Viola's eyes opened to a dark, damp room much different from the one she was in beforehand. In the middle of the room stood a large, translucent blue pedestal of an unknown stone which emitted a dim but deep blue hue before her eyes. She herself sat on a circular engraving in the floor which resembled the pedestal in an odd way. Both gave off a foreign light which both frightened and intrigued Viola in her observations but which did not stop further investigation.
Standing up and moving closer seemed the right thing to do if Viola wished to know more, however when she tried a light emanated from the ceiling and blinded her temporarily. Allowing a gasp to escape, the young girl backed up and, shielding her eyes, peered up at the silhouette of a winged creature floating downward. Could it be an angel, a heavenly being sent to help me in my time of need? Viola couldn't help but wonder if the slowly descending entity was sent to aid her in her quest for a home. It mattered not, though, since this had to be a genuinely benevolent and gracious being and in her heart of hearts that he would save her from her predicament.
When the light subsided and the angel's presence became apparent to her, Viola was speechless in her amazement. He was cloaked in a glorious purple robe with long flowing blonde hair and angular features. His head was adorned with a magnificent crown with six sapphires that shone forth a bright blue which lit the entire room. On his back were two wings, both bright white and large. This was the definition of an angel, unbridled and righteous beauty most notably followed with kindness and mercy. Viola was in awe the moment her eyes met his, and more than once did she have to stop her mouth from lying agape at his splendor.
"Hello my daughter Viola," began the angel. "I am Amduscias, servant and follower of our Goddess Martel. I am to bestow upon you the powers of the Chosen and the blessings of the Goddess for your journey of regeneration. First, I give you the Tower of Salvation which you shall enter to restore the world to the way it once was, and second I give you the mark of the Chosen, a seal which binds you to this most important task. Along your journey you must pray at several shrines throughout the world in order to gain the necessary angelic powers needed to traverse the Tower of Salvation. Your first stop will be south of here, in the land of Triet. You shall receive your next destination when you pray in Triet. Do you understand?"
Viola studied the angel and his words closely, pondering the task before her. As it seemed she had no choice but to go through with the journey since she was chosen herself by an angel to go. This was a serious blow to her plans of a peaceful life, but under the circumstances she reasoned that even without this opportunity living in this town would be harsh and unbearable. It was then decided; she would journey to regenerate the world, and maybe then she could live a peaceful life in a beautiful little town.
"Yes father," she responded, "I understand. But there is one thing I need to know—"
Screams pierced through the air whilst Viola tried to speak. Her ears perked up and she looked around for the source of the commotion. Then, looking up to the angel, she made a face that inquired about the uproar heard outside.
"Well, now you see the first obstacle in your path to salvation," the angel spoke with a smirk. "While we may wish for the regeneration of the world, some of your own people do not share the same intentions. Prove to me that you are worthy as a Chosen and escape here alive. We shall meet in Triet, if fate allows it."
"Wait, Amduscias—!" Viola cried in desperation, but with a flash the angel vanished, leaving her feeling deeply troubled and terribly shaky. What was she to do? How was she supposed to leave and escape Goddess knows what outside? How was she going to accomplish world regeneration on her own?
Stepping back in a whirlwind of confusion, she found herself standing on the strange engraving from which she originally awoke. Suddenly, a jolt of energy shot through her body and the world around began to warp and twist. Not knowing what was happening, Viola knelt down and covered her head, allowing a yelp of fright to escape. But as quickly as it started it stopped, and now finding herself in the main chamber of the temple-like structure Viola walked toward the exit where she could smell the burning of tinder and human flesh.
"Oh God—" she let out before clasping her hands over nose and mouth to prevent inhaling the noxious fumes. A muffled, "This can't be happening!" seeped out as she rummaged around the temple for cloth or some other fabric. Finally finding a spare curtain in the back, she quickly ripped a long piece from the cleaner portion of the sheet. Then, wrapping the cloth around her nose and mouth, she ran out into the open which was now covered in a thick black smoke coming from the village, rising hundreds of feet into the air and slowly spreading throughout the general area.
