CHAPTER 133 - GAZELLE LOCKWOOD ORIGIN
GAZELLE LOCKWOOD
As a child, my resentment toward humans simmered quietly within me, a flame fueled by the injustice I witnessed. It was during a minor uprising in the Empire of Alterra that my dragonoid parents met their unjust end. Accused falsely of crimes they never committed, they faced the public spectacle of beheading. My father toiled as a mere hand on a farm, while my mother served as a humble housemaid for a human duke. When the duke fell victim to assassination, suspicion fell unfairly upon my parents as collaborators in the rebellion.
At the tender age of six, I stood among the crowd, a helpless witness as their lives were violently extinguished. From that moment on, my heart seethed with a singular desire: the liberation of my kindred dragonoids and the downfall of humanity.
Joining the rebel faction known as Arcadia became my beacon of hope. Under the tutelage of our esteemed founder, Sir Estoff Wraith, I was molded into a young soldier alongside Airelina Frembell, whom I came to regard as a sister. Yet, despite our fervent efforts, the rebellion stagnated in a stalemate until a providential arrival altered our course.
Amphere Harrison emerged as a celestial gift to our cause, a catalyst for the dragonoids' emancipation. His advocacy, alongside figures like Marieflorine Corasell, Eva Nascence, and Reina Fleuret, propelled our struggle forward. Initially, I harbored animosity toward him, blinded by my deep-seated resentment. However, my perception shifted as I witnessed his unwavering dedication to our liberation.
I can still recall the moment of his demise, amidst a grim landscape of fallen comrades.
"So this is how it ends…" he remarked with a faint chuckle, collapsing to the ground. As I rushed to his side, tears streaming down my cheeks, his words hung heavy in the air. "Everything went well according to my plan."
"Amphere!" I cried out, clutching his hand desperately. "Hang in there! We'll get you to the airship!"
His response was a weary smile. "Heh… Too late."
"No, Amphere! Stay with us!" I pleaded, desperate to prevent another loss akin to my beloved sister, Airelina.
With a tender gesture, he reached toward my scarred eye—the very emblem of the Dragonoid Liberation War. A surge of warmth enveloped me, and in an instant, my once-ruined eye was restored to its former glory.
As if a floodgate had burst open, my mind was inundated with visions of a future veiled in ominous foreboding. The Eye of Deus, entrusted to me by my revered Dragon Knight mentor, bestowed upon me glimpses of impending catastrophe.
Within the murky depths of my consciousness, I beheld a sinister tableau unfolding: a demonic cathedral looming ominously, the stark silhouette of the cross of Exceria etched against a blood-red sky, and the visage of a once-vibrant goddess now draped in deathly pallor.
Six enigmatic figures materialized before me, each bearing the indelible Mark of Vesryn. Their identities remained shrouded in ambiguity, yet their presence portended an unsettling convergence of disparate beings—a werewolf, an elf, an oni, a dwarf, a vampire, and a mermaid.
The tolling of bell towers echoed relentlessly, heralding the ascent of a formidable crimson beacon that pierced the heavens with its searing intensity.
The grand edifices of the Four Empires crumbled to dust beneath the relentless onslaught of dragonoid invasion, while the specter of a merciless Purge of Humanity cast its shadow over the ravaged landscape.
In the depths of my vision, the ancient Elder God Necross stirred from his aeons-old slumber, poised to once again tread upon the mortal realm. Alongside him loomed the ominous presence of a Foreign God and the enigmatic King of Humans, foreboding harbingers of ultimate annihilation.
As the haunting visions faded into obscurity, my gaze fell upon the serene countenance of Amphere, his lifeless form adorned with a serene smile. In that moment, a question pierced the veil of my anguish.
"What message do you impart, Amphere?" I whispered hoarsely through tears that flowed unchecked. "Why burden me with this power?"
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Yet, in the silence that ensued, his response remained veiled in enigma, leaving me to grapple with the weight of his legacy and the daunting uncertainties that lay ahead.
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Months passed, and a delicate tranquility settled upon the world, borne from the passage of the Dragonoids Rights Law. Across the vast expanse, the echoes of conflict waned, replaced by the hopeful symphony of reconciliation as human empires and dragonoids alike embarked on a journey of collective healing and renewal.
As an orphan bereft of familial ties, I sought solace within the hallowed halls of the Cathedral Exa, where the benevolent presence of Goddess Exceria offered me sanctuary and a newfound sense of belonging. Under her nurturing gaze, I found a semblance of peace, a respite from the tumultuous trials that had defined my existence.
