The Heavenly Realm.
A realm where higher beings, known as 'angels' reside. They are those who protect the physical realm from the evil who seek the destruction of this world. Those evil spirits are also known as 'demons'.
It is said from the history books that angels and demons have been at war since the world began. The angels purpose is to protect humanity against demons, who are said to be more powerful than the monsters. However, spiritual experts also believed that angels exist because demons also exist. Their sole purpose was not to protect us, but to fight demons. Although no one really knows what the intentions of demons are, people believe that angels are deities to protect us. So in order for them to keep protecting us from the demons, they built temples all around the world to worship them, a sign that they are loyal and thankful to the higher beings that protect mankind.
Strange. Despite looking like humans, inside are the faces of demons. Those who are greedy in power, money, and fame are worse. I am also greedy in power, but I have my own reason. But those who seek power to abuse those who are weak? They are the most fucked up monsters I have ever seen.
When I was a kid, my mother would tell me to be careful around nice people. They may smile and act kind, but in reality, they are just putting up a facade. Behind those kindness, lies darkness and evil. That is why whenever I meet people that are way too kind, I would immediately turn the other way. I would rather be friends with criminals who have good reasons to commit a crime, rather than people who are fake just to hurt or betray others.
Vivian's smile was the brightest. She used to be my angel because whenever my mother or I would be in trouble, she was always there to help us. I still can't believe that same Vivian… That kind and bright knight Vivian would betray my mother.
I don't know who to trust anymore. I don't even know if I can trust King Gia, Judge Leo, or Hazmuth. I don't know who is real or who is fake. But such thoughts hunt me down. I don't want to overthink things. If someone betrays me, I am ready to burn them down.
"You are thinking too much, little Ashe." My serpentine says. After gaining the Spirit of Light and Strength, my partner has become able to speak to me. "Such thoughts would weigh you down."
"Thank you for your honesty, serpentine." I say, thankful that I finally have someone to speak to. "I'm just scared."
"Scared of what?"
"That everyone around me is just fake. And in the end, I would be left alone." I say. I am truly afraid. Just thinking that everyone around me would betray me someday is what scares me. I'm not afraid of dying or fighting them. I am afraid of betrayal.
"Little Ashe, do not worry about such things. If anything happens, I will be with you no matter what." My serpentine reassures me, making me smile.
"I'm glad I have you with me." I say.
After almost a year of travelling, trying to figure out how to reach the Heavenly Realm, I finally find myself standing in front of a huge door that opens to the Heavenly Realm. I imbue magic into the door, and the door slowly opens, revealing a bright portal in front of us.
"The portal that leads to the Heavenly Realm… It's time to hunt Vivian down." I say, stepping inside. My surroundings become hazy and I feel myself getting dizzy as I step inside the portal. After a few seconds of transformation, my surroundings change.
I am standing on a platform which is floating above the sky. Below me are floating platforms which hold villages, temples, and cities. In the sky, I see different kinds of fishes swimming in the floating water, creating a path that connects one platform to another. The place is beautiful. My eyes wander the Heavenly Realm. White small birds flying while swinging, their voices echoing throughout the air. On the floating platforms, I can see angels of different genders and races strolling around places, talking to others in a friendly manner.
Everything is straight out of fantasy. My eyes can't fathom the beauty of this realm. No matter how wonderful humans create to make the world beautiful, everything in this realm beats them all. My eyes get stuck staring at the huge floating platform with chains on each side above these small platforms. Lots of angels keep going in and out from the place, which catches my attention. I'm guessing that is the main city.
"Hello there, adventurer! Welcome to Heavenly Realm's Sky Castle! I will be your guide to this wonderful city!" A female angel appears and greets me with the most beautiful smile on her face.
"Oh, thank you." I say and I follow her.
"Is this your first time in this realm?" She asks as she guides me to the city.
"Yes. This is a wonderful place." I admit. It really is a wonderful place. Everything is so peaceful here and bright.
"Of course! After all, this is Heavenly Realm's famous Sky City. In this realm, there are thousands of islands that exist. However, at the center of it all is the Sky Castle." She says, giving me useful information.
