The Story of Aria and the Slayer

Chapter 1

A young woman sat down crossed-legged on the ground. As the black material of her pants met with the snow, she could feel just how cold it was. She swept her dark hair over her shoulders with gloved hands, the ends a few inches from reaching the icy floor.

Taking in a deep breath, the woman finally began to concentrate. She thought of the war, and the anger and pain that it brought her. Her eyes closed as she worked to calm her rage, to attempt to use it to fuel her desire to end the fighting. That way, she believed she wouldn't let feelings control her when the time came to avenge those who died.

She shuffled slightly on the snow, her winter coat rustling with the movement. Then she focused on the real task.

Slowly, she opened her eyes again, hoping that she would finally be able to keep her emotions in check. Instead, she was met with disappointment when she saw a familiar unsteady loop of gold water shinsu in front of her.

For the last several months, the female had worked on creating and practicing a technique that would allow her to draw out an almost endless amount of shinsu. It wasn't that she was terrible at creating and using the skill, in fact she had grown to be quite good at it, but she wasn't at the level she wanted to be at. Although, the pressure of learning it as quickly as possible made the technique harder to master.

Sighing, she decided to give herself a break, praying that it'd help her steady her emotions further.

The trees of the forest in front of her swayed gently and snow was brushed off the branches. The sight calmed the girl and she leaned on the wooden fencing around the back of her house. The house she shared with her parents on the very edge of the village.

In order to train, she would have to go outside in order to lower the risk of blowing anything up. She even took the caution of clearing away quite a few trees just in case she ever accidentally knocked one down in the direction of her or others' homes.

The only thing she didn't fully risk while training was getting unwanted attention by anyone from outside the village. Even if she used one of her more flashy abilities, it was unlikely non-villager would see because they were surrounded by trees. Although, it was possible for someone to make it into their village if they really tried and were either lucky enough not to meet any wild animals, or had a good weapon with them. However it still took several days for someone who knew the way to make it all the way through the woods and into either surrounding country.

The young woman froze as she heard someone, or rather something whisper to her. The wind, blowing through the trees, singing a soft hymn that beckoned her closer. And she couldn't help but take step after step toward that pure voice of nature. A nature that the girl knew held no intention of harm from the experience of spending days at a time in the woods.

Through the trees, she followed it, followed it down a narrow path she knew all too well. A path almost completely hidden from view by the thick and prickly branches of pine. She ventured deeper into the forest until she'd been tucked away from the view of the village. Until she was far enough that she wouldn't be heard by the villagers, no matter how loud she yelled. But she paid no heed to that fact. By then, she'd trusted the woods far, far too much for that.

The girl finally halted as she heard the faint snap of a twig, barely audible over the whistles of the breeze. She whipped her head toward the noise, eyes focusing on the brush behind her. She'd opened her mouth to say something, to call out to whoever was there, but decided against it as she realized how poor a choice that would've been.

A moment later, she felt the stare before she saw it. Involuntarily, she shuddered as she searched for the source. Then she found it. Two silvery-grey eyes gazing back at her. A colour the young woman hadn't seen in the orbs of any of the creatures she'd come across in the past.