I remember that day well.
Before we entered our first Fragmented Realm; our Squadron was taking on a group of Corrupted Monsters escaping from a Corrupted Gate Dungeon.
A task which our Instructor assigned us.
But that same Instructor, Instructor Florin, decided to abandon us.
Her face twisted horridly, as though she had sniffed something pungent.
Then, she started running.
Leaving us behind.
The one we were meant to trust betrayed that trust.
And left us to die.
But.
At that same time.
The Fragmented Realm burst open behind us, directly in front of Instructor Florin.
Instructor Florin's face became more twisted as if what she feared had come to fruition.
And Savana, who already held a massive sense of distrust towards Instructor Florin decided to pull her into hell with us.
Push her in.
But I stopped her.
I used my unique Attribute to let her escape, thereby lowering our chances of surviving the Fragmented Realm.
And thereby also granting Instructor Florin a free pass.
After that.
Savana hit me.
And that hit ignited a spark within me.
A spark of negativity.
One that I regret to this day.
-----
A tender hand pushed a cutely adorned bundle of dandelions into her hair, the magnificent contrast between red and white bubbled alongside the tiny bundle of joy etched onto the little girl's face.
Her wonderfully ageing mother kneeled beside her.
Running her fingers across her hair, her mother pulled her in, kissing her forehead softly.
"Grow gently my little baby." Caressing her daughter's, tender, white cheeks, the mother lifted her daughter and placed her on her lap as she took a seat on the soft grass.
Her daughter's wine-red eyes giggled as small chuckles filled with joy echoed from her.
The little girl loved sitting on her mother's lap.
The sensation was like sitting beside a cosy fireplace amid winter; an irreplaceable, motherly warmth.
Waving her petite legs up and down, they patted her mother's shins like a tiny massage.
Her mother pulled her in closer as they gazed at the spring meadows ahead; the shimmering lake glistened, sprinkling the sky with rainbows as fish splashed above the surface.
The warm breeze, her mother's embrace, the tender touch of her mother's hand...
Peaceful.
Lovely.
She loved it.
She didn't have many thoughts in that tiny brain of hers but she did have this one.
'I love mommy.'
'I want to stay here forever with mommy.'
Her smile widened as she lifted her head, catching a glimpse of her mother's endlessly gentle face.
They both had wine-red eyes.
They both had the same crimson hair.
She loved her.
"When you grow up I hope you'll bring me here, let me lay my head on your lap instead. I wish you a life filled with joy my baby."
Caressing the dandelions on her daughter's head, her mother leaned down and pecked her head.
"My Savana."
-----
White petals scattered in front of Savana's deeply blackened eyes.
The broken shards of dandelions swayed illusively as a gash slashed down her outfit, cutting through the pressed bundle of flowers her mother had gifted her as a keepsake.
As a wish for her daughter to grow gently.
As soft as a dandelion.
The patches of black retreated from her eyes, her hands pushing out to grab at the traces of white splattered about.
But she caught nothing but air.
The mixture of black and red Aura crushed it into oblivion.
"M-mommy..." Her flailing hands landed on something eventually.
It was something sharp, cold, bitter.
The edge of a blade.
Silvia's eyes looked like they had been drenched within a vat of blood; a vat poured from the corpses of the innocent.
They felt scorchingly hot.
Did they?
No...
They didn't.
It was her bleeding chest, the gash running down to her abdomen that felt hot.
It should also feel painful, but, weirdly enough, it didn't.
But at the same time, she also felt pain.
A pain deep in her chest.
"W-why...? Silvia...?"
The tips of her fingers dripped with a small amount of blood; the sharpness of Silvia's blade cut into her.
Silvia Le Imulla looked unfamiliar to her.
Her face was unwaveringly calculated, and her playful personality that sometimes came out was nowhere to be found.
The friend she thought she made was missing.
Yes, Savana was mad at Silvia for what she did previously, but that didn't mean she hated her either.
She believed there had to be a reason for her actions.
But...
Was there truly a reason for it?