"So are we at the center of the islands?" I ask.
"Yes, we are!" The angel answers with a smile on her face.
She has been guiding me around the Sky Castle, showing me things that I probably will not be visiting. After showing me the whole city for almost an entire day, she says that she will take me to her favorite place to visit the most.
"Where is that?" I ask.
The angel turns around and points at me. "In the Heavenly Tower." As soon as she finishes her sentence, I find myself trapped inside a box that looks like a coffin. I try to get out of the box, but the material is not budging at all.
"What the heck?" I struggle to get out. I did my best to escape, even letting a shockwave out from me, but to no avail. The angel lifts the box along with me. She flies high, going far from the Sky Castle instead. "Where are you taking me?" I ask, still struggling to get out.
"Like I said, I am taking you to my favorite place: the Heavenly Tower." She says calmly while flying with a speed of light. It didn't take long until we arrived. She dives down to the deeper level of the tower until we have reached a prison. She then places me in the prison, putting chains on my ankle and wrist to prevent me from getting out. Worse, I cannot feel my magic at all.
"What is this?" I ask her, trying to break the chains from me. The door opens from behind her, and my eyes widen to see Vivian walking in. "Vivian!"
"How brute. I'm sure your mother didn't teach you to behave like this, dear Ashe." She says with a smile, the same smile she always used when I was a kid.
"Don't mention my mother from your mouth, you traitor!" I roared, causing the place to shake. The air becomes heavy around us, but it soon disappears as Vivian waves her hand.
"My, my… Don't be short-tempered now. It's been a while isn't it? We have a lot of things to catch up on, but as you see, your auntie is busy." She says. She turns around and leaves. But before she leaves, I say a word.
"I'll come for your head, Vivian. I will make sure you will pay for everything you have done!" I roared. Before the door fully closes, Vivian looks at me behind her shoulder and smiles.
"I can't wait to talk to you, little Ashe." She disappears.
My anger destroys the chains, freeing me from the binding. I rushed straight to the door to chase after her, destroying it open. But instead, I was met with knights. They all charged at me, but since I can't use magic because of the chain, I used them as my weapon to break them. After dealing with the guards, I climbed up the stairs to chase after her.
With each floor I step into, more and more guards keep on appearing, rushing at me with weapons and magic ready to strike. But thanks to my strength, even without magic, I can still kill them with my own hands. While fighting, I grab a pillar and use it as a weapon to smash them. The pillar is heavy and it is made of titanium, perfect for using as a weapon against heavy armor guards. Thanks to the chains and the titanium pillar I have obtained, not only have I killed many guards on the way, but even destroyed the floors I step into, making sure the tower falls before I leave.
After a long battle and climbing up the stairs, I finally got out of the tower. Yet more guards were waiting for me outside than inside. A horde of magic flies straight at me, but I deflect them all with the pillar on my hands. I charge straight at the guards, using martial arts and my weapons, I kill them all. But I am getting tired at this point. I lost track of time. It's been so long since I got here in the Heavenly Tower.
From the distance, I see a horde of knights rushing my way. Before I leave, I give them a small parting gift.
"Here's your tower. Take it. I am never going back to this place." I smash the legs of the tower which supports the tower from standing up. The tower falls down on the upcoming soldiers, killing them and breaking apart as it hits the edge of the platform. Soon, the platform breaks as well, slowly losing its ability to float. The whole platform collapses, falling to the unknown below the floating platforms.
While they are busy escaping from the falling tower, I quietly escape my way out of their sight. I don't know where I was going, but I just kept on running and running until I dropped on the ground due to how tired I was. Carrying the chains, pillar, and fighting physically has drained my energy a lot.
I find myself somewhere deep in the forest, where I hope no one can find me. Before I go into a deep sleep, I make sure to hide myself from the public. I find a small cave and lay there to rest. I'm tired… Really tired. Judge Leo is right… This is gonna be a long journey.
"I need to… find a way to break these chains…" I say. After a few seconds, I fall asleep.
Indeed… Welcome to Heavenly Realm.