Daily Short: Kyo 30

ACT  963161069-33889.21.(M4.D07)Fluffy Alchemist Kyo

Kyo had always been fascinated by the legends and myths surrounding the Silver Empire. Nota told her countless stories about its glory, unparalleled beauty, and the invincible power of its ruler. She knew the sleeping elf in the ring was the Silver Empress, but only a vague dream showed her why.

As the top of the silver crystal opened like a blooming flower, a dimensional ripple spread out. In a sharp flash, Kyo vanished from her world as Nota smiled mysteriously.

“Now that the Successor is gone, I have the time to deal with riff-raff,” Nota says, watching as the demonic birds slowly blended into a singular entity.

Kyo felt the swift teleportation push her sideways from her world into a small pocket of space. Her senses informed her that the entire place was a gigantic battlefield, but only a single living soul remained. Looking about, she could see the remains of countless Cat Tribe fighters. The armor and weapons displayed surpassed anything she had seen. What an eerie place, like a drop of water frozen in amber.

“A visitor? So, the bloodline endures.” A raspy voice spoke from the shadows of a hill of corpses.

“Elder?” Kyo said, focusing entirely on the armored figure that looked like a perfected version of Robert the Lion.

“I suppose that would be an apt description, child. Tell me, did we succeed? Are the Shadowed Ones vanquished? Has the Darkness retreated beyond the Veil once more?”

Several pieces of information fit together, solving one of the questions Kyo had always had before she answered, “Yes.”

“The Empress?” the older cat asked, his voice full of hope.

“Sleeping. She cast a powerful piece of magic using a word I didn’t understand to turn the enemy into Salt.” Kyo said, speaking of the dream she’d seen.

“I suppose you want to hear what happened? Why did the Silver Empire fall, and our world become as it is?” the older cat said, leaning back with a sigh.

Kyo nodded. The story she was about to hear, the story of how the Empire fell, was one she could never have imagined.

In the timeless twilight realm outside of standard space, Kyo sat in the company of a battle-weary commander. The commander, a haggard old member of the Cat Tribe, bore the scars of innumerable battles, and his eyes seemed to hold the weight of a thousand lifetimes. As they sat together, the commander recounted the tale of the Silver Empire's fall.

"The Empire fell even as our great Silver Empress fought against the creatures from outside our world." he started, his voice low and heavy with sorrow. "The Silver Empire was once the envy of the world, a beacon of hope and prosperity that stretched across the land. But as we reveled in our splendor, we were blind to the darkness growing beyond our borders."

“Empress?” Kyo asked.

“Indeed. She wasn’t from our world. She brought order where before existed only slaughter—peace and prosperity, where existed only destruction. The world you know is only a pale shadow of the silver splendor of the past. I would know. I was General of the Third Legion, Carakus, the Immortal.”

Carakus paused, lost in thought for a moment, and then continued. "The creatures from the abyss, the ones we thought were nothing but mere legends, began to pour into our world. They were unlike anything we had ever seen, and their hunger for destruction was insatiable. Our great Empress, a warrior of unmatched skill and wisdom, led us into battle against these abominations. Her sword, it was a blade that cut the sky. It held the hordes at bay for decades."

“During the war, the great one, the Green Alchemist, found a way to extend the lives of the Cat Tribe,” Carakus said with a grimace. “You are one of us. If you did not already know, we double in power with every Tier.”

“The main thing that holds us in check is time,” Kyo said with wide eyes.

“Exactly. Given enough time and enough enemies slain….” Carakus said with a dusty chuckle.

“Invincible,” Kyo said with sparkling eyes.

“Under these skies, perhaps. We never found out.” Carakus said with a wet cough.

Kyo listened, captivated by the commander's words, as he painted a vivid picture of the chaos and devastation that followed the invasion. The Silver Empire's once-gleaming cities were razed to the ground, their inhabitants slaughtered or taken as slaves by the monstrous invaders. Even the Silver Empress had to limit herself to a small group of cities in the desert that was easiest to defend.

Kyo listened as the ancient General explained how the world slowly died.

"Even in our darkest hour, our Empress refused to admit defeat," the Carakus said, a glimmer of pride shining in his eyes. "She rallied her armies, leading us in one desperate, last-ditch attempt to drive the creatures back to the void from whence they came. It was a mad plan, but it worked."

The commander's voice trembled with emotion as he recounted the final, brutal battle. The Silver Empire's forces fought with a ferocity born of desperation, their ranks bolstered by the raw power of their Empress. Potions flowed like water, ancient spells flew like rain, and the four demi-humans held the eight directions.

The Green Alchemist created a jungle to slaughter the foes.

The Blue Crystal trapped entire worlds inside their shell.

The Tome of Slaughter cast forbidden spells endlessly.

The Hut that devoured hordes.

"It was a sight to see, and I saw it all. And so, as the sun set on that fateful day, our great Silver Empire crumbled to dust," the commander finished, his voice barely a whisper. "The Empress, our last hope, vanished amid the battle and with her, the last vestiges of our once-mighty civilization. At the same time, she disappeared, and so did the Darkness that ate the sky as well. I always suspected she had taken the enemy out in a final strike. Your words confirm my beliefs. Thank you."

As Kyo listened to the commander's tale, a mix of awe and sadness filled her heart. She could scarcely imagine the pain and loss that the people of the Silver Empire must have endured. But amidst the tragedy, she couldn't help but feel a flicker of hope.

“Bloodline?” Kyo asked, her voice curious.

“Indeed, the bloodline of the ancients is within you.” Carakus said gasping. Where he had once been a shadow, now he was barely holding to life. “I do not know the one you have, but only one with the blood of a daughter and the blessing of the Four could enter here.”

“Deserter?” Kyo said, her eyes growing cold.

“No. I was ordered to escape by the Tome of Slaughter.” Carakus said as his eyes dimmed. “Escape, and wait the years until someone comes.”

Kyo wasn’t an idiot. As the great General breathed his last, a shining silver stream of dust escaped his body. She felt the dust enter her body, bypassing the spatial shield like it didn’t exist.

Words flashed before her eyes, making her gasp in awe.

Eternity Armor Initiative Online.

There was a long pause before Kyo asked, “Do you know how to poison crystalline lifeforms?”