Raven’s voice trembled as she clenched her fists, “Arkanis Dragonheart,” she spat out the name like it was poison, “He’s the one who gave me my sister’s ashes, saying she wasn’t ‘worthy’ enough to play their worthy game in their empire.” Her voice grew more strained, barely holding back the torrent of rage and pain threatening to overtake her.
Aether’s brow furrowed, “Arkanis?”
Thalia stepped in gently, her hand resting on Raven’s back in an attempt to comfort her. “He’s the current Dragon Emperor,” she added softly as her eyes were to rage with hatred.
“Oh,” Aether responded, “Yeah, that lizard’s name never interested me much.”
Raven closed her eyes, her face hardening with emotion. “When I lost my sister…”
…
….
Raven fled, her legs carrying her far away from the Sovereign Arcanum Academy, away from the world she could no longer bear to face. She ran blindly, as though she could outrun her grief.
Behind her, Stella’s frantic voice called out, “Raven, stop!” But no matter how desperately she chased, Stella could not keep up with the speed of Raven.
“Huff-huff-huff—” Stella gasped, her breath ragged as she finally slowed down, her legs giving out beneath her. She watched Raven disappear into the distance, frustration and helplessness washing over her.
Raven didn’t stop. She couldn’t. Her feet carried her to the farthest edge of the empire…. She stood at the edge, staring blankly into the black void that stood before her.
Drip…
A tear fell, followed by another, until they poured freely down her face. Her chest tightened painfully, and the world around her seemed to collapse. In her hands, she clutched a small pouch—her sister’s ashes, the last remnant of Noirix.
Her heart shattered as she held it close, trying to feel something of her sister’s warmth one last time.
Thud!
Her legs buckled beneath her, and she crumpled to the ground, “Waaaaaahhhhhhh!!!!” Her cry, raw with agony, tore through the silence of the empire’s edge, echoing into the abyss.
She wept until there were no more tears left to shed—until blood tears began to spill from her eyes, a grotesque manifestation of her overwhelming sorrow.
As the blood trickled down, mingling with the ashes in her hand, something stirred.
“Raven,” a voice called softly from within the ashes.
Raven’s sobs stopped abruptly. Her head jerked up, her tear-streaked face filled with shock and disbelief, “N-Noirix?” she whispered, her voice trembling with both hope and fear.
Spark!
A crimson spark flickered within the ashes.
Raven’s heart pounded in her chest. Could it be? Could her sister be coming back, like the legends of the Phoenix reborn from the ashes?
“Is it really you?” she called again, her hand trembling as she reached out to touch ashes.
Spark! Experience new tales on empire
The moment her fingers brushed the ashes, a crimson spark shot through her body, igniting something deep within her.
Raven gasped, her breath coming in shallow, painful bursts as heat flared through her veins. Her body began to burn, not from the outside, but from within.
“W-What’s happening to me?!” she screamed, clutching her head as the searing pain consumed her. Her bones felt as though they were being torn apart and remade.
The ashes that had once cradled her sister’s remains now swirled violently around her, forming a crimson tornado. Sparks of fire ignited the air around her, each one searing into her flesh, into… her soul.
“ARRRGHHH!!” she shrieked in agony, as her once pitch black hair began to change…. dark red streaks bleeding through her strands, her hair now tipped with the same crimson fire that danced in the ashes.
“ARRRRHH!!”
Her right eye burned as if molten lava poured through it.
Splatter!
Blood splattered from the socket…. yet as quickly as it spilled, it reversed itself, returning to her body like a strange reversal of time.
Her pupil, once black as night, transformed, becoming a glowing crimson slit. (Image in comment)
The agony stopped as suddenly as it had begun. Raven’s body went limp, her breath ragged, her mind barely able to process what had happened. But then… visions began to flood her mind.
In the swirling ashes, images appeared.
Her sister, Noirix, standing in the Pyra Fulgur Empire. Her sister’s hands, were stained with blood. Raven’s heart lurched as she saw Noirix kill Arkanis Dragonheart’s father in a brutal way.
“N-No… No…” The old blue-haired man trembled in fear.
Raven saw the old Dragon Emperor, his blue hair stained with his own blood, his legs severed, dragging himself across the ground in a desperate attempt to escape.
But there was no escape. Not from the beast her sister had become.
Noirix, once innocent and full of life, was nothing more than a savage creature driven by pure rage.
“You took away our happiness,” Noirix’s voice rang out, her eyes ablaze with fury as she stepped forward, tossing the torn leg of the old Dragon Emperor aside like it was nothing but trash.
“N-No…” he whimpered, scrambling backwards, his eyes wide with terror.
