Indeed, every good story ends in a tragedy.


    A tragedy that the world itself had forgotten, yet was the start of everything for two beings.


    Everything happened so fast.


    Amidst those happy days, a nightmarish entity descended on Triazils.


    It was a day like no others. Blanc was working as usual at his bar, while Frey and her son were sparring near the castle grounds, away from the curious soldiers.


    Her son, now old enough to rival with her in terms of strength, noticed an incredibly small white spot in the sky, high above the castle.


    The light that looked similar to the sun in some ways, bothered the youth greatly. No matter how he looked at it, this was just trouble brewing, and right in front of his eyes to make it worse.


    So, he talked to his mother about it. The moment her eyes fell on the strange orb, the calamity began.


    Frey''s body instantly froze in fear. When the young man looked at the white light, instead, an eyes the size of what could be called a ''monster'' stared at her. Not only was it staring at her, but it was openly mocking her.


    The blue color of the sky vanished, the colors of the world turned to grey, and everything looked bland, as the space around the eyes began to crack.


    On the continent of Triazils that day, nine entities appeared near the largest human cities.


    For what reason were they here? What was their goal?


    The young man only learned of it later.


    As terror forced his way into the citizens of the kingdom, a great pressure dropped on them. From the rift, the giant monster broke free, and began to float in circle above the peak of the castle.


    What was that creature? A whale? A bird? Or something completely different?


    It had white scales all over its body, with six wings of glistening white colors helped it glide around. On its back, it had spikes like a porcupine.


    The two horns locked in a spiral on its forehead was proof of the strangeness of the being, as it behaved like a fish in water, but in the air instead.


    Even a bird was unable to make the rapid turns it made.


    But, its malice was what separated it from the animal world. This ''thing'' was nothing close to an animal. It was highly intelligent.


    It quietly observed everything, while mocking the tiny world under it. As it turned around the castle, it''s massive tail bumped into the castle tower, destroying it without much effort.


    From this moment, the little kingdom of men turned into a blood filled canvas. The being rushed down at Frey, and tried to bite her.


    Right before it could, she forced her arm to block the hit.


    She was able to block it, but not stop its advance. It began to drag Frey around the city between its fangs, destroying buildings, and killing everything that went near it.


    Its wings ripped people in pieces, its flailing tail broke them in half, and its spikes pierced their bodies. It even managed to pierce a few people with its horns.


    While the youth watched all of this happen in terror, he tried to help his mother. But he was too inexperienced.


    He never fought for real, only exchanging blows with his mother. Doubt began to fill his mind, as the chaos and the cries of the people he knew well continued.


    Frey was unable to free herself from the creature''s mouth. As her back endured everything she came into contact, she gritted her teeth the more blood began to cover the white being.


    She saw limbs flying in every directions, guts covering the ground, and lifeless bodies she swore to protect.


    Her rage was immeasurable, until she past Blanc, who looked from a distance.


    Their gaze locked for a split second, a second that seemed like an eternity to them, before the beings dragged her again through the city''s houses and shops.


    Blanc did not understand. What was this thing attacking their city? The moment it crossed his sight, he looked at it in detail.


    Its purity was disgusting. It was pure, sure, but in a very twisted manner. It was almost indescribable how strange this was to him.


    For him, purity was the beauty inside a person, or created by the nature herself. This ''thing'' seemed to have been forced to bear a false purity, something artificial.


    The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    But there was not much time to think about it. The situation didn''t permitted it. He was still the Valkyrie Frey''s husband, he had to try and save as much people as possible while she was holding the enemy''s attention.


    He ran away from the destruction, toward the castle ground. He ignored the carnage around him, and tried to help as many citizens as possible, while looking for his son.


    Some people he saved managed to escape the city, but some weren''t that lucky. The whole city was leveled in less than thirty minutes after the being started attacking Frey.


    Luckily, Blanc managed to avoid the path of the creature, and finally found his son near the castle, where he knew his wife usually trained, gripping his sword so strongly his hand was bleeding all over it.


    His son lifted his head and looked at his father with bewilderment. He was completely lost, unsure on what to do.


    He was scared. Not scared to fight, but scared to disappoint his mother. To make all those years of training amount to nothing.


    And he was scared of losing his mother.


    Blanc hugged his son. And just when the two broke off, Frey came crashing on the wall behind them.


    She dropped to the ground after forcing her body out of the rubble, and approached her family.


    Frey had been seriously injured. Her right arm which was usually holding her shield was bent weirdly, her right ankles had suffered too, as she fumbled toward them. She had internal injuries too, making blood flow from her mouth.


    This was the first time a being injured her like this. But the light in her eyes wasn''t dead yet.


    Holding her sword with her working left arm, she stared at the smiling creature. If she could, it would be dead just from her death glare.


