The Woman in the Nightgown

Vorioia Ace (formerly Vorioia Pride) is writing her story because she can no longer speak properly. After surviving a catastrophic event, she developed a severe speech impediment accompanied by a cold, choking sensation in her throat. While she can still sing, normal speech is difficult and painful. She writes this account in the hope that someone will read it and understand what happened to the people who were never meant to become legends. Vorioia grew up tough and independent. After losing her father at a young age, she was raised by her three older brothers, who taught her how to fight. She always wanted to be strong and heroic, like the image she held of her father. As a child, she protected a shy, soft-spoken boy named John, who later revealed magical abilities. Their relationship grew complicated over the years. John became a skilled mage, but also developed a drinking problem. Despite their turbulent history, Vorioia still cared for him deeply. When her city comes under sudden attack by their own prince and his soldiers, Vorioia’s world is destroyed in a single night. Her brother is killed trying to reason with the attackers. Forced to defend herself while still in her nightgown, Vorioia fights using a unique and unconventional style — wielding a sword attached to a long chain, moving with the rhythm of dance rather than traditional swordplay. She nearly overpowers the prince himself in brutal, close-quarters combat. Overwhelmed by sheer numbers and facing certain death or capture, Vorioia makes a desperate choice. She drinks a mysterious, foul-tasting tonic that was given to her earlier — a dangerous substance originally meant as a last-resort cure. As the tonic takes effect and her body begins to fail, she slips into unconsciousness, unsure whether she will survive. The story is framed as a survivor’s testimony — not a tale of grand heroism, but of what one ordinary woman was forced to do in order to live.