The fire was dancing. Finally free. The flames welcomed the Wrath that unleashed them. This sight was beautiful. The castle of Astria's main city was naught but molten rocks. The surrounding buildings and structures had been reduced to rubble. The streets were full of charred corpses and injuried people.
The few soldiers and warriors who were still able to somewhat stand and resist the heat grouped together in small squads to escort everyone who had survived. The avenues and streets were completely obstructed by debris and dead bodies. Whatever managed to create such devastation was powerful enough to ignore the magic-sealing arrays in the capital and they had to stop it from going any further.
Even near the outer ramparts, a low rumble reached the survivors' ears. The magic tower of the country didn't resist the attack either, it seemed. The building just collapsed right now, adding more obstacles and junk in the hellish city.
The Tower was a sign of prestige and pride in Astria, it was the craddle of groundbreaking magic knowledge and powerful magi in this territory, but now...
"How the mighty have fallen... The pride of this acursed kingdom ! Reduced to such a state !... Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. Everything that our Wrath consumes will return to nothingness to repent. And what our Wrath has been yearning for is... vengeance. Vengeance against this kingdom.
Enjoy your last moments, hateful beings. I will lay waste on this land and destroy everything related to you... Someone hateful told her and her father... 'You'll die alone, forgotten by even time.' And to that I say the same. Only Hell will welcome your scorched souls."
Much to the onlookers' atonishment, a Wyvern crawled up from the hole where the castle was previously situated. Before anyone could realize what just happened, the small form of the Wyvern launched itself in the air and a bright cross-shaped light shone, blinding everyone.
It didn't take a genius to understand what would happen. Those who were trapped under debris or weren't strong enough to move closed their eyes. There was no stopping it now.
The attacker finally let out the inferno it was holding back. Everything the flames touched, they vaporized it. Everyone they touched, they turned them to cinders. When the creature spotted someone too close to the remparts, it sniped that specific someone with a firefall. Each fireball killed dozens, and sometimes destroyed a house along the way.
Each second passing by, the survivors dwindled in numbers. Either trampled by other panicked people, or carbonized by the Wyvern's rage. All hope was lost for the capital. The initial heatwave managed to vaporize every living being outdoors and blow away constructions near the castle. There were no more soldiers, no more magi, no more heavy weapons...
The scene continued for a few more minutes. The subjects of the city all piled up at the main gates of the capital, but a well-aimed fireball had melted and sealed off the herses without them realizing it. They struggled to lift them but they did not budge. A few more minutes and the capital would officially be a burning grave.
Finally, the Wyvern landed and as soon as she touched the ground, she began smelling the air. It picked up countless scents. The scent of her fire and fumes. The scent of burning wood. The scent of fear and more importantly, the scent of the dead. It was overwhelming yet satisfying to smell. Moreover, it confirmed the fact that no-one was still alive in these ruins.
"... No survivor. Next up us the rest of this kingdom.... I truly hope your last moments were ones of joy. Thank you for these years speaking to me. Thank you."
| They were. Believe me. I should be the one thanking you. It has been so long since the last time I could feel alive. My last Avatar was disappointing. He was human. He did not understand nor wield my Wrath correctly. He fueled and used it aimlessly and burnt himself, as a living pyre. Just as I did, eons ago.
... Please, Raya Drake Sin of Wrath. Do not end up like me. Do not feed your Wrath endlessly and without a purpose. Keep in mind that we have been sent in this realm to remind mortals of their sins and to punish them. Do not abuse the Wrath you will represent. Even Greed and Gluttony know this.
Explore and learn about the mortals of today. If you deem them as sinful, ask the other Sins. That is how we always worked together. They will gladly help you cast judgment. And only then, you will be able act as the divine's executioner by calling upon the Flames of the Purgatory. |
"What about the demon king ? They keep spawning every half-century."
| Mere annoyances. A demon king is naught but a lizard to a Drake. Do not bother with it. Let the Hero of this era deal with it...
Raya. My time has come.
They deemed my time of atonement was enough to welcome me back in heavens. Thank you for the time together. May we meet again one day Raya, Drake Sin of Wrath. |
"... May we meet again, Progenitor."
The Wyvern fell silent as it felt the remnant of her ancestor leaving the Heart of Wrath. It contemplated while looking at the ashes and cinder falling on the city, like grey, heavy snowflakes. She still needed to purge this land. Its annihilation would calm her Wrath down. Until it would find sin somewhere again.
Raya stood up and dusted herself off. Spitting all that fire had left her throat a little bit sore. She decided her next destination would be the eastern part of Astria. Water was abundant there and she could be there in a quarter of a day or so. She'd gladly take a bath too. At least she could have a snack before departing. There were so many corspes to feast with.
