The evening was peaceful when it arrived—the voice of the system slicing through the silence in Arin's head like a knife.
[SYSTEM ALERT: DARK AGE APPROACHING. HOST—BE READY.]
No words. No words to veil it. Just the chilling words echoing in his mind and fading away into the shadows like a dying star.
Arin came upright in his bed, damp with sweat even though it was chilly around him. His eyes roamed his bedroom. Nothing moved. No shadows danced. Still his heart would not stop pounding. Whatever had been out there last evening. a darkness had brushed against this reality.
He slept very little thereafter.
***********************************************
3 years passed quickly. While Arin was still being bombarded with the system tutorials trials, he was busy getting stronger, But not fast enough.
And one day—
The sun had barely risen when the air in the countryside began to change.
The cheerful wails were mute now. The howls of the dogs were over. The children's laughter had ceased. Suspense was a hangman's noose around the neck of the village. The villagers stood around the wells in a subdued mood. The old women clasped their rosaries. The birds avoided the fields as well.
The news quickly spread.
Nobles were perishing
They began with the Baron of Riverfall and two other minor lords in the western lands. But the one which brought absolute panic was the shocking news: The Lord of Calonia was assassinated.
The village formerly alive with laughter now groaned under the murmurs of terror. Not the death itself—nobles did die now and then, sometimes mysteriously—but this was different.
Arin sitting quietly in the area around the porch of his residence joined the dots straight away. That suppression he had felt a night previous. the evil. it has to do with all these deaths.
His mind was racing. Why now? Why here?
The villagers' fear, however, was more than a fear of killers or beasts. It was worse.
That was politics.
***********************************************
The Lord of Calonia was among the extremely rare nobles common folk looked up to. A virtuous person—benevolent, fair, and generous. His leadership brought wealth to the city and his kindness brought the common folk to a point when even harsh winters did not deprive them of anything.
But it was extinguished. And as a double insult—he left no one to inherit.
The fear was not of demons or monsters but of his three sons.
The eldest was a scandal - a drunkard, a gambler, and a womanizer. The type of fellow willing to sacrifice his own mother for a case of wine or a countess's bed. Everyone thought him a walking catastrophe.
The second brother was more. refined. A war hero by reputation. Had presence and charm. To others who were under him, however? A despot. A person who looked on common folk as insects, good to keep as beasts of labor or toys.
And the third… few dared to speak of him.
He was a soft-spoken and humble man to the public eye—a gentle lord with a sweet and benevolent smile. Whispers from traveling traders and aged servants of the past Lord had reached Arin.
Behind such a smile was madness.
A psychopath who kept elf slave girls alive only to torture them. A boy who took pleasure in pain and concealment. Where his brother's wickedness was public and manifest, this one concealed innocence on a soul tainted by cruelty.
And now. with no clear heir, any of these three would rule.
The audience was not worried about the Lord's death. They were worried about the sequel.
However overall, the future remains in the air.
Arin said the words out loud to himself, gazing out over the now-motionless wheat fields. The world was beginning to transform, and he could sense it in his bones.
He exhaled heavily and silently protested.
"System."
The familiar red interface shimmered into view.
[USER: ARIN VEXAR]
[LEVEL: 9]
[HP: 100/100]
[MANA: 34 (+1)]
[STRENGTH: 12 (+5)]
[AGILITY: 16 (+7)]
[STAMINA: 11 (+6)]
[WILLPOWER: 200]
[DARK AURA: 5 (+2)]
[STATUS: USER IS IN PERFECT CONDITION.]
[TUTORIAL ENDED, MAIN TRIAL BEGINS— 4 DAYS]
Arin scratched his chin thoughtfully.
"So I definitely improved my agility and endurance last five days." "That carrying of wood and all that running around in the fields definitely came in handy."
He half-heartedly grinned—only when his eyes met his Mana and Dark Aura.
"But these. they hardly moved."
That confirmed his suspicion. Physical attributes could be trained but aura and mana development required bloodshed—combat.
He hadn't killed a monster since the survival test.
"I will have to wait until the next one, whenever that might be."
Suddenly a voice from out of nowhere
"Arin! Arin!!"
He winced as a high-pitched shriek tore the air and looked up to behold a scarlet-haired blur racing towards him.
Stella—the vivacious and sharp-witted girl whom he had befriended since he had moved to the village. She had short auburn hair bobbing with every movement and bright shining eyes.
Regardless of the evident tension around her, she was alive and vibrant.
"Arin! I've been shouting for you for hours! Are you deaf or dumb? I do know your body healed up okay, but I suppose your ears weren't given the message!"
Arin rolled his eyes. "Fine already, Stella… What do you want? Just because I am walking does not signify that I am hurting. Don't pull on my arm."
"Close it and come with me," she ordered already grasping hold of his wrist. "I have to show you something. Don't even consider refusing because I am not."
She yanked him forward with surprising force, pulling him across the dirt path with a strange urgency. Something in her tone—playful but serious—made Arin's heart skip.
To be continued...