Somehow finding the strength to move on, Viola desperately leaped down the stairs, hitting the ground hard and then breaking into a roll. When she found her footing she continued around the hills to the village, knowing that the only way to go further south was through the village and around the other side. The only obstacle then was to get through the village without being killed, for something horrible was happening that she no doubt did not want to see. Undoubtedly people were being killed and her future home was now burning, not quite a pleasant thought and most certainly not an easy obstacle to avoid.
Upon reaching the village, the young woman stopped short and hid behind a charred tree. Peeking around, she could see the bodies of those who had carried her to the temple as well as countless others, their bodies burnt and mangled beyond recognition. Her eyes widened, and a steady stream of tears flowed down her cheeks as she could not stop the sobbing. Who had done this? What need was there to kill those who virtually had nothing left at all? What sick sort of person would murder the elderly when there was no gain? Suddenly she saw a group of armored soldiers with ornate head pieces carrying staves, scanning around for stragglers. Viola quickly slipped back behind the tree, hoping that they will somehow pass the area by without a search. Unfortunately they turned her way and began searching the houses, giving her a little time to think. Then suddenly she thought of a way to fool them, and they were inside one of the houses, she quickly ran to a pile of bodies and buried herself amidst them, pretending to be dead.
After a moment or two the idea was not as great as she had originally thought. The odor was unbearable and the sight was wretched. Nausea set in, and it was not long before she felt sick beyond reason as she waited and prayed for the mysterious soldiers to leave the village. Not long after she prayed this, the group assembled nearby the pile of bodies where Viola could hear them speak.
"This blasted village is secured, now let's move on to that damned temple," said one soldier. "Stupid humans thought they found themselves a new Chosen. True or not, we must secure the temple and confirm that another hasn't been found or else all our efforts will be in vain. Let's go men!"
And with that they were off, hurriedly moving towards the temple with all the intentions of destroying anything moving inside. Viola saw her chance and dug her way out of the stinking mass of bodies. Making sure the coast was clear, she sprinted off south, passing through the gate of the village and then running out into a vast land devoid of anything except forests and open grasslands.
She stopped short about a kilometer outside of the village and stooped over, gasping for air and glancing around in a panicked state, still under the effects of the adrenaline of the scene. What was all this for? Why must she be the one to endanger her life and restore the world? None of this had been explained, none of it made clear to her as to how simply embarking on a pilgrimage would save the world from ruin. If this goddess was as kind as she was made out to be, then why would she allow such destruction in the world? All this confused Viola and seemed to defy logic, but surely there was a reason behind the madness, a purpose for this "cleansing" of the world. In the end, it still did not make much sense. What Viola did understand is that she must run, she must stay alive and try to help in any way she can.
With that, she continued forward into the wilderness towards a town named Triet which the angel Amduscias spoke of, hoping that when she arrived someone would make sense of all this madness.
Meanwhile, the soldiers that moved to the temple had arrived and entered without care of customs, care, or piety. They found themselves in the main chamber, setting fires and using massive maces to break any sort of religious memorabilia. A few warped into the back chamber and destroyed the dais that was located in the center of the room as well as the large crystal-like structure in the floor and ceiling. The soldiers left content with their destruction.
Once they left the temple and gathered around the foot of the stairs, one soldier noticed a patch of blood smeared into the dirt. None of the soldiers were bleeding and all of the people in the village were burned, so how had blood found its way out this far? At last they knew: the Chosen wasn't just a rumor, and somehow he or she was able to escape without their knowledge, right under their noses! The captain was infuriated by this lack of attention from his soldiers. He walked up to his subordinate officer, who had been in charge of all the comings and goings through the group, and pulled out his jeweled dagger.
"This is the last time commander," he threatened. "I appointed you because I felt you were competent enough to lead my men to find this threat, and now I see that some little runt has escaped without your knowledge! How dare you call yourself a Desian you worthless pig!" And in his rage the captain shoved his dagger deep into the commander's stomach, pulling it out and stabbing again while the men watched but dare not oppose. This lasted for as long as the commander could continue to stand, and when it was finished there was nothing left of his original stomach.
The captain, now calm, wiped his dagger on the cloak of another soldier and sheathed it, walking out towards the village. "If I find that my own men cannot capture a measly little child, I'll have you all executed! Now get moving!" The men, too frightened to object in any way, simply nodded and ran forward in formation, looking for the scent that would lead them to their prey…