Throughout her relatively brief existence of eighteen years, she has been deprived of the opportunity to venture beyond the borders of the Royal Capital of Nova, save for one instance. This particular expedition occurred when she was a mere four years of age, accompanied by her parents, who happen to be the esteemed King and Queen of Nova. Together, they embarked upon a journey to the bustling Port City of Kram. During this period in time, Kram was functioning as a secure haven for refugees who had fled primarily from the Kingdom of Nenalin. It was widely regarded as the most sizable and well-organized refugee camp on the entire continent, providing sanctuary and solace for those in need.
Currently, she perceives herself as being in a position atop an impressive onyx horse, making her way through the landscape while gradually approaching the town of Kram. The cause for her departure from the Capital was to see her adored grandfather, a reason that appeared both rational and improbable to be subject to examination by her parents.
As she gazes out at the expansive coastline, she can feel the refreshing ocean breeze gently caressing her neck and forehead, offering a much-needed reprieve from the intense heat of the summer sun. Luckily, she had arrived in Kram before the sun had reached its highest point in the sky. Instinctively, she lifts a hand to shield her face from the glaring sunlight and reaches for her water pouch to quench her thirst and keep her body hydrated.
"How are you holding up girl?" She says to the horse, her voice soft and sweet, the woman wears an ornate set of clothing, it is mostly leather with the left arm plated in armour, and the right completely bare, her hair is tied back in a loose knot, it is as black as the horse itself, her skin as fair as freshly fallen snow, "I know this heat isn't up to your standards."
The horse huffs in reply. The woman lets out a laugh.
As she rides towards the entrance of Kram, her trusty onyx horse, Heia, comes to a halt, and a guard approaches her on foot. The woman dismounts from her steed to engage in conversation at an appropriate level. The guard stands a few inches shorter than her, sporting horns protruding from her cranium, and a pale red complexion with small black markings adorning her nose and forehead.
"May I know your name and reason for being here?" asks the Tiefling woman standing in front of her. The woman's voice seems strangely familiar.
"My name is Lierin Hawkstride and I have come to see the Lord of Kram," Lierin responds politely.
"Here to see the Lord," the Tiefling woman's face lit up with recognition. "Lierin? Oh, my gods, it's really you!"
"Hello sister, it's great to see you again," Lierin greets with a smile. "It's been a few years since we last met, but I'm a bit surprised that you didn't recognize me earlier."
"It's been a while since we last met and I must say, you've changed quite a bit," remarked the Tiefling woman, pointing to her chest. "You've definitely grown in the last couple of years."
"Hello," Lierin blushes as she instinctively covers her chest and expresses her disappointment, "Growing a little doesn't mean you can stare at me." She gazes at her sister with her light green eyes, taking in her appearance, "It seems like you haven't changed much, have you, Lildöris?"
"I don't think growing up automatically makes you superior to me. After all, I have five more years of experience," Lildöris replies, her cheeks turning slightly pink. "But let's get back to the topic. What brings you here to see the old man?" She takes hold of Heia's reins and affectionately strokes her neck.
"Honestly, Lil, I just wanted to leave the Capital and explore the world on my own, hoping to encounter some exciting adventures," Lierin responds. She glances over her shoulder and notices Lildöris securing Heia in the guardhouse stables. "May I ask what you're doing?"
"It's not just yours, Father got her for both of us," Lildöris explains as she approaches Lierin and gives her a warm embrace. "It's been too long, I've really missed you."
Lierin reciprocates the hug and expresses her joy, "It's great to see you again, but I don't think we need to hug for that." She withdraws from Lildöris and continues, "I have to leave now. I want to explore the city and also meet the old man. It's been fourteen years since I last saw him, so it'll be nice to catch up." Lierin takes a few steps forward, halts, and looks back, "Just a heads up, don't let Dad hear you calling him Father."
Lildöris smiled and gave a wave before Lierin returned the friendly gesture.
***
Lierin has been wandering the busy streets of Kram for almost an hour and now finds herself lost in the crowd. She thinks to herself, "Where in the world am I?"
