I, the One to Live…
Glast Plains, Glast Heim boundary…
It can't be too late, they must still be alive…they can't be gone…
Alice ran as fast as she could, trampling over mud and grass. The sky grew red in Glast Heim's direction. Orange specks of fire rained down upon it, engulfing the city in fire and blaze.
It's not too late…it's not too late…
Alice ran faster, even with her aching legs. She has been running for over an hour...but she couldn't give up...not now...she had to save her friends...
One meteor struck Glast Heim Castle, sending debris and flames all across Glast Heim. One particular piece flew straight at Alice, landing with a giant thud behind her.
'That's…my room…' Alice thought as she turned to look at the house sized boulder. No mistake about it; the room still had her wardrobe and bed…all smouldering from the heat of the meteorite.
She could make out something charred and almost as if it was melting. Alice took a closer look, only to recoil away.
It was one of her old Sage Worms…scarred and unmoving in her room…
Even though Alice never thought much of them, they were still her dear friends. She crept closer, holding its limp body in her arms. She didn't like this…her friends…they were all disappearing…one by one…why can't she just have one friend, who could last with her forever…
Alice lowered her gaze and cried. The Sage Worms weren't allowed to do anything unless they were told to. The one on her arms must have missed Alice…disobeying the rules and waiting patiently for her…even if she yelled at it for doing the wrong thing…even if she never rewarded it for doing things right…
Alice felt sick; what she's been doing was exactly what the Owl Baron was doing to her…she didn't like the thought…all this time, she has been like this…but he still waited…?
Alice laid the Sage Worm on the floor. She couldn't give him a proper burial; not now, she still had her last few friends to save…it couldn't be too late…
A meteor hit the wall of Glast Heim, spewing bricks and stone in every direction. But it met resistance as one piece headed toward Alice. The area in front of her glowed blue, rippled, then vanished as the bolder landed with a thump on the ground.
A barrier? But Alice had to get in…she can't let something like this get in her way…
But when Alice ran toward the barrier, it sparked once, then a wave of static enveloped her. Mystified, Alice stopped running. Wasn't there a barrier just now? That boulder couldn't have stopped itself in mid-air…
Alice reached out to where the barrier was supposed to be. Static washed over her hand, just as a blue sheet of light rippled around it…she could feel a huge flow of mana running through the barrier...
No, Alice had no time for this…she needed to find Auril and the others…She couldn't let them leave her too…
Glast Heim was a mess from inside. Craters and rubble filled the old pavement. Pillars were toppled and walls were smashed; it was a dreadful sight to see…Alice wondered if anybody met the same end as the Sage Worm…
Alice wanted to cry, but she held back her tears. Glast Heim wasn't her home anymore. She had nothing here to lose….
Auril was in the Glast Heim Church, he, Grace and Lulaba must still be inside…
Alice's heart pounded, feeling light headed and her body trembled.
Glast Heim Abbey was struck by a multitude of meteors, the craters still smoking. Alice could smell burnt flesh…it was disgusting…
'Please let it be the zombies…please let it be the zombies…please, not my friends...' Alice prayed to herself. Even with so much proof in front of her, Alice refused to believe her friends were dead.
Alice leapt down into one of the craters, falling into the Churchyard below. Everywhere she looked, a body or a limb was sticking out of the rubble…none of them twitched or moved. They were all dead.
She didn't recognise them…but Alice was more than sure this was Auril's regiment. He had to be here somewhere…he, Grace and Lulaba…they had to…
Alice stopped dead in her tracks. In front of her was what she worst feared. Even though the bodies were incomprehensible, traces of their existence filled the air in the form of mana…
Grace and Lulaba…Alice was too late…they were…dead…
No…this can't be…why…why her…why was she the one to have these things happening to her…she didn't want this…not this…
Alice fell to the floor, crying. Her friends…all her friends…they're all gone now…nobody was left…she was alone again…
Her sobbing echoed throughout Glast Heim…her lone voice drifting into the wind….
