Daring Further

Prologue

From afar, it might have been an eerie sight. Flames cast a demonic curtain on the proud castle while dark figures, barely discernible from the night sky behind them, dove into the fiery glow. However, once closer, chaos erupted. Women and children were screaming frantically, trying to find their loved ones in the destruction around them. Men were shouting orders to each other, just adding to the confusion. They seemed to have some idea of getting to the armory to protect their families and town. A group of panicking men slowly broke through the mob and started pounding on the palace gates. Screams of "You can't leave us to die!" and "Cowards!" were echoed among the men. Suddenly, one of the monsters swept over the royal stables, breathing out a scorching blast. The shrieks of the burning horses gave the men pause and they imagined the terrible fate that awaited them and their neighbors if they were attacked. All attempt at an organized resistance failed, and they fled into different directions on foot.

Survivors called this event simply "The Great Fire" or "Destruction of Rhers", but it went down in history as the birth of democracy in Rigneria. The royal inhabitants of the castle crawled out of the wreckage if they were unlucky enough to survive; the people, driven mad by fear and hatred, sentenced them to die and the unlucky king and queen of Rhers were beaten and assaulted cruelly. The mob, made up of villagers and soldiers who resented the Rhers' treatment of them, held a mock trial before sentencing them to death. The Queen of Rhers went first- even after the trauma and wreckage of her life, she was calm and reserved as always. Although pale, she disdainfully refused the mocking arm of a soldier as she was led to the guillotine. The King watched, and although he offered no resistance, hatred boiled in his veins. He was a tall, muscular man, and three soldiers approached him cautiously when it was his turn. However, seeing that the King was not going to fight them, they became bolder and jeered at the royal. One spat in his face and the King just turned to the soldier and gave him a piercing look- a look that demanded respect. Habit kicked in and the soldier backed off obediently. However, it did not prevent the King from being subjected to the same fate as his wife.

As the remnants of the castle was scoured for anything they could steal and loot, the bodies of the Rhers children were found. Their nursery had been blasted directly by the flames of the monsters and it was obvious the roof caved in and killed them instantly. The soldiers tossed the children into a grave with their parents; the hatred for the Rhers family was extended to the children and they were denied any respect for the dead. The grave was marked only by one soldier drunkenly thrusting his scarlet dagger into the mound. The daggers had been issued to every soldier as part of their armor.

After the fall of the Rhers, the land became overrun by thieves and beggars. Ex-soldiers wandered the country, most of them plundering the villagers. A few of the nobles attempted to form a democratic government in the hopes of appeasing the masses, but it failed. If they weren't actively being hunted or mocked, the nobility were fleeing into other countries who soon learned of the revolts and attacks on Rigneria. Little by little Rigneria was invaded; defenseless, the citizens submitted humbly and Rigneria was no more.

After a great war was fought among the neighboring countries, eventually a peace treaty came about and Rigneria was divided into three: Soliber, Dazeraik, and Phzan.