Infinity in the Void – Freedom in the Abyss

At the moment I exited the burning house, an arrow flew toward me. So I just blocked with my shield.

"What did you do to the chief?!", a voice came out from the tree to my left. So I threw Agápi kai Polémos at that direction, killing the offender instantly.

I don't need to answer these creatures... but I guess I'll entertain them a bit.

"Because you committed a grave sin.", I declared, "The crime to exist in my presence, the sin to dare live."

I summoned back my knife with a flick of the wrist. I continued down the path laid by the branches, carefully manipulated to intertwine with each other.

Hundreds of arrows came my way, but my flame turned most of them into ashes. Hmm, curious, that first arrow was made of metal, yet these were... wooden arrows.

Some tried to engage me in melee, only to be burned for being too close to me. It brings me joy to see the last glint in their eyes was that of hatred, and despair.

Each step left the fire to fester, and blue flames rose and consumed this tree. I will burn this whole place down, to satisfy my vain desire for destruction.

Let the Flame of Malice ignite, all shall sing the Melody of Destruction~

Ah... there they are. I found my priority target.

"Bloodhunt", and I blazed passed several trees, igniting them with my blue flame.

Bloodhunt really is convenient, I just carve out a trail, a trail of fire and fury, to get to my target, no matter the obstacle.

And I crashed through the window frame of a hollowed tree. Where I immediately split the throat of an elven child.

The women and children were horrified, which brings no end to my joy. Oh, I turned off Escalation Level Zero, reducing the range of my heat to only 0.1 mm away from my clothes. I wouldn't want to end this so quickly after all~

"W-Why are you doing this?!", an elven woman raised her voice.

I didn't even bother to look and threw my knife with pinpoint accuracy at her throat.

"I hate to repeat myself, but I will announce your sins once again.", I shrugged, retrieving my knife with a flick, "To dare to exist and to dare to live. Those are your sins."

They are all shouting at me, some seem resigned to their fate, but overall they struggle with the gravity and reality of the situation. Just like humans, vermins act like humans. But they do not have the ferocity of mankind, my mankind. Which just showed that they are aliens to me.

Aliens that do not belong under the banner of The Pale Court. It feels like I am just exterminating pests.

I grabbed the lower jaw of a child before my heat could kill him, I ripped his jaw out while kicking him in the face. Along with his jaw, his throat, and the skin of his chest with some flesh on it— all burned up within seconds.

A few women tried to help him by applying some magic. But I just threw my knife at one of them, rinse and repeat.

Aah~ this is therapeutic. 

Why was this a trial again? Was I supposed to learn something from this? If the lesson is to cooperate with those in the same situation, then I utterly failed.

Then again, it could be to exterminate those who are different— those not of humanity, then I am passing with flying colors.

I kicked another elven child in the face, letting my blue flame ignite his head. Then I pat another one, letting her catch on fire and crumble into ashes.

Am I committing war crimes? Killing civilians and all. I may not adhere to the Geneva Convention, but I know I am not committing anything seriously, since laws set by mankind only apply to mankind.

There was no clause mentioning elves.

I smiled gingerly at a child, crouching down to see her ugly crying face. Full of fear and confusion— I stabbed her in the neck with my knife.

Oh? Some tried to run out of the door. I applauded you for finally getting out of your confusion, but that won't do it~

I leaned against the wall, touching it with my hand.

"Deconstruct.", the entire hollow tree broke apart, crackling with electricity still binding it together.

"Reconstruct.", and there was no door anymore.

Some who were unfortunate enough to foolishly run out became a part of the wall. I just sneered at it, while kicking a child's head.

"Do you have no shame?!", a voice broke clear through my joy, "Why do you go after the children?! No matter what sin we committed, the children are innocent!!"

Are you kidding me?

"'Children are the future', you must've heard this somewhere before, right?", I burned another that got a little bit too close, staring at the elven girl cowering in the corner, protecting a child that might be her family.

"That is precisely the reason why I went after the children first. I want to snuff out the future.", I approached her, tearing the child away from her, "It is simply pragmatism."

And I tore the child in half with a smile, letting his halves burn in my hands

"You are still young, by elven standard, right?", I didn't wait for any kind of answer, I touched her forehead, "Then die."

She went up in flames, screaming, and tried to bring me down with her, not knowing these flames were under my control. I just kicked her into another bunch of children, creating a warm pyre.

