Usurpers of Night

Astra sat in silence feeling as if he was in a dream, deep down he wanted to cry, I knew it, I knew it, Im meant for more, I'm not some trash who has to sell his body and commit crimes to survive, no my ancestors were royals! 

He sighed, He had dreamt of such moments and it was actually here. Astra had always told himself he was "special" and "meant for more" but he never actually fully believed it, deep down he knew they were simple fantasies he conjured up to push himself to be greater, but who would have thought it was actually true!

His eyes looked at odin, hopefully and red.

"Astra let me tell you about your bloodline" spoke Odin, his voice infused with power and magic

Astra sat in silence as Odin's words seemed to weigh heavily in the air around them, thick with the scent of ancient power and forgotten history. The flames in the forge crackled, their light flickering as if unnerved by the gravity of the tale unfolding. The room grew darker, the shadows stretching like tendrils, as if they too listened intently, drawn to the secrets being whispered in hushed tones.

"Odin, wha,- what exactly does this like all of this have to do with me?" Astra's voice was barely a whisper, but it carried with it the weight of a thousand questions that threatened to crush his chest. His violet eyes, once just a simple mark of his lineage, now felt like burning beacons of something far greater, something darker.

Odin leaned back, his weathered fingers tracing the rim of his goblet as if carefully measuring his next words. "Your bloodline, Astra, is more than just a name. It is a curse. And a gift. You are not merely a descendant of those who ruled Duskfall—you are the last of the House of Night, the heir to the powers that once shaped the very cosmos. The shadow that haunts your every step is the same shadow that once danced with the Stars."

House Night.... Astras mind spun, he had heard of house night before, in olden books, a house that at its glory was extremely powerful but thats all he knew, information was censored regarding such matters, the Usurpers House Dusk rose to power and took over one of the royal stewards spots.

Now the angels words hung in the air like a thick fog, wrapping around Astra's thoughts, pulling them deeper into a truth he had never before understood. He had felt the strange power coursing through him, but hearing the full weight of it now made him shiver. The shadows felt... alive. As if they knew him, had always known him.

"The Night itself is your birthright," Odin continued, his voice now dark, tinged with something ancient and unyielding. "Your ancestors bent the heavens to their will. The stars themselves were at their command. They wove the fabric of the world with their magic, and you... you carry that blood. But that power comes with a price."

Astra's heart skipped a beat. His hand went to the weight of the coin at his side. 

"The House of Night fell, not by the hands of a single enemy," Odin's voice dropped to a low murmur, thick with the weight of eons of sorrow. "It was torn apart by those who envied its power. The house that once held the balance of the cosmos, the dominion over both light and shadow, was undone by treachery. Betrayal. It was not a violent war, but a quiet, insidious poison that seeped into the very soul of the house."

Astra's mind spun, his breath catching in his throat. "House Dusk," he murmured, the name slipping from his lips like a curse. "House Hunt. House Dawn."

"Yes," Odin said, his eyes flashing with an ancient fury. "Three houses, three powers, each vying for control of the balance. House Dusk, the quiet schemers who understood the strength of shadows, darkness and the power of subtlety. House Hunt, the hunters, royal masters of pursuit and silent destruction from the realm of Alfheim. And House Dawn, the royal rivals, the ones who played the long game. Together, they orchestrated the fall of your ancestors, Astra. They tore down Duskfall not with armies, but with whispers. Their ambition knew no bounds. They craved what the House of Night held. The control of the stars. The mastery over gravity itself."

Odin paused, the air heavy with the weight of what he was about to reveal. "House Dusk's envy was insatiable. They watched as the House of Night bathed in the light of a thousand stars, wielding gravity and authorities of Night as though it were nothing more than a toy. And House Hunt—well, they saw the weakness in that power and loved to sow discord in other realms. The House of Night was alone, isolated, powerful, but isolated. And isolation is the true enemy of even the mightiest beast."

Don't I know it astra sighed inwardly, it seems this curse of loneliness was inherited.

Astra's mind reeled with the implications of Odin's words. He could feel the pulse of his bloodline calling to him, thrumming beneath his skin like the distant echo of an ancient storm. "So, dusk betrayed them... and I'm the last?"

Odin's lips curled into something between a smirk and a grimace. "Yes. The last of the House of Night. The last of the stars." His voice lowered even further, becoming a whisper lost in the crackling of the fire. "And you, Astra, are the key to the night's rebirth—or its final destruction."

The room dimmed once more, the shadows growing longer, colder. The warmth of the forge seemed to wither beneath the weight of history's truths. Astra's chest tightened as he struggled to process it all. His thoughts felt like they were being torn between the past and the future, as though the very essence of his bloodline was pulling him in a thousand directions.

