1 Prologue

The sky was dark with clouds, but a faint glow from the moon reflected the two dueling forms before them.

Draped in black cloaks—the figures fought in darkness and the only sounds that could be heard were the clanging of swords as they echoed off the snowy cliffs and the forest behind them.

Locked in a battle of swordsmanship and magic; a red burning sword clashed against a white glowing silver sword, the light from each sword illuminating their surroundings. Both of their attacks hit each other to take the other down. The snow crunched underfoot as they moved and their movements were fluid, neither wanting to back down.

The fight went on with neither of them winning but eventually, one of them gained an upper hand by striking a fatal blow, the fiery red blade slashing at her opponent's shoulder, causing blood to splatter across the snowy ground.

They continued fighting, but the wounded opponent's movements became slow, letting the other opponent block each strike with ease.

The clash of flame and frost filled the air and the thunderous boom as they collided sent a tremor through their surroundings. The wind howled in anger and the ground shook as one of them fell backward onto her knees; the blood pouring from her wound slowly spread over her white dress as she gripped the hilt of her glowing sword.

Coughing loudly, she spat out blood that splashed to the side before looking up at her opponent. Some strands of white hair stuck to her face from perspiration as it fell over her shoulders, her metallic gray eyes burning with fury and hatred.

The other figure smiled wickedly at her, the corners of her mouth curved upwards, her face a mask of death and cruelty. "Just give up already, Alia," she sneered, her black cloak fluttering in the chilly breeze as her sword continued to burn in flames. "You lost."

"Give up?" Alia chuckled lowly, blood dribbling from the corner of her lips down her chin. Her breathing came out ragged and harsh, her voice raspy as she clutched her wounded side. "In your nightmares, Sera." With a loud grunt, Alia rose slowly up with her head held high, despite the pain she felt radiating throughout every part of her body.

"So stubborn," Sera laughed and shook her head, her inky black hair swaying behind her. "It's almost admirable if you ignore the obvious," she said, taking a step forward.

"And what's the obvious?" Alia asked, gritting her teeth against the burning sensation that seemed to come from everywhere, especially her stomach.

"That you have no chance of defeating me," Sera smirked. "We both know, Alia. You may be skilled and brave, but you're not powerful enough to defeat me. Still, you are better than those bunch of miserable cowards you call sisters. Oh! And of course the royal family, the so-called protectors...." She laughed. "More like royal cowards."

On hearing the word 'Sisters', Alia's face contorted in pain and rage. Before Sera knew it, Alia had lunged forward, slashing down at her, this time using all her strength. Sera raised her blade, deflecting the attack with ease, and slashed back, but Alia didn't retreat. She moved closer again and swung a second blow. Once more, Sera easily blocked each swing. As she did, she noticed that Alia's eyes were growing unfocused and that her movements were slower.

"I see I touched a sore spot. I mean, I'm simply stating the fact that they are cowards who ran even before the fight started. Leaving little Alia all alone." Sera taunted, her voice dripping with venom and, with renewed vigor, Alia charged forward again, swinging wildly with her sword. Sera barely blocked the attack, but the force behind it caused her to stumble backward.

And just as Sera regained her balance, Alia rushed forward again, raising her weapon for another swing but this time, Sera blocked it. "Angry much, are we?"

Alia glared at her and gave another slash which Sera dodged effortlessly before swinging her sword, the flames around the end now raging wildly and lighting up the surrounding area. Alia let out a cry as the flames cut through her, causing her to fly backward, before falling to the ground.

Now several steps away from each other, Sera stared down at her. "You were a good opponent, but unfortunately, everything must come to an end. Have fun in the afterlife, Alia."

"You might kill me today Sera, but one day you will also meet your end. Just like you said, 'everything must come to an end.' "

Seeing as Alia used her own words against her, Sera's eyes flashed with anger and she took a few steps forward toward Alia, conjuring an enormous ball of flame.

Alia's eyes widened, and she tried pushing herself up, but it was too late as Sera had already thrown the fireball at her and she found herself falling backward over the edge of the cliff. A scream erupted from Alia's lips as she plummeted down, the world becoming fuzzy as her vision grew blurry. The wind blew against her, causing her white hair to whip around in front of her face as the fire continued burning her entire body.

Falling into the cold water with a loud splash, she felt the flames subside, but the damage had already been done. She was already dying. Alia closed her eyes, sinking deeper and deeper into the icy waters.

Her limbs felt numb as the chill of the water made her feel weak and heavy, unable to move or resist. She had already accepted her fate, she already accepted the fact that she would die, so she let herself sink even deeper, feeling nothing as the icy water engulfed her, making her sink into unconsciousness.

However, This was not the end, the end was still far from being near...