Chapter 15: Chapter 15 – Prologue Arc

White Rose Family Perspective.

 

Inside a moving white carriage with rose patterns, a woman's voice was heard.

"You seem happy my dear daughter."

Alicia looks at the woman in front of her and replies with a smile, "yes mother, very."

"Did anything fun happen?" She asks curiously noticing something about her amiss.

She looks attentively at her daughter's face passing the right hand softly on it, noticing a swelled cheek.

Her arm returned to her chest as the eyes looked to the husband.

She releases a bloodthirsty aura worse than an enraged beast towards everyone around, making the carriage shake of pressure.

"Alfred, did you hit Alicia!?" She shouts filled with rage while glaring at him.

The husband looks at her slightly shivering from the pressure.

"Someone has to educate our daughter, she was playing with peasants," the father replied coldly.

Sweat was dripping from everyone inside the carriage but the mother.

The butler pitied her in his mind, 'monstrous parents handling a child... hang in there young lady, it'll be over soon.'

She looks back at Alicia and stretches the right hand once more slowly towards the hair.

As the hand approaches, Alicia feels more and more pressure while shaking.

In her eyes, it was like a beast about to devour her.

She raised both hands covering the fear in her face.

The moment her hand touched the daughter's hair, the aura vanished, and words came out of the mother.

"Well your dad is right, it would bring shame to our family if someone important saw you with them, Alicia."

Her arms lowered down to the lap as she looked at the mother in the face.

"I..." She reminded herself of Iris wanting to become strong gripping both hands onto each other strongly.

"I understand mother; I'll be more careful in the future."

Inside the mother's mind, an unexpected thought went by. 'I didn't expect her to be so unfazed after that, seems like she's grown up, upon meeting that new girl perhaps?'

Alicia stares at her mother, and on the lips, notices a faint smile.

"So, Alicia, you haven't replied to my question, I'm very curious as to where one of the five heirlooms has run off to."

Upon hearing that comment, the husband and butler look simultaneously at Alicia's hand.

"I gave it to someone I estimated worthy of wearing it," she declared to her parents having grasped some confidence.

The father upon remembering the girl with the exquisite hair color turned his face back to the window.

The mother noticing this realized she had finally made friends with a fellow noble.

"I made a friend, her name is Iris, she's 8 years old and today passed the adventurer's exam."

'A noble passing that exam at such a young age? They're usually lazy and spoiled kids,' the butler thought confused.

"Sounds like this Iris friend of yours has some potential... but..."

Alicia upon hearing those words expressed a confused face.

Her mother realizing the cheek was already red decided to leave it at that, after all, she knew that no noble girl would take such an exam at such a young age.

Noble kids at such an age already have everything they wish for.

"What is your friend like?"

"She's fun, friendly, kind, and... strong-minded," Alicia smiled as she finished.

"Talking on lady Iris, what's her family name?"

"I didn't have time to ask father."

"Very well, also, you could improve your greeting to her level, the one presented by the girl was flawless."

Upon hearing that her mother thought confused.

'Is she really a noble? Peasants don't learn etiquette praiseworthy of my husband's...'

"Daughter. Tell me about the appearance of your friend."

"Ah, well... she's very pretty with green eyes and blonde hair."

'Blonde hair? I can count the people I've seen with such hair with one hand, not to forget that such eye color is even rarer.'

"Robert."

"Yes, Milady?"

"I want you to find to which family does Iris belongs, I wish to meet her."

"As you wish, though it might take a while."

"That is fine," she declared effortlessly looking to the wagon window.

 

Iris Perspective.

 

Later that night at home.

I take a piece of bread I bought at the guild and start eating on the bed while using my other hand to go inside the pocket taking out my adventurer card.

'I should do the slime quest tomorrow.'

I look at it happily and then I remembered, I take out the other card from my other pocket.

'Let's see...'

The second card says Name: Aurora, Age: 8, Registered at Aria Village, Rank: F.

"Aurora...? Who's that?" I voice confusing, and as I do a voice resounds in my mind from my status skill.

Notice: Soul-bound has reacted.

 

A dark aura expands from me devoiding the room from light, making everything pitch dark.

'What's going on? I can't see anything,' I tremble in fear due to the magical pressure and the blindness.

Notice: Due to Soul-bound influence Iris memories sealed by the System will now be released.

 

Past Life Iris Memory:

 

Inside a secluded noble mansion, Iris a young girl would spend her days playing with dolls and other things alike alone.

She was often ostracized, the mother had died giving birth to her, on top of that, the father a baron, spent his days and nights working.

