Crowpeak Village

Aleyah flipped her blades forward and held them in a way where the ends faced behind her. With a push from her right foot, she launched herself toward them as fast as she could go. The townspeople moved forward with their torches and pitchforks to block Aleyah from saving the soldiers hanging on the planks of wood. Instead of taking her chances and running through them, she leaped over them all, including the soldiers. She gained a far distance and managed to land near the temple.

“Stop!” The Priest yelled.

Aleyah turned around to listen what the priest had to say.

“I know what you may be thinking and believe me, this all seems quite bad, but I can assure you, this is all for a just cause.”

“Don’t you lie to me!” She yelled assertively.

“The Gods have heard our prayers!” He points to her. “You and your people have been a great burden until this day my dear. You all will finally fulfill your true purpose to the great cause. I will bring back the son of the mighty.”

“You’re running my patience old man,” she replied.

The Priest stood there in silence. His head was bowed and his arms hung from his shoulders. You could not see his hands because they were hiding within the sleeve of his robe. All the townspeople looked at him waiting for his reply.

He gave a chuckle, “Your generation is filled with ungrateful little snots that have been poisoned by words from self-proclaimed prophets.” He pulls his right hand out of his sleeve and reveals a knife. He pulls it up in the air and Aleyah gets ready for a fight.

“Brothers and sisters, release your physical self and gift the Gods a revival of a son! Bring back the crown prince of might!” The Priest started to shout words that sounded ancient and one by one, a villager took out a knife and began to kill one another. Shouting, cheering, screams of pain and joy was all Aleyah and the three guards could hear. It was chaos to Aleyah’s ears.

Blood splattered on the floor and the house walls. Aleyah was disgusted by the sight and began to feel weak because of it. She collapsed down on one knee but tried to hold herself up with her blades. Her head was faced downward as she tried to ignore the noise. It was not working and to make it worse, she could feel her stomach turn with the stench of the dead bodies. She looked up once more and saw men, women, and children either dead or killing one another. Her eyes started to play mind games with her and she began to see double.

Aleyah was about to faint, but then she heard a voice she recognized. It was not the Priest’s, but someone near him. She tried to focus her vision and saw that one of the soldiers, Seth, was calling out to her. This was the guy who disrespected her and held a strong hatred for soul witches she thought to herself. As she stared at him, she focused on his voice and could hear him cry out, “I’m sorry” multiple times.

She was caught off guard, but it widened her eyes. Suddenly, she was given the strength to stand back up and face the horrid disaster that took place in front of her. Their numbers decreased swiftly and Aleyah had to do something about it, but she knew she could not do it alone. She looked behind her and saw Aleyos and Yuto still hanging.

Aleyah twirled her body and tossed one of her blades toward them. The weapon was rapidly spinning like a boomerang. When it reached Aleyos and Yuto, it went for the rope that had held them up there and sliced it. Aleyah began to run so she could soften their fall. Aleyos fell first and then Yuto. Aleyah threw her other blade on the ground and jumped in the air. She caught them both and landed on the ground. With her touch, both Aleyos and Yuto woke up.

“Aleyah?” Aleyos said her name as he regained his sight from being unconscious for so long.

“I’m here brother,” she replied.

“What’s going on?” Yuto asked.

“The priest is what’s going on.”

Both Aleyos and Yuto looked at the massacre that was going on. They too could not believe their eyes. Yuto kneeled and almost puked, but he stopped himself from doing so. Aleyah helped him back up.

“Yuto, we have to stay strong and save those soldiers.”

“What the hell is going on Aleyah?!”

“My guess is that it has something to do with that.” Aleyos was pointing behind them and they both looked back.

Yuto saw what Aleyah had seen earlier when entering the town again. The stream of blood-red aura was right above the temple, but Aleyah noticed something had changed. It had gotten larger since the killing started and the red got darker as well.

“I don’t know what this is, but whatever the priest has planned, we need to stop him.” Aleyah walked pass Aleyos and Yuto to go pick up the blade she had dropped to catch them. Her brown hair danced in the air as the wind gusted pass them from the right. She pulled out her right arm and caught the blade she threw. She looked heroic and it gave Yuto and Aleyos the push they needed to fight.

Aleyos started to glow green, “Eclipse Gate Open, Champion Soul!” He transformed into his Champion armor with the spear in his hand.

Yuto followed and started to glow blue, “Mythic Gate Open, Awakened Soul!” His clothing changed to his Awakened armor and he had his bow in his hand. Both Aleyos and Yuto walked beside Aleyah watching the last person stab himself with his own knife.

The Priest stopped shouting and turned his attention over to Team Trinity who was now ready for combat. The five-hooded people who stood near the wooden posts walked side by side in front of the Priest and the soldiers. They took out daggers, sharper weapons than knives, and pulled out their other hand as well.

“Whatever you had hoped to accomplish here little girl, it’s already too late.” The Priest pulled out his other hand as well. “We shall resurrect the son of the Gods once more!” The hooded people and the Priest placed their daggers and knife against their free hand and cut into their skin. Their blood flowed out of the palms and landed on the ground of the town.

“We give this offering to you, son of Reavish! Let our blood be the armor you wear into battle and the souls of the dead, the weapon you slay the heretics with!” The blood from their palms started to rise and the corpses of the townspeople started to glow blood red. Balls of white light started to exit their body and enter the pillar of streaming aura.

To Team Trinity, it looked like a horde of shooting stars was being engulfed by a tornado of red wind, but the soldiers saw nothing. This is what set soul witches apart from normal people. They can see much more than what the naked eye can see.

The Priest continued, “Cleanse this world and lead a path before us unworthy people! Be reborn, Shai Zou Len!”