The sun had sunk near the horizon, its crimson light painting the sky in shades of blood. The final moments of daylight fell upon the walls of the Astralis Empire—bringing not peace, but a crushing, suffocating sense that the end was inevitable.
Above, thousands of Sky-Kin soared through the heavens—humanoid figures with large white wings extending from their waists. Their radiant feathers caught the fading red light, glowing ominously beneath the dying sun. Alongside them, countless demons circled in the sky, and together, they unleashed an unrelenting storm of spells and weapons upon the city.
Blazing streaks of light rained down from above. Each impact ignited violent explosions that tore through the streets. Swords and arrows fell like a merciless storm of death, crushing everything in their path.
On the ground, an endless tide of monsters surged forward—some no taller than a man, others towering over a hundred meters high. Every step they took shook the earth, their roars splitting the air apart.
The city's massive walls—once thought impenetrable—could not withstand such overwhelming force. Some monsters shattered the stone with a single strike, while others hurled their colossal bodies against the barriers, tearing them apart.
Upon the walls, soldiers stood with pale faces, releasing arrows with trembling hands… but their attacks were meaningless against such horrors.
The walls collapsed.
And the horde flooded into the city.
They advanced without hesitation, slaughtering every human in their path—soldier or civilian, old or young.
Screams echoed across the city.
Beneath a crimson sky and a trembling earth, the Astralis Empire was slowly being dragged toward absolute destruction.
A woman ran through the chaos of the city, clutching her little daughter's hand tightly. Her breath came in ragged gasps, her legs trembled—but she didn't stop. She ran… desperate to drag her child away from that living hell.
A red glow fell across their faces. Their shadows stretched long behind them—
And then, from the sky, an orb of light descended.
There was no sound.
No warning.
With a brief, silent impact—
the woman's head was severed from her body.
Her body staggered a few more steps forward, involuntarily…
and then fell lifelessly to the ground.
The little girl was pulled to a stop by the sudden tug on her hand.
For a few moments, she stood there—confused and unmoving…
then slowly turned her head.
"Mommy… why did you stop…?"
Her gaze fell upon the headless body.
And stopped.
Her eyes widened—
A scream tore from her throat.
"Aaaaaah… Mommy… Mommy…!"
Her legs gave out beneath her, and she collapsed onto the ground. She scrambled backward in terror, breaths short and broken.
"Help… Mommy… someone help me… please… help me…"
Her eyes darted wildly between the people rushing past her—faces twisted with panic, feet pounding the ground. No one stopped.
No one even looked.
No one heard her.
Suddenly—
A fleeing man's foot slammed into her face.
"Ahh…!"
The little girl sprawled onto the ground with a cry. The man didn't even glance back—he just kept running, his face twisted with terror.
Blood trickled down from her forehead. With trembling hands, she clutched the wound, her eyes brimming with tears as her breaths broke into sobs.
Slowly, she lifted her head…
And saw a female Sky-Kin floating in the air before her.
Her white wings fluttered softly, the wind sweeping strands of golden hair across her face. Her expression… calm. Cold. Completely devoid of emotion.
The little girl tightened her grip around her small wooden doll—a crude figure shaped like a Sky-Kin warrior.
With tear-filled eyes and a trembling, broken voice, she cried out:
"Why… why are you killing humans? Why are you working with demons? You serve the gods… so why are you killing us? Why did you kill my mother…?"
The Sky-Kin said nothing at first. She simply looked down at the girl, her gaze cold and distant.
Then, slowly, she raised her hand.
Light gathered in her palm, condensing in an instant into a glowing orb.
Her voice was calm. Flat. Emotionless.
"You worthless humans have committed a sin… and you will pay for it with your lives."
The light in her hand grew denser… brighter… ready to be unleashed.
But at that very moment—
A woman's voice echoed through the air.
"Everyone, listen to me… people of the Astralis Empire…"
The voice came from afar—yet it was strange… clear, resonant… as if whispered right beside everyone's ear.
Amid the chaos—
amid the fleeing, the fighting, the screams—
For a brief moment, everything wavered.
Humans—whether running or fighting—found themselves listening to that voice. Some lifted their heads, some froze in place, others simply listened, trembling where they stood…
Slowly, their gazes turned toward the half-ruined palace.
And then the murmurs began—
"Princess Seraphina…"
"That's… Princess Seraphina's voice…"
"She… she's still alive…"
Atop one of the palace's tallest towers—a structure still standing amidst the ruins—a woman stood.
Her body was battered, her royal garments torn and soaked with blood. Crimson trails ran down her wounds, staining the stone beneath her feet. Her breaths came heavy and ragged… yet she remained standing.
One hand gripped the iron railing tightly to keep herself upright. The other was raised near her lips—before her, several magical circles hovered in alignment, like the mouth of a luminous tunnel. They rotated slowly, their light intertwining.
When she spoke, her voice passed through those circles—
And with each one, it grew stronger…
Heavier…
Until it spread across the entire city like thunder.
She paused.
A short, painful breath escaped her… her shoulders trembled…
But she lifted her head once more.
"I… I have seen the future…The true God... will rise again...He will rise from the darkness… stand against all gods and demons… and destroy them…So… please… save yourselves… flee while you still can…And when that day comes… when he returns…Fight alongside him… against the gods and demons…And free this world…"
Her voice faltered for a moment—then rose again, sharp and desperate:
"Did you hear me?! Run—by any means—just get out of here alive…!"
Hearing her words, tears streamed down the people's faces.
"Princess Seraphina…"
With tear-filled eyes, they quickened their pace. Even those who had collapsed in fear and given up forced themselves back to their feet, running with what little strength they had left.
"You heard the Princess… we have to get out of here…"
"We have to survive… we can take revenge later…"
"We can't die here…!"
Amid the chaos, the Sky-Kin who had gathered an orb of light in her hand—ready to kill the little girl—noticed the shift in their spirit. Her expression twisted.
"Damn it…"
Suddenly—
The girl's wooden doll struck her across the face.
The Sky-Kin paused.
The little girl stood there, trembling, her legs barely able to support her weight. Tears streamed down her cheeks, but her eyes… burned with fury.
With a shaking voice—yet a cry straight from her heart—she shouted:
"You'll all be punished…! You'll pay for everything you've done…!"
The Sky-Kin's jaw tightened.
"How dare you… you worthless human…"
The light in her hand flared brighter… growing larger…
And in the next instant, it shot forward.
The light engulfed the girl's small body—
And in a single moment, her upper half vanished.
Silence fell.
Then the Sky-Kin lifted her head and shouted in fury:
"Destroy them all! Don't let a single one escape alive…!"
The Sky-Kin, demons, and monsters intensified their assault, surging toward the humans with even greater savagery. The sky burned with the light of spells, and the ground trembled beneath the monsters' feet.
Amid that hell, the humans—armed or defenseless—shared a single thought:
Survive…
And one day, take revenge.
Atop the tower, the magical circles before Princess Seraphina's lips began to fade, one by one. The spell amplifying her voice died out, leaving behind a heavy stillness.
Her vision blurred… the world growing distant and dim.
Her lips moved with effort.
"Please… run… and… trust my friend…"
Her fingers, once gripping the iron railing, weakened…
Her hand slipped—
And her wounded body fell from the edge of the tower.
Down… toward the shattered cobblestones of the ruined palace.
Her body struck the ground—
But the sound of the impact… was swallowed by the screams and explosions around her.