"You can take away this city from me but how will you indulge the Will to wage war against the mighty Pirates, into these spineless women?"
Rose, the defeated Empress of Red-Line had her glass of wine yet in her palm. It was the trio before them, Black-Cloaked, Zera, and Warrior and her Lapdog Ark. Upon the figure of mystery, covered in a raven piece of cloak as if angel of death, Rose had her eyes pointed at Athena to answer her question, of which, The Lady of Olympia replied. "I will not." Startled but used to it by now, Rose knew exactly what Athena had a plan for. Her palm swayed in the direction towards her majestic lips, Rose took a sip of wine "And you call me cruel…" And hence without another word shared, the trio have their each step march towards the exit, to gather the women of this city, those who have never wielded a sword to have them wage war against one of the deadliest pirates. One may wonder that Athena is ruthless, but it was not a secret perhaps.
Rose wanted to ask that mysterious figure what he gained from this, yet at that point, she had sunken greatly into the ocean of wine and her lips could not gather the strength to even spell that.
…
The Great Structure of Red Line had over hundreds of rooms in it. Settled for each prostitute performing their duty and while as well as functioning as a home for many. At the peak, although, it had only a single room, the largest and no name tag upon it needed. It was that of Rose's. The city glimmered like red tiny stars from her terrace, Rose stood there to roam the eyes of Lavender to all that little red glint. A Glass of wine is grasped by her left hand while the right one runs through her scarlet luxurious hair. The surge of memories raced through her imagination, fogging her sight and leaving her wonderless.
'I wonder why…'
She was not happy to be dethroned and yet not sad even in the slightest, rather it occurred as if she was free, from her long journey of reaching the ultimate pinnacle of her life, she had lived past it and there was no such thing as had remained in her life. As she bowed down to see at the height she stood at, she may have another choice. Rushing from the sky like her first name, The Fallen Angel. Taking her life perhaps gave her the feeling of complexity and comfort, but whether she had the will to accomplish that, circulated within her thoughts for as if a century. Her wiggling feet wanted to end all of this, there was no such reason to abide in this world, she was free from herself, yet…
'I wonder why…?'
She found herself in a lighted sky as the bird's songs rang in her ears. She understood, after all, there was no rain as of yet. It was a blue sky mixed with traveling clouds that were white. She had a headache worse enough to destabilize her for more than a few minutes as her palm had to console her head with a massage and make it give more strength to her legs to stand on her feet once again. Rose walked to her terrace, a balcony that she was ready to jump mere hours ago, drunk, now it gave her shivers just thinking about it, she was thankful for being sober. The little glimmer of red lights, of course, could not be seen in the sky of the day but also there was not a single noise coming from below. After all, she could hear the echo of birds chirping from quite far away at this busy time of the district, which made her wonder if anybody still resided in the city below. It has been many years since Rose has stepped outside of her territory—Red-Line, as walking amongst the people was not considered that it is a pinnacle, hence Rose abstern herself, while the city was told the rumor that she had many enemies for not being able to walk herself on the streets. She stood by the exit barely making her foot touch the ground. She trembled, unable to make the decision to flee her territory. Thoughts crossed her mind, questioning her if this was safe if any enemy attacked, or if this was a grand trap set by that mysterious figure in the black cloak. Rose was wary that the city could not be empty, yet, gathering her courage to find out, she touched her foot on the floor and walked upon bare feet.
The Silent City.
A mere figure covered in Red lurked to the empty allies. At each step of the district, she noticed that many little things had changed, few of the wooden doors were now of that proper steel, the color of each structure had Red mixed, and some had changed their furniture drastically. Light poles were different, painted Red rather than black. Perhaps to fit her liking, the entire city was decorated as it lived through a festival every day. She entered many houses and lay on their couches or beds. Roaming through the kitchens, and finding amusing meals of unique cooking, of course, she ate many of them on an empty stomach.
Rose walked to the city center, a statue of their savior, Captain Alika in the middle of a grand circle, waging a sword in the sky. It reflected her heavenly gazes, each ounce of herself amused. Blinded that he was the miracle of this city, the soul they trusted everything on, despite him failing them for nearly a decade. She felt jealous, never in her life did she think she would feel inferior to Alika, yet, losing everything, she abided before his statue. Words of a mysterious black-cloaked figure circulated in her head.
"This city never needed a Hero or a Messiah…it needed a leader, a wise one. You were what this city needed…merely on a better side."
Rose of Red-Line. The defeated empress of the City Marina, on her knees, gazes upon the sky. Unknown and speechless, a woman with a conquering beauty sat as if she were a sculpture of divine charm. Lost to time and might of power from her grasp, she stood on the same ground as mankind, as nothing more than a human. Regrets, nothing but. Beads of tears rounded in the corner of her majestic lavender eyes—the hatred that she carried for decades to finally leave her, the resort that she always relied upon when each of her choices was placed by her wits now fleeing from herself. Rose of Red-Line bit her glossy red lips.
She betrayed herself. The Will of Blood was broken, the hunger for revenge had grown wings to fly past. Leaving a mere but worthless human behind. There was nothing left.
No one…
Until…Rose tears streamed down her cheeks, and just then a hidden treasure of memory crawled into her anguished train of thoughts, of that beautiful sky and those wind gales, tickling and relieving, and that silhouette…
***
The roar of soldiers echoed into the entire castle. The sound of swords clashing, echoed into the halls, echoing screams as many quieted down after crying for mercy.
A slave to her ankles and wrist chained to the wall—dressed in red but half naked and a figure of silver armor stood before, grasping a sword in his left hand.
"Lilith…"
It has been many years since she was called that name.
