"You useless child!"
"You stupid girl!"
"Why did YOU have to be born, your very existence has tarnished the Monroe Bloodline. Such a disgrace to our proud family name."
The voice of her father was a reoccurring nightmare to her. A voice that didn't bear any love, care, or respect for her being. This was the life she was used to, one of scolding over the littlest of mistakes, and the constant rumors and shame that fell on her family.
Just because she was born....without the ability to use Mana, without the ability to harbour any unique skill, without the ability to summon forth her System.
Zoey Monroe, the "Shame to the Monroe family.." That was her title, one that would follow her everywhere she went, and kept a hold on her even in the comfort of her own home.
Everyday she would be reminded of how much of a dissapointment she was, always being compared to her genius younger sister, and younger prodigy brother.
"Why did it have to be me.." The young girl asked her self, tears flowing from her eyes like a gentle stream of a calm river, her heart broken and her soul shattered.
"Pathetic..." Zoey's brother scoffed, rolling his eyes, a cruel smirk on his face,
"You're truly a bothersome pest, big-sister." Zoey's sister joined in, her tone cold and lacking emotion, a look of dissapointment flashing in her eyes.
While she was younger then Zoey, who was already very young, her intellect and magical prowess made her a genius and dear treasure to her family.
Zoey sat in her room, the room was huge and very luxurious, similar to that of a queens bedroom. But it felt more like a cage to her, keeping her face away from the world, making her feel like a caged-bird.
To escape from her pain and constant abuse, Zoey took an interest to reading and watching videos all about the life that Hunters live.
She read about the types of monsters that could be found within the dungeons, the treasures they held, and about the amazing Hunters that took down these dungeons that threatened humanity.
.....
Many years ago, a global phenomenon struck the earth and brought it to near extinction. The air cracked and reality tore, opening portals and ancient structures known as Dungeons.
Out of these dungeons, many monsters broke free and rampaged through Sunrow city, killing many people and bringing a sense of doom upom them all.
"It's the apocalypse. Run for your lives-ack!" One of the panicking man ran through the streets, passing by a mother and child that sat helplessly on the road, before being sliced in two by a giant ogre.
"No...please..." The mother of the child cried out in fear, looking at the ogre that approached them with a evil grin.
The giant monster lifted it's giant, stone blade, ready to finish them off. But before it could, the arm of the ogre suddenly got sliced off, the air stopping for a moment, before the monster started to scream in pain.
"Heh..I guess it's finally time we make ourselves known." The voice of a young man rang out behind the monster, making it spin around quickly, still catching it's bleeding severed arm.
The man wore a fine red suit, he had flaming crimson hair and eyes, a smug grin visible on his face as he chuckled lightly.
The mother looked around herself to see many other people start to fight back against these monsters, wielding magical powers and weapons extracted from the dungeons.
These people who fought the monsters, destroyed the dungeons, and protected the lives of the people, were known as Hunters.
....
"What do you want?" Zoey's father asked, a striking and handsome man sitting crossed over his desk, smoking a cigarette and not even bothering to look at her.
Zoey, who was now seventeen, stood infront of her father's desk, her hands clasped together before her, nervously fidgeting with the hem of her shirt, looked at her father with a nervous expression.
"Father..I" Zoey nervously started, struggling to find the words "I..I want to-" Before Zoey could finish her sentence, the door of her father's office slammed open, interrupting her.
"Father! You won't believe what just happened today!" A very familiar, and annoying voice called from behind her.
It was her younger brother, Aleron, the one who hated her guts and enjoyed tormenting her. Even though Zoey was older than him by two years, she couldn't do anything as she didn't have any power within the family household.
"Hm? What's happening?" Zoey's father asked, ignoring her presence and standing up from his chair, walking past her and toward Aleron.
"I got accepted by the Berserkers Guild!" Aleron happily announced, his face beaming with happiness.
Zoey's father's eyes widened in suprise at his son's words, the Berserkers Guild was one of the top guilds in Zolorius City, currently standing at the 3rd position of the Guild hierarchy.
