Chapter 1: Prologue: Eldoria

They were fated... Eldoria was parallel to their Earth, everything was set in motion...and yet I still dwell upon whether there was another way or not...or some meaning to this I’m yet to understand... I can’t just let it all end here. Somehow, just somehow, I need to stop them...
Ignis thought.
...but how?

A fearsome battle like none other Ignis had seen raged, one that he had previously sought to prevent. The battle was between two beings fated to fight for the safety of two realms. What Ignis saw now was them fighting for something else – perhaps for themselves. The two who fought were Erenum; a Human from another realm, and Umbra; a dragon from the realm where the battle now raged.

They charged toward each other, readying a strike as Ignis roared.
“Enough of this!”

The much larger dragon launched himself to intervene with the fight, hoping to stop it.

“Get out of the way!”
Erenum and Umbra snapped.

The two did in fact stop, but only temporarily. They turned to Ignis and leaped toward him, both striking at him unexpectedly. Ignis, caught off guard, took a direct blow. They then struck at him a second time, injuring him further with enough of an impact to throw him away from the battlefield. He crashed, skidding across the ground. By now he could barely move and was left only to watch as Erenum and Umbra resumed fighting. They entered a lock, Erenum’s sword caught between Umbra’s claws.

“Time and time again, you persist in stopping what’s inevitable, Erenum!”
Umbra snarled.

“Inevitable? To hell with that! I won’t allow the Corrupt to consume this realm, but your actions will! I’ll make sure that Eldoria lives on!”
Erenum shouted back.

Their auras clashed, then separated as they leaped away from each other. Shifting into a striking stance, they both took in a deep breath. Black flames seeped from between Umbra’s sharp teeth as anger shot through his eyes. Erenum held his sword on guard as embers of orange fire flickered across his blade.

“Your paths were not meant to lead to this... You were supposed to fight alongside each other...! Erenum. Umbra. Why...?”
Ignis uttered.

“I have nothing left to lose, and nothing more to gain. I’ll slaughter everything, and I won’t let a single thing get in my way! I won’t stray from the path I’ve taken, and nothing will stop me!”
Umbra responded.

“Someone has to stop you... My path has come to that, and neither will I stray from my path! Yet... This fight will never be over until either one of us falls!”
Erenum spoke.

Erenum aimed his sword to his side as blood from the wounds made by piercing Umbra’s scales flicked from the tip of the blade. Umbra licked the blood from Erenum’s wounds off his claws, grimacing.

At this very moment, the two fates of Eldoria clash... A fight between what they believe to be their own choices of good...but both having failed to find a true path. Their paths are darkened by their own powers... Could this be the end? If they both are defeated the Corrupt could return in their entirety, and the realms would collapse!
Ignis’s thoughts questioned everything as he struggled to stand.
Why? Why couldn’t I stop any of this?

In his hopeless attempts, Ignis had wished to stop the fight between Erenum and Umbra before it began, but to no avail. Interrupting their fight now had only resulted in him being heavily wounded, and their fight had only worsened drastically. By now, they were too far out of control. They had already been lost to the abyss.

“Wherever this leads us...”
Erenum began.

“...wherever this leads the realm to...”
Umbra continued.

“...none of it matters anymore! This is where our fight ends!”
The two then shouted, rushing at each other.

More orange fire spiralled around the blade of Erenum’s sword, and at the same time, black flames enveloped Umbra’s claws. They both attacked, darting at each other at what would normally be an impossible speed. Ignis could barely keep track of their movements as they fought, barely sighting the ruptures of magic from every strike they made. For a moment they slowed down, and Ignis was this time able to notice as Erenum’s sword struck against Umbra’s claws. The hit sent out a shockwave of black and white aura, knocking each other – and Ignis – far away from the centre of the shockwave. Ignis could barely hold himself up on his feet, once again laying on his side, struggling to get back up. Even more furious clashes rang out as the battle raged further on.

One final clash rang out over the others, and the sickening sound of bloodshed followed soon after. Erenum and Umbra now stood back to back, cold and still. Unmoving. The realm where they stood seemingly shattered like glass, a large line of cracks stretching outward. The cracks suddenly burst, and as they did, a large wound slashed Erenum and Umbra’s stomachs open – their flames suddenly dying out. The sound of glass shattering rang out from the cracks, and the air itself seemingly broke, before fading back to reality. Erenum and Umbra then collapsed beside each other. Ignis roared out in sorrow at the sight. With one more push he rose to his feet, limping toward Erenum and Umbra, who both now lay dead in a pool of their own blood. Ignis flinched, looking away from the mess that was left behind. Their corpses were now drenched in a deep red, and their insides were sprawled across the ground due to their deep, open wounds. As Ignis glanced back he then noticed a black mist that had begun to seep from their wounds, and the blood began to darken. Their sprawled insides melted into what seemed to be a black goop, shadows trickling over Erenum and Umbra’s corpses – wounds repairing swiftly, but something was wrong.

