The heavens cried.
Rain poured over the mangled corpses on the ground, washing away the heavy stench of blood from the never-ending battlefield.
Hundreds of swords clashed, symphonizing with the thunder as sparks flew like lightning—fading only as another person fell.
Thousands of arrows and elemental projectiles whizzed, piercing and exploding friend and foe alike.
It was chaotic.
But it was a peaceful moment for Seth, who lay on the wet and muddy ground, staring at the woman kneeling beside him.
Her gaze was fierce, like a fire that could burn him alive as she stared at him intently. Her crimson hair was soaked, plastered against a face stained with streaks of blood and grime.
"Why?"
Seth stared into her burning gaze. His mouth was too tired to move… even replying with a simple smile was a heavy toll.
"Tell me, Seth. Why!?"
The woman shouted, her voice dampening the thunder and the clash of steel.
As her burning gaze moistened from holding back her tears… a single drop fell onto Seth's face. It flowed down his cheek until it disappeared into the muddy ground.
Seth's vision was blurring. Desperately trying to stay awake, he looked at her and forced a faint smile.
As he reached out to wipe the tears from her eyes… he was surprised.
He couldn't move his arm at all.
He looked down.
There was nothing left to see.
From his right shoulder to his left hip, his torso had been carved away, sizzled into cauterized flesh by some unspeakable spell.
It wasn't her gaze that made him feel like he was burning… it was the blood drenching what remained of him as he slowly died.
Another empty smile touched his face, forcing his mouth to move to say the words he had longed to say.
Honestly, it was unfathomable how he stayed conscious.
Maybe it was heaven giving him the chance to look at her one last time.
Pouring every remaining ounce of strength into the effort, he moved his mouth.
Yet, nothing but a wet cough escaped.
Tears slid from his eyes.
No, they weren't tears... they were hidden by the rain.
Then, his eyes lost their light… leaving the woman crying by his side.
"Seth! Don't die on me!"
"Wake up!"
***
"Wake up, Seth! Do you hear me!?"
Waking from his momentary stupor, Seth stared at the woman in front of him—the same woman he had just seen in his vision.
"What did you see!? I said don't look at the shattered mirrors, or you'll see how you die!"
"Damn it, Cams! Stop nagging. Let's focus on the mission first."
A crimson sky loomed over the survivors of the Sky Pierce Squad.
Of the twelve battle-hardened veterans who began this journey, only five remained to stand before the Rift. The others had already fallen to the horrors of the Savage Expanse.
Most of them avoided looking directly at the millions of shattered mirror shards, which were said to reflect one's future death.
It was inevitable.
Legends said that no matter what precautions you took, fate would come to claim your life—at the exact moment and in the exact way you perceived.
Though the legend was proven, no one had ever lived to tell the tale, for no one had survived after staring into the cursed mirrors.
"Get ready. The Immortal Lily is guarding this damned Rift."
The leader's voice was grim as he looked at their thinned ranks.
"Remember the plan. Find the Heart... no matter which of us survives, deliver the Chest to the Arcane Dominion."
"Kill the Savages!"
"Kill the Savages!"
The remaining members were mostly those who had ascended, becoming Blessed or Angels.
But only one remained mortal.
It was Seth, the Blade Dancer.
Ascendants were divided into the ranks of Blessed, Angel, Archangel, and Principalities—collectively called the Celestial Hierarchy. Above the Ascendants came the Transcendents, Supreme and Divine.
Then there were the Corrupted, with the ranks of Demon, Greater Demon, Demon Lord, and Demon Baron—the Nobles of the Abyss. Above them were the Depraved, Perverted and the Blasphemous.
Though Ascendants and Corrupted were powerful, it didn't mean mortals couldn't contend with them.
Mortals like Seth, who dedicated their lives to their masteries, became experts by using Force as the source of their power—while others turned to the Elements.
Drawing his sword from its sheath, Seth walked side by side with Camille, along with the other squad members.
No one stood in their way. Every soldier of the Black Rose Clan was engaged with the invading forces of the Arcane Dominion outside the Rift.
Here, no one dared linger. Even the forces of the Black Rose Clan feared the shattered mirrors—unlike two hundred years ago, when the clan was at its peak. Back then, the Church of Death had not yet begun its invasion of the Savage Expanse.
At the end of the slate path, a long, dilapidated wooden bridge hung, swaying as wind blew from the nothingness. Below was an eternal void, dark as night, yet still flickering with shattered mirrors.
Up ahead stood an old castle, worn to the point of collapse. Debris hung suspended in the air, as if trying to repair itself against endless corrosion.
"Beyond this bridge, only success is acceptable."
Seth nodded. He donned a black mask—an Oni mask he had once looted from a Blessed of Darkness who couldn't dodge his blade—and latched the strap at the back of his head. The mask wasn't special, but he thought it looked cool, contrasting well with his white hair.
They stepped onto the bridge, the five of them traversing planks that creaked with every step. Some fell away into the void, causing them to stumble, but no one was foolish enough to fall to their death.
As they arrived at the large metal doors, they were met by symbols of angels and demons battling across the sky and earth.
A squad member in golden plate armor stepped forward. As their leader and an Angel of Light, he would be the one to lead them to victory.
Pillars of light engulfed his body, shimmering in white and gold with his pair of wings as his physique strengthened enough to heave the heavy doors open.
The doors groaned as they moved inward, revealing a pristine hall free of dust and debris.
A red carpet rolled out before them, and torches flickered to life in sequence, leading toward a throne made of glass and mirrors.
"Don't stare at the throne!"
The warning came too late for Seth… his eyes had already darted to the center.
'B-beautiful…'
There, sitting upon the throne, was a woman in a black gown. Her blonde hair flowed like silk down to her waist, and her icy blue eyes stared at them coldly, with a hint of seduction. She sipped lazily from a skull—perhaps wine, perhaps blood.
"It has been a hundred years since anyone visited me..."
The woman spoke softly, twirling the skull-cup and sniffing the aroma of her drink.
"Are you here to save me? Or claim my life? Which is it?"