardians of eternity."

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If the voice's words are true, I will not only survive but gain the power I've always dreamed of. I will have hope.

But if it is false, then…

....I will fall into the abyss from which there is no return.

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In a dark place with little to no light shining, a figure stood surrounded by darkness before a suspicious object. Upon closer inspection, we can see that this dark figure is a young girl.

A young girl, with long green hair flowing like the color of emeralds, framed her pale face. Her piercing orange eyes shone with determination, casting a fierce light on her expression.

Her surroundings were cloaked in darkness, and the only illumination came from the sarcophagus, which allowed a glimpse of her injured form and the wounds from which a red substance was leaking.

Without moving an inch from her place, the young girl, whose name is unknown, slightly shifted as she clutched her kunai firmly, preparing herself for the pain that would come when she sliced her own arm to feed the sarcophagus the blood she had promised.

With both determination and resilience, she sliced her arm precisely without flinching, and blood began to flow immediately.

Each drop that fell upon the sarcophagus seemed to satiate its hunger, drawing sustenance from her pain and anguish.

As for how she knew where to give the blood, it doesn't take a genius to figure out where the voice had been coming from after the brief incident where she was hypnotized and had tried to slice her own arm.

What remains unclear is how that voice could communicate with her from miles away. But for her, it doesn't matter—whether it is the devil or a monster, she doesn't care as long as it can give her the power she seeks.

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Unbeknownst to the girl, ten shadows covered in darkness were closing in on her position, having followed the traces she left while fleeing from them.

Their intent was as clear as day: they needed to kill the last member of that clan. There was no room for failure. It was either kill her and be safe or fail and face execution for their failure.

After hunting her relentlessly and tracking her to this secluded place over the past four days, it was time to end this game of cat and mouse. And who was the cat, and who was the mouse? It was quite clear.

As they drew nearer, guided by the flickering light from the center of the cave, they sensed not only the chakra of their target but also an unsettling revelation—she was not alone!

Beside her was another presence, one of immense power, shrouded in an aura of darkness as if it were the darkness itself.

Questions hung in the air as the ninjas exchanged wary glances, hesitation and caution evident on their faces.

Was this powerful presence a potential ally or an enemy? This was the question on everyone's mind.

And if it was indeed an enemy, would they confront this unknown entity and risk facing that chilling power?

One among them, the timid one, asked hesitantly, "Do we need to also fight that thing?" fear and hesitation were palpable in his words.

They still didn't understand what was emitting such a powerful and dark chakra—or was it even chakra? It seemed different, but they had no time to ponder this.

Some of them were visibly shaken by the question, revealing their reluctance to fight an unknown force. As the saying goes, the only thing more dangerous than the known is the unknown.

But there was one among them who did not show fear or hesitation—perhaps he was merely masking his emotions. His face remained as expressionless as a statue, making it difficult to read his feelings.

"It is our mission to eliminate the girl and erase any trace of her existence. Any witnesses must be dealt with so that our mission remains unknown to the world. So yes, we must also kill that person. Failure is not an option!,"

he declared, his voice filled with unwavering resolve.

To him, the identity of the stranger mattered little; the completion of their mission was what held significance.

For him, the most important thing was to finish this mission successfully and return safely to his waiting family, as he had promised.

Upon hearing the leader's words, the faces of most of the ninjas turned pale, sweat forming on their foreheads as their eyes revealed the fear of facing the nightmare of failure.

None dared to contemplate the consequences of failure. To them, it was better to confront the unknown force than to go home and face the certain consequences awaiting them.

So their eyes began to shine with a fire that could as well make the impossible possible—a fire fueled by unyielding determination to face whatever came their way.

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As the blood met the sarcophagus, it began to pulsate, emitting a brilliant light so intense that the girl had to shield her eyes from its sun-like radiance.

Her pursuers, so close behind her, were also drawn to this intense light, which alarmed them and spurred them to approach its source without hesitation.

But by the time they arrived, the light had vanished, leaving only darkness and the back of a person they assumed to be the girl.

Adjusting to the darkness and remaining alert, they soon realized that there was no one else present besides the girl, nor any hidden presence.

After waiting for a minute without anything unusual happening, their leader signaled for his team to attack the unsuspecting girl, disregarding the sarcophagus entirely.

The girl with the green hair sensed the killing intent directed at her but made no attempt to defend herself or even turn around.

What was the point? She was at the end of her strength, unable to fight or protect herself.

Her eyes remained fixed on the sarcophagus, holding on to a small glimmer of hope that something might happen, that the voice would speak to her again and grant her the strength she so desperately needed, as it had promised.

But nothing happened.

Nothing at all !

The voice was gone. No matter what she did or how much she reached out with her mind, there was only silence. Her hope, her last sliver of hope, was shattered.

'What did you expect?' she said to herself, her voice filled with bitter cynicism.

'I shouldn't have believed. I shouldn't have placed my hope in someone else. The only person I can trust is myself. Only I cannot betray myself. Haven't we been betrayed enough? Why should I place my hope in others anyway?' she wondered heartbreakingly.

'It doesn't matter. Nothing matters anymore. It will all be over soon. Soon, I will be with you, Father, Mother, and Brother.'

'And I'm sorry for not avenging you', she thought for the last time, her eyes closing as she felt the opponent's sword touch her neck, ready to sever her head from her body.

But just as the sword was about to cut, it suddenly stopped.

Clatter.

Clatter.

Clatter.

.

.

.

Then,

silence!

The ninjas couldn't believe their eyes. A man had appeared out of nowhere, standing between them and their target.

The sword poised at the girl's neck shattered into a thousand pieces for reasons they couldn't understand, though they strongly suspected the unknown man was responsible, even without concrete evidence.

The mysterious figure raised his arm slowly, and with a mere motion of his hand, the soul still holding a fragment of the shattered sword burst apart without warning.

Blood splattered everywhere, reaching almost everyone except the unknown man, who remained clean.

The girl, realizing she was still alive and hearing the commotion, widened her eyes and turned around. In the darkness, all she could see was the back of a person.

When the figure turned around, their glowing blue eyes gazed at her thoughtfully and appraisingly.

"You…"

Before she could hear more, she felt herself growing faint, her senses dulling, and she fell unconscious.

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Hello, author here! 👋

How did you find the story so far? Please share your honest thoughts and any possible improvements you might have.

I would greatly appreciate any feedback as it will help me understand how to further enhance my writing and would also motivate me. 🥹

Regarding the love interests, I haven't made a decision yet. You can suggest but I decided not to do Haram!

Ps: don't forgot to vote 🙈!

Last Edit: 16.07.24