Many, many years had passed on Aldoria since the Demon King's downfall, and the demon god, too, had been defeated by the hero. The hero, after his victory, had vanished, leaving behind his many wives and his offspring. Years went by, and monsters began to emerge almost everywhere, causing chaos and havoc. The goddess, in response, bestowed her blessing upon the world, granting extraordinary abilities to many, abilities that allowed them to fight back against these monsters and cleanse the world of these abominations. From this, the profession of hunters was born.

Certain places were cleansed, but others were left untouched, and these were called monster zones. Many years after this tragedy began, many years after the goddess's blessing reigned upon the world to defeat the monsters. In the monster zone of Aria, a goblin hefted its club, ready for a fight.

The night pressed in, a suffocating blanket woven from shadows and the rustling whispers of the wind. Above, the vast expanse of the night sky was a canvas, scattered with the cold, uncaring eyes of countless stars. The ten-foot-tall goblin stalked through the forest, its movements a lumbering dance of death. The air, thick with the metallic tang of blood and the cloying sweetness of decay, carried the scent of the fallen. It moved closer to the fallen ogres. One ogre, holding its club, fought with a desperate ferocity. The goblin saw that some ogres were already dead.

The goblin, itself, knew struggle, but the ogre's wounds were fresh, its strength was fading, an arrow, made of steel, was lodged in its back. The ogres were a fearsome sight, their grey hides torn and rent, their white hair matted with blood. Their white horns, once symbols of strength, now jutted grotesquely from their foreheads, stained a gruesome crimson.

They looked as if they had been massacred. Blood flowed from their sides, pooling on the forest floor and staining the earth. They were already dead, and flies buzzed around them, a gruesome chorus, their droning a morbid song of death. The goblin, seeing this, its mouth agape in shock and its green eyes wide with a primal fear. It knew that this species was more resilient than its own; they were stronger. Yet, even they had been massacred, their reign over, their life blood.

A wave of memories, sharp and stinging, flooded the goblin's mind. The image of a human, a female warrior with dark brown hair, a whirlwind of death and destruction, fighting them. The memory of the massacre in the goblin den, all of its kin cut down, their lives extinguished by the woman's blade. The Goblin Emperor, their leader, the strongest of them all, had fought with unmatched fury, managing to wound the human with a lucky blow. But in the end, it was not enough.

The Goblin Emperor fell, and so did the rest of them. This goblin, scarred and wounded, had managed to escape, only to be wounded as well. It had lost too much blood, its vision blurring, the forest tilting around it. It saw the dead ogres, and a chilling certainty settled within it: the human had been here. Exhaustion claimed it, and the goblin fell to its knees, then collapsed onto its chest with a soft thud as its life drained away.

The world went dark.

One day passed. Then, the bodies of the ogres and the goblin began to fade, dissolving into shimmering motes of blue dust that drifted into the air, disappearing from sight. The sun climbed across the sky, casting long shadows that stretched and shrunk with the hours. Then, the shadows of the trees, once long and reaching, stretched and receded with the sun's arc.

Night became day, and day became night, the relentless cycle of the world continuing, unyielding. Until, in the same spot where the goblin had fallen, a strange stillness settled. A silence so profound it seemed to hum with unseen energy.

Then, from the earth, a shadow erupted, a miniature twister of darkness, swirling and growing, the size of a toddler. It took shape, solidifying, resolving into a small, green humanoid form, arms outstretched as if greeting a world it barely knew.

It blinked, its black eyes adjusting to the velvet darkness of the night, the towering trees looming over it. Its arms, still clumsy and unfamiliar, fell to its sides.

It inhaled deeply, the air filling its small chest, and then exhaled, a small sigh escaping its lips. The sensation was… good.

It turned its gaze to the long trees, their leaves rustling in the gentle wind. A light breeze caressed its face, a coolness it had never known. The wind's soft hum, the whisper through the leaves, the rustling of the grass, all of it new, all of it a revelation.

It took a step, its small green feet making a soft *hush* against the grass. Then, gravity took over, and it tumbled forward, landing face-first in the grass. A small, childish moan escaped its lips, a sound born of pain, as its nose met the unforgiving earth.

It rolled over, its small arms reaching up to cradle its nose. Tiny droplets of tears welled in the corners of its black eyes, threatening to spill over, but they remained.

It slowly removed its hands from its nose and looked up at the sky. The sight stole its breath. The sky was a vast ocean of twinkling stars, and a shooting star blazed across the darkness, a fleeting streak of light.

A small sigh of wonder escaped its lips, and its mouth opened in a silent "O" of awe.