'I tilted my eyes to him, he was frightening, covered in blood as it dripped from his sword. He was here to kill me perhaps. No, no, no…I can not die yet,…I have to kill all these people of heights, and stand above them all… the Pinnacle…'
Those chains of sentences her tongue in the mind spoke to herself. Taken every and each right of human being of her, she was a slave for the pleasure of Second Noble, the only man who stepped beneath Emperor in authority and his precious lover, Rosiana—the fallen angel—he gave her that name and she was his utmost precious treasure in his vault, so much so, that he had to strangle her with chains to never see a day to lose her. But today before her stood a man in armor, perhaps many years had passed when it was another human being before her than the Second Noble. Upon her lavender gaze at him, her legs felt numb and her eyes fogged, her will wailed to ask his identity but her tongue couldn't. The man in armor lifted his sword into the sky, to her it felt as if it was the end but it pointed at the chains that tangled her, slashing them down, and he freed her. Rosiana lost her vision and her mind left her for ample hours, but she could feel a warmth carrying her out as the castle burnt down, it was a gentle touch that she hadn't felt in years.
It was a bright day—she guessed many hours had passed, and found herself in a tent covered in a piece of white cloth, hiding her body. She walked out and found many like her lying in tents as far as her lavender gazes went. She walked many steps without realizing it, she reached a figure in the armor of silver, not with a single ounce of hinge she lapped her palm on his back, to avert his eyes upon herself. He was flustered to gaze at her, she could feel that even if his face was covered with a helmet. "You saved me…" Without her mind even collecting the words, her tongue decided to spell them. "Who are you…?" The man in armor with a face foreign to her but there was familiarity he had, she had her doubts yet it was a needed question. The man hidden refused to make her question answered, rather his steps marched away from her, in haste moreover, but she followed with matching speed and as many playful minutes passed by… "Stop and answer me…" Rosiana did not have enough strength to continue any further. "Do I know you…?" Her lavender gazes stuck upon him like gunk, beneath that helmet she knew someone familiar, and each ounce of self ceased that figure.
The figure beneath the armor halted his feet, spun to her, and had his chest lifted. "Do not cease me…" Like everyone, the soldiers of this country have the Gorgets to represent the family they abide within, the figure in armor that had that covered with a scarf, to prevent knowing his leader. But he had to answer her curiosity yet not with words that he was capable of.
The Gorget with that symbol of fright—The Broken Chains! She had heard rumors of an army of rebels led by a Legendary Hero; Leocus against the Royals and Nobles, and waving the flag of Broken Chains.
"Do not cease me, woman."
Just then she affirmed who he was. No lie could overlap her confidence.
"At the end of the day, I am just a knight of price. Saving you wasn't my duty, I did it because you were in my way. To be honest for me, people like you who aren't my soldiers could be traded for a bunch of insects for all I care…But if you still consider this as a life-saving point…so at least make something out of it…you might be able to do it…Lilith…"
With the gales of winds swaying her majestic scarlet hairs, she stood frozen. Being mesmerized by that figure walking away from her, descending into a bright sky.
'…'
She whispered his name.
***
'I wonder…'
Why now she wonders. But all that sadness within her fumbled on a grand slope of hope. She perhaps had someone she could return to, even today she was the woman with resolve, a hope that she could take shelter in. She curled a smile, a little very faint on those glossy red lips but she smiled. She had a home.
-In a simple second.
"Is the city always this vacant?" A figure spoke behind her.
Startled, Rose immediately spun, to which her eyes were thrown into a chamber of shock. A figure in a Black Cloak, and thrice the size of herself. She could not confirm whether it was a man or a woman behind the cloak despite its voice just speaking, but the way it walked, she got a stinking sniff of a man in his approaching steps. "I apologize if I surprise you!" Rose gazed up at his head, wondering why again she could not see his face, something alike occurred when she lost to the Black Cloak at night. But as he walked closer to her, she crawled back with shrinking steps…it was not enough.
"You are afraid of me? Hahaha!" He continued his march. "You puny humans are always so scared, no wonder you are spineless and fighting for your cause even in your deaths! And what puny conflicts occur though when you do not even possess Theo to have a fist-to-fist, hahaha!" Hundreds of thoughts circulated in her head. Assassin, Serial Killer, or perhaps Knight from the Land of Dev, the man in the cloak raised infinite doubts. Mayhaps, he waited for her to step outside the Red Line to embark his attack. Rose had her plan yet to be prepared to face any atrocity. "Who are you?" She asked in an attempt to distract him, "And why are you wearing the same cloak as the other one did yesterday…" Which perhaps led to her biggest mistake. All of a sudden he halted his walk. She could not peek into that hood upon his face, yet something faint shone within that resembling eyes in the tint of Gold. "So she was here?!" He grasped his face by his right palm. "HAHAHAHAHA!!!" To his laugh, the earth shivered, the homes crumbled, and Rose was deafened despite covering her ears with all she could, falling upon her knee, in mere seconds as if a high-magnitude earthquake struck the city. After the pause in his laugh, she removed her palms from her ears. "Blood…?" She could not believe that blood streamed down from her ears. Her eyes spun back to him in a very rapid motion. "Lady Athena…Minerva, The Deity of Wisdom, I finally found you…" He yelled and quaked even more of the earth. "He awaits your head, He, the ruler of all Gods, awaits you, HAHAHAHA!!!"
It was not a human.
Beneath the hood, his face was covered, yet no man could cause such destruction with his mere laugh. It was a mythical creature she merely heard in fairy tales, a Monster, a Devil. Rose's eardrums were torn and could not hear the turn of words spelled. Yet…she listened to the name of a certain God he loudly cheered…