Solar Calendar
Day 29, Month 12, Year 1500
Frontier
Forest of the Silent Void
The Forest of the Silent Void is a large expanse of cursed land, completely filled with darkness and silence. It was once a beautiful forest full of life, magical animals, plants never before seen, precious and unique materials; even magical creatures like fairies and entities like druids could be found. But that is a thing of the past, stories and tales that mothers used to tell their children before bed. Nowadays, in the era we are in, the only thing left of it is an eternal night, curses, mysteries, creatures whose souls were once filled with stars, but now are full of corruption, wandering souls, and, above all, demons. These cursed lands are known to harbor low-level demons. Without a doubt, it is very dangerous to survive here, but it is also a place of opportunity. Some of the materials managed to remain uncursed and are highly valued in the imperial market.
If you're wondering what three young people, who seem to be around 20 years old, are doing in the middle of this cursed forest... in reality, they are students of the academy, recently promoted to second year, and they are 17 years old, two years older than Nox. However, they do not appear to be that age. This has a reason: bloodlines. Not only does it improve your appearance, but it also enhances your strength and mana. For this reason, nobles are so different from normal humans; they are larger, more powerful, and much more attractive. It's as if they were a different human species.
These three young people were sent by the academy to pick up a child from a small village, far from the empire. To reach their goal, they had two options: the long path and the short path. But, by order of the administration, they had to take the short path, mainly due to suspicions of demonic activity, though these were only suspicions and small clues. They had no choice but to accept the small mission, in addition to bringing the young man alive to the academy. Just now, the suspicions turned out to be true. There was indeed a demon in the forest near the small village. As caretakers of the empire and students of the same, they have the duty to kill any demon they encounter, as long as it is within their capabilities.
Right now, they are in the middle of a battle. A C-5 class demon is dangerous because it is on the verge of evolving into a B-class demon. Normally, C-class demons are dangerous, but not for second-year students of the empire. These young people are trained for this. They must have the ability to kill them without suffering much, and if they are unable to do so, the only way left for them is to be devoured by the demon they tried to kill.
In this case, there are three second-year students, so a C-5 class demon on the verge of evolution should not be a big problem.
"They'll be fine," said a man seriously while placing the bright white paper on the desk. "You don't have to worry about it."
"It's not that, it's just that the activity inside the forest is increasing drastically. In just five years, 5 demons have appeared; including the one now, it makes 6. Although they've all been eliminated, don't you think that's strange?"
"You might be right, but we believe it's because the Saint of Light appeared in that village. Demons are cunning and vicious. Also, it's the same time the saint appeared in the empire. I think they're investigating and possibly eliminating some danger, or there might be something in the forest that caught their attention, which we don't know about." The man sighed and leaned back. "For now, let's wait for good news."
The young woman with golden hair furrowed her brows. Her body shone like the sun as she ran at full speed. She glanced out of the corner of her eye at the large red wolf covered in flames, which was roaring fiercely. Flames shot from its mouth, directed at the demon. Seizing the opportunity, her blade was enveloped in white flames as she looked closely at the demon...
She saw black flames rising toward the sky. The flames took the shape of black needles. The empty eyes, filled with malice, turned toward her. Her hair stood on end; she was in grave danger!
"Down!"
Her companion's voice echoed from behind, making sense of her actions. Quickly, she lowered her body's center of gravity, looking up at the sky...
Boommm!
A large water ball flew at maximum speed, forming a wall that shielded the young woman with golden hair from the black needles. Reacting quickly, she felt the water wall cover her body like armor. Golden flames shone around her, and two illusory wings sprouted from her back.
"You!" The demon glared darkly at the young woman with golden hair...
She immediately felt chaos flooding her mind. A complete madness filled with coldness assaulted the young woman's brain. Grinding her teeth, she felt as though hundreds of sharp knives were mercilessly cutting into her thoughts.
Mental attack!
Some types of demons have powers that stand out or are rare among them. One of these is the mental attack. This type of demon is extremely dangerous because they have the ability to drive mad those unlucky enough to look them directly in the eyes. At higher levels, they have the ability to erase memories, create conflicting personalities, or manipulate a person as if they were a puppet...
The young woman with golden hair bit her tongue, gaining some clarity amidst the terrible madness threatening to destroy her. She shouted, "Don't look him in the eyes!"
The large red wolf covered in flames got into a defensive stance, watching his friend, who was on her knees, hands on her head, veins bulging as if about to explode. Cautiously, he distanced himself a little and glanced sideways at his blue-haired companion...
Although at the academy they were taught to always remain calm or discipline their minds in supervised drills, the mental damage caused by this type of demon depends on how strong their power over it is. However, it can also be repelled by a strong mindset...
The young woman with golden hair sighed wearily. The terrible madness in her mind slowly faded. She struggled to stand up, turning her gaze back to the demon. A change in expression appeared on her face. Her eyes, as clear as water, darkened, and a twisted smile appeared on her beautiful lips...
Cristina Von Luciana, a second-year student at the imperial academy, a descendant of a family with hundreds of years of history, a family with a long history of demon hunters over the years, a family with sacred lineage directly descending from angels. The best in her class, characterized by being calm and serious most of the time, but behind that facade hides a cold and ruthless assassin who completely transforms when she feels someone is stronger than her or when her life is in danger.
Cristina Von Luciana felt her blood boil. Her blue eyes turned golden, and the illusory wings behind her became real. The flames around her body intensified even more