The night was painted in fire.
The grand palace of the Holy Empire burned beneath a blood-red sky. Towers that had once touched the heavens were now pyres, and the banners of gold and white twisted into ash. The air crackled with both lightning and despair — the scent of smoke mixing with rain that refused to cleanse the sin of betrayal.
King Aldric Valenhart, clad in scorched silver armor, stood amid the ruins of his throne hall. Every breath came with pain, but his eyes burned with fury. The once-hallowed marble was now splattered with the blood of his men — his own knights, cut down by those who once swore fealty.
"Where is he!?" Aldric's roar tore through the storm. "Where is my son!?"
The sound of boots echoed from the shadows.
Through the broken gates stepped a man draped in blackened armor — a sigil of ravens carved into his chestplate, and a blade pulsing faintly with dark light.
Lord Vaeris, Aldric's own brother-in-law.The man he had trusted with the empire's defense.The man who now walked toward him with a calm, cold smile.
"You still fight," Vaeris said softly, voice echoing against the broken stone. "Even now, when your kingdom lies in ruin."
Aldric gritted his teeth, his lightning-forged sword sparking as he raised it. "You… you did this."
"I did what was necessary," Vaeris replied. "Your mercy weakened this realm. You raised a cursed heir — and doomed us all."
Lightning burst from Aldric's blade, splitting the air with a deafening crack. "You dare speak of my son?!"
Vaeris met his fury with stillness. Then — black mist coiled around his sword, and the marble beneath his feet fractured. "The boy bears a mark that should not exist. You refuse to see it, but the world does not forgive such bloodlines."
Aldric lunged forward, his body flickering with lightning speed. The hall filled with thunder and steel — every strike a storm unleashed.
⚡ Clang!
⚡ Crash!
The walls shook as their swords collided — light against shadow. Aldric's strikes came swift and furious, arcs of lightning tearing through the air. But Vaeris met them with dark precision, his blade trailing black afterimages that seemed to consume light itself.
"You were like a brother to me!" Aldric shouted between blows."And you were blind!" Vaeris countered. "The gods marked your child with corruption. The moment he drew breath, fate sealed our doom!"
Their blades locked — lightning crawling across the steel, black smoke twisting upward between them.Aldric's eyes glowed a fierce blue. "You call my son cursed? He is mine. And I will burn this world before I let you touch him."
Vaeris smiled thinly. "Then burn, Aldric."
He thrust out his hand — and darkness erupted.Hundreds of black chains burst from the floor, coiling like serpents. Aldric spun his sword in a circular arc — lightning slashed through them, severing shadow into mist. The explosion shook the hall, lightning and darkness clashing in violent beauty.
In the courtyard, Queen Seraphina — golden hair matted with blood and ash — clutched her infant son, Aelric, wrapped in silk. Her tears mixed with rain as she ran down the collapsed corridor.
Behind her, shouts rang out — Vaeris's soldiers, corrupted by his necromancy, their eyes glowing faint violet.
"Protect the Queen!" cried the last of her guards. They raised their blades — only to be consumed by a wave of shadowfire.
Seraphina stumbled, shielding Aelric with her body as debris fell. Her breathing grew ragged."Please… just a little farther…"
She turned the corner — and froze.
A tall figure stood at the end of the hall, blocking her path.A woman, cloaked in black silk and crimson armor — Lady Ilyra, Vaeris's right hand.
"Your Majesty," Ilyra said softly, her tone almost respectful. "You should have stayed in your chambers."
Seraphina's hand trembled, but she raised her sword — a slender blade of pure light, glowing with holy sigils. "Step aside, Ilyra. I won't ask twice."
The woman smiled faintly. "You were always kind. But kindness won't save you now."
Their blades met — silver and scarlet.Light burst through the corridor as Seraphina's holy aura clashed with Ilyra's blood magic.For a moment, the hall was nothing but light, fire, and falling stone.
Seraphina pivoted, slicing through a wave of crimson energy, then sent a bolt of radiant lightning toward her foe. It hit the wall — the shockwave tore through the passage.
But Ilyra reappeared through smoke, unharmed. Her eyes glowed red. "That power… so bright. So fragile."
Seraphina steadied her stance. "You serve a coward who betrays his own blood."
Ilyra tilted her head. "I serve the one who will reshape the world."
They clashed again — faster this time, their forms almost blurring. Sparks rained, glass shattered, and the floor split beneath their feet. Seraphina's strikes were elegant but desperate — each swing meant to protect the child she held close. Ilyra's attacks were merciless, fueled by devotion to her dark master.
