(A/n: Sooo, the story that I once deleted years ago is back! lol different title, but same plot. Hopefully this time I don't somehow fuck up the chapters, which is why I had to delete the story because I didn't have a backup chapter. Ugh, I'm still pissed that happened to this day. But anyway, this is a slow burn, Stenny story that's rated T-M, and will contain multiple POV's. There will be no smut just gore, blood, and some other graphical stuff. I will put trigger warnings in the a/n of chapters that will require it so be sure to read them just in case they affect your reading. This will also contain supernatural elements, maybe some horror if I write it good enough, and is a dark fantasy AU. Also, characters will be OOC.

Please enjoy and South Park doesn't belong to me, just my OC's and the idea. See end notes for the definition of the words in bold)


(Arc 1: Young Awakenings) Prologue: How It All Started

Up North sat a large manor on top of a hill, overlooking a rural village that was set ablaze. Bright orange flames devoured the crop fields that families and workers alike tended to, and the straw houses they resided in. A lake that the villagers got both their food and water from was sullied by dirt, soot, and blood. The many eye-catching Cherry Blossom trees sadly lost their lives to the fire. The sky that was previously blue, and the scarce amount of white, puffy clouds that drifted about within it underwent a very hellish transformation: the clouds were now an inky black that loomed over a red-orange sky.

A woman let out a shrill scream when a house nearby exploded. "P-please help us, Lady Selene!" She cried with her hands over her head, hunched over on the ground. Unfortunately for her, she chose the wrong place to take cover from the chaos at. Feeling the area she's in getting strangely darker, she looked up only to scream her last breath as a large chunk of the building crumbled down on top of her with a profound thud, crushing her body flat with blood smudging the sandy ground.

'CLINK! CLACK! SWISH!'

"Where are you, m'lady?! We can't handle these monsters by ourselves!" A warrior dressed in an all-black kimono top, hakama (traditional Japanese trousers) bottoms, black tabi socks, and getas on their feet grunted as their katana once again clashed with their foe's blade, which had neither a metallic nor physically solid feature. It was black and had misty pointed edges whisking around it. Both struggled to best the other until the warrior shoved their weapon forward to create some distance between them. They clenched their brown eyes shut, and angled their head upwards at the dark sky. "Please hurry, Lady Selene! We desperately require your aid in this battle!" They shouted again, hoping that their voice resounded far enough for the Queen to hear.

"How foolish." A swift swing of a wicked blade sliced the samurai's head clean off, their eyes still closed. Multiple droplets of blood trickled out of the flying severed head. Once it landed on the ground, more blood sprayed out of the corpse's agape jugular like a water hose, then the legs gave out, and the body fell. Rich red blood rapidly pooled around the headless corpse. Their adversary - a creature with the physique of a man wearing only a long-ragged cloak with the hood over its head, gloves, pants, and boots known as a Being of Darkness - laughed, showing off its sharp rows of white teeth. "Not only did you leave yourself wide open, but you wasted your breath thinking that your bitch of a Queen would help you all. Why would she when she's the one who brought all of this upon herself and her own people?"

"Shut your filthy trap," a female seethed directly behind it.

Before the Being of Darkness had any chance to move, it was also beheaded in the same fashion it did to the warrior. But the Being's head evaporated while in the air as its body toppled over, purple blood quickly spraying out of the wound, and gradually intermixing with the red blood.

The woman, whose long, brown hair was tied into a ponytail by a white ribbon, chiburi'd (flick ones wrist) the blood off of her katana. Its handle was colored purple and gold with a white tassel attached to its kashira (Butt cap), and its tsuba (Guard) was a silver-shaped star. She sheathed it into its ebony wooden saya (a scabbard for a katana) that she'd been holding with one hand. Not a single form of an injury was anywhere on her frame even though she'd been fighting for hours nonstop. She's wearing a plum-colored haori and a black kimono with a white obi around her slim waist. Only her white tabi socks and getas were dirty because of the constant movement on foot. The brunette's narrowed cerulean eyes looked down at yet another one of her many soldiers' fallen forms, sadness replacing anger. "I need to put an end to this as quickly as possible. I cannot allow any more blood from neither warrior nor civilian to be shed," she thought to herself while looking ahead, her eyes gleaming determinedly. "I hope you're doing okay, Rion." Clutching her katana's scabbard, she took off.

