Tales of Berseria - In Calamity's Wake

~Prologue~

"My people, you must always live with great vigor and hold hope for the world and for our future. Man can turn reason into disorder, but also can we surpass it. Our true power is in transcending the possible to achieve the ideal. My people, you must live without hesitation. Hold hope in your hearts. Hold hope for tomorrow. No matter how great the Despair."

Claudin Asgard, the Hero King.

__________

Uncertain chatter rippled within the sea of people, their eyes set upon the balcony of a daunting castle of which they stood in its yawning shadow, cast by a blood-red moon hanging in the endless sky of red.

The world had been dyed in vermillion that night, and under the moon's crimson gaze did the Citizens of New Loegres await the words of their loving ruler in anticipation, having been told by town criers of the wonderous news set to befall their ears this eve of Scarlet. Everyone watched in tense silence, breaths halting and murmurs quieted as King Flavius Asgard stepped onto the balcony in full view, his royal lavender robes billowed in the steady wind, and so too did his grayed beard and long wavy hair. His faded amber gaze held a tired soul within them, but when addressing the People of his beloved kingdom, he was always sure to provide a meaningful smile and a calming wave of his hand to all.

The king looked out upon the thousands having come to hear his news, even those from out of the capital. It seemed everyone had become desperate now, racked with nervousness and fear of the conflict threatening their small nation of Avalon, some even began to lose hope, it could be seen on all of their faces.

Flavius however, could not have been more excited, failing to stop an eager grin from stretching across his face. Tonight was the night where all their worries shall be put to rest, in the kingdom's twilight shall a new dawn be born.

"People of Avalon, Greetings!" He began, the grin remaining " Tonight I, Flavius Yil Mid Asgard, bring to you all the salvation we've been striving for! The key to our survival!"

Confused talks and whispers flooded amongst the crowd at the words spoken.

Flavius raised his hand and silence fell upon all once more "For too long have we trembled in the shadows of our enemies. But No longer shall we live in fear of the armies of Hyland and Rolance lurking outside our border! No, we will become something greater. Stronger! We will trample them all underfoot, bring about an age of our OWN making, and reclaim the glory that was once the Holy Midgand Empire of ages past!" he declared, much to everyone's bewilderment at such a statement.

Such a thing was merely a fantasy to them. A nation as small as Avalon couldn't hope to win against two of the largest kingdoms on Glenwood, Not even any of the Empyreans have given support to their hopeless plight, what would give their king such brazenness?

Flavius pointed upward towards the reddened moon, the celestial body seemed closer than usual, enshrouding the world beneath in its haunting glow.

"We bask in the sinful light of Humanities deeds, a Scarlet Night! With the unholy energy given rise on this most auspicious of nights, we shall tap into realms thought untouchable, and bring back a being of Yore, one lost to time but now found again, its current resting place right beneath the grounds of our very city!" the old king went on, becoming more impassioned with every word.

This drew out many gasps and queries from the audience and even some cheers. They all were getting restless, people were beginning to buy into his words of assurance, because in such times of hopelessness, who wouldn't cling to these promises?

Flavius waved for silence once again "This being was once known as the leader of the Empyreans, predating Maotelus himself. It was the sole cause of Midgands rise to power, and now it shall do for us the very same! Tonight we shall awaken the one known as "The Suppressor" The Nameless Empyrean, Innominat!!" he roared to the air, bringing out a cacophony of thunderous applause and yells of victory from the crowd, their spirits having been lifted by their king's reassurance "So tonight let us sing, let us dance, and let us give thanks to our soon to be Saviour, as we look towards a brighter future, one basked in the light of our Providence!!"

New Loegres erupted with the people's celebration, its streets flooded with the sonorous laughter and singing of its citizens all illuminated under the golden bursts of fireworks screeching into the sky, exploding through the bloodied heavens in sprays of blazing sparks.

His eyes gazed solemnly into the crimson clouds drifting aloft, briefly obscured by explosions of fiery triumph, and Flavius began to weep silently, knowing this joy would not come without sacrifice. The wind blew through his curled white hair, running a chill up his spine. Regret plagued his mind, and his sorrow was looking to bury his heart, but he had to stay strong, for his people, his family, everyone. It's what he would have wanted for him, a world where the people of Avalon could live happily.

"Ambrosius.........my dear boy.........thank you" the old king gave a nod, tears falling from his eyes amidst the joyous air of the lively night, he would make sure to fulfill that promise, a promise for a brighter world.

The moon's eternal gaze had once again given witness to the beginning of a new age, emblazoned in a flash of holy burning light, and the roar of a reawakened deity once more set free unto this blighted realm. The Scarlet Night turned to a blinding day, and then.....nothing.

________

The night fell to a deafening silent dawn, cheers of victory, the laughter, and singing, all thoroughly replaced by the wind's hollowed howling. The dark gave way to a dull daylight, and meeting the sun's radiance was a land of lifeless gray where a grand capital, flourished with lives looking to the future, once stood. Ash was all that remained of the proud city, converting the sky itself to its colorless hue whilst more snowed down from above. Cinders swept through the air, taken by the wind through the valley of death, rising high above the land, but there was nothing as far as the eye could see, no life existed in the empty expanse, all of it, snuffed out by one's foolish ambition.

One figure rose from the embers, standing within the wasteland where everything he cherished had vanished in but a blink. Alive he was once more, but a husk was all that remained, vacant of the spark that pushed him through his promised life. The love he had for this world, had gone with his home, for he had witnessed humankind's true nature on his way back to the living, and the levels it could sink to.

The man let his withered body guide him aimlessly away from this nothingness, to where? Even he did not know, perhaps he was simply searching for a place to die or some other way from this miserable ashen graveyard. What he sought now was to wake from this endless dream of suffering he was subject to. But........this was no dream. It was a nightmare, one that had only just begun, for Glenwood, and its people.

And they would call it the Age of Death.......