1. The Fall of Ernas

The palace burned, and the smoke filled the air. Elena's lungs seared with each breath as she ran through the inferno. She thought only of Heathcliff’s words: "Take the princess and flee to Croxia." That command was all she had—her anchor in this place collapsing into fire.

She ran through smoke-filled halls. Her heartbeat pounded, and she clung to the objective: save the girls or die trying. A flicker of hesitation—her fallen comrades flashed in her thoughts—but she pushed forward and burst into the children’s chamber. Two little girls huddled there, trembling as if the world rested on their shoulders.

“Elena!” cried the dark-haired girl, Maria, stumbling into her arms with a sob.

“Now! Maria, Alice—move!” Elena barked, her voice sharp with urgency as she pulled them close.

Outside the palace gates, chaos reigned. Knights fired arrows at wyverns that shrieked through smoke-choked skies. Fire lizards spat flame across shattered walls, and basilisks rampaged through the crumbling streets, their roars shaking the ground. But Elena didn’t slow—she couldn’t afford to. The girls were all that mattered now.

Maria clung to Elena’s hand, her small fingers tight, each step a struggle against panic. Alice’s wide eyes darted, her courage unraveling with every tremor beneath their feet.

The central plaza was a hellscape—flames licking the sky, bodies scattered, the air thick with sulfur and burning wood.

“Close your eyes,” Elena commanded.

Alice obeyed instantly. Maria, though shaking, kept hers open, drawn to the ruins of her home.

A roar split the chaos. A wyvern landed before them, wings whipping the smoke into a swirling haze.

“Behind me!” Elena shouted, shoving the girls aside as she drew her sword.

Maria froze in place. Elena planted her feet, the blade in her hand catching the flicker of nearby flames. She wasn’t sure she could protect the girls while fighting the beast.

The wyvern dove. Then a lance suddenly struck it midair, crashing it into a collapsing tower.

“Take them away!” shouted the knigt, emerging at the central plaza through the smoke and chaos.

“Thanks, Zeno!” Elena gasped, sheathing her blade and lifting the girls into her arms as she ran.

In the distance, two figures tried to block a basilisk. Maria gasped, eyes wide at the sigh of the creature devouring knights; Alice buried her face in Elena’s arm. Elena’s heart twisted, but she pushed on.

When they finally reached the city gates, a familiar voice rang out.

“Stay sharp! More monsters could be on the roads!”

“Lady Cornelia,” Elena said, torn between relief and sorrow.

Cornelia knelt, brushing soot from the girls' cheeks.

“Stay strong, little ones. This nightmare will end soon,” she whispered, though it felt like a lie.

Maria’s eyes welled up. “Where are my parents?”

Cornelia’s gaze softened. She gently ran her fingers through Maria’s hair, offering what comfort she could.

“You must be strong now, your highness,” she murmured.

Maria understood. She gripped Elena’s hand harder, childhood slipping away.

Elena held the girls close, shielding them with her body.

“The Grandmaster ordered me to take them to Croxia,” she told Cornelia.

Cornelia pressed her lips together. “Why would Heathcliff send them to another nation?” she whispered. But she didn’t argue.

“Through the forest. The wyverns won’t spot us there,” Cornelia said, then turned to a nearby soldier. “Ready the path. No delays. We buy them time if we must.” She drew in a shaky breath, then barked, “Bring the horses!”

Lana and Felt appeared at full gallop, already mounted, guiding one spare horse through the smoke. Elena quickly lifted Alice onto Lana’s mount. Then she placed Maria onto the riderless horse and mounted behind her, wrapping one arm around the girl to hold her steady.

Elena met Cornelia’s eyes for a brief moment. Then, after a silent nod, she turned and galloped toward the forest road, Maria held close before her.

Maria looked back. In the saddle, her small hand reached out toward the burning city.

Elena’s chest tightened. She gave the capital one last look.

It burned behind them—a funeral pyre beneath the twilight sky.