“No... No, this has to be wrong...!”
Ignis spoke, backing away from the corpses.
“Damn it all, this can’t be happening...! Please!”

The two corpses no longer resembled Erenum and Umbra, now consumed by black shadows. Corrupted.

“Of all things...why...? Why’d you both have to become Fallen?”
Ignis cried out.

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The two Fallen staggered toward Ignis, ready to strike, but with the damage they had taken due to the fight from earlier, their bodies had weakened severely. No magic was left within them, leaving shambling corpses behind. The corpses could barely make any movement, yet, like zombies, they continued to stagger. Ignis kept distance, attempting to call to Erenum and Umbra, but they were long lost by now. Through his tears, Ignis took in a deep breath and closed his eyes. Bright, red flames began to encircle him and the two Fallen.

“Could I not have done anything to prevent this? You two were meant to stop the Corrupt, not fail and leave the fate of Eldoria in shambles...! You leave me with this choice...but why?”
Ignis hesitated, crying out once more.
“What am I supposed to do then!”

He faced away, flinching, then roared out once more as he released the flames from within him. The fire spiralled toward the sky, separating the clouds above, and scorched the two Fallen. The grass below burnt away with them, sending ashes throughout the sky. The towering spiral of flames then collapsed, causing more fire to spread outward. In the aftermath, all that was left was Ignis gazing down at two piles of black dust, sitting upon cracked and burnt ground. The wind flew by and carried the dust away into thin air. Ignis then began to walk on, leaving the grassy plains. The grass came to a stop, the ground now covered by more burning rocks. Ignis let out a raging cry, and the land surrounding him burst alight like an active volcano. Magma shone below the ground’s surface. A vibrant, fiery aura flowed from Ignis, rising into the sky and causing the sky above the burning lands to darken to a deep red. Soon the aura then faded, and Ignis collapsed.

 

Weeks later...

As Ignis awoke, he found himself upon new, burning lands. The entirety of it all was still desolate. All caves, crevices, empty – save for a single den. Ignis walked toward it and glanced at a young dragon with dark purple scales – which resembled Umbra – sitting inside. Giving a short glare, Ignis then faced away. The young dragon intended to call out to Ignis, but a sense of worry crept over them.

“I-Ignis...?”
The young dragon uttered.
“What-... What happened...?”

Ignis spoke to himself.
“Still all alone... I couldn't do anything. Umbra and Erenum had failed, and so have I. I failed to stop them...”

Blaming himself for what had happened, Ignis continued to walk on, continuing to mumble to himself. The young dragon didn’t hear or understand much of what Ignis had said, and stumbled out of the cave. They began to follow Ignis, but Ignis turned and growled.

“Young dragon, you are to find your own path! Do not follow me. Leave this place, as soon as possible. It is no longer safe...”
Ignis spoke, now facing toward the young dragon.

The young dragon staggered back a little and seemed hesitant. They shuddered, but tried to continue following Ignis.

“I said go! Leave!!”
Ignis snapped.

Tears welled up in the purple dragon’s eyes after hearing Ignis’s aggressive cry. Scared and confused, the young dragon staggered back, and as more tears flooded, they turned and rushed away.

May the Ancestors watch over you... As much as I wish to carry the torch your father, Umbra, and Erenum both had passed on, I cannot... It is no longer safe to be with me. The Corrupt will be on their way here soon enough, now with what has passed...
Ignis watched the dragon flee, unmoving.
Live on...far from here... I can no longer help you find your path, as I have now lost mine, as well...

 

The young dragon continued on, yet unable to set flight. Exhausted, they began to slow down, before stumbling and falling to a stop.

“He left you... They all left you...”
Voices began to cloud the dragon’s mind.
“They’ll continue to leave you behind...yet now you have nothing to lose...”

The dragon shook its head, and only now noticed where it was. The world seemed shrouded in darkness, and the ground was formed by black, cold rocks. The young dragon felt cornered.

“...but we won’t abandon you. We’ll be within you...for eternity! You can seek revenge on those that left you!”
Strange, shadowy claws began to close in on the dragon as the voices continued.

More black shadows seeped from cracks in the ground as well, blood red eyes watching from the abyss which surrounded the young dragon.

The voices then suddenly spoke louder as the shadows leaped toward him.
“Give in!!”

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