    The being began to talk in a distorted, sickening tone. It laughed. It mocked her. It mocked our world. And it spoke its name.


    Its words were condescending. Even a human wouldn''t speak like this of an ant. It called itself the true ''divine''.


    The true ''divine'', hunter of beings like him. Blanc understood.


    This ''thing'' was here to steal Frey''s purity. It was here to kill her, and eat what made her the woman called Frey.


    But there was nothing he could do. Blanc wasn''t a fighter. He tried to hold a sword before, but that was the most he could do. He had no expertise in the art of the sword.


    And even if he had, it would be probably useless against this thing.


    Their son tried to swallow his fears, and fight the being alongside his mother, but both of them stopped him before he could.


    Frey glanced past the creature, saddened by the carnage left behind. Everything had been destroyed besides the castle, though, it had been partially destroyed too thanks to the tower crashing down.


    The king and his family died at that moment, unknowing to Frey who was still fighting for a now dead kingdom.


    The only thing left for her to protect was her family. The most important people in the world for her.


    She swore to protect them. At least both of them.


    Noticing her glare and determination, it expressed a disturbing smile at her. Its body began to soar higher and higher, until even Frey was unable to hit it.


    It inhaled a large amount of air, and spat it in a circular pattern, flattening the whole kingdom and everything in its path. Only the castle and a small portion of land remained untouched by the attack.


    A shockwave, that was the attack it sent. It was a warning shot toward Frey, telling her not to resist. But she refused.


    Holding her sword vertically in front of her, she began to recite a few words. Her sword brightly shone before it created a thick shield around Blanc and her son.


    She then slashed toward the being a devastating blade of light.


    The being underestimated her. It thought this was only bluff. Yet, in its hubris, it lost one of its wings to the attack.


    Enraged, it lashed at her in what was the very last clash between them.


    Frey used her broken right arm to defend the hit. Her arm flew in front of Blanc and her son.


    She stabbed her sword into the being''s head, as the horns pierced her chest.


    Sadly, this was all in vain. The creature won. It obtained what it wanted.


    Feeling herself disappearing, in a last act of rebellion against it, she ripped her sword off of its head, and threw it at her son''s feet.


    With one last smile, she drew her last breath.


    Blanc saw the bright purity of Frey being absorbed by the creature.


    But ''it'' mocked him. Its body absorbed Frey, who had just died. It then morphed into her, and began to float away with a twisted smile.


    The woman he loved dearly had been disrespected and soiled by this ''thing''. Her purity had been usurped, and it was insulting Blanc of being just a weak and pitiful living thing.


    Right before it returned into its rift, it provoked Blanc one more time. It would let him and his son live, as a whim.


    With only rage in its soul, Blanc roared the being''s name as it vanished.


    "AVYERBDON!"


    Something broke inside Blanc at that moment. His mind became tainted with an emotion he couldn''t deal with. Mixed with the pain of losing Frey, his soul itself became tainted.


    Their son, who was unable to understand anything other than the loss of his mother, looked at his father in disarray.


    Blanc lost everything that made him a normal being. Lost in rage, it shed every trace of purity in his body.


    His skin began to melt down, leaving only a murky ooze behind that morphed into a being everyone known as the ''Miasma''.


    Yes, Blanc was a Remnant. One of the very first Remnant of the world. He never knew why he was able to see the purity of the world, yet, it was his power as the Remnant of Purity.


    But through losing Frey, it transformed into the Remnant of Corruption, soiling the continent for seemingly no real reason.


    His reason was simple. To find a way to open that rift again, and bring that being down, even if it meant ending the life of every beings in the process.


    What happened to their son you might ask?


    The very first thing that Miasma did was...


    ~


    "To corrupt me. He forced himself in the form of a small black pearl into my body, and controlled me like a puppet for so many years I honestly lost count of them."


    Elliott looked at the sword floating next to him.


    "You have the right to not believe in this little story, but know that by no means I lied. Sure, you won''t find any stories about that event, because all human kingdoms at the time fell to similar beings."


    "Only me and father remember the truth."


    "..."


    A long silence fell in the room.


    "You''d dare speak its name... I''m stupefied."


    Tia-Norun glared at him with hatred.


    "This little protection around us is enough to seal sounds from leaving outside. I know you and your other friend are scared of him too, as you are also two very pure beings, that''s why I''ve taken care of things for you to come out."


    "I''ve been seeing everything through the eyes of my father since the moment I was corrupted. I know everything that was said, everything that was seen, and everything that happened when I was sealed."


    "Father is smart being. He placed a little of corruption into every beings possible on this continent so that he could spy on you, or use you for his plans."


    "If I had to say, the only ones that managed to thwart his plans were-"


    A shuffle, followed by a voice finished Elliott''s sentence.


    "My parents and me."


    Orion sat in bed while holding his chest that had healed up.