And after that... she'd go back where everything started. What would she find in the tribe's former territory ?
Raya sighed and looked at the sky. At least she did it... she avoided being Raya. Her own Wrath didn't consume her too. She just needed to uphold her mission as the Drake Sin of Wrath, the Executioner.
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"Headmaster. It has almost been seventeen years since the last time we heard about Fireroc. He was supposed to update you yearly to send his youngling at the Academy. I doubt he forgot. He's a serious man and he has always kept his promises. None of the missives we've sent in DragonGorge managed to reach his territory. It's Astria, they must have made a move-"
The elf woman who was speaking right now was interupted by a figure in the shadows. More precisely the figure's lifted hand.
"Milia. I understand your concerns. Having no news from Fireroc is indeed worrisome... Astria's recent bevavior has been suspicious too. Me and the party of old hid this from you but we have been making preparations for the past year. We have been planning to visit our old comradefor a while now. The others of the band are worried too. We have to find his child.
We will depart at the end of the week. We did not want to bring you along in fear of discovering something unsavory but your fondness and love towards Fireroc made me rethink this.
Hiding the truth would maybe be even worse than anything else. You have the rest of the week to pack your things. "
"Headmaster. Why do you seem so interested in his child ?"
The man stepped out of the shadows, revealing a golden and amber-colored mane and the face of a lion. Dressed in a suit, with rectangular glasses and holding a cane, the lion-man's vibe screamed 'headmaster' as a whole. What a cliché... He looked behind the window of the office the two were in and spoke.
"Fireroc's last letter spoke about something, the coming of the One who'd finally supress the Sin of Wrath. His child."
"But that prophecy was a lie ! It was a fabricated tale made by Astria ! And besides they also spread the exact opposite in the whole world !"
"Milia. Do you remember why our party had the idea to found an academy twenty years ago ? Exactly because of this. To atone for our past behavior. What were we back then ? Exactly like everyone. Like everyone who belived Wyverns were bloodthirsty creatures who followed blindly The Wrath, and allied with the demons.
But when we slew the demon king with Fireroc's help, when he crushed the traitorous Hero when he attempted to decapitate us, we saw the good in Wyverns at the time...
Do you remember the emotion in his eyes when he realized the Hero's intentions ? Fear. For us. That encounter was what opened our eyes to the Wyverns' true nature. The rumors were false. But despite our efforts, depite the efforts of the... Hero's party, their image didn't get any better. And now..."
"Yes... Fire Wyverns are... the most hated beings in this world. Despite our protests, despite her Holiness Pope Kari's denial, despite their peaceful way of living... Fire Wyverns are hated. Because of Astria. Because this kingdom... wants them dead. DragonGorge is their last sanctuary.
They are alone, they keep the relic of the Sin of Wrath, tasked to one day become destroyers of nations and civilizations, should we sin again. Of course it would be easy to spread hate with such a background.
That's why we founded this academy, right ?
To teach about the truth and the Fire Wyverns' role in this world. Sadly... It did not work. Not in lands where Astria spread its rumors deeply. We were sent away... Everytime." the elf almost murmured sadly.
"So you indeed do remember. Now, the Papal independant lands... are our hope to found this academy and educate the youger generation without bias.
How ironic... We will teach about the Seven Deadly Sins' purpose in the state that preaches to not fall into their clutches. But I must thank her Holiness Kari...
Maybe the only individual with enough sense in this world. After all, who apart from the Pope is qualified to know that the Sins are merely punishments the divine has sent...? Maybe this time, we will be sucessful. Ragnar's idea to use the Pope's infuence was brilliant. Now everyone who dismissed us and refused to send their children to our institution will be... 'reasured' by her Holiness."
Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.
"If I understand correcly... you want to enroll Fireroc's yougling with this batch... to prove that Wyverns are not dangerous..."
The headmaster only smiled, ending the conversation.
...
The lands surrounding Astria; the Akwa Empire, the Wild Plateaux and the Papal States were all closing their borders. The roads were filled with miserable-looking Astrian who were pleading for someone to help them. They were coming to other nations but no-one wanted more mouths to feed. The news of a magic invention that destroyed the heart of the country spread fast. In less than five days after the disaster, the whole world knew of what happened.
The news was believable enough. All of Astria's mana distribution was diredly linked to their capital; with the magic tower. A disaster in the main city would create a buttefly effect and create devastating consequences in the provinces too.
Eventually the news reached a small province in the center of the Akwa Empire, where a couple of banished Astrian scholars lived quietly with their son. They just welcomed a poor family of refugees for a little bit of time and listened to their story. While the parents were tending to their guests' wounds, the son was training in the nearby clearing, accompanied by a flock of girls of the same age.
He was a prodigy both in swordmanship and magic. One of the best student of the country, if not the best. Top grades, godly looks, he had everything he wanted.