Alice woke up, the sky in her face and soft grass beneath her. What happened…? She was in Glast Heim…Lulaba…Grace…and Auril…she saw their bodies…didn't she?
Maybe it was really a dream this time…another nightmare that just happened to pop into her mind…
A rush of feathers brushed past her, then, the face of a young lady appeared before Alice…blonde hair and a pair of odd coloured eyes…who was she?
"Alice, you're awake," a soft and gentle voice called out to her.
Alice rubbed her eyes, and found her tears were still in her face. She rubbed them hastily with her sleeve, then turned to look at the person beside her…
…except she wasn't just another person…
The Valkyrie stood tall, he four wings flowing with the wind. In her hand, she held a long staff made completely from gold. Her body was armoured with silver plating of the finest calibre. She didn't look at Alice, but instead, looked straight through her. Her gaze pierced Alice hard, making her feel very uncomfortable.
"Umm…I'm sorry, but…who are you…?" Alice asked timidly.
The Valkyrie gave her a gentle smile, "I am Reya, a Valkyrie…or a heretic. I have come…to give you what you rightfully deserve."
Alice blinked, not understanding at all. A heretic? What she deserves? What was all this about…?
Reading her face, Reya's gaze dropped to the floor. "I have judged you, and I have made a decision. This life was not meant for you, dear Alice. You have endured too much hardship for too long. But no one else in the Valkyrie Realm thought much of you…except me. I broke our laws, just so I could come to you. It is somebody else's turn to give up their life for someone else's now, Alice. Even if I were banished from my beloved land, I am willing to sacrifice myself for you."
Alice didn't know what to say…she had never seen this person, and now she was going to sacrifice herself…'For me?' Alice thought.
The Valkyrie's sad eyes looked up at Alice again. "Yes Alice, for you." It was as if Reya could read Alice's mind, "I am the sacrificial lamb to clean up this mess. We are not allowed to leave our city…or be seen by those who are not worthy yet. You are above all others, having to go through an immortals life. Your suffering has touched me and my goddess Freya…and now I have come to fulfil your wish."
Alice wanted to back away as Reya stepped closer to her, but she was still awed by the sight of the two metre Valkyrie. She let the Valkyrie pick her up, onto her feet. She let her arms wrap around. The Valkyrie hovered just above the ground, and spread her wings to their fullest.
Alice felt her body easing away. It was like her body was knitted together, and threads were slowly and gently plucked away. She felt as if she was shrinking, then her mind began to clear away…she was changing…but nothing like what the Dark Lord did to her…
The feeling continued, and she closed her eyes. It felt so peaceful…all her worries were gone and the sorrows she had faced slowly faded away. She felt younger…stronger...much more than before...
"And now, Alice," the Valkyrie whispered, "You are reborn…"
Auril woke up, his head aching and no feelings came through his legs. His eyes opened slowly, revealing the dark figure of the Dark Lord in front of him.
"Ah, you have roused from your slumber. Very good, we can start right away," The Dark Lord sneered.
Auril looked around, panicking. His sword…it was gone…his arms and legs were chained up to the floor. Lines covered his body, and his face felt very cold.
"You know what I am going to do to you, Auril?" the Dark Lord asked. Auril did not reply. "I'm going to make you mine. Mine and forever more. You shall serve your enemy as a loyal slave. You shall kill your friends against all your will. I will give you the worst humiliation yet."
The Dark Lord raised a hand at him, and a red bolt of light struck the lines on his body. He screamed in pain as blood flowed out of his body, littering the floor with his red.
He could feel his body changing…he was much stronger, much more powerful. But he had no control over it. He tried to scream, but his mouth would no longer listen to him. His skin became black and cold, his eyes glowing red…
"This is your punishment for trying to conquer me. You will no longer be Auril of the Abyss Legion. You shall be my slave, my most powerful adversary. You are now the Knight of Abyss."
Auril stared in horror as his body's control faded away from him completely…his life was about to be his worst nightmare...
