"Instead of being a hero, I chose to be someone else. I packed up my cloak and had lived with hunters over the years. Not only were they strong, but they were the only ones who could fend off the Astait people by using flame magic. However, when I reached my teenage years, I used the knowledge given by the pack of Flame Hunters, and instead of going to Zomrack, I took a detour to Ernkshinkdle City."
"Throughout those remaining years in the city, I would study and retain an anonymous status. I would do anything that comes to my advantage to make myself perfect so my actions will be noticed. Every word, every inch of determination, all of it poured into a bowl of ideal dreams. Fortunately enough, after years of hard work, it succeeded."
It cost the faith of my allies to become this perfect image. Instead of looking up to me, they despised me, seeing me as a traitor. But I was consumed by a single-minded hatred for The Queen of Astait, a loathing that traced back to the day she decided to execute and then resurrect my father as an example for others who might rise against her. Seeing him suffer was a sight that branded itself into my soul, leading my once-loyal comrades to turn away in misunderstanding of my growing obsession with vengeance.
The last shreds of my empathy dried up with each calculated step I took towards her domain.
I was no longer seeking justice but aiming to usurp her throne and become the new King of Astait.
My every move was fueled by this burning desire for retribution, overshadowing the cries of those I left behind.
"Eyes. Yes, the eyes of the Queen of Ice. Bittersweet and filled with anger… yet carrying sadness all the way down. Her ice-colored hair was bewitching enough to mesmerize a whole crowd. It is with these powers that she became the center of attention in the ice-cold nation of Astait."
"When I finally reached this status, getting an invitation to a meeting, as soon as I knew it, just as I was to lay a finger on The Queen, the lesser Queen sent her ice guards to overwhelm me. She had killer intentions, and yet, she dared not kill me forwardly."
"Because she possessed unfathomable knowledge of magic, after many years of anticipation of seeing my father, I watched helplessly as my father got dragged into the throne room."
"Look at this, traitor!" the guards said together.
When I saw my father's familiar, strong face, I was shocked that he was alive. I doubted he would survive sector three of Astait's prison, the hardest part of all. But seeing all the tough things he went through, it wasn't surprising he lived.
"Despite all the relentless actions and people brewing on the dark side of the prison, my father was escorted out of prison. I couldn't stop crying after seeing the relieved smile plastered on his face as he saw my face again. His appearance looked noticeably different than before.
My father's transformation shocked me. He looked frail and thin—no longer the powerful figure I remembered. In that moment, I realized the Queen's true motivation was not to reward me for my achievements but to punish me for my perceived betrayal.
"Just before I could touch my crippled father's hands, the guards pushed me away and mercilessly slaughtered him in cold blood. I screamed in horror as his blood tainted the tiled floor, but then I heard a scream. It was my mother. She was far more beautiful than before, having beautiful gray hair and eyes.
However, she looked snobby, as if the wealth of Astait's benefits had consumed her. She looked different, a corrupted version of herself. She didn't even smile back at me, her own son. But even so, I was relieved to see my mother alive."
Hope had filled me before. But she, too, was killed by the guards' spears before my eyes. My petrified screams echoed through the throne room as everyone laughed, mocking my imperfections.
"They kicked and tossed my parents' bodies like ragdolls, treating me with absolute disrespect. All these years of accumulating knowledge and building status, all for nothing. The 'friends' that I made because of my 'perfections' betrayed me. Of course, no hero could be perfect. Every human must have flaws."
It was at this moment that the queen told me.
"Perfection is a delusion."
Once she said that, she brought my parents back from the dead and turned them into wild, angry wolves. Amused by what she could do, she wanted them to obey her. She gave them an order.
"Kill that man, Ubel!"
But instead of following her orders, they destroyed the throne room, tore off one of the queen's arms, and broke the window. Though their bodies were only ghosts, their paws touched me, and they silently promised to protect me like before.
We ran as fast as we could away from Astait until we reached the lush border of Linuxinia. Exhausted, yet free from the chains of vengeance, I found myself at a crossroads. The urge for revenge still simmered within, a dark shadow casting over lost years. Yet, the sight of the vibrant land around us and the loyal spirit of my parents, albeit in wolf form, reignited a forgotten warmth in my heart.
