That day, the Southern Continent's mighty war machine lost not just its marshal, but its guiding hand. The public's faith was shattered, and the south's armies were left rudderless. It was a blow from which they would never recover.
Some would say it was the marshal's own hubris that sealed his fate - and theirs - by shouldering the weight of war alone.
Meanwhile, on the frozen vastness of the Far North, an ominous whisper spread: the ice was melting, and with it, the fragile balance of power.
***
2 days ago, on 26th of Vereon
My name's Luka, I'm a maintenance technician and I hate my job.
I was born on the northern continent. I don't even know who I was born to, as far as I can remember there's not much good stuff that happened to me.
Striving for a better life, I ended up in this job, it's not that great either but I have held onto the the ray of hope that it could get better.
It was just another ordinary day, or so I thought. I was on my way to BSK Tech for the usual monthly maintenance of the power generator. But today, it was more than routine—since it was Vereon, the month for semi-annual checks, it meant more work. A lot more work. This also meant a longer list of things to be done: inspect the enclosure, test the battery levels, check the coolant heater, and a dozen other things that usually didn't come up. Everything had to be perfect. It was going to be a long, tiresome day—but nothing I hadn't handled a hundred times before. Nothing, I thought.
Not yet.
At 9:26, the facility's emergency alarm began blaring and red lights filled the entire area. The speakers began to announce an earthquake high magnitude and that it wasn't a drill.
One of the guards nearby, took us outside the facility, as we all crowded into a small space away from the buildings. The ground began to shake, it was the most powerful earthquake I had ever experienced all my life. All the buildings began to collapse.
And then, a power pole beside us fell. I couldn't grasp the situation as I felt the time slowing down and pole slowly coming towards my face, death inches away from me. Yet in that split second, my friend, Lev pushed me aside to save me and the pole fell on him.
He lay there, eyes wide open, not moving, not speaking, not even breathing, blood flowing out from the back of his head, dying the ground in red. The only person who had shown any kindness to me my entire life, my friend Lev, lay still as a cold corpse. I couldn't take the shock and just kept staring at him, my eyes wide.
Tears began to blur my vision. A guy finally began to run and then the crowd broke into a panic as everyone scattered like flies. But I fell down on my knees.
Suddenly, Lev began coughing and then vomiting out more of his blood.
"L-lev, we can save you there's still time, it's alright, I will save you, stay awake! I know you'll be fine don't lose hope! please stay awake!" I begged to him crying and forcing out my voice which has abandoned me.
"Shut up crybaby, look there's not much we can d- cough do..., my time's come, the best you can do is run to safety for now, you were a great friend, just run.. ugh this is so cheesy don't make me say all this you loser" Lev said back to me
"Don't speak like that Lev, you'll be fine you'll be fin-"
"Look I told yo-" he began replying but stopped speaking and his body froze in silence, then went limp.
"LEV WAKE UP! YOU CAN'T LEAVE ME LIKE THIS! WAKE UP!" I screamed out in agony.
After a few moments in silence, I got up to respect his last words and not let his sacrifice for me to go in vain. As I rubbed my eyes dry and began to run I started to hear the screams of people nearby.
I hid behind the rubble of a collapsed building from where the screams were coming from.
A woman was being lifted up by her hair, as she screamed for help. The one lifting her by her hair looked like a monster, it had a human like body, but it definitely wasn't human, roughly 7 feet in height,muscular frame, a rough skin tone, crimson eyes and dark brown hair and the things most standing out were it's fangs and the horns over it's forehead.
The creature grunted and sliced the woman's head with a single slash of the long sword grasped in it's hands
I cowered behind the building, my hand clamped over my mouth as I hyperventilated. My lungs burned from the frantic gasps, but I couldn't stop. The memory of Lev's lifeless body flashed before my eyes, and I felt a wave of despair wash over me.
"Why did you have to save me?" I whispered, my voice muffled by my hand. "You could've gotten out of here... you could've lived."
The sound of thunderous footsteps shook me out of my grief. A massive creature rounded the corner, its eyes fixed on me. I froze, my heart racing like a wild animal.
Just as the creature took a step closer, a deafening roar echoed through the air. Another creature, equally massive, charged into view. The two behemoths clashed, their roars echoing through the air.
I didn't hesitate. I sprinted away from the battle, my heart racing in my chest. I didn't dare look back, fearing what I might see.
My legs trembled beneath me as I ran, my chest still feeling tight from the panic. I finally reached a narrow alleyway and collapsed against the wall, gasping for air.
My mind reeled with the close call I'd just had, and the loss of Lev still felt like a fresh wound. I slid down the wall, my head in my hands, trying to catch my breath.
I sat up against the wall, covering my ears with my hands to silence the screams and roars,
As I sat there, the screeching sound still echoing in my ears, I felt my eyelids growing heavy. The stress and shock of the day had finally caught up with me. I leaned back against the wall, feeling the rough texture against my skin.
Just as I was about to drift off to sleep, a hand clamped down on my shoulder. I jerked upright, my heart racing.
"Follow me," a low voice said.
I turned to see a man with a rugged face and a worn leather jacket. He gestured for me to follow him, and I stumbled to my feet, still disoriented.
We walked for a few minutes, the only sound being the crunch of gravel beneath our feet. Then, the man stopped in front of a large truck.
"Get in," he said, opening the back door.