Or did she trick herself into believing there was one?
And most importantly...
Mother's dandelions.
Her dandelions...
They were gone.
Because of her.
Because of Silvia.
[Mommies dandelions.]
Ink-like flames frothed in her heart; if she didn't hold any real hatred towards Silvia before this...
Then now...
"Silvia." Savana's voice plunged the heat surrounding them into the abyss.
-now Savana was truly pissed.
Her scattered serrated daggers drew back into her palms, their firm handles rubbed into her crackling, black palms.
"Apologise."
While she stated this.
And while she did want an apology.
First, she wanted to vent.
So, before she even uttered the word 'Apologise', her daggers were already thrusting at Silvia's chest.
The crimson liquid evaporated into nothingness, the coral walls surrounding them turned pitch black from the scorching temperatures; utter mayhem erupted from those two simple daggers.
Silvia adjusted her grip and swiped at the daggers, every tendril of black flames dissipated as though a hot knife had been swiped through butter.
Their thrashing similarly coloured hair whipped with the hurricane of winds; only now, Savana's hair held a small hint of darkness embedded within it.
Their eyes drove into one another, Savana filled with anger, Silvia with cold-blooded mercilessness.
Then.
As their blades edged closer and closer.
Crackle-!
A golden light dropped down between them, the holy aura radiating from it placated the frigidness; the clash came to an abrupt halt.
The barrier imbued with Divinity shuddered incessantly, it creaked on the edge of shattering but held on in the end.
Taking a few steps back away from each other, Silvia and Savana looked in the direction of the traces of Divinity.
Her wolf ears twitched, and her soft, golden hair reflected with crimson; Luliya had arrived.
Behind her were Randuin, Charles and Lucas.
The small cohort was exhausted and beaten, yet the first thing they were greeted with upon reuniting with the rest of their group was more combat.
A break was all they asked for.
Alas, Silvia and Savana didn't seem too keen on the idea, they had other plans.
"Silvy! Savana!" Luliya's silky voice rang like a clear, soothing bell. It bore between them, interrupting those plans.
"What are you doing-!"
Hurriedly stepping towards them, a barrier of Divinity covered her as a form of protection against the mashing Auras.
The crimson Aura belonging to Silvia washed away with the wind as she turned to face Luliya.
Those dripping, frosty eyes melted instantaneously, and-
"Lu! Sorry for worrying you!" She planted her spare hand on her head, shyly rubbing it as the cross Luliya approached them with her fists clenched.
The not-so-fun Silvia was nowhere to be found.
Her personality shifted like that of a fleeting ghost.
Savana was stunned as always witnessing the shift in her personality. Every ounce of murderous aura emanating from her was nowhere to be found, as though everything that occurred moments ago was nothing but an illusion.
Except Savana was nothing like Silvia.
Currently, it wasn't any sort of existence inside of her egging her on, nor her obsessiveness towards Aranea boosting her forwards.
It was the cry of a daughter who had lost something precious to her.
"Silvia." Gritting her teeth, Savana saw Silvia twist her head towards her with a confused look on her face.
"What's up?"
Her teeth ground together; the scratching noises bled into everyone's ears.
Luliya sensed the small, invisible crack that had spread between the two girls.
The boundary of trust and familiarity that existed between them was doused with Savana's resentment.
"Apologise."
Crack-
She could hear their relationship falling apart by the second.
Crack-
"I'm sorry." Silvia nonchalantly apologised, her face was downcast and looked truly regretful.
Yet, no matter how Savana saw it.
Crack!
Luliya heard the final shattering noise echo bleakly; the bridge connecting them had almost broken beyond repair.
It was nigh irreversible damage.
No matter how Savana saw that face, that innocent, dangerously arousing face, she couldn't see a hint of true regret within it.
Taking in a deep breath, Savana bit her lips and sheathed her daggers.
The girl understood that this wasn't the time and place to continue their fight.
She could deal with her at a later date.
"Luliya, heal me please."
Warily glancing between the two girls, she stepped over to Savana and hovered her hand over her wounded chest.
