Episode 003: The Strongest In Kharvald

Soaring above the city of Kharvald, a pale woman loomed, her figure reach great heights that exceed a normal male, adorned in white attire, her midsection left outside for the night cold. In her hand was a spear as dark as the night itself.

Her expression was quite odd, holding a unique beauty but with a touch of compressed emotions that made Ori look jolly.

Her hair was dark, being very short and slicked back.

Lior Ren was her name, but to the people of Kharvald, she was their pale light at the end of the tunnel.

"Hmm," Lior exclaimed, her dead eyes squinted as she looked down at the city, scanning for any potential danger.

Every city that existed was always protected by the grace of the gods, a barrier that restricted any Never-Were from infiltrating but from the way Lior scouted the area, something was definitely wrong.

"The fool moon seems to be brighter today," she said with a relaxed tone, looking up into the sky.

Suddenly, she sensed something, her eyes widening as she turned her back, looking down at Kharvald once more. Then her eyes stopped somewhere.

——

The young woman opened her eyes aa she had felt the drunkard's hand on her bra but now he had stopped and to her surprise she saw Ori standing in between them, her hand tightly gripping the man's wrist.

Ori looked into the eyes of the perverted male, her expression dead and disgusted, "So you were actually going to touch her in that way, despite being caught?"

The man grunted as his hand was gripped tightly, the pain of Ori's nails digging into his flesh caused him to squirm.

"Hey.. What do you think you're doing?" he questioned the young lady, "Unhand me, this instant"

Ori's expression shifted as she heard this, her forehead folding and her brows knitting.

Now she felt the full disgust, "Unhand you, huh?" she said, her tone now tensed up as she struck the man on the stomach with her knee.

The force of such a powerful kick sent the man to his knees as he gasped for air, trying to recall how he breathed oxygen, his hand on his stomach, "Agh, fuck," he grunted, "You stupid bitch"

Ori crouched, grabbing the man by his hair as she looked into his eyes, "Never-Weres, do you know why they exist?" Ori asked though the man chose not to answer, "Its because of people like you, like they said Never-Weres are born from human scum nature. I'm sure you have such nature"

Releasing the man's hair, Ori rose striking the man on the face with a swift kick that knocked him out immediately. The man laid flat, not moving at all.

Ori sighed as she glanced down at him with nothing but pity and spite at the same time. She then faced the young woman who was almost used as a midnight snack, "Oh, didn't realize you were still here," she said with a soft tone.

The young lady who was shaken by the whole thing, bowed to the ground, going down on her knees, "Th-thank you!" she stuttered.

"Are you hurt?" Ori asked.

The young lady nodded, 'No' giving Ori a sense of relief as she sighed.

"Well that's a relief," she said, she then pointed at her home that was meters behind her, "Let's stop by my place, you'll leave first time in the morning once the night clears"

"N-no, I'll be fine," the young lady muttered, refusing Ori's offer, "I don't live to far from here. I know its not in this area but don't worry I can handle myself… thank you once again"

Ori dropped her hand, looking down at the distressed lady with a relaxed yet pitying look, her gaze shifted down to her torso, her skin revealed as her outfit had been torn. Immediately she began to strip herself.

"H-hey what are you doing?" the young lady timidly said, flabbergasted by Ori's action.

Ori tilted her head, confused by the lady's behavior, "You aren't fully clothed and I'm sure you live far from this area," said Ori, finally taking the entire dress off from her body, her sudden act of kindness without think being to overwhelming, "My house stands right behind me, so I don't need to walk that long. Your clothes are ruined and they are men roaming these streets"

Ori then stretched the clothes towards the young lady, her body being completely bare. The young lady in general found her quite strange, but she had to take the clothes.

"Th-thank you.. Very much!" she stammered, bowing her head slightly to acknowledge Ori's strange kindness before taking the clothes from her hand.

Ori turned, walking away not before sharing a gentle wave, "See you around," she muttered.

The young lady remained smiling, waving continuously as Ori walked her way. Suddenly her smile shifted, turning to a frown, her hand stopped.

As Ori walked back, she couldn't shake of the feeling that something was wrong, it was like a dangerous presence loomed behind her, ready to strike her down.

From the corner of her eye, just right behind her at her blindspot, the young lady dropped the dress on the ground, taking off her bra and her skirt before proceeding to take her panties off.

