On the Seventh day of the Creation, God said to each of his four celestial guardians:
“From this day forth, you shall protect the Empires in my stead.”
So, the four guardians agreed. And, on the Eighth day, God went to take his long-awaited rest.
The guardians, now left on their own, had to decide which Empire they were each going to govern.
“I,” the immortal Fire Phoenix said, “shall be the guardian of Wymark.”
“I,” the spirited White Tiger said, “shall be the guardian of Elyes.”
“I,” the unyielding Black Tortoise said, “shall be the guardian of Andreas.”
“And I,” the last guardian, the ice-hearted Azure Dragon said, “shall be the guardian of Wariner.”
Having decided that, the guardians exchanged their goodbyes, and departed for their respective Empires.
Ages passed, and the Empires lived in harmony and peace. And, the story thus comes to a happy ending.
…
That was how it was supposed to be.
“Run, Hildegard! Wendy, take Hildegard and RUN!”
That was how it was supposed to be…
“No..Mama, Papa!!!”
“Don’t look back, Hilde. Run, RUN I SAY!!! Are you just going to stand there and die too!?”
Why…
“What’s going on!? …Aren’t they supposed to our allies?”
“…It’s the end. Wariner…our Wariner…”
Why…did things turn out this way?
I could still remember standing there, that day, watching as the Imperial Capital fell apart…
“HILDEGARD!!!”
The empty eyes of the ice golem as it reached toward me, prepared to crush me without a moment of pause.
“Humans, remember this day well. In honor of the Winter King…we shall, without doubt, wipe Wariner from the face of existence!”
That day, seven years ago. The day the guardian of Wariner, the mighty Azure Dragon, turned its back on the Empire.
The day the Imperial Capital fell.
The day that the Empire turned into a frozen wasteland…
And, the day that the eternal Winter began.
…
Those were the memories of me, seven years ago.
And then…
“On this day, seven years ago, we, the citizens of Wariner, were betrayed by the holy guardian, Azure Dragon. Led by the Winter King, servants of the Azure Dragon attacked and seized the Imperial Capital, forcing humanity to retreat from city to city, until there was no longer an escape. To the Frost Wyrms, we have lost the cities of Ascelin, Lancelot, and Reginalde. To the Ice Golems, the cities of Serle, Bertelemy, and Rowan. One by one, our strongholds fell, until all that’s left, is the tiny city of Fort Sigrune.”
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The crowd gathered in front of him remained silent, a sea of pure black uniforms lined up in perfect order.
“But, that is all in the past. Humanity shall retreat no further! We have spent the last seven years struggling against creatures we could not comprehend…but we shall not struggle any longer! You, every single one of you, who have gathered here today, are the best humanity can offer. You, are humanity’s last hope. Humanity’s ultimate weapon in reclaiming what was originally ours! To those who wish to fight for our Empire, do not be afraid of death! To those who wish to protect their loved ones, do not be afraid to advance forward! And…to those who burn with the hatred, from that day, seven years ago…this is your last chance to fight back!”
The crowd remained still, yet the tension lingered in the air.
Everyone knew then, that from this moment on, the siege of the last winter…will have begun.
“One by one, we will take back what we have lost…”
I, Hildegard Aquarina, with thousands of others both young and old, have joined the “Wariner Assault Front,” seven years later.
In order to defeat the Winter King.
In order to reclaim our Empire.
And, most importantly of all, in order to find out the truth behind what happened that day.
“…Fort Sigrune, shall not fall!”
We, will put our lives on the line…and fight for the next Spring.
Prologue- End.
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Important Note: I have decided to write the prologue from Hildegard’s perspective, in order to capture the overall account of the events that triggered the start of everything. But, take note that Hildegard is the main heroine of the story, but is not the actual protagonist. The actual protagonist will appear in first person, “I,” next chapter. I sincerely apologize for the confusion that may result from this, but this was done for a reason (will be evident later on in the story).
Apart from that, I would recommend this fiction to fans of “Attack on Titan,” as I will try my best to create a story with the similar concept of “humanity’s last counterattack” in mind. But of course, the story will contrast from AoT in many ways as well.
Thanks for reading, and see you soon in the next chapter!
-Hikaru