Amidst the crumbling remnants of the once-mighty empire, Princess Ruby stood in the echoing halls, her kingdom's legacy dissipating like mist in the dawn. Her appointed knight, Yanno, a Sword Master with dreams of unrivaled strength, appeared before her with a dire urgency that sent shivers down her spine.
"Princess Ruby, you must heed my words," Yanno implored, his eyes carrying the weight of a world torn asunder. "His majesty and his highness have succumbed to the malevolent forces on the battlefield. You, Princess, are the last ember of our bloodline, the flickering hope that must endure. You must escape and forge a new army, reclaiming the empire lost to the insidious Demons!"
Yanno's plea echoed through the desolate halls, resonating with an air of mystery and impending doom. The princess, wrapped in the shadows of her fallen kin, felt the weight of destiny settling upon her slender shoulders.
As Yanno spoke of a war that had raged for centuries, the rise of Demons and the fall of humanity, the narrative took a mystical turn. The demons, during the years of supposed peace, had delved into dark arts, uncovering magics more potent and ominous than anything humans had ever fathomed. Secrets veiled in shadows, forgotten realms of forbidden sorcery, all converged to shape the impending catastrophe.
500 years had passed since the great war, and humanity had revealed itself in the illusions of tranquility. Unbeknownst to them, the Demons thrived in the uncharted territories of forbidden magic, biding their time until they emerged stronger than ever. It was a sinister dance of shadows and deceit, a tale untold until the fabric of reality began to fray.
In a desperate gambit, the Goddess Rae chose a human, the Aegeus, destined to rise and obliterate the Demon King, Abaddon. A beacon of hope amidst the encroaching darkness, the Aegeus altered the course of the war, inspiring a flicker of optimism. Yet, the shadow of human greed and cruelty proved insurmountable.
As the tides shifted, some humans, lured by the promises of the demons, betrayed their own kind in pursuit of power, wealth, and pleasure. The empire, once a beacon of prosperity, crumbled under the weight of its own folly. Princess Ruby, the last vestige of royal lineage, faced an excruciating decision – to surrender herself to the enigmatic forces that brought ruin or to navigate the shadows and unravel the mysteries veiled in betrayal.
The princess, surrounded by echoes of lost glory, contemplated her destiny. The narrative, tinged with an ethereal ambiance, whispered of prophecies and the elusive machinations of fate. The plea of her knight, Yanno, echoed through the corridors, bearing the weight of a kingdom's untold secrets, awaiting discovery in the shadows of impending chaos.
Amidst the crumbling remnants of the fallen empire, Princess Ruby, determined to shield the last flicker of hope for humanity, faced her appointed knight, Blake. The weight of their shared history bore down on the conversation, entwined with duty, sacrifice, and the shadows of an impending tragedy.
"I can't escape. I have to stay and give hope to the remaining humans!" Ruby's resolve echoed through the desolate halls, the resonance carrying both determination and an unspoken farewell.
"How can there be hope if you're killed here, the last remaining bloodline of royalty? I was entrusted to you by your father and brother to protect you while I watched them die by the hands of those demons!" Blake's plea was laden with the echoes of a tragic past.
Apologies lingered in the air as Ruby, with a heavy heart, declared her unwavering choice. "I'm sorry, Blake. I'm staying to protect my people, even if I have to offer my body and soul to the demons in order to shield my people and the last remaining humans. I'm sorry."
Blake, feeling a sword wound pierce his heart at those words, grappled with emotions he couldn't fully comprehend. "You wouldn't. I won't allow it," he vowed, a desperate attempt to change the course of fate.
Ruby, with a mixture of sadness and gratitude, relieved Blake of his position. "If it's the last option for peace, I would. I'm sorry, Blake, but as my last order towards you, I relieve you of your position as my bodyguard and order you to live your life."
But Blake, bound by an unspoken oath, refused to accept the decree. "I won't listen to those orders. My place is by your side. My soul belongs to you, and I will follow you for the rest of my life," he declared with unwavering determination.
Ruby smiled, a poignant farewell in her eyes. "I thought you'd say that. In the end, I couldn't stop you, huh? Please don't blame me, Blake, for what happens. I just wanted you to live your own life."
