Crusadia. The largest city in Reverste and the center of the Kingdom of Acronia. Atop a hill, a castle made entirely of pure white marble oversaw a sprawling and bustling metropolis. For centuries it had been a silent witness to the birth of legends, whose names shall never be forgotten. It was also a majestic symbol of the unity of Acronians or humans of various creeds, spread across the vast world of Reverste. It also represents one of three pillars of the universe, the Middle Pillar, where the powers of the juvenile prodigy, the Goddess Emilia, were the strongest.

  It is here where our story starts.

  Flashing red lights flooded the wrecked streets of the city. The city alarm wailed, intermixing with the low rumbles of the lumbering metal Sentinels slowly patrolling the acropolis. “EMERGENCY! EMERGENCY! CRUSADIA HAS BEEN BREACHED!” the message reverberated amidst the crackles of burning wood and distant rumbling. Screams of terrified townsfolk filled the air, their feet taking them away from danger as fast as they could. Shrieks of children and women added to the chorus of despair.

  Thousands of Acronians, but with pale faces, glowing red eyes, and dark violet demonic wings sprouting from their backs converged at the single bridge separating the acropolis and the Palace of Crusadia. Some wielded staves, some wielded large broadswords, and some were armed with vicious-looking crossbows. They were the Dominias, inhabitants of the Lower Pillar, or the Realm of Darkness.

  At the gates, the Royal Guard formed a phalanx against the usurpers. A seasoned knight in the front, with spear in right hand and shield in left gritted his teeth, a drop of cold sweat trickling down his neck. “Hold the line, men!” he commanded. “Whatever you do, do not let those abominations inside the Palace!”

  Suddenly, he heard the flap of wings from above. A woman, clad in opulent aquamarine armor and carrying a spear topped with what seemed to be made of pure skystones, descended gracefully in front of him. His worries dissipated. They had a chance.

  “Reis Sylvida, at your service, Knight Commander,” she said. “Let me take care of things here. You should be with Her Majesty,”

  “Lady Reis! You’re a sight for sore eyes! But there’s just too many of them! Surely, you need assistance…”

  Reis remained silent. Her turquoise eyes glimmered. Her white angelic wings grew larger, and her body gave off a pale blue glow. Noticing the white wings, the approaching Dominias stopped in their tracks.

  “Sky Knight Reis!” a Dominia in the rear shouted. “Retreat! She’s too strong for us!”

  “Stand your ground! Our numbers are greater…” The Dominian commander leading the charge ordered. In a split second, Reis’ spear—the Skypiercer—had pierced his heart. The Dominia Commander fell, bathed in his own blood. Reis did an aerial backflip and returned to her initial position.

  The Dominias started looking at each other, fearful for their own survival. Their Commander had fallen in an instant. They were no match for the most powerful Knight in the Middle Pillar. They only had one option.

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  “Retreat!”

  “I won’t let you,” Reis muttered. She focused her magical energy—her Craft—on her spear. A pale blue ball of light appeared on the tip of her spear, and with every second. It crackled and hissed as it grew larger. When it reached critical mass, Reis swept her spear in a vicious arc, letting out a concentrated burst of razor-sharp wind at the retreating Dominias. The Knights in the phalanx, seasoned though they may have been, shuddered at the truly gruesome sight of Dominian bodies being shredded.

  The winds stopped. The battlefield was covered in dark violet blood and torn limbs of the Dominian soldiers. The Palace was safe. Or so they thought.

  A loud explosion surprised the Knights and Reis. She looked back and saw a plume of purple flame erupting from the center of the palace. Her expression darkened. Without hesitating, she took to the skies.

  After having stood for more than a century, the glimmering icon of Crusadia crumbled. Brick by brick, the once impregnable walls started falling. She caught a glimpse of the dozens of bodies of dedicated Knights and the Royal Guard strewn across the bloody courtyard. Reis hovered; her mind still trying to understand how this had happened on her watch. She landed in the middle of the courtyard, her teeth gritted in anger seeing the destruction in front of her. She ran to the base of the northern tower, to the Throne Room.

  The opulent Golden Throne was no more. Bodies of the Royal Guard, still clad in their vermillion armor, were mixed in with the rubble. Their bodies were unusual; as if they had shrunk, their vitality drained from them.

  On top of the destroyed throne, a boy with a pointy hat, a violet sleeveless tunic and large baggy pants was squatting. Reis recognized the tattoo on his arms. They were the tattoos of the Cabalists, a loose agglomeration of Domininan dark wizards. This boy, however, did not have any wings. Still, she felt a tremendous pressure in the air.

  “Identify yourself, intruder!”

  The boy stared at her. Reis met his bright purple eyes and felt a chill run down her spine. But what disgusted her was the golden object the boy was casually twirling in his left hand.

  “The Queen’s Crown! What have you done to the Queen?!” Reis bellowed, brandishing Skypiercer.

  The boy remained silent, continuing to twirl the crown. He held it out to Reis with a challenging smirk on his face.

  Unable to control her anger, she lunged towards the boy. The boy stood his ground. Reis closed in. Her spear came closer and closer. She was going to run this boy through.

  The boy extended his left arm and opened his palm. Reis saw a Cabalist sigil form itself at a rate she had never saw before. She wanted to stop her attack, but it was too late.

  “Stay put,” the boy said.

  Her spear never reached the boy.

  She was frozen solid, encased in transparent violet ice. Yet, she remained perfectly aware of her surroundings.

  The boy smirked. He approached the frozen Reis and said, “Stay there for a while, and see the new world be remade in Her image,”

  The boy waved his arm in a slashing motion. A pulsating purple rift appeared. He stepped inside, the rift closing behind him.

  Reis’s vision started blurring. The ice weakened her body. She tried to move her limbs to no avail. As her breathing became heavier, her consciousness began to slip. Encased in a block of ice, she fainted.

  Outside, darkness had blanketed Crusadia. Creatures of darkness, initially content in the Lower Pillar, had ascended from the depths—the condemned Acronians, the fallen Seraphs, and Dominias—and started to lay waste to the grand capital of the Acronian Kingdom. Over the sky of Crusadia, dense dark clouds gathered. Below, the Fallen rejoiced. Atop a lone spire atop the Grand Church of Crusadia, the Cabalist stood in silence, witnessing the day Crusadia fell into the hands of darkness.