Pyra Raven
Pyra Raven and Pyra Noirix were twin sisters.
Raven was born with jet-black hair and deep, dark eyes, while Noirix came into the world with striking crimson-red hair and equally crimson eyes, a stark contrast between them that everyone noticed right away.
Since Raven was born a few minutes
earlier, she was considered the older sister, while Noirix, by those few fleeting minutes, was labelled the younger.
And like many twins, they always fought over who should truly hold the title of the “big sister.”
“Raven, I am the big sister, and you know it!” Noirix shouted, grabbing a fistful of Raven’s black hair with an indignant tug.
“Noir! You know damn well that I’m the eldest! I came out first!” Raven yelled back, grabbing hold of Noirix’s crimson hair in
retaliation, her fingers twisting through the fiery strands.
They were acting like a child…
Before their argument could escalate
further, their parents intervened.
Their mother’s stern voice as she suddenly appeared. “Come on, girls, this is enough! You can’t keep fighting over this every time! Hug it out and solve this matter already.”
With exaggerated eye rolls and annoyed huffs, Raven and Noirix reluctantly let go of
each other’s hair. They stood for a
moment, silently fuming, before shaking hands and embracing, though the hug was
anything but gentle.
“You’ll regret this, Noir,” Raven muttered
through clenched teeth.
“You first, little sister,” Noirix shot back,
smirking as she squeezed Raven tightly, nearly choking her in the process.
They growled at each other like they were
mortal enemies, but both knew, deep down, this was just their way of having… fun.
A twisted kind of fun that only siblings
could understand.
“Now, now, don’t be so rowdy,” their father
chimed in with a calm, measured tone,
walking over to the table. “Come on, eat
before the food gets cold.”
They lived on the outskirts of the Pyra
Empire, far from the towering spires of the
Dragon Emperor’s domain, leading a
peaceful life untouched by the pressures of politics.
It was a simple existence-full of laughter, bickering, and the occasional fight. They ate, they slept, they argued, and sometimes, when the situation demanded
it, they even helped others. That’s how
they grew up, side by side, everything going smoothly… until the day the rainbow card appeared, hovering before Pyra
Noirix.
“N-Noir…” Raven stared at her sister, her
face frozen in shock as she tried to
comprehend what was happening.
Noirix, equally stunned at first, soon broke
into a grin, “Well, well… looks like the universe finally realized who the real big sister is.” She glanced at Raven, her red eyes gleaming with smug satisfaction.
Raven snorted in disbelief, her face twisting in annoyance, “Oh, shut up. That’ll happen over my dead body, you little shit!” She tried to sound angry, but a smile tugged at the corners of her lips. Despite her irritation, she couldn’t help but
feel pride swelling in her chest for her younger sister-Noirix had been chosen by
the Arcane.
This was the moment they both knew would change their lives forever.
For the better, she hoped.
But then…
“ARRRHHHH!!” Noirix suddenly let out a
blood-curdling scream, her body
convulsing violently as intense heat
radiated from her.
“N-Noir?” Raven’s face filled with terror as
she tried to rush to her sister’s side, but a
burst of scorching flames erupted from Noirix’s body, forcing her back.
The heat was unbearable, making it impossible to get close.
Her parents quickly held Raven back. “Stay calm, Raven! She’s awakening her bloodline,” her mother said, though her voice wavered with worry.
“NOIR!!” Raven screamed, tears of fear
blurring her vision as she watched her little
sister burn in the fierce, crimson flames.
Just then, a deafening screech echoed
through the skies.
“SCREEEEE!!!”
The sound sent shockwaves across the
Empire, and for the first time in long years, the dragons trembled… not in anger but in fear.
Their parents exchanged a grave look as they saw the approaching crowd, their eyes wide with horror. The people were
murmuring, their voices rising in a chant, “Phoenix, Phoenix, Phoenix…”
“W-We need to leave. Now!” their mother
whispered, her voice tight with fear as she watched the crowd move closer.
“NOW!” their father roared. In an instant,
he transformed into a massive black Lung Dragon. Without a moment’s hesitation, he scooped up his wife and daughters, launching into the sky. “M-Mom?” Raven asked, her voice shaky as
she clung to her mother’s arm, trying to make sense of what had just unfolded. Noirix had lost consciousness, her body limp, resting on their mother’s lap, the
flames now gone but her skin still glowing faintly with residual heat.
Their mother took a deep, steadying
breath. “Listen carefully, Raven. A very, very long time ago, there was another race that dominated the skies… they were called the Phoenix.” She told her about the past Massacre Her voice trembled slightly as she spoke, “I carry their bloodline. Though it has been diluted over the generations, I
still possess a small amount of pure Phoenix blood-about 1%.”
She looked down at her unconscious
daughter. “And so do you and Noir.”
Raven’s eyes widened in shock as she tried
to process what her mother had just revealed.
Her father, flying high above the clouds, his
eyes scanning the horizon, spoke in a grave
tone. “But that 1% wasn’t enough to awaken the bloodline on its own.”
Her mother nodded in agreement, “It must
be because she was chosen by the Arcane…
something triggered the awakening.” She couldn’t help but feel a pang of pride, though there was no time to revel in it.
“Will she be okay?” Raven asked softly, worry creasing her brow as she gently
pinched her sister’s cheek, hoping for any sign of movement.