/

Elsewhere, an unfortunate soul backed themselves into a wall. A Being of Darkness grinned evilly as it approached the poor human. "P-please, d-don't kill me-AUGHHHHH!" They had been viciously slain.

More explosions sounded in the distance as well as the screams and pleas of the villagers, overlapping each other over the chaotic commotion. A lone figure wearing a black yukata with a red obi and flat getas on his bare feet watched it all from at the top of the manor, his stature straight and his arms crossed within the sleeves of his yukata with one foot poised along the spine of the roof. Not even the warm wind deterred his balance. Deep crimson eyes narrowed with satisfaction, unblinking even as the wind blew the bangs of his long, black hair across his face.

"I hope you're enjoying this beautiful destruction as much as I am, Queen, because it's only going to get better from here."

Chuckling ominously, the man faded away as if a supernatural force erased his existence from the world.

/

A high-pitched shriek followed by a torrent of fire and rubble caught the brown-haired woman's full attention. She picked up speed and stopped in front of a building, which was rapidly becoming less of a home. Flames blocked the front door and the single window, preventing her a safe entry inside. However, she had a plan, and she knew she had to execute it posthaste.

Sliding her eyes closed, she took three steps back, spread her feet apart as she gripped the scabbard with her thumb extended towards the guard of her katana, and slowly pulled her weapon out. Stopping by an inch or two when the luminescence of the fire glinted off of the blade. She took in a deep breath, and all of a sudden, a whirlpool of air began to spiral around the outside of her feet, her ponytail and the white ribbon that bound it dancing wildly in the hot wind.

"Dark Arts of Nature: Furious Gale!"

In one swift motion, a powerful burst of air thoroughly extinguished the fire engulfing the small house.

Exhaling gently through her mouth, the brown-haired woman smoothly slipped her katana back into its saya with a faint clink. She opened her eyes, then sprinted inside the house. The minimal amount of items that were in the abode were burnt upon recognition. Cerulean eyes scanned every nick and cranny of the living room, blinking when they spotted a trembling figure sitting in a corner, facing away from her. Their long and unkempt black hair was stained with dirt and soot, they were wearing a seared dark brown kimono with nothing on their feet.

She approached them, the floorboards groaning under her weight. "Miss, are you okay?" She asked softly.

The female stilled instantly, and so did she as the woman slowly turned her head away from the singed wall she was facing. Lifeless light blue eyes gaped into worried cerulean ones, then brimmed with tears. "L-Lady Selene! Oh thank the Gods, it's you!" The noirette beamed weakly, tears spilling down her pale and ash covered cheeks.

Selene gave her a cordial smile, glad that she seemed uninjured. "C'mon, let's get you out of here."

The black-haired female looked away shaking her head. "I'm really sorry...but I'm afraid that I am unable to leave." Selene's smile dropped into a troubled frown. Using one hand, the woman turned her whole body around to face the Queen, struggling and wincing in pain whilst doing so. Once she stopped, now facing Selene, the brunette noticed two things- the first being a shabby white blanket secured in the woman's arms. It didn't take Selene long to figure out what was bundled up within it. Secondly, was the bloodstain coating around her stomach area. Selene could tell that the injury was serious due to the amount of blood she had lost.

"Is that your..." Selene began to ask, but trailed off.

The woman nodded her head solemnly. "Yes, this is my...son." Fresh tears welled up in her eyes as she removed part of the blanket to reveal her baby's face, whose skin was free of any grime, and was sound asleep. Selene was surprised to see the child sleeping so peacefully considering the uproar going on outside. "I haven't given him a name yet...even after all this time..." The tears slid down the noirette's face. "And...I don't plan on giving him one." She pursed her lips in bitter sorrow, her body trembling as if she suddenly became cold. "I-I didn't want to give birth to a child in the first place...I was barely able to take care of myself." Her posture and face relaxed some, then she carefully laid her baby down on the floor. "But it doesn't matter anyway...I'm reaching my limit..." The woman leaned back against the wall, blue coloring her pale lips, and her eyelids on the brink of closing.

"I'll heal you." Selene hurried to her side, setting her sword down beside her on the floor. The moment she directed some magic into one of her hands, emitting a hazy purple aura, the dying woman gently pushed her hand away.

"Save your strength, Lady Selene. There are other people worth saving than some nobody like me."

"Don't say that," Selene said tenderly, yet her tone and countenance were stern. "Tell me, what's your name?"

