Prologue – Shadows
Celice's boots padded quietly but forcefully down the mountain path through the mountains, and Daimyo's even quieter. Both were wrapped in cloaks to ward off the cold; Celice seemed perfectly fine, but the Lycian winter was clearly not something Daimyo was accustomed to. Celice would be sure to tease him about it later, but that could wait, there were more important matters at hand.
Thanks to Celice's complete and utter lack of patience, they arrived at their destination reasonably quickly. The ruin's gate loomed over them, which had no impact on Celice, but Daimyo was clearly surprised by the elaborate masonry of the gate's arch, as well as scared that it was going to fall down on them at any moment. Celice signalled for him to stand back as she drew her broadsword in one fluid, clearly practised motion. Daimyo was quick to obey, for Celice was not a woman to complete tasks such as breaking down doors with precision or elegance. One forceful swing had the lock shattered and at her feet, allowing her to slam the door open. She strode purposefully inside, with Daimyo slinking along behind her.
The ruins were even colder than it was outside, but completely dry apart from the slightly damp moss and lichen that adorned almost every surface. Shattered masonry was strewn everywhere, along with the remains of several human corpses. The stench of death grew ever stronger as the duo delved deeper into the ruins, finding their way by torchlight. The flames of their torches ended up catching the occasional cobweb, sending them up in a puff of bright, orange light for a second before dying back down to darkness. The cobwebs bore no spiders, for not even they could survive in a place so desolate.
As they delved deeper, a dim, yellow light could be seen emanating from further into the ruins. It set Celice's heart alight, for she was at last nearing her quarry. She broke into a sprint, forcing Daimyo to follow suit lest he be left behind.
The light came from a small, square room supported by four decaying pillars, each baring a torch. In the centre of the room stood a tall figure draped head-to-toe in a black, hooded cloak. It turned to look at Celice and Daimyo as they entered the room, but shadows cast by the hood obscured its face. Celice's immediate reaction was to draw her sword and charge, but she came skidding to a halt as the cloaked figure sidestepped with ease. However, Celice was not one to give up, so she charged again, but instead of simply hurtling forward she spun to right, tossed her sword to her left hand and swung it at the figure's abdomen. Despite her optimism, the figure simply parried the blow with its own sword, a longer, thinner blade wrought from an ebony-tinted metal. It swung the sword, releasing a shockwave that knocked Celice a metre away from it and onto her back. She almost lost her grip on her sword, but it was fortunate that she didn't, as the figure descended upon her, swinging its sword down at her head. She raised her sword to block, and not a moment too soon. However, the cloaked figure would not be deterred and simply pushed down on Celice, trying to force its way through Celice's sword. She turned her head to Daimyo with a look of desperation, but all she got was: "Celice... Celice... Celice! Come on Celice, get up!"