"The day the sky ignited, and the mountains died…" — From the teachings of the Black Elegy Archives, Volume II, Page 13
They said the night would never return… because the light had burned to ashes.And the earth would no longer bear fruit, for its roots were charred by the curse of a man who dared… dared to sign in blood a pact with something whose name must never be spoken.
They said the world changed in a single night… because of that pact.
That night was named "The Night of Severance."
Cities collapsed.People were slain—slaughtered.Fires devoured everything…Bodies scattered, torn upon torn.
And now, centuries after being passed down through generations…
It seems that night was buried…with the fear of its return…in the grave of memory.
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"The echo of iron never mistakes the omen…"When the ground trembles beneath the feet of the Echo Division… it is known—the storm is near.
There they stood, nearly 12 kilometers away, stretched between the northern hills and the southern and western borders…The guards stood like frozen shadows—silent breaths, sharp eyes.Four Echo squads had spread out, waiting for any enemy movement.
At the same time, the First Unit of the "Ironbound Division" was stationed right at the borders...Or perhaps just a few kilometers from them, in a state of silent alert.
Sylva stood atop one of the walls, glancing right and left as if expecting someone.She whispered to herself:"Valis is late… Where could he be?"
Sylva and Valis had always worked side by side.They trusted each other deeply.Beyond being her deputy in leading the Echo Division… he was her only friend.
At that very moment…Valis was sprinting at full speed, as if chased by shadows themselves.
"Damn it… they're close… Why did I stray so far?"
And within seconds…The northern squad spotted a rocket exploding in the sky, trailing a cloud of green smoke.Then, moments later…Similar signals shot up from the southern and western flanks.
When I saw the green tear through the sky… I remembered what I once read in The Testaments of Valius the Free:
"The color raised only when sin draws near…the sin for which the first blood was shed."
That green signal fired by the Echo Division…
was the omen of the Nehalim's approach.
Upon seeing the green flare, both the Ironbound Division and the Blades of Dawn braced themselves.Then the voice of the Northern Division's commander rose, shouting to his soldiers:
"There they are! They're close! Get ready!Fight with everything you've got!Your struggle for this land… will not be in vain!Fight! FIGHT!!"
And their spirits ignited.The moment his cry ended, they roared in unison:
"UNDERSTOOOOOD!!"
At that moment...Sylva was still waiting for Valis.She felt the tension crawling beneath her skin—but she didn't let it break her.She took a deep breath, and, as always, shouted with all the fire in her lungs:
"Heeey! This is our day!Our sacrifices will not be forgotten!Every soul we lose today… will be a key to freeing future generations!Don't give up! GOOOOO!!"
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Everyone was on edge...Some were eager for the blood that would spill for their homeland.Some were scared, thinking of retreat.And some just stood still—longing only to survive the storm.
The air was thick…So tense, it was almost audible in the silence of the soldiers.The earth itself seemed to tremble—Not from an earthquake…But from:
Footsteps born in hell.
A large horde of Nehalim emerged—Twisted bodies, eyes glowing crimson,a gait that mirrored neither man nor beast.Each one of them carried a hatred frozen over centuries,buried deep inside their ribs.
Suddenly…The first battle cry split the air.A roar from the earth and the heart alike—The Ironbound Division surged forward like a bursting flame,followed closely by the Blades of Dawn—a wind feeding the fire.
The battle?
A symphony of blood and screams.Arrows shredded the air.Swords shrieked at every clash.And blood rained like a storm.
In the middle of the inferno… stood Sylva.Eyes unblinking, dual blades merciless.She took down two Nehalim—alone.
And as she spun like a cyclone,three more came at her—fangs dripping with curses,growling like starving wolves…
Then suddenly—a fourth crept from behind, stepping in silence...His long arms and posture revealed he was one of the mid-tier Nehalim.
He raised his claws, ready to strike her down—
But before he could even touch her…Blood exploded in the air.A shadowed blade tore through his body—clean in half.
The earth trembled beneath his footsteps,then his furious voice cut through the silence like a sword:"Damn it, I'm late!!"
Valis Nox appeared, his eyes blazing with rage, his sword dripping with blood.He approached her, drew his other blade, and said:
"I don't know what luck you had,but don't let your guard down—enough with the talk."
"Focus... death doesn't give second chances."