The woman hesitated, but then quickly realized that it would be incredibly rude and disrespectful not to answer the Queen, so she forced herself to reply. "It's...Nerah, just Nerah."

Selene's expression softened. "What nobody would have such a unique name?" Nerah pursed her lips again, biting back a smile. "Everybody in this village is a somebody. Don't ever think that again, okay?" After hesitating again for a moment, Nerah nodded her head, then used her sleeve to wipe her eyes. "Now let me take care of your injury. While you rest in the healing barrier, you can come up with a name for your child." Nerah didn't object, looking sadly at her son, who remained in a tranquil slumber.

Back outside, the man that was viewing the village atop of the manor was now strolling down a bloodstained path. He smiled, both pleased and amazed as he surveyed around. The crackling flames joined by some distant screaming were music to his ears, and the expanding fires were a sight to behold. But then something further down caught his eye as he neared it. Once he's close enough, he frowned apathetically as he stopped walking. Stood straight and tall with a serious, prideful face was a sandy brown monument of the Queen of Darkness. Splatters of blood, majority were red, soiled almost the entirety of its figure. One part was left dry, and that was its head.

Suddenly, in one quick flash, a red vertical slash appeared only to disappear shortly afterwards. A thin line took a second to form across the very center of the Queen's face, then the top part slowly began to slide off.

"You don't deserve to look so full of yourself anymore."

The man walked onward with a smirk, crossing his arms back into the sleeves of his yukata as he called forth more of his Beings of Darkness' using no words or hand gestures. Hundreds of dark puddles began to blot the ground behind him. One by one, the Beings of Darkness' rose to the surface, their appearances diverse but equally disturbing. Before long, the size of an army was marching after their leader.

"I want one half to search for the Queen, and bring her to me on the outskirts of this dump. Use whatever means to seize her without killing her. Leave that part to me."

"Yes, Lord Kurai!" The front row said in unison. They went off to start their mission.

"The rest of you...-" Kurai stopped walking, as did the remaining half of the Beings of Darkness'. A group of nervous samurai blocked their way in front of a bridge, three were on horses wielding a nodachi (a long, two-handed sword) while the other six were standing, their katana or spear held in their unsteady grip. Kurai gave a short chuckle, broadened his grin, then looked back at his minions throughout the corner of his eye. "-can go and some have fun." He disappeared right after, once again seemingly whisking away like he was an illusion.

The large group of Beings of Darkness' cackled balefully. With a battle cry, they all charged at the samurais.

.

.

.

Purple blood splattered onto Selene's face and clothing after she cut a Being of Darkness in half from its head and on downward. She expertly blocked an oncoming attack from her left side, then followed up with a slash down its shoulder, getting a few more droplets of blood on her. This process kept repeating with occasional switch-ups from Selene's end. But no matter how many she killed, more just kept coming at her. "Tch, they're so persistent," she thought with gritted teeth.

"What's the matter? Getting scared now?" One of the Beings taunted.

Anger flared up in Selene's eyes, but she didn't take its words to heart. She gripped the hilt of her katana that was tucked in its scabbard, contemplating unleashing a mighty attack that would wipe out these things in one fell swoop or to save it for when she's in a bind. "If I use up too much energy now, I won't have enough strength to take down their Master. Plus, I still have my healing spell active, and as long as that's in effect, I won't be able to replenish much energy." The evil Beings laughed at her agitated scowl, and began to close in on her. All of a sudden, a loud cry pierced through the air, startling Selene. The Dark Beings took that opportunity to strike. She quickly composed herself to summon up a transparent dark purple shield to protect her in its bubble. As soon as they're at least a foot closer to her, she pulled her sword out a bit from its scabbard, halting from doing anything else when more crying reached her ears. Her posture tensed in realization. "No, don't tell me they..." She desperately needed to confirm this dreadful feeling right away. Her current position was beside burning and demolished buildings, and the lake. Nerah's house was a few yards away from here. Unfortunately, these Beings of Darkness' hindered her from going anywhere. Selene hardened her glare. "You sneaky bastards," she hissed. "You dare involve a mother and child into this?!" She gripped her katana's handle tightly, a prominent aura radiating from inside her barrier. "You'll surely regret it if you harm either of them in the slightest." "Looks like I'm left with no other option. I must save Nerah and-"

"Oh boy," came a man's voice inside her head. "Looks like you could use some help."

