The Kingdom of Waloed, due north of Salacia was a military advanced nation. It had been a partner to the small island kingdom since Eirene, in her 20s, protected the south coast from the beastmen who threatened the land. And in exchange, the king of Waloed, Barnabas Tharmr, granted Vero Clineas a kingdom to govern.
As far as Eirene knew, the two kingdoms existed in mutual tolerance with one another, so long as one did not interfere with the plans of the other. She could not understand what had suddenly changed. This is why she was so heated, storming toward the throne room to face the king.
"Eirene…please. Anger will not benefit you here," Caesaria pleaded as she hastily followed her through the ornate corridor of the castle.
Eirene tightened her jaw and turned, narrowing her eyes. Her sister came to an abrupt halt.
"Do you not realize how serious this matter is? We can not go to war with Waloed."
"I do take this seriously…but it is not our place to question King Clineas," Caesaria retorted.
She was calm for someone with this knowledge, though Eirene could see the worry in her eyes. It soothed her annoyance toward her just a bit.
"What did he do, sister? After all these years…after all we've done for this realm. It had to have been him," Eirene stressed.
Barnabas would not seek war with them for no reason.
Caesaria took an uneasy breath. She knew her sister would react harshly to the news, and worse, she hadn't told her the entire ordeal yet.
"Before you overreact, let me show you what I intended to."
It couldn't be good whatever it was. Eirene frowned and then motioned for her to proceed. Her sister led her quickly to the war room, a remote chamber with a wooden table in the middle, showing a map of Valisthea and its realms. On the corner was a plain wooden box, but what concerned her the most was the stench coming from it. Eirene recognized this smell; it was unmistakable.
Memories of a time before Salacia entered her thoughts. The putrid scent of the dead permeated the air, so strong the ocean breeze was masked with the rotting corpses of the former townspeople left in the wake of the beastmen attack.
Eirene could not tolerate it. She suppressed a gag and turned, leaving the chamber for some air. Caesaria joined her outside, standing against the white and gold-trimmed wall.
"I am sorry," she uttered.
Eirene took an uneasy breath.
"Were they one of ours?"
"Unfortunately. He belonged to the caravan sent to Stonhyrr," Caesaria answered.
Why would soldiers in the capital attack merchants? It seemed pointless. Every two weeks, the king sent a caravan to Waloed with supplies; fresh fish, and tonics, and in return, the capital sent them fabrics and iron for sword making.
"Could the beastmen have done this?" Eirene asked.
"Despite their intelligence, the roads to Stonhyrr are safe, guarded by soldiers. And…with the remains came a dire warning," Caesaria explained, frowning.
Eirene raised a thin brow, glancing at her in curiosity.
"A dire warning?"
Before her sister could answer, a soft and mousy voice interrupted.
"As the bell tolls and the sun falls, so too will the union with Salacia. Poetical as it sounds, this is a declaration of war," one Vero Clineas recited as he leisurely approached. "No beastman possesses this level of intelligence."
Could have fooled me, Eirene thought in disdain.
She grimaced as he puffed on his cigar, blowing smoke rings in the air. He was dressed for bed in nothing but a red silk coat over a linen shirt that ended above his knees, leaving nothing to the imagination.
Eirene averted her eyes as she and Caesaria kneeled before him, standing quickly as he motioned with his portly jewels fingers for them to do so.
"It's nearly dark," Caesaria pointed out. "Has there been no word from Waloed, My Lord?"
At least he had the sense to ask why Barnabas was ending their alliance.
"None as of yet," Vero answered with a sigh. His face crinkled in annoyance. "What is that terror of a man thinking? He can't do this to me, not after all I have fucking done for him."
Eirene narrowed her blue eyes in irritation. Had he forgotten that it was she and Caesaria who won the favor of Barnabas Tharmr for him?
Ungrateful barrow.
"Am I to assume negotiations are over?" Eirene asked in curiosity.
"When the remains of the caravan returned to us, we assumed so," Caesaria answered.
It was as she feared, there was no choice. Eirene tightened her jaw.
"On Chocobo, the ride from Waloed to Salacia is two days. We need to spend this time readying the soldiers and securing the island. It's far too late to reach across the continent for aid. Should Rosaria, Sanbreque, or Dhalmekia choose to support us, they would never reach us in time."
If only she had known before now. Barnabas was clever not to give them the time to contact the other realms. Except for Rosaria, the Dominants from Sanbreque and Dhalmekia could have turned the tides of the battle for them.
"Waloed has three Dominants with them, do they not?" Eirene asked.
Vero grinned.
"Garuda, Ramuh, and the strongest amongst them, Odin. While we possess only two Dominants, Leviathan and Siren."
"Do we stand a chance against the three? With no allies," Caesaria asked, directing her question to her sister.
Honestly, she wasn't sure. Eirene had never met the Dominants of Garuda and Ramuh before, but based on Vero's knowledge, she knew that Odin was in the control of Barnabas Tharmr. Each of their powers was beyond her understanding, however.
