Chapter 2: Prolouge: The Interview.
Cold rattling chains, blackness, scurrying rats licking clean the bones around me. A battle, blood, screams piercing the hollow night air, they stab at my ears like spikes one after another. A giant rises above the rooftops, a woman bandaged from head to toe. All to be seen on the woman is her ancient yellow eyes standing above me, the giant looms close behind The woman speaks. Her words rattle my bones, twist at my nerves, like tiny hot pokers, poke, poke, poke, again and again.
"Emelia you're a stain upon this world. A mistake." The woman pauses.
"No, you are the greatest mistake this world has ever known. Due to the will of the Phoenix, you shall die." Her voice clings to the air around us; it rattles me to the core.
"Be thankful. Your blood will be the paint for the new world's canvas." Her words are... Ice, no they're fire! They threaten to burn the rest of what's left of me!
"Now die Emelia Shroud." She draws her long thin rapier, the hilt a golden phoenix it has tiny yellow jewel eyes on the hilt glittering from the fire dancing around us.
Then that's where my memory goes black.
My thoughts pick up right here in this darkened reality, this...cell...I think? With cold chains firmly shackled around my wrists and ankles. The cold cell floor sends chills up my bare legs.
Why am I in a...prison, no it's a holding cell most likely. But why are these bones in here? Do they actually leave bodies to rot here? Seems unsanitary.
Observing the rest of myself. I notice that I'm in this? Bag? Is the only way to describe this...shirt? I'm wearing. Fates it's so itchy against my skin. Man really wish I had my armor I feel so naked without it.
Suddenly the clanking of a cell door warms me up like a freshly lit flame in a fireplace. A large door scratches at the stone ground. I'm guessing it's large by how badly it scrapes against the stone. Then appears two guards of the Cardinal Kingdom. The Four Cities of Fate Diamond Flag etched onto their breastplates.
Behind the guards is a tall woman with a head of black hair, she has some of her bangs dyed orange. She wears a black cloak with the Four Cities Emblem on the back stitched in real golden thread. She wears a large Eastern-style Katana blade on her back and a short sword on her hip. Then appears the man of the hour, King Ezekiel of Cardinal Kingdom.
Lastly is the maid with pink hair. She's powerful her aura practically radiates off her. The girl with black hair has an incredible aura much stronger than the maids. Just staring at the girl with black hair sends shivers up my spine.
These two are monsters and he brought them in for sure as an intimidation factor. I can't help but feel how much life these two have.
Just like...Lucy.
"Your Aura is your soul which is your life."
That is what Lucy lived by.
Then there's the man himself The King of Esterpine Ezekiel Scythe. He is definitely no slouch either. His aura radiates off him like heat from freshly lit furnace.
My guests line up in front of my cell door. The king grabs a old wooden chair from the corner, turns it around so the back of it is facing me then sits down.
He stares at me with his solid dark royal yellow eyes. His greying beard complements the ferocity behind them. For the age of forty-seven, the king is not bad-looking. A few wrinkles around the eyes, that's it.
"Hello Miss Shroud." He said in a commanding voice.
"I'm sorry for the state we have left you in but at this point and time you are considered a criminal." His eyes cut through me like tiny daggers.
"A criminal?" My heart, skips a beat.
"Yes, as of now you are charged with the crime of destroying the city of Bladesfall." His eyes locked to mine glowing as bright as the torchlight in the darkness of this cell.
Vigorously I shake my head.
"Sorry, but it wasn't me as I would have told your men if I was awake when you found me." Trying to stare the king down is like trying to look directly at Starlight.
Fates this man is just as scary as the stories say.
"Yes, but we couldn't take a chance so I'm going to ask you a few questions. Then I'll decide if you'll be let free." He continues to make eye contact, his solid gaze never wavering.
Looking to the girl with black hair, then back to the maid. They both stare with a gaze as strong as the king.
Man, how can anyone not be crushed under the pressure of these three's magic? The pressure their magic puts off in this small room is almost too much.
Fates what a way to break a person.
"Emelia please give me a short and concise explanation of what happened at Bladesfall?" The king says.
Guess it's time for me to give my side of the story. Despite the pit in my stomach, I force the words out.
"My memories are scattered but to get straight to the point it was an army that came from literally no where." The maid shifts slightly moving closer to my cell door.
"Go on." The king gestures with a small nod of his head.
"It started with the giant dropping from the mountain top he took the most out without even lifting a finger. Following the giant came the woman in the blue tunic and a cloak. She came from a beam of light that fried a huge sector of the city killing thousands.
Lastly followed by a different woman and a sizeable man both with very, very, large swords came last with an army of probably three thousand or more I'd say." The king nods.
Taking a quick peek at the girl with the katana I see her eyebrows perk up and bend at their seams. Then she speaks.
"What did the sword users look like?" She grabs at the cage agressivly making it rattle slightly.
"Hmm, can't remember everything in detail. But I think the girl had some kind of fishnet under a dark-colored set of wolf skin armor, the guy was tall and had very dark-colored skin and had a massive sword he I think wore wyvern scale armor." I say and it makes her look almost panicked.
She looks at the king they both nod.
"That's how it started," I tell them hoping to save my skin.
The three seemed content then the king resumes his interrogation.
"Can you explain why they would attack?" The king asks me.
"I do sort of remember through the rumor mills and hearsay was that the city was being watched by spies. Except that's a normal occurrence for the trade capital so no one really took it seriously." I say.
The king nods.
"Thats true, on a different note I already know you are affiliated with Lucy Smite. Please tell me what happened to her?" His eyes are not as locked in as before. They're...more sympathetic.
