Family system

They stood on solid ground which they didn't expect. They thought that they would be teleported to a ship, but they stand on a planet. There were no monsters around which they found strange because monsters should be entering this portal in about twenty minutes.

The place they stood was also deserted with nothing but the portal here. Questions were going through their minds as they were wondering where everything was. As if answering their question, the air shimmered with ethereal light as reality twisted in front of the three women.

The space swirled into a spiraling vortex before solidifying into a strikingly beautiful figure—tall, elegant, and charming energy that was tempered by deadly purpose.

Valentina, Elena, and Isabella instinctively reached for their weapons, muscles coiling. The battle-scarred ground beneath them crackled faintly with latent energy, heightening their senses.

But then they felt it—a familiar aura. It was warm and intoxicating. It resonated faintly with Aphrodite's signature divine mana but was darker and fiercer.

The figure before them stepped forward, her piercing violet eyes glowing with a light. Her shimmering armor hugged her toned frame. Long, raven-black hair cascaded down her back like liquid silk, faintly pulsing with streaks of divine crimson, a lingering gift from her transformation.

"Hana..." Isabella whispered, recognizing this woman as Aphrodite's blessed.

The woman inclined her head gracefully, lips curving into a small smile. "You must be the ones sent by Lady Aphrodite," she said, her voice was strong. "I am Hana, her blessed and your guide in this cursed domain."

The three women lowered their weapons, though tension still lingered in their stances. They weren't going to lower their guard so easily. While they trust Aphrodite and her blessed that didn't mean that they trusted this land

Elena took a step forward, her gaze fixed on Hana. "We expected... something different," she admitted. "We thought we'd land in the middle of an enemy stronghold, not... this."

Hana's eyes darkened, flicking toward the barren landscape around them. Cracked stone stretched endlessly beneath a sky bruised with swirling, poisonous clouds. The ground glowed faintly with corrupted ley lines, pulsing like infected veins in the earth's skin.

"The monsters are elsewhere," Hana confirmed, her voice bitter. "This used to be a processing hub—where they gathered the resources stolen from countless worlds before shipping them to the Arbiters' fleet. They drained this place until nothing remained." She clenched her gloved fists, energy sparking faintly in her grip. "Their greed has turned entire planets into hollow graves."

Valentina surveyed the empty expanse thoughtfully. "Why isn't it guarded?" she questioned. "Seems too valuable to leave abandoned."

Hana nodded approvingly at the mentioning of it. "It was guarded—until I dismantled its defensive systems and killed every creature stationed here."

A sharp wind howled through the desolate landscape as her cold words reached their ears.

"You did that... alone?" Isabella asked, eyes narrowing.

Hana's gaze locked onto hers, unfazed. "I didn't need help." She paused, tilting her head thoughtfully. "Besides... I had some divine encouragement."

Valentina exchanged a wary glance with Elena and Isabella. "We'll accept that answer... for now."

Hana smirked faintly. "Trust is earned on the battlefield, not in conversations." She turned abruptly, her cape billowing in the wind. "Follow me. We don't have much time."

The three women hesitated only briefly before falling into step behind her, weapons still loosely held but ready to spring into action.

"You said this was a processing hub," Valentina pressed. "Why meet us here?"

Hana didn't slow her stride. "Because this is where their network is weakest. My sabotage created a blind spot. They won't detect your arrival—unless you linger too long."

Isabella frowned, studying the cracked ground. "We've fought their forces before. Why not send an army through with us?"

Hana finally stopped, turning to face them with a piercing glare. "Because an normal army would trigger every defensive protocol across their entire empire. You'd be annihilated before you could take a single step."

Her gaze softened—just slightly. "But three... three can slip through the cracks."

A heavy silence fell over the group as the weight settled on them. This wasn't a battle of strength—it was a war of survival.

"I'll lead you through the transport routes to the inner sanctum," Hana continued, her voice steady. "Once inside, you'll have a chance to disrupt their network and sever the Arbiters' hold on this region."

Elena's grip tightened on her sword's hilt. "And if we get caught?"

Hana's expression darkened. "Then kill everything that stands in your way."

The three women nodded, an unspoken understanding passing the three of them.

"Let's move."

