Ashes of Credence

The Fire He Lit

Adrenaline had kicked in within Aurora as she dashed through the treacherous flames of Ataraxia. Bodies of various species lay scattered across the terrain were in sight immediately after passing by the Guardians and their Elder, their remains now floating upon the surface of a bloodied, murky river. The fallen aquatic creatures were all stabbed to death, to which the Nestoris champion found it all to be horrific but bewildering and baffling all the same, considering these fierce guardians among the oldest and most powerful species to ever live in Ardonia. She had taken a closer look at the creatures, intending to figure out what or who would have destroyed the elite platoon. It took seconds of glances to put the pieces together when she spotted charred stone and plant life at the river and the sizzling fragments of skin from the guardians' remains still steaming. Judging by the angles and positions of their bodies at the scene, they had been slaughtered by the power of songs and fire combined—the world around her shook immensely. This was indeed the work of the Voltaris. They had somehow known about the city and had destroyed its sacred defenses to get by. And wherever they went shortly after, death and destruction pursued voluntarily.

Tygren couldn't have led such a strategic attack upon the Guardians nor reduce this city and its inhabitants to mere nothingness in such a short period of time! How could this be?! Aurora thought to herself. She knew that in order to defeat just one guardian alone had to take up a lot of skillful thinking as does power and strength. At the back of her mind, she dreaded in worry. Especially after recognizing one stab wound to the eye of the Elder Guardian... a vast ring disintegrating its sclera and skin around the eye. This must be his doing... She didn't want to believe it, yet it just happened to be even more confusing. Just why would he attack this city? How could he? She hurried on across the dark river with her Supporium Song in search of survivors. In search of hope... they can't all be gone.

She quaked in fright every second she found more bodies—specifically, the bodies of Ardoni littering the charred lands. The thick air fuming within her wasn't helping and only adding up to the tension in her body. She thought she had this under control! Her students vowed to protect the city and its residents while she had gone on an expedition with the Knights about a few weeks prior to find a lead in the Voltaris's next moves. Perhaps Tygren's forces have overpowered them and slaughtered them as traitors to the clan. That very thought lingered in her mind for a few aggravating seconds before pushing that down and refocused. There weren't any bodies of her students... not yet... hopefully not. If they weren't able to save many residents here, she hoped they'd escape with at least a few survivors. Her entire century's hard work in trying to help her people, what's left of her species, and all the clans alike was descending to waste, already devouring her inside. Her heart tearing in mere fragments. She fought the urge to call out names in the burning city, wary of where she was along with who else may be here...

Apart from the crackling and roaring flames all around the Nestoris, Aurora could only hear her panting puffs of breaths and her rapid heartbeat, no matter how hard she tried to focus. Her vision began to blur and a headache was swirling in her head. Nonetheless, the Nestoris ignored her current health status and moved forward despite the hot air she was engulfed in burning her from the inside out, from her nose and down her throat and to her lungs as she headed deeper into the city. She had to find survivors, she had to find hope. Terror sprung in her chest when she discovered the casualties of mostly Ardoni among the other bodies, young and old, male and female... every single one of them altogether were innocent. They all wanted nothing to do with the war nor the Voltaris. Their faces were still paved of fear and anguish just moments before their fates had been sealed, unpromising.

A rising wave of deja vu had crashed against the young woman when she found more sources of the casualties just by looking at their faces along with the stab wounds upon their frail and broken bodies, matching that of the Elder Guardian. Deep and scorched, all in one jab... flashbacks occurred against her consent suddenly. Those scars in every victim she had witnessed slaughtered amongst her. The Great War. Her soldiers, comrades, friends, and her dear mother, Yuva. Was this an act of revenge? Hunger for power? She asked herself endless questions to find her own answers... yet it was painfully obvious and right in front of her. She had just refused to face it after all these years. And despite her blood boiling in pain and fury, she couldn't ever find it in her heart to end his life for the deaths of innocents, let alone believe that he would physically be here to commit such atrocious acts. Aurora was the only individual at heart at this time who knew that the Deathsinger himself had been wronged many times by even her own clan. That fury was soon replaced with anguish and regret and confusion, but she continued forward to keep searching for the remaining hope hidden in the ashes all around.

But was there a point in it now? Can hope still thrive after everything... Has his chance she had granted to him all those years ago in an attempt to help him, expired? Or plainly gone to waste? Or was it all for nothing? She couldn't decide. All she knew at the moment was that this was a new low... her inner turmoil of guilt and grief burning her from the inside out, caused by the fire he lit.

It seemed like an eternity, the Champion frantically searched around for her Voltaris students and her friends left and right. Nothing but smoke and fire burdened her as the pain increased by tenfold, she began to wear down from the fiery air as the flames grew larger and more fierce, reducing the city to crumbling ash. Her patience and hope dwindled and withered along with her energy... but she didn't plan on giving up this instantly and pursued once more.

Just then, she sees specks of red in different shades, standing out from the orange fires from a distance. She cautiously went closer for a better view when her heart jumped to her throat. Voltaris. But she immediately knew something didn't add in, those markings weren't familiar to her.

They were not her students.

Aurora let out a harsh cough, the thick smoke was corrupting her. She immediately took cover close by and covered her mouth, not wanting her coughs to alert the enemy of her presence. Fortunately, no one seemed to notice her, much to her relief. She hadn't fully healed yet from her last encounter with them. Her hip stinging slightly from the fight in Sendaria. She still wasn't in her best shape to put up a fight for a long time like she used to. She figured she'd stay out for now... but what was she thinking?! Going alone at this rate... she could really get in trouble now. And she was Ardonia's last hope...

A shine of light abruptly catches the Nestoris's injured and tearful eyes from the black smoke and burning air, leading to an unlit yet enchanted diamond blade in blood red and steaming. It has been used. The blade coated in the drying blood of numerous lives now taken. That very weapon she recognized. It was once used for training with her father and herself, now... it was wielded to be brought down upon fresh and grime. Its wielder, Voltaris with red-orange markings like raining fire, in the center of the Voltaris burning down the caves and trees on a quest for vengeance.

Once her uncle and mentor, now a ruthless leader and assassin... but a thought kept nagging at the back of her head when she got a good look at his eyes as he turned, barely missing her with her orange-yellow markings nearly blending in with the flames around her. Just seeing him there in the flesh, after all these years, those fiery eyes flickering with sadness and regret. Was that Ingressus deep down under the gruesome identity of the Deathsinger? Could that possibly be the only hope she'd find in this ruined city? With the spark of war he had lit in the past and now...  she no longer knew her motive, she was just caught in a blank space of angst and torment and confusion. Questions... but no answers. Nonetheless, she had to keep trying. She could not dare lose hope... whatever was left of it. She refuses to give up. She was needed and looked up to... she had to be a source of hope for the helpless... she had to.