Their mother smiled weakly, “It’s fine,
dear… She’ll be okay. She’s stronger than
you think.”
Their father nodded in agreement, his voice firm yet comforting. “I’ll make sure she’ll be perfectly fi-”
BOOOMM!!
A deafening explosion rang out, cutting his
words short. Blue flames struck his back,
engulfing his tail in a blazing inferno. The
impact sent him spiralling uncontrollably downward.
“HOLD ON!!” he roared, but there was panic in his voice as his body plummeted toward the ground. Raven’s heart sank
when she saw the flames eating away at her father’s scales, blood spraying from his body like a crimson rain. “F-Father?” Raven’s voice trembled, her
face paling as she watched the horrifying
scene unfold, her father’s figure slowly being consumed by the flames. “I-It’s fine, dear!” he shouted through
gritted teeth, his voice straining to sound reassuring. But the agony in his eyes betrayed the truth as he struggled to maintain control. Spotting a teleportation station not far away, he forced his body toward it.
Their mother, trembling with fear, wrapped her arms protectively around Raven and Noirix, pulling them close. She
glanced at her husband, her lips pressed tightly together as her eyes silently communicated her fear and hope. With a
nod, he shot toward the teleportation station at breakneck speed. The guards stationed there had expected
him to land—but to their utter shock, he
sped up, charging directly toward them with no intention of stopping.
Before he could hit them, they scattered,
leaping out of the way as he crashed.
BOOOM!!!
Ssssshhhhh
The ground shook as smoke billowed into
the air, obscuring their view. “F-Father?” Raven called out, her voice
wavering with desperation. But there was
no answer.
Her lips quivered, her heart pounding in
her chest. Tears threatened to spill as she knelt beside his motionless form, “Father, wake up!” she pleaded, shaking his massive
body, but there was no response… only a
lifeless shell.
Before she could process the overwhelming grief, her mother, grabbed her and Noirix. With one swift motion, she
leapt from her husband’s body, dragging her daughters toward the portal.
Just as they were about to step through the
portal, a voice rang out, commanding. “Stop!”
The words echoed directly in her mind.
She staggered, clutching her head as the
weight of the command from the Dragon Emperor pressed down on her like a huge boulder.
“Come out, and we will talk this through…”
The voice was menacing, laced with cruel authority.
Raven’s mother trembled under the
invisible pressure, her body frozen in place. She couldn’t move. She couldn’t even
breathe properly under the Emperor’s command as she felt her consciousness slip
away…
“M-Mom?” Raven blinked, her heart racing as she saw her mother’s lips bleeding. Something was terribly wrong, and she knew her mother was struggling. Her mother gritted her teeth, casting a
quick glance at her husband’s body… Her eyes darted between the gruesome sight and the portal itself, the only hope of
escape.
With a strained breath, she whispered,
“Take
your sister and go through the portal, Raven. I… I’ll follow. I promise.” Raven shook her head in protest, her voice weak with fear. “Mom, no… You’re coming
with us. Something’s wrong, you’re
bleeding!”
Her mother forced a fragile smile.
“B-Believe me, dear. I’ll be right behind
you. Just… go.”
Hesitant but knowing she had no choice, Raven took her unconscious sister into her arms and turned toward the portal, her
steps heavy with reluctance. “M-Mom…
you’ll come, right? You have to…”
“Y-yeah, I will…” Her mother’s lips trembled, blood dripping from the corner
of her mouth as she forced out the words. “I promise.”
But before Raven could take another step,
CHCCCCKKKKKK!!!
A massive, blue-scaled dragon descended
from above, its jaws snapping as it bit into
her father’s dead body, tearing it apart.
“NOOOOO!!!” Raven screamed, her voice
cracking as her heart shattered at the
sight.
Her father… reduced to nothing but
blood and fragments in an instant.
“RUN!! NOW!!” her mother screamed, her
voice breaking with desperation.
But then,
“No, You won’t!!”
Her legs halted.
Her mind was clouded by a sudden, excruciating pain that tore through her
skull. She gasped, clutching her head as the
Dragon Emperor’s influence bore down on
her, trapping her in place.
Her mother, gritting her teeth against the
pain, was just inches away from the portal. Desperation in her eyes, she glanced back
to see the blue dragon shifting, its form
contorting into that of a old-aged man. His
horns glowed ominously, pulsating with
intense
power.
“I-I’m sorry…” she whispered, her voice
barely audible. Her eyes flashed a deep
crimson as her Phoenix blood finally stirred upon her desire. Flames erupted from her mouth, crimson fire shooting toward her daughters.
BOOM!!
The blast hurled Raven and Noirix through
the portal, throwing them to safety before
their mother turned her focus toward the
portal’s root, destroying it as the gateway
sealed shut behind them.
“NOOOOO!!” The Dragon Emperor roared,
his face twisting in fury as the portal
closed, cutting off his pursuit.
:
“The last thing I remember… was watching
the current Dragon Emperor’s father killing
my mother,” Raven’s voice was hollow,
devoid of emotion as it echoed in the silent
room.
Aether blinked, taking in the grim details.
There were no tears left-she had shed
them long ago, and now only the hollow
remnants of grief remained.
Without saying a word, Aether gently
reached out, his hand softly brushing her
cheek.
[+400 AP]
But the story wasn’t over yet….
