Still slowly getting ready to move, but work is all figured out now thankfully, so hopefully I'll like this new position over just hating it but needing to keep it and do good there or be jobless...

<Unknown>

--Have you eliminated the Holy Annoyance yet?-- A deep, scratchy voice penetrated the darkness. Its malicious intent starting to leak through the Communication channel. 

The figure that had been contacted watched as his target left the area of his effect with slight annoyance. "No, an unforeseen third party appeared and I was not able to take a shot without catching said party in the crossfire." 

--What?!-- The malice seeping through the connection increased in intensity and the unknown figure could feel their life-force being forcibly drained from them through said connection, --I sent you there for one job, one little job that you yourself would be an easy task! So why hasn't the Holy One been eliminated yet!?!-- As they spoke the malice got stronger and stronger, increasing in intensity along with their voice's audible fury and the unknown figure hunched over in the alley barely able to get out their reason. 

"A...Dragon..." As soon as those two words came from their mouth the malice and drain effect ceased entirely and the feeling through the connection flashed with a deep sense of fear before turning into that of confusion. 

--What?-- The voice almost stuttered, barely able to reign in their fear over the connection to their subordinate, --They...they don't know I still yet live. There's no way a dragon would willingly work with Humans?! You DARE lie to your Master!?-- The figure found themselves sent to the ground as the drain on their life-force increased thousand-fold, once again barely able to defend themselves. 

"Young...Unknown" They croaked and the drain stopped immediately. The emotion over the connection was that of interest and a sense of pure greed seeped through as the person on the floor defended themselves, explaining, "The unknown is a (Young) Dragon of unknown age or origin. They have some sort of Invisibility ability that even I couldn't sense until they'd revealed themselves to the human target willingly." 

--Hmmm...You're sure that it was a (Young) Dragon you saw?-- The greedy curiosity that leaked through the line could not, or was not, hidden from the unknown figure as they slowly gathered themselves to stand: Taking a peek at their Health and Stamina and seeing them both barely hanging on by a thread, just over twenty percent in both left. Magic was something she was very rarely allowed to use, so she'd stopped paying attention to how much or how little that value was effected by anything.  

"Yes. I am sure what I saw was that, and nothing else." Moons they hoped their eyes hadn't been deceiving them this evening. "Yes...It was nothing else." The second felt like it was more to convince themselves of that than an actual affirmation. 

--Alright. Stand down then. I want you getting close to this...creature, and the moment you have free reign over the situation I want that dragon incapacitated and alive in my throne room-- a sense of dread filled the unknown figure as the command came through their connection. --I want that dragon here by the next Red Trinity, or you will suffer to no end-- At that the connection between Master and puppet closed and the figure sighed to themselves, leaning against the wall in relief as they felt the connection fade. 

The figure took off their dark hood and looked around at the dark alleyway, in a way it was like everything she'd been used to since this point: Dark, Bleak; Inescapable. But now...now she felt like she actually had a sliver of freedom, and now the shadows of the alleyway were like that of the shadows of a light just beyond a hill. A light that was growing ever closer with each passing moment, and yet she was still trapped by a sliver of shadow connecting her to the darkness that was the forced Slave Mark cast upon her by him. 

She'd done everything she could to get away, or even get him to kill her and relieve her of her seemingly eternal state of suffering: learning light-based spells, healing, and making sure she maxed out and evolved several of her Resistances and Skills relating to avoiding and casting out Darkness and Death. Unfortunately, with every advancement she made, the tighter of a leash he kept on her; eventually--upon realizing how useful her Skills were at eliminating not only the opposition among his peers, but also any that opposed him or got in the way--she was turned into his personal hit-man, or hit-woman in her case, and she was forced to kill again, and again, and again. Until, now, it was just a part of her life...

Now...now she felt like she had a modicum of freedom! Of course, he was still there--monitoring, but the presence she felt was much less overbearing now with it being akin to background noise at the edge of her conscious mind. Though it was also a reminder that she'd have to do the impossible yet again: not only was she supposed to find an Invisible (Young) Dragon on her own, but she was also forced to make a new life in a foreign land, a foreign city, with foreign practices, mannerism, and social life standards...

