Level Up: Voidwalker

Emperor Cyrus Safavi, also known as Cyrus the Great, sat on his golden-encrusted throne, surrounded by his sorcerers and warlocks. They were conducting a ritual after a Core Grandmaster informed him of many signs foretelling the rise of the Dahaka.

Every Achaemenidian knew who he was: a being prophesized to bring darkness to the empire. Cyrus ordered all his powerful mages to locate their enemy and soon discovered he had arrived in the far north.

''Sacrifice more slaves to find out what our enemy looks like!'' Cyrus ordered, causing his daughter Darya Safavi, the first Imperial Princess, to shrink back when she heard the unrestrained anger in his voice.

Another hour passed until they had a solid picture of the Dahaka appearing on the Mana Crystal. When Darya saw the boy, her heart skipped a beat as he looked unique. She had never seen anyone like him but noticed he was about thirteen with hair as white as snow.

The boy had beautiful azure blue eyes that glowed with untapped potential. She noticed his chiseled features were perfect and felt attracted to him. However, she shook her head and banished such a thought as she was twenty-one, and the boy was a mere child.

But she was familiar with tales passed down from mother to child—narratives of an evil entity, a harbinger of doom, and the empire's demise. Yet she understood that these were merely lies concocted by her ancestors and elevated to myth and legend over time.

Some are familiar with the true story. It's one of hope and loyalty. The last Saharaelian Emperor, a powerful God Ranked Core Mage, battled against her forebears for his people's survival, ultimately sacrificing himself and using his Mana Core to create The Blue Dunes Desert that covered most of the Aridonia Continent.

Across thousands of years, they flourished within its boundaries, sharpening their abilities and preparing for the return of Dahaka, known to the Saharaelians as Azhar'Zul, who would lead a Great Jihad covering the world in blood.

When Cyrus saw him, he looked at his advisor and spoke excitedly, ''Send the Nightowls to capture the Dahaka and bring the fiend to Babylon before an Azhar finds him. I want to deal with the threat to our great empire personally.''

After his announcement, everyone cheered and celebrated the upcoming victory against the being they all hated. Darya knew that finding one person among the billions that live in Astoria would be impossible.

***

[The Blue Dune Desert - Aridonia Continent]

Two moons shone over the blue desert, causing a glimmer to wash across the dunes. A red-haired desert elf girl with glowing blue eyes watched shooting stars pass by while standing atop a karst that jutted from the sand.

She had seen them many times, but this time, they were different, as the celestial objects were a beautiful azure color. An explosion above caused her heart to race, and she remembered many tales Nonna had told her as a little girl and her best friend, Zara.

''Azhar'Zul has arrived,'' she mumbled. ''Nonna needs to know.''

Afterward, she jumped off a karst that overlooked a part of the desert called The Death Plains and hurried toward the underground Azraq City. Twenty minutes later, she rushed through the settlement's secret entrance.

She passed by homes carved directly into the stone, with blue lights illuminating her path. A bit longer, she arrived at a fancy-looking home where several powerful guards stood outside protecting her family.

They let her pass after saluting, and she spotted her Nonna and Madre inside having a deep conversation. Her Madre turned to her and said, ''My darling Soraya. Did you see the sky above?''

Soraya nodded, ''Yes,'' she replied. ''The prophecy has begun, but it was far to the north, so he isn't a Saharaelian.''

An older woman, who the Saharaelians call the Great Mother, spoke in an all-knowing voice while shaking her head, ''Our people's Prophecy says he isn't a desert elf, but one with the Al-firaagh. When you see him, you will know my little Sahraee, and he won't find his way to the Blue Dunes for six cycles of Zahidul and Azadul.''

''Six years?'' Soraya asked.

Her Nonna nodded, ''Yes, child. We must make sure Azhar'Zul is prepared for the Great War, in which he will lead our people to victory.''

''Why would he fight? He has no ties to the desert or our people,'' her mother questioned.

Soraya watched Nonna's blue eyes glow before speaking, ''Azhar'Zul's first and second lovers will be attacked by those Nightowl dogs, provoking him to grow stronger and seek revenge, leading our warriors on The Great War our ancestor foresaw that would lead to his rule over the world.''

Hearing Nonna's words, she asked, ''What do we do while meeting him?''

Both women turned to her as Soraya's Madre revealed, ''You, Zara, Circe, and the banished princess are prophesized to be the Zawajat al-Maseeh's and will fight beside him, but only after you all have experienced life and everything that goes with it.''

Her Nona turned toward a painting on the wall before continuing, ''I will call a meeting on the sand leaders as we need the permission of the East, Westerns, and Southern Rahbar's before acting on the matter, thanks to the desert laws.''

She understood this as the Western and Eastern peoples are completely different; Soraya shook her head and questioned, ''What do we do once we find him? Bring him back to the Blue Dunes?''

