A lithe figure slipped into the deep recess of the forest, her footsteps were quick and silent. She was like one of her shadows—a mere flicker in the background before shifting out of sight. Save for her fiery crimson hair, her all-black outfit blended into the dark background. It was a new set of clothes, thanks to all the wear and tear her clothes had gone through a few days ago.

Kikka.

She grimaced. That had been a living nightmare. She had come here into the forest in the Common Region to let out all the pent-up energy she had. She needed to slash out at something, work herself out until she was worn out. She needed to do something. Anything. She whipped out her dagger. Chuchote flashed as it caught a ray of sunlight, its blade clean and sharp. She started hacking away at a rotting old tree stump. The dead wood easily gave way under her ruthless assault, but she continued slashing out at it. Every ounce of her energy, she called upon it and spent it all on the non-living piece of wood.

Perspiration soon emerged from her forehead, rolling down her chin and dripping down to the forest ground. But she took no note of it. When the stump was disfigured beyond saving, she wiped the dagger clean and slipped it back in its sheath. She was not done yet, though. The redhead burst into a run, deeper into the forest, deeper into the recesses of her mind.

Kikka.

Just the thought of all that had happened just a few days prior was enough to numb her. Genesis had walked into the town just as it got taken over by the daemons. Everything had darkened as soon as those monsters stepped foot on the place, and then the nightmare began. Not only was their eyesight darkened, but at times, their hearing and senses were all befuddled. It was frightening, and extremely frustrating as well, especially for one like her was used to knowing everything and having her situation under control. There was nothing she could control those few dark days, with all her control snatched away. Even for a shadow assassin like her who practically lived in the dark, the demonic powers were enough to set her on edge and distrust everything.

Kikka.

Her red strands flew like a banner behind her as the female continued her run. What had she learned from it? Strangely enough, the shadow mage took it upon herself to learn more about illusions. She also started training on her sensory, as she had found herself severely lacking in that area. In a twisted way, she had admired the daemons and their way of handling things. Instead of committing the heinous crimes themselves, they had somehow led the knights and civilians themselves to do the dirty work. She was no exception.

Genesis exhaled sharply. If it was not for that moment of mercy from one of the daemon’s servants, her mistake would have certainly killed all her teammates, as well as numerous civilians. Her one spell to deal with an immediate danger had backfired. It could have easily wiped out her entire team, the people who were trying to save the town and citizens from falling into the hands of the daemons. Thankfully, only she had suffered its consequence. But needless to say, she would not be using that spell for a long, long while. It only brought up the memory of her near-fatal error, the shameful taint to her name.

In the end, all their hard work—what was it for? The daemons had overtaken the town, enshrouding it with their dark mana and control. They had failed. She had failed. Yet, despite all that, there was a light for them. The little girl that they had saved was now their savior. As long as she was alive, the daemon leader had given his word that the innocent civilians would not be harmed. Their enemy had a twisted sense of honor, but still honor nonetheless. That was also something she had secretly admired. Heck, was she starting to think like them? Maybe she really was slipping into the dark side...

By now, her energy was near spent, and she was panting heavily. The exercise had been good, giving her an outlet for all the suppressed energy stored up inside her. She was now in a completely unfamiliar part of the forest. But she was not worried. Not at all. She still had energy to burn, still had many things to work out in her mind.

Now, she let her ki senses slip out, reaching to its full extent and mapping her surroundings. Doing things was what she was good at. Yet, the recent events had taught her that mind games were equally as important...and dangerous. Right before they were allowed a way out of Kikka, that daemon Ito had given her a speech. Long and reprimanding, but unbeknownst to the young woman, it was just what she needed.

"And he dares call me a pity party." She muttered. It was true, but she had yet to realize it. Then the daemon had walked over, fairly close to her, and every nerve of her had stood up on edge. However, she had willed herself to stay still, as he had not moved to attack, merely to emphasize his point. Yet to her, it had felt like intimidation, and she had steeled herself for it. It never came.

However, there was something else he said that struck with her. “‘Only the strongest and most cunning survives,’ he said...” She bent down and sat down on her heels, now doing a different type of tracking. The daemon’s voice had grown cold and harsh when he said that she was not the only one with that kind of struggle, fighting to survive. Sure, she had been a little offended back then, but now that she was alone in her thoughts and not so highly strung on adrenaline, she could see the sense in his words. Who would have known that even daemons had their own demons to deal with, their own lives at stake? Granted, she did not know much about them in the first place, but she never expected them to be so similar to mere human beings, fighting for their lives, though on a different level.

With that enlightenment, Genesis started picking her way back, letting her ki sweep out and tell her the way back home. She took her own sweet time, slowly sauntering through the leafy canopies and thick underbrush. Upon reaching the place where she currently stayed at, however, she was a little surprised to see a package on the doorstep. What was that? She had not remembered ordering anything, nor was she expecting anything from her limited circle of acquaintances. What could be inside?

The redhead scanned around her, trying to sense if she could detect any mana signatures nearby, any traces as to who or where it might have come from. There was none that she could tell, and there was nothing that indicated the sender on the plain package. She carefully picked it up, noting how it was a little heavy. Casting one last glance around her, she brought it in and closed the door behind her.

What was inside? She was suspicious, yet curious. When moving it, nothing had happened. She slowly opened it, and therein lay a beautiful rose gold bracelet, a pair of black leather boots, and a short note. She chose to pick up the note first.