Returning to the dreadful moment where Lucy, my best friend, stands before me. Her Aqua blue eyes shine in the light from the fire, her lips move but all I can hear is the crackling of the raging void of flames, mixed ever so eloquently with the screams of the now deceased. Lucy faces down the cloaked woman.
Lucy's lips move as her beautiful blue aura dances around her. My mind can't recall the words she said. Whatever they were they're now buried under a wall of water, smoke, and eternal darkness.
...Then I answer the king's question with that memory painting the inside of my head with endless red.
"Dead, sir." He nods.
"I see." He pauses.
"If Lucy Smite has fallen this group is definitely more serious than I anticipated." A brief pause from the king.
"Also I am sorry for your loss. I know you two were close friends." His hard yellow eyes soften.
Anger rushes over me a broken dam of flowing water unable to be slowed.
"Save your pity you don't know my relationship's. Plus, shouldn't you be glad she's dead! She did serve a Kingdom outside your damn Kings Coalition!
His eyes break from mine for a shortened moment a hint of fear. But with a quick blink, they hone back in hard as the stone we walk on.
The maid kicks the cage causing the building to rattle. The red reality that just took a hold of me cracks.
What in the Fates just happened that was strange felt like I was stolen from my body for a second there...
"You will respect The King!" The maid shouts her voice shakes the building.
On top of that something shines from underneath the maid's sleeve as she shouts.
Quickly I clamp down on my senses as I do not want to feel her aura. From the glimpse, I just felt this woman could topple Fort Mountaina herself. Honestly, I can't even open my mouth.
The king clears his throat which makes the maid back down.
"Now, Sakura, please she is okay. She has lost her home and family. I will excuse her tone. She is allowed to be angry." He looks back at me.
"Two more questions. Questions three What happened to Janet Smite?" My heart drops again the red seeps its fangs back into my reality. This memory is faint but still a scar on my mind.
The words come out of me like a bursting stream or a poem burned to the etches of my mind.
"There was....a wall of Dark Water it rose above the rooftops. Massive waves crash against the side of City Hall. Watching Janet Glow from the top of City Hall was a comfort. I saw her guarding the city from the Giant King. She was our last remaing hope. She burned so brightly like she was the ocean's rage incarnate. A battle with The First King of Giants."
The king nods leans back a bit in the chair.
"Very well tell me then how did you escape?"
"How I escaped was because of Janet."
He nods for me to continue.
"Janet has the ability to call The Hawks she saved their Queen many years ago.
"Fun part was I got to watch from the birds talons as the giant's club swung at City Hall ready to crush it. Then with a huge sweep of her hands. Her aura illuminates the city. As she let loose the Ocean's eternal rage.
"She drowned half the fucking city. To stop them they forced her to kill off a city that held three million people." My eyes bite into the king.
He smiles.
"Yes, how sad they forced the hand of a good women to make such a decision. Emelia she wasn't the General of my Father's army for nothing. I've read her Biographies."
He's bright I knew that but something irks me about him. Sure he seems like a good man a ton of reports in the archive said that. Except if you look deep enough there is definitely a darkness in his aura that terrifies me.
"Then I think I must have passed out because that's when it all goes black." Shrugging is all I can do at this point.
The king nods looks at Alva, then at Sakura.
"So she fought The Giant King. Records state he was killed thousands of years ago. I am very curious how he was revived. Besides that, I need to say Janet held her own. She lives up to the legends. Again I know she raised you so I am sorry for your loss."
He means this I can believe that. Not as a trick or a ploy he genuinely seems to care. The King's eyes tell me a lot, one of the many tricks grandfather taught me.
Then Alva speaks up. "She died a warrior's death there is no better way to go."
Tears threaten to well up again but I suppress the emotion.
"Thanks, I guess now what's the last question?" I ask the king nods. A small crooked grin forms across his lips.
"Do you want revenge?"
His words curl my bare toes.
"What?" My mind scrambles like an egg.
"If you're being truthful, which I now believe you are. This group is called the Phoenix Embers. They started small five years ago maybe four rouges, but have grown in power over the years. This is the third attack.
Bladesfall was the biggest and the worst we...no I should have seen this attack coming before it happened. For that, I apologize Emelia. As your king, the sin of those who died is my burden to bear."
His words bring my blood to a boil even if the apology seems genuine.
"IF YOU KNEW ABOUT THEM WHERE WERE YOU! WHY DIDN'T YOU SEND HELP! YOU COULD HAVE STOPPED THEM!!"
My anger swells and takes over my mind. I lunge at the king rage moving me like it's my puppeteer. One of my cuffs rips out from the wall. My hand shoots for the king's neck. I'm stopped by the tip of Alva's short sword at my throat.
"Make your next move carefully." Her red eyes are calculated. If I move in a way that displeases her she'll cut my throat like butter. A small trickle of blood flows down my neck. Doubtful that the cell bars would even hinder her from cutting my throat.
Backing away I sit back down.
"Alva please like I just told Sakura her anger is justified please no more threats." My mind goes wide then I smack myself in the head mentally.
"You're Alva Copper the Reaper of Esterpine."
She slams her sword back into its sheath, and her knuckles ghost white from the grip on the blade. Her face remains still and focused; anyone else would have said she wasn't bothered by the comment. But grandfather taught me how to read people's body language.
She must not like that name... I mean who would.
"Emelia, do you want revenge on the Ember's?" The king asks me again.
Revenge against her, the woman in blue, the giant king, the two sword users who decimated my entire world, no my life, killed the people I loved the most.
I find myself laughing out loud.
"So?" His eyebrow raises.
"Absolutely." He smiles.
So do I.
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