In a realm that knows no mercy,
where darkness hides behind every smile,
and souls dance on the edge of the abyss…
Iskara took her first steps,
her face void of compassion,
her eyes burning through anyone who dared stand in her path.
Today, there would be no excuses…
Today, there would be no salvation.
No Mercy.
Chapter 13: Abode of Pride
Iskara arrived at the Abode of Light.
At the gate, the men of light and the angels lined up, wings spread, spears raised, fear hiding behind their eyes despite their attempt to remain firm.
She moved forward with steady steps, a face without mercy, without hesitation.
She spoke in a calm voice, yet it carried a promise of erasure:
"I will slaughter you all tonight."
Her sword slid out of its sheath.
One step… a corpse fell.
A turn… two wings separated.
A scream… followed by eternal silence.
Shock paralyzed everyone. They did not understand what was happening, nor how to stop it.
From the balcony of the Palace of Light, a woman appeared, her features arrogant, dripping with contempt.
She was the Queen of Pride.
She looked at Iskara the way one looks at an insect, and said with a cold smile:
"Your failure was a sight that delighted the soul."
Iskara stood, blood covering her body, her eyes frozen.
She answered, with heavy confidence:
"In my presence, no light shall rise… and no darkness shall hide."
The queen laughed.
She raised her hand and screamed:
"Spear of Salvation!"
A spear of pure light formed, rushing like a meteor toward Iskara.
She caught it with her hand.
But the flesh began to melt… the smell rose… bone was revealed.
Yet her expression did not change.
She leapt toward the queen at blinding speed, but the latter blocked the attack, then kicked her violently, throwing her to the ground.
She approached her, contempt growing in her eyes.
She said:
How weak you are… I despise facing you.
You are the daughter of that whore who defiled the bloodline of the Lord of Light and gave birth to a monster like you.
She paused… and smiled a sick smile.
Her screams that night pleased my soul.
They brought me ecstasy.
Iskara froze.
She whispered:
…What do you mean?
The queen answered, with deadly pride:
I am the one who killed her.
Iskara's eyes widened.
Memories exploded inside her —
her mother, blood, darkness…
and someone laughing, their features once blurred…
Now they were clear.
A tear fell.
At that very moment, the queen threw another spear.
It pierced Iskara's abdomen.
Light devoured her stomach from within.
Silence ruled.
Then…
Something ignited inside her eye.
She spoke with a voice rising from the depths of the abyss:
"Eternity… or death."
Pain returned, multiplied, as if time decided to make her feel everything at once.
She raised her head.
She stared at the queen.
And whispered:
"Soul Cutter."
She vanished.
In a flash, she passed behind the queen.
Two wings fell to the ground.
The Queen of Pride screamed as she hit the earth, terror finally finding its way onto her face.
She began to beg:
Please, Iskara! I did nothing!
Remember, you are a pure angel!
I promise you eternal bliss! Just let me go!
Iskara approached.
A face devoid of any trace of mercy.
She said in a terrifying calm:
Don't worry…
I will send you to hell quickly.
And I promise… you will not feel pain.
She grabbed her neck with one hand, and her body with the other.
She lifted her.
She began to pull.
The queen screamed, her voice tearing through the heavens, pleading, crying, struggling…
But Iskara did not stop.
Until the spine came completely out of her body.
She threw it to the ground.
The corpse fell lifeless.
She stepped closer… spat on it.
And said:
"The fires of my hell will cleanse your sins."
The Queen of Pride had fallen,
and the earth was silent to her screams.
But the silence of blood was not the end.
Behind doors unopened for centuries,
a greater light began to stir… a light that knew no mercy and accepted no defeat.
Iskara gazed at the sky, a deadly smile on her lips,
and she knew deep within her soul:
The real battle had yet to begin.