Selene blinked the rage out of her eyes upon hearing the male's voice, fast approaching footsteps soon came within hearing range, then the next thing that followed was a dark energy ball hurling past her, and barreling straight into the B-O-D's. The force of the impact sent them all flying back a good distance away, only killing the ones in front.

The footfalls slowed until they stopped beside Selene. "Sucks it didn't kill all of them," the man grumbled, though he didn't sound genuinely disappointed for he expected as much.

With a relieved smile, Selene stood upright as she rid away her protection spell, looking over to see a male a foot taller than her with short, black hair and cobalt blue eyes. He was wearing a similar attire as Selene's except his haori was white and decorated with black flower vines on the bottom backside, and his katana was stowed on the side of his obi.

"Still trying to one-up me, eh, Rion?" Selene teased.

"Damn right I am, and you seriously need a bath," Rion replied. Selene playfully nudged his arm with the roll of her eyes. "Hey, how about we make a bet?" He suddenly proposed, grinning slyly.

The brunette shook her head, her face shifting into a serious frown. "This is serious. We don't have time to be-" She swiftly deflected a green projectile that was aimed at Rion, who blinked twice in shock. "I'll handle them," Selene said taking a step forward. "I want you to hurry and find the rest of the civilians that are in this vicinity, and take them to wherever you've taken the others."

Rion wanted to protest, but when he opened his mouth, Selene was charging back into battle. Rion smacked his teeth, and went off to do as ordered.

Every single slash Selene delivered was with fluent precision. She used no magic, just raw strength. She didn't stop even when her arms became tired, nor when a Being of Darkness managed to get a hit on her, fresh red blood leaking out of the thin yet deep gash on her right arm. She wasn't planning on relenting her onslaught until every last Dark Being before her was dead.

No matter the cost.

By the time she'd accomplished her goal, purple blood practically turned the sandy pathway into a grotesque looking pond. The bodies that were still intact that either had a fatal laceration along their torsos, were cut in half from the waist, or were simply beheaded began to dissolve into black particles. They drifted up towards the already blackened clouds.

Selene was panting heavily, her scabbard no longer in her grasp, soaking in the purple blood on the ground. She looked about ready to collapse, but she willed her legs to keep her standing with whatever leftover energy she had remaining. Standing up straight, she closed her eyes taking in a deep breath, and placed a hand over her chest as she exhaled. A dark purple aura enclosed her hand as she began to concentrate on her magical energy, wanting to restore some strength back into her body. Amid the process, she recalled the time she was taught this technique.

/

It was a hot and sunny day. The sky was clear of any clouds. A 15 year old Selene, and a blonde-haired man with blue eyes were stood in an open field on the outskirts of the village. They both wore elegantly adorned kimonos and getas.

"A self-invigoration spell?" Asked Selene, confused but mostly intrigued.

"Yes," the man reaffirmed, nodding his head. "It's a pretty handy technique, and what's even better about it is that it doesn't require an ounce of energy to use it. Instead, it will give you energy."

Selene blinked her eyes once, confusion replacing fascination altogether. "How does that even work?"

The adult chuckled at her bewilderment. "I reacted the same way when my mentor introduced the ability to me, but trust me, it's very simple to grasp."

Selene smiled smugly. "Even if it wasn't, I'll master it in no time. But I doubt I'll ever use it though." The man hit her on the head. "Ow!" She cried out rubbing the top of her head.

"After you learn this spell, your next training session will focus on another spell that will detain your arrogance for awhile," her teacher said as he crossed his arms within his kimono sleeves.

"Bleh," Selene responded by sticking her tongue out at him. "A spell like that doesn't even exist."

"I'll invent it then, just for you."

/

Smiling softly with a giggle, Selene opened her eyes curling the hand over her chest into a light fist. The dark purple aura started fading away. "After ten years, I've finally used it, sensei."

"Hmph, I knew this would happen."

Startled, Selene spun around to see Kurai, then she glared at him with pure malice in her eyes. "Kurai Akuma," she uttered his name venomously, gripping the hilt of her katana tightly.

"Yes, it is I, 'Lady Selene'," Kurai responded in a snarky tone of voice as he uncrossed his arms. In an instant, numerous red particles started to assemble near his hidden right hand, materializing into a katana, its long blade colored in human blood. Thanks to his yukata's long sleeves, the katana's hilt was also unseen. "Let's 'cut' to the chase, shall we?" Selene didn't react to his pun, and after a few seconds of awkward silence, Kurai sighed dejectedly. "As terrible as that was, a pity laugh would've been fine, you know? Lighten up a little."

