Karina sat on her throne when a figure flickered at the edge of her vision. The room felt calm, too calm. It made her skin crawl with unease. Something was coming, and it was closer than she had expected.
The hall of Aurevion stretched wide before her. Its golden walls and silver engravings shone in the sunlight like fire on water. Jewels glittered across the chamber, trophies of battles won, reminding her of her memories of the place. Every single detail stood as a measure of her worth.
Beside her, Inez sat silently. Years of war had forged their bond into something beyond words. The silence between them was comfortable until the door burst open.
A messenger stumbled inside. His robes were torn and tattered, ash smudging his face, terror screaming in his eyes.
"My lord…" he gasped, stumbling forward.
Karina rose slightly. "Speak."
He clutched his chest, heaving. "The demons… they've escaped. Demo is leading them."
The words struck like a blade in Karina's chest. Her fingers tightened around the folds of her robe until pain shot through her palms. She had known this day would come. But not so soon. Not while she was still healing from wounds no one could see.
Gold light flared in her hands, shaping itself into the familiar weight of her sword. Its edge shone with restrained fury.
Why now, Davin? she thought, though the name felt foreign, almost forbidden. Once he had been her comrade, her mentor. Now he was Demo, a traitor, a demon lord, her enemy.
She looked at Inez. No words passed between them, but the exchange of a single glance said everything.
"Warn the legions," Karina ordered. Her voice was calm, though her heart thundered.
The messenger bowed shakily and pushed up into the air. With a desperate prayer under his breath, his stained white wings sliced through the smoky sky.
Karina exhaled slowly. "It's time," she murmured, turning to Inez.
"We won't lose," Inez assured in a low voice.
A faint smile tugged at Karina's lips. With a thought, her armor crystallized into place. Behind her, the legions readied themselves for battle. Swords in hand, wings stretched open, everyone poised with readiness.
"We fight for Aurevion!" Karina shouted.
"For Aurevion!" the legion roared in return, clashing their spears and swords in a battle song.
One by one, they rose into the sky like radiant birds ascending to heaven. At the front, Karina's wings blazed with power as she led the Radiant Guards into battle.
By the time they reached the battlefield, blood had already been spilled. Guardians clashed with demons, swords and claws striking with force. Screams, roars, and the heat of fire filled the skies.
Karina dove, her wings ruffling the air. She struck the ground with a crash, sending demons sprawling. Her sword blazed with golden brilliance, her eyes turning gold with divine light. Radiance poured from her until even the shadows recoiled.
End this, she told herself.
Her blade sliced through the first demon. Another lunged from behind, but she spun and drove her sword through its chest. Ash exploded from the wound.
Many demons came at her, but she was uninterested in them. Her goal was Demo, at the far end of the war front.
Arrows flew at her, but she used her wings as a shield. They fell harmlessly to the ground. An imposing beast came next, seven feet of snarling muscle. She caught him by the wrist, twisted, and slammed him into the dirt. Her sword finished the work.
And then she saw him.
Demo stood at the far end of the battlefield, with a devilish smile on his lips. His eyes caught hers, and in an instant old wounds tore open. Memories she had been trying to suppress burst out in her mind, but she shoved them aside.
"Davin…" she whispered, though the name was now an abomination.
Her aura flared, and she charged towards him, blade raised. Golden light shimmered in the air as she struck, but he slipped aside, effortlessly. She slashed again, faster and more accurately. He avoided every blow with a lazy grace, like a predator toying with its prey.
He caught her wrist and slammed her into a pillar with brutal ease. The stone cracked beneath her weight.
"Slow, my darling," he taunted.
Lightning leapt from her hand in reply. For a second, surprise flickered across his face, but even then, he twisted away, the bolts grazing his shoulder.
"I taught you better than this," he said, with a voice like silk, yet poisonous and cruel.
Why are you holding back, Karina? He's a demon, a demon lord. A monster with no feelings. He will kill you if you don't, she told herself.
But before she could strike again, he vanished.
Demons swarmed around her from all sides, claws and teeth gnashing in frenzy. Inez joined her, and they moved as one. Their swords clashed in rhythm, precise and accurate, wings sweeping enemies aside.
A striking figure emerged from the horde tall, handsome, his blue hair falling over his eyes like a curtain.
Karina's breath caught despite herself. "He's beautiful."
Inez smirked, even as her sword swung. "Too bad he dies here."
Like they had practiced, they swung their swords toward his chest, BAMN! He collapsed, lifeless, before them.
"Fool," Inez muttered, already turning to face the next wave.
Still, Karina's gaze kept drifting, seeking Demo. He lingered at the edge, just beyond her reach. The more she pushed forward, the farther he seemed.
"Karina!" Inez shouted over the chaos. "Focus! Do you want him, or do you want death? Fight!"
The rebuke cut through her haze. She forced her attention back to the present, striking hard and fast.
But even then, a demon struck her from behind. Inez's wings swept her aside just in time.
"Thank you," Karina breathed.
She only nodded, eyes never leaving the battle.
Then it happened. Too fast for anyone to react. Demo tore open a portal, leaping through it with swarms of demons. Instinctively, Karina followed. The portal snapped shut behind them, leaving the remaining demons and guardians stunned in silence.
This was the beginning of another phase of destruction.
The portal snapped shut, cutting her off from Aurevion, from Inez, from her people. Darkness swallowed her whole.
And in that silence, Demo's voice whispered from the void.
"Now, my darling… let's finish what we started."