July 16th, year 4033
Resting on the east of the central continent, a city of looming pagoda spires, stone bridges, and narrow roadways was drowned in discord.
The once-merry streets were now in shambles, and collapsed houses could be seen everywhere with numerous black corpses littered about. Throughout the day buildings caught fire at the hands of the disgruntled men and women rioting with rusty farming tools and torches.
However, it wasn't long before the sound of galloping horses rattled through the cobblestone streets and mixed with the terrified screams of residents scrambling for cover.
"After them! Don't let them escape!"
Admit the clatter: a pair of darkly toned sibilings dressed in red Hnfu robes frantically weaved through the trash-packed back alleys, wary of three pursuers hot on their trail.
It was a woman and a man who both had white hair, a token of maturity. But as their faces lacked any signs of wrinkles, they were masked in a facade of youth.
In this world appearances were often a deception.
The woman looked over her shoulder with weary eyes, holding a bundle of white linen closely to her bosom.
Three men dressed in cloaks and metal armor had been chasing them for over a distance of roughly two thousand meters.
Normally, it would not be wise to clear such a distance on foot when a battle likely still lay ahead. Yet they had chosen to do exactly that, which only gave more credence to the sinister nature of their pursuit. Their footsteps were like a thick blade, slowly inching over the duo's heads with each passing second.
"Thaleia Rippa, we have come by the Ephor's decree!" the man in the lead shouted. "Cease this meaningless running, and we will spare that thing in your arms."
"I would sooner end both our lives before I lower myself at the behest of honorless ilk like you!" The woman known as Thaleia didn't hesitate to sneer in response.
Years of maneuvering through the underbelly of this city had taught her offers such as that were always laced with poison.
Even through shaky breaths, she would not submit. She had already noticed that one of the men was beginning to lag behind the other two. He would likely drop out soon, as her abilities had given her better stamina, and she was quite confident in her long-distance running.
If they could make it to the public park without injury, their survival was certainly assured!
Just as that thought echoed in her mind, another man spoke up.
"You stupid Negrasee! Five years ago you humiliated my sons, but today the Ephor's Rongeur will be feasting on your bones!"
Hearing these words, Thaleia's shoulders shook. No one had ever dared to direct such an insult towards her before!
However, she clenched her teeth and held her tongue, knowing she could not afford to waste her breath.
"Mind your tongue! Who are you to speak to my sister that way?" Her brother Thaddeus quickly sought to defend her.
Crackle!
As his words fell, golden-white sparks sounded in the air. The twisted strands of his braided white hair came loose and spread out to shoulder length, swaying without wind.
Thaddeus took out a piece of metal lodged between his teeth and drew in a breath until his cheeks bulged.
"Shit! He can still use the lightning matrix!" one of the pursuers cursed.
Boom!
Almost like thunder, the noise rumbled in with a second's delay as Thaddeus shot a tiny steel ball from his mouth. It flew towards the trio in a golden spear of light.
The man who had first spoken raised both hands to catch the sparks. He tried to disperse the mass of current as it ran through him. However, the instant the lightning struck his palms, his legs buckled and he fell to his knees.
At the same time, the shock waves of the collision tore past Thaleia's ears and hair, nearly knocking her off balance.
The golden light flickered and faded, leaving behind a stinging scent of ozone. Thaddeus stumbled, his chest heaving as the last sparks fizzled out in his hair.
Trembling under exhaustion, he looked back at his sister and shouted, "Run! Don't look back!"
His voice was only a shadow of its former roar. However, the assailants did not care.
Almost immediately, the other two men each drew a short dagger from their hips and shook off the leftover tingle. They moved together like machines, cold and unfeeling, as they stepped through the fading smoke.
Thaddeus tried to gather one last bit of energy as they surrounded him.
Swish!
The lead pursuer's blade sang through the air.
Thaleia kept running, averting her gaze so as not to see the blade connect. A moment later, the wind carried the wet thud of a body hitting the cobblestones, followed by a choked gasp.
"Dammit!" Her heart ached terribly. Instinct screamed at her to turn back, and grief and rage churned inside her.
