There were four noble families residing on the island of Alanor and each one had a specific role to play as they aimed for a sort of balance amongst each other. Although outsiders referred to the inhabitants of the island as "Asura", this term was a broad application that referred to the entire race as a whole. The age-old term had originated by way of a legend in the outside world. The tall tale spoke about a solitary girl with silver hair and golden eyes. She supposedly roamed the continent of "Cian" before it even bore that name, and the stories spoke of her effortlessly defeating any warrior who crossed blades with her. It was said that not even the combined might of entire castles could halt the relentless prowess of this wandering beauty. Whether or not this tall tale had been true however, was yet to be seen.
A girl fitting the description of the legends, was now walking through a wide forest path. Her silver hair that could easily reach down to her waist, was now neatly tied with a headband like accessory and could only tickle her shoulders right now. It rustled perfectly with each step she took, and so did the katana at her side, swaying slightly at her hip. Three twin tailed birds covered in various shades of blue and white flew just overhead in a conjoining pattern, singing a rather comforting melody all the while as they dashed in the opposite direction.
The area wasn't brightly lit; instead, light crept in through gaps in the treetops, illuminating the slightly overgrown path she walked. Her strides weren't brisk, but they slow weren't slow either. She moved with purpose at a comfortable pace, the green shrubbery gently danced in the wind along either side of the path. As she noticed the light up ahead growing more abundant, it signaled the end of her long journey. The surrounding woods gave way to a serene clearing, where her destination finally unfolded before her eyes. It was Kanon, he was at the center of a large clearing that seemed as if it had just seen the aftermath of a devastating battle.
Now a sprawled out on the ground, his chest moved instinctively as he tried to catch his breath.
He didn't notice the girl behind him until he could see her standing directly overhead. The one now looking down at him was Levinia Silva. She belonged to one of the four noble clans in Alanor, that being the Silva clan. This clan in particular was known for their remarkable talent with a blade, and this girl here was no exception. The blade currently fixed to her hips was known as the Magari Shio (Winding Tide) and it had earned her the title of "Moon Cutter".
"What've you been doing out here?" she asked, looking down at him whilst blocking the sun's rays.
"Practicing with Arcanum, but It's not going so well."
The girl crouched and gave him a cheeky smile "Oh Yea you've always struggled with that."
"I'm working on it" he smiled in turn as he gave his defeated response.
Even in this crouched posture, there remained an inherent sense of mindfulness in the way she conducted herself.
(If only she was consistent with it, he thought.)
"But anyway Nia, how did you even find me out here?" Kanon asked, seemingly banishing his distracting thoughts.
"Oh, your presence stands out, so it wasn't even that hard. You really do need to work on your arcanum control."
"You make It sound so easy. I just haven't found my knack with it yet that's all."
Kanon answered with a dreary voice, his lack of success must have been getting to him at this point. He had talked a big game to the intruders only three days prior, but in truth, he only knew the basics of arcanum himself.
"How's your right arm? Do you need treatment?" She held a protective tone, supposedly ready to treat any wounds he might have.
"No, those burns healed a while ago." He carefully inspected his right hand, now raised and further examined by Levinia. The corners of his lips curled into a smile, as if he took pride in the once-visible battle scars that could easily have been categorized as second-degree burns.
"Why are you smiling? I bet you didn't even use an ointment or anything." She lightly twisted his hand and jolted him back to reality.
"Ack! I thought you were worried about my well being."
"Call it a lesson in pain, you should start taking better care of yourself."
"I'll work on that too."
She gave him a doubtful glance as she was getting ready to address the issue at hand, but Kanon beat her to it.
"So, what brings you out here? I doubt you could've found some other spot in such a short time."
"That's right, father asked me to come get you. He probably wants to talk about the humans who were here three days ago."
