It was just like any other day in Elyria, the capital of the mortal realm, Aethoria. The city was known for its bustling life in every nook and cranny you found yourself in. Innocent birds chirped here and there, carriages and horses moved up and down, and normal civilians went about their daily lives, completely unaware of the approaching event that would change the fate of their world forever.
In a small house made with a mixture of ravenwood and brick, an old man could be seen stirring on a small size bed which creaked with each turn he made. Judging by the expression on his face, you could tell he had been awake for a while, but was simply too lazy to get up- a trait more commonly associated with children on winter mornings, reluctant to rise early for school.
" Haa ! I truly don't want to get up, why do we even have day and night ? couldn't it have been all night with no day?" he moaned. "It would have been fun you know....like sleep, wake up, eat , sleep, and it goes on. But wait ! I'm pretty sure mortals would adapt and develop a system where you could still work even when there is darkness all around..fufu."
The old man looked like someone in his late 60s, with long grey hair that touched his waist. His eyes were an intriguing blend of scarlet and blue, with pupils that seemed like endless abysses, capable of drawing anyone in who stared at them for too long. He has a chiseled face with a cleanly shaven dark-colored beard contrasting the color of his hair, and a body like a Greek god who has been brought to the land of the living. In all he has the appearance that causes heads to turn for someone his age.
This is the famous Old Hal, popularly known as the Traveler due to his habit of spending weeks to months in the inner part of the dangerous forest surrounding their world, hunting down beasts for their cores. The cores of these beasts are the fundamental materials for the forging of weapons, armors, and the manufacturing of various talismans and potions used for various purposes.
The beasts are classified into tiers, ranging from Tier F, the weakest, to Tier S, the strongest. The higher the tier of the beast's core, the greater the strength, tier and value of the resulting product. The outer part of the forest contains weaker beasts, but the tier increases as you venture deeper into the innermost part.
The higher the tier of the core, the greater it could be sold for. So, there are hunt parties who recruit people to venture into the forest to hunt beasts for their cores as a means of livelihood. There are also the Lonewolves, warriors who, instead of joining hunt parties which would result in gains being shared, decide to risk their lives venturing into the forest alone for the hunt. And Old Hal is one of those.
No one had seen a Tier A beast, also known as an Ascendant beast, before, but rumors suggest they possess high levels of intelligence, capable of giving even the strongest warriors a run for their money. They serve as the generals in each territory, with the Sovereign, a Tier S beast, acting as the overlord. For the sovereign tier, the knowledge on their existence is just like a mythology.
It was once rumored that Old Hal was seen with the body of a Brutal-tier beast, a Tier B beast with strengths and prowess rivaling those of the Ascendant beasts. However, most people scoffed at such information, believing Old Hal wouldn't be foolish enough to venture into the innermost part of the forest, given the immense danger it poses.
"But why do I feel like something interesting will happen this time when I go hunting? Nah, it's probably just my imagination. But I can't seem to shake this feeling off. Am I nearing my end? Hahahaa, no I'm not dying anytime soon... fufu!"
After some time, Old Hal could be seen on his way to his hunting grounds, the forest. He wore a dark blue robe with a maze-like design woven out of golden thread on its surface, giving off an eerie vibe, and a short curved-edge hanger sword hung at his waist. The hanger sword's silver blade gleamed with an otherworldly light, its length etched with an ancient pattern of twisting vines and serpentine motifs that seemed to writhe and twist in the dim light. The hilt, crafted from dark polished wood, seemed to absorb the light around it, radiating an aura of foreboding and menace. The guard was shaped like a pair of skeletal wings, their bony fingers curled around the blade as if grasping for the light. The grip was wrapped in a strip of worn black leather, adorned with tiny, intricate rivets that seemed to pierce the air like tiny needles. As a whole, the sword exuded a sense of dark power, as if it had been forged in the depths of the underworld itself.
As he walked through the city to his destination, many people noticed him, but none seemed willing to approach. Perhaps it was the unsettling aura of his outfit that kept them at bay. After traversing city after city, he finally reached his destination: the forest's edge.
"Haa! what ever I was having this unsettling feeling about, I guess I would be finding out soon enough" With that he made his way into the forest.
The forest was a realm of towering trees, their canopies so high that even stretching your neck wouldn't reveal a glimpse of the sun above. This eerie gloom gave the place an ominous vibe, one that would deter all but the bravest souls from wandering there.
The outermost part of the forest was a popular hunting ground, but spotting a beast there would require some effort. Even if a beast was spotted, it would likely be a lower-tier creature – mostly tier F and E beasts that hunted in packs. All in all, you would have to venture deep in to the forest to increase your hunts, but the deeper you go, the more dangerous it becomes, and that was what necessitated the forming of hunt parties.
"Wow, I haven't gone far and have already spotted you, cutie?" exclaimed Old Hal after spotting a Twilight wolf, a tier E wolf known for its agility and speed, with deadly fangs and claws capable of ripping any metal apart. The wolf was munching on some pieces of decaying bones, its fur fluffed up slightly as it ate. But for Old Hal, killing it would be a walk in the park.
The wolf saw him and started making a low, menacing growl, its eyes twinkling with a mixture of hunger and mockery. It seemed to be thanking Old Hal for presenting his body as a fresh meat substitute for the unpleasant meal it was having earlier. The wolf's gaze locked onto Old Hal, its eyes gleaming with anticipation. But before the beast could react, it was over. Old Hal's movement was fluid and precise, his swordsmanship a testament to his skill. The beast's head rolled free, severed cleanly in a single, swift stroke. It had no chance to execute its planned attack. The silence was almost palpable as Old Hal stood tall, his sword still poised from the strike
" Your mama didn't tell you to run when you see strangers?" said Old Hal as he bends to eviscerate its core from its chest. But before he could finish, there was a loud thunderclap that sent all birds and beasts running for the lives. Trees bend and tremor ran through the ground as if been struck by a huge boulder. Silence ran through the whole forest as if some supreme deity has made his way to the place. Time itself seems to have stop, with a chilling breeze running through the whole place.
"What is this feeling? why do I feel like something or someone who shouldn't be in this world had appeared here? Mist started to appear in some area of the forest so Old Hal made his way to the area it started spreading from.
When he got there, what he saw shocked him to the core. The area in front of him was all damaged, beasts and trees lying here and there, with a huge crater at the center of the place and the mist spreading out of it. What he didn't know was that what he would be seeing in the crater will just suck the life out from him.