Timberfield, one of the northernmost settlements in Perfect World. The people of this small village lived quiet and peaceful lives, free from the most concerns of the world. Or that's at least how things were supposed to be. One would think that in the eyes of evil forces there was nothing to gain by attacking this village, but apparently such wishful thinking was wrong. For one day, the peace and quiet of Timberfield was shattered when Wraiths had decided to launch an attack against the village.

The day had started like any other day. The skies were clear, sun was shining through the branches of the many trees that surrounded the village. There was a little bit snow on the ground, like there often was in this region. Villagers were doing their chores, everything seemed to be in order. Marivana and her two little sisters, Viaron and Hecia, had decided to go to play in the woods of Thousand Wood Ridge. Or more like, Viaron and Hecia wanted to play there, probably trying to catch some snow hares, while Marivana would babysit them, since she was remarkably older than her sisters. She was already in her twenties while Viaron and Hecia were twelve. But the age gap didn't matter that much, for the sisters loved each other very much and enjoyed to spend time together. Marivana liked to participate in the plays of her little sisters, while the twins adored her and loved to watch any new fighting skills the oldest sister had learned.

Marivana wasn't exactly a warrior. Yet. But the twins thought she was one and that made her super cool in their innocent little eyes. The old hunter in Timberfield had taught some set of skills to Marivana, as she had been so keen to learn how to fight. Years ago, when the young woman had been just fourteen, a group of blademasters had passed through their village. They had looked so brave and noble, which really impressed Marivana. Coming from the grand city of Archosaur, they had a mission to accomplish, so they didn't stay for long, and left the little girl in awe. That was when Marivana decided that she wanted to become a blademaster as well and would like to travel to Archosaur, to see the big city with her own eyes and join Allied Forces, to aid in the war against the Wraiths.

Unfortunately, she just hadn't had time to seek better training in combat. She would often have to look after her twin sisters since their parents had a tendency to be out of Timberfield. They were very talented tailors and would quite often sell their products in Etherblade, the capital city of the Human race. Marivana had tried to beg that she would go to Etherblade as well so she could begin training, but her parents had not let her to do that. They had told her that the big city wasn't for little girls, so they wouldn't allow the twins to come, and that meant that Marivana had to stay in Timberfield to take care of them. That's what they were saying, but Marivana had a hunch that this wasn't the whole truth. In their little community, it would be easy to find someone who would look after the girls for a while. Marivana thought that her parents just didn't want to let her go into a battlefield, in case the worst would happen. Which was a valid reason. But despite of this, she still kept dreaming about becoming a warrior.

Viaron and Hecia were running and laughing along the path that slithered throughout the snowy land. Marivana was following behind with a slower pace, smiling widely, since she was just so happy to see her little sisters to have fun. The twins were very excited and energetic, they wanted to find snow hares that were common in this area. Though, probably their cheerful noises were scaring the animals away. But that was okay. Marivana had brought with her the two favorite dolls of Viaron and Hecia just in case. The attention span of the two little girls wasn't very good, so after just a little while they gave up with their bunny hunt and ran to their big sister to take the dolls. Their innocence, their laughter, all of that warmed Marivana's heart. She kept observing her siblings, wondering what kind of story they would conjure up today.

Even the playful moments of children had been touched by the war that had mutilated the world. Viaron and Hecia had decided that today their dolls were brave blademasters, fighting against the forces of evil. They tried to mimic the moves Marivana had shown them before, and in a way, that was quite adorable. They knew nothing about sacrifices or the horrors of the war, to them, there only existed heroes that would protect everyone and make Wraiths vanish. Oh, the innocence of children… Marivana hoped that her sisters would be able to live in that fantasy world for a good while.

However, it soon became apparent that this wouldn't happen. Way too soon.

The sisters hadn't really traveled far from Timberfield when an ominous howl made its way through Thousand Wood Ridge, soon to be accompanied by other same sounds. It was like a choir of wolves that were warning people of their bloodthirst. Except these weren't wolves. Viaron and Hecia had stopped their play, being perplexed by the howling. They weren't afraid – yet. Just curious. Marivana, on the other hand, was getting really distressed. It was true that there were wolves in this region, but something in the voices made her think that these weren't regular wolves. They were something else. They sounded wrong, otherworldly… Not natural. For a brief moment the sisters stayed still, just listening.