He'd exclude her from attending noble events, the man would rather do it with his new wife and children instead.

A 15-year-old boy and a 10-year-old girl. Iris was 11 years old when her father remarried.

His new wife was a widow whose husband died in a war against the Kingdom of Baltimore.

Thus, when they remarried, Iris’s father adopted both of the kids.

The father had ignored Iris, ever since his wife died, he felt disdain and hate for her daughter due to that.

Iris was useless to her father since she could only marry at the age of 16.

He hated her so much that the baron hired maids to raise the girl in his place, even though all they did was give food.

Iris didn’t care about the world since the entirety of it was the mansion she lived in along with the garden within the fences that surrounded the place.

She would spend most of her days reading books in the great library of the father.

Her personality was closed along with an empty heart, however, the mind was colorful and full of imagination.

She’d create a lot of amusing and interesting plays for her dolls, sometimes balls with princes and princesses.

Sometimes due to the influence of a few books, adventures of brave people and heroic deeds, against monsters and demons through different perils.

Every so often she’d even imagine using these super amazing magic spells herself, one of the rare things that made her eyes sparkle and the lips turn into a faint smile.

Once she heard the maids talking about a famous magician, a noble who could shower the kingdom with rain for a while.

Inside the mansion, the baroness mistreated Iris, alongside her children, verbally and physically, without ever damaging the face so the baron wouldn't notice.

"I wonder how we should torment Iris this time... my dear children, Marie and Johan, any suggestions?" The mother Joana, asked with an evil grin inside her own room.

Marie with a cold smile and a twisted vile face had a peculiar thought and voiced it out loud.

"Esteemed mother perhaps we should lock her in a room and starve her to see how many days she can last?"

The mother laughed happily upon hearing her daughter's comment.

The boy chuckles evilly while looking at Marie.

"That sounds like a splendid idea dear sister, however, let's make sure to not overdo it otherwise dad might notice."

"Possibly so my dear son, let's attempt a 2-day starving for now and we'll see how she handles it."

The three of them smiled and laughed happily upon reaching that decision.

A maid who was serving tea to them shivered in fear towards the wickedness of such conversation promising herself to stay away.

Iris grew colder and colder as the years went by ever since they started living there.

An unknown desire within her was born, a seed of hatred within the heart sprouted and kept expanding inside it endlessly.

Some years later, by chance or perhaps by fate, Iris decided to walk up to the attic.

An abandoned place untouched for decades perhaps even longer, the door was rusted and dirty.

Everything inside was full of objects and spider webs, the air in there felt heavy which made Iris think it was due to the accumulation of dust.

She explored such a place and soon found something tall and white, inside the attic was dark and hard to see as it had no windows, the only light was the one coming from the open door that Iris used.

She wondered what was that white thing, due to curiosity her feet moved closer to it and extended her arm.

Realizing it by the touch, Iris could tell it was like the blankets used in her bed when she slept, and so decided to pull it off.

As the blanket fell her expression grew fearful and her mind screamed to run, but the body did not move frozen in fear.

Some moments passed and her calmness came back as the mind relaxed, "silly me," she said as it was only a tall mirror, bigger than her even.

Due to the darkness inside the attic, Iris thought there was a girl in front of her at first glance, but now she was reassured that it was just a reflection.

Then it happened... as if to betray the reassurance she had placed in herself, the reflection lips moved and words echoed through the room.

"Can you help me? I'm trapped inside this mirror."

The air felt even heavier for Iris, her heartbeat got so fast that it reverberated through the attic, and the fear dominated the delicate lady.

The voice resurged and said, "Hey, I'm stuck in here can you please help me?"

Iris kept on shivering due to fear, paralyzed in that spot looking at the mirror.

"I'm sick of living here in this small place surrounded by darkness," the reflection made a sad expression.

Iris clenched the fists as hard as she could piercing the nails in the hand to control her emotions.

The reflection stared at her behavior attentively.

Blood came out of her skin painting the floor, she moaned softly from its pain.

She held herself the best possible, and while trembling asked, "What's your name? Why are you there?"

The reflection shortly answered, "I am... I'm here because I was sealed inside this mirror a long time ago," she said with a teary expression.

To that Iris replied confused, "I'm sorry but I couldn't hear your name and sealed? Why would someone do that to you?

Once more the reflection spoke, "if you didn't hear my name, then you won't be able to till I'm out of here, my name too is locked."

"Oh..."