Kanon had previously fought off the entire unit of Salamander that ventured here on the absurd premise of subjugating this island. He had tried to hide the fact from the girl crouching over him, but she easily grilled him for answers once he awoke. It was nothing more than a coincidental occurrence as the boy was simply just close to the Island's outskirts at the time, and Salamander had only ventured about ten kilometers inland during their brief visit.
Despite his best efforts to keep the battle small scale, it somehow resulted in him completely disrupting the flow of a nearby river and altering the terrain quite a bit. With some effort on his part and with assistance from Levinia, the scenery was set to return to normal given time. The abundant mana the island possessed was also playing an active part.
"Just so you know, I didn't tell him anything."
"I know, it was his Senken right? I wouldn't be surprised if that old man was aware of everything happening on the island."
"He is quite remarkable." Levinia uttered a proud response.
"Alright, let's go then, I wouldn't want to keep a noble waiting."
Kanon rose to his feet and dusted himself off, he wasn't eager about this at all, but it was now or never.
"It's not that urgent you know? Aren't you still in the middle of your training?"
"Yea but I haven't been home since yesterday and besides, it's easier to just get this over with now."
The girl chuckled once again, and they both started walking through the path she came. He never really took note of her outfit until he started walking alongside her, but this one actually suited her quite well. Her outfit was reminiscent of a blue and white yukata, stopping just about three inches above her knees, with open-slit sleeves that hung loosely, separate from her shoulders. Her flowing silver hair was gathered elegantly by a headband, revealing the delicate curve of her nape. Kanon thought there was a mysterious allure to it as he walked a slight distance behind her. Her outfit was complete with the addition of her white knee socks that neatly tied the entire thing together.
"Come to think of it you never were good with formalities. But the same goes for me actually." Levinia had been the first to break the silence since they started walking.
"Heh, says the princess." That snarky comment earned him a sharp glare from her golden eyes.
"I'm no princess....." She replied in a low tone that seemed to carry a hint of some unpleasant emotion.
Quickly catching on, he decided it would be best to switch topics.
"Don't worry I know just how inelegant you can be."
"What exactly was that supposed to mean?" She shot him a deadly glance once more, but this time her face was flushed red so Kanon couldn't feel the intensity being emitted by her golden glare. They continued the bickering for a bit as they walked, talking about nothing in particular.
The entire area was essentially just an enormous forest. The average tree here reached up to about fifty meters in vertical height and there was a litter of lux crystals of various sizes scattered about here and there. Although they were still dazzling during the daytime, their true radiance could only be seen during the night when they began emitting the ambient mana they absorbed, illuminating the entire area like ethereal, otherworldly beacons that cast enchanting shadows and revealed the intricate beauty of their surroundings.
Alanor was in the domain of the wavering sea, a place where ships were often known to get lost or outright disappear even under the best of weather conditions. This was why the island was hardly ever visited, because only a handful of people could reach it in the first place. And even then, of those who did an even smaller fraction managed to return. They knew the island existed but reaching it had seemed like a rather simple, yet near impossible task - It was like breaking into a bank vault, only to be stopped by a silk curtain. Salamander only made their way there by charting their course using the failures of those that came before them, and by employing the services of a certain mercenary group that had once managed to set foot on the island and return intact.
The island itself was constructed in a fairly simple way, it was about three times the size of New York City, and almost the entire population resided at the center of the island in one massive city that spanned around two hundred square miles. It was known as "Solis Keep," and this city was divided into five distinct sections, with four of them corresponding to the cardinal directions. Each of these four sections was occupied by noble families, while the royal family resided at the heart of the city's center.
Imagine the layout of the city as a pie chart, evenly divided into five equal parts, with a circular core situated in the center. This central circle had a radius equivalent to one-fifth of the total city area, and it unironically symbolized the prominence of royalty in a subtle yet profound manner. Strangely enough however, there were no guards or regular patrol units to be seen outside this massive city and that was done on purpose.
