Aramania

Aramania was a realm shrouded in eternal darkness, where the skies were perpetually painted with hues of crimson and ash. The air reeked of malevolence, and the ground trembled with the weight of evil. This was a realm where cruelty was currency, and compassion was a distant memory.In the heart of Aramania's capital city of Astralon, a grand arena was a testament to the realm's love for bloodlust. The arena was abuzz with activity, as the inhabitants of Aramania gathered to witness the latest spectacle. The crowd was a tapestry of twisted faces, their eyes gleaming with sadistic delight.At the center of the arena, a young woman was chained to a stone pedestal. Her eyes were sunken, her skin pale, and her body battered. She was a prisoner, a captive of Astralon city arena of the country Arcadia where Lord Xandros is the current city ruler.

As the crowd jeered and taunted, a figure emerged from the shadows. He was a towering giant, his muscles rippling beneath his black armor. His face was hidden behind a twisted metal mask, and his eyes burned with an inner fire.

"Behold, the executioner!" the crowd roared, as the giant raised his massive sword.

The young woman closed her eyes, her lips whispering a silent prayer. But the executioner's blade never fell. Instead, he turned to face the crowd, his voice booming across the arena.

"Today, we shall not end this woman's life," he declared. "Today, we shall make her wish for death."

The crowd erupted into cheers, and the executioner began weaving a twisted spell. The air around the young woman began to distort, as dark energies swirled around her. 

Her eyes snapped open, and she screamed, her voice echoing across the arena. 

When there was a very strong force that fell in front of her, they were covered by dust that flew due to the strong fall, and when the dust disappeared, the captive woman disappeared like a bubble.

The woman's body rolled over the ground full of sand and dust, coughing, ''Ack, ack, ack.''

And saw the two women who were with her earlier on the ground too.

''You tricked me,'' a beautiful white-haired woman was pushed to the wall using the elbow of the weirdly clothed brown-haired woman. ''This is not Earth!! ''

''Calm down, Lyra. Let me explain.'' Gabrielle put her hands up as a sign of surrender.

''Calm down??? How am I going to calm down when you push me off that portal and find myself falling 1000 feet to the ground in the middle of a smelly arena!? I am not calming down!!!''Lyra shouted.

Gabrielle took a step back, trying to calm Lyra down. "I promise I will explain everything, just give me a chance," she pleaded. Lyra's eyes narrowed, still filled with anger and confusion.

''Please...'' Lyra hesitated for a moment before taking a deep breath and nodding slightly. "Fine, but it better be a good explanation," she said sternly. Gabrielle nodded, relieved that Lyra was willing to listen.

''I didn't know you had this side,'' Gabrielle said softly, hoping to diffuse the tension. "There's a lot you don't know about Aramania; I really need you to...before considering your decision of declining to be the chosen one," Lyra replied, her expression softening slightly.

''I told you already I am not the chosen one!!'' Lyra snapped; Gabrielle was shocked. ''Your eyes are glowing...''

''Who are you people?'' The woman from the arena asks out of nowhere, shocked seeing Lyra's glowing eyes, '' You are a sorcerer!! ''

The woman ran, looking so scared seeing Lyra's glowing eyes.

Lyra was dumbfounded looking at the woman's reaction. ''What the—'' Gabrielle snatched the cloak from the street store across the street; by just looking at it, it teleported to her, and she put it on Lyra.

''Just trust me, you don't want to die on your first day in Aramania,'' said Gabrielle before Lyra could react.

As the woman disappeared into the crowd, Lyra's eyes widened in confusion. "What's going on? Why did she react like that?"

Gabrielle's expression turned serious. "You don't understand, Lyra. In Aramania, magic is forbidden. And your...condition...makes you a target."

''But I thought you said this realm's race is in magic? '' Lyra asked, confused, as they started to walk on the streets.

Lyra took in the scenery of the place ,''This place is beautiful but dull.''

''That's before they were enslaved by the king of darkness, Eribus; all commoners were stripped of their magic abilities," Gabrielle explained. "It's a dangerous place for someone like you, with your unique powers." Lyra shuddered at the thought of being hunted for her abilities in a realm where magic was outlawed.