Reaching out its hands, its small fingers twitching towards the sky, as if trying to grasp the distant stars. It could *see* them, but it could not *touch* them, these beautiful, distant points of light. It wanted to touch them. It wanted to understand them. It was curious, but the stars remained just out of reach.

The little monster sat up, pushing itself with its small hands, its black eyes still fixed on the glittering tapestry of the sky. It looked down at its hands, then used them to help itself stand. With effort, it managed to pull itself upright, its legs wobbly and unsure.

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Taking its first step, it nearly toppled over. Leaning precariously forward, its right leg lifted from the ground, its left leg planted, its arms flailing in the air, it managed to catch itself. It let out a small sound of surprise and triumph before bringing its right leg forward, and with each step, its breathing became heavy. It was almost as if this task of walking was almost impossible, like a baby taking their first steps.

Arms spread wide for balance, it took its next step. Its legs, its form slightly shaking, and it took a second one, and then another, and another. It was walking. A small smile, a crease upon its lips, began to form. It was getting the hang of it, learning quickly.

It let out a small sigh of happiness, the air whooshing out of its lungs as it started to walk more smoothly now. Then, its pace quickened, and it started to run, its small legs pumping faster and faster. It tripped over itself, its feet tangling, and tumbled to the ground, rolling over and over until it came to a stop. A sharp pain lanced through its knee. Letting out a small, pained cry. It quickly sat on its butt, cradling its bruised leg. The cry echoed through the forest, and it shut its mouth, its black eyes fixed on the wound. Green blood, like the sap of a young tree, welled from the scraped skin.

It stared at the green liquid welling from the wound, a small droplet chasing itself down its thigh. Tilting its head in curiosity, it reached out and touched the drop, its finger slick with the strange fluid. It then brought its finger to its mouth and licked the blood, tasting it. The taste was… awful. Its face scrunched up in distaste, a small red tongue peeking out from its mouth. The pain in its leg had slightly decreased, a dull throb compared to the searing agony it had felt before. It noticed this, a small piece of information it stored in its mind.

A rumble echoed from its stomach. The terrible taste, combined with this new feeling, was *hunger*. It was hungry, an unfamiliar feeling. The blood was a taste it had never known, unfamiliar and unpleasant. It was salty, a concept beyond its comprehension. It turned its gaze forward, and with a purpose it had never known, began to walk. It headed towards a large tree, its gnarled bark beckoning.

It reached out a hand, tentatively touching the tree's rough surface, and then, with a sudden impulse, grabbed the trunk of the tree with both hands and bit into the wood. A sharp pain shot through its teeth. The creature recoiled, pulling back with a small moan of pain, hands clamped over its mouth. The bark, it found, was just as unpleasant. It tasted awful and was painful, even to chew on.

The creature spit out the small fragments of wood, the feeling made it more hungry, and even more sad, an emotion it didn't want to know.

It looked up at the tree, its black eyes following the rough bark until they reached the canopy of leaves swaying gently in the breeze. Perhaps, it thought, *those* might be edible. It turned its gaze to the ground, where fallen leaves carpeted the earth. It walked through them, the delicate green foliage crunching softly beneath its small feet, and picked up a single leaf.

It placed it in its mouth and began to chew. The taste was… unexpected. Not unpleasant, not entirely, but not pleasant either. Swallowing the leaf, it realized it didn't like what it was eating, but the gnawing hunger had to be addressed. It began to pick up leaves one by one, eating them until, finally, it stopped and let out a small burp.

It sighed, the hunger now sated, but the taste still lingered unpleasantly. The wind blew again, rustling the leaves. It was time to explore, time to learn more about this new world. The little green creature walked further into the darkness, deeper into the forest. It looked around, seeing different kinds of trees, their shapes reflected in its black eyes as it moved forward. A growing sense of fear prickled at it. It was alone, and the silence was oppressive, too silent.

But it continued walking.

That was until it heard something. Sounds, a cacophony of noises. Groans, growls… uneven, unpredictable, terrifying. Curiosity, stronger than its fear, pulled it forward. A huge bush loomed in front of it, obscuring the path ahead.

The little creature pushed through the bush, the scratchy twigs and branches snagging and scratching its skin. It let out a small groan of discomfort as it broke free and found itself in the open. A wave of surprise, then wonder, washed over it. It stood at the edge of a cliff.

