Prologue

Content Warning: Character Deaths and Violence

Natalie watched her children as they played innocently on the floor of their room, a small smile dancing on her lips as she leaned against the doorframe. Her heart ached as Bella, her oldest, grinned over at her, her missing two front teeth making the scene even more adorable than before. The five-year-old’s violet eyes sparkled with laughter as she purposely tipped herself over, crashing to the floor in a bundle of giggles, dragging her tangle-prone brown curls across the floor carelessly. Natalie couldn’t help the small sigh that escaped her lips, knowing she’d be fighting that rat’s nest by the end of the night.

Marie, her youngest, had surrounded herself with her favorite toys, seemingly off in her own world, babbling to herself. Even in the darkening light as the sun set outside, her golden blonde curls, so much like her own, shone like the sun.

Even from a distance, they were on the fourth floor of the Verairacurs’ castle, she could hear the celebration below. The streets of the capital, Lietasae, were filled as the nation celebrated its five-hundredth anniversary, all five territories doing the same beyond the city’s limits. It was a day for joy, to remember the freedom she had here. Yet she couldn’t bring herself to be happy.

Her eyes remained focused on Marie, the two-year-old so innocent from the war that Natalie and her husband, Seniar, had been fighting for her. She watched as one of her stuffed toys was raised into the air by an invisible force, Marie’s eyes glowing a soft turquoise before it fell back to the floor just as quickly. The small hiccup that followed caught her attention, beginning to move before the crying had begun.

“It’s okay,” she hummed, scooping the tiny girl into her arms. She wiped a tear away from her eyes, the most beautiful eyes she could ever imagine seeing. Only galaxies themselves could even begin to rival the extraordinary colors that came to life in her daughter’s eyes, darkness and light blending perfectly together; a stark difference from her own plain brown eyes. She bounced her lightly, trying to redirect her thoughts, yet failing. The golden shimmer in Marie’s eyes tugged at Natalie’s thoughts before her eyes began to tear up once again. “I’ve got you,” she hugged her to her chest carefully.

She hummed softly, Marie’s hair tickling her neck while her eyes didn’t leave Bella, the tune of a song her Grandma had sung for her when she was little escaped her lips. My angel, my sweet! I never thought you would come to me…

“Mama! Mama!” Bella’s excited voice cut through the silence like a knife. “The sparkles have started!”

I love you, my darling, more than I could ever say...

Natalie stopped, her smile fading as she looked out through the window. On the horizon, another silent flash had been set off. Her blood ran cold as another blast shot up, her feet carrying her to the window to watch as one after another, after another, came closer every second, disrupting the twilight glow. Not fireworks, but warning flares.

No, no, no, not now… Her eyes burned as the cheering in the streets quickly dissolved into silence for only a second before the screaming began. Her body was frozen, she needed to move, now, but she couldn’t. Her breath caught while her heart hammered in her chest, her arms tightening around Marie.

“Mama?” She looked wide-eyed at Bella, now trembling beside her. “Mama, what’s happening?”

Forever, I will stay by your side, even when the sun sets on my time…

“We have to go!” She shifted Marie into her right arm, grabbing Bella unceremoniously with her left. She ran as fast as she could with both her daughters in check, barely aware that the floor under their feet had begun to rumble.

“Ow! Mama, you’re holding too tight!” Bella cried, but Natalie kept running, the usually bustling hallways now empty.

If there is no light where I go, the light of you shall bring me home…

As they passed another window, she could see the entire horizon, covered in the menacing glare of distant flames, the red glow marring the lilac sky. The light illuminated a surging mass of living creatures thick enough that almost no ground could be seen on any of the hills surrounding the city. She could see the many distant figures of their own army swarming through the front gates to meet their enemy. Even the combination of the Guard and the royal branch of their army of thousands looked pitiful while joining the others, every force they had available rushing to join the fray. Her heart twisted at the knowledge that Seniar was with them, along with everyone else she had grown to care about here. She felt her feet slow to a stop, fear blazing through her senses, taking her over.

Horrid images dug themselves into her mind: Seniar, dark hair stiff with coated blood, dead violet eyes staring straight through her, Bella, lying in an unmoving heap… 

A loud crash startled her back to the present, a deafening roar echoing through the empty stone hallways. Natalie turned slowly, her face pale.

“God help us all,” she gasped.