''All of them?'' Lyra asked, feeling a mix of fear and pity for the inhabitants of the realm.

 "Yes, all of them," Gabrielle confirmed, and continued ''from the generation they were enslaved until all the next generation till now, it was locked; their genes and ability of being sorceresses were gone and became just a myth to this new generation. They now believed that only high ranks and a few chosen by the high ruler or the king of the realm, Eribus himself, are the only people who will have the right and extraordinary chance to gain such powers. Anyone who will obtain this out of the palace or the high ranks will be killed as they are seen as a threat to the established order. The suppression of magical abilities has created a stark divide between the ruling class and the common people, leading to growing unrest and discontent among the population. " 

''That's actually sad,'' Lyra's expression was grim as they continued their journey.

''We are at the city center of one of the thousand cities of 58 countries of the realm of Aramania; this city's name is Astralon. It used to be a vibrant hub of magic and culture before Eribus took over,'' Gabrielle added, her voice filled with sadness.

''Wait...so you mean this isn't just one state? '' Lyra asked, feeling overwhelmed by the vastness of the realm. "Yes, Aramania is a vast and diverse world with its own unique cultures and histories," Gabrielle confirmed, her eyes reflecting the weight of their mission.

''You mean 58 countries have only one king? '' Lyra's eyes widened in disbelief. "Yes, Eribus rules over all of them with an iron fist," Gabrielle explained, her expression grim.

''And take note they have five continents…and we are at the country of Arcadia, the biggest and most progressive country of the 18 countries of the center continent, which is Tenoria.'' Gabrielle chuckled at Lyra's face while Lyra tried to process the information overload. "It's a lot to take in, but we have to stay focused on our goal."

''Yeah, you think so? ''Lyra responded sarcastically , and continued. ''It's like I am back to school with all this history and geographic information you're telling me. I am starting to believe I was right to decide to back out. What would I do to help this vast and complex realm of Aramania? "Lyra asked, feeling overwhelmed by the task ahead. Gabrielle smiled reassuringly, "We'll figure it out together, one step at a time."

Meanwhile..

''What do you mean you lost her?'' Eris asked Malakai with calm yet venomous undertones. Malakai shifted uncomfortably, knowing he had to come up with a plan quickly to find Lyra before it was too late.

''Do you want to speak, or should I close your mouth forever? ''Eris threatened, her eyes narrowing as she awaited Malakai's response. He gulped nervously, realizing the severity of the situation he had found himself in.

''She vanished on Earth; we can't find her. We looked in all the corners of the earth, but she's nowhere to be seen. She's like a ghost,'' Malakai finally admitted, his voice barely above a whisper. Eris's expression softened slightly, a hint of concern flashing in her eyes before she composed herself once more.

''Ack'' Malakai spit blood when Eris pierced his chest using her bare and lethal hand. "You should have told me sooner," she said coldly, her grip tightening as Malakai's vision began to fade.

She pulled his heart out of his chest.'' Shh… Stay alive and awake,'' Eris whispered in his ear. His suffering is showing in his face, standing heartless while Eris pumps his heart like a toy.

''What a beautiful display of power,'' she murmured, her voice devoid of emotion as she continued to toy with Malakai's life.

''Have you ever wondered how we are all created precisely beautiful? But in the end, we are all just vessels for someone else's amusement,'' Eris said, a cruel smile playing on her lips as she watched Malakai's struggle.

''Okay, I give you another chance to find her, and don't come back here with stupid reasons.'' With that, Eris cut his heart using her claw; it bled, and she put it back in Malakai's chest and sealed it like nothing happened.

Malakai didn't waste time and walked out the palace with his men.

Eris watch them leave her claw became shorter to normal size blood in her hand quickly dry and became an ash and it was blown away by the wind.

Eris touched her chest her eyes became teary like her masked of being tough was took off .

She walked to her window and watch the vastness of their kingdom all grey and dull.

''Why do you feel this way?'' she said in a whisper.