"All we can do is try. Salacia is our realm. We know it better than they do," Eirene answered frankly.
She wasn't sure how they'd fare, but if they brought the Waloed Army to Salacia then perhaps they would have a chance. The kingdom was perched on a massive rock near the coast. The only ways to reach it were by ship or the path accessible during low tide; the latter she was certain Barnabas wasn't–
The sudden chime of the tower bell tore Eirene from her thoughts. At last, curfew had begun. But with it came a low rumbling sound like an intense whoosh of wind.
"When Barnabas arrives," Vero started to declare.
Eirene silenced him with a sharp whistle, ignoring the vexed expression he shot her.
"What is that noise?"
Something was off-putting about it. The source of the noise sounded close as if it were limited to the courtyard in the center of the grounds.
"Eirene?" Caesaria questioned. Her intense expression was focused, showing that she too felt something was wrong.
"What is happening? Are we under attack?" Vero asked in a panic.
Caesaria wasn't sure, but the sound concerned her.
"Please go to your chambers, My Lord."
Vero tightened his jaw in annoyance. He wanted to know what was going on. With a growl, he turned and tottered toward his room, cursing the guards beneath his breath.
In the meantime, the sisters walked briskly toward the courtyard. As they neared, Eirene could feel the strength of the wind. It tossed her hair wildly as she stood near the archway that overlooked the yard. A massive funnel cloud had struck down in the center, pulling the armored guards in with ease.
"This is someone's doing!" Caesaria shouted above the whoosh of the wind.
She was right. There was magic coursing through it. But who could produce such a storm? This power didn't come from a shard of the Mothercrystal.
Eirene felt the hair on her head rise as electricity tickled her skin. A sweet scent permeated the air, but before she realized what was happening, Caesaria grabbed her arm, yanking her back into the castle as purple bolts of lightning rained down on them.
Soon after the rumbling stopped.
Eirene waved away the dust that was stirred from the onslaught and wandered out into the yard to assess the damage. There was no one left alive. Bodies were strewn across the burned grass, some torn asunder. But because of the dust cloud, she couldn't see too well to determine the cause.
The sound of multiple footsteps drew her attention to the gate at the opposite end where two humans, a man and a woman dressed in leather appeared.
"This was starting to bore me," the woman, a short-haired blonde, stated. She was gorgeous, in Eirene's opinion, despite the cruel look on her youthful face.
The tall and thin man beside her snorted.
"Have some patience. Not all Dominants are so eager to have it out."
Eirene tightened her jaw. This was bad. She knew who they were now.
"Wardens of wind and lightning. That's a nasty combination."
What are they doing here now? Fuck! We weren't prepared for this.
"As are you and your sister, I've heard," the man countered. "Not an easy duo there."
The blonde narrowed her brown eyes and drew her sword. The pressure of the wind began to quicken again.
"Let us see just how powerful you are, Warden of Water."
Green cinders of magic began to circle her as she used semi-prime to take on half the appearance of her Eikon, Garuda, attaining white wings - both of the 10th primary feathers were spiked and covered in what appeared to be gold armor. Afloat, she launched herself at Eirene with her sword aimed at her.
The latter raised her arm in response, materializing a rivulet of water from the ground that spun around her, but as the Warden of Wind approached, she was quickly intercepted from above and slammed onto the ground.
Caesaria pinned down the Dominant's wings with her feet; her own two ombre sets of wings bowed around her as she raised her arming sword above her head to pierce the woman, but a bolt of purple-tinted lightning struck her in the back, knocking her to the ground.
"Sister!" Eirene shouted in concern.
Caesaria sat up and lifted her trembling hand to assure her that she was OK, even though her muscles were spasming.
The blonde pulled herself off the ground, narrowing her eyes in contempt at the older sister. Blood oozed from a scrape on her cheek.
"There is no one stronger in the air than I," she hissed, launching herself into the night sky again.
Caesaria took off after her, attacking with her sword. Siren didn't possess magic talons like Garuda, which the blonde swung at her with, but her voice was enough. She quickly dodged another onslaught of kicks from the woman and then circled her, opening her mouth to sing. The distance she was able to put between herself and the ground would guarantee that her sister didn't fall under the status effect of her 'Lunatic Song'. Once her silvery voice permeated the air the talons faded; the blonde was bewildered, trying again to use her wind magic but to no avail.
"What is this?" She sneered.
"It's status effect magic," Caesaria answered. "It simply means that you can longer use your wind. Be grateful that you are a Dominant, or else your wings would fail you."
The duration of 'Lunatic Song' was unfortunately brief, but where Caesaria fell short, she made up for in her swordsmanship. Squeezing the hilt of her sword tight, she wished her sister luck and lunged at Garuda's host.
"I should thank you," Eirene stated, turning her eyes from the sky to the man in front of her. "You waited for me."
He grinned in response, taking another draw from the cigarette he had lit as Benedikta, the woman he brought with him, took to the skies.
"I have nowhere to be."
Eirene took an uneasy breath. She knew the chances of avoiding a fight with him were slim, but at least he had manners. He was amiable enough to let her look out for her sister for a moment without attacking her.
