the prophecy has began

Kain stepped forward, boots echoing against the cold stone. He stood directly in front of her, looming over her like a predator studying its prey. His smirk widened.

"You hear that?" His voice dripped with arrogance. "They think you can escape."

Amaris didn't respond. Not even a flinch. Her breathing remained soft and measured, like she wasn't even aware of his presence.

Kain's smile darkened. He turned toward the messenger. "Oi, messenger."

The messenger tensed as Kain's gaze settled on him.

"We have over 700 of the best guards stationed here," Kain said, his voice low and sharp. "She's constrained by chains blessed by the devas themselves. If she so much as thinks about using Rhu, those chains will burn her alive."

He took a step toward the messenger. "And yet… you think she can escape?"

The messenger's mouth opened, but no sound came out.

Kain's eyes darkened. His hand shot out and grabbed the messenger's robe.

"Do you think she can escape?" Kain growled, lifting the messenger effortlessly off the ground like he weighed nothing.

The messenger's feet dangled in the air. He struggled, clutching at Kain's arm. His legs flailed, and his face twisted in terror.

Oh god, he's going to kill me!

Kain's grip tightened. His voice sharpened into a dangerous growl. "Answer me."

The messenger's mouth trembled. He wanted to scream 'no.' He wanted to feed Kain's ego — tell him that nothing could possibly go wrong. But even through his terror, a deeper, primal fear gripped him. His eyes drifted toward Amaris.

She hadn't moved. But the pressure bleeding from her body was unnatural. The very air seemed to bow in her presence. Even restrained, even chained, she felt more dangerous than anyone he had ever encountered — more dangerous than Lord Seraph himself.

Sweat poured down the messenger's face. His bladder emptied without warning, warmth spreading down his legs as he trembled violently in Kain's grasp.

With a shuddering breath, the messenger forced out the words:

"Warden Kain… your prisoner… is Amaris, the Fallen — the one along with her companion kaal killed over seven million Aryans in just four days." His voice cracked. "If you truly believe you can take her on… then you are the most foolish person I know."

Kain's eyes flashed dangerously. The messenger braced for death — but Kain's grip suddenly loosened. He dropped the messenger unceremoniously onto the floor.

The messenger collapsed to his knees, coughing violently as he tried to catch his breath. His body shivered, knees weak beneath him. His robe stuck wetly to his legs, and his face burned with humiliation.

Kain's gaze slid back toward Amaris. His smirk remained, but the tension in his jaw betrayed him.

"She's chained," Kain said coldly. "And I'm not foolish. If she could escape, she would have done it already."

Just then, Amaris raised her head. Slowly. Deliberately.

Her silver eyes gleamed beneath the dark curtain of her hair. A chill crept through the prison walls as her lips curved into a faint smile.

"Well, isn't this a pleasant surprise?" Her voice was soft — almost amused. "I thought Seraph had forgotten about me. But I was wrong. He sent me a gift for my farewell."

Kain's smirk faltered. His face grew pale, a sheen of sweat forming at his temple. He forced a scoff.

"As if you could escape from here."

Amaris' smile sharpened. "Do you want to see?"

The chains groaned as her hands flexed. A pulse of dark energy rolled through the stone beneath her, causing the walls to tremble.

Kain's eyes narrowed. "Don't try it. Those chains are laced with the Devas' blessing. You won't break them."

A single black feather drifted from her wings, twisting lazily through the air. Her gaze remained steady as it passed between them.

Snap.

The feather sliced through the glowing chains like paper.

The messenger's mouth dropped open. "F-Fuck… she's free… RUN! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!"

He spun toward the lift, nearly tripping over himself as he sprinted forward — only to find Kain already inside, frantically pressing the control panel. The messenger dove in just as the doors began to close, panting.

Amaris' wings unfurled — vast and imposing. Black as midnight. A gust of freezing wind burst outward, snuffing the torches lining the corridor.

"STOP HER!" Kain's voice cracked as the lift shot upward.

The guards surged forward, spears blazing with golden light. Amaris moved. One wing swept out. The force of it shattered the stone beneath her feet. A guard's body slammed into the opposite wall with a sickening crunch. He slumped to the ground, motionless.

Alarms blared. Blue runes along the walls ignited, flooding the prison with harsh, blinding light.

"I was hoping you'd resist," Amaris whispered.

A dozen guards descended from the spiral above, wings blazing with golden radiance. Their spears extended in unison, tips crackling with energy.

"Halt!" one shouted. "You are not leaving this place!"

Amaris smiled darkly. "Watch me."

She shot upward. Black wings beat hard against the confined space. Spears of light erupted toward her — searing bolts of radiant energy. She twisted mid-air, her wings folding tight as she shot through a gap between the guards.

