Veyric City — Now only ruins and dust
Hours after the destruction
The sky above the kingdom, once filled with pride, now stands wide open,
with cracks of time shimmering in shades of blue and gold tearing through the gray clouds, creating a haunting sight.
Joanna stood alone atop the shattered throne, her gaze empty yet resolute,
buffeted by the cold wind carrying the aroma of pain and unforgettable memories from the past.
"Do you think I will let all this be forgotten? Every second of pain surges within me, becoming a spell that will revive the buried hopes!"
In her hand, a handful of Jeanne's ashes that she had collected before the whirlwind of time swept through the city felt heavier.
Each grain carries sweet and bitter memories she wishes to preserve forever.
"Through these fragments, I summon the hidden strength! Time may have stolen everything, but I am Last Chronos — I will make those who toy with fate bear witness."
"I try to forgive, yet this forgiveness is shrouded by a sea of grief.
I strive to live in peace, but the whispers of sorrow choke my soul."
This world seems to choose to disregard love and abandon hope."
"If this is their fate... let me become the gravestone for those who took my life."
With those words, Joanna resolutely stepped into the former courtyard,
walking firmly amid the ruins that cast long shadows on the silent ground.
There, with her blood flowing, she drew a giant glyph on the earth:
Umbra Solis Spiral. Around her, the scarred ground seemed to tremble in a magical dance, welcoming her ancient spell.
Proto-Speech echoed in the world's whispers:
"Vey'rundis Arcthel, the light that illuminates the trapped soul.
Volanis Lumireth, the dew of hope in the dark.
Umbra Solis Requiem Vitae, rise, O wounded souls!
(In the name of wounds that never heal,
With unforgiving will,
Arise, Black Sun, Requiem of Life.)
The sky begins to dim.
The rays of the sun have turned gray; the once bright sky now resembles a grim painting, shrouded in thick fog, which symbolizes sorrow and the loss of hope, as if the world is preparing to face an inevitable turmoil.
The sun's rays have once again turned gray, and the sky that was once clear now looks like a somber painting, veiled in dense mist that embodies sorrow and the absence of hope, as if the world braces itself for unavoidable chaos.
In the haunting silence, Joanna feels a rumble within her soul, as if the universe unites in a melancholic melody that resonates, vibrating with the pulse of her anxious heart.
The cracks in the sky widen, birthing indelible scars and casting a chilling aura of uncertainty.
A monumental disc of bluish-black emerges slowly, exuding an aura of mystery and terrifying power.
The dim light touching the surface of the earth creates long shadows, instilling a sense of dread in the hearts of those who witness it, as if the shadows of suffering envelop them.
Vitae Aristeia.
The sun was not merely an eclipse; it was a burning entity of will, demanding sacrifice and inevitable change.
A traveler cried out from afar, "Look, our journey heads towards an unpredictable end!" As his companions stood transfixed, captivated by the presence that enveloped the world in a chilling darkness.
"This space once belonged to me, yet now I am nothing more than a shadow of what once was."
No comfort exists among the ruins of hope left behind by this system.
As Chronos turns, I vow that there will be vengeance.
"I am the voice echoing in the silence of darkness, and in this sorrow, I find my strength.
And in this sorrow, I rediscover my power.
As I step closer, behold, when the hour hand points to me,
I become the owner of a fate that is wounded yet fiery."
Withering plants, their leaves drying like hopes extinguished, languish under the threat of the encroaching darkness.
Birds fall from the sky, their wings no longer able to bear the weight of the enveloping darkness, causing the heavens to seem as if they have lost their shelter.
The rivers have turned back, reluctant to continue their journey through this dark shadow, flowing softly as if they are refusing to accept their fate and the call of their natural course.
Clocks and time markers across the Gaia-Earth realm have come to a standstill, caught in a moment that seems endless; each second feels like a thousand years, amplifying the anxiety of a world held hostage by despair.
Throughout the southern kingdom, the people are beginning to feel:
The paralysis of time binding their steps.
Memories fade, as if swallowed by the overflowing darkness.
A hunger that cannot be satiated overwhelms their minds and bodies.
"The sun has died," whispered the people,
as if the darkness of the day cloaked their remaining hope.
"The Black Sun has returned."
"With the presence of this darkness, I, Joanna, the Last Chronos, stand amidst the sorrow that envelops us. Oh, how bitter it is to witness life snatched away by injustice!"
"Time is a ghost that continuously tempts us; now, I call upon the energies of the sky and the earth to reclaim what has been lost! Manifest justice within the frame of eternity!"
