Aina gently touched the scars on her face and winced. They felt exceptionally tender as though they had just healed, but only she knew that she had had these scars for an entire 18 years of her life.
Her main reliance were these very scars on her face.
'These scars you've given me, not only will I not let them shame me, I will use them in a way you could never have calculated.'
A fiery rage lit Aina's amber eyes. In that moment, they flickered like golden flames.
Without hesitation, she poured the entire vial contents down her throat.
BANG!
Aina's clothes were blasted to ash. However, there was no gorgeous sight to behold. What should have been delicate, somewhat tanned skin, was nowhere to be seen.
Along with her clothes, Aina's skin had been torn asunder. A rain of her own blood and flesh coated the walls of the cave as though a massacre had taken place. All that was left were the fine fibers of her bloody muscles. In fact, even some of her skeleton shone through regions where even her deep tissue was broken.
She looked like a human that had been skinned alive. Yet, somehow, the scars on her face still remained prominent. They were so deep that they dug into the tissue of her face and latched onto her skull. Even in this situation, they pulsed like grotesque worms, not letting go even as their host was on the verge of death.
However, if one looked closely, it seemed that Aina was still in a state of meditation. She no longer had eyelids to close her eyes, but, her pupils seemed to have glazed over.
Anyone sane would believe that she was dead… That is, until one noticed a steadily beating piece of flesh. It was beneath two large mounds of yellow fat flowing with blood, beneath a ribcage bathed in crimson, and between two barely perceptibly moving lungs…
Her heart. It continued to beat with a rhythmic consistency.
As time passed, its beating slowed. It seemed that Aina might die at any time, however… though the rhythm seemed to slow, it became deeper and more resounding. Soon, it felt as though the whole underground space was trembling beneath its might.
…
At that moment, in a certain region of Earth, there was a hidden estate. It seemed completely separate from Earth, as though it was a heaven gracing the land of mortals.
There were vast stretches of exotic, alien plants, plains were graced by odd creatures of mythology, and the forests held an irresistable scent to them that seemed to pull one into a trance.
At the center of this land, there was a mansion that hung in the skies. From its base, thick, heavy chains hung. From a distance, it almost seemed as though these chains were the pillars that held this mansion up. If it wasn't for their slight swaying every so often, any ignorant observer would conclude this as well…
Within this mansion, in a room hidden from the eyes of even most of those worthy of stepping foot onto its floors, there was an alter.
Though it was an alter, it didn't seem to be worshipping anything. Rather, it seemed to be the exact opposite.
A stone tablet of sort sat with names crossed out, as though being banished from a level of respect they had once deserved, or maybe never deserved to begin with.
There were only two names on this list. Both of them seemed to have a magic aura wrapped around them. However, this aura was poison, sinister and dark…
Compared to the awe inspiring display of the Morales family ancestral grounds, this place was several levels less grand and also lacked any celebratory mood.
At that moment, an emanciated old man looked up with dull eyes. He sat within this dark room as a perpetual overseer, but his position didn't seem to be very high. Whether it was his long black robes or the rattling of chains beneath them, he seemed more like a slave than an elder.
His eyes were a milky white. He seemed completely blind, yet also seemed to sense something. However, whatever that something was made him sigh.
Before he could do much of anything, the pulsing lights on one of the names became more intense. The aura it exuded became several levels more vindictive and savage, exuding an endless dark energy.
A commotion was raised throughout the mansion and soon news was spread to all corners.
Within a room of that mansion, a beautiful middle aged woman sat before a mirror, allowing a petite maid to apply light makeup onto her delicate features. If it wasn't for the slight wrinkles toward the side of her eyes, it would have been impossible to tell this woman's age.
Not long later, a messenger quickly entered the room and left just as quickly.
Upon hearing the message, the beautiful middle aged woman snickered.
"That whore's daughter is still trying? How many is that already in the last year?"
"38, Madame." The petite maid replied softly.
"That little bitch sure can endure pain. She should know that that seal isn't going anywhere. She can struggle all she wants, but it won't change the outcome."
The beautiful middle aged woman's countenance distorted. Her beauty seemed marred by decades of resentment and hatred. She wanted nothing more than for that little bitch to live a life of torment.
After a few moments of silence, she regained her usual air of nobility. It was as though she hadn't been the one to make such an expression just seconds earlier.
"Has my boy Simeon still not found their traces? And is there any information about this Leonel Morales who dared to kill the people of my Brazinger Clan?"
"Madame… According to our information, Leonel Morales is the grandson of Emperor Fawkes."
The beautiful middle aged woman seemed to be stunned for a moment, seemingly not expecting such news. But, after a moment, her gaze narrowed.
"And so what? Even if a member of the Fawkes Imperial Family acted, they still have to lose a pound of flesh to my family!"
The petite maid hesitated before continuing.
"His mother hasn't been seen in several decades and we weren't able to find out anything about his father. In addition, madame should remember that Young Heir Simeon failed to gain a fourth of the World Spirit…"
Though the petite maid didn't finish her words, the meaning was clear. Acting against Leonel with such little information was inadvisable.
The beautiful Madame sneered. "It seems that cheap little whore is just like her mother. They sure know how to pick their men. I don't care what background he has, can it surpass ours? I want him dead before we're swept up by other matters. I don't want a fly buzzing around my business while I'm dealing with those greedy bastards who have eyes on our Fold of Reality."
The petite maid bowed. "Yes, Madame."
The Madame's sneer deepened. Thinking about how that little whore was suffering just to head toward another failure, her heart felt exceptionally light.
…
At that same moment, Aina still sat, her skin peeled completely from her body. However, a sneer also coated what was left of her lips.
They probably thought she was struggling to break these seals once again. But, in reality, she was using it to weaken the backlash of this blood. And she would keep using it in this way until the day she could bury that family in the dirt.
They wanted to seal her? Well, there was no one in this world who better understood her own body. There was nothing she could put into her body that she couldn't find a way to gain a benefit from.
Her dull eyes flashed with an endless determination.
**
Across the world, as Aina fought her own battle, Leonel too fought his own.
Blood covered his body from head to toe, but his gaze was just as blazing as Aina's.
"You dare pair yourself with a demonic creature and deem yourself a human?!" Lamorak billowing roar shook the arena.
Several competitors ran about the surroundings, chasing after orbs of light in the skies.
Leonel drew his bow, his gaze defiant.
SHUUUUUUUUUU!
Another orb of light was broken apart by him, fusing into his point total.
Leonel wiped the blood that was falling down from his face.
"I've long since been tired of you."
Leonel's voice rumbled like thunder. It didn't seem very loud, yet it reverberated in the chests of all those who heard him.
He wanted nothing more than to teach the man before him a lesson.