As I caught my breath and the past weighed down less heavily, clarity emerged. In that fragile moment, I resolved never to return to the enmity that Astait represented.
Instead, I would channel the depth of my experience and the pain endured toward helping others. Seeking to inspire change, kindness, and resilience over power and revenge felt like a heavier, yet lighter, burden to carry forward.
Now, when I wandered the lands of Linuxinia, there was something my parents (wolves) told me that changed my perspective on things; a lesson that I learned throughout this tragedy.
"You can't be perfect; there will always be some mistake in you that would drive anyone to hate you, even if it is the littlest of things. Perfection is just a delusion to make everything and everyone seem like a flawless object. It's the force that drives others to become, even if nothing and no one will ever be perfect, no matter how much you try. Perfection is subjective; as long as you believe you're perfect, you can do anything. As long as you think you're perfect, nothing can stop you."
If I believe I'm perfect, nothing can stop me. The flow of water inside me came from my mother. When the Queen of Astait summoned the magical wolves, she forced their souls to connect with mine. We shared pain, and if one of us died, all of us would. As with magic, we all bore it together.
. . .
After the recollections vanished into space, Ubel finished his story with an apology.
"I'm sorry for going overboard on my story, Aletha. But I needed to finally reveal my past. For years, I hid my history and tried to appear perfect, hoping it would allow me to be accepted in this world. Now, after finally sharing my tragedy, I feel relieved. My motivation for telling you was to share my burden and seek understanding, not just to dwell on pain."
"Do you feel any better now? Are you okay?" Aletha blinked at Ubel, concern clear in her eyes.
After a long pause, Ubel's ice-cold frown transformed into a smile. He then replied with a dash of elegance.
"Yes, Aletha. I feel better.". Just a little better, though. Not a lot."
After a moment of silence, Aletha shot Ubel a skeptical look before responding.
"So what you are trying to tell me… is that your parents turned into wolves?"
"Wolves, yes. They're my family—my parents and companions. They vowed to protect me because of their love."
After sliding a chair to the side, Ubel continued, crossing his arms.
"That's enough about me. Talking with you helps pass the time. Now, you should share your story. Come, sit," Ubel invited.
Unlike Ubel, Aletha kept silent. If it were not for the memory loss, Aletha would have shared an entire story. Instead, she told Ubel about her adventures in Pladtioa and the events that led up to this point to pass the time.
"Oh… so you managed to resist a gigantic opening in the sky?!"
Silently, Aletha nodded.
"That's very interesting," Ubel said. "An ancient city suspended and hidden inside the clouds. I have to say that is indeed interesting."
"Enough talking. Get to the point," Aletha interjected politely, glancing toward the kitchen as if to move on.
"Ehhh, when is the food ready?"
A response immediately flew out of the steamy kitchen, saying,
"Just give me a couple of seconds!"
Arising from the kitchen was Alai, holding a plate of food.
"GAH!"
After that scream, Alai almost tripped on the rug but quickly caught the plate and kept her balance. Ubel grinned in relief while Aletha rushed over to ask if she was okay.
"I'm fine.. Just help me carry one plate. It's over there near the oven." Alai said with an appreciative smile.
Once they were settled, Aletha spoke.
"Okay. Just…Please be careful next time."
"Yes. Keep your eyes on where you're going." Ubel added with a sneer.
As she grabbed the plate, Ubel ran off to the kitchen to grab a glass of water. After everything was prepared, Aletha, Alai, and Ubel sat at the table to eat dinner.
"I'm so sorry about that…" Aletha said after grabbing a fork. This, in turn, led Alai to act with a pouty attitude.
"What are you saying sorry about? It's my fault!"
After Aletha had heard the response, she decided it was best to eat silently rather than have her mouth hanging open.
* * * * * *
When Aletha's eyes parted, she found herself surrounded by crooked mountains and fields of bloodshed. Corpses were scattered everywhere, and dragons flew about, with one giant inverted volcano erupting in the distance. The vivid sight seemed more than just a random nightmare.