"And now," Odin said, leaning forward, his gaze piercing into Astra's very soul, "the world watches you. House Dusk may have thought they succeeded in destroying your house, but they are wrong. You are the storm that comes after the fall of the night. You are the last spark of a forgotten age, Astra, and such perfect timing as well."

The air around them seemed to tremble with unseen power, the stars themselves watching as Astra, the last scion, no prince of the House of Night, stood on the precipice of his legacy. The firelight flickered, casting long, twisting shadows that seemed to beckon to him, to call him home to a place of power he had never known.

But what was power without control? What was power without a cost?

Odin's eyes burned with a mix of anticipation and warning. "Remember this, Astra: The stars may have fallen, but they have not forgotten you. And neither have those who would seek to use you as a pawn in their eternal game. You may carry the blood of the dead gods, but you are not untouchable. They will come for you—whether you are ready or not."

"Blood of dead gods?!" Astras mind reeled, what the actual hell is going on!, yet he listened intently.

The room grew still, save for the distant crackle of the flames, as Astra stood at the crossroads of his fate, the shadows of his bloodline stretching out before him. The darkness of the past whispered in his ears, and the stars above seemed to tremble with the weight of what was to come.

Your Bloodline is that of olden dead gods, Shadow and Night, Noctis and Umbra.

Astra almost threw up, Odin had named gods! it was a major taboo!, The Church of Shadow and Night still existed, no matter how small! they still had power and secret originations that want to revive them! But I'm of both?! 

In that moment, Astra understood. The night was calling him back, and the path ahead was one that would either crown him as the ruler of the stars—or cast him into the void forever.

Odin continued on, 

"They began by feeding the growing discontent within Duskfall itself. For years, rumors had circulated that the rulers of the House of Night, intoxicated by their power, had begun to ignore the very people they ruled, they did some experiments, had disagreements between their councils."

"Their star magic, so long a symbol of strength and grace, had begun to take a darker turn, growing erratic and unstable. The gravity magic, once precise and controlled, was said to warp the very land beneath them."

"Unrest brewed—though none dared speak it openly. House Dusk capitalized on these murmurs, cultivating rebellion in the shadowed corners of Duskfall, stoking flames of dissent among the lower classes and secretive factions within the city. They whispered of the corruption of the night, of the madness of the rulers, and the ancient treachery of Noctis."

The God of Night betrayed the Gods in the first war of fracture? the war of the gods? I did know about this but no one knows what he did? 

Odin sighed "Perhaps they were right, perhaps not, even I do not know the full story."

"Then came the assassinations—quiet, subtle, staged as accidents or acts of fate. First, the minor nobility rank threes who had served the House of Night were struck down by strange forces: a merchant crushed by the sudden collapse of an enchanted pillar; a famed rank-four general falling from a great height, as if gravity itself had betrayed him. These were not ordinary deaths. They were signs. House Dusk was sending a message: the House of Night was vulnerable. Thus war was declared.

Then came the civil war, the Armies of Night clashed with those of Dusk, and Dawn, Mortals clashed, in the millions, then Demi gods clashed, Angels bled rivers of Ichor and finally came the final battle.

House Hunt, with their unparalleled mastery of the pursuit, who took the next step. Under cover of twilight, they infiltrated the very heart of Duskfall, their agents slipping into the city like shadows, their beasts prowling in silence. 

The hounds of House Hunt, ancient creatures with the ability to sniff out not just flesh, but magic itself, began to circle the heart of the city. Mortals were all teleported in nascent realms of forests by Seraphs.

"The Seraphs agreed to this? " Astra asked feeling confused.

"Yes," Odin spoke with ancient unkempt rage, "They do not care who's in power as long as it serves them and their purpose, all the wars were clashes between them and sometimes the sins, Dusk They cannot simply rule as even they cannot stand the full might of all the angels, they are not, in great shape to say the least, if I say more you may die." 

Astra felt insanely cold at that second. "Do not pry into the secrets of gods" He warned himself.

"I do not know what Night did to become forsaken from both the divine counsel and the unholy counsel, that is a secret you must find young heir." Odin continued.

Astra nodded solemnly as odin continued his recalling of the fall of Night.

Hunts goal was not just to break the walls of the Castle of the Stars—but to strike at its core: they wanted the sacred sword Nightfall, the legendary blade of Night, Said to be wielded by the god himself...an extreme rumor to say the least.

