Tens of thousands of kilometers from Valemont, there was a small, remote forest. It lay deep within the Rose Empire, a flat region rich in agriculture.

In this forest, there was a little girl dressed in a commoner's dress. She had a big smiling face and bright eyes as she collected herbs.

Being a border region, the place had considerable military activity.

Hordes of beasts invaded from the west, and evil necromancers hid far from the heart of power of the vast Rose Empire.

Still, she walked around that place in a very relaxed manner.

Her bare feet sank into the soft grass as she crouched down, picking up another herb and placing it in her basket.

She bent her scraped knees, ready to get up and go to the next herb.

But suddenly, she stopped.

The air felt heavy and stuffy, the pleasant breeze from before completely gone.

She tried to breathe, but no air entered her lungs. Her little legs trembled and she fell on her bottom.

"Ah... ah..." She tried to speak, but no air came with her voice, only muffled crackles escaping from her throat.

Slowly and painfully, she turned her face.

The older children used to tell her stories. Stories of monsters of darkness, who hunted in the woods and ate children.

She never believed them.

Even if she did, she was a brave child.

She always puffed out her chest, boasting about how she would defeat any monster with a single blow.

But there, she saw it.

The oldest and deepest terror. A pair of red eyes stared at her. It was an ancient terror, a distorted figure with exposed bones and guts hanging from its open belly.

Its face, like that of an old man over a hundred years old, had the left half taken over by maggots. The right side displayed blackened skin, stuck to the bone.

It was a demon; no, an evil spirit that fed on souls and fear.

Endless tears streamed down the little girl's face. She struggled to close her eyes, trying not to see that thing approaching.

Unfortunately, she no longer had control of her own body.

The world seemed to have stopped spinning. Everything around her, except for that thing, had suddenly frozen.

And then, when the creature was just one step away from the child, it was the creature that froze. Just as the little girl had frozen.

Its body lost strength, and when it realized it, a sea of shadows surrounded it.

"What a disgusting little thing..." A voice echoed, masculine and noble, carrying a soft, angry growl.

At the same moment, a hand emerged from the sea of shadows, grabbing the creature's skull and crushing it. A sea of flames engulfed the creature.

It could see only one thing: a pair of cruel, deep purple eyes staring at it as if it were just another insect, not an ancient terror.

"It's okay, sweetie, don't look..." A female voice came from behind the little girl, covering her eyes and pulling her into a protective embrace.

Ruxue took out a mental calm pill, one of the few in the temple that could be given to a mortal without causing them to explode.

With a gentle movement, she placed it in the little girl's mouth, making her swallow it and hugging her a little tighter.

Qingyi just watched that scene before shaking his head gently, looking around.

He could feel those figures watching from the shadows.

Dozens, hundreds. Creatures of distorted shapes, their bodies taken over by rot. Guts spilled onto the ground and bones were exposed as they walked toward him.

He felt no fear, only displaying a small, gentle smile, calling forth the flames of primordial chaos.

"You want to see terror? Very well... I'll show you true fear. Qingyi growled. His body was engulfed by a sea of gray flames that soon spread.

Like a tsunami of flames, they engulfed those spirits, who, for the first time in millennia, felt pain.

Not emulated pain, not fake pain. Real pain.

Their own souls burned. The very foundation of what formed them and placed them on this earth to reap the lives of poor mortals unlucky enough to fall into their trap.

Their cries of pain and despair were in no way quieter than those of the mortals whose lives they had taken.

When the gray flames ceased and the air began to flow again, Qingyi focused only on Ruxue and the little girl in her arms.

Little by little, the child gained courage, her mind calming as the pill she received from Ruxue began to take effect.

She looked at the strange woman who was hugging her. Beautiful, with deep purple eyes and a mature, arrogant face, yet strangely welcoming.

And then she looked at the man approaching. He was also handsome, with protective features and a gentle smile.

Both wore strange clothes and seemed to wield strange powers.

"Tell me your name, little one." Qingyi knelt in front of her, stroking her golden hair.

"A-Alice..." she finally managed to say, her voice still trembling and her eyes still teary.

Her eyes flowed over Qingyi, until they finally reached his chest. More specifically, the pendant he wore, its gold contrasting with his elegant black robes.

"A-are you a hero? My aunt said that only heroes wore these necklaces..." She asked, gaining a little more courage and pointing towards Qingyi's pendant.

"Uh? Have you seen someone with a necklace like this before?" Qingyi asked, his eyes shining softly.

"Hm-hmmm..." Alice nodded with a nasal sound. "It's the scary aunt... she's staying at the church for a few days..."

"Oh... can you take us to her? Don't worry, I'll protect you."

Alice hesitated for a brief moment, but in the end, she just nodded, gathering courage in her chest.

She was the bravest among her siblings. She couldn't stay behind there.

Raising her little index finger, she just pointed in the direction and guided Qingyi through the forest to the church where she lived, a few miles from the city, which also served as an orphanage.

It was a white concrete and stone building, not very unique in architecture for that region.

Qingyi approached the church with Ruxue. He passed through the central gate and then stopped, suddenly turning his face to the right.

Then he saw her: a pair of eyes as green as a lush forest on a sunny day, focused on his.

The owner of these eyes had long, blonde hair, adorned with a tiara of vines and flowers; a pair of pointed ears peeking out from between the golden strands that framed her noble, sharp face.

Qingyi's eyes remained focused on hers for a brief moment before they dropped, passing through her body; tall and slender, no more than a few centimetres shorter than Qingyi.

Her firm breasts were protected by a steel plate and below that, she wore a single piece of tight dark clothing that clung perfectly to her body, sinking into the curve of her slim belly and extending over the full, perfect orbs of her ass.

Qingyi swallowed hard as his eyes traveled down her hips, reaching her shapely thighs and long legs, before rising again.

Everything about her was perfect, so thin that the bones of her delicate ribs and wide hips were faintly visible under the fabric of her clothes, her abdomen displaying soft muscles.

Yet she had fat in all the right places and only there; her breasts, her thighs, her ass...

How could such a woman exist and be found so casually, walking among mortals?

The woman's hands reached for the beautiful sword she carried at her waist, slender and delicate, the most perfect elven craftsmanship, its silver blade adorned with runes.

Her was face cold and impassive as her full, rosy lips parted.

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