The sound of distant shouts and clashing steel reached the ears of Shin Hae Young, as he gripped the reigns of his horse in sweaty palms. The poor beast was frothing from the mouth as he urged it to go faster, slipping through the muddy earth and torrential downpour of rain. Behind him, he could hear the canter of several other horses, their riders closing in on their prey like a hound on the hunt. And above him, he could hear the faint sound of metal against metal as well as voices whispering curses, strange words and incantations. Out of curiosity, Hae Young tilted his head upwards and saw that the Daevas that were in the sky did not have sinister black wings, but a sickening colour of pure white.

"We cannot go on, Hae Young!" a man that suddenly swooped down next to him called, cradling his infant son from the raging wind. The man’s once graceful dark wings were now shredded and stained with blood, as if it has been ripped and cut like a piece of meat. "My wings are weak, all of our Daevas have fallen; we will not be able to outrun them much longer."

 

"Then we shall fight them, milord," Hae Young replied through gritted teeth, fully aware of the futility of his words. Both his horse and the other man’s wings were in miserable condition after days of hard travelling, and their pursuers would certainly outnumber them.

 

"I cannot ask you to sacrifice your life for me," the other man replied, tiredly, stopping abruptly. Hae Young reined his horse in as well, despite his mind screaming at him to continue forward. The sound of approaching riders and the furious flapping of wings was audible over even the rain and wind; he could not see far in the darkness, but Hae Young estimated that their pursuers were at most a minute behind.

 

"My king," Hae Young said hurriedly, "We must continue…"

 

"No," the other man replied tiredly, "our army is but a small piece of sand amongst soil, and we will not outlast them."

 

"Then go, and I will stay behind," Hae Young pleaded, drawing his sword. "Please, milord, do not give yourself over to them!"

 

"Take my child," the man begged, holding out the bundle that held his infant son. "Keep him safe, protect him, I beg of you!"

 

"Milord…"

 

"Sir Hae Young, I will only slow you down. They still do not know of your service to me. Take my son, hide him, protect him. I beg of you, Hae Young, do this last favor for me!"

 

Reluctantly, Hae Young sheathed his sword and gently took the small child into his arms. He was only a baby, not even past his first year, but he would soon be the last remaining Royal left. The last bit of hope left for Asmodae. Hae Young cradled him securely in his arms, a feeling of wonder stealing itself through his soul.

 

Hae Young nodded curtly to his king. "I will do as you ask, milord."

 

The other man sighed in relief, his faint smile barely visible in the faint moonlight. "Thank you, Hae Young…"

 

The sound of approaching hooves interrupted his words, and from the darkness, a coarse cry as their pursuers finally caught sight of them. Hae Young looked up in alarm.

 

"Go!" the king cried, "and may Aion watch over you!"

 

Without another word, Hae Young spurred his horse off into the night, leaving his king, holding the fate of Asmodae in a bundle in his arms.

 

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Seul watched coldly as her riders dragged the fallen King of Asmodae to his feet, after their Daevas had mercilessly beat him in the sky. Several days of hard flight had left the king in a filthy state: his once fine clothes and apparel were filthy, and his face was bloody with welts. Not to mention his oh so great wings… a cold sneer grazed Seul’s otherwise beautiful face as he was deposited unceremoniously at her feet, face down into the mud with his disgraceful wings pinning him to the floor.

 

"There was another rider with him," one of her warriors reported, saluting promptly. "We can still catch him."

 

"Let him go," Seul said carelessly, examining the king with vague interest. "This is the one his Highness Gong Dong wants." To the king, she addressed bluntly: "Do you know who you are?"

 

Almost defiantly, he lifted his head up from the mud, and spat on her shoes. "I am Han Hae Chan, King of Asmodae."

 

Seul laughed, lightly kicking him in the ribs, causing him to groan in pain. "No. You are nothing, only dead meat that will soon be fed to Lord Gong Dong's pet dogs."

 

The king smiled, continuing his defiance even through the grimace of pain on his face. "Good. Then I shall soon see my wife in Aion’s Great Hall."

 

"I'm sure you will," Seul said loftily, while her group of Elysian warriors watched on in silence. "Unfortunately, 'soon' is a relative statement, because after the chase you have led me through… I am in no mood to grant you a quick death."

 

She drew one of the long, silver knives she kept attached to her belt, and delicately placed its honed edge on the king's arm. In the moonlight, she could see the thick, viscous green liquid that coated the knife's blade. A potent substance brewed from the venom of a hundred jungle serpents and personally enchanted by the Sanctum sorceresses. Designed to cause excruciating pain in anything unfortunate enough to receive the toxin.

 

HI!! ^^ So this is the prelude to the story… I’m very sorry if it seems short *bows 3 times* and I hope that you were able to follow the story.

If not, let me explain to you quickly:

Daevas: Humans who were blessed with mythical powers and the ability to fly; very deadly enemies but are rendered useless when their energy is depleted. A pureblooded Daeva passes down their powers to their descendants whilst those who have mortal ancestry have a very little chance of their children to be born with powers.

Elyos: A prosperous country, who’s nation spans the lower half of Atreia. Their environment is filled with light and growth and because of this; the Elyos have been shaped into having a livelier, vibrant, and a more "lighter" appearance. They are considered the more beautiful of the two races. Some of the Elyos also have feathered wings, giving them an angel-like appearance. They are referred to as the ‘Chun’ meaning the chosen and the more angelic race. The nation has wiped out the Asmodian population and they now live in peace.

Asmodians: The Asmodians live in the upper half of Atreia, known as Asmodae. They live in a darker, more dangerous environment than the Elyos and have thus been shaped into having a more demonic appearance. The Asmodians are reffered to as the ‘Ma’, meaning they are the fallen race. Despite their looks, the Asmodians are friendly and loyal. However, they are a little too trusting so they were easily fooled by the Elyos. Living in a harsh climate had lessened their population so they were moderately easy to defeat.

*Lastly, this fic is based on a game called Aion, so I don’t own anything except for my story line. ^^ Thx, and I’m hoping to see u in chapter 1!