"Amidst a thousand arms and a sea of foes, I stand as the last bastion of unyielding valor. Though outnumbered, I shall not falter, for I fight for what is behind me. In the face of adversity, I rise like a lone mountain, unshaken and resolute. Through the storm of battle, I'll carve a path with the fury of a thousand suns. I am the indomitable warrior, unwavering, unfaltering, the last shieldmaiden standing against the tide of a thousand soldiers..."
Memoir of Seraphina, The Shieldmaiden, Year 1099.
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In a desolate plane, a malevolent atmosphere hung heavy, casting an eerie pallor over the lifeless landscape. Dead trees stood as solemn sentinels, their skeletal branches clawing at the ominous sky. The ground beneath was cracked and barren, devoid of any signs of life.
The sky above was a swirling canvas of green and purple, resembling the birth of an apocalypse. The ominous hues seemed to coalesce and dance, painting a macabre picture that foretold of impending doom.
But amidst the darkness...
*RUMBLE*
An unexpected surge of energy pierced through the atmosphere, like a beacon of hope amidst the encroaching darkness. The skies trembled with the raw power of black and red as if heralding the arrival of a force beyond comprehension.
The heavens seemed to crackle and churn with energy, creating a surreal spectacle that was both awed and terrifying. It was a moment of contrast, where the forces of light and darkness clashed in a chaotic display, leaving the observer breathless with anticipation for what was to come.
"Would you look at that..."
Amidst the chaotic display of otherworldly powers, a sinister voice, belonging to that of a woman, resonated throughout the dark plane.
The woman's gaze was filled with an air of wickedness as she observed the spectacle above.
"You know... we've been at it for quite some time."
Her eyes then shifted to a man chained up in heavy iron links, a malevolent smile tugging at the corners of her lips.
"Don't you agree, Jin?"
Jin, who had been imprisoned for an unknown amount of time, met her gaze with a cold and murderous stare. His once soulless and empty expression had long been replaced and forgotten by the annals of time.
"..."
He gazed at her with an intensity unmatched even by the gods. His eyes seemed to want to pierce her very soul.
However, after spending an indefinite amount of time in his soul realm, the woman had grown accustomed to this gaze and laughed it off with a venomous smile.
"Heh, I might not have gotten all of those pests, but at least I got... you."
Her voice dripped with malice and satisfaction.
"I've been confined within the depths of your soul for countless years, a prisoner in the darkness that festers within you. My purpose was reduced to nothing but a mere observer, forced to look through the tainted lens of your twisted existence. Your soul... a cesspool of despair and malice, has become my prison, and I have loathed every moment of it."
Her voice dripped with venom and malice, a cold and sinister edge lacing every word she uttered.
"Yet you, with your damnable spirit, have managed to resist my influence, defying my every attempt to break you. It is a maddening frustration that fuels my relentless pursuit, a desire to see you crumble under the weight of your own despair."
Her eyes narrowed with disdain as if she loathed the very sight of this man in front of her.
"But no matter... you will bow before me, one way or another. For I am relentless, and I will make you suffer for every moment of resistance, every ounce of defiance you have shown throughout the years I've chained you up."
She took a step closer to him, her energy crackling with malevolence.
"I will break you, Jin, and when that day comes, you will beg for mercy, and I shall find great pleasure in denying it."
Her voice was cold and unforgiving, her eyes ablaze with a twisted satisfaction.
"And there, in the depths of your despair, I will revel in my triumph, as the last remnants of your spirit crumble to nothing."
The air seemed to grow colder, and the atmosphere around them became heavy with tension, as the woman's malevolence enveloped them both like a suffocating shroud.
She then walked closer to Jin, her every movement exuding a mesmerizing grace. Kneeling before him, she lifted his chin with a delicate touch, their gazes locking.
"Ahh... that look of yours again."
She examined his gaze with a sense of fascination and amusement.
"That unbreakable expression... truly a wonder of its own."
Her eyes locked onto Jin's with an intense and piercing gaze, unaffected by the continuous rumbling of the sky.
"I've done all kinds of things to have you submit to me... the pain and humiliation, the suffering I've put you through... all in vain."
Her grin widened, her expression now truly sinister and evil.
"But that's what makes you so special, Jin."
The woman's voice took on a wicked, sardonic tone, her eyes narrowing as she held his chin with her hand.
"Your spirit cannot be broken, no matter which bone I broke, what kind of things I did... to have you give up... you remained steadfast."
