Chương 1: Along with Death comes the Beginning
As the golden sun slowly rose from the boundless and vast horizon, it revealed itself to the world with its brilliant amber sunlight. After the revelation of the golden sun was the reveal of the blue azure heavens, covered by fluffy silver clouds spanning across the entire ocean-like skies.
It was the dawn of a new day, though the conclusion of a long war.
In the central region of the Satus continent found near the world's heart, a war between the federation of nations and the empire had ended. It was a hundred-year great war between a giant and a group of countries, spanning entire generations. And it had finally concluded, with the union of nations victorious.
The victory of the federation of nations was nothing short of a miracle. With a civil war deep within the empire between nobles, the foreign countries outside took the chance to take everything back from their dominator. And it worked, victory was accomplished, and the vast empire lost.
A day after the empire crumbled, the trial of justice had begun at this very dawn.
Found in the city of Iustitia, a place where the first cannons blew, resulting in the great war. The trial, or what was known as the execution, was starting. The first step to eradicating the empire will occur in the city where it all started.
Such a metaphoric end.
As the federation of nations had won the protracted conflict, the famed generals of the imperial army were now held under the court of law and justice. They will participate in the trial of justice in the first city the empire had invaded. With this, the end of the pillars of the empire was now before them.
Within the prominent square known as Rag Uel, found in the center of Iustitia, right beside the city hall. Tens of thousands of people gathered together to catch a sight of the execution of those they considered the world's devils. Along them were hundreds of cameras pointing towards the executioner's stage.
The crowd of people screamed and cried towards the criminals strapped onto a wooden stake. They wanted justice for those that brought upon the century of suffering and death. All unfortunate and horrendous actions in the world were now blamed on the criminals in front of them.
At the focal point of the square was a concrete stage where the execution was about to be held. Atop that stage were the imperial generals strapped upon the wooden stakes, treated as the demons of suffering and pain. Beside the criminals were the executioners, covered in their masks.
*Imperial Dogs!!! Die and burn in hell!!!*
*You f*uckers!!! Without you, the world would have been peaceful!!!*
*Dam you!!! Because of you imperial dogs, my city got burned onto the ground!!!*
*You destroyed entire people's lives, you bastards!!!*
*The children who died because of your war, all of you should get condemned!!!*
The words of the crowd of people sounded in the square and the city. The anger accumulated for years and decades had finally spilled out. As the people considered to be the leaders of the demonic imperial army were ultimately under the grasp of mercy. At last, the scale of power was on their side.
"This is the end of the empire..."
An old general uttered while being strapped on a stake surrounded by hay below him. He looked somewhat aloof, as if not caring much about the things happening before him. It was as if he had already given up before showing up on the executioner's stage.
A young and handsome general beside the old general slowly turned his head towards the one who spoke. He thought about it for a while and replied with a calm voice. "No one expected the empire to end and crumble. Not even the screaming people before us."
"That is correct, though the empire will remain in the annals of history. The emperor will be a ruler of a forgotten nation. Nevertheless, my loyalty to the emperor still hasn't waned. After all, I would sacrifice the empire for him."
The old general answered as he sighed. He was holding out whatever was left of him. He was about to die though he didn't fear death. What he feared was the end of the ruler he fought for with his entire being. And that had already come to pass, as the emperor had already begun his deep slumber.
The generals around him nodded simultaneously, agreeing with his words. Despite being in front of the burning death, the imperial generals didn't have fear plastered on their faces. But, within the agreeing and brave generals was a single one who released her own words with a soft voice.
"I am only loyal to one thing, not the emperor, but the empire."
"I will stand by that logic till the end."
Her soft words echoed as every general within the executioner's stage turned their gaze towards her. They didn't notice her before, but as they took a good look. They realized who she was and had bizarre expressions plastered on their faces, which they couldn't comprehend.
In the group of imperial generals strapped in a wooden stake on a concrete stage, a lady was with them. That lady was a famed imperial general, a ferocious one. Her name was Alastair Hecate, the Demoness of War.
They had heard a lot of things from her. She was known as the empire's secret weapon. Rumors about her had been spreading all over the military and outside. Some speculations were simple ones, while some were horrifying that even those in the imperial army feared her.
It was said that she burned an entire city onto the ground, leaving ash and destruction. She also sunk a fleet of ships near the peninsula, resulting in it being called the nautical graveyard. Not too long ago, she flattened an entire hill with artillery as a warning for those that didn't surrender.
Alastair Hecate was a ruthless and cold general who even nobles and soldiers feared. No one in her army would dare to defect as those that did, didn't manage to see the light of day. Nothing was heard about the soldiers that defected, as if their existence had disappeared entirely.
At this very moment, she was the most priced criminal that would probably be the last one to die.
"Demoness Hecate... I thought that you and the nobles had escaped to the continent's fringes?"
A general uttered in confusion as he had heard rumors about her escaping along with many generals and nobles who were the only ones left of the crumbling empire. Seeing her in the execution ground along them was simply something they didn't expect.
Hecate slowly turned her gaze towards them as she replied with an emotionless expression.
"Maybe that wasn't me. I'm not someone that would run away with cowards and pigs."
She was rather blunt in insulting the escaping generals and nobles. She didn't care about the bastards. She was loyal to the empire, nothing more, nothing less. The moment the vast empire falls, she would fall along with it. That was her fate, just like those who died before her.
"I see..."
The general nodded while still having a confused expression plastered on his face. A strange man then walked up to the concrete stage with a microphone in hand. He somewhat looked handsome, though he reeks of a poisonous smell usually coming from manipulators.
He stood on the concrete stage and said with a calm voice.
"In this dawn, we have finally captured most of the generals who caused the pain during the great war. They are the demons who contributed to the slaughter. They burned cities and executed hundreds, if not thousands. And at this moment, they are shackled like the witches of the old."