With a single swing, his sword cut through three trees. Then he exploded the same trees with a fireball. His spectators awed all together looking at the teen's sweaty shirt and muscles.
"Ramiel, you're so powerful, how come the Pope didn't recognize you yet ?! You have a holy sword ! It's a scandal ! You can already slay wild Giants boars alone and Trolls too ! You're incredible !"
"That's what I'm planning. I've been invited to an academy approved by the Pope Herself. The teachers are all famous figures of the last Demon War, I heard Sun Mane is the head of the academy and he's teaching combat classes ! Can you imagine that ?!"
"Wait ! THE Sun Mane ?! The guy who's said to have ripped off one of the demon king's arm ?! Waaaaah that's so cool ! You'll learn so many things there, I'm so jealous actually now ! Plus you'll get to experience actual Adventurer work."
"Hehe~ And the best part is that the Empire has made a deal with the Pope. If I manage to top score my five years there, I'll officially get recognized as the Hero !"
"But that means you'll be far away from us... That's sad... I think I'll cry... Boo-hoo~"
"Well at least I'll have Liz'a. She's not too far from me in the capital's rankings. She's a genius too." Ramiel answered back dreamingly. He was so lost in his thoughts that he even forgot to swing his sword.
The troupe of girls looked at each other and laughed softly. They knew the difference. They themselves had no chances to be together with Ramiel. He was the future Hero of mankind. They were just average noble girls or peasants, they could only dream and imagine.
Liz'a on the other hand was the daughter of Emperor de Wandermer, the most influential man in the world. The ruler of the Akwa Empire.
She had her father's riches and reputation, she inherited his looks and his terrifying frost and water magic. The girl was maybe the only child in the entire world who could rival the future Hero in both political and physical power.
The two were a match made in heavens. Humanity's future strongest couple many girls in the Empire's academy joked.
The group chit-chatted for a few more minutes and everyone went their way. Ramiel approached his house and saw the refugees going away in the distance.
"Mom ? Dad ? I just saw the guests leaving. Did they have to do something ?"
Ramiel's father looked at his son with a somber face. After a moment of silence, he sat down and gestured for the rest of the family to do the same.
"Ramiel, we need to talk. We just received information about Astria from these poor souls..."
At this moment, Ramiel felt like this would be a very long talk.
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It's... not stopping. Not at all. All aI feel is Wrath, hate and resentment. I do not understand ! I destroyed this kingdom ! Why didn't I quench my Wrath, even for a moment ? Why is that ?! This should not have happened ? I've been burning everything I could in this country... but it's not stopping ! Why ?!
WHY ?!
None of this makes any sense ! They said my Wrath would stop after competing my goal ! Fuck ! So much negative emotions... Is it because I've left them growing for twelge years...?
At some point I think I started to think that this was the right answer. The more I destroyed, the more I calmed myself down. The cities and people were not enough. I realized this.
Because even if the Drake Sin of Wrath's mission was a divine one, even the god that sent Them here in the first place, could not restrain the philosophy of Wrath itself. Now that I became the Sin... I had to burn and destroy. I had to evacucate this hate in a way or another. Wrath's nature was a destructive and cruel one. A perfect punishment for mortal sinners.
Now I start to understand the Progenitor's fall. The Wrath we represent is an all consuming fire that, if left unchecked for too long, will eventually burn us and our minds, leaving us as mere beasts of chaos.
Luckily... I found a way to dissipate some of this Wrath. Use Wrath to fuel Wrath. Only a temporary solution but it is enough for the time being. The ruins of the village will not suffer from my flames. This is ... a sacred place for me. No-one knows of this place... and no-one will ever trouble my kin's eternal slumber. The protective flames from the altar, I will strenghen them to engulf this village whole. None but me will be allowed to enter.
The gates... they used to be tall and magestic. Welcoming too... Now only dusty ruins covered in moss. And they're so... tiny. I got even bigger. How much did I grow ? I barely fit in the entrance now. They were... five meters tall.
Sigh...
Ignorance truly is a bliss sometimes. Would I have lived a better life by revolting ? Would I have lived a better life if I did not reincarnate ? Should I burn these last few memories too ? Everything is meaningless when I'm not unleashing my Wrath. But Liz... my only precious memories I dare not burn. What did it cost me to reduce the others to cinders ?
So many questions. So few answer-
Rustle...
RAWR !
...
"What the fuck is this ?! How big is she ? That's a female, right ? Why is she so massive ? Even a male doesn't get past fifteen meters ! How long ! Tell us Kiara !"
"T-twenty... She's- she's too big ! We have to get away guys. C'mon Sun Mane ! Give the order !"