Kanon and Levinia had now exited the forest area and had reached a red bridge that was neatly curled over the 20 -meter-wide lake before them. The sounds of their footsteps were dulled out by the babbling of the flowing stream below.
Splash!
A massive amount of water was swept up into the air as a large fish-like creature covered in blue scales had just risen from the stream below and was now airborne. Despite its aquatic nature however, the inside of the creature's mouth was adorned with two sprawling rows of canine like teeth that were in full view as it spread open what could easily be considered the jaws of death. Kanon was seconds away from launching an attack as it descended upon the noble looking girl in front of him, but he was too slow. He could barely even make out what happened – No, he couldn't even react. The scaled creature split into five even chunks, each segment falling away with a fluid grace akin to the neatly packed compartments of canned sardines.
There wasn't a drop of blood nor water on the girls lightly colored clothes. The blade she now gripped in her right had a black and grey hilt, adorned with what looked like gold coins inserted in pairs at different points along the vertical edges. The blade itself gleamed with a translucent, reflective metallic hue akin to mercury, though possessing a lighter sheen. The remnants of the giant fish had disappeared just as fast as it had emerged from the depths, leaving nothing behind but ripples on the water's surface and a sense of awe in the heart of the boy who had witnessed the fleeting spectacle.
The attack just now was the main reason why no one bothered to put guards or patrol stations out here – It just didn't make sense. Mana beasts were formed when ambient mana was able to coalesce over time and eventually take form. With the dense concentration of mana present in the outer regions of the island, mana beasts would naturally spawn frequently. If anything, establishing the cities further inland had made the island itself take on the tedious work of security for them. These mana beasts were the perfect deterrent for any would be invaders. Under normal circumstances, the average person would have faced more frequent attacks when travelling through the island's outer regions, but there were certain elements at work which were dissuading a potential onslaught of mana beasts.
"Your Senken needs work too; it doesn't seem to work as well on targets that are devoid of malicious intent." The girl remarked as she skillfully sheathed her silvery - white blade.
"Yeah..." still captivated by what he just saw, he could only offer a blank response.
Senken was a technique that allowed one to be in tune with their surroundings by entering a state of resonance with arcanum, the mystic power that flowed through the planet's Ley Lines. It was like a sixth sense that increased your level of awareness and insight and could improve reaction speed to an absurd degree, an invaluable asset to have in combat, despite the limitations. Using this technique, Kanon was able to discern almost the exact numbers of the invaders who had arrived three days ago, as well as their malicious intentions. It was the very reason he decided to attack so abruptly once they had refused his initial suggestion to leave.
He had sensed it, many of them had desired bloodshed, whether they were aware of it or not. And even then, those who held no malicious thoughts would be completely indifferent to whatever carnage was to come.
"Hey Kanon, I've been meaning to ask but.... What were they like? Those humans."
She didn't look back at him when she had asked the question, but he could tell there was an innate look of curiosity on her face.
"They were kinda malevolent and oppressive but.... despite all the bad.... even they had genuine bonds and people they cared for. "
"They sound quite crude if that's all they have to offer". It sounded like her previous curiosity had stared to wane.
"I'm not sure about that but something did happen that caught me by surprise. There was a girl who was determined stop me at the cost of her life, even if it was false bravado."
"A girl hmmm..."
"I think you're reading into that part too much." Levinia had cornered him yet again
"Was that your first-time meeting humans?" She glanced over her shoulder upon asking the question.
"Yeah, I have sensed some unusual presences in the past, but I never had a direct interaction with them until now."
"Do you want to meet humans someday?"
"You made them sound amusing, so I just might, if I ever leave this island that is." At that moment, the girl's voice was filled with glee. She turned around and did a few stretching motions, there was an obvious air of excitement around her.
"Alright Kanon! let's pick up the pace!"
"Huh wai-"
Before he could even give a decent response, the girl had already engaged in a dash.
"Heh....Guess I've got no choice then." With a reluctant smile, he decided to chase after her.