I hesitated for a moment, but the man's urgent tone brooked no argument. I climbed into the truck, finding myself amidst a crowd of people. They were all huddled together, looking frightened and uncertain.
"Who are you?" I asked one of them, a young woman with a child clinging to her.
"We're refugees," she replied, her voice barely above a whisper.
Suddenly, the truck's rear door slammed shut, plunging us into darkness. The people around me erupted into panic, screaming and crying out for help.
I joined in, pounding on the walls of the truck. "Let us out! What's going on?"
The men outside were unmoved. "Consignment is ready," one of them said, his voice detached.
The truck's engine roared to life, and we lurched forward. I stumbled, grabbing onto a nearby handhold to steady myself.
As we drove away from the devastation, the sounds of gunfire and roars grew fainter. The truck rumbled on, carrying us toward an unknown destination.
The truck rumbled on, carrying us towards an unknown destination, the setting sun casting a faint orange glow through the cracks in the truck's walls.
***
The room hummed with urgency, screens flickering with data and hurried voices murmuring in the background. Elder Arin stood at the center, his eyes fixed on the main screen as he addressed one of the technicians.
"Rewind the clip, slowed down, one more time," he said, his voice firm but controlled.
The technician nodded and worked the console. The screen flickered, and a grainy video played out in slow motion. Arin's eyes narrowed, his gaze darting back and forth across the screen.
"Again," he said, his voice unwavering.
The technician rewound the clip once more. Arin's eyes locked onto something, and his expression changed. A spark of understanding ignited in his eyes, followed by a flash of determination.
"Size down the force field around the titan," he announced, his voice ringing through the room.
A collective pause followed, with technicians and strategists exchanging skeptical glances. One of the elders, a woman with a stern expression, stepped forward.
"Sir, are you certain?" she asked, her voice laced with concern.
Arin's gaze swept the room, his eyes lingering on each face before responding.
"Do I need to repeat myself?" he asked, his tone firm but edged with a hint of irritation.
The room fell silent, with the only sound the soft beeping of consoles and the quiet murmur of technicians scrambling to comply with Arin's orders.
***
The battlefield on the west coast was a scene from a nightmare. Aquatic monsters tore through the ranks of soldiers, their screams and roars mingling with the clash of steel and the scent of blood.
Viola, once a fierce warrior, now cowered in a corner, her eyes vacant and her sword lying limp in her hand. Nearby, Kazuo, the old man who had been her mentor, lay wounded on a makeshift stretcher, his chest rising and falling with labored breaths.
A lone soldier, Private Ramos, stumbled through the chaos, his eyes wide with fear. He clutched his rifle like a lifeline, firing wildly at the monsters that seemed to be everywhere.
As he stumbled, he caught sight of the force field, now sized down to encase the titan. For a moment, sparks flickered to life above Fyodor's body, and the soldier's heart leapt with hope. The lights within the force field intensified, illuminating the darkening landscape.
But the spark died as quickly as it was born. The lights faded, plunging the battlefield back into darkness. Private Ramos's eyes widened in despair as a monster lunged from the shadows, its claws flashing in the dim light.
The soldier tried to scream, but his voice was cut short as the monster's claws tore through his eye, silencing him forever.
The giant monster readied its hammer, a fierce red glow igniting in its eyes. With a deafening roar, it smashed the massive hammer down on the force field. The ground beneath trembled violently, and the loud bang echoed across the battlefield, leaving soldiers and monsters alike reeling in shock. The impact was so tremendous that it seemed to shake the very foundations of the earth. As the dust settled, a sense of hopelessness settled over the battlefield, with many wondering if this was the end. But then, a figure stirred within the force field. Fyodor slowly rose to his feet, his chest heaving with ragged breaths, his body slick with blood. The ground around him was dyed a deep crimson, a grim testament to the punishment he had endured. As he lifted his head, his eyes locked onto the monster, one eye gleaming white and filled with an unholy bloodlust, while the other remained shrouded in shadow.
The monster turned to face Fyodor, its voice dripping with mockery. "You think you can take that? Maybe I went too easy on you." But beneath its taunting words, the monster's thoughts were laced with unease. It had unleashed its full fury upon Fyodor, and yet, the human still stood. A spark of doubt ignited within the monster's mind: How could he have survived that?
Fyodor's eyes blazed with determination as he whispered, "Keraunos..." His voice was barely audible, but the word seemed to carry weight. He stabbed his sword into the ground, using it as a crutch to support his battered body. Then, in an instant, he vanished into thin air.
The force field erupted into a brilliant light, far brighter than before. The radiance was blinding, forcing those outside to shield their eyes. Within the light, a figure materialized, wielding a sword in both hands. The figure's features were indistinct, shrouded in the intense glow.
The figure struck its sword down upon the monster, unleashing a deafening crash. The impact was colossal, causing the ground to shudder and the crater to expand. The surrounding earth cracked and splintered, like the parched ground of a drought-stricken land.
As the light faded, the force field dissipated, its energy spent. Kazuo stirred, regaining consciousness. His gaze fell upon Fyodor, who plummeted from the air, landing hard in the center of the crater. Kazuo rushed to his side, despite the warnings from the medical staff.
Kazuo's eyes welled up with tears as he reached Fyodor. He cradled his friend's head, shouting, "Wake up! Fyodor, wake up!" But there was no response. Fyodor's body lay limp, his chest still.
As Kazuo mourned, our view began to rise, soaring above the devastation. The screams and cries grew fainter, until everything went black.
*****