"I hope you like the gift." It said. Simple and straightforward. However, it was the sender’s name that sent the shadow mage reeling back in shock. Ito? As in, that daemon Ito they were just about to defeat? The one who gave her those harsh words of advice? Yes, she had thought his boots looked cool and asked him about it. But just a few seconds before she had given that question, she had asked him of how she could kill him. So why in the world did he send her this? Was this a joke? A mocking taunt? She did not know...and likely would never know.

For the first time in her life, Genesis had fallen back, and just sat there on the ground for a good while. She was completely dumbfounded and stunned, and had to pinch herself to make sure she was not dreaming. It was so bizarre, so strange, but there lay the pair of boots. It was as real as the dagger by her side. It was a good thing, too, since her old shoes were crusted with the airsick child’s vomit and she had not been able to wash the stink out of them. This fine pair of black leather boots was certainly an upgrade to her old ones.

The boots were similar to the daemon’s, and they fitted her perfectly. She could feel the good quality of the material; the leather would last for her a good while. Not only that, as she laced them up, she could feel herself strengthened. It was almost as if she could run miles and miles in these boots and not feel tired. Or fight and not get hurt that easily. Whatever Ito meant when he sent her this pair of boots, she would probably never know, but she would be reaping its benefits and thanking him for it. What a strange twist of events.

Now she picked up the accessory. The bracelet was also a thing of beauty. Not only does the rose gold hue fit Genesis’ color scheme, it was also elegant, yet not too flashy to attract any unnecessary attention. Slipping it on, she immediately felt a shift in her sensory, as if her mind was just somehow more clear. With her finger, she traced the designs, admiring the graceful curls and ornate patterns on it. The shadow mage did not yet know all the specifics of this magical relic, but she knew it was more than just an ordinary bracelet.

She waved a hand over the quartz-like gem, and she felt a shimmer of mana and magic. It felt similar to her communication spells, but she had no one to call right now, nor was there a need to do so. There was also something like a voice speaking to her. It was quiet, almost like a whisper from the past. It was like a murmured sigh from whoever owned the relic before...or whatever kind of history was connected to this item. She could barely discern what it said. "'Show me the way'?"

Shadowed Myst. Immediately, a very light mist seemed to creep out of the bracelet. "Oh, yikes." Genesis jumped up and quickly ran outside. There was no knowing what kind of spell it was, nor of how big it can get. She should have thought to try this bracelet’s abilities outside in the first place. Even as she ran towards the more isolated part of town, the amethyst-hued mist seemed to form something in front of her. Wide-eyed, the caster watched on as it morphed into a 3D model in front of her. She immediately recognized it as a map of her surroundings, and it was highly detailed, even to the very leaves on the trees next to her.

"Wow. Nice." She was impressed. This would help her in tracking mana signatures in the future, although she was still not sure of how it would all work. But eventually, she would figure it out. "I wonder what else this can do..." She rubbed at the gem. Nothing. She turned the bracelet around on her wrist. Nothing.

"Hmm..." Now she tapped on the gemstone. Still nothing. Then she tapped it more times, and was rewarded with a creeping smoke like before. Ending Solitude. However, unlike the previous tracking one, this one kept growing, and it filled and thickened in an area in front of her. It was a fairly large area, and as soon as the cloud started to dissipate, she caught sight of a pale amethyst dragon in the midst of it.

"Oh là..." If she was impressed before, now she was completely captivated and spellbound. For once, a genuine smile appeared on the shadow mage’s face. Back in Kikka, she had admired the golems that the Blue Rose knight had summoned. And even before Kikka, while on a job of gathering materials, she had gotten to ride on one of Valo’s dragon golems. But now, she had one of her own.

The dragon golem was beautiful. Beautifully deadly. Its purple scales shimmered in an unearthly glow, under the bright afternoon sunlight—she could only imagine what it might look like underneath the moonlight. It had long horns from the top of its head, butterfly-like wings, and sharp claws and teeth. Its tail also looked like it could be used as a weapon. All in all, a gorgeous package of allure...and danger. It fit her style perfectly.

It turned its head towards her, and the redhead stretched out her arm and scratched underneath its chin. True, it may be just a golem, but it could still act similarly to the creature it imitated. "Let’s go for a ride, beauté." She murmured, then swung her legs and hopped onto its back. Using her mana tether to control it, Genesis had it flap its wings and take off into the skies. Crimson hair flew gaily like a banner behind her as the wind combed through her strands. For a moment, she closed her eyes and leaned back a little, enjoying the feel of rushing wind and the sound of flapping wings.

For now, at least, she could enjoy a brief moment of respite, these precious minutes of delight before harsh reality crashes her world again.





Items Brought: Chuchote, Enigmatic Sentry, Daemonic Gifts
Notes: Training Enigmatic Sentry (relic) to INT

- Used ki sensory
- Activated Shadowed Myst (Enigmatic Sentry), -8 mana
- Activated Ending Solitude (Enigmatic Sentry), -8 mana



Shadowed Myst
Ending Solitude

[attr="class","sigh"]POW 23

[attr="class","sigh"]DUR 01

[attr="class","sigh"]SEN 30

[attr="class","sigh"]STA 30

[attr="class","sigh"]CON 35

[attr="class","sigh"]SPEED
5 m/s

[attr="class","sigh"]HEALTH
senior

[attr="class","sigh"]MANA SKIN
senior

[attr="class","sigh"]MANA POOL
74/90

[attr="class","sigh"]MANA REGEN
10 IC/20 OOC

[attr="class","fall"]WORDS 2,304
TOTAL 2,304

TAGS Genesis Fantome