As darkness blanketed Valisthea and the tower bell chimed, the Kingdom of Salacia in the east fell. Its residents upon returning to the safety of their homes at curfew never saw it coming.
Hours before, Eirene Belmont, a woman in her prime with thick black hair cut above her shoulders, rested on the stone parapet of Saltrock Castle, staring out at the endless choppy ocean near the south coast of the continent of Ash. It was a stunning sight in her opinion, and while it was stunning, it was also ominous.
A mile off the coast, jutting out from a crescent-shaped island was a beautiful Mothercystal, named Drake's Wing, a massive translucent spike from which the Kingdom of Salacia drew its aether, a fuel the residents used to make their lives easier, giving them the power to cast variations of magic.
Revered in Salacia, it gave comfort to those who drew from it, and while its power was sought after by those from neighboring realms, especially to the west on the continent of Storm, it did little to ease Eirene's worries.
The land was slowly dying. A blight had descended, corrupting everything in its path. And it started, in her opinion, with the Mothercrystals. It was true that the land near the crystals was protected from the Blight; from monsters and sickness, but even with their energy, the Blight continued to spread.
Eirene could not be certain if her thoughts were true but she felt the land of Valisthea would heal without the six crystals spread across it. But that would mean the magic would disappear and with it, the strength of her Eikon, a deadly creature whose power helped turn Salacia into a realm.
Not like she cared. The king, Vero Clineas, a depraved and overweight man, treated her and the other Dominant of Salacia, a name used to describe a person born with the ability to host Eikons, like nothing more than a tool. Eirene would be pleased to rid herself of the creature, but alas she could not. For the sake of her sister, she remained an obedient puppet.
A sudden shout of pain from down below brought her attention to an unfortunate man with short brown hair. His tattered tunic was covered in Chocobo excrement as a Salacian armored guard stood over him, ridiculing him. The reason was that the man was a Bearer, born with the rare ability to manifest magic without the use of a shard from the Mothercrystal; a man treated as a slave because of the tattoo, a sword crossed over a depiction of a Mothercrystal on his face which was branded onto his skin at birth.
He did not deserve this. None of the Bearers did. Eirene narrowed her light blue eyes in annoyance and lifted her gloved hand, turning her palm toward the guard. A restless sphere constructed of water materialized and then launched at the rude man drenching his face.
"Fuck!" He shouted, attempting to wipe the water away. His eyes turned up to the parapet where Eirene was standing and narrowed. "Blasted scum! Just because you are a Dominant does not mean you are free of punishment."
Spitting on the ground at the mention of her title, he stared in disgust at her. Dominants were treated no better than Bearers in Salacia, the only difference was, Dominants were allowed to speak without permission. It was their only privilege.
What she wanted to tell him was to fuck off, but Eirene bit her tongue.
"That might be so, but King Clineas would not think highly of you slacking off, as you are unmistakably doing."
The guard grunted in irritation then curled his nose and sauntered away. Eirene couldn't even be proud of herself. She hated to be looked down on and yet because of her status, she never spoke her mind. Tightening her jaw, she turned her eyes to the Bearer, who offered her a gentle smile and continued with his work.
If only things were different.
The soft click of heeled footsteps drawing near averted her attention to a woman nearly identical to her. She had the same eyes and hair as Eirene, albeit longer with a rounder face. An ombre yellow to green feathered cuff was attached to her right ear, fluttering in the gentle salt-scented breeze as she stood beside her twin, resting her arms on the stone. The uniform she wore, much different than the bulky armor the guards were forced to wear, was detailed to her liking; a long-sleeved black tailcoat with green details that spread out like wings down to her ankles and trousers.
Eirene wore something parallel, though the details on her uniform were blue, and the tailcoat resembled the tail of a fish or rather her Eikon. It was a ridiculous getup, in her opinion, but the king insisted they wear them.
"I should have known this is where you would be, sister," Caesaria stated with a grin.
Eirene hummed.
"I like to watch the ocean at sunset. It casts an eerie glow on Drake's Wing when the sun begins to sink beneath the waves."
"Consider yourself blessed," Caesaria uttered.
Her statement made Eirene narrow her eyes. She glanced down at the Bearer at the base of the castle that she defended and frowned. Innocent or not, it was careless to say.
"I do not feel blessed. We are merely weapons, seen as less than human. Had we been born Bearers, we would be seen as less than dirt."
Caesaria took an uneasy breath. She wasn't referring to their status; she merely meant that as the youngest, Eirene had more freedom than her. She raised her gloved hand and rested it on her sister's shoulder.
"We were born in a cruel world. But it is not all bad. We have one another."
Eirene snorted.
"Your optimism will be your defeat."
"And anger will be yours," Caesaria retorted.
She removed her hand and motioned for her sister to follow her.
"Come. The King asks that we speak with him before low tide."
Eirene turned up her eyes. Her sister usually handled matters with the arrogant king. What reason did he want to speak with her too?
"Is it important?"
"I wish it weren't," Caesaria uttered. She took an uneasy breath. "But as it stands…we might be going to war with the Kingdom of Waloed."
Eirene widened her eyes. No. How could that be? Was the king responsible for this?
"We are allies. We have been allies since Salacia was constructed."
Caesaria shook her head.
"Not anymore. There is…something you should see."
None of this made sense. As the reality of the situation quickly sank in, so too did bitterness. Eirene could feel the Eikon of Water, Leviathan roaring in anger within her, ready to be set free again.