PROLOGUE: HATRED

***The city of Hemelin, during Seirna’s counterattack…***

The overall commander of the forces loyal to the Church of the Golden Hammer, Farah Koh, observed the skies above the dwarf capital city, as thousands of bullets shoot at the enemy fighter squadrons attempting to pierce through the defenses of Hemelin. The successive explosions of flak tore through the rebels’ aircraft formations, destroying the flimsy planes made of canvas and wood. As their foes incurred horrific losses, it raised the morale of the crusading armies so much that she could hear their triumphant battle cries over the wailing sounds of the air raid sirens.

For Farah, it was a sight to behold, proving that her leadership was crucial to the war efforts of the Church. It also gave legitimacy to her power grab; she could now claim that she reversed the defeats suffered by the Church of the Golden Hammer at the hands of the Montserrant heathens.

“Miss Koh, look!” One of her lieutenants called her attention to the part of the sky where the infamous ‘Black Lady’ was. Viewing from her spyglass, the dwarf commander witnessed Seirna’s struggle to avoid the bullets, as well as to keep her allies’ squadrons from retreating.

With her ecstatic from the success of her defensive plans, Farah reached out for one of the nearby rifles, then took aim at the Overseer Saint. Then, she declared, “My brothers, and sisters! The time of the gods and the saints are now over! From now on, we dwarves shall be the ones to forge our future! And I’ll lead the way to our great destiny!”

However, her words were met with awkward silence, as the other leaders of the Church’s armies thought they were still fighting for the name and honor of the god, the Golden Hammer. Nevertheless, Farah brushed off the negative reception; buoyed by her success, she took potshots at Seirna, inadvertently declaring her defiance against the heavens, whom the saints represented.

“!!!” Seirna’s efforts to evade the bullets were mostly successful, though a few did graze her. Still, in an attempt to stop utter defeat for her and the Montserrant pilots, she had to balance her defense with her offense, even when she was already injured. With Farah sniping at her, she was nicked near her shoulder, which stunned the Overseer Saint.

“Did you fools see that?” the dwarf commander was triumphant, turning back to her subordinates. “These so-called ‘saints’ aren’t that powerful at all! We can defeat them—!!!”

Her celebration was cut short, however, when a bright light suddenly shone across Hemelin’s skies. At once, the dogfight stopped, as pilots from both sides were mesmerized by the gleam. Farah also had the same reaction; in the middle of that brightness, she could make out the figure of Seirna. And then…

“Miss Koh!”

“!!!”

She had a split-second chance to hide herself, and the dwarf commander took it. Farah dived behind the half-height wall that enclosed the observation post of the Grand Temple, just as Seirna’s curse was unleashed throughout the city. There was no sound, other than those of the falling planes and dirigibles hitting the ground, its pilots and crews dead. Yet, the curse didn’t stop there; once it reached the ground, it crept outwards, enveloping the entire stretch of central and eastern Equality, destroying and killing everything and everyone exposed to the lethal magic.

In a blink of an eye, Hemelin and its nearby cities were desolated…

----------

A few hours later, the great capital city of the dwarves was reduced to a smoldering ruin. Wreckages of anti-aircraft batteries, dirigibles and planes littered the cityscape. High-rise buildings were devoid of any living being, with its glass exteriors broken by the powerful gales that tore through the mountain peak. Ashes that once were moving dwarves gradually blown away, dancing in the swirling air that carried it. And the survivors were undistinguishable from the dead; they just lay on the ground motionless, their eyes stared at Cherhom’s azure skies, trying to make sense of what just happened.

In the Grand Temple of the Golden Hammer, the observation post was obliterated by the curse. Yet, amidst the fallen walls, something beneath stirred. At first, there were groans and minute movements. Then, as time passed, it turned into an attempt to move the slabs that covered the debris under. Finally, with a pained scream, the fallen walls were thrown into the air, pulverized by Farah herself.

“…”

The dwarf’s body was covered in ashes, her clothes were in tatters. Adding to her pain was her bleeding head, and broken limbs from repeated punches that eventually destroyed the walls that trapped her. As she stood and stumbled, she noticed the clothes of her subordinates clinging to her. Farah called out their names, though no one answered.

With the Grand Temple destroyed, the dwarf commander dragged herself across the ruins and the debris field, looking for a fellow survivor, as well as people that could help her. However, all that she found were clothes filled with ashes. Upon closer inspection, Farah was horrified to realize the origins of those ashes; the shapes gave it away. In her attempt to completely rid herself of the remains of her dwarves, she tore off her clothes, never minding others who might see her naked. Picking up broken shards of glass and pottery, she scraped herself clean with those, until her skin bled.

“Miss Koh…”

The voices of her lieutenant whispered in her ears as Farah descended into madness. The ashes that stuck on her body turned into the souls of those who died serving her. Their hands grabbed her body, much to her shock. Their faces were crying tears of blood, and they pleaded her for help.

“Don’t let us die!”

“I-I did not…I-It’s not my fault!” Farah’s blurted out.

“You led us to our deaths!”

“Noooo!!!” The dwarf shook her head, and when that wasn’t enough to make the spirits of the dead disappear, she bashed it on the ground. Finally, the vision left her alone.

With her body covered with wounds, and her mind exhausted and confused, Farah’s eyes turned to the azure skies of Hemelin. Even when it was empty, the scenes of the earlier battle replayed inside her mind. In her heart, only one name remained…

“Seirna Stephanie…” The face of the infamous ‘Black Lady’ appeared before her, as intense hatred took over her mind. She kept repeated her enemy’s name, all the while she gnashed her teeth, and bit her lips. Like a broken record, she muttered, “I will destroy you. I will destroy Montserrant. I will destroy the god you represent!”  

Author's Note:  Hello again!  Well, I just rewrote the ending for my novel series, and added a new volume between Book 19 and Book 20, which will become Book 21 after a few edits.  This is the new Book 20, and I hope this gives a proper closure to Kuro's adventures in Cherhom.  Thank you for dropping a visit!