Burnt elves have a certain smell to them, quite fragrant like scented candles.

I slit the throat of another child, letting him drown in his own blood. Quite fun.

"Hey, you two.", I called two children that look quite similar to each other.

With my voice laced with Euphoria, I commanded, "Kill each other, the survivor will get to live."

They followed my command, induced by Euphoria's brainwashing... they wrestled, fought, clawing at each other. All the while the remaining few watched in horror, and I smiled brightly.

Hm~

"All of you.", I commanded with Euphoria again, "Kill each other until only half of you remain."

And then they start, like puppets under a spell, their eyes hazy with Euphoria's soft pink in them. A woman killed a child by breaking his neck, some children ganged up on a girl and tore her to pieces with their teeth, and some just blasted arcane spells and killed each other without a blink of an eye.

This carnage... hehahaha~ is something I revel in.

Oh? The others are finally here. My blue flames kept them quite busy, they must've realized they can't put it out.

Oh well, I had enough fun.

"Escalation Level Zero: Beat of Hatred."

Everything around me went up in flame instantly, burning the children and women in an inferno of blue.

Soon, everything turned into ashes or charcoal. Not a single body can be recognized.

I walked out of the tree, facing a few dozen elves, all wearing horrified expressions on their face. Hm~ this little tree village is burning nicely, especially with the herbal fragrance from the corpses.

Hah~ this is quite relaxing~

Before they could yell at me or some other cliché, I threw Prywden at them— which they all tried to dodge.

BOOM!!

Until the shield turned into a giant ship, crushing most of them under its weight.

"Who the hell uses a ship as a projecti—", I threw my knife at an elf before he could finish.

I heard that before. Well, let's be done with this.

"Escalation Level One: Melody of Destruction.", let's see... consume everything in the radius of... a kilometer.

Everything went up in a sea of blue flame, scorching the land, and reducing it to nothing more than useless soil. Great trees became ash in mere seconds.

This is how strong Malice is, this is how strong the evil and fury of humanity is. Overwhelming.

"Now... where can I find the exit?", I wondered.

Oh? Another blue panel popped up in front of me.

Just then, an entrance rose from the ground, made of marble pillars and decorated with gold, it beckoned me to go... deeper.

After finding Quirinus back in my hand and turning Prydwen back into its shield form, I headed down.

Heading down a long staircase made of stone and walls of marble, lit dimly by torches...

Soon, I exited a gate of blinding light.

Huh, another forest, but this place feels more... primitive... massive ancient trees and mushrooms everywhere...

Just then, I heard a distant chirp—

I swung my shield, blocking a... raptor. Pure white fur and feather, eyes glowing yellow with the power of Judgement. Its talons and claws firmly latched onto my shield despite being bigger than me by quite a margin.

I can only stare as it glares at me, judging me. I threw the shield toward a tree, in an attempt to hurt it. But that was futile as the dinosaur jumped away, letting my shield impale the tree.

Now we have a standoff... The Dino King, a Jury of the Pale Court...

I sneered a bit, seeing that this white feathered raptor was that Jury, not a T-rex... but a... Troodon, yes, that dinosaur is a Troodontid, not sure which one.

I learned my lesson, not to recklessly throw myself at an opponent I can't underestimate... so, I dispelled Malice.

"I am Charlotte Silvi."

The blue mist began to seep out of my body.

"Ruler of the World."

I took a step forward as The Dino King was still sizing me up.

"Souls of the Void, Spirits of Infinity."

The mist then seeped back into my body, and my eyes lit up hallow light. And circuit veins began to grow from my eyes.

"A Light in the Vast Darkness, Singularity of Desperation and Despair."

Then my hair turned a soft azure blue, mixed in with my silvery strands of hair. And I feel more focused like a fire was lit inside of me.

"Ignite! The Forever Burning Torch of Instinct!!", my sudden shout made the raptor in front glare at me, clearly intimidated somewhat.

I summoned back my shield with a smile, my right hand tightly gripped my knife and my left pointed the lance at the ancient beast.

"May the Flame of Humanity shine Eternally!!"

The veins vanished, leaving my skin unblemished and somewhat shiny.

"This is my Law of Survival!!"

And I readied myself to face off against the Herald of our own Sun with a bright smile.

This will be a close fight, I sense it...