The dark skies rumbled as thick ashen clouds blotted out the stars, and the lightning danced wildly in the rain. The heavy rain hammered everything below, as shadows flickered in the darkness.

The muddy ground left deep imprints, of man, and beast, as thick red liquid flowed into the foot prints that were left behind. The Screams of dying men, the echoes of clashing steel, and the shouts of anger all converged into a single terrifying song.

A single girl stood atop dozens of corpses, her body covered in scars, her hands twitching, and leaking blood. Her left arm was singed black, and dirt smeared her long golden hair. All around her buildings were set aflame. Plumes of smoke rose into the skies, and flecks of embers rode the winds that smelled of ash, and charred flesh.

Corpses decorated the dark streets, bloody hand prints marred the windows, and the sounds of war enveloped her world.

Amidst this scene, men, and undead clashed in the streets, towering giants made of rotten flesh, and bones swept away columns of armoured knights. The skies burst apart as brimstone, and flame reigned death to the city below.

Buildings collapsed, blood flowed, and corpses littered the open streets. Men, women, and children fled from the creatures invading from the night, and lurking in the alleys. The once tall, and sturdy walls were broken, the proud defenders lay dead in the outskirts, and the citizens were slowly being massacred.

A thick dark magic was now floating along the streets, and houses like a black mist, slowly raising the freshly killed corpses, and causing the living to slowly weaken.

In the skies giant beasts half lion, and eagle cried aloud, as the armoured men riding on them above them charged the undead dragons. The bone dragons, with a black putrid energy replacing their organs, and tattered wings clashed with the griffin knights.

Each purplish black flames from the bone dragons sent men, and beast tumbling from the skies, crashing into houses, and collapsing on the soldiers fighting below.

The lone girl pushed her body forward amidst this chaotic battle, her right arm soaked in blood, as she forcefully continued onward. Every skeleton she met, was slashed to pieces, every zombie was decapitated, and every golem was dismantled by her sword.

Each swing of her blade, caused the blood on her hands to turn darker, and flow stronger. She eventually kicked in a door, from a burning building, and rushed inside.

The crackling flames billowed violently, as the thick sweltering smoke distorted the insides of the house. She couldn't feel the heat, only the blood pumping in her veins, and a single image floating in her mind.

The kitchen was in flames, the rooms were burning, and the thick smoke dug into her eyes. She let out deep painful coughs, as she burst into one of the rooms, there lying in bed was a small girl. She immediately took the young girl, with her charred hand, and lead her out.

The small girl had a round face, and brown hair. Her eyes were closed, and her breathing was mild, and slow. The frilly yellow dress was flailing wildly as she was carried outside into the rain. Despite the heavy rain pounding unto her frail body, the little girl did not utter a sound. From her charred hands, light leaked out, and enveloped the young girl.

Slowly, but surely, the girl opened her eyes.

“Lilia?”

“Shh, we'll talk later.”

The little girl merely nodded, as she hugged Lilia's neck, and closed her eyes.

Lilia's left arm formed several widening cracks on her skin, as blood started to trickle down, her right hand was firmly gripped to her sword as she marched into the streets. As soon as she saw more fighting in the distance she started to run in the opposite direction.

While marching past a group of dead people, a small child grabbed her leg. The child's eyes were glowing red, and his body showed decay.

She immediately impaled the boy's skulls, here eyes wavered, but steeled itself as she marched onward. The corpses were slowly getting up, one by one, their anguished moans drowned out by the powerful winds.

The two that stood in front of her she cleanly sliced off their legs, and rushed past them, another lunged at her from behind, she side stepped, and in a quick sweeping motion, severed it's neck. Two, became ten, and ten became twenty.

Teeth marks, claw marks, and gashes started to litter her arms, and legs, as she cut down throngs of undead.

In the distance she managed to spot a still standing building, and she noticed the little girl in her arms was starting to twitch violently. Without a second thought she rushed to go in.

When she was about to opened the door, a subtle chill could be felt in the very depths of her being, she twisted her body, as a single spear pierced through the door, and drove into her right abdomen.

The little girl still remained safe on her left, side but a bloody hole was open to her right side.

A single blade of light formed on her sword edge, as she flung it into the door. The blade pierced through the door, and exploded. She immediately kicked down the door, and looked inside.