"What's your name, Warden of Lightning?"
Lifting her arm, rings of water materialized around her, rotating.
"If it's any consolation, my name is Eirene, Dominant of Leviathan, Warden of Water."
"Cid," the man merely retorted. He tossed the smoking cigarette onto the ground and raised his arm. Surges of electricity engulfed him, however, he did not attempt to semi-prime, as most do.
Was he confident? Or just an idiot? Eirene tightened her jaw. She doubted that it was the latter.
This isn't going to be easy.
Oh well.
Swiping her arm through the air, the water rings reformed and shot out like whips at Cid. He drew one of the two swords at his side and slashed in an upwards thrust at the first, keeping it from reaching him. From there he dodged the second and weaved through her rapid attacks, closing the gap between them. The crack of the whips pierced his ears as he leaped into the air, directing lightning magic into his fist with the intent to slam the ground.
His attack, however, met resistance as Eirene reformed the water into a barrier. The lightning swept across the surface of the water, creating a cloud of steam from the heat that forced the two Dominants to leap back. But that didn't deter her. Eirene showed her hands forward with a growl and created a mini wave that knocked Cid off his feet.
"Fuck, that's unpleasant," he stated with a deep grunt, standing.
Not only was it cold as ice, but it also caused his body to steam a bit.
Eirene had to agree. His last attack hardly touched her and yet her muscles were aching.
"The strength of Ramuh is beyond my expectations. You handle that power well."
Too well, she opted not to add.
Cid grinned in response.
"That is kind of you."
It was a shame he was her enemy. Materializing water into her hand, Eirene launched it at him like a projectile. The pressure was much stronger than that of the attack she used on the Salacian Guard earlier, but to her surprise, Cid was able to block it with his sword. Again and again, she fired them, closing the distance between them until she was within range.
Aiming a butterfly kick at him, she struck Cid in the chest, unbalancing him enough to take him off guard as she grabbed the handle of the extra sword at his waist and yanked it from his belt. It was shorter than the one in his hand, unfortunately, but it would do.
Cid brought up his hand, halting her a moment as he went into a fit of coughs. Had Eirene kicked him harder than she thought?
"Can't take a hit like I used to."
She ignored the statement and pointed the blade at him. One strange thing she noticed was that he wasn't using his magic anymore.
"How long have you had your Eikon?"
"Long enough," Cid retorted, raising his blade.
Had he used his power too much? Even though she shouldn't have, Eirene felt a bit sad for him. Being a Dominant was both a blessing and a curse, a curse that if overused resulted in an agonizing death.
"You have that look about you," Cid pointed out. His tone was sincere. "Don't shed your tears for me, darling."
Eirene tightened her jaw. He was right. She briefly nodded her head to show that she was ready.
Making the first move, Cid struck at her with an overhead strike which she blocked with ease, however, his strength with a sword was more than she accounted for, having to distance herself from him. Her entire arm hurt. But again, he lunged at her.
Eirene matched his pace well, but each clash of the blades shook her to the core. There was no way she could hope to out-strengthen him with just a sword. Calling on her magic once again, attempted to shove Cid back with a jet of water, but a loud whoosh of air halted her.
In horror, she watched her sister plummet from the sky, knocked from her half-Eikon form.
"Caesaria!"
Tossing up her arms, she engulfed her in water, bringing her to the ground. Her magic dispersed as she lost her focus, rushing to Caesaria's side. She was unconscious, but alive, and covered in deep scratches. Somehow Garuda's host got the better of him.
Landing nearby with a grunt, the blonde woman returned to her human form, glaring at Cid.
"Take this seriously."
She didn't come out unscathed either. Her clothes were torn and dirtied with blood from the lacerations she had received.
"That's a good look for you, Benedikta," Cid teased.
She ignored his comment, turning her eyes to the twins. Using her magic to create a grapple in the form of Garuda's talon, she grabbed Eirene with it, yanking her onto her hands and knees.
"Finish it!" She shouted to Cid.
Eirene was furious. She disregarded Benedikta, thinking the blonde would not attack her unfairly, but she was wrong. And now she was open for an attack. As the air around her heated up and the sweet scent of ozone filled her nostrils, she knew that she was in trouble.
A bolt of lightning struck her from above, knocking her onto her stomach. The pain was excruciating and to make matters worse, she couldn't move her body.
When the onslaught was over, Eirene lay exhausted on the ground, muscles spasming. With heavy-lidded eyes, she watched Benedikta saunter into her line of view. In her hand, she carried a set of interlinked cuffs, which she tossed over to Cid.
"Is this the extent of Leviathan's power? Mere water tricks."
Eirene grinned weakly. Batting her or not, she was about to see just how powerful her Eikon could be. Shimmering droplets of water floated up around her as she began to semi-prime. She could feel her trembling body transforming but as a cuff enclosed around her wrist, the magic inside her vanished along with the alterations.
How can this be?
Eirene widened her eyes in horror. Leviathan had somehow been subdued.