Yet, even as she continued to gaze into his eyes, he seemed to dismiss her, his eyes refusing to meet hers as if unyielding to her attempts to intimidate him.
Her displeasure grew, and a displeased frown appeared on her face. She tightened her grip on his chin, forcing his eyes to meet hers.
"You will look at me when I speak to you."
She said through gritted teeth, her eyes flashing with malice.
But still, Jin refused to submit, his gaze cold and defiant.
After a while, a grin spread across her face, her amusement mingling with her anger. She leaned closer, her lips inches away from his ear.
"I shall shatter your spirit in due course, and when that fateful day arrives... hah~, when that day comes..."
Her voice resonated with a sinister allure, like a siren's song luring its prey to its demise. She continued, her eyes glinting with a merciless determination.
"I'll have fun... a lot of fun before I ruin you."
Her fingers tightened around his chin, a cold sensation enveloping him as if he were touching ice. A smile crept across her lips, her eyes ablaze with sadistic delight.
She leaned in closer, until her lips grazed his earsher voice, lowering to a haunting whisper.
"And when the time comes, you... shall have no choice but to submit to me, your defiance quelled, your spirit broken and forever... under my control."
As she rose from her kneeling position, her eyes locked onto the swirling maelstrom of dark and red energy in the sky. The atmosphere crackled with power, and the air seemed to vibrate with an otherworldly force. It was a sight that would leave most people in awe or fear, but she merely observed with a calm and composed demeanour.
Beside her, Jin also turned his gaze towards the sky, his expression unreadable. He seemed to understand something that others might miss, a deep intuition that stirred within him.
*RUMBLE*
The energy surged and pulsed, the colors of red and black intertwining and dancing in a hypnotic display of power. The ground beneath them trembled slightly, the force of the energy reverberating through the air.
"...!"
Before the woman could react, a beam of red and black light struck at them with incredible speed, leaving no time for evasion or defense.
"No... NO!"
She attempted to conjure a counterattack, her thoughts filled with madness. She moved with lightning speed, appearing in front of him in an instant, but it was all too late.
The beam of energy struck Jin with a force that seemed otherworldly, enveloping him in its swirling embrace.
She could only watch in horror as Jin was consumed by the dazzling colors of red and black.
"No.... you dare!"
In a surge of rage and madness, the woman summoned a pillar of energy, unleashing it toward Jin with all her might. But it was futile, as the beam of light dissipated her attack like mist, leaving her seething with frustration.
The woman's eyes glinted with a dangerous light, her mind consumed by a blind fury.
*CRACK*
Filled with a power never before experienced, the chains that had bound Jin for years finally gave way, shattered by the surge of energy that now coursed through his veins. The scars and bruises that had adorned his body began to heal at a speed visible to the naked eye, disappearing as if they had never been there.
And before he knew it, his form started to shift, turning into a shimmering cascade of light particles that danced and swirled around him.
"What is this..."
Jin's eyes were filled with a sense of intrigue.
He looked at the woman who now seethed with uncontrollable madness and rage, a grin slowly spreading across his face, edged with a cold and dangerous air.
"Thank you...-"
He said so with a cold and murderous grin.
The woman's maddening tone grew even more unhinged as she shouted.
"What. do. you. mean...?!"
With her rage consuming her, she continued to unleash a barrage of beams of light, causing the surroundings to shake and tremble with her power. But Jin's form continued to dissipate further into light particles, his transformation becoming complete.
"-for giving me a reason to unleash hell on you."
Her teeth gritted in anger, her mind consumed by thoughts of sadistic torture.
"You...-!"
Her rage reached its peak as she summoned a massive, concentrated beam of light, larger than any she had shown before, and aimed it directly at Jin.
Yet before the beam could reach him, he had already disappeared, leaving the woman to scream in frustration.
"NOOOOO!"
The ground trembled beneath her, the force of her power echoing through the desolate plane as she unleashed her fury upon the empty space where Jin had once stood.
But he was gone, leaving nothing but the memory of his defiance and grin...in the air.
"That damn grin...!"
The woman was left seething with anger, her plans thwarted and her control slipping through her fingers.
With a heavy heart, she realized that she had overestimated herself, and the realization only fueled her rage further.
"I will escape this place...!-"
She screamed into the empty space, her voice echoing with chilling intensity.
"-and make you pay for your defiance, JIN!"
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