Finally, Seraphina thrust her sword into Ilyra's side — the light burned through her armor.Ilyra gasped, then smirked through the pain. "You… fight well, my queen."
Seraphina whispered, "For my son."
A blast of holy energy threw Ilyra back into the flames — and Seraphina ran.
Back in the throne hall, the battle raged like a storm unending.
Aldric's body was covered in cuts, lightning flickering weakly around him.Vaeris, untouched by fatigue, moved with eerie calm — every swing of his blade calculated, every movement drenched in darkness.
"You can't win," Vaeris said. "You never could."
Aldric spat blood, but raised his sword. "I don't need to win. I just need to buy them time."
"Time for what? For the cursed child to live?"
Aldric's voice thundered, "He is no curse! He's the spark this dying world needs!"
Lightning erupted from him — a storm made flesh. Bolts tore through the ceiling, vaporizing marble. The entire palace trembled as divine energy cascaded from his blade.Vaeris crossed his sword, conjuring a barrier of darkness that screamed under the force.
"You think the gods will spare him?" Vaeris shouted over the roar. "They already branded him — the mark of the Stormblood is a death sentence!"
Aldric's eyes widened, just slightly — a hesitation Vaeris saw and exploited.
Dark energy surged.A blade of pure shadow pierced Aldric's shoulder, slamming him back into the cracked throne.
He gasped, the world spinning. "You… damn you…"
Vaeris lowered his sword, his voice quiet now. "When the world falls, remember — it was because you refused to see the truth."
Outside, Seraphina burst into the courtyard, rain pouring down like shards of glass. She was bleeding, staggering — but still held Aelric close.
Lightning flashed above. In the distance, she saw the river gate — open, the old docks still untouched by fire.
"Almost there…" she whispered.
A shape landed before her in a burst of black mist.
Vaeris.
His armor was scorched but his eyes burned colder than the storm. "Running, Seraphina? You always were the sensible one."
Seraphina tightened her hold on her son. "You've taken my home, my people… You will not take him."
"You think you can hide him from me? The world itself will hunt him. That mark upon his chest—"
"—is not a curse," she hissed. "It's destiny."
She lunged. Holy light flared — her sword blazing gold.Vaeris met her mid-strike, their blades colliding in an explosion of thunder and shadow. The shockwave rippled across the courtyard, shattering windows, scattering embers like dying stars.
They fought under the crimson rain — one wielding lightning, the other darkness.
Each strike told a story: her rage, his conviction, their shared grief turned into war.Seraphina's tears mixed with rain, but her eyes never wavered.Every blow she landed burned with a mother's desperation.
"Why!?" she cried mid-strike. "He was your sister's son! Your blood! How can you—"
"Because blood means nothing when the gods curse it!" Vaeris roared, driving her back with a surge of necrotic power. "You and Aldric blinded yourselves with love. I will cleanse this world of your mistake!"
Seraphina screamed, deflecting a dark bolt that shattered the ground beside her.Her aura flared one last time — wings of lightning unfurling behind her.
"I'll die before I let you touch him!"
She slashed — a final, radiant arc — and hurled Vaeris back.
Breathing hard, she stumbled toward the river.The cradle awaited — a small vessel carved from oak, lined with silks.
She placed Aelric inside, her tears falling onto his cheek."My son… my light… forgive us."
Her magic flickered — faint motes of lightning drifting into the air.She kissed his forehead, whispering a blessing. "Live free of our sins."
A sharp pain tore through her — the sound of steel piercing flesh.Her breath caught. Blood bloomed across her gown.
Vaeris stood behind her, his sword buried in her back. His face was unreadable."Why did you make me do this?" he whispered.
She turned weakly, still shielding the cradle from him. "Because you've forgotten what love is…"
With her final strength, she pushed the cradle into the river.It drifted away, rocking gently in the storm.
Vaeris reached out — but it was too late.The current carried the child into the night.
He stood there, rain streaming down his face, lightning illuminating the regret that flickered — briefly — in his eyes.
"Let the river decide," he murmured.
Behind him, the palace collapsed — a kingdom reduced to ash.
Hours later.Deep in the forest, miles from the burning capital, the storm had quieted.An old fisherman spotted the cradle washed ashore by moonlight. Inside, a crying infant — eyes faintly glowing blue, a crackle of lightning dancing across his tiny hand.
The man lifted the child, awe and fear mixing in his gaze.
"A child of the storm…" he whispered. "What fate could bring you here?"
Far above, thunder rolled softly — like a promise.The empire was gone, but its legacy had not ended.The storm still breathed.
And so began the tale of Aelric Valenhart —the Cursed Heir of the fallen empire,and the storm that would one day rise again.