“Are the wolves near?” Hecia soon spoke.

“No”, answered Marivana, listening intently. “They are not wolves.”

“Then what are they?” Viaron asked curiously, looking at the older sister with big, innocent eyes.

But Marivana wasn't able to provide an answer. She was shaking a little, for something was clearly wrong. And shortly, the eerie howls stopped. But this only filled Marivana's heart with more dread. Something bad was happening. She began to rush her sisters back to the village's direction, and not in a moment way too soon.

She saw a glimpse of figures appearing in the hill behind them. They were quadruped, about a size of a wolf and their bodies were covered in glimmering dark green scales. They were almost like a mix of a wolf and lizard. Marivana didn't linger to take a closer look at the creatures, and just began to run as fast as she could, pulling the twins from their arms. Fortunately, Viaron and Hecia understood without questioning that they had to hurry, and even though they were still small, they would be able to run faster than Marivana, which was a good thing. The oldest sister had a feeling that the strange creatures were chasing after them, but didn't dare to glance back. Now her number one priority was to get back to Timberfield and make sure that her sisters were safe.

As the sisters were running down the road, they noticed that a chaos was on the loose in the village. A pack of those same scaly monsters they had seen in Thousand Wood Ridge had attacked Timberfield. Villagers were panicking, especially those who had no idea how to wield a weapon. But there were few, like to old hunter and a blacksmith, that were striking back at the creatures and protecting other villagers. When the sisters made it to the village, suddenly Viaron and Hecia stopped their going, frozen with fear. It was like they only just now realized that things were horribly wrong, and they could only stare at the horrors that were spreading out in front of them. But Marivana kept her cool and managed to snap her sisters out of the horrified state, and they ran through the chaotic Timberfield, heading to their home. That was the only place Marivana could think of where the twins would be able to be somewhat safe. Hopefully. There were no other options.

She managed to lead Viaron and Hecia to their house successfully and luckily, the monsters hadn't followed them there. Marivana opened the door and rushed her sisters in.

“Quick!” she exclaimed. “Go in and hide!”

The twins looked very unsure about that and looked at each other before then shifting their gaze back at their older sister. They were clearly worried.

“What about you, sis?” Viaron asked.

“I'm going to help other villagers”, Marivana replied, mustering the most reassuring smile she could perform in that situation. “Just stay inside and you'll be alright, okay?”

The twins nodded slowly, still not being sure about this. But they trusted their sister and would do as she had said. Viaron and Hecia hurried deeper into the house, seeking for perfect hiding spots, and that was the last glance Marivana got of her sisters before she shut the door and ran away from their home, hoping that the monsters would steer clear from it. The young woman wanted to help the villagers, and the best way to do that was fighting against the monsters. But for that, she needed a weapon. Her best bet was to head to the blacksmith's workshop, and so she hurried towards it.

While she was heading to the place where she could fetch her weapon, her mind was infested with thoughts regarding the appearance of the monsters. What were they? Why they were attacking such small settlement in the middle of nothing? Were these creatures the notorious Wraiths? Are these the enemies that the great blademasters, technicians and wizards of Etherblade are fighting against? Marivana had dreamed of becoming a blademaster and now it suddenly felt like she had to become one in order to aid Timberfield. This occurrence was a taste of that kind of life she had wished for herself. And to be honest, it wasn't disheartening her one bit. Even more ferocious were the flames of bravery in her heart upon the realization that her home needed her aid. She would do her everything to protect Timberfield.

With her swift feet Marivana reached the blacksmith's workshop in no time. Luckily, there were few weapons laid down on the table for people to check and purchase, ranging from swords to axes and lances, also accompanied by magical weapons. Sword felt like the right weapon for her, so she took one, pausing for a moment. This was her first time handling a real sword, previously she had used only wooden one. The weight of the weapon felt strange, but at the same time, it felt right in her hand. She was sort of mesmerized by the flawless blade. However, she snapped out of her awe, for she had to hurry to help the villagers. With that, she dashed to the direction where she had come from with her sisters, bursting with energy that she got from the bottom of her brave heart.