It was within this sacred sanctuary that the winds of fate once more stirred, heralding the arrival of two familiar figures whose presence would alter the course of my destiny. Dragon Knight Reina Fleuret and her stalwart dragonoid companion, Richard Astherson, graced the Cathedral Exa with a solemn purpose that bespoke of grave revelations.
Eva and I stood witness as Reina delivered her solemn report to Goddess Exceria. "We have located the Demonic Cathedral of Necross, Goddess Exceria," she announced.
In response, the divine luminescence of Goddess Exceria's crimson eyes flickered with a mixture of apprehension and resolve. "Take me to it," she commanded, her voice a solemn decree that brooked no dissent.
Through Reina's arcane mastery, a portal materialized before us, a gateway to the heart of darkness that awaited beyond. With a beckoning gesture from Goddess Exceria, Eva and I stepped forth, our hearts weighed down by trepidation as we braced ourselves for the horrors that lay ahead.
Upon our arrival, the magnitude of the Demonic Cathedral loomed ominously overhead, its grotesque architecture a testament to the malevolent forces that dwelled within. Stone dragonic demons stood sentinel, their presence an eerie harbinger of the otherworldly terrors that awaited us within.
But before we could proceed further, Goddess Exceria bid us to halt, her divine gaze piercing through the shadows to rest upon me with unwavering intensity. "Gaz," she began, her voice a gentle yet commanding cadence that resonated within the depths of my soul. "You are the one entrusted by Amphere with the Eye of Deus. Did you see this Demonic Cathedral?"
I shook my head, my voice betraying the tremor of fear that gripped my being. "N-No," I stammered. "I only saw the Second Coming of Necross… and a foreign god."
Goddess Exceria's expression darkened, a storm brewing within the depths of her divine countenance. Turning her gaze toward Eva, she beckoned the bewildered dragonoid closer, her movements imbued with a solemn purpose that transcended mortal comprehension.
With a gentle touch upon our foreheads, Goddess Exceria invoked a sacred prayer, her words suffused with the divine authority of her station. "With my authority as the Supreme Goddess of Alterra," she intoned, her voice resonating with the power of the heavens. "I shall bestow upon you the Mark of Vesryn. I shall name you two the shared title of the Overmind—the First Dragon Lord, and the first dragonoids who can activate the Vesryn Pulse."
In that sacred moment, a mantle of destiny descended upon Eva and me, binding us irrevocably to the fates of worlds yet uncharted. With the weight of our newfound titles and responsibilities pressing upon our shoulders, we stood poised at the precipice of a destiny forged in the crucible of divine intervention and mortal resolve.
As the divine energy surged through our veins, illuminating our hands with the sacred V-mark, Eva and I were imbued with a profound sense of purpose, one that eclipsed even the weighty burdens of the Dragonoid Liberation War. No longer mere bystanders in the unfolding drama of fate, we stood poised to seize our destinies, to become the architects of our own salvation.
Goddess Exceria's smile, tinged with tears of both pride and sorrow, conveyed a poignant farewell as she entrusted us with the monumental task ahead. "Take care… and save the world for me, Gaz and Eva," she implored, her voice a whispered benediction that lingered in the air long after she had departed.
Guided by the steadfast resolve of Dragon Knight Reina Fleuret, we were ushered through yet another portal, returning to the familiar confines of the Cathedral Exa within Guardian's Haven. Confusion gnawed at our hearts, uncertainty clouding our thoughts as we grappled with the gravity of our newfound responsibilities.
Twelve agonizing hours passed before the solemn figure of Dragon Knight Reina reappeared before us, bearing grim tidings that shattered the fragile semblance of peace we had momentarily found. Goddess Exceria, our beloved protector and guide, had fallen into the clutches of Princess Serenity Elkyria of the Empire, her divine essence ensnared within the confines of an impenetrable barrier erected by the Empire's machinations.
For a year, we languished in helpless anticipation, barred from returning to the Demonic Cathedral that held the key to our goddess's fate. But when the barrier finally dissolved, we bore witness to a sight that seared our souls with unspeakable anguish: the brutal crucifixion of Goddess Exceria, a once-glorious being now reduced to a broken and lifeless husk, her divine essence desecrated by the cruelty of mortal hands.
In that harrowing moment, the truth became starkly clear: the Empire of Humans, driven by their insatiable thirst for power, had perpetrated this unforgivable atrocity. But their crimes did not end there, for within the depths of my vision, I glimpsed the malevolent machinations of their dark designs—a plan to summon a foreign deity, a harbinger of untold destruction.
And so, with hearts heavy with grief and righteous fury, Eva and I vowed to enact justice upon those who had wrought such devastation. The time had come to purge humanity of its sins, to stand as avatars of retribution and champions of a world yet unburdened by the shadows of tyranny and oppression.