The sun is nearing the horizon, now it is time to say goodnight to you.

____________________________

Seniar’s heart thumped in his chest as he ran beside Maishear, his jaw locked and muscles ready for action. His friend was absolutely silent as the horrified screams came from all around them, the streets only becoming more flooded as parents rushed to find their children who had been watching the celebrations only moments before. He wanted to close his eyes, plug his ears, and block the chaos that was around him out so he could just focus on his job.

He knew they were just ahead of the herd of people who would be rushing towards the castle, it was, after all, the centerpiece of the city, and during an invasion, the safest place to be. He knew Natalie would be there, along with their daughters, but fear for the rest of his family rose inside him. Where were they? Had any of them stayed back from the festivals?

The battle had barely begun, but he already knew this was going to be the worst one he had ever fought in. Just from the lights on the hills and the sounds of fighting around him, he knew the whole city was surrounded. If this army had made it to the capital, it wasn’t a stretch to conclude that the other territories had already been wiped out. He didn’t even want to contemplate how that was even possible without any hint of something gone wrong.

They had made it through the front castle gates, turning sharply to go straight into the barracks he had been so proud to work in. Many of his fellow observance members were already there, strapping on their armor as quickly as they could, the lightweight, black material seeming to move light on its own. He put on his own, trying his best to keep his hands from shaking too much as he did so. He grabbed the last item off his shelf carefully, uncoiling the long, whip-like silver chain that he hadn’t used in many years now.

He twisted his hand carefully as he willed the ring on his finger to reveal its true form. The legendary silver dagger spoke to him, the voices it held within it standing behind him as he reigned in the courage to join the fray.

He turned to look at Maishear, only to find that his friend had been swept up in what could very well be a last desperate kiss by his sunairan, Mesaiad. Pulling apart to, no doubt, confirm where their children were.

Ansael, one of his companions, caught his eye on the way out. “Let’s go kill some daemons, shall we?” His normally carefree teal eyes now burning with fury.

“Let’s,” Seniar growled, flipping the dagger in his hand as he followed the other man to the door. As soon as they were clear, they broke into a run, the shadowy figures of different species of daemon everywhere he looked. On the distant hillsides, he could still see the movement of more flooding in, the flames growing higher the longer they burned.

He curled his whip chain over his head, easily slicing a Vorakur daemon in half, revealing the old man it had been feasting on below. His stomach turned, but he didn’t have time to properly mourn the unnamed man. Anger filled his veins, this was his home. This was everyone’s home, and he would fight for it. For the memory of his parents and ancestors, his siblings, his wife, his children, his friends, and all of the people that he had sworn to protect and guide.

He threw himself at a Chovera, not hesitating to plunge the dagger into its throat. He blocked out the gurgling sound it made as he pulled it back, its body not even fully on the ground before he slashed another’s head clean off. He continued on, alternating between his two weapons until he noticed a familiar figure.

Phiala, ice flying from her fingertips and saifas blade gutting her opponents with its retractable spikes. He approached her with a shout, aware that she wouldn’t be looking for a friendly face. Her white eyes, still glowing, were more dulled than he had seen before. “Took you long enough,” his old friend huffed at the sight of him. She signaled for him to duck, her hand no longer throwing ice a blur as she hurled a throwing knife from her waist, the startled yelp behind him, along with the thump of a body telling him she’d hit her mark.

“I got here as fast as I could,” he deflected an oncoming blade, Phiala quickly cutting through their attacker’s lower half.

“Sure you did,” her words were humorless for once, though her Nirshorn hood prevented him from clearly seeing her face. “I’ll forgive you though if you’re on time next time.”

The: if there is a next time, didn’t need to be said. They could both feel it, they were losing. All around them, those they had trained and fought with were falling. Not far away, he could see Ansael, a hole ripped straight through him, his face stretched in shock and terror. Next to him, a pregnant woman wept, no doubt the proclaimed ‘love of his life’ his friend had never stopped talking about but had jokingly refused to name. He took a step towards her before another woman raced over, practically dragging the woman from Ansael’s body.

“We need to fall back,” he muttered; just loud enough for Phiala to hear him.

She stopped, staring at him, lips parted in shock. “Fall back? We can’t fall back, we can’t just lose our home like this!”

“Fall back!” He yelled, his vocal cords straining at the volume.