With careful precision, House Hunt's agents all bearing godhood stalked the halls of the House of Night, evading its warded defenses and enchanted traps. The Castle of the Stars, an ancient fortress filled with magic older than most could fathom, was on the brink of destruction in the battle.

The battle within its walls was fierce, brutal, and unrelenting. Great warriors of rank-six—the pinnacle of power—engaged in combat.

Lady Diana the Sixteenth, a rank-six angel and heiress of House Hunt, stood at the forefront, her blade glowing with the brilliance of the world tree of Artemis.

Commander Altus of House Dusk, another rank-six, was no less formidable, his control over shadow magic was second only to lady Layla.

Sir Solaris, the Angel of Dawn, wielding the power of the sun itself.

House of Night, once at its peak had seven to eight angels yet many had died or vanished mysteriously leaving only two behind. Lady Layla was desperate he sighed. cornered and wounded, she attempted apotheoses.

"She tried to become a seraph?!" Astra was shocked, she was that powerful?! 

Odin nodded darkly, "She had no choice, cornered, forsaken and besieged, it was either ascend to the divine throne and become the lady of night in the chaos or die trying." 

And she was close to achieving that from what I gathered until House Dawn summoned their trump card.

"Shard of the Morning to keep Duskfall, which was in eternal twilight in, in a perpetual dawn, Warding off the battlefield from reality itself, the stars were weakened, and the shadows were weakened, The angels fought in this a cataclysmic battle. Mortals fought in the frontlines of the realm achieving tasks to weaken the divine.

This left lady Layla who was almost at the end of her apotheoses at a weird half mad half Seraph state.

She would have died instantly if it wasn't for the Angel Starflower, he kept reeled her back to a more sane state as they held their final stand.

Astra couldn't help but notice how odin was mesmerized by his own tale, as if was enamored by such tragic combat.

"For seven days and seven nights, Layla and Starflower fought with all their might, holding the Castle against the onslaught. The heavens themselves seemed to tremble with their power. Lady Diana, tireless and relentless, clashed with Lady Layla. Their battle was an eternal dance between light and shadow as Angels from Dawn and Dusk joined in trying to end the half seraph, it was a magnificent domain clash"...Odin Murmured.

"She faced off against five Angels alone, lady Diana, two from house Dawn and two from house Dusk, the darkness clashing with the brilliance of celestial fire. Despite Layla's strength she was faltering, her apotheosis was failing, the tide of the battle shifted. Diana got blessed in the last second by the Seraphs and reached powers that rivaled the half mad Layla and with her holy blade Veilbreaker landed a blow that shattered the Night, Layla fell, her body collapsing into a pool of divine shadows, The Night itself mourned her passing. yet, only Lady Diana of Hunt remained standing heavily wounded."

Astras mind was reeling, Legendary Blades, Angels, Divine linages, Extermination, "Gods he murmured" his ancestor had almost become a god! and had Killed four pinnacle tier Angels by herself and the Seraphs had helped!

Odin continued this tale

"Meanwhile, Sir Starflower faced two Angels of Hunt and Sir Solaris, the Angel of Dawn, in an epic struggle."

"Sir Starflower lost in a clash of their authority, his versus the three authorities of the other Angels"

"I'll tell you the name of his Authority, he attempted to use it in a spell called Eater of Stars. if wasn't for Solaris's Domain Spell [Sunfall] and the Lady Knowledge and the Emperor of War shielding the realm, the whole central region of this Sahara might have been wiped off the map.

Starflower had lost his mind in the final moments and broke free of the shard of dawn, a quarter of the city was destroyed. The clash of their Authorities shattered the ground beneath them, and in the end, Starflower was overwhelmed. His starlight dimmed, his light snuffed out by the overwhelming force of their combined assault. And so, the leaders of House Night fell. The stars dimmed, and the shadows wept.

Nightfall, however, was nowhere to be found.

The blade Nightfall, long an emblem of power, disappeared as if it had never existed. No one knows its fate, and so the great houses continue to search for it to this day, for to possess Nightfall is to wield certain authorities of the night itself.

"Inf act Lady Layla, whom I greatly admired, sought me out days before the final battle. She spoke of a means by which one could recover the blade, a task so perilous that only the bravest—or the most foolish—might attempt it."

"I remember how powerless I felt, me, a rank-six Angel, unable to help the woman I loved. Angels were forbidden from intervening in such conflicts unless there was an official alliance and the realm was not in open war, I could not risk my house for this matter, and to break this law would make one an enemy of the Seraphs. The punishment was certain death, or worse."