...She would find a way though; She had to, because after all--this was always life or death for her. She was literally hanging onto life by a thread, a thread held in the hands of another kind of Demon, with the scissors, and a tolerance like that of molten metal and water. 

The unknown woman looked at her Status again, and was surprised when she saw that her Magic stat wasn't grayed out. Meaning she could actually use her Magic to it's fullest at the moment, without restrictions! She wanted to leap around with joy, but not only would that give him the wrong idea, but it also wouldn't be getting her anywhere so celebrations were going to have to be subtle, small wins that she'd have to just cherish here and there throughout this new experience. 

She quickly took in the rest of her Status that wasn't grayed out like before, and found that most of everything had done a complete one-eighty: her status as a Slave to him was grayed out, her Magic, Free Points, and Actual Level were now visible, even though her level was changed somehow to show that she was only around level ninety-one? That was at least a third of her actual level! Which was next to it in parenthesis: As Level 91/100 (273/500)...

It was...strange to see that at such a lower level than she actually was, and there was a common trend among the rest of her status as well with the actual level of everything being in that slanted parenthesis next to the visible value of the darker, normal color. 

The last thing she noticed was...her name...

Her name was finally visible in her status! Her name.

What would that be though? 

She slowly walked through the alleyway towards the light, going to the areas that seemed they had more light showing through than the others as she thought: What would she name herself? It had been so long since she last remembered having a name, and even longer since it had been lost and forgotten, either forcibly or because of how much time had passed since she'd last seen it. She was definitely going to stick with the theme she had going among everything else that was a part of her identity now--minus the murder--and it was going to be as bright as her Magic Skills were! 

Her name...her name was... was...she noticed a stand of flowers just off to the side near the roof of the alleyway: a bright yellow Glorious Cornea--the eye of the morning sun. 

Gloria! Yeah that would be her new name, and it would be something she would forever remember...

Gloria lept up to the roof where the flowers were potted and picked one, just one, deciding to just stare at it whilst standing on the roof with the evening sun shining brightly upon it's petals. Making them glow with a kind of light Gloria had only ever seen once, when she was younger there was this large beam of light that came from the sky upon a small gathering of trees. It had burned several of them to ash, but the survivors had turned a golden yellow and their leaves the next season were of the brightest gold she'd ever seen. It was a picture that she would never forget, for as long as she grew to survive, and this, this was also now one of those few moments. 

Gloria looked at the flower in her hands for a moment, and then up at the sun. The fear of needing to stay in the shadows with the rising and setting light of day finally fading away as she bathed in the glory of her new name. She stood there for a moment longer before realizing she needed to get moving and start planning so--after putting the flower in her hair, just above her ear--she hopped down from the roof and soon blended naturally into the evening crowd. Still bustling with activity at the nearing Champion's Arena's start. 

This is a much shorter chapter than I usually put out, but it should be long enough I feel. Hopefully I didn't repeat too much without purpose as I feel I have in this one.

I'm looking back at this book and seeing that Chapter 50 up there with a scowl; sure I'm happy, like "It's finally Chapter 50! I managed to get here after all and so far this hasn't been a total wreck of a story!" but it's also Chapter 50 (and technically Part 54) meaning I could've finished an entire book in just two damn months if I put my mind to it...

...Makes me want to go back and point this out to my younger self: to persevere and just go and try new things, and to stop getting distracted so much by how shitty my life was and start trying to look at what the future might be. But then Tortured Warrior probably wouldn't have turned out like it had, and I wouldn't be the person I am today, so ultimately it's just a fact I have to just look at with a hateful pride, and a pained sense of gratitude. 

Anyways I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I guess this would technically be the end of a first Arc! Though I'm going to be adding another chapter just to end it on Sc'the's Evolution to make it a worthwhile, hopefully satisfactory, end. The second arc will have a lot more going on, and a lot more will be happening in it as well, so stay tuned till then!

Thanks for Reading and I'll see you soon!

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