1 Prologue

Shrill cries pierced the Heavens. A loosely swaddled baby lay on a riverbank, the blanket half wet with some kind of red liquid. All around the baby, destruction lay abound. Empty guns and broken swords were scattered around the hole-ridden bodies, some whole and some broken into pieces, some rotten, and some still twitching with life… it was a wonder how a baby landed in this battlefield.

A shadow fell across the baby making him look up and gurgle with sobs. Big fat tears on his chubby dirty cheeks spilling while he kept blinking up at the figure.

The figure stooped down and moved the baby's hair to the side, revealing a shape of some kind drawn on both of his temples. The figure sighed and picked up the baby and walked towards the pillar of light.

The pillar was as big as thousands of houses put together. The bight golden light spilling from it illuminated the battlefield. The tragic scene of blood and flesh mixed with the mud caused chills to run down one's spine.

A squelching sound echoed in the pin-drop silence, each time the figure took a step. At this point, more and more people had gathered behind the figure. All of them wearing some kind of military outfits, their boots making a combined thud sound as they followed the figure.

"Light it," said the figure while waving a hand at one of the people at the end of the procession.

That person broke from the formation and rubbed his hands together. As he separated his hands, the air between the hands distorted and heat could be felt from the distorted air. The man flung it carelessly at the battlefield and hurried up to catch with the people who had walked ahead and almost entered the pillar.

The baby in the figure's arms looked back to see the commotion when his eyes were filled with purple fire engulfing the battlefield and all the bodies. The bombs and artilleries exploded, throwing a shower of shrapnel and fire into the air.

The baby quickly ducked his head into the figure's arms again. The figure gave a quick glance at the baby but kept walking. When he entered the pillar and all those following him were in the boundary of the golden light, he gave a command.

"Ready."

"Yes, sir!" A strong chorus followed the command, and with a whoosh, different pairs of wings spread open behind every person's back.

"Let's go."

With a cold last glance at the burning battlefield, the formation departed, taking along the golden pillar.

All that remained was a purple fire, eating everything in its way.