Hana raised her hand, tracing a glowing sigil in the air. "This transport gate will take us to the edge of the first checkpoint," she explained, her tone sharp and precise. "It's a nexus point where several resource lanes intersect. If we can disable its relay crystal, their communications will be crippled."

Valentina, Elena, and Isabella exchanged brief nods before stepping into formation behind her. With a flick of her wrist, the portal expanded. "Stay alert. If anything feels off... react first, question later."

The group moved into the portal, disappearing into its shifting light.

They emerged on the other side, landing in a dark land with towering obsidian towers. The air was thick with sulfur and electric tension.

"This place reeks of dark magic," Valentina muttered, tightening her grip on her sword.

"Corrupted leyline conduits," Hana confirmed, scanning the surroundings. "The Arbiters use them to fuel their war engines... and power the defenses we'll be facing."

Elena drew her weapon, its blade igniting with fiery runes in response to the dark aura suffusing the environment. "Where's the relay crystal?"

"Further ahead," Hana said, pointing toward a distant glowing spire that pulsed like a heartbeat. "It's embedded deep inside that fortress."

Not waiting for anything else they began to sprint forward towards their destination.

As they ran toward the spire, the air grew colder, shimmering with distortions. Isabella slowed down and her eyes narrowed. "Something's wrong... I can feel it."

Before anyone could react, twisted shadows rippled from the ground, forming humanoid shapes cloaked in ethereal darkness. Their hollow eyes glowed with a sickly green light, and whispers of distorted voices filled the air.

"Phantom Wards!" Hana cursed. "Spectral guardians bound to the relay crystal."

"They can see us?" Elena asked, already raising her shield.

"They don't need to." Hana drew her twin daggers, their edges crackling with charged mana "They sense mana signatures... and ours are screaming targets."

With a deafening wail, the Phantom Wards lunged.

Valentina met the first spectral attacker head-on, her blade flashing with red mana. Her strike carved through its hollow form, causing it to screech in agony before dissolving into ash.

Elena unleashed a blast of molten flame from her enchanted sword, searing two more wraiths into oblivion. But for every phantom destroyed, more emerged from the corrupted ground, drawn to them by their presence.

"Isabella, backline support!" Hana barked, launching herself into the fray. Her twin daggers moved with lethal precision, carving shimmering arcs of destruction. Each strike shattered a ward with efficiency.

Isabella swiftly chanted an incantation, summoning radiant chains that shot from the ground and ensnared several Phantoms, locking them in place for Valentina's deadly follow-up slash.

"They're endless!" Valentina shouted, cutting down another twisted form.

"They're linked to the relay crystal!" Hana shouted back, dodging a vicious strike. "We need to sever the link—NOW!"

Spotting the core of the wards' power—a corrupted mana obelisk buried beneath the ground—Isabella's eyes blazed. "Sköll!" she called out, her voice ringing loudly. Discover stories at My Virtual Library Empire

From the swirling shadows behind her, a massive wolf cloaked in shimmering starlight and moonlit fur emerged with an earth-shaking growl. Her piercing silver eyes locked onto the corrupted obelisk, fangs gleaming like celestial blades.

"Destroy it!" Isabella ordered, her voice firm.

With a thunderous leap, Sköll surged forward, claws ripping into the cursed ground as she closed the distance in mere heartbeats. Her presence alone caused the Phantoms to recoil, their twisted forms writhing in fear of the celestial beast.

Howling with divine fury, Sköll unleashed a blast of radiant lunar energy from her jaws, a shimmering beam of destructive power that pierced the corrupted obelisk. Cracks spread rapidly across the tainted structure, molten mana spilling like dark blood.

The obelisk pulsed one last time, emitting a sickly glow before shattering into countless shards with a deafening explosion of blinding light. The Phantom Wards screeched in anguish before their twisted forms dissolving into ash.

Breathing heavily, the four women looked the ruined battlefield, mana still crackling faintly in the air.

"Good work" Hana complimented, sheathing her daggers with a satisfied smirk. "You three adapt well under pressure."

Elena wiped her blade clean, her expression was cold. "We didn't come here to fail."

Isabella stepped forward, placing a hand on Sköll's fur as the great wolf returned to her side, her silver gaze still burning with intensity. Her tail wagged once or twice, ever so slightly, happy with the victory.

"That went better than expected," Valentina admitted, lowering her sword. Her lips quirked into a faint smile. "I was ready for worse."