As she examines a map of Kram retrieved from her chest plate, Lierin notes that it depicts the old version of the city before it was destroyed. However, her father assured her that the layout of the place has remained largely unchanged when she had inquired about the map prior to departing.
She kept studying the map until she spotted a familiar place - The Dirty Mind Hotel. This was where her father had stayed before Kram was destroyed in flames. She plans to inquire about the directions to the legislature building from there.
"Lost, are we?" A voice sounds in Lierin's ear, her heart jumps from her chest as she looks back to see Lildöris smiling at her.
"Why do you have to be like this?" Lierin asks while attempting to calm her breathing, "I thought you were on guard duty today?" Her heart, still racing.
"I was on guard duty, but once I saw that you were going to be roaming the streets of Kram I made sure I got off early," Lildöris answers, "and you still haven't answered my question."
"What makes you believe I am lost?"
"The fact that the map you are holding, it's upside down Lierin. That's what makes me think you are lost." Lildöris answers with a smile.
"No wonder I can't find my way around this place." Lierin flips the map and looks at it again, "Okay, so the old man is over in that direction." She points towards North-East as she looks up from the map and sees a building that is larger than the rest, "I am telling you now," she looks at Lildöris and says, "I am not sure how I missed a building that large."
"Well, I am surprised you had made it here in the first place," Lildöris responds, "I would not be surprised if you had got lost in a straight—" She looks over at Lierin to see that her eyes are now a faint purple, "Lierin, your eyes, they're turning purple."
"They are?" Lierin responds sounding quite surprised, she reaches into a black pouch on her belt and pulls out a small black capsule, she lays the capsule on her tongue and drinks some water from her canteen, she swallows it, "Are they still purple?"
Her eyes begin to revert to their pale emerald as Lildöris says, "No they've stopped. So, how long has it been since you started ingesting those things?"
"About three years," Lierin replies with a raised brow, "if I don't take them my abilities will go berserk, and in addition to that my actions won't be my own. I would undoubtedly say that is the downside to being the daughter of a Demi-God and an experiment of the Crimson Ring." She lets out a deep sigh.
"I still remember the first time you had lost control of your abilities," Lildöris says as Lierin looks at her in disbelief, "What, of course I would remember that day, it is how I got the scars that cover sixty percent of my body."
"And when I had fully regained my senses and you had woken up, I said I was sorry, didn't I? Why do you have to bring up bad memories?" Lierin's voice is now hoarse sounding, "I did not mean to do it."
"I know you didn't mean to, but that was the first time I had felt pain due to fire. Everyone was concerned about yours and my safety, but I didn't expect to be burnt by flames considering my lineage and everything." Lildöris grabs Lierin's free hand and continues to walk through the streets of Kram, "But it doesn't change the fact that you are my sister, even if we are blood-related or not. I will protect you no matter what."
As Lildöris finished saying what Lierin needed to hear the stop in front of the building that she had pointed out earlier. They enter the building and walk through the empty halls in silence before Lierin stops and glances at the portraits on the wall, from the looks of things it seems that it dates to the founding fathers of Kram to the current Lord of the city, her grandfather.
She stops in front of her grandfather's portrait and stares for a long while, Sir Isake Hawkstride Jr. Dragon-Slayer, but she doubts that he has ever seen a dragon in his lifetime. The Wall of Lords, so many dead and useless people are on this wall, from what she has heard even her grandfather hasn't addressed the entire city in the past five years, that just makes him as good as dead she guesses.
They continue to walk down the long hallway as they reach a door at the end, the door is large and well designed, it has many intricate details with leads for her to believe that it was the Dwarves handy work that made this door, and possibly the entire building she is in. Two guards flank the door, they both kneel as Lierin approaches, they stand and open the door to where her grandfather resides.
She enters the room to see the King and Queen of Nova sitting on either side of her grandfather, "Mum? Dad?" She says in surprise, "What are you two doing here?" Her face is screwed in confusion.
"You got lost again, didn't you dear?" Her mother begins walking up to her, "It is a three-day ride here from Nova, yet you take an amazing two weeks to get here."
