Year 1014 -
Valka, Eastern Territories
The Same Night
Nida lay in her bed, staring at the wooden ceiling.
Her younger sister and brother Yuna (age 8) and Kito (age 6) slept peacefully beside her, their breathing soft and steady. Across the room, her mother Ruioa was already asleep, exhausted from another long day of work.
But Nida couldn't sleep.
Her grandfather's words echoed in her mind.
"Your father died so you could inherit his will."
What did that even mean? How was she just a fourteen-year-old girl in a forgotten village supposed to free anyone?
She closed her eyes, trying to push the thoughts away.
Tomorrow. I'll think about it tomorrow.
BOOM.
The explosion shattered the night.
Nida's eyes snapped open.
The entire house shook. Dust fell from the ceiling. Her siblings jolted awake, crying.
"What—what was that?!" Yuna screamed.
BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.
More explosions. Closer now.
Ruioa was already on her feet, her face pale.
"Everyone up! NOW!"
Nida stumbled out of bed, her heart racing. Through the window, she could see it
Fire.
The village was on fire.
Orange flames consumed the houses at the center of Valka. People were screaming. Running. Dying.
"MOTHER! WHAT'S HAPPENING?!" Nida shouted over the chaos.
Ruioa grabbed Yuna and Kito, pulling them close. "I don't know! Just stay—"
CRASH.
The roof exploded inward.
A massive artillery shell launched from somewhere in the darkness had struck the neighboring house. The shockwave threw everyone to the ground.
Nida's ears rang. Her vision blurred.
What... what is this?!
THE 6TH EMPIRE ATTACKS
Outside, soldiers marched through the burning village.
They wore black and silver armor the colors of the 6th Empire. Their faces were hidden behind steel masks. In their hands, they carried enchanted rifles and swords that glowed with dark energy.
"Burn everything!"
one officer shouted. "This village is under new management now!"
"Captain, what about survivors?" a soldier asked.
"Capture the women and children. Kill anyone who resists." The officer grinned beneath his mask. "The 10th Empire can't protect them anymore. This land belongs to the 6th now."
Another soldier laughed. "Finally! I've been waiting for this. Did you see that girl back there? She'll make a fine"
"Focus!" the captain barked. "Secure the area first. Then you can have your fun."
INSIDE THE HOUSE
Nida coughed, trying to breathe through the smoke.
"Mother!" she called out. "Where are you?!"
"Here!" Ruioa's voice came from the other side of the collapsed beam. "Nida, are you hurt?!"
"I'm fine! What about Yuna and Kito?!"
"They're with me!" But Ruioa's voice was strained. Pained.
Nida crawled through the debris, ignoring the cuts on her hands and knees. When she finally reached her mother, her blood ran cold.
A wooden beam had fallen across Ruioa's legs, pinning her down. Blood pooled beneath her.
"Mother—"
"I'm fine," Ruioa lied, her face twisted in pain. "Just... just get your brother and sister out of here."
"I'm not leaving you!"
BOOM.
Another explosion. The entire house shuddered.
Flames were spreading. The heat was unbearable.
Yuna and Kito clung to each other, sobbing in terror.
Nida tried to lift the beam, but it was too heavy. Too massive.
"I can't—I can't move it!"
"Nida." Ruioa grabbed her daughter's hand, her grip weak but desperate. "Listen to me. You need to take them and run."
"No! I can get you out! I just need"
"NIDA!" Ruioa's voice cracked. "There's no time!"
Tears streamed down Nida's face. "I won't leave you! I won't"
Another section of the roof collapsed.
Fire everywhere now.
Yuna screamed.
GRANDFATHER
"NIDA! CHILDREN!"
Grandfather's voice.
He burst through the doorway, his face covered in soot and blood. His left leg was twisted at a horrible angle clearly broken.
But he was alive.
"Grandfather!" Nida sobbed. "Mother's trapped! I can't"
He saw the situation immediately. His expression hardened.
"Get the children out. Now."
"But"
"NOW, NIDA!"
Something in his voice the command, the finality made her move.
She grabbed Yuna and Kito, pulling them toward the door.
"NO! MOTHER!" Yuna screamed, reaching back.
Grandfather limped over to Ruioa, kneeling beside her despite his broken leg.
"Father..." Ruioa whispered. "Take care of them. Please."
"I will." He placed a gentle hand on her forehead. "I promise."
Then he looked at Nida one last time.
"GO!"
Nida ran.
She didn't want to. Every fiber of her being screamed to stay, to fight, to do something.
But she ran.
She dragged her crying siblings through the smoke and flames, through the burning village, past the bodies of neighbors and friends.
Behind her, the house collapsed completely.
Mother.
THE VILLAGE BURNS
The streets were a nightmare.
Soldiers everywhere. Dragging women away. Killing anyone who fought back.
Nida pressed Yuna and Kito against a wall, hiding them behind a pile of debris.
"Stay here," she hissed. "Don't make a sound."
"Where are you going?!" Yuna whispered, terrified.
"I'll be right back. I promise."
She crept forward, searching desperately for
"GRANDFATHER!"
She found him limping through the square, leaning heavily on a broken piece of wood as a makeshift crutch.
"Nida?!" He looked shocked. "Why are you still here?! I told you to"
A soldier appeared from the smoke.
"Well, well. What do we have here?"
The soldier raised his rifle.
Nida's blood turned to ice.
No.
BANG.
The shot rang out.
Grandfather's body jerked.
He collapsed.
"NOOO!" Nida screamed.
She ran to him, falling to her knees beside his body.
Blood. So much blood.
"Grandfather! No, no, no wake up! Please!"
His eyes fluttered open. Barely.
"Nida..." His voice was so faint. "Run... find your... siblings... live..."
"I can't leave you!"
"You... must..." He coughed blood. "Promise me... you'll live... for all of us..."
His hand went limp.
His eyes closed.
He was gone.
Nida knelt there, frozen, her grandfather's blood soaking into her clothes.
Around her, the village of Valka burned.
Her home. Her family. Her entire world.
Gone.
The soldier who had shot her grandfather walked closer, reloading his rifle.
"Stupid old man. Should've just"
Something inside Nida snapped.
She grabbed a fallen piece of metal sharp, jagged and lunged.
The soldier barely had time to react before she drove it into his throat.
He gurgled, eyes wide with shock, and collapsed.
Nida stood over him, breathing hard, covered in blood his and her grandfather's.
She felt nothing.
No guilt. No horror.
Just... rage.
A CRY.
Yuna's voice.
Nida's head snapped around.
Two soldiers had found her siblings.
"NO!"
She ran.
End of Chapter 2