Soon she got the first monster in sight; it had taken an elderly woman as its target. Marivana had to hurry to help the lady. She ran as fast as she could, preparing to attack, the monster hadn't noticed her presence. With a great thrust, Marivana struck her sword through the neck of the creature. It gurgled a little before it fell to the ground like a rock.

“Oh, thank you child, thank you!” the elderly woman expressed her gratitude.

“You're welcome! Now, please, hurry and get shelter!” Marivana exclaimed.

The woman began to waddle away as fast as her old bones would let her, while Marivana charged to help more villagers. She felt the adrenaline rushing through her veins as she began to really get into the heat of the battle. The young woman spotted a couple of monsters that seemed to have just entered the village, so she took them as her next target. She ran toward the creatures, shouting at them so they would notice her and focus on her only. They shifted their ugly heads to her direction, then made a turn to face her. When the scaly beings were just inches away, Marivana prepared to inflict a powerful swing with her sword; she executed such a strike that it cut off the heads of both of the monsters, but she couldn't really control this movement and tumbled down. But like a true warrior, she cranked herself up immediately, looking around her to spot a new target.

Or perhaps, she was the one their evil eyes spotted. Quite a few monsters were rushing toward her, as if they had sensed that she was responsible for the fall of some of their wicked brethren, and now they yearned for revenge. Marivana prepared herself, took a deep breath and took a stance, ready to spill even more blood.

The first one attacked. Smoothly, Marivana dodged the attack, stepping aside, the thrust her sword to the monster's side, then kicking the critter. She had no time to check if the monster had fallen, for its comrades where about to sink their sharp teeth in her flesh. She did a side step, managing to avoid the fangs of one of the monsters, but other one managed to slip past her guard and bit her foot. A growl escaped her mouth as she felt the sudden pain in her leg and she instinctively struck her sword to the monster's skull, instantly killing it. She had to ignore her wound, for she was still in great danger and had to fight for her life. But her movements did indeed suffer from the injury. Marivana swung her weapon at the next monster that was in line to die, slashing its throat open. But even more creatures kept coming and she was starting to feel exhausted already, getting weak because of the bleeding wound. But she didn't let herself to give up. She had to protect Timberfield. Protect her sisters. So she carried on.

Soon Marivana had to admit that she was in trouble. The monsters just kept coming at her, maybe seeing her as the greatest threat. She had difficulty warding them off. She was getting tired. Beginning to lose her edge, her movements became a little sluggish, and she was prone to errors. Eventually one monster made it through and sunk its teeth at her side, barely above her waist. She yelped from pain as the creature was tearing her flesh. Once again Marivana struck her sword to a skull of the beast, killing it, but the damage was done. Now she had a horrendous wound that was bleeding abundantly. It was weakening her even further. But she refused to give up. She continued fighting, mustering strength from her courageous heart, she swung her weapon in a flurry, making the enemies drop one by one. She lost count how many of those monsters had fallen in front of her blade, but she had eliminated a whole pack of them all by herself.

And eventually, it was all over.

The wave of monsters had subsided. Suddenly Marivana realized that there were no more enemies. She had successfully protected her home. But the victory came with a price. Despite her best efforts, the creatures had managed to mangle her a lot. She had lost too much blood. She dropped her sword, then tumbling down to the ground as well, in the center of bodies of monsters. Her senses became hazy, she started to slowly lose her consciousness. Such a tragedy that she had fallen in her first real battle. But at least her sisters were safe.

As she was laying there, dying, bleeding and broken, snow began to fall. It was like the sky was mourning. It was a delicate and beautiful moment, as the great warrior was passing. She closed her eyes, not opening them again in this life. She took her final breath, her heart stopped. She had died like a hero.

At the gates of death, Marivana's last thought was that most likely her whole existence would cease. But somehow, even though she was sure that she had died, she retained some sort of awareness. It was like dreaming. She could somewhat feel herself drifting, floating in the middle of nothing. But it felt comfortable and safe, like a mother's womb. But suddenly, her tranquil moment was interrupted when she heard a melody. Or, more like she felt it. It sounded pleasant; it was asking her to follow it. So she did. It was pulling her towards a specific direction, and then, she was greeted by a pure, white light. That's where the melody was coming from. She reached for the light.

And she woke up again.