Together they charged, each protecting the other's back...
At that moment, the clash of swords grew louder…Dust swirled through the alleys of Grana,where the whispers of elders and rumors spread like wildfire:
"Hey, did you hear? They say the Empire launched an attack today!""I thought it was just rumors…"
In another corner of the market…a mother carrying a sack of flour walked, her little child beside her,who had heard enough while playing nearby.
"Mom… will they really steal our home?"
She answered softly:
"No, my dear… that's not true."
But…at that very moment, Jar — one of the Echo Division's soldiers —spotted something that almost stopped his heart.
Countless Nehalim...advancing like a flood, a shadow swallowing the horizon.His eyes widened, cold crept through his limbs…and sweat began pouring from his nerves.
He swallowed hard, then raised his trembling hand:
"L-look…"
The two soldiers with him turned around,and the terror in their eyes deepened as they saw the approaching horde.
"What the hell is this...?""Where... where did all these come from?!"
Jar swallowed again,gripped his gun with shaking hands,covered his ears, and fired a red flare into the sky.
He looked back at the wave of shadows approaching…then muttered in a trembling voice:
"I don't think… humanity will survive this... massacre."
The deputy commander of the resistance, "its representative on the battlefield," Farlan,stood firm like a rock unshaken,his sharp eyes tracking every signal, every movement before him counted like a domino ready to fall.He was not the type to shout, nor one of those who recklessly swing their swords like madmen...But now, he saw that red signal piercing the sky.
For many years… no hand dared to launch it.But now he knew… whoever fired it did so out of necessity."The situation has gotten out of control."
With a voice that pierced the walls of the base, his order came like a sword:– "Second division! Ironbound and Dawn Swords! Move immediately to the border to reinforce the lines!"
Then he lifted his eyes to the sky… to that still glowing red crack.As if he saw in it a warning sign…Or the shadow of an approaching disaster.
⚠️ Allowed to share:The Nephalem are humans who failed to contain the curse.The Empire's "cursed" soldiers remained conscious as humans, cursed by blood but retained their awareness.Their overcoming the curse depends on the level of their strength in their previous human lives.
Away from all that…There was someone enjoying a brief calm,surrendering quietly into the embrace of dreams.
Raigen.Lying beneath the Ovalis tree,the tree that for years granted everyone who sought shelter beneath it warmth… peace… and maybe temporary forgetting.
He only intended to rest, one foot over the other,but sleep overcame him… and he fell into the depths of a long-lasting dream.
He heard his name echoing like a call:"Raigen… Raigen!!"It repeated again and again until he woke up suddenly… finding Alrik shaking his shoulder with one hand while the other held an old book."What's wrong, Raigen? I called you many times and you didn't wake up.""Looks like I really fell asleep hard."
Alrik smiled and said excitedly:– "Forget the sleep and look what I found! This book was in my grandfather's cellar. It says it talks about Valius!"
Raigen raised an eyebrow:– "And who is Valius?"
Alrik's eyes sparkled with enthusiasm:– "Don't you know him? The Godfather of Freedom! The first to rise up against the empire's tyranny, and the first to set foot on the River of Hope! He founded the resistance with his blood, not just words."
Raigen flipped through the book, as if something inside him ignited.He whispered:– "See... I told you freedom isn't a dream, but… a reality waiting for us."
Then he raised his head toward Alrik, eyes shining with a spark never seen before:– "I will break the chains of this world, Alrik. I will break them to taste freedom."
Alrik nodded, smiling. But Raigen suddenly asked:– "By the way… where is Renzo?"– "I don't know… he hasn't shown up today."
Before they could finish their conversation,a strange breeze blew…But it didn't bring comfort; instead, it carried choking smoke from fires, and distant… eerie screams.
Raigen and Alrik turned around at the same moment,Then… Raigen's vision suddenly narrowed,his eyes widened as if time had stopped.
"This... is impossible... No!!"
He muttered in broken breaths,while a pale shadow covered his face like a shroud…Blood froze in their veins, and they were left speechless, unable to move or even run.
Fire… devouring the sky.Black smoke choking the horizon.Screams… chaos… confusion…And the sound of a distant alarm bell,not ringing, but moaning… as if it were crying.
When Grana began to scream, I was the first witness to the fall of our dream. And from that moment… Nothing was ever the same again.