Hopeful. Today was supposed to be a hopeful day.

After a long seclusion in training and reaching the Greater Marshal Exalt realm, it was finally time for Fallen Heaven to open. Beforehand, her leader, Ollanar, personally invited her to his throne room, a rare summon for one of her stature. So she entered, excited and nervous, barely containing her fidgeting shoulders. As she knelt before the great Primaere, the greatest freedom fighter in living memory, she waited with bated breath, barely hearing past the loud heartbeats thumping in her ears. Behind the golden mask, her liege spoke, and his words struck her to the core. Her sister was found and alive.

For the past few decades, she tried to find her sister in any way she could, her husband, Serit, pushing himself past his limits for her sake. Yet, no sign of her sister was found, not even the slightest trace of a trail, the man, Erden, an enigma, a ghost in the vast information network of the Defiants. Now, suddenly, her sister was found. She begged Ollanar to reunite with her sister, her voice almost elevating to shrieks. But her leader sighed and mentioned they would meet in Fallen Heaven if fate deemed it so. Apparently, her sister had an important role to play. But Avila screamed, pleading for her beloved little sister to be freed from conflict and pain.

'That cannot be done. I'm sorry, dear Avila. Your sister is tied because of the husband she chose. It is out of my hands.' For the great Primaere to speak so dreary of his own powerlessness stumped Avila, and she feared greatly, afraid her sister might meet an unfortunate fate. So, she waited and trained, not minding her body's screams of pain as she approached her limits. If they met in Fallen Heaven, she would protect Avril even if she were to die.

But what was this?

The delight and joy in meeting her sister was swept away. Fate determined she and Avril met on this day, but why did it also lead the wretched witch, Lelith, toward them? Cruel. Unbelievably cruel. Avila saw her sister's listless face, the golden eyes dulling into obscurity, the body slumping like a puppet with broken strings. Avril's tears dried up as if she were not allowed to cry, and indeed she was not. For years, Avila studied Lelith's cruel methods and knew shedding tears resulted in deeper and prolonged agony.

"Slave. Why are you not looking at me when I speak? It's rude to your mistress, isn't it?" Lelith lowered her scythe and slowly stabbed it into a root, easily parted by the sharp blade.

Avila gripped her bow and gnashed her teeth. How dare she? Her anger flared like a volcano about to erupt as Avril winced from the scythe's clear hum, a high-pitched noise that felt as if a blade sliced right by the ears, grating on the nerves. Avril's lips trembled, and she jerked her head up to stare at Lelith, her neck cracking audibly like creaking branches. Her sister looked so weak, her figure small and timid, hunching her shoulders inward.

"Good. If you listen so well, how did you betray me and slip through the spatial gap?" Lelith wagged her finger the way one might beckon a dog. "Come here. I'm not mad." So she said, but the lack of vibrancy in her voice offered no assurance. "I'll reeducate you."

"Avril! Avril! Don't." Shockingly, her sister slowly rose, still unresponsive to her calls, the fragile knees shivering down to her toes, yet Avril stood. Instead of the lively sister she had just met, Avila saw only despair in her, an unfortunate, broken woman who knew only pain and suffering and, thus, could only walk toward its source. That was why she needed to make a move. Avila fired several arrows, linking them in chains of light that formed a prison, trapping Lelith. Though, trapping was not accurate. Her Ein and powers were nothing compared to the Grade Nine.

Grabbing Avril and tucking her in her arms, Avila faced Lelith. A fight was foolish and would result in their deaths. However, even if she had to stare death in the face, she had to protect her little sister. Avril's cold sweat felt like ice, nearly freezing her own skin. Lelith tilted her head and lazily swung her scythe, the sound of its blade jolting Avril, who stiffened in her arms. Lelith's scythe swiped in a slow, arcing motion, but a single tap dispersed the prison of light, shredded into thin air.

'Fuck. Fuck.' Avila cursed, scanning the forest for an escape route. Speed? She lacked it. Power? There was no contest. Technique? Spells? Ein? She fell short in all areas. Was there truly no escape? Meanwhile, Lelith placed a finger over her lips, a cold gaze fixating on Avila.

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"Ah…I remember you now. Fifty years ago, you interrupted me." Lelith spoke so plainly as if remembering where she had misplaced her snacks. "You're her sister. Wow. I wonder what sort of fear I'll see from the two of you together."

