Gracefall Chapter 1: The Beginning After the End

Read chapter 1 of Gracefall by arsy on NovelPedia.

On a dark and stormy night, a white-haired infant with colorless eyes was born, her irises as dark as the night, their hue ever-changing as light passed through them. The earth screamed in vicious disasters, the heavens turned blood red, and pale lightning swarmed the planet—until it all ceased with the rising sun. When morning came, everything was different. Humans saw strange words inside their minds, displaying their name, some sort of rank, and for a few, even a trait. These words were peculiar because their vividness caused them to feel like a part of their mind, perhaps even their soul. This system, of sorts, called itself “Oracle.” It could be summoned to physically see it. However, you could only see your own. That morning, the child was named Lucia. As the name settled, words appeared in her mind. Name: Lucia Rank: Mortal Traits: [Crowned] Twenty years later… January 1st, 20 AG. Lucia had lived a harsh life, losing her parents at a young age due to how much the world had changed since her birth. She had been an orphan for nearly her entire life, living in an orphanage called Cloudhearth. She still lived there at the age of twenty, having a home in exchange for helping out around the orphanage. They lived on the food they grew themselves and the meat the stronger ones butchered from the monsters that roamed the vast expanse of their broken city. Their water came from the rivers that flowed through the city. To purify this water, it was boiled using supernatural powers that several residents of the orphanage possessed. And if needed, natural materials were an option. Ever since Lucia was born, the world has been plagued by natural disasters. They were usually mere thunderstorms, though there have been instances of far more devastating events. Often arriving along with the night, but not impossible during the day. They would leave behind a strange, lingering white light that their Oracles would call “Grace.” All of these events would possess the characteristic of having the same paleness as its grace. This grace could be absorbed by humans to gain certain powers and grow more powerful, including their bodies being enhanced the more they absorbed. However, the effect that absorbing this grace would have on animals would be significantly different. It would, simply put, transform them into monsters… as if incompatible with it for some reason. Lucia didn't have answers to a lot of questions about the world, but she was confident that if she got a hold of some grace and grew powerful enough, she may yet find them. One of the reasons as to why she wants to find answers is because she doesn't know where her parents are, or if they're even alive. So one night, she decided to sneak out, so she may gain power from grace. Either from a natural event, or by slaying a monster and taking the grace it has absorbed. *** It was night. She pushed herself out of bed, it had a white pillow, blanket, and mattress, a simple bed. Taking off her white nightgown, she walked up to her wardrobe before opening its doors. Her long, dazzling pale hair complementing her ivory skin and soft facial features. A few moments later, she was beside her bed once more. Wearing a full black outfit with a long-sleeved, voluminous linen tunic, some loose pants, and a pair of chunky boots. Crouching down next to it, she reached out her hand underneath. Grasping a cylinder-like object, she pulled it out. A sword in a scabbard emerged. It had a black scabbard made of leather with a belt hanging off it, a silver guard, a black leather hilt, and a silver, egg-shaped pommel. A simple sword. Holding it up, she unsheathed it slightly before gazing at its blade, contentment in her eyes. This sword was gifted to her on her eighteenth birthday. She always spoke of her desire to learn to fight, she desired to be strong enough to kill monsters and protect people from them. She craved justice. For this reason, someone in the orphanage had decided to give her this sword as a b