Echoes Of Varda

20 years ago…

The sky bled red as if the heavens had caught fire, casting a hellish glow over the town. A low, unearthly hum pulsed through the streets as the sound of Lumina energy ripped the town apart. Panic spread like wildfire: women screaming, men shouting for loved ones, and children being dragged from their homes as what was once a thriving town crumbled into chaos.

Smoke filled the air with terror, and buildings crackled and splintered with the force of red blasts. Houses buckled and crumbled, showering their debris down on those who were still trying to get to safety. Some fled into the woods, attempting to outrun the destruction, while others cried out futilely for help. Overhead, thick plumes of smoke billowed upward into the crimson sky, choking out what little daylight remained.

At the far edge of town, a small boy stirred beneath the wreckage of his home, his body half-buried under the rubble of a fallen beam. In his hand, he clutched a ragged, stuffed animal, his only comfort in a world gone mad. His eyes fluttered open; acrid smoke stung his lungs. For one brief instant, all was silent within his mind, a sense of calm within the chaos.

Then he saw it: the sky, dripping red as if the heavens themselves had bled. The pounding of his heart in his chest was joined by a cold fear that seized him. Shaking, he crawled out from the debris, clutching his stuffed animal tighter, his eyes wide with disbelief at the devastation that surrounded him.

Suddenly, a shadow loomed over him. His eyes were radiating something unnatural. A violent red light. The crackling energy, shimmered through his armor and across the ground, radiating the essence of power. His lips snarled as he raised his hand, red light dancing upon his fingers like flashes of lightning. This a warrior of the red clan—The Crimson Dynasty.

The boy froze in terror. There was no escape. Nowhere to run.

Then suddenly, a streak of blue light flashed across the sky. In the blink of an eye, another figure landed between the boy and the Red Clan warrior, his armor gleaming with the soft glow of blue Lumina energy. With a swift motion, the Blue Clan soldier raised his hand, summoning a barrier of Blue Lumina that deflected the incoming attack.

The Red Clan soldier snarled, charging again relentlessly, but the Blue Clan warrior was even quicker. He struck the ground hard with his fist, and it shuddered with vibrations of energy as the buckle threw the soldier of the Red Clan backward; with another roar, he leaped forward, striking true and crashing his opponent into the ground.

The boy gasped, his wide eyes fixed on the scene before him. The Red Clan soldier lay motionless, his red eyes dimmed. With a soft expression, the Blue Clan soldier turned to the boy.

"You're safe now," he said, his voice calm and steady. "Stay low and find shelter."

The boy nodded weakly, clutching his stuffed animal to his chest as he hurried away, disappearing into the shadows of the ruined town.

Above, the battle raged on. Flashes of blue and red light tore through the smoke-filled sky as more Blue Clan warriors arrived, their Lumina energy clashing violently with that of the Red Clan. The town was a battlefield now, and the fight for its survival had begun.

Amid all the mayhem, Commander Elion stood at the center, with a sword forged from pure Lumina, shimmering with its energy in blue light as he swung it wide and hewed a swath through the enemy. Next to him, Captain Vaedon moved with deadly precision, his twin daggers flashing in the dim light, cutting down Red Clan soldiers one by one.

"Hold your positions!" Elion bellowed, his voice rising above the din of battle. "We can't let them push any further!"

Vaedon, grunting from the exertions of battle, deflected oncoming energy blasts with a swipe. "They're relentless, sir. We can't keep them off much longer!"

Elion looked out upon the battlefield, his heart heavy with the foreboding knowledge that they were being overwhelmed. The soldiers of the Red Clan fought in a fury unrestrained, their Lumina energy burning the very earth at their feet. The town teetered on the brink of collapse—buildings crumbling, the sky darkening under the weight of smoke.

And then, a deep rumble shook the ground beneath them. A low, haunting sound echoed through the air as if the earth itself were groaning.

"Varda…"

The word was barely a whisper, but its power was undeniable. Elion and Vaedon stiffened as something invisible clamped down upon them. Their limbs turned impossibly heavy, and the weight grew unbearable as their knees buckled beneath them. Around them, Blue Clan warriors collapsed to the ground, pinned down as though the very force of gravity had turned against them.

Elion's heart raced in his chest as he struggled to breathe, his vision blurring. Through the haze of smoke and rubble, a figure emerged—King Theron, ruler of the Crimson Dynasty. His dark robes billowed around him, and his eyes glowed with the terrible intensity of Red Lumina energy.

Theron strode through the battlefield with an air of absolute authority. His gaze swept over the fallen Blue Clan warriors with cold indifference. Each step he took sent a ripple of energy through the ground, destabilizing everything around him.

"Where is it?" Theron's voice cut through the chaos, filled with venom.

Elion gasped for air, his body still crushed under the weight of the invisible force. "What… what are you looking for?" he managed to croak.

Theron's eyes narrowed, and the air around him pulsed with energy. "You know exactly what I seek. The crystal. Where is it?"

With a grunt of effort, Elion struggles to raise his head. "You'll destroy everything in your path. Is power all that matters to you?"

For a moment, something flickers in Theron's eyes—something darker, deeper. His jaw tightens, and he steps closer to Elion, towering over him like a shadow.

"Power?" Theron's voice is low, almost quiet. "You think this is about power?" He leans in, his gaze hardening as he speaks through gritted teeth. "I am no stranger to loss, Commander. What I seek... I cannot afford to lose again."

Elion stares at him, confused, but before he can reply, the intensity in Theron's eyes returns. The moment of vulnerability vanished, replaced by ruthless determination.

Vaedon, still on his knees beside Elion, groaned in pain. "You won't… find it here."

A cruel smile twisted Theron's lips. "Perhaps not. But I will find it." His hand began to glow with a deep red light, the Lumina energy swirling in a storm of controlled violence. "And I will tear apart every town, every village, all of Chromaris until it is mine."

With a roar, Theron unleashed a blast of Red Lumina energy. The ground trembled as the destructive force ripped through the battlefield, crashing toward the fallen Blue Clan warriors. Elion tried to raise his sword, but the power was overwhelming. In a flash of red light, the blast consumed him, and his body disintegrated into flickers of blue lumina.

As the dust settled, General Zira stepped out from the smoke, her eyes sharp and calculating. "The crystal isn't here, my lord."

Theron's gaze smoldered as he surveyed the destruction. "Then we move. This world will burn until the crystal is in my hands."

Without another word, Theron turned, his dark robes trailing behind him as he marched toward his army. The town lay in ruins, the once-vibrant streets now reduced to rubble and ash. Behind him, the Red Clan forces surged forward, their relentless advance unstoppable.

The search for the crystal had only just begun.