"Begone, you accursed witch." Avila swept her gaze over her surroundings again. She saw no one nearby, no potential ally in the vicinity. Her Ein swirled into her hands, and she prepared, placing one near her heart and the other on Avril's throat. Without any allies, without any certain escape routes, the only way to escape was in death. Rather than let her sister suffer again in Lelith's grasp, she decided to grant her mercy in death, quick and painless. 'Forgive me, Avril. But I'll join you soon after, and if there is a next life, I hope we can be sisters again. Next time, I'll protect you properly. Serit, I'm sorry.'

"Really? That is your decision?" Somehow, Lelith seemed bored despite her expression and tone never changing. "How confident are you? Will your killing stroke fall first, or will I stop you in time?"

Her instinct screamed, and Avila shuddered, fear stalling her Ein, and her eyes widened, realizing her grave mistake. The moment of hesitation was all Lelith needed as she sped into a blur, already before Avila. However, a sudden strike sliced toward Lelith, her scythe turning to block. Surprisingly, Lelith was forced away and pushed back into several trees that parted cleanly in two. The resulting blow divided the earth, a thin slit across a great distance.

A strange man leaped down, his bare feet crushing the roots. His height was absurd, maybe seven or eight feet tall. His fish-like eyes rotated around before snapping onto her, particularly Avril in her arms. The man stretched his lanky, unnaturally long arms and clasped his hands as if in prayer. Avila didn't know who he was, but she couldn't let this opportunity go and sprinted away.

"Sorry. I am Santen, the Third. I serve the Lord and Lady." The man, Santen, made a clicking noise repeatedly and spoke in a long, low voice as if each word required several seconds to form.

"Lord and Lady?" Avila tried to brush off Santen, pouring more Ein into her radiant steps, but he kept up quite easily, striking her pride as a scout.

"She is Lady Avril, is she not?" Santen rubbed his palms together. "I am a servant of her husband, my Lord."

"Her husband?" Avila gasped as she recalled what Ollanar had told her.

"Why are you running?" Lelith's voice caught up from behind, her strides closing in.

Santen frowned and turned to confront her, swinging his arms into a blurry mess, nothing but the sound of the rushing winds indicating they existed. The trees surrounding them toppled, sliced into chunks that fell onto Lelith, and more direct slashes sliced toward her. He grabbed her and Avril and stomped into the dirt, his legs slicing a pathway deep, and they vanished in the collapsing earth.

…….

Hours later, the ten orbs of the ten lands started to dim, a shade of night blanketing the once-white, radiant sky. Instead of ten suns, they glowed like ten moons. Over the long trek, Oscar saw no one, passing by a few withered trees, mere husks of bark. Meanwhile, Demon stayed by his side, sword in hand and ready to unleash all manners of hell onto their foes. But none came. He was alone in this vast wasteland for now. A small critter scurried under the dry dirt, and Oscar threw a small platinum dagger, hearing the critter hiss and then fall silent.

"It's a lizard." Demon reached in and pulled out a scaly lizard. Without a single word, he piled some dead branches and set it aflame, placing the lizard, now speared by a stick, nearby to roast. Oddly, no Exalt Beasts existed in Fallen Heaven, only regular and tame creatures like this lizard.

Nearby the flame, Oscar stared at the dark tower, seemingly not any closer or farther than from where he started. It was silent, except for the crackling of the burning branches, sometimes popping as the bark exploded and spewed embers that floated around. 'Where is she?' Oscar wished he knew the answer, but maps didn't matter here, and neither did prior experience. The lands shifted and remade in every opening of Fallen Heaven except for the eleventh land. Any items that could track her were forcibly ripped away from his dimensional cube.

The flames began to splutter out, weakening. Tossing more branches in, Demon kept the flame alive, needing more time to cook the lizard fully. 'By now, the outside world must be in chaos. Will we be able to return to a peaceful place?' Oscar sighed and eyed the stretch of endlessly flat land, halting when he noticed someone walking toward him. Demon rose and pointed his sword, intent on killing the stranger.

Cloaked in a tattered brown robe that reached down to his feet, the stranger hid his face under a hood. What surprised Oscar was the stranger strode without alarm or haste, calmness driving each step as he drew closer, his footsteps echoing against the crackling fire. Normally, they should clash, but the stranger raised his arms, silently declaring a show of peace. As the light of the flames flickered across his face, it revealed a stubby black beard and a tight, youthful jaw.

"Mind if I join you for this meal?" The stranger asked, his voice deep and mellow.

"Who are you?" Oscar clenched his fists, and Demon readied his blade, readjusting his grip.

"I'm a simple wanderer, and I'm hungry."