Cautiously, it approached the precipice, the faint sounds of groaning and humming, interspersed with unpredictable growls, still reached its ears. It peered over the edge, and what it saw stole its breath. The world stretched out before it, a vast panorama of forest. The forest, in turn, gave way to a plain in the distance, the trees thinning, and then, to the far side, a range of mountains. The mountains, their peaks dusted with white, their slopes a hazy bluish green, were breathtaking. The night sky, no longer obscured by the canopy, seemed to stretch on forever, studded with countless stars. But what truly captured its attention was what lay below.

Green creatures, similar in form to itself, but different, stood below. They were taller, bigger, their bodies more imposing. Each held a piece of wood. Not just any wood, but long, thick sticks, thin where held, but growing wider and heavier at the top. It was clearly a club, though the little monster did not know what it was. The green creatures were working together, moving and carrying wood. They were groaning and growling at each other, as if in communication. They were building something. A wall.

The green creatures were using chopped-up wood, chunks of tree, digging and burying them in a line, forming a crude wall. The little creature sat on the edge of the cliff, its black eyes wide with wonder, studying their movements. It didn't understand what it was seeing, but a strange feeling stirred within it, a sense of… belonging? It felt a pull, an undeniable urge. It *needed* to go down there. The distance was high, but not insurmountable. A small voice, an instinct perhaps, whispered that if it jumped, it would hurt, a lot. Of course, the little monster did not yet know about death.

It stood, and prepared itself to jump, its eyes on the green creatures below.

Then, it happened. A piercing pain, unlike anything it had ever experienced, tore through its back. An agony that originated from deep within, a pain so unbearable it felt as if it was being torn apart from the inside. Its pupils shook, its vision blurring, and it vomited green blood. Looking down, it saw a wooden point protruding from its abdomen, clearly pierced through from the back. Green blood coated the wood, a grotesque mockery of life. The pain was overwhelming, a living torment that seemed to intensify with each passing moment. It let out a moan of pain, its small hands trembling as it reached for the arrow.

The pain only intensified as it was pulled, and its grip loosened. Its body felt heavy. It looked behind it, searching for the source of this torment, and saw her. A human. A woman with dark hair, brown eyes, and light leather armor, holding a silver bow, her gaze fixed intently upon the creature.

The woman tilted her head, her face framed by dark hair. She was tall, towering over the little creature, her form visible above the low-lying bush that separated them. She murmured something, her voice a low rumble, but the creature couldn't understand.

Fear seized it, and tears, born of pain, streamed down its face, dripping onto the cliff edge. The woman looked at the creature, and murmured again, before nocking another arrow. The creature's eyes widened in stark terror. It stumbled back, but the arrow was already loosed. It was struck again, this time, straight through the heart.

The pain was a searing inferno, a torture beyond comprehension. The little creature yelped, a sound of pure agony, before it stepped off the cliff, its small body falling through the air, two wooden arrows piercing its flesh. Mid-air, it looked up at the sky, the vast expanse of twinkling stars, the object of its earlier wonder, now a distant, fading memory. Pain was all it knew, its energy draining away, everything becoming dark.

It slammed into the ground with a sickening thud.

A goblin, carrying a heavy log, immediately dropped its burden, startled by the impact. It turned, its black eyes widening in shock as it saw the little green creature, lifeless, at its feet.

The goblin growled, a low rumble of fury, and the others were alerted. They turned, their own eyes narrowed, searching for the culprit, the human who had dared to do this.

The woman looked down from the cliff, her gaze sweeping over the gathering of goblins, and then, a smile spreading across her face, she turned and fled back. A surge of exhilaration coursed through her. She didn't know why at first, but she soon understood. She had killed a rare monster, and in doing so, had gained incredible strength.

As the woman vanished into the shadows, a group of goblins surged forward, surrounding the fallen creature. One, bolder than the rest, approached and cautiously poked the little monster on the forehead. Confusion clouded their eyes. This thing… it was similar to them, but also utterly different. Its ears were long, like those of the ogres, but its skin was a vibrant, unsettling green. It was a puzzle.

Then, the little monster disintegrated, dissolving into a swirling cloud of bluish dust as the goblins watched. No sadness marred their faces. This was simply the way of things, the natural cycle of a monster's existence: death, and then, after a time, rebirth.

The sun beat down upon the monster zone of Aria, its rays filtering through the dense canopy of the forest. Days turned into nights, marked by the slow crawl of the sun across the sky and the chorus of nocturnal creatures that awoke when darkness fell.

The crossroads base, the heart of the monster zone, remained a place of unease, the air thick with a sense of foreboding. Then, one day, as the sun reached its zenith, casting its golden light upon the base, the little green monster appeared. It blinked, surprise flickering in its black eyes. It was alive.

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