Beyond the demesne of Caesar, a cluster of figures scurried in disarray, seeking refuge from a relentless enemy. Unbeknownst to them, the Karl Mountains now harbored a mighty Red Dragon.
"Damn these traitors!"
"Despicable rebels—they should be cast down to hell forthwith!"
In the midst of the throng, two knights—still sizable despite their wounds—bandaged themselves whilst whispering curses.
"It is I who have imperiled you all," a regal woman crowned with diadems of sovereignty intoned with a touch of sorrow. "Were it not for me, Uncle Cyrus and the others would not have met their demise."
"Princess Diana!"
A knight, now bereft of an arm, widened his gaze in shock, "This is no fault of yours, my lady. It is the vile Duke Cassius who betrayed the kingdom's covenant and incited rebellion—you are blameless. The treachery of these malcontents is to blame!"
"Indeed, Your Highness, please, muster your strength!"
"And remember, my princess, you are yet a magic-bearer of royal lineage. When the moment is ripe, our forebears' covenant shall guide us in reclaiming all that we've lost!"
"The traitors shall ultimately descend into the abyss!"
The knights consoled Diana. Though hunted fiercely by their foes, they had managed to extricate the kingdom's sole surviving heir—a stroke of fortune amidst calamity.
In the Silvermoon Kingdom, a ferocious insurrection had just taken place with Duke Cassius spearheading the noble class to overturn the king's rule. Fortuitously, Diana had been absent from the capital to visit a friend, otherwise, the royal bloodline would've been thoroughly extinguished. But now, the reward for her capture was substantial.
Surrounded by two knights and two squires, the valiant guard of the Silvermoon Kingdom remained devoutly loyal to their king, albeit most had perished or been injured in the conflict. These were the only allies on whom the princess could rely.
"May the grand magic deity shield you all," Diana prayed.
The knights bowed respectfully, honoring Diana not only as the king's daughter but also as a mighty spellcaster.
As she chanted, a cascade of light, resembling raindrops, fell upon the knights, quickly mending their wounds through the power of a third-tier spell, Mass Healing. Such rare magical talents among humans were esteemed highly.
Amidst chaotic battlefields, the role of a spellcaster was pivotal—a well-prepared spell could often turn the tides of war.
In the Silvermoon Kingdom, Diana's innate gift was exceptional. By her mid-teens, she had already become a third-tier mage, with prospects of advancing to high-tier mage—a probability not altogether slight.
Such potential was their glimmer of hope.
Once a high-tier mage, her status would eclipse even that of monarchs. If not for the recent passing of the kingdom's aged high-tier mage, Duke Cassius would likely have never dared to rebel.
Just as hope bloomed, harrowing screeches tore through the sky, grating upon every ear.
"To arms!"
With a bellow, the knights unsheathed their blades, protectively encircling Diana, their gazes fixed upon the impending threat.
But soon, despair engulfed them.
A squadron of Griffin Knights descended upon them, Duke Cassius's elite legion, each knight a paragon of their order. Ten griffin-mounted warriors encircled them, intent on quashing the Silvermoon Kingdom's final vestige of resistance.
Seizing the moment, Diana's knights roared, "Flee, princess!"
As two knights gallantly shielded Diana, the overwhelming fear had crippled their squires, robbing them of the will to battle.
The leader of the Griffin Knights, towering and grim, wielded his lance with an embedded azure gem, conjuring cruel wind blades that wailed through the air.
With a piercing thrust, his lance impaled one of the defending knights, pinning him mercilessly to the ground.
Diana, stripped of time for grief, steeled herself for a last stand.
"Third-tier spell—Chain Lightning!"
Her invocation of arcane sorcery beckoned to the elemental forces, channeling a maelstrom of electrical fury.
Despite its elemental semblance, Chain Lightning belonged to the sorcery domain, encompassing treatments, teleports, and conjurations alike. As a third-tier spell, it boasted formidable power, capable of decimating numerous foes, even a contingent of low-tier fighters.
With a thunderous crack, the unexpected Chain Lightning burst forth, illuminating the sky in a stark azure blaze.
And then... silence ensued.
Physically drained, Diana's heart shattered at the sight before her—the Aegis of Conviction, a mid-tier spell!
Merely breaching the Aegis would strain her reserves of magic, which these knights would not allow. Once a spellcaster was cornered by melee combatants, chaos ensued, and her guards could scarcely afford her the time required.
"Spellcasters truly possess formidable might," the Griffin Knights' leader uttered, his gaze softening as he crushed a spell scroll in his grip, wary of the spellcasters' repute.
A spellcaster struck by Chain Lightning risked profound injury, even someone of his mid-tier warrior prowess.
Moments later, Diana's guardians lay lifeless, fallen in defense of their erst—now forlorn—princess.
The leader raised his lance, eyes cold with finality: "Farewell, Princess Diana..."
For a gifted spellcaster like Diana, Duke Cassius held no quarter. His command was stark—eliminate with prejudice.
Facing certain death, Diana could only close her eyes, as the winds howled, lifting her silver tresses and her delicate dress.
But as the end seemed nigh, the world seemed to pause. Diana, sensing a turn of fate, opened her eyes, only to find the Griffin Knights, once steadfast in pursuit, now stricken with alarm.
A great dragon—colossal and crimson—loomed before them, its scales a vivid tapestry of destruction, its presence a tangible dread, engulfing all in a fearsome maw.
The Red Dragon—an avatar of devastation and malevolence, and the foremost of the chromatic dragons.