"It isn't like I do it to get attention or anything." Lierin responds as her face begins to burn from embarrassment, "I just have a bad sense of direction."
"I know sweetheart, I know," Her mother replies, she places her hands on Lierin's shoulders and pulls her in for a hug, Lierin hugs her back. Her mother, Katrina, releases the hug and looks into Lierin's eyes, "When was the last time you had taken one of those capsules?"
"About twenty minutes ago, why?"
"Raymonde, it seems like the capsules aren't going to be enough anymore." Katrina says behind her as Lierin's father, Raymonde, stands and approaches them, Lildöris dips her head in greeting.
"I was afraid that this would happen," Raymonde voices as he bends over slightly to be eye level with Lierin, "your eyes, they're beginning to glow, the medication I had custom made doesn't seem like it'll do the trick anymore." He reaches for the pouch that is on Lierin's belt, "I paid a fortune for these to be made, they had helped Katrina when she had lost control of herself, many a time. I guess the additional power of what I am is too much for them to handle."
"So, what you are saying that is she could lose control at any moment?" Lildöris chimes in.
He nods, "Yes. Unless she learns how to control them in the traditional way." Raymonde looks back towards Katrina who now supports a worried look on her face, "What do you think?"
"Hang on," Lierin cuts in, "why don't I get to have a say in the matter?" Her eyes now a deep midnight purple, "It is my life, I should be the one who gets the final say in how I can stay in control."
"Lierin, you need to calm yourself," Raymonde slowly begins to approach her, "remember what had happened last time you lost control, it will be much worse than that since this building is made from wood and not stone like the castle."
"Why should I care about trivial matters such as that?" Purple smoke now begins to spill from her eyes and fill the room, her skin begins to glow a pale purple from her fingertips to her forearms, "If anyone should be calming down it should be—" Her words are cut off as her skin reverts to normal and her eyes roll into her head as she collapses.
Standing behind Lierin is Llorva Skypeak, one of the guards who were standing at the door, with her sword unsheathed, "The Hawkstride weak point," she taps the nape of her neck, "works every time."
"Llorva!" Katrina shouts, "Why did you do that?"
"You know as well as I do is that she was about to lose control of herself. I did what I felt was necessary." She replies with an unwavering face.
The room falls silent before a force that was like a waterfall falling on each of their backs filled the room, the room begins to shake as the area around Lierin becomes distorted, in the span of a blink she is up on her feet, her skin erupts into purple flames and every step she takes leaves scorch marks in her wake, she unsheathes Frostburn as it also erupts into the same purple flames, she holds it up and points it towards Llorva.
"Lierin, stop!" Katrina shouts as she now transforms, her skin and eyes a bright transparent blue, her hair is a flow of blue flames, **"Lierin, get yourself under control."** She says in a tongue no one else in the room understands.
**"Get out of my way mother,"** Lierin responds in the same tongue, **"I have to punish the one who did this to me."**
Llorva begins to tremble when Lierin's murderous gaze fixes on her.
**"I know what she did was wrong, but punishment won't solve anything,"** Her voice wobbles as tears flow from her eyes, **"please Lierin. Come back to me."** Katrina drops the form of the Goddess and begins to hug her daughter.
Lierin's eyes widen as the aggression on her face softens to sorrow, "I'm sorry," The purple swirl of power and flames gets snuffed out as Lierin begins to cry, "I am so sorry, I didn't mean any of it."
Raymonde looks towards Llorva, who is still frozen in fear, "Llorva, get out of my sight, or you will not like the repercussions." His eyes flash red as the fear in Llorva's face grows, her entire being visibly trembling, she hurries out of the room.
Raymonde rushes over to Katrina and Lierin, both of which are still crying in each other's arms, Raymonde looks Katrina in the eye and lifts an eyebrow, she shakes her head in answer.
He grabs Lierin's chin and lifts her head up so he can see her face. Her eyes now the deep midnight purple as they were before all this transpired, Raymonde's worst fear had come to light, his own daughter had become the God-Slayer. He cloaks them both in his arms and pulls them close, "Everything will be alright." He repeated himself until Lierin's crying had subsided.