“You took away our ordinary life,”
“P-Plea—”
“You took away my father,” she cut him off coldly, her steps slow and deliberate as she closed the distance between them.
The old man, bloodied and broken, tried to crawl away, his fingers digging into the stone floor as he backed into a wall. He glanced up, only to find a peace symbol etched into the dark black stone.
They were in the Summit, the very important heart of the Pyra Empire, where no one had ever dared to challenge the Emperor’s authority.
Desperate, he turned and faced her, his body trembling as he stared into her burning crimson eyes, fear like he had never known gripping his heart, “I-I order you to stop!” he screamed, his horns glowing with a desperate surge of power.
Noirix halted for a moment. The old man’s eyes flickered with a sliver of hope, believing his artifact had worked.
But then… she smirked as she stepped forward!
The old man’s lips trembled, his voice a faint whisper of desperation, “I-I’m sorry… P-Please…” He begged now.
“Tsk, tsk,” Noirix shook her head, her smile sharp, “Just a moment ago, you tried to control me with your pathetic cursed artifact, and now you’re begging for mercy?”
His body shook uncontrollably as she crouched before him, her eyes, now blazing with crimson flame, seared through him with the full force of her rage. She stared at the two blue horns that adorned his forehead, “An artifact created by the hands of the Origin Emperor himself… allowing you to control other dragons with mere thoughts.
Impressive, isn’t it?” she mocked, flicking her finger at the artifact.
Crack!
A loud sound echoed as the artifact began to split.
“ARRHHHH!!” The old man’s scream reverberated through the summit as the pain shot through his body.
Noirix’s smirk deepened, “Yet, this same artifact is powerless against those of the Phoenix bloodline. You couldn’t even use your strength against me… as if you are cursed! Fascinating how the Origin Emperor thought of everything… except us.” Her hands gripped the horns, and with a sickening sound, she yanked them out from his skull.
“ARRRHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH”
His creamed echoed around the summit as the blood poured from the old man’s head.
“Even dragons with a lifespan that stretches centuries… these cursed things drain away your years, don’t they? I’d say you barely had another decade left… and that makes this the perfect time to end it, doesn’t it?” She crouched, her voice low and dangerous, “And once you’re dead, your son will be next, won’t he?… the curse will continue to move forward!”
“N-No, no…” the old man gasped, his voice a broken whisper. His face contorted with fear. “P-Please… give me a chance!”
“Hmm?” Noirix tilted her head, with small interest, “Then tell me about this game, how do you win?”
The old man coughed, blood dribbling from his lips as he spoke in broken gasps, “T-The only way… to beat the game… is to accept your past, without regret… move forward… no matter how tempting the offers, no matter how much you want to know the truth… no matter how it tortures you…” He struggled to breathe, his eyes dull for a second before life returned, “Do not fear…
just accept… who you are… That’s all you need… to know…” His breath hitched. “N-Now, please… let me go…
I’ll never… I’ll never agai—”
Chucckkkk!!
Before the old man could finish his plea, Noirix’s hand plunged into his chest.
His eyes went wide, his lips forming a silent scream before his life drained away. His heart, still beating weakly, was ripped from his body.
Blood dripped from it as Noirix stood, staring at the lifeless body of the man who had taken everything from her.
She felt… nothing.
The blood from his heart dripped down onto the etched peace symbol on the wall, which suddenly began to shift.
The wall slid open, revealing the entrance.
Without hesitation, Noirix stepped through, the bloody heart still in her hand.
Suddenly, Raven’s vision blurred, the images growing hazy. She stumbled, trying to focus. “W-What’s happening?” she shouted, but the visions of her sister’s vengeance faded… She couldn’t see what was happening.
But then,
She saw a final, painful image… her sister, Noirix, barely holding on to life, her body mangled and broken.
“Raven”
Raven flinched, she saw her sister staring at herself, “This game…” Noirix coughed, blood spilling from her lips, “No matter what you choose, it never ends… It’s a cycle of torment… You need to take the heart… Raven, r-remember this… Activate System Code: 232476… and…” Her voice cracked with emotion.
“I… always… love you…”
BAGRUUUUUUUHHHHHAAAAAA
A monstrous roar shook the vision, and before Raven’s eyes, a colossal foot crushed her sister into the ground, shattering everything.
“NOOOOOOOOOOO!!” Raven screamed, her heart ripping apart, but before she could react, her mind went blank, and she collapsed onto the ground.
The ashes that had once held her sister’s spirit vanished as if they had never existed. Raven lay motionless, her body cold and still, like a lifeless shell at the edge of the world.