Emperor's Reckoning

"I am fine, master," answered Graham even before Lyon asked.

"Oh... ok," said Lyon as he nodded. He had returned to his normal form before feeling exhausted by the sudden drama.

He let out a sigh before he looked around. The scenery had changed massively. The walls that were protecting the cities had frightening cracks on them. The land in which the city was built had shifted its mass. Thankfully a couple or more buildings seemed to survive the shockwave.

"Heh, hahaha!"

A burst of sweet laughter was heard before Lyon turned around. He noticed that the arena had lost half of its foundation and the one laughing was the woman with auburn hair, his wife Cecile.

Amidst the horror of the crowds, she was laughing wholeheartedly. She was about to have a fight with Felicia but her husband disturb even the war itself, all for killing one fleeing man.

In the stack of rubble, a hand was seen pushing out the top side. It revealed a bloodied hand but the slim arms of a woman were immediately identified. Slowly but surely the figure made herself out. She was a beautiful woman but now her face was covered in blood. It was Felicia.

Felicia immediately looked for her brother without caring for her surrounding. She jumped, leaping from one place to another scavenging for clues of her brother.

"Gah!" a familiar voice was heard and elated her mood.

She immediately turned around with a smile on her face. However, her pupils soon found themselves shrinking as he was at the mercy of a woman with grand silvery wings.

Lumina held Altre by the throat. Her menacing but beautiful eyes were staring into his death. Not a hint of mercy was found from the lady dragon.

"You dare?!" Felicia glared as she looked at Lumina with clear killing intent.

"F-Feli... run!" shouted Altre strugglingly.

Felicia's eyebrows immediately rose as her eyes softened. Her lips quivered as her eyes turned glassy. She looked at her struggling brother with tears on the edges of her eyes.

Cecile raised her eyebrows. She couldn't believe that at the most desperate moment of their lives, Altre would tell his sister to abandon him. Such quality was only revealed in the most tragic moment.

Lyon crossed his arms as his eyes turned sharp.

"Run, Felicia!" shouted Altre once more. "I told you to run you stupid bitch! Our father is dead, but you! You can still make it! You have more talent than me! You... you... if it's... you..." his eyes soon turned blank but he was still breathing albeit softly.

"Brother!" shouted Felicia before she gritted her teeth. Tears had already dangling on her jaw before falling down. A soft voice calling her from the back of her mind was heard. It was a childish voice, calling her name over and over again.

-----

A little girl with an authentic metal sword in hand was training with her tutor near the garden. She was catching her breath and sweat had already adorned her body. Her eyes were laser-sharp-focused before she swung the sword once more.

"That's enough!" the tutor said after he easily deflected her weapon away from her grasp.

"Kh!" She gritted her teeth as she held her right wrist.

"Good work for today, be ready tomorrow as well," the tutor indifferently said before averting his gaze toward a young boy that was crouching and hugging his knees.

"Tch!" the tutor snorted. "Don't be like your brother, all he does is watch over the flowers."

The little girl raised her eyebrows before she meekly nodded.

"You will outshine your brother by far one day, too far that you might treat him as dust," commented the tutor.

The little girl meekly nodded before the tutor left.

However, unbeknownst to the tutor, the young boy had been tightening his upper lips. His eyes were wide open but he didn't see the flowers in front of him.

The little girl looked at her brother with indifferent eyes before they twitched as the pain on her wrist worsened.

The boy quickly swiped away his tears before standing up. He quickly turned around before calling his sister.

"Feli!" he smiled as he approached her.

The little girl saw the redness of his eyes but uttered nothing.

"Oh, you're hurt, here give me your hand," said the young boy as he opened his right hand and reached out his pocket with the left.

The little girl was surprised but did what her brother told her nonetheless.

"Here," the young boy said as he showed a strand of bandage. He didn't wait for her to respond before he wrapped her wrist.

"There," he smiled. "You have to be more careful Feli."

The little girl raised her eyebrows before she smiled, but as soon as she opened her mouth. A maid comes rushing.

"Young Master, Master calls for your presence," the maid bowed.

His little heart thumped as his goosebumps rose. His eyes turned vacant before her sisters. He merely nodded before he walked away from the garden.

The little girl watched her brother go away with that slouched shoulder. However, she knew what happened. She had heard his cry over and over in the room where his brother was summoned.

The next day, the same thing happened. And then the next day, and then the next day. She saw her with her own eyes, the smile that he gave gradually disappearing with time. Slowly but surely, the one she knew as Altre, was gone and transformed into someone else.

Several years later.

"Tch!" Altre was knocked down.

"That's enough!" said the tutor. "Good work, Felicia."

"En," Felicia nodded before she offered her hand to her brother with a smile.

However, Altre snorted then he stood up with his own feet. The gesture was rejected blatantly.

Felicia was surprised but she could only watch her brother walk away, "Brother..."

The tutor shook his head as he saw Altre walking away in a rude manner.

Then the next spar happened.

Though Felicia was nimble enough to parry her brother's desperate attempt to excel over her, she chose to lose.

She was knocked down after her weapon was deflected away from her grip. She sat down on the ground.

"I-I've won? I've won! I won! Hahaha!" Altre raised his arms as he turned around and laughed.

The tutor had his eyebrows raised. He would have expected another win for the sister but he was mistaken. He failed to see the deliberate attempt to lose by her.

Felicia smiled as she looked at her brother clamored by the sense of victory. She stood up before the tutor said.

"G-Good work, Altre," said the tutor. He didn't even spare a nod for he had never thought that Altre could even have a chance to win in the first place.

"Congratulations brother!" said Felicia with a smile.

"Hm?" Altre turned around before he crossed his arms. "Of course!"

"En!" Felicia nodded with a smile even though his brother didn't bother. (I know that the real you is still inside, the brother that wrapped a bandage around my wrist then).

---

"Brother...."

Her eyes slowly refocused. (Eh... why do I feel... so... weak... brother needs to be saved...). She slowly glanced down before her pupils shrunk. A black blade had penetrated her heart from behind.

Her head slowly turned with a glare that could frighten a cold-blooded beast. "Y-You.."

Her auburn hair fluttered as her auburn eyes look straight into Felicia's chilling glare. She didn't smile as she held the hilt of the devilish sword, Scarlet.

"Cecile..." Lyon muttered as he opened his eyes wide.

"Cecile..." Felicia gritted her teeth. "You..."

Cecile closed her eyes before she took a step back. Felicia immediately knelt soon after with both knees on the ground. Her life was being sucked by the sword that penetrated her heart.

She felt numb. She was too weak to even lift her finger. She could only glance forward and saw her brother had exhausted himself completely.

"Brother..." she muttered before her upper body fell to the ground. Her eyes were vacant as her senses were lost forever.

Cecile looked at her corpse before a strong wind bellowed her hair. A talented woman had died, just like that. First Heaven had lost its budding genius.

"I see," Bapho muttered as he appeared right beside the War Goddess.

"What did you see, grandfather?" asked Cecile.

Bapho smiled. "I'm starting to see, the reason why did he choose you instead of Lyon, his own dear grandson, to inherit his ultimate physique."

Cecile smiled in response but her eyes didn't show much delight. "I'm sure Lyon would be mad if he knew that his grandfather gave it to me instead of him."

"Hoho~" Bapho was amused. "He won't even utter a single word of complaint directly to him. He won't dare."

Cecile raised her eyebrows as she saw the Calamity Goat's smile.

"Truly I wonder, where he could be in this present time," Bapho muttered before he gradually vanished from her sight.