"Wait Kiara. Am I... seeing... things. Look. At. Her. Chest." Sun Mane pointed to the Wyvern. Only one side was visible but the members of the old hero party could see an orange glow from the torso of the Wyvern. Just like what Fireroc described to them.
"The... Heart of Wrath... Why does she have it ? Nevermind that. We have to get away now !"
Rustle...
RAWR !
The Wyvern reacted instantly, she flapped her wing to turn around and a wave of fire went straight for the veterans hidden a dozen meters away. Apparently, the flames were hot enough to ignite the trees without coming into contact with them. The Wyvern was furious and started to charge at full speed. The flaming trees were swatted away by the powerful arm-wings and the distance between the two parties was closing very fast.
From afar, the scene could look almost comical. Four unlucky people, trying to run for their lives, with a big bad Wyvern tailing them.
"C'mon big ears, you got us in this mess, fix it !"
Come back here you bastard !
"I'm a support shaman, Skal ! I won't do jack shit against her ! Ragnar ! I'll leave it to you !"
"WHAT THE FUCK MILIA ?! That's not fair ! Mane ! A little help !" Ragnar, a burly goblin shouted to the lion-man before dodging a fireball.
"HUH ?! W-WAIT ! Wyvern ! We mean no harm ! Do you know someone named Fireroc ! We're searching for him !"
The sounds of soil and rocks being grinded under a huge weight was the sign that the Wyvern was now trying to slow down. She was pushing back to stop her momentum.
Why... are you searching for my father ? He is dead. Everyone here has been dead for twelve years.
"I... So you are... Raya I suppose. Raya, the Drake Sin of Wrath, am I right ?"
The Wyvern looked at the beastman, who himself looked at her glowing chest.
I am ! But to know about this secret... Either you are one of these sinful creatures from Astria... or you are someone my father knew. In any case, I will not repeat myself a third time. Why are you searching for him ?
Raya opened her mouth to let out some heat in the direction of the intruders. Some patches of Sun Mane's fur began to smoke lightly.
Khrgh
"Young Wyvern ! We were searching for your father because of you ! Last time we heard about him was exactly seventeen years ago ! We were comrades long ago.
We helped to defeat the demon king and kept contact ever since. When we parted ways after the demon king subjugation, I wanted to found an academy. He regularily sent me news about himself in the meantime. The last letter he sent me was about your hatching. Together, we planned to enroll you in there. Our goal was to spread a better image of Fire Wyverns for future generations."
Why ? Dad never talked about this to me.
"He planned to talk to you about it after the Wyvern initiation ritual. But... now that you told me about this... I believe he never got the chance to tell you about this matter. Tell me young Wyvern. What exactly happened in DragonGorge ? We have been exploring for half a day and we found unusual things. Balista remains and scraps that ressembled armor... What happened...?"
The sinful kingdom was in search of power. They believed they could control the Sin of Wrath. They assaulted the tribe the day of my initiation ritual and massacred everyone, save for me. They had planted a spy long ago. My... mother was merley a dead puppet in the clutches of a Astrian magus.
They captured me, trained me, tortured me. For twelve years. Their goal was to implant the Heart of Wrath in me to get a war beast like no other.
Unfortunately for them... The Wrath is not something mortal can harness. The kingdom is now ashes and death.
"I... see. Thank you for enlightening us on this matter. If you allow it, my comrades and I will help you to honor your kin. We had a close relation with the tribe. We may even be... the only people who could hold a normal conversation with a Fire Wyvern."
Hateful. The more I see and hear, the more hateful this world becomes... I have not lived for long but I already experience so much hate.
But I see no problem in allowing you to honor my family. I may be... the only Fire Wyvern who can hold a normal conversation with a human-like species. In fact, you are the first ones I have talked to.
The heroic party followed the Wyvern. She displaced fallen boulders, burnt some ruined houses and the weeds that grew everywhere. Meanwhile, Sun Mane and the others began gathering the bones and ornaments of the fallen Wyverns.
"Miss... Raya ? May I ask a few question ?" a human woman in magus robes hesitantly came closer. Skal, she heard the name during the chase.
What is it ?
"What will you do... after ? After all of that ?"
I came back here to bury the remains of my tribeswyverns. I will seal DragonGorge to give them a last rest. Then, I will have nothing else to do there.
After that, I will continue the Sin's duty and it will utlimately be up to mankind, its actions and decisions for my Wrath to send more soul in Hell.
"Have you considered... about joining my academy ? Not as a student. Just as Fireroc's daughter. Your father saved us many times, and I believe I speak for everyone here when I say we want to repay the favor."
...
In exchange, tell me tales about my father. Tell me about your adventures together. I wish to know him more than I do.
The golbin member of the troup smiled and nodded soflty.
"For sure. I'm the best storyteller that exists in this world."