The Solace of Light

"Irene dear, I think it's time for you to wake up" A voice so calming yet leaking with so much bloodlust rushed through Irene's head as she opened her eyes in a calm demeanor contrasting to the cries of Yuuki and Elizabeth who were both traumatized beyond reason. The both of them hugged Irene as though they had never felt human touch before, they wailed and screamed in the sorrow of seeing everyone they loved slaughtered. Irene was sad as well but she couldn't get herself to cry. She was badly wounded from her battle on the previous night, she was too exhausted to move but she held Yuuki and Elizabeth in her arms and comforted them, even if it was fake she knew they needed it.

As the sun began to rise Irene began to feel all her wounds fading, her instincts told her to go back the Moon Lit Hill. She lifted up the two next to her and galloped to her destination, the two were too taken aback by her speed to react. 

As she arrived at the glowing lake from before she saw a group of over a few hundred humans gathered there. "Hah, how pitiful" she told herself knowing full well that millions were slaughtered and only these few hundred remained. But as to why they were alive irked her, she was fully prepared to massacre everyone there if she deemed them to be a threat to the only family she had remaining. As she prepared herself to engage in battle, a voice loud enough to shake the earth echoed throughout the sky. Irene's eyes widened in joy, she could sense power pulsing through the wind that was far beyond the chronolites she fought the night before. "Fear not humans, I am Zerifel the God of the Undying Tempest" Everyone couldn't help but stare the mesmerizing creature flying above them, he had wings so grandeur they shone the color of an all devouring sapphire.

"The fact that you all have survived can mean only one thing, either The Lord of the Divine Light chose to place you under his protection or you awakened the Chaos Cores within your souls" Zerifel continued.

Zerifel had a comforting aura to him that put everyone around him at peace, all those who were under mental shock from the trauma they faced the previous night started to calm down, including Elizabeth and Yuuki.

Zerifel began by narrating the events that took place millennia ago, the story of Lucius and Selene and how roxana fell for the sake of her subjects

"Our princess roxana was kind beyond reas-" his sentence was but interrupted by Irene leaping tens of feet into the air, her eyes filled with inexplicable rage and numbness, it was as though she lost all touch with her humanity "HAAH THAT'S IT IRENE, LET IT OUT, DON'T HOLD ANYTHING BACK, GO ALL OUT, DESTROY EVERYTHING, DESTROY DESTROY DESTROY" a voiced echoed within her head. Zerifel blocked Irene's dagger with his wings effortlessly.. or so he thought, Irene only kept getting faster and with each strike, her mad frenzy began spiraling more and more out of control. "AHAHAHAHAHAAHAHA" her laugh was filled with so much excitement, Zerifel was taken aback by a mortal holding this much power and the look on her face made him bluntly.. terrified. 

As Irene gazed down she was met with Yuuki's terrified gaze, "Huh? what am I doing?" she thought to herself and snapped back to reality instantly. She returned to the ground, Yuuki ran to her, Irene thought to herself "He's never going to look at me the same again, how pitiful.." only to be hugged by him tightly. Yuuki finally started grasping the reality of the situation, he could tell that Irene had finally found true happiness in something but also that something was wrong with her. "It's alright Irene, you don't have to be the only strong one here. I won't cry anymore, I understand what's happening" This was the last thing Irene expected Yuuki to say but she just chuckled and said "Alright then I'll be in your care, Yuuki.." her words faded before she passed out from exhaustion again.

Elizabeth was just standing in a corner watching all this unfold, she wasn't stupid either, she knew far too well just how dire the situation was and that something was going on with Irene, she was lost in thought, fighting the urge to cry over the loss of her mother over rushing to Irene's side. She snapped back to reality as she noticed a few people approaching Irene with weaponry in their hands. That was the last straw, she finally lost all of her sanity. "STAY AWAY FROM HER" she screamed, a scream so blood curdling that even Zerifel took notice to her. 

Her hair started flowing up as though defying gravity and she got on her knees with her hands clenched together. She began an incantation unbeknownst to her, "Heed my plea O Queen of the Undying Forest" she continued her incantation in earnest but Zerifel couldn't believe what he was hearing "D-did she just say the Queen of the Undying Forest? but how? just how could a mere human summon Elder Sister without ever even knowing of her existence? these humans, j-just what are they?"

As Elizabeth completed her incantation, a barrier surrounded Irene, Yuuki and herself. Irene's injuries were fading yet again, as she woke up, she stroked Elizabeth's tear filled cheeks "You did well Liz.."

What exactly is happening to the humans? what are chaos cores? Who is Zerifel? Everything is but connected, stay tuned to find out!