"Sure."
The warm ray of light oozing from her palms slowly closed the wound. The itchy feeling in Savana's chest couldn't overwhelm the dense weight pressing onto her heart.
Charles and Lucas couldn't get themselves involved in this in-house fighting, they didn't know the two girls well enough; so, they nudged Randuin from behind.
The man with star-studded hair sighed to himself and stepped over to Silvia, uttering something into her ear he pulled her aside, away from Savana.
There he had a short conversation with her, away from any flapping ears.
Savana dazedly stared at Luliya's wrapped eyes.
She was thinking back at Silvia's eerily drenched eyes; eyes which held no respect for Human life.
How could that girl so easily think of ending another Human's life?
[Aranea is different.]
To this day Savana would wake up at night sweating, she would remember the sensation of blood slipping out of their body; the life draining from their eyes.
The frothing, foam of blood sputtering from their mouths as they begged for mercy.
It haunted her.
So how could Savana so easily look past those horrors, and even try to bring those horrors back to life on her?
[My Aranea is different.]
A person whom Silvia most likely considered a friend for a few weeks.
Did she even consider Savana her friend?
Was I her friend?
Muddled thoughts flooded Savana's brain.
"Silvy isn't a bad girl."
Luliya awakened her from her slump.
"I don't know what happened, but please try to get along." Her words didn't sound very convincing with how her wolf ears flapped down.
Savana smirked inwardly, get along?
That wasn't possible.
Not with what she did.
-----
Mentor rubbed his palm across the map on the table.
His tent was eerily quiet, void of all noise.
The order he received 2 and a half weeks ago from the higher-ups was not to spread the news of Aranea's death.
Aranea was an extremely sensitive subject. Her existence was a threat to the Empire, to the Three Alliances, and to the world. But at the same time, she had to be protected.
The forces belonging to the underworld were just one of many going after her; the protection order placed on her had to remain strong.
That was the Emperor's order.
An existence roaming between the path of Humanity, the Devils and Abominations.
A truly unique person.
A dangerous person.
It wasn't the least bit exaggerated to say that the entire world was watching her every move.
Even the Savilius Order of the Northern Continent, their Bastions, were watching closely.
The Elves and Spirits of the Symbollia Alliance were keeping a watchful eye. The Dwarves and Demi-Humans of the Forge Alliance were aiming for her head. The multiple powerful Noble families of their Empire Alliance were waiting for a moment when Aranea would slip simply so they could devour her.
It was very complex.
Very powerful existences wanted her alive, others wanted her dead, and some wanted to experiment on her.
In the end, there were too many clashing ideologies and beliefs over the existence named 'Aranea'.
So the best the Empire could do was maintain the status quo, if Aranea naturally died then no sides could complain as long as no foul play was found.
With all the eyes on her, Aranea was, without a doubt, the most famous person on the planet.
A 'celebrity' per se.
Or, more accurately, she was infamous.
But if that was the only issue he had to deal with then fine, it was doable.
Except it wasn't.
Soon after Aranea's death, Charles, Lucas, Yun, Moglit and Aria were declared dead.
Charles was Royalty.
Not that the Emperor cared.
It was well known that the Ninth Prince, Charles Von Sildoret, was the least favoured person within the Imperial Family.
Second to his mother.
Their situation was quite pitiful.
But...
But!
Luliya Moon, the Radiant Goddess of the Symbollia Alliance, the Saintess.
She was declared dead today alongside the rest of the 1st Squadron.
"Where's that bastard Florin..."
"You called?"
Mentor's head shot up, there he saw Instructor Florin's figure hazily condense as she stepped out of the shadows.
"Florin-"
"Wait, I have something to report."
Frowning, "What is it."
Instructor Florin stepped up to the table, then, after scouring it for a moment, pointed to the location of the task she set for the 1st Squadron.
"Here, a Realm Tear opened. Everyone in the 1st Squadron was taken."
When hearing the words 'Realm Tear', everything clicked together in Mentor's mind.
It all began to make sense.