Selene gritted her teeth angrily. "Shut up!" She hollered charging at the noirette. Closing in on him, she raised and arched her sword back, ready to leave a severe wound along his chest. Not fazed by her aggression, Kurai blocked her attack with his weapon. "I'll make you pay for attacking my village!"

Kurai's lips straightened into a line, then he propelled her away with the swing of his katana. "I think you should direct all of that anger towards yourself, Selene. This wouldn't be happening if you-" He's interrupted by another attempted attack from Selene, to which he defended against effortlessly once more.

"No matter what you say, you will die for taking innocent peoples lives!" Selene transferred some magic into her blade, purple swallowing its sullied silver metal with a black glow highlighting around its edges. She charged at the man once again, putting forth her whole body into gaining the upper hand, but Kurai showed no signs of her getting the best of him. In fact, as of right now, they're equal in power. "Bastard must be holding back on me." The thought angered Selene twice-fold.

"Oh ho, how scary~" Kurai grinned flippantly.

"Oh, I'll show you scary," Selene growled. She leaped away from him. "But elsewhere." An abrupt scenery change showed them standing outside of the blazing village. Selene tried not to show any emotional pain at their new location, which happened to be the training ground she and her teacher frequently trained in.

"I must say, you've chosen an excellent spot for battle, Selene," Kurai mused, staring calmly at the vigorous flames. He staved off a projectile spell, sending the dark purple ball of energy far from where they were, and it exploded with a dull boom once it made contact with the ground.

Selene didn't stop there, though, following up with a bombardment of slashes. Every one of them was blocked with precise aim, but Selene continued pressuring Kurai. Until the man himself grew tired of her tenacious yet fruitless attacks, and simply pushed her back with his other hand. She was allowed to stay stunned for merely one second, her katana guarding against a bright red orb that packed more of an impact than the one Selene threw out previously. She skidded back fast, trying to stop herself the best she could with the lack of proper support underneath her feet. But Kurai dashed towards her with his scarlet blade prepared to cut her down, causing her to defend against the attack, however the force of his swing was enough to send her falling down on her back with a breathless gasp. Kurai had knocked her katana out of her hands in the process, its blade landing right in the ground far away from where she fell. Since it's no longer in her possession, the magic she infused into its blade crumbled away.

"Something like that shouldn't have knocked you off balance so easily," Kurai said. He smirked. "Guess my underlings were actually useful than I thought."

"Tch." Propping herself up on her elbow, Selene gave him a feeble yet fierce glare. "Y-you're so pathetic," she panted. "Learn to fight your own battles."

Kurai deepened his smile, appearing more menacing. "Pathetic, you say?" He chuckled raising up his free hand. "Let's see how pathetic I really am then."

With the snap of his fingers, a deafening explosion erupted within the village as if it had been struck by a missile. Harsh winds brushed past Selene and Kurai, kicking up a thick cloud of dirt and debris everywhere around them. The ribbon that kept Selene's hair tied up was blown off, leaving her long hair to flutter rapidly in the strong current. Selene had a look of pure horror on her face as she gawked at the heightened blaze, even her manor was set alight, while Kurai just observed the destruction with a calm smile back on his face.

"N-no..." The happy expressions of the people Selene cherished dearly, one by one but in speedy succession, flashed before her eyes. Tears immediately cascaded down her face. "Rion...Nerah...Everyone...No..."

"This is payback, Selene," Kurai stated impassively. "As rulers of our separate lands, us bearers of the Darkness were to abide by the peaceful terms that were given. At least until the darkness commenced its spreading." He looked over at the immensely downhearted woman with a stoic frown. "But it hasn't even begun to do so, and to think you - a conceited yet levelheaded person - would be the one to break the very treaty you had created." Selene's body went rigid. The gust of wind started to gradually abate, but the fires remained steadfast. "I don't care what your reasoning is behind your abrupt betrayal...but just know that from this day forward..." He approached Selene raising his katana high above his head. "We are enemies." Then he brought it down towards her.

(A/n: Words in bold italics:

Haori: a loose outer garment resembling a coat and extending to the knee and worn in Japan, traditionally worn over the kimono and obi

Getas: traditional Japanese wooden clogs with a thong that passes between the first two toes and with two transverse supports on the bottom of the sole

I hope you enjoyed and the next chapter will be up soon)