As Alric's final breath escaped him, Thalira slowly knelt beside his still form.
With a heavy heart, she closed his eyes and gently laid his head upon the bloodstained ground. Her hand brushed against his armor—then stopped. A gash.
Her eyes narrowed.
She traced the long, jagged slash with her fingers, now trembling with restrained fury.
"This wound... it's the mark of Malvraxis," she said quietly, her voice a cold whisper of dread.
The moment the name left her lips, both Liora and Eldric froze.
Their faces darkened—memories igniting like wildfire behind their eyes. Pain. Hatred. A scar long buried now ripped open again.
Ren, watching from a few steps away, felt it too.
"Thalira's presence… it changed. That pressure… her mana—it's suffocating," he thought, stunned.
Thalira rose slowly to her feet, her silence louder than screams. A deadly aura radiated from her—bloodlust thick in the air, as if the sky itself had darkened in her wake.
Then she turned, voice sharp and absolute.
"Albert," she called.
The eldest butler stepped forward from the shadows, calm as ever.
"It's damn time."
The old man gave a small, knowing smile. "Of course, Lady Thalira. I shall make the preparations."
She pivoted toward Eldric. "Go. Alert the villagers. Begin evacuation. And send the scouts—every surrounding village must be warned."
Then to Liora: "Inform the nearby cities. And preserve Alric's body. His family will have him back."
Finally, her eyes landed on Ren. "Ren. Pack your things. We're going demon hunting."
The three nodded, no hesitation in their movements.
Chaos erupted in the manor as commands rang through its halls. Servants scrambled. Weapons were gathered. Horses prepared.
Liora knelt beside Alric, gently wrapping his body with sacred cloth to preserve it.
Eldric mounted his horse and thundered out through the gate, dust trailing behind him.
And in his room, Ren shoved supplies into his satchel, his mind racing.
"Malvraxis… whoever he is… he's connected to the past. The last of those three... Thalira, Eldric, Liora… they share a history with him."
Thalira moved with purpose, her boots echoing across the marble floor.
She stopped before a towering portrait—an ancient painting of a warrior clad in silver and crimson, his eyes blazing with valor. Beneath it, on a ceremonial stand, rested a sword: aged, sacred, and wrapped in memories.
Without hesitation, she reached out and gripped the hilt.
"Today..." she whispered, her voice tight with emotion.
She raised the blade high above her head. "The day has come… when we will—"
With a sharp pull, she unsheathed the sword.
A flash of crimson light erupted from the blade, washing over the room like a wave of blood and fire.
"—avenge you," she finished, voice steeled by grief and fury.
Later, the four of them stood gathered in the grand hall.
Armored. Ready. Silent.
The air buzzed with tension.
Albert stood at the foot of the stairs, eyes on Thalira. As she approached, clad in war-gilded plate and gripping the crimson blade, his lips trembled.
"You look just like…" he choked, then fell silent, a single tear slipping down his cheek.
Thalira gave him a nod—a promise without words.
Then they stepped out into the pale morning light.
Thalira raised two fingers to her lips and let out a sharp whistle.
The skies responded.
A massive blood-red dragon tore through the clouds, wings spread wide like burning sails. Flames shimmered along her scales as she descended, the earth trembling beneath her as she landed before them.
Her eyes burned with ancient fire—and loyalty.
Eldric placed a hand on Ren's shoulder. "Ren. This is the dragon that saved you the day we found you."
He smiled faintly. "Her name is Ashara. She's a fire dragon."
Thalira mounted first, then Liora, Eldric, and Ren.
And together, they rose into the sky
As they were moving toward their destination,
As Ashara soared through the clouds, Ren leaned closer to Eldric, shouting over the wind:
"Eldric! Who is Malvraxis? That demon... who is he?"
Eldric's eyes hardened. "He has quite a history with us."
He paused—and his gaze drifted to the horizon.
Then his voice softened, and the past took hold.
Years ago…
Serenya Flameborne—a direct descendant of the ancient Flameborne lineage—was born of fire and royalty. But she defied her bloodline.
She fell in love with a humble farmer, a man of kindness and earth, and married him. For this, the noble houses exiled her. Stripped of titles. Cast out.
But she did not regret it.
Soon after, she gave birth to Thalira—a child born of nobility and simplicity, of fire and compassion.
But the world was cruel.
Not long after Thalira's birth, her father was murdered by the nobles, deemed a disgrace to their proud lineage.
Serenya did not fall. She rose.
She returned to protecting the borderlands—just as she once did as a royal knight. She built a home, raised Thalira, and adopted orphaned children left behind by war. Among them were Eldric, Liora, and seven others.
They lived in peace.
Until that day.
It was a warm afternoon.
Serenya sat in the garden, her children gathered around her, sunlight filtering through leaves as she read aloud from an old book.
Then—
BOOM.
An explosion tore through the air.
The earth cracked. Walls shattered. The mansion exploded into debris. Fire and smoke consumed everything.
When the smoke cleared, a glowing shield shimmered around the children—Serenya stood tall, blood on her brow, hands shaking from the force of her spell.
She turned toward the flames.
"Who are you!?" she shouted.
From the smoke emerged a figure.
Tall. Twisted. Eyes burning like molten coal.
"I am Malvraxis," the demon sneered.
"Soldier of the Demon King. You should've stayed silent back then… but now—now you'll die a slow, painful death."
Serenya looked back at her children—crying, terrified.
Then she whistled.
In a flash of searing light, a great dragon descended from the sky—Ashara.
"Get on!" Serenya commanded. The children resisted, sobbing, but the dragon obeyed. With a roar, Ashara swept them into the air.
It was the last time they ever saw her.
Back in the present, Eldric's voice cracked.
"We searched the ruins for days. All we found was her armor and sword. Her body… was gone."
He pointed at Thalira, her crimson armor glinting in the sunlight.
"The gear she wears—it belonged to Serenya Flameborne."
Ren's eyes widened, stunned. "She was your… all of your… mother?"
Eldric nodded. "That day, the ten of us swore an oath. We would hunt Malvraxis to the ends of the world."
Suddenly, Thalira shouted from the front:
"We're approaching the enemy!"
Ashara dipped lower.
Beneath them—hell.
A forest scorched black. Trees burning. Smoke choking the sky.
The ground below was soaked in blood. Mangled corpses littered the forest floor—civilians, soldiers… all torn apart.
Then, in the clearing ahead—they saw him.
A demon sat atop a pile of human bodies, feasting—ripping into flesh with monstrous glee, blood staining his jagged teeth.
The moment they saw the demon, the atmosphere shifted.
Without hesitation, Thalira, Eldric, and Liora leapt from Ashara's back—plummeting toward the burning forest below.
Flames roared beneath them, smoke curling into the sky.
Ren stayed frozen—still on the dragon—his heart thundering in his chest.
From below, Thalira raised her sword, its crimson edge catching the firelight.
"You will die today!" she screamed, voice filled with rage and memory.
The demon looked up from his feast, blood dripping from his mouth.
And grinned.