For his son to have obtained such a feet, must've the guild realize his grand potential and make him a member of their rankings.
"Wonderful!" Zoey's father said, a proud glint in his eye, gently placing a hand on his shoulder "I'm very proud to hear that, to see my son carry on our family's legacy," he paused, glancing at Zoey with a terrifying glare "Unlike someone that just manages to bring us down..."
Zoey's body tensed up, it was obvious that they were referring to her, the "Shame Of The Monroe" family.
It wasn't anything new to her, as they made no attempt to ridicule her at every chance they were presented with, their words cutting deeper than any blade ever forged ever could.
Aleron looked at Zoey and clicked his tongue, his expression turning to that of disgust upon seeing Zoey in the room, as if she hadn't been there before.
"I can't take this anymore...." Zoey muttered under her breath, gritting her teeth in frustration She could feel her blood boiling with rage, all the pent up anger she had been hiding for so long began to surface.
"Ever since I was a child..I had been constantly pushed around, ordered around, because I was "Worthless", a "Shame to the Monroe Family" , just because I wasn't born with any Mana in my body. I'm tired of it, tired of the same cycle every single day, of having my existence ignored."
Zoey said giving her father a strong glare, before walking towards the door.
"Where do you think you're going!?" Zoey's father yelled, grabbing her wrist and gripping it tightly "That's no way to talk to your father..."
"Let her go," Aleron said, giving Zoey a evil grin "If she wants to leave, let her leave. She has already tarnished our family name for just being here, so it doesn't matter if she goes away, it will be even better for us actually."
Zoey's father let go of her hand after listening to Aleron's words, "Leave, and never come back." He said, his voice colder than ice.
"I won't...." Zoey replied, her voice steady and full of determination, she was going to live her life the way she wanted, being free from her family's cage. She didn't care what the world had to say about her, they already had said enough for the past seventeen years.
With that, Zoey turned around and left the room, never looking back. Her fists were clenched as she walked down the hallways of her home, glancing at the large pictures of her family members.
Her brother, Aleron, her sister, Alicia, her father Zain, and her mother, Loriane. All important figures that lead to the success and prosperity of the Monroe family, and her picture wasn't there with them, making her feel a hole grow in her chest.
"Where are you going?" Alicia asked, appearing from around the corner, her voice cold, leaning against the wall, her arms crossed and her presence a bit intimidating.
"Far from here...." Zoey replied, continuing to walk, not even sparing her a glance.
"...." Alicia watched her go for a few seconds, before turning around and walking back to her chambers.
Zoey walked into her room and started to pack her bags, filling them with all her belongings. Her gaze fell on the many books of Hunters and Monsters she had managed to read all over the years, a small, but bitter smile forming on her lips.
She let out a small sigh, before grabbing her stuff and leaving her room, and walking out the large estate of the Monroe family.
As the large gates closed behind her, the wind blew a refreshing breeze in her hair, adding a strong sense of freedom to her being, making her feel alive after so long.
"Finally..." Zoey breathed, grabbing her smart phone from her pocket and opening her maps, her eyes falling on a nearby city named, "Zolorius".
"This is where my journey begins." Zoey said with a small smile, but her smile soon faded and was replaced by a more painful expression.
A loud ringing sound pearced her ears, enhancing them severely, she could hear the sounds of boots walking down the roads, cars zooming up and down, and the talk of Hunters as they continued on with their day, all from very far away.
"Damn it...not again..." Zoey muttered to herself as she clutched her head, trying to suppress the agonizing pain.
This strange pain infiltrated her body several times before as she continued to grow up, she tried to mention this to her family so many times, but they paid no attention to her and couldn't care less.
Whenever this happened, the power of senses would be increased to an incredible degree, allowing her to have super human hearing, sight, and smell.
It wasn't always as potent as it was now, this was far beyond what she would currently face every once in a while, almost as if something within her is trying to break free.
Once the pain subsided, and Zoey was fine again, she started to make her way over to Zolorius City, climbing into a cab and driving off, ready to start with her journey.