But the bundle in her arms shifted. She kept running with her muscles screaming in protest.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
As her stamina ran low, Thaleia channeled her remaining energy into her legs and reached the edge of the park. With an explosive leap, she cleared the stone wall and tumbled into the thick shadows of the wild bushes.
She swallowed her sobs and crouched down, pressing her back against an old tree. Outside the wall, she could hear the steady clank of armor. Those savages were still searching.
"I'm sorry, little one," Thaleia whispered, her gaze falling to the bundle in the red cloth. "I had to leave Uncle behind, but I won't let them take you."
Her hand trembled as it moved toward the child's throat.
But as her fingers brushed the child's copper-shaded skin, the child's eyes fluttered open innocently. They were gentle and blue.
"Waaah!"
A sharp, piercing cry broke the silence of the park.
"Shh, please, just a moment longer..." In her panic, Thaleia tucked the cloth tighter to muffle the sound. "We mustn't keep your father waiting."
Staring into those eyes, her gaze softened and tears filled her own. She could not break down now, not after making it this far!
Suddenly, the air behind her grew unnaturally cold.
The hair on her neck stood up. Instinctively, Thaleia swung her hand back in a desperate arc, and a repelling force shot from her fingertips. At the same time, a flash of black steel cut through the air.
She did not feel the pain at first, just a sudden, jarring lightness.
The top half of her skull had been sliced off in a single, horizontal stroke.
Her body slumped sideways. The red bundle rolled onto the grass as the child began to wail once more, unaware of the blood soaking into the cloth.
The killer stood over them, a satisfied grin visible beneath his helmet.
"Hahah... Serves you right, bi##h. That's for making things this difficult!" he jeered. Then he shifted his gaze to the wailing bundle and reached a thick, armored hand toward the baby.
Child or not, he would not dare meddle with whatever the northern nobility had planned. He was simply following orders.
However, his fingers never made it.
At that very moment, his head snapped back and his hands flew to his throat, clawing at empty air. An invisible pressure squeezed his windpipe like a steel wire pulled tight, and his armor creaked under the strain.
Crack!
Amid the crisp cracking sound, the man's eyes widened as his body was lifted up. His legs twitched furiously before his neck gave way.
A second later, his limp body was tossed aside like trash.
Tap, tap, tap...
Light footsteps approached from the nearby park gate.
A young woman walked in at a slow pace. She wore a fitted black tailcoat with gold-fringed epaulettes on both shoulders, and a peaked cap was nestled atop her head. A golden and white stole, like that of a priest's, was stitched below the fringe and swayed gently as she walked. Beneath the coat, golden pins interlocked at the sides of a curved metal chest plate, paired with white breeches and knee-high lace boots.
She was beautiful, stunningly so, with rosy lips that looked uncanny against her inhumanly pale skin.
Like a ghostly undertaker, she dragged two other corpses behind her. They bore the same armor as the first killer, and their metal plates had been slashed open in a single, clean cut through both torsos.
Thud!
After tossing them onto the grass, she removed her hat and pressed it against her chest with respect as she kept walking. Her white hair caught the sunlight breaking through the smoke-filled sky and shimmered like spun silver, while her golden eyes remained fixed on the bundle.
She was calm and composed, which made her seem out of place amid the corpses.
"If only we had arrived sooner..." Morrigan muttered, stopping before the tree.
She stared at the woman lying motionless at her feet, and a strange feeling sprang up in her heart. It was difficult, but she tried her best to find the right words.
"You fought hard and did your best. Rest well knowing it was enough."
"I swear on this new path I've found that your child will be cared for."
Something clinging to the mother's corpse stirred as she spoke, but Morrigan did not seem to notice. She was entirely lost in her own thoughts.
What should she do with the body? She could not decide. In the end, she lowered her hat to the ground beside it instead.
She then silently cupped the baby in her arms, and her eyes shone with a new light.
Having spent most of her life serving her nation on every frontier, she was unfamiliar with taking care of something so delicate. Yet the infant quickly went quiet against her chest.
Rocking the child slightly, Morrigan then turned to leave.
The shadows beneath the mother's corpse began to stretch. It was as if the darkness itself detached, rising from the grass to follow the golden-eyed veteran, a silent specter trailing behind her.