The Story of Aria and the Slayer

Prologue

A/N: If for some reason you haven't read Tower of God yet, then I suggest you do so before reading this story or there will be quite a few terms which will be confusing to you. Also, things might not be exactly the same as they are in the webtoon. And just to be clear, in no way(in any part of the story) am I trying to justify what a certain character has done.

Anyways, let's begin the story.
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For most of my life, I lived in a village in the outer part of the tower. The residential part of it. I never got the chance to climb the tower and become a ranker, nor did I really want to. Unlike many others, I had no desire that could be fulfilled by reaching the top of the tower.

But, that didn't mean I had no desires at all.

My home was right on the border between two countries. It was a place of peace and unity. Everywhere around it was full of death and destruction. The countries that had surrounded me were at war with each other. My tiny little village was the only place where you could step away from all the fighting. Where you could hide from the prideful people who called themselves the leaders of a country that would supposedly win against its enemy. But victory never came for anyone.

Every day, I would pray with those around me that the fighting would stop. That we'd stop having to hide ourselves in fear of our moment of peace getting taken away from us.

Deep down, I knew—my village knew, that if anyone were to stop the war, the countless deaths, it would have to be me. I had something that no resident of the floor I lived on was able to have. The ability to use shinsu.

Everywhere in the tower, you needed permission, or rather a contract, with an administrator to be able to use shinsu. Administrators, sometimes called Guardians, control the shinsu on each floor, whether it's in the inner tower, middle area, or outer tower. And the administrator of my floor wasn't too keen on the idea of letting anyone affiliated with all the bloodshed hold a power that would create even more chaos. Not only that, but there weren't many who even knew about the administrator, the inner tower, or even shinsu. So no one in either corrupted country shared my abilities.

But it goes against the rules of the tower itself for someone to be able to manipulate shinsu without a contract. My very existence went against the rules because I was not born in the tower. I was born outside the tower and opened the doors to it myself. An irregular was what I was called.

But I wasn't like other irregulars. The very few that were in the tower before me, all entered the inner tower to begin their climb to the top. Unlike them, I was sent to the residential area of the tower. The outer tower.

And of all floors, I was sent to one filled with selfish, power-hungry people.

I first entered the tower at a young age and I was eventually found and raised by a man and a woman who I could recognize as my parents. Though I suppose they'd found me a bit too late. Nonetheless, they had been the two people who had first started bringing those who were sick of the fighting, who were desperately seeking refuge, into the place that I spent quite some time in. They were people who deserve to be called leaders.

They were also the first to know about my talents.

At first, it was kept a secret. But it was difficult to control shinsu while keeping in mind the fact that I needed to make sure nobody noticed me. And so, people found out.

Contrary to what my parents believed would happen, my abilities still remained a secret outside my village. And the people, some of whom were briefly educated about the tower through my parents, had been wary at first about the fact that I was an irregular. But eventually, they welcomed my powers, calling them a gift that would stop the war.

No longer having to be scared of people finding out, my parents began to search for anything that would help me. They found books, old scrolls, and anyone who had a clue about shinsu. Through that, I learned about things like Baang, Myun, and Soo, as well as different styles, techniques, and forms of shinsu. I also learned how to successfully create Baangs at an alarming rate. Not too long after, I started creating my own shinsu techniques. I drew inspiration from animals living near my home and learned to imitate certain aspects of them using shinsu. Whether it was the ability to fly, speed, defense, or power of an animal, I copied it in a way that would help me in a fight.

But I didn't want to completely rely on shinsu. So I found those who had a lot of experience in battle. Those who could teach me how to strengthen myself without the use of shinsu. And I trained as endlessly as the wars raging around me.

However, as me and my village knew, the small amount of peace that we had, was eventually taken from us. It was taken by the very monster who claimed the title of king of the floor we lived on. The monster who built up two countries just to turn them against one another so that war and strife reigned endlessly throughout the lands. The one who gained power from the millions of souls of those who were cluelessly killed during the fighting. One of the most notorious and feared FUG Slayers of all time, White of the Arie family.