The older woman shook her head, ''He will come on his own, my child. Now prepare for your journey and take this. It will help find him.''

Soraya nodded, swiftly taking the necklace in hand. As she hurried out of the room, she recited a chant passed down by the believers, her voice carrying the weight of conviction, "The one who points the way."

***

[Bloodfang Kingdom]

A young Orc woman named Grishna Brokentooth was hunting in Murkwood Forest in the northern part of the Bloodfang Kingdom. She was one of many daughters of the realm's finest general and a runt of the Brokentooth Family because she was not as strong as her siblings.

This caused resentment on her father's behalf as he only wanted strong children, which was one of the foundations of Orc society. So Grishna was determined to level up by hunting strong monsters across the Bloodfang Kingdom.

Sometimes, she traveled into the Thalassia Empire, bordering their kingdom from north to the east. Grishna noticed it was Dark Day, meaning most of Valoria would rest as the week ended, allowing her a peaceful journey.

She left Bloodtusk City bordering Thalassia and headed toward Suncrest City, a two-week trip from home. With a pack of rations and potions strapped to her back, she started walking on a well-maintained stone road leading to the metropolis.

While walking, she spotted a storm brewing in the far north but ignored it as they rarely came south. The clouds turned black, which could be seen from the road, but it didn't stop her from leveling up.

Grishna traveled the road and saw merchant caravans guarded by adventurers, which intrigued her as the Bloodfang Kingdom only had them in the major cities. As she traveled along the road, she checked her status.

Name: Valeria Brokentooth

Age: 19

Race: Orc

Class: Warrior

Level: 105

Rank: Adept

Experience: 2580/5000

Affinity: Earth – Metal

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Attributes:

Health: 846

Mana: 2318

Strength: 1598

Stamina: 1322

Charisma: 560

Intelligence: 350

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Spells:

Attack: Lv-1: Diamond Fist (8) Lv-1: Metal Bullet (7) Lv-2: Earth Bolt (3) Lv-3: Razorwind Blades (0) Lv-3: Iron Shriek (0)

Defence: Lv-1: Ironclad(7)

Support: Lv-1: Body Enhancement(10) Lv-1: Dust Cloud(2)

Utility:

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Skills: Hand-to-Hand Combat (7) Spearmanship (6) Survivlist (9) Cooking (10) Tracking (6) Intimidation (7) Shield Mastery (5) War Cry (4) Lock Picking (7) Ransack (1) Hunting (3) Trapping (2)

'Nice, I can't wait to try ma new magics,' she thought while scanning the distance, only seeing the Thalassian Fortress that guarded the border. Grishna continued walking until she was stopped by a dark elf man and woman guarding the road north.

"Stop!" they shouted.

''What ya want, elf? I'm hunting monsters while heading to Suncreast City to take the Morozov Express to the Everglade Kingdom,'' she spoke while keeping her eyes on the soldiers. ''I heard new dungeons have been discovered there.''

''Are you sure about traveling to the city alone? The roads are dangerous,'' the woman said, causing Grisna to look at her with narrowed eyes.

''I will be fine, Gruum'ka; watches over me and has blessed ma journey,'' she replied, ''I'm out here to fight bandits and monsters.''

The two elves nodded and let her pass. Grishna walked past the fortress and admired its imposing tower, which watched over the grassland. It was made from light grey stone and had walls that stood a hundred meters tall.

Guard towers were evenly separated along it, and a strong metal gate blocked the entrance to the inner workings. Grishna stopped looking at it and continued her journey north until she finally found some monsters to fight.

''Thunderbacks, Rank D monsters,'' she mumbled to herself. ''Perfest test subject for ma new magics.''

Grishna pulled a spear off her back and walked toward them. They resembled Bison from Earth but bigger, and their fur was greeny brown, which helped out with defense. As she closed in on the monsters, her hand reached into the pouch on her belt and pulled out a small metal ball.

It was the size of a marble, and Grishna sent some of her mana into it while casting her first new spell, ''Silver Shriek.''

She watched as the little metal marble hummed with mana before throwing it at the closest Thunderback; when it hit the monster, a loud shrill erupted, confusing it and hurting her ears because she hadn't tested them yet.

Grishna watched as the herd bolted, but the one the ball hit was stumbling around like it was drunk, causing her to giggle before using a second spell, ''Razorwind Blades.''

After casting, several metal blades appeared above her before they started spinning with menacing speed. Grishna felt their power as she sent them flying toward the Thunderback and cut into its flesh, causing the monster to roar in agony.

Blood gushed from several gaping wounds across the Thunderback's massive body as her attack landed. The creature staggered, its movements increasingly unsteady, giving her the perfect opportunity to attack.

With determination etched on her face, Grishna clutched her spear tightly and launched herself forward. She closed in and thrust the spear toward the creature's head. The weapon's tip punctured the thick hide and penetrated the skull.