Four young girls stood in a half-circle facing a robed figure. No girl in the group had particularly striking physical features. However, all of the girls had distinctively colored hair. The tallest girl in the group had hair that was as blue as a sapphire. The smallest girl had hair that was the color of crimson. The figure who stood in the center wore intricately wrapped robes the color of pitch, no parts of the figure's body were showing. The walls of the room, only lit by torchlight, are rough and uneven. The room seems to be shaped like a dome, the ceiling is too far above the girls to see.
"Gla o ni obdo koa munsa gla stebe ni kupli aksisa stibda.". The figure would speak first, then the girls would echo a moment after. The unholy song would drive even the strongest insane. The figure speaks,
"It is time children. When we go to battle, leave no man alive."
"Yes, master."
"You are the shepherds, and they are the sheep, and may Lyno save our souls"
"Yes, master."
They reply in the same cadence as the chant. The girls light torches and walk towards the back of the room, they squeeze through an opening that is only wide enough for one person at a time, while the figure stays behind. The girls step out of the cave into a beautiful valley with steep mountainous cliffs, the grass a vibrant green. The tallest one pauses for a moment, then leaps off the ground.
However, she does not land back on the earth. She continues to ascend past the apex of her jump. She pauses in the air for a moment and looks back at the other girls. The others hesitate for a brief second, then follow in suit.
The girls ascend past the valley's walls, moving faster than any horse. They wince as they hear the blood-curdling screams of war. The girls float overheard of the soldiers, the fighting pauses as men on both sides of the battle watch. The girls stop in front of the opposing army and raise their hands toward the heavens.
"ba hisguh bodtu norkod badobe tu nol yobla kafluk fog." Suddenly lightning arcs from their hands, electrocuting hundreds of soldiers. The soldier's shriek as their heartbeats are controlled by the pulsing of electricity. As quickly as it started, the lightning dissipates. Those the lightning didn't kill were quickly slaughtered by the soldiers. Their minds were already broken from the horrors of battle. The smell of cooked flesh lingers in the air as the soldiers advance.
There is no rest for the girls, they only travel twenty meters before encountering another force of soldiers. It is apparent to the girls that these men are more skilled than the others they faced before. These men are known as Magekillers. They are dressed in hardened leather, and no metal on them. They are a special squad of soldiers, trained to kill users of magic. The girls hesitate for a moment and then begin their chant: "hie akitko hif do ife hi bis do fiyi atku he bekirfo." The wind whips around them faster and faster until they are lifted off the ground. Most of the Magekillers are able to escape the gale winds. Those caught in the tornado are ripped apart. The girls chant again
and the ground shifts and rolls, every man that was standing is now on the ground. Soldiers are tossed into each other as the ground suddenly shifts. A crack forms in the ground and expands, what was once a moment ago an insignificant imperfection, is now a ravine. One man stumbles and falls into the crevice. His screams echo as he falls to his death. The girls lift their arms once more, spikes made of packed dirt shoot from the ground and pierce the Magekillers torsos. Blood and gore spray the ground. The girls lay waste to many other soldiers, but are pushed back. They decide to fall back to the cave, where they can rest.
"How much of our souls have we burned already? Five years? We keep pushing ourselves like this, and we'll die before the end of the battle. I'm telling you, master, there is no way we can win. They are too strong, we must come up with a new strategy-"
"Be quiet child. Let your master think for a moment."
The robed figure takes off their hood. A man with many scars across his face reveals his head from the robe. The milky scars contrast his pink face. He would have been handsome if it weren't for his deformities. The man sighs for a moment and speaks:
"King Jerias has ordered that we use whatever means necessary to win. If that means that we have to sacrifice children, so be it."
"But-"
The smallest interrupts. "However, that does not mean all of you have to die. Lyno speaks to me… She asks for the return of three souls." Everyone looks at the girl with crimson hair.
"Wait, I don't want to be alone. I want to fight with you guys. Please don't do this."
The man walks around the room and stops when he gets to a coffin.
"Please lay down child"
"I-i don't want to. Please, there must be another way."
"There is none child, it must be this way." The girls lift the crimson-haired one off the ground and force her into the coffin. The three girls begin their chant:
"Tutre norihi rani etitu banu no re liyu yuke yudi, shabreko stakn gandek glurk shabanha kliko beykern krulkra."
Try as she might, the girl cannot keep her eyes open. She can hear her master speaking to the other girls as she loses consciousness.
"Hello? Can anyone hear me?" Leila cries out. Nobody responds. "I-i can't see anything, I'm scared." The girl begins to cry. "Why am I the one that's asleep? Why do I have to be all alone?" The girl cannot eat, she cannot sleep, she cannot die. She is trapped inside her head. She is a prisoner to her mind. The girl decides to do something she hasn't done since she joined the military. The girl got on her hands and knees and prayed.
"Lyno, please - if you can hear me, please help me. I tried my best to be a good servant. I devoted my life to you." The girl's voice breaks.
Suddenly a golden light pierces the darkness. The girl lifts her hands to shade her eyes. Squinting her eyes, she can make out the silhouette of a slender woman descending from above. As the woman moves closer to Leila, her face seems to morph and twist whenever the girl moves her head. The woman is dressed in silk that flows around her with every movement.
The woman moves closer to Leila and offers her hand. Leila hesitantly accepts the gesture. As soon as Leila touches her fingers she starts to drifts away. Like a kite in the wind, she is pulled toward the neverending void of the sky. The woman watches from below and waves as Leila drifts higher. Leila looks at her hand and gasps. Her fingertips have begun to fade. As more of Leila fades the more her consciousness returns to her physical body. Leila's vision dims and flashes, her mind is filled with images of her comrades and mentors as she begins to awake.
