Soter

Chapter 1: Evangelion

Gasping for air, I sprinted through with every ounce of strength I could muster, my heart pounding in my chest. The deafening flap of harpy wings echoed through the dark and oppressive forest as they closed in on me. I could barely make out the twisted, gnarled trees and tangled undergrowth as I stumbled forward, desperate for someplace to hide. The stench of decay and rot hung thick in the air, suffocating me as I pushed myself to the brink of exhaustion.

As I quietly stalked through the forest, my senses honed to the slightest rustling of leaves, and my thoughts were solely focused on providing for the orphans in our village. This particular forest, located on the border between Hamartia and Tartarusia, was known to be the hunting ground of Beliar and his harpies.

Beliar was the ruler of the neighboring continent, Tartarusia. He is the archnemesis of the emperor who ruled over us before. He was once the emperor's closest confidant, but he incited treason by trying to take over the throne. He lost during the coup d'état and was banished from the Empire. In the uninhabited land of Tartarusia, he founded an empire that consists of his loyal subordinates, who are not human beings but harpies.

A harpy is a half bird and a half human that eats human flesh. They particularly hated our race, as we were once under the rule of the emperor Agathos, whom Beliar despises.

And so, having to hunt in this territory is a form of suicide since these winged monsters are constantly checking the borders to see if there are humans that they can hunt.

But that didn't deter me.

With the lack of resources in our village, I needed to hunt for the orphans in our village to survive. We were already at the bottom rung of society, situated in the Acheronia Region, considered even worse off than the commoners. Life was tough, but we had to fight tooth and nail to make it through each day in this hellish existence.

At last, the door to the underground tunnel leading to the village came into view. I let out a sigh of relief, my heart pounding in my chest. With one last burst of energy, I raced towards it, desperate to escape the harpies that were hot on my heels. As I reached the tunnel entrance, I quickly slipped inside and closed the door behind me.

"Ho! That was close!" I gasped, my chest heaving as I tried to catch my breath.

"Survived another day, I see," came a sarcastic voice a few steps away in front of me.

I turned to face my friend, a wry smile on my lips. "Yeah, well, don't get too comfortable. You're only alive because I am," I quipped, my tone light but my words laced with a hint of truth. After all, we were both orphans, struggling to survive in a world that seemed to want us dead.

"Here," I said, tossing the two deer that I had hunted. Despite the weight of the deer that had slowed me down and made my escape from the harpies more difficult, I knew that these deer would feed the orphans in our village. It was indeed a miracle that I made it out alive once again, although I couldn't shake the feeling that it was just sheer luck that saved me from those harpies.

I stepped out of the tunnel and began making my way towards the village where the orphans were waiting. They were probably worried about me again, but I hoped that seeing me in one piece would ease their fears.

I glanced at the side and shook my head, thinking about how Andreas struggled to carry the game I had hunted. What a weakling.

"Daphne's here!" I heard a shout from afar, and my lips instantly formed a smile as I saw the kids happily running towards me. Life was harsh for these little ones, and I couldn't help but feel bitter towards the people in the capital who had abandoned them here.