As Ruby walked away, Blake was cut short by a tranquilizer dart. Slowly losing consciousness, his last moments were filled with Ruby's words, "I love you, Blake. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me. If there's ever a second life, I hope I could meet you there and live out a long life together with you. See ya, Blake."
Later that day, Princess Ruby, with a heavy heart, confronted the towering Demon King, seeking an elusive peace. A flicker of hope danced in her eyes as the Demon King took a step back, seemingly considering her proposal. But the glint of malevolence in his eyes betrayed his true intentions. With a snap of his fingers, a gruesome massacre unfolded as heads rolled in the crowd.
Having survived by sleeping inside the castle, Blake awoke to the commotion outside. Stumbling out, he was met with an unexpected sight—demons celebrating their victory. Blurry-eyed and disoriented, he struggled to grasp the reality unfolding before him.
As Blake attempted to comprehend the scene, he concentrated, and the illusions surrounding him dissolved. The demons, once disguised as humans in celebration, revealed their true, horrifying forms. They revealed their brutality, showing no remorse for the countless lives they had extinguished.
In a desperate bid to escape undetected, Blake navigated through the revelry and the piles of corpses left in the demons' wake. The realization of his failure weighed heavy on his heart, tears streaming down his face.
"I could've done something," he reproached himself, vowing revenge on the demon race, not just on a soldier's level but on a deeply personal one. With a heavy heart and a burning resolve, he looked back at the abandoned castle, haunted by the ghosts of a kingdom lost.
For the next five years, Lake submerged himself in relentless training, his resolve fortified by grief and loneliness. He shunned companionship, convinced that any connection would be a distraction from his singular goal—vengeance against the demons who had ravaged his kingdom. The haunting whispers of suicide flickered through his thoughts, but he brushed them aside, channeling his pain into rigorous preparation for the impending battle.
Living in isolation, Blake remained consumed by the ghosts of the past. He refused to make new friends, fearing that attachments would weaken his unwavering determination. The weight of the losses he endured lingered, an ever-present companion that fueled his relentless pursuit.
When Blake deemed himself ready, he gathered a small group of remaining humans and trained them mercilessly for an assault on the Demon King's army. His leadership style lacked compassion; there was no room for empathy in his pursuit of revenge. The soldiers he trained faced a relentless commander, a man haunted by the shadows of his own grief.
The disconnect between Blake and his soldiers grew, and frustration festered among the ranks. Many deserted, unable to endure the harsh regimen and the emotional detachment of their leader. Blake remained unfazed, focused solely on refining his elite unit, each soldier now a formidable force on the battlefield.
The day arrived when Blake led his trained warriors to the heart of the demon stronghold, where the Demon King resided. The air thickened with tension as Blake blew a horn, commanding his men to charge into the gruesome battle. Chaos unfolded, casualties mounted, and Blake, consumed by the flames of revenge, pressed forward toward the Demon King.
Challenging the king to a duel, Blake's eyes bore the weight of a hundred souls. The Demon King, bewildered by the sight of Blake challenging him, felt an unsettling fear in Blake's piercing gaze. The battle was brief, a dance of lethal strikes exchanged between the two adversaries. In the end, Blake emerged victorious, standing atop the fallen king.
Yet, as the cries of victory echoed around him, an unexpected emptiness settled within Blake. The realization struck him like a relentless storm. All he had strived for was revenge, and now that the demons lay defeated, he found himself standing amidst the ruins of his life, bereft of purpose.
"I did it," Blake whispered to himself, the words ringing hollow.
"I did it," he repeated, the triumph drowned in a sea of despair.
"I did it," he murmured, the weight of his actions crashing down upon him.
Surveying the battlefield, Blake's men had secured victory, their cries fading into the distance. However, instead of celebrating, all Blake could do was weep. He had sacrificed everything for revenge, neglecting the memories of the good times and the love he once held for the princess.
Time marched on, and Blake, now older and perhaps wiser, grappled with the realization that he had squandered the past five years of his life. His pursuit of vengeance had eclipsed all else, leaving him with a hollow victory. The love he once felt for the princess seemed like a distant echo, and the emptiness within him grew.
The next day, Blake's lifeless body was discovered, hanging from a rope tied to a tree branch in the desolate woods. The prologue to the main story concluded, leaving behind the echoes of a man consumed by the shadows he sought to conquer.