All she saw was ashes where the explosion of light occurred, and left over clothes, and weapons a soldier would wear.

“Even the soldiers are being raised as undead...”

Lilia rushed into a room where she placed the soaked little girl, and started to change her clothes, and dry her. Only after the little girl looked safer, did she address, and clean her own wounds.

“Should I wait it out, or move again?”

While they managed to invade deep into the city, it will still be awhile before the undead would make any significant gains due to an ample amount of soldiers still within the city. During that small period, she would let her sister recover slightly.

While pondering what to do, the little girl's small hands reached outwards.

“Sister?”

“I'm here Lea.”

Lilia smiled as she clasped Lea's frail hands.

“Sister, why can't I see?”

It was only then that Lilia started to notice her sister was getting the same symptoms as the others.

She answered Lea in a small whisper.

“Because it's dark, silly.”

“Oh.... Sister.”

“Yes?”

“I feel so weak.”

“You're just tired that's all, you'll be fine tomorrow.”

“Ok.”

Lea smiled, as she cuddled with the thick warm blanket.

Illia watched as Lea' face grew more pale, and she could feel a small darkness growing inside Lea's small body. She stretched out her right hand, and placed it gently on Lea's cheeks, and gently stroked her. Something began to flow from Illia's body into Lea's.

The beautiful blue eyes on Illia started to grow dull, and transparent, her white teeth started to be dyed red, as a crimson liquid leaked from her mouth.

“Sister, I'm cold.”

“Hold on I'll get more blankets.”

“Hug..”

“Hmm?”

“I want a hug.”

“Of course.”

Illia went, and held Lea tenderly against her chest.

A small tired smile formed on Lea's cute face.

“Ehehe.”

Lea tried to hug Illia but her arms grew weak, as Illia tucked her back in.

“Sister.”

“Yes?”

“I want to be with sister lots, and lots, but you were missing all day.”

“I'm sorry.”

“Stay with me tomorrow all day, ok?”

“I defiantly will.”

“Promise?”

“I promise, when you wake up tomorrow.”

Illia smiled as she gently stroked Lea's pale cheeks, she could feel the darkness growing stronger, and Lea growing colder. Lea's face started to form a small uncomfortable frown. Illia opened her bloodied lips, and began to sing a small lullaby that their mom used to sing.

Lea's small face smiled, and looked more peaceful.

“Sis...ter?”

“Yes?”

“I.... Love you.”

“I love you too.”

A weak smile formed on Lea's face.

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“Good night.”

“Night.”

Illia's smile trembled as she continued to sing, the soft melody felt hoarse, her eyes started to leak blood, and the wound on her abdomen reopened, forming a small red pool on the floor. Tears leaked from her closed eyes, as she desperately continued singing.

The darkness inside Lea's cold body was gradually being swallowed, to prevent her from becoming undead.

Pretty soon Illia's body slowly felt cold, and weak. She gently stroked Lea's cheeks as she sang. During this moment the blood on the floor formed a magic circle, threads of gold light leaked from her mouth, as it escaped the house, and started to rise slowly into the dark sky.

Illia's voice grew stronger, and louder, as the wounds from her body started to reopen, and grow worse. Her ears drew blood, her eyes, and nose leaked red. The pool of blood underneath her body grew larger, and thicker.

Pretty soon Lea's face disappeared from her sights, and all Illia could see was red, eventually she could only see darkness. The hoarse singing no longer reached her own ears, the breathing felt clogged, and in her mouth she could only taste blood. The sharp pain all over her body, felt numb, and the warmth she once had, was now chilling.

Across the city the song grew in pitch, power, and tone.

Despite the raging winds, violent thunder, and screaming men, the song still managed to drown them all out. Eventually even the sky itself started to rumble, and split apart.

The dark cloud broke into halves, the lightning was shattered, the rain was sucked into a vortex in the sky, and a giant beam of light enveloped the city.

As I held you in my arms I began to tremble, and my heart felt pained.

Why wasn't I there for you sooner? Every minute longer I could have stayed by your side...

Was I a bad sister? Could I have done more? Will you ever forgive me for lying?

Lea... I can no longer make it up to you. I can no longer see your face, or hear your voice.

I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry.........

In order to let me atone, I will protect the place where we once smiled, and the dreams we shared.