"The final blow was swift and devastating. As House Dusk's agents caused chaos throughout the city—disrupting star-fueled wards and unraveling spells with darkened magic—House Hunt's hunters struck, exterminating all who stood in their path and began a culling of the lineage. In the end, the Castle of the Stars fell, its walls crumbling beneath the weight of its ancient magic. The House of Night, once rulers of the city, was no more. Duskfall was now the domain of House Dusk."

But victory came at a cost. House Hunt, having aided in the destruction of House Night, withdrew back to Alfheim, their thirst for conquest not yet quenched. House Dusk, while stronger than ever, was Angels short, its power tainted by the dark forces it had unleashed. The void left by the fall of House Night could never truly be filled. Duskfall was theirs, but the shadows of the past would haunt them for eons.

House Dawns might aided the weakened Dusk and fixed alliances as well as making peace with House Shadow, who helped house Night a lot. In the end Peace was achieved and house Night fell.

House Dune stood and watched they did nothing.

The final agreement between House Dusk and House Dawn was sealed in silence, a pact made in the shadows. House Dusk would reign, but House Dawn would guide the future. Their power did not lie in conquest, but in their ability to see the long game, to manipulate the balance of power. In this new order, no one house would ever hold absolute control. And so, House Dawn's influence continued, though it remained unseen, its power quietly holding the reins of the realm.

Though the House of Night had fallen, their legacy lingered. The stars above Duskfall still flickered with the faintest light, a reminder of what had been. The night had been claimed, but the dawn was always just beyond the horizon.

And so, as the world moved forward, House Dawn watched, ever vigilant, ensuring that the balance between light and dark would never tip too far toward one side. They held the strings of fate, pulling and guiding, waiting for the moment when the world might need them once more.

"Yet, even in their fall, the House of Night left a mark upon the world, a shadow cast long upon the earth. The stars above still shimmer with the faintest pulse of their magic. Some say, on nights when the sky is dark and the stars shine too brightly, that one can still feel their power, a flicker of something older than the heavens themselves. I sense It within you, that profound power."

"You are greatly blessed young one, for you are of both Umbra and Noctis"

"The blade, Nightfall was Sealed in the Stars hidden, Bear godhood and it shall show itself to you. Layla claimed it necessary for the future plans" 

"Shadow and Night that divine yet profane couples' bloodline still lives on through you..."

Astra felt the magic in the mana in the air almost gasp as Odin narrowed his eyes.Unimaginable power flooded the forge.

"Kneel" spoke Odin his words again infused with power and the weight of the world itself

Astra instantly hit the hard cold floor barley managing breathing, the Great Forge behind the old ruler of House Steel ignited with an intense and bright brilliance it as it continued to shine even brighter as the fire inside Odin seemed to grow, the air grew heavy, and the fire grew hotter

Suddenly the floor was not so cold anymore and Astra felt as if was transported to the heart of a Super Volcano!

This was the true authority of an angel. A rank six Grandmaster of the forge, this was the very presence of Odinson Steel!

Odin's deep blue eyes locked into Astra violet eyes, Odin's eyes grew even more intense Astra felt scared, yet strangely excited

"Astra, I made a promise to your ancestor, Layla"

"The promise was to entrust the Night onto the remaining members of the house, those bastards of hunt were very thorough…..but someone managed to escape the hunters pursuit"

"Astra, brace yourself!"

"Accept your destiny!"

Astra couldn't even breath, but he felt energy rush in towards him at unholy speeds, Mana surrounded him, thick and powerful, Starlight ignited all around him, its as if the world itself was being connected to him, as If he was hidden by a mighty veil and its been lifted. 

"As an Angel of House Steel a patriarch of Steel, I hereby declare you Astra, as the Last Heir of the Night, Prince of the Stars and Lord of Shadows, Let the dead gods Umbra and Noctis shoulder the burden and Mana be the witness"

Suddenly there was a change in reality, the words of power from an Angel influenced the very world. 

The shadows grew deeper and danced Odin and Astra felt numerous gazes from indescribable and infinite distances land upon him

Astra who felt like his very soul was being unveiled was in a daze, yet he knew who was watching, It was surely Seraph, Sins Devils and Angels!.

Odin laughed manically as he flared his presence even more in response to an such an extent it caused the air to shake and the world to brace itself as to shield Astra from the prying eyes , the stars above Duskfall shone with such a brilliance they seemed to Pierce the veil of twilight that covered the city. 

Odin ignored the pressure from these gazes as his own Authority fought off the pressure As he declared to the world's divinity.

"Rise Now Fallen Amir, for you are now Astra Noctis the last heir of the Night, The Prince of the Stars the Lord of Shadows!"