"As for why I got sealed well... I killed someone very important a while ago, the first king of Ludrica, the founder of it."

Iris remembered the name of the current kingdom and thought out loud, "Ludrica? There's no kingdom with such a name."

The girl inside the mirror heard it and shouted, "What!? Just how long have I been trapped here?"

Tears fell from the reflection blue eyes as it was the only detail that was different from Iris's physic.

The girl in the attic feeling pity for the one trapped in the mirror attempted to console her.

"Hey it's okay, everything will be okay, what can I do to get you out of there?"

Iris's reflection stopped crying upon hearing that.

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"I no longer have a physical body so I need an individual that fulfills three conditions."

"What are they? Iris asked innocently without expecting anything in return, other than granting the girl some freedom, and even happiness.

"First someone willing to do a soul-bond contract with me, second someone that has enough magical potential, and third..."

Iris a little sad interrupted the girl and mentioned hastily, "I'm not really sure what a soul-bond contract thing is, but I've never used magic."

The reflection stared and waited for her to finish patiently.

"I'm Iris, also only fifteen years old, so I don't know if I'm someone who can help you get out of there."

"Don't worry Iris, since you can see me, your potential is the real thing."

"Really?" The innocent girl asked hopefully making a faint smile.

"If you wish to take me out of here Iris, then yes."

Both girls hear someone coming up the attic stairs.

"Ah! So, this is where the little bitch was," Johan said while holding a long knife.

"What are..." As Iris was about to finish saying the question Johan jumped on her.

"No! Stop! Let me go!"

Iris did her best to stop his lustful self despite being overwhelmed by him a young man in his 19's.

Compared to her adopted brother, she was an underfed skinny girl of 15 years.

He started cutting off her clothes hurting parts of Iris's skin in the mix, blinded by the lust of wanting to abuse her.

Iris screamed from pain and as she heard a voice calling out to her, the eyes gazed onto the mirror.

"Iris touch this glass wall fast with your hand, and make the contract with me."

Iris kicks his brother's leg making his leg slip to the side.

He loses balance making the arm that was in the air holding the knife, it goes down piercing Iris's chest.

She starts coughing blood, some of it tainting Johan's face which frightens him, making him back away from her.

Iris took the chance to use her remaining energies as red kept pouring from the chest wound coloring the floor.

She crawled with her hands red while using the leftover energies on the arms to slide through the crimson liquid.

A desperate expression was painted on Iris's bloody face as she persisted through the pain.

She touched the mirror and a light eluded, then heard a faint whisper close to her ear.

"From today onwards your soul is mine Iris and my soul is yours."

Iris stared at the mirror while on the verge of death.

The girl then said," related to the question that remained unanswered my name is..."

As she was about to tell Iris her name, the girl's heart stops beating from the blood loss and she dies.

 

Iris Present Perspective.

 

'I see so that's what happened...' I think after relieving my sad memory that was sealed.

"Aurora... Is that your name?" I attempt to converse without knowing if I truly spoke as I could not hear my voice inside this darkness.

Suddenly I could see beautiful light particles leaving my chest.

It looked like they were being absorbed by the darkness around me.

Notice: Due to Soul-bound the System Seal is breaking.

 

'Is that a good or a bad thing? If something is sealed it generally means that it's bad, no? Unless...'

My memory showed me the girl trapped inside the mirror.

'Could they be the same person? I didn't get to hear her name but in the adventurer guild card the name I saw...'

'The device Leonor uses to make these cards... did it perhaps connect to my soul?'

'If it did then perhaps it also connected to her soul?'

'Since Aurora was trapped inside a mirror, how did she reincarnate?' I ask myself unsure.

'Seems like we somehow got reincarnated together... that's the only explanation I can think of!'

'If that's how it is, then she must be trying to set herself free from the curse she had in the other world.'

'To think that it would be as persistent as going with her through reincarnation.'

'Even though my skills mentioned a seal from the system... Could it be a mix of the two?'

'Status, I know you can hear me, I want to help the Soul inside of me please.'

Notice: All mana has been deducted.

 

I fall asleep due to mana exhaustion.

Notice: Aurora received mana from Iris.

Notice: Seal removal concluded.

Notice: The contract between two souls can now terminate.

Notice: Aurora has consumed the curse with her dark element.

Notice: Due to the influence of Aurora the contract has been cursed, unchangeable by any means.

System: The title Soul-bound has been received.

Notice: An unidentified cursed skill has been received.

System: The title Reincarnated has been received.

Notice: Item Inspection skill has been received.

Notice: Material Evaluation skill has been received.

