Two individuals New beginning: Smith's story

"Wait! Where am I?" Smith cried out in a panic. He found himself trapped in an inky black void with no discernible surroundings. Suddenly, a powerful force pulled him, causing him to writhe in agony as he desperately tried to break free. After what felt like an eternity, he saw a faint glimmer of light in the distance. With newfound hope, he began crawling toward it. However, just as he was about to reach it, he was blocked by an invisible barrier. Frustrated and confused, he noticed a radiant blue light emanating from the barrier, and as he gazed into it, he felt his consciousness expanding.

To his amazement, he realized that he had been reborn as a baby. This was confirmed when he looked around and saw an array of vibrant colors he never knew existed. He marveled at his tiny hands and feet, and how he could barely move his arms and legs. Despite this, he felt an overwhelming sense of joy and contentment. It dawned on him that this was the will of the gods, and he had been granted a new life to start afresh. As he opened his eyes, he eagerly explored his new surroundings, eager to experience all the wonders the world had to offer.

As Smith sees more clearly, he was met with a gruesome sight. His surroundings were bathed in a thick, crimson hue - blood. The stench of it lingered heavily in the air, causing him to gag. Blinking a few times, he tried to focus his vision and was met with the sight of a woman. She was carrying him in her arms, and her eyes were filled with a mix of fear and determination. Despite being wounded herself, she continued to fight off the group of menacing men dressed in black, who were after the child in her arms.

"Your mistress is already dead," one of the men snarled. "You don't have to be fighting anymore. Just give me the kid, and I will let you leave."

But the woman paid no heed to the man's words. She clutched the child - Smith - closer to her chest and fought on, even as the men closed in around her. Smith couldn't believe the bravery of this woman, who was willing to risk everything to protect him. He felt a pang of guilt, knowing that it was his presence that had brought about this violence and destruction.

The room they were in was opulent, with rich furnishings and expensive decor. It was clear that this was the room of a very wealthy place - one that Smith had never seen before. But all the grandeur was overshadowed by the chaos and danger that surrounded them.

In a fit of uncontrollable rage, the woman embarked on a killing spree, determined to take as many lives as possible. Her eyes blazed with fury as she sought an escape route, but none presented itself. Panic began to set in as she realized the futility of her efforts, but she couldn't give up. Suddenly, a man in black appeared behind her, catching her off guard with a sharp, sudden blow to the back. Pain seared through her body, and she gasped in agony, but in a swift and deadly motion, she spun around and sliced the man's throat. His head tumbled to the ground, blood spurting from his neck in a gruesome fountain.

Despite the overwhelming pain and loss of blood, she refused to give up. She fought on, driven by an unrelenting determination to save the child in her care. Coughing up blood and gasping for air, she wielded her weapon with a skill born of years of practice and experience. She knew she couldn't win this battle alone, but she refused to give up, clinging to a small glimmer of hope that somehow, she would survive.

But as the men closed in on her, she knew that hope was fading fast. They circled her like vultures, taunting and jeering as she struggled to keep them at bay. And then, with a sudden, brutal force, they overpowered her, rendering her unable to move. Her body lay motionless, a testament to the fierce determination that had sustained her until the bitter end. But as her life slipped away, she knew that it had all been for nothing.

The air was thick with tension and the stench of death as the young woman lay gasping for air. Her eyes, filled with fierce determination, flickered towards the small infant who lay cradled in her arms. "I'm sorry, my lady," she whispered hoarsely, her voice barely audible above the din of battle. "I couldn't save young lord." With those final words, her body went limp, and she fell to the ground with a thud, her lifeless eyes staring up at the sky. Smith, the infant she had been protecting, let out a pitiful wail as he realized that the only person who had been able to save him was gone forever.

A group of assassins watched from the shadows, their eyes trained on the fallen woman. "She's one of the top 100 strongest people in the land," one of them muttered in awe. "And she managed to take out almost half of us without even using magic." The leader of the group shook his head, a look of regret on his face. "It's a shame we have to resort to using this magical artifact to nullify her mana," he said quietly. "But if we don't, she could easily wipe us all out."

As they spoke, the cries of the baby filled the air, a stark reminder of the tragedy that had just occurred. The assassins turned their attention towards the infant, their faces twisted in a mixture of curiosity and revulsion. For a moment, they hesitated, unsure of what to do next. But then, as if driven by some unseen force, they moved forward, their hands reaching out to snatch the child from the fallen woman's arms.

The baby, sensing the danger, let out another heart-rending cry, his tiny fists flailing wildly as he struggled against his captors. But it was no use. The assassins (dark mages) were too strong, and soon they had spirited the child away, leaving the body of the fallen woman behind. As the echoes of the baby's cries faded away, the only sound that remained was the mournful howl of the wind, carrying with it the weight of tragedy and loss.

As the leader clenched the precious artifact tightly in his hand, he could feel its power emanating through his veins. With a deep breath, he raised it high above his head and brought it down with a loud, resounding crack. The barrier that had been holding them captive shattered into a million pieces, allowing their magic to flow freely once more. One of the dark mages, consumed by rage, lunged toward the innocent baby lying on the ground.

Fueled by a desire for revenge, the assassin attempted to suffocate the helpless child, blaming him for the loss of his comrades. The leader, appalled by this brutal act, quickly intervened, holding the assassin back and reminding him of their orders.

"We were strictly ordered to destroy his mana veins, not take his life," the leader said sternly, his eyes flashing with fury. He gently picked up the baby, whose innocent eyes stared up at him, oblivious to the danger that he was in.

With a wave of his hand, a blue light enveloped the baby, and the leader struck him with a single blow, breaking his mana veins. Smith let out a piercing scream as the excruciating pain coursed through his tiny body. He writhed and twisted, struggling to endure the agony that consumed him.

As the pain grew stronger and Smith's consciousness began to fade, he cursed the gods in his mind for allowing such cruelty as he was reborn.

- To be continued