“We need to stay and fight,” her eyes were filled with disbelief and betrayal as she looked at him. “This is our home!”

He choked at the looming figure that had risen behind her. “Look out!”

It was too late, the Bomikra daemon had already latched its bony fingers around her throat, the movement causing her hood to fall, revealing the dark brown hair beneath. He plastered his hands to his ears until he couldn’t hear anything, his weapons falling at his sides. Though he could see the soul-catching scream that the daemon released through her.

The light died in her eyes, her body slumped to the ground before him. Her gaze remained on him, her mouth forming her last word, all but unheard by him. Run.

He did, swooping down to grab his weapons before he did so. He turned back towards his home, the castle their last hope now. Except, as he grew closer, he could see that there was something wrong. A huge hole had blown through the side, one of the rising towers now missing, leaving the inside vulnerable.

His throat burned as his family’s faces flashed behind his eyes. He envisioned the hallways of the castle where he grew up, where he had played with his brothers and sister; where he had spent almost his whole life. The scenery around him shifted, going from the body-piled streets to the empty, echoing hallway outside where his and Natalie’s chambers were.

“Natalie!” He yelled out, breaking into a run. “Natalie, where are you?”

He stopped when he heard a distant cry, Marie. His heart just about stopped at the sound, hope flaring in his chest, only to be crushed by the growl that shook the floor beneath his feet. He ran, his footsteps pounding on the marble floors, his lungs begging him to stop. He reached the main stairwell, unsure if they were up or down. Another, clearer cry was released. Immediately, he slid down the railing to the second floor and was greeted by a sight worse than his nightmares.

A huge Drokav daemon loomed over his daughters, Bella hugging Marie to her chest while tears flooded down her cheeks. Natalie was nowhere in sight, but the bloodstains pooled on the floor sent a crack through his heart.

“Hairo!” Bella cried. Papa. The fear in her small voice pushed away his grief, he may have lost Natalie, but he would not be losing them too. To his horror, Marie looked back to him at Bella’s voice, pushing away from her sister and running under the daemon.

He whipped the beast, desperately attempting to pull its attention away from its moving prey. It growled, turning its serpent-like body to face him, the green scales that covered its body rippling as it stepped towards him, amber eyes narrowing.

Its tail lashed behind it, time seeming to slow as it approached his daughter. He felt the scream rip through him, his fists clamping down on his weapons. A small hand touched his leg, grounding him as the nightmare unfolded before him. 

He was watching, unable to move, as the tail smashed into Bella, the bloodcurdling scream she let out echoing eternally in his mind when he closed his eyes. He wasn’t brave enough to watch as his precious daughter flew across the floor headfirst into the stone paneled walls, the scream cutting short.

He opened his eyes, his whole body shaking in fury. He pulled his leg free from Marie, whose cries had grown louder. “You’re going to pay for that,” he snarled, not recognizing his own voice.

He rushed at the monster, the world a blur of silver around him as he sliced at the beast. His mind was screaming, wanting nothing but to have the monster dead. He was unaware of his movements, mindlessly slashing as he threw himself up against it, only the roars of pain and anger telling him he was making any progress. Finally, he had hooked on to some of the scales that covered its face, pulling himself up over its eyes. He slammed the dagger down, angling it between the protective scales, digging it deeper when it roared louder. In one last huff, the Drokav dropped its head to the floor, never to move again.

He stood, gasping for air, wanting to just let himself collapse. He looked at Marie, her shimmering eyes looking up at him, she was unharmed. He jumped down, turning to look where Bella had landed. He should have been prepared for the sight, he should have known what to expect, but it didn’t change anything.

Her eyes were closed, blood running down her face and in an expanding pool around her body. He didn’t need to get closer to know she wasn’t breathing, her tousled brown curls sticking to her face, hiding her features. He took a step forward, but stopped; his throat closing.

A small glint of silver metal caught the corner of his eye on the floor, pushed up against the opposite wall. He immediately recognized it as Natalie’s necklace, the gemstone that she had worn every day since they had met. Grief overtook him, looking towards Bella, then back to the necklace. He lifted Marie into his arms carefully, then went to the necklace, holding it to his chest as its broken chain brushed against the back of his hand, leaving a smear of blood behind.

He looked helplessly back at Bella, a sob rising in his throat. “I’ll be back for you,” he told her, knowing there was no use. “I promise.”