System working:

An error has occurred; the same individual cannot have 2 titles of the same type.

An error has occurred; the same individual cannot receive 2 extra skills from the reincarnated title.

Looking for a solution... Success.

Merging titles... Success

Title Reincarnated+ has emerged.

Merging skills... Success

Unique Skill Appraisal has emerged.

Notice: A skill has been used against Iris.

Notice: A skill has been used against Iris.

Notice: A skill has been used against Iris.

Notice: No longer under the effects of the dark element.

Notice: Status has been updated.

 

The epilogue of the first Arc

 

A goblin shaman perspective.

 

As the night passes the terrors of the world continue.

"Today we shall select from the ten of you, two with the highest fighting potential."

"You shall do anything and use everything possible to survive."

"The survivors will then be rewarded with the opportunity to live until their age ceremony provided by the system!"

The goblins around started stepping the floor while clapping making a heavy tune bringing pressure to the young ones.

Around a bonfire, the newborn goblins are put to fight among each other.

The small goblins pick the different weapons on the floor and start attacking one another.

One of them picks a long stick who uses it to push one of the goblins into the bonfire burning him.

He pushes him further deep into the fire to make sure it dies.

"Goblin fried!" A big goblin yells laughing, increasing the surrounding clapping and stomping.

On the other side of the bonfire, the smell of burnt meat and blood entrails the nose nostrils of the shy goblin children, causing fear and panic to enter their brains.

They quickly pick a weapon at random and jump on one another, a dagger hits the elbow of one, and a different one hits the eye of the other.

The one-eyed one starts running away from the goblin who hurt him colliding against one behind him.

Due to the impact, the young one is pushed onto a sword in front of him dying.

The feet smacking on the floor gets louder as the goblins die.

The older ones around start yelling, "kill, kill, kill, kill, kill!"

He pulls the sword out of the one who died and takes a step on the corpse jumping and slashing at the neck of the one-eyed goblin who fell due to the collision, making his head roll on the floor causing blood to spur on the ground.

Without time to waste, he climbs on the new corpse running towards the goblin who was dumbfounded looking at him with a dagger in his left hand.

They strike one another clashing weapons.

The one wielding the dagger moans of pain as blood pours out of his shoulder.

The sword one kicks the opponent's stomach lifting his sword upwards to slash the one in front of him.

At the same time, the goblin hurt from the kick responds by thrusting his dagger deep into the chest of the goblin in front of him seeing an opening.

Blood comes out of his mouth as he lets the sword fall from his hands.

The weapon ruthlessly slices the right hand of the goblin whose dagger is stuck on the opponent's chest, ending up screaming from pain.

"HANDLESS ONE! HANDLESS ONE! HANDLESS ONE!" A goblin warrior yells repeatedly excited from the clash between the children in front of him.

A moment earlier, on the other side of the bonfire, the goblin who fried one of them pushes another with the long stick.

It forces the enemy to take a few steps towards one in front of him which leads to both fighting.

Without wasting much time, the stick wearer turns around and sees every goblin, some dead some alive.

He then notices the screams of the handless one and runs at him picking a sword on the way.

Once the goblin gets closer, he stabs it in the back of the enemy's neck killing him.

He looks around once again and sees that there are only two leftover goblins.

Picks the dagger that's being held by a sole hand without an arm, attempts to throw it with all his strength at the back of one of the goblins.

Due to the lack of precision and strength, the dagger curves, hitting the foot of one of them, making the goblin scream in pain and raise both arms.

This allows the goblin in front of him to attack freely cutting both arms off and then with a second slash half the neck.

The blood squeezes out from the wound he inflicted soon falling among the rest.

The remaining two goblins look at each other and prepare to attack one another.

The sound of a particular staff with bells echoes the surroundings and everyone goes quiet.

"It seems the goddess Luna has offered us a goblin with an actual brain, and another who knows when to take his chances."

Upon hearing those words the everyone around the two survivors starts laughing.

"In the name of the goblin king and the goddess Luna the mother of us all, who keeps an eye on the goblin tribe we welcome you two to the family."

The shaman smacked the staff two times on the floor, and a party to celebrate went on.

A while later, the old one with the staff moved closer to the king who was watching the festival.

He bowed and heard a voice from above.

"When the time comes I shall name the one who pushed the goblin into the fire, he might become a great leader one day."

"As you command almighty goblin king Vrag."

'Soon we will destroy those filthy humans,' he thought as Vrag looked into the thousands of goblins in front of him, "soon."

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