Chapter 2
The inside of the coffin was humid and dusty. Leila could barely control her breathing because of her intense claustrophobia. Taking deep breaths, Leila draws on her training in the military. Leila repeats a mantra to herself.
"Fear weakens the limbs and follies the mind. Fear will take your breath and give nothing in return"
Suddenly an idea pops into Leila's head. Seizing that idea Leila is able to conquer her fear. After a few minutes of struggling Leila is able to twist her body so that she is lying face down. In her training, Leila was taught that if she was ever trapped under rubble to try to lay on her belly. She was taught that you can generate a far greater amount of torque from laying on your belly and pushing with your back, rather than pushing with your arms and legs.
Taking a deep breath Leila quickly chants a spell to burn some of her soul for increased physical strength. Then in one explosive movement, Leila blows open the lid of the coffin. Standing up Leila looks around. The cave is completely deserted, all the furniture and altars have been destroyed. Leila takes a deep breath and walks to the mouth of the cave.
After spending so long in the dark cave Leila has to squint in the sunlight. After a moment's decision Leila decides to fly toward the battlefield to try to find her comrades. Traveling there only took a couple of minutes, however, after a thorough search she could not find a single living organism. The grass had been turned into ash, and even the smallest of creatures were dead.
Tears well up in Leila's eyes as she realizes what happened. They must have gone berserk.
When a mage goes berserk they burn their entire soul. The energy created builds up within the mages' body until they cannot control it. The result is an explosion of pure energy, the blast is so powerful that no living organism can survive.
Leila had known many comrades that went berserk at the orders of their superiors. If the higher-ups thought that there was no chance of winning, they would order the girls to sacrifice themselves. Using this technique the empire was able to conquer half of the continent. However, this practice was supposed to be outlawed as of five years ago.
Scanning the battlefield from the sky Leila's eyes paused on some green fabric waving in the wind. Leila rushed over to the fabric and her breath caught underneath the fabric was her comrade, Marie.
"Marie! What happened here?"
Marie was pale and sickly. She could barely open her eyes to look at Leila.
"Bondred ordered us to go berserk, Leila."
"Wait why? I thought that was banned?"
"It is, he made us do it by threatening your life."
"Why are you still alive Marie? Did he not order you to as well?"
Marie smiles.
"I was able to live because our comrades were able to fake another berserk explosion. They had to draw on much of my soul to do so, I thought I could still get to the cave and awaken you, but I'm too weak."
Marie looks into Leila's eyes with a fierce expression.
"You must kill Bondred, Leila. As long as he is still alive he will sacrifice more of our comrades. He has gone to the capital to acquire more soldiers."
"Please Marie, don't leave me."
With the last of her strength, Marie smiles at Leila, and her eyes cloud over.
Chapter 3
After weeks of searching for Bondred, Leila finally spots him at a nearby inn. He's sitting down at the bar drinking ale. Leila, watching from the window sees him order another mug. Eventually, Bondred gets up from the bar and walks upstairs. Seizing her chance she hurries to the counter.
"Hey, mister, who was that guy that was sitting at the bar."
"I don't know, some kind of preacher I think."
"Would you happen to know what room he's staying in?"
"Ha! You think I would give away the privacy of our patrons for free?"
Leila reaches into her bag and three coins on the counter.
"Three Gordros? C'mon, you can do better than that!"
Leila rolls her eyes and puts two more coins on the counter.
"That's more like it. Room three."
Standing outside of Bondred's door, Leila burns some of her soul for increased physical strength. In one swift motion, Leila opens the door. She is immediately thrown back as an explosion rocks the building. The explosion is so powerful that Leila's eardrums burst. She has to burn her soul a little to repair them. Leila looks upwards and sees the sky. Startled, she realizes the building's roof was completely ripped from the walls of the inn. From Leila's left a man's voice booms.
"Did you think I wouldn't notice you, Leila? You forget that I taught you how to track someone. And now, because of your mistake, everyone in the surrounding area is dead."
Bondred shakes his head.
"I thought I told you to always check the door for explosive devices."
Leila struggles to her feet.
"How are you flying? I thought we were the only ones capable of using magic."
Bondred starts laughing.
"How naive are you girl? You should always assume your opponent is stronger than you."
Burning her soul, Leila leaps at Bondred. While rushing through the air she twists her body to kick him. Bondred puffs his chest and allows her a free hit. It feels like she hit a steel wall. There was no give in Bondred's body.
Kicking off his stomach Leila hurls a series of punches at his head. Bondred easily dodges them all. Quickly backing away Leila steels herself for a counterattack.
"Why can't I hurt you? Nothing I do has any effect!"
Bondred laughs again.
"While I was back at the capital I visited your comrades… They eagerly volunteered to help me become stronger."
A horrified expression flashes across Leila's face. Bondred continues:
"You see Leila, I found out how to separate a soul from a body. I took their souls and fused them to myself."
Overwhelmed by grief and terror, Leila begins chanting, a few moments later she starts to glow.
"If I have to I will kill both of us right now, Bondred. Lyno has granted me the strength to take on any foe. Release my friends immediately."
Bondred starts to back away. His expression turns to fear.
"They're dead Leila, and after I kill you I'll have you join them!"
Bondred chants for a quick moment and electricity sparks from his hands. Leila starts to glow a brilliant gold, blinding anyone who looks at her.
"This is for killing my friends, Bondred!"
Leila consumes her entire soul in an instant and the light rips her apart, ending her life. Bondred is reduced to atoms, freeing the trapped souls. The explosion, enhanced by Lyno's energy, helps the plants and animals to grow and thrive. Leila's sacrifice brought peace to her friends' souls, and her wish of being reunited with her comrades was granted.