Then he ran, his surroundings bending around him once again. He landed in the castle courtyard, surrounded by thousands of others, pushed back until their breaking point.

As people recognized him, they parted for him to pass, moving towards the battle at the gates. “Seniar!” A voice rose above the unintelligible yells and cries, the voice of his youngest brother.

“Halsairr,” he rushed to meet him in the crowd, still holding Marie close to his side.

Halsairr’s face was pale, his deep purple eyes rising, almost hesitant, to meet his own. “Oravinkas is dead.”

Seniar felt another stab to his heart, his oldest brother, the king, their leader, was gone. “Shelaice? Jisuph?” He licked his lips, almost afraid to hear the answer about his other siblings.

“We don’t know,” Halsairr’s voice was rough. “But until we do, this belongs to you,” he raised the golden sword he had been holding. The king’s sword. The sword that every leader, all the way back to the founder, Lietasae herself, had held. “Teleporters have arrived from across all the territories, asking for reinforcements. It appears that all our lands are under siege.”

He caught his breath, strapping his whip chain to his side and taking the sword from him. If there were this many daemons here, and enough to take on every other city in their lands at the same time, it meant their adversaries likely numbered at least in the tens of millions. It was an unimaginable figure, especially since they’d had little warning.

“How many do we have left?” He demanded.

“Not many,” Halsairr’s voice was grim. “Most that are left are injured, or too old or young to fight.”

Seniar’s mind raced for a second, feeling hopeless. It was too much. This was truly the end.  Armies, some of the largest and best-trained forces anywhere for centuries had all been crushed in less than an hour. His friends who had fought with him through many wars now lay dead outside their own homes.

“We can’t stay here,” he announced, much to the shock of all that could hear him. His mind jumped to the one other place they could possibly live, or at the very least, temporarily blend in. He raised his voice, “If we stay, we will all be lost! Open gateways to Earth, hide among the humans, and live.” He shouted to the survivors around him. “All of you who can, do it now!”

Halsairr gripped his arm, eyes wild, knuckles white. “We can’t do that, you know it.”

“What else would you suggest?” Seniar shot back, beginning to work on his own gateway. “Yes, it’s risky, but they’re not the ones who are killing thousands of us every second we waste standing here debating and it’s one of the few places where we can hide. Not to mention that humans have the military power to defend themselves, and us, if they’re invaded too. We’ll just have to stay hidden.”

Halsairr was silent before opening the telltale violet glow of a gateway had begun to appear beside Seniar too, his eyes lit with the same light.

“Go now!” Seniar commanded those around him. A flood of people rushed to them, piling through the portals, one after another. As the courtyard emptied, the warriors who had been continuing to fight were backing toward them. Daemons of all shapes and sizes started breaking through the last, pitiful lines of defense. “Maishear!” Seniar called as he recognized his friend, being dragged to the portal by another soldier. Holes across his torso were oozing blood, one arm was nearly severed. It was a miracle he was still alive. “Go,” he ushered the two to his gateway.

There were only a couple still fighting, other teleporters jumping through their gateways, when Halsairr turned to him, his eyes more serious than he had ever seen them. “Go,” his voice was hoarse with emotion.

“I’m not leaving you too,” he gritted his teeth, aware that his power was about to fail him.

Halsairr glanced at something over Seniar’s shoulder before grabbing his sleeve. “You need to live more than I do,” He grinned. “I love you, brother. I’m sorry.”

It was the last thing he could process before being thrown through Halsairr’s gateway. Seniar scrambled to his feet, turning to go back, only to see a black blade pierce through Halsairr’s heart. The gateway closed with a flash less than an instant later, the only home he’s ever known disappearing with it.

Seniar fell to his knees, Marie stumbling over to him, staring blankly ahead of him at the world around him, slightly stunned by the intense brightness of this world, and the sheer silence. The field around him was too peaceful, the only sounds reaching his ears being the quiet chirping of birds from a small tree off to his right. He had failed his people. Even with everything he had trained for and fought for, he was unable to do anything but watch them be ripped apart and abandon the land their people built to crumble and die. He didn’t know where he was, he didn’t know where he was going to go. The one thing he did know was that the warrior who had stabbed his brother through the heart was someone he thought he had known well.

A Hecathian had killed one of their own.