Her body began to shift, her skin rippling as her skin began to turn grey.

Ori, sensing something was wrong turned to her back only to see that nobody was there, even the young lady had vanished without a trace leaving behind a pile of her clothes which Ori took notice of.

The young woman froze, her brows knitting together in confusion as she spotted the dress she had given the lady now discarded among a pile of forgotten belongings.

*What just happened? Did she run away?*

Her mind raced, struggling to piece together the situation, completely unaware of the looming presence behind her. Before she could react, a searing agony erupted in her gut, forcing a violent cough—thick, metallic blood splattering from her lips. The burning pain intensified, gnawing at her insides, and when she glanced down in horror, her breath hitched.

A sharp, glistening blade jutted grotesquely from her abdomen, its tip dripping crimson. The weapon had been driven clean through her back, the sting of the wound radiating through her trembling body.

Ori let out a pained groan, her lips smeared with blood, and slowly—agonizingly—turned her head, careful not to worsen the bleeding. Standing behind her was a monstrous figure, shaped like a nude woman but twisted into something inhuman. Its skin was a sickly grey, its irises burning like embers against pitch-black sclera, and its hair writhed like a nest of living tentacles—one of which had morphed into the blade now impaling her.

The helpless woman Ori had tried to save was no woman at all.

It was a Never-Were in disguise.

*How?* Her thoughts swam in disbelief. The city was supposed to be protected by the Grace—Never-Weres couldn't infiltrate. It was impossible.

And yet, here one stood.

Ori collapsed to her knees, hands clutching the gaping wound, her breaths shallow and ragged. Her body trembled violently, strength draining with every passing second.

"Oh, you humans are truly something else," the Never-Were mused, its voice warped and guttural, laced with cruel amusement. "So naïve. So stupid. You trust your eyes too easily." A dark chuckle escaped its lips. "And so very… fragile."

Ori choked, blood bubbling from her throat, thick and suffocating as it filled her lungs. The Never-Were stepped closer, its writhing hair retracting into its scalp while its wrist twisted and elongated—morphing into a grotesque, jagged sword meant to deliver the final blow.

"I must thank you, human," it said, its mocking smile fading into something colder. "For saving a monster like me from your own kind." The blade gleamed under the dim light as it rose. "But then again, we're not so different, are we? After all… we were born from your violence."

With a swift, merciless motion, the Never-Were swung down—

CLANG!

The deafening clash of steel rang out as another weapon intercepted the strike mere inches from Ori's neck. Dazed, she blinked, realizing she was still alive, and turned weakly toward her savior.

Standing tall, her back to Ori, was Lior Ren—her spear locked against the Never-Were's grotesque blade with effortless precision.

"I *knew* I sensed a Never-Were lurking here," Lior said, her voice calm but edged with lethal intent.

The creature recoiled, its confidence flickering into something between fury and fear—before twisting back into a sneer.

"Well, well," it hissed, shifting into a defensive stance. "If it isn't one of the delusional Never-Slayers. How *predictable* of you to show up unannounced."

Lior's gaze was icy, devoid of hesitation. She didn't need to speak; her expression alone was a silent promise of victory.

"Bold words," Lior remarked, raising her spear high, "for something about to die."

With a swift, fluid motion, she brought the weapon down—not in a direct strike, but in a motion that sent an eerie, invisible force rippling through the air.

For a moment, nothing happened.

The Never-Were barked out a laugh. "That's your attack? Pathetic!"

Then—

BOOM!

An unseen force slammed into the creature like a divine hammer, obliterating the ground beneath it in a devastating shockwave.

Ori watched, her vision blurring, her consciousness fading. She had never seen Lior fight like this—so effortlessly powerful, so *elegant*. It made her own ambitions feel small in comparison.

But none of that mattered now.

Her body grew heavier, her thoughts sluggish. This is it, she realized. I'll see my family again.

Darkness crept at the edges of her sight, pulling her under—

Until suddenly, a radiant, golden script burned across her fading vision:

[Congratulations. You Have Been Selected As A Potential Sun Wielder. Do You Accept This?]

• Yes / No

Ori's breath caught.

*What… is this?*

Was this the afterlife? Or… a second chance?

Her fingers twitched, weak but desperate. She had no time left—no choice but to grasp at this fleeting hope.

With the last of her will, she reached out—

And chose.

YES