If I should join you soon, then we'll play together forever.

So wait for me....

Ok?

During this moment Acacia was sitting atop a frozen tree, a portion of the forest was frozen in ice, and snow. His cheeks had a deep red gash on it, and his shoulder was leaking rivulets of blood. All around him soft snow was falling from a strange white cloud above, and a thick mist was drifting outwards. Beneath the field of snow, dozens of creatures with a pretty feminine faces, female upper bodies, and bird like limbs were frozen in pillars of ice.

One of them radiated sparks of electricity, frozen atop a tree shrieking wildly from it's prison. Acacia ignored all the shrieking harpies, and stared at the massive explosion of gold light in the far distance.

His face remained solemn, peaceful even, and his red eyes were bright, and clear.

He breathed out a sigh of admiration at the colour of gold.

“How terrifying, but strangely beautiful. The birth of the child of light, and the hero of this age. Welcome to the world stage, great hero.”

A small bitter smile formed as he talked to himself.

“At only sixteen years of age, her legacy begins now.”

He stood up on the icy leaves, with his arms folded behind his back, as the winds blew violently against his black robes.

“By now the first floating city of angels should have manifested into this world, the first strong hold from the heavenly realm, flying fortress avalon, servants of one of the primeval gods.”

As Acacia stood there looking into the distance he could hear it, a gentle, and sad song, drifting along the winds.

Acacia's face remained impassive, but he could feel something warm on his cheeks, as he felt that warmth with his hands, a puzzled look formed on his face.

“Tears?”

He looked into the distance, as tears leaked from his eyes, his red pupils slowly widened, as he realized something.

“Ahh, so that's how it is....”

Acacia slowly wiped away the tears, his face looking slightly nostalgic, and calm.

“How unexpected.”

A slow sigh escaped his lips, as the gold light vanished, a part of him wanted to watch it longer. A bitter smile formed on his face, as he turned around.

“I hope we never meet again.”

Acacia's face distorted as he closed his eyes.

Memories of having lived long fulfilling lives, of unfulfilled lives, of lives that were cut far too short, and of people that he met. As these memories actively reopened inside his mind, a strange sense of nostalgia, and understanding came to him.

Eventually as he reopened his eyes, a slow tranquil look formed on his face, he stared at the wounds on his body, and sighed.

“I was sort of expecting it, but really....”

He stared at the gold coloured harpy, frozen into a tree a few feet away from him.

“A unique monster, how rare. I wonder if your sisters are similar?”

The harpy's face, revealed a mocking grin.

“Human, my sisters will make you pay for entering our territory!”

Acacia smiled lightly, and asked in interested tone.

“Are they stronger than you?”

The gold feathered harpy laughed.

“Of course! You better run now human!”

Acacia didn't respond, he merely nodded his head, and went back to sitting on the frozen tree. He stared at where the golden light appeared from in a contemplative manner.

“Birth place unknown, blood related relatives unknown, how she obtained those powers? Unknown.”

He went through the historians account of her, but surprisingly not much was known about her past.

“At the young age of sixteen she underwent a drastic change during the undead invasion of the castle city, Horenwald. Eye witness accounts talk of a powerful song latching unto the winds, and summoning forth a miracle.”

Acacia sighed yet again, as he leaned against a throne of ice.

“A human said to have shed her mortal flesh, and blood, and became an aspect of the divine.”

“..............”

“What a terrifying person.”

Acacia's eye slowly sharpened as he heard distant cries, he stared at the gold feathered harpy, and smiled.

“Your sisters are finally coming.”

He stood up, and stared at two shadows flying in the distance. A thick white mist floated around him, and sharp lifeless eyes started to manifest around him.

I will stop at nothing to attain that far off possibility. No matter who stands in my way.

How thin the branch? How faint the dream? And how unlikely the result?

The only thing I'm certain of is that I can only move forward.

Will anything really change in the end?

I hope so.

Notice:

This Chapter was brought to you by a song that was stuck in my head. I translated the feelings I got from it into the story.

I'll say this now for future reference, but I take priority on personal interest first. Therefore if a song, scene, or concept, captures my interest, I'll somehow translate that into the story in some shape or form. Even if the story flow is sacrificed for it. 

Well you have been warned.