"Today, we will bring them to justice and make them pay for their sins. They will be executed in flames, like those who had sold themselves to the demons, A fitting end for warmongers like them."
His words echoed clearly in the entire square, resulting in the crowd of people cheering for the death of the imperial generals. Everything and everyone was on board. This day would be the day when the devils would leave this world. Such were the thoughts of the crowd.
*Kill them!!!*
*Burn them!!!*
*Make them feel pain!!!*
A woman holding a torch then walked towards the stage and gave it to the man. He raised his torch, which was aflame brightly, and spoke with dignity. "The moment the pillars of the empire burned will be the official collapse of the empire."
Upon saying his words, the executioners, right beside the wooden stakes, then took out their torches. The old way of execution was the end of the imperial generals. They would burn and disintegrate into ashes, found along with the wooden that strapped them to their deaths.
"Just be done with it already..."
A general said with an annoyed face. He then spitted towards the executioner right beside him. He lacked fear and didn't lose control over his emotions before death, as expected of a general within the imperial army, A beast that lacked any human trait.
The man then signaled the executioners to start.
Without any hesitation, the executioners right beside the wooden stake dropped their torches towards the hay below. Flames then illuminated brightly as the famed imperial generals were now burning. Though, the reaction was astonishing.
As scorch enveloped their body, pain then plagues their mind. But even then, they had a focused iron expression. They resisted the pain as it burned away their skin and flesh. No screams escaped their mouths as they gritted their teeth and became charred bodies.
With that, the imperial generals of the empire had died from the execution. The only one left was the famed general known as the Demoness of War, Alastair Hecate. The first female general of the empire.
She didn't have any reaction as those who she had recently spoken to were burning right beside her. She looked cold and emotionless as she uttered with a calm voice. "Cowards who couldn't defeat the empire at its peak, even when you grouped. You needed the heavens to save you from your inevitable defeat."
The man, who had a calm expression, slowly turned cold as he looked at Alastair. Then, he walked towards Alastair and stood before her as he questioned with a quiet voice, covered in a tinge of anger.
"Do you know how much we sacrifice?"
"What you sacrifice means nothing to me. Though, as you seem to be living a long life. It makes me wonder about the things you see."
Alastair said with her pleasant voice as if she was mocking the man in front of her. The man furrowed his eyebrows as he was confused with what Alastair was trying to say. He crouched and questioned. "What are you trying to say."
"This will not be the end as many others will follow, whether it be a decade or a century later. Violence and suffering will continue in the vast history of humankind. Another great war will start once again from the foolishness of humanity. This scene will repeat ever again."
"Are these your last words?" The man asked with a stern expression plastered on his face. It appears that Alastair managed to piss him off. The manipulator was relatively easy to instigate.
Upon hearing the words of the man, Alastair slightly chuckled while being strapped onto the wooden stake. She then answered with a delicate smile, resembling a smirk.
"It ain't; this will be..."
"Hail to the Glorious Empire."
Her words echoed in the square as the crowd surrounding her had expected reactions.
*You imperial dog!!!*
*Burn her!!!*
*Die!!! And burn in hell!!!*
*You piece of sh*t!!!*
The crowd screamed and cried with their hearts as the executioner right beside Alastair bestowed the torch upon her. Flames then enveloped her entire body as she was burned along with the others before her. The pain was freedom, the suffering was the price, and she didn't regret what she had done.
Alastair didn't fear death and the flames enveloping her body.
After all, a smile was plastered on her face till the end.
――――――――――――――――
What came after Alastair's death was darkness covering the entirety of her perception. She couldn't see anything though she could somewhat feel. The only thing she felt was cold and calm. It drove a conclusion to arrive within her mind, and the idea Alastair had about her situation was simple.
"Is this hell?"
Alastair questioned as she began looking around despite having nothing to see. She couldn't even see her own body even though she could control it. As she walked around carefully and aimlessly, questions emerged within Alastair's mind. It was a question about her life.
What would have happened if she wasn't enslaved but had a family instead? What would happen if she didn't join the military as payment for abolishing her slavery? Was trying to rebuild the empire a good path for her? Was trying to die with it even good?
Such questions echoed within her mind as, finally, something had happened. Silver Spotlight began to illuminate brightly, giving light to the darkness that enveloped Alastair. The darkness around her faded as she could finally see her own body. She then walked towards the spotlight in instinct and basked herself under its light.
As she basked herself under the bright light, numerous spotlights emerged as if guiding her somewhere. Alastair raised an eyebrow as she questioned within her mind. 'Is the spotlight guiding me to hell?' It was a simple question though it had made something clear.
Alastair wasn't expecting paradise to meet her but the burning flames of the underworld. Even though she had done a lot of bad things, she hadn't regretted any of it. She couldn't regret any of her choices, no matter how bad they were from a moral standpoint.
She continued walking through the spotlight, slowly arriving at her destination. The destination wasn't the gate of hell, which she expected. Instead, it was a stone gate with many archaic carvings. In the stone gate was what she would consider a portal. It looked bizarre as it illuminated with a purple hue.
Alastair looked at it with a serious expression wondering where it would take her. While looking at it, she then noticed a crow above the gate. What was a crow doing above the thing that contained a portal? Well, Alastair didn't know. Anyhow, the black crow gazed upon Alastair as if it was trying to find something in her.
It then nodded to itself, which made Alastair feel chills within her spine for the first time. She didn't know where the chills came from, but she understood that they didn't come from something good. Alastair intensely looked at the jet-black crow while slowly backing away.
The portal within the stone gate faded as what replaced were dark chains that came out of nowhere. At this very moment, a question emerged within Alastair's mind.
'So now I'm going to get dragged to hell.'
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