The nearest Aryan twisted his spear toward her — but she was already behind him.

Her hand closed around his neck. With a flick of her wrist, she hurled him into the others, sending them crashing into the stone wall.

"Pathetic."

The spiral erupted in chaos. More guards descended from the upper levels, their golden light flooding the narrow corridor.

Amaris hovered mid-air, wings flaring wide. A cold wind stirred, ruffling the feathers of her wings. A soft hum resonated from her chest.

"I think it's time to stop holding back."

Dark tendrils of energy coiled around her fingers. With a single downward sweep of her wings —

BOOM.

The entire corridor detonated. Stone and debris erupted in all directions, hurling guards like ragdolls. The walls trembled under the force.

Two guards dove toward her, spears spinning. She caught one spear mid-strike, twisting it around and driving it through its owner's chest. The other guard screamed — but her wing lashed out, the tip of a black feather slicing his throat.

A flash of gold blinded her. A massive Aryan descended from above — taller than the others, clad in gilded armor. His four wings spread wide, radiating divine light. His spear spun, charged with burning energy.

"Enough."

Amaris' silver eyes narrowed.

The spear shot toward her heart — but she twisted, avoiding the strike by a hair's breadth. Her hand shot upward, catching the spear's shaft mid-motion.

"Slow."

She yanked him downward. A wing curled around his neck. A sharp crack — and his body fell limp.

Blood trickled down the side of her pale face.

Above, a circle of guards formed mid-air, hands outstretched. Blue runes ignited along the stone walls, converging into a massive binding spell. Light flared — blinding and absolute.

"You cannot leave!"

She smiled faintly. "You keep saying that."

The chains wrapped around her limbs again, searing into her skin. She hissed — but her silver eyes glowed.

A wave of dark energy exploded outward from her body.

CRACK.

The chains shattered. The light evaporated. The guards screamed as the dark energy consumed them.

She shot upward. Stone and debris whipped past her as she ascended through the upper levels. Spears of light rained down — but none touched her. She was a shadow. A storm.

Finally, the prison's highest gate came into view — a massive iron door infused with ancient runes.

A wall of guards formed before it. Kain stepped forward, a golden spear clutched tightly in his trembling hands. His face was pale, eyes wide with desperation.

"You… will not leave this place alive."

She hovered mid-air, wings folding behind her back. Blood dripped from her fingertips.

"I think…" Her silver eyes darkened. "You should be more worried about surviving yourself."

The air around her distorted. A deafening pulse of energy cracked through the space.

The guards charged.

Her wings snapped open — a hurricane of black feathers and shadowy energy.

She moved. A blur. A wraith.

A spear shot toward her — she caught it mid-flight, reversed it, and drove it through Kain's chest. His mouth opened in shock. He collapsed to his knees, choking.

Amaris' hand touched the iron gate. Dark tendrils of energy crawled over the surface, consuming the runes.

The gate screamed as it shattered into dust.

Cold night air rushed in.

Amaris stood at the threshold, black wings stretching wide against the starlit sky. Behind her, the remnants of the prison lay in ruin — bodies littering the ground.

A sharp wind tugged at her cloak. Her silver eyes lifted toward the horizon.

"Well… that was fun."

A sound behind her. Amaris turned.

The messenger was hiding, desperately trying to escape. His breath came in short, ragged gasps as he pressed himself against the cold stone, heart pounding in his chest. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed something that made his blood run cold. 

Kain. 

The almighty Kain—once so arrogant, so full of ego—was now nothing more than a trembling rat, scurrying for his life. His golden armor, once a symbol of power, now felt like a burden as he crept toward the shadows, trying to slip away unnoticed. 

The messenger's gaze met Kain's. For a moment, silence hung between them. 

Then, with slow, deliberate disgust, the messenger spit on him. 

Kain didn't react. He didn't flinch. He simply accepted it, his pride shattered beyond repair. Without a word, he continued crawling toward the darkness, his only thought now survival.

"Oi." Her voice was quiet — deadly.

The messenger and Kain froze. A violent shiver ran through them.

Amaris' eyes narrowed. "What year is it?"

The messenger swallowed hard. "A-According to the divine calendar… it's the year 1666."

"You're the one Seraph sent?"

"Y-Yes, ma'am."

"I'll spare your life," Amaris said, voice low. "In exchange… deliver a message to him."

"Of course! Anything you want!"

Her smile was cold. "Tell him… the prophecy has begun and the next divine bane has come."

The messenger's face drained of color.

"in a few years…" Her silver eyes gleamed. "The last sovereign will come for his head."

Amaris' wings unfurled. A burst of dark energy swirled around her, distorting the air.

She vanished into the night sky.