It was on a winter night, the street silent as the crying of a woman could be heard. In a small house by the edge of the river sat a man, his leg bouncing up and down nervously waiting. He could hear his wife's screams through the door, but no matter how hard he tried he wasn't allowed in. He sighs for the hundredth time that night. Giddy with excitement but also filled with nerves and fear. He wipes his clammy hands on his trousers as he waits, oh so patiently waits.
And then the screaming stopped, silence ensued. Is it supposed to stop? Why is there no crying? No…nothing? The man thinks as he stands in front of the door, almost scared, yet tries to be optimistic. The door opens and a maiden lets him in.
He sighs in relief as his wife lay there, together with a newborn. His child, their child. But it's quiet, almost too quiet as he realises small snores emerging from it. His wife looks up at him with a tired, but fulfilled smile. She did it, they did it.
As much as they didn't want to admit that this was unplanned, it's what it was. He sighs in relief as he walks to his wife, moving to hold her as she falls into a deep sleep, letting her body recover. Everything went well, she survived, they survived.
As she lies there he takes the chance to hold their newborn, gently, carefully he picks her up. The small girl wrapped in blankets as she's held in the arms of her father. He looks at her like she's the most precious thing, to be treasured for eternity. But unfortunately it hits him, children like this aren't supposed to multiply, the world they live in abhors these kinds of unions. Even though the small child in his arms was born of a union of love, it was still a forbidden one. The realisation stabbed him in the chest as he looked at his innocent child. He couldn't change her cruel fate, but he could try.
As his wife stirred in her sleep, her wings puffed out, having been crushed under her for long enough. Her wings and his lack of them signifying their forbidden love. Her wings were crushed from hiding them. He doubts she'd ever be able to fly again, her wings tousled, feathers broken and bent. He knows her flightless fate is his fault, it was their union binding her to the earth, unable to soar the heavens once more. But he couldn't make himself feel bad, he's too selfish to. He loves her, his wife, so dearly.
Both of them have made many sacrifices to reach their happiness together. Yet both had never anticipated this. A child born from their love. Interracial spawns are a rare occurrence, even among unions of their nature. That made them even more ecstatic though, their love flowing through this child, their legacy.
A few years later, their child, Zoura, has grown up. Even though she is both Ascendra and Huemi, she seems to be of pure Huemi descent. Which has helped her over the years. In the lands of Thania where she lives it's unusual and looked down upon to mix the races, it's not meant to be that way, they say.
At a young age she learned that, when they caught a glimpse of the feathers on her back, the foundation of wings, yet they never quite bloomed to become the divine wings typical for the Ascendra.
They were curious at first if not slightly concerned, the children asked what she had on her back, was it a skin condition, or maybe she was one of those youkai in those stories if old. She was bombarded with questions and the teachers looked in disgust. "Filthy thing, isn't it?" They would whisper among each other, until eventually the children did too. In the end they all looked at her the same. Quite the unfortunate spectre for Zoura. But it was easier not to dwell on it and move on, drown them out.
And so she focused on achieving her dream, to make the world safe, to be a hero. She wanted to join the knights, become the one the children would look up to. And after years of hard work, perfecting her physique. Her dream is finally coming to reality.
When she hit the age of sixteen she enrolled into the army and fought many fearsome battles. The war against Fourina, the battle of Vidrmir. She has fought in all of them, slowly rising up in the ranks. Defeating and besting her enemies, well…except one, Ezriel Calyps, the beloved prize boy of the Ascendra.
Ezriel, the boy who is always one step ahead, sure he may be 5 years older but no sane person would call him a man with that childish demeanour, well if they knew him. Enrolled into the army at 16, five years before Zoura, fought in all battles, became known across the lands as the hero of our time, the current commander of the army. He was born into a noble family, a pure blooded Ascendra, like it should be…
But none of that matters as he looks at her in envy, for it is time for Zoura to be awarded knighthood, something that up until this point he hasn't been able to achieve. Why? Why does that little filthy spoil get to play knight? Fourina, Vidrmir, Anzurel, we were both there… She isn't more capable… So why? He thought to himself, a million thoughts whirling in his head like the storms on the pale seas.
So here they are, at the army's headquarters in the capital of Thania, a royal knight and the current commander of the 2nd army. Staring each other down, waiting for the approval of their companion to slit the other's throat. They had just gotten word of a traitor in their midst. And of course they had to go for each other, completely ignoring the unknown foot soldier besides them. What fools they can be…or, are.