"Listen, the hidden power within the shadows; reunite my soul with eternity, do not let my vengeance fade… Revive the hopes that have been obscured!"
"This darkness that shrouds us will not linger forever. With every breath I take, I create waves of change that will shake this destiny!"
"Hear me, silent universe; it is time to merge dynamics and power. With this protocol, I will reconstruct the history that has crumbled!"
Joanna stood atop the ruins,
her gaze fixed on the dark sky heavy with clouds, as if black shadows were creeping over her hopes; feeling every breath of the earth that was lost, drowned in deep sorrow.
"I am Joanna Vitae Aristeia, Last Chronos.
In this fallen world, I do not conquer for destruction—instead, with each step I take, I carry the pain and loss that burns as punishment for a world that slays love.
"I do not rule with the laws of Stones, for injustice kills hope.
In the silence and emptiness, I teach the principles of Arkanum:
I, the black star in the dark sky, carry the chosen truth:
WILL THAT REFUSES SURRENDER, like a star that will never fade.
"If you wish to live,
cast aside the laws that slay love, let affection bloom even in darkness; for only thus can we hope to reclaim what has been lost.
If not,
then let you perish under this requiem, like dust disregarded by the wind.
Throughout the regions shrouded in the shadow of the Black Sun:
Birth comes to a halt. No babies cry,
as if the sound of life is silenced by the darkness of the sky that envelops, drowning hope in silence.
Love starts to feel hollow; partners no longer sense closeness between them, as if their hearts are separated by a web of dark emptiness, where the warmth of love fades over time.
It seems their hearts are divided by a network of dark emptiness, where the warmth of love slowly diminishes with the passage of time, leading to a chilling sense of disconnection.
Choices become dull. People lose the drive to make decisions,
letting the currents of fate pull them aimlessly, like dry leaves tossed in the storm.
"A thousand years ago, under the shadow of the same power, we stood, cornered by decisions that were not ours," whispered an elder of Stones,
his voice trembling with anxiety.
"The Black Sun takes not only lives.
It takes free will."
In the capitals of Stones and Arkanum, the emergency bells rang,
their sound muffled in the darkness, a desperate call unanswered, floating in the air like a lost cry.
"This is not the ancient resurrection of Chronos," reported a magic architect, his voice filled with despair etched in uncertainty.
"This is a new will that has assimilated old wounds and shaped a new existential law, as if time itself has spiraled into a terrifying cycle."
"Joanna is no longer merely the heir to Chronos; she is the successor and the judge. Within my soul, I carve a history filled with sorrow and vengeance," Joanna's voice resonated with a power that felt as if it had been penned by an unseen hand, "This power is not a curse, but a liberation. We are trapped by the shadows of a system that obstructs our path; now it is time to shatter those chains and reclaim our destiny."
In her gaze, a fire burned brightly, reflecting the burden of responsibility in the darkness, as if the last glimmer of hope was being fought for in the thick of night. "I am the heir and the punisher. Within my soul, I carve a history filled with sorrow and revenge," Joanna's voice resonated, each word seeming to be penned by invisible hands. "This power is not a curse but a liberation. All this time, we have been trapped by the shadows of a system that obstructs our path, and now, it is time to shatter those chains." In her gaze, there was a flicker of fire, embodying a burning responsibility in the dark, as if the last light of hope was being ardently championed amidst the thick night.
"And the world is not ready to confront it." Outside, the sky blazed a haunting red, casting dark shadows that spiraled among the ruins, as though the Black Sun had absorbed all the humanity's hope into its dark womb. "Every step I take reminds me of the emptiness that gnaws; there is no resurrection without sorrow." As those words left her lips, her voice flowed like a stream of hidden tears, delving into the sadness deeply rooted in her soul.
"Now I, the heir of Chronos, find my strength in this silence; not just to punish, but to erase the traces of emptiness left behind." From the depths of despair and destruction, between the will of time and the will of humanity, a name begins to be whispered by the threads of possibility, flowing softly like a breeze stirring among the vibrating ruins, breathing life into its scent deeply rooted in the past.
"If the world wishes to find redemption, it must seek a new choice that does not bow to the Continuum, nor to the Flux, but to a new meaning born from wounds and love." These words hung in the air, filled with sorrow yet firm, surrounded by a magical aura that approached, touching the soul of every listener, igniting a wave of new hope amidst the fragments of shattered dreams.
In the midst of the darkness of the Black Sun