It felt like a vision, possibly a glimpse of a past shaped by mistakes, a deep connection to a forgotten history that still haunts the present.
Arms. Yes, arms were what she could see all around, arms reaching out from the soil. Perhaps this revelation was a reminder of the ancient conflict that still haunted the world, intertwining with her destiny and hinting at a critical role she might play in shaping its future.
She was utterly speechless.
As she took a step, Aletha found the world ensnared by a circle of striking magenta lightning; vortexes of destruction dotted about the world.
Then, after the lightning struck, came a deep tremor that shook and jolted the rocks, spreading smoldering debris everywhere.
Finding herself weightless, Aletha asked as she floated in place.
"Where… am I?"
Apart from the catastrophe happening in front of her, Aletha found herself untouched by the scene. To her, she felt as if she were the audience of some sort of epic stage play.
Fire could be seen crawling all over the fields, striking hundreds of people.
Amidst a pile of corpses, two powerful humanoid beings that made even the heavens follow their every command. They both raised their arms, and at once, a wave of golden energy spread through the air; Everything was destroyed in an instant.
A brown haired woman fell to her knees in agony. Blood spilled from her mouth and chest.
"No. Don't take this land." She screamed, "Please save me."
Aletha's face paled as, watched these horrible events unfold.
Rocks flew down in a storm like meteors, crushing and impaling hundreds of lives.
"Someone help us!"
Just before she could save them, a shot of lightning extended across every corner in the world, striking all trees in its path. Then from its tracks, a guttural scream came into being.
"Taste the delicious plate of death!" She said, "And let's add some flavor!"
A humanoid, having blonde hair and gray eyes, captured the area in a storm.
Her wings spanned almost endlessly on the pile of corpses before taking one fell swoop, a gust of wind ending the lives of dozens.
After witnessing that horrific view, Aletha's ears rang with the sound of villagers screaming and hollering.
"Help us!"
"Who are these people?" She watched as their hometown was razed by vicious lightning bolts.
Time ticked slowly, everything converging in itself.
Amidst this smoldering battlefield, a woman with long, dark, midnight hair, clad in metal attire, came into view.
"Not on my watch!"
Then, as she swung her silver blade up into the sky, the cyan glow overpowered the enemies and forced fifty monsters to evaporate into droplets.
Twenty giants could be seen crushing the landscape into two, but that did not stop this woman from saving the lives in this spectacle.
Just when they thought it was over, the young knight struck and pulverized the giants into pieces, forcing them to fall on their knees.
Each movement she made matched the speed of lightning bolts.
Her dance with her blade forced the fabric of reality to converge and shatter into a vast flat plain of blue. Then the young woman impaled all the giants into a pile, saying.
"Come with me." The woman said as she held a shield in front of her. "To a better place."
Although Aletha was there, the woman paid no attention to her and instead focused her eyes on the helpless people.
As she ran, she generated a blue shield, protecting dozens from disaster, deflecting the arrows that fell.
Following the strike, crimson flames had disrupted the move, slowly swallowing the people alive.
But before the flames had engulfed the people, they were senselessly pushed away like a torrent of water dividing into two.
Seeing that Aletha had no part in this battlefield, it drove her to conclude..
"Is what I am seeing… the past?"
After her voice echoed across the battlefield, the dream shattered into pieces and forced Aletha to awake in a bedroom where the morning sun was just rising. As her eyes opened slowly, the remnants of the dream slipped away like a morning mist. The warmth of the sun on her face and the soft rustle of the breeze through the window helped her transition back to reality. Her heart still pounded from the vivid scenes, the echoes of battle still faintly ringing in her ears. 'Aletha! Aletha, wake up! Your training begins soon!'
And as soon as the fire came and went, so had an icy, frozen chill. As the contrasting elements faded, Aletha pondered the lessons embedded within her vivid dreams and experiences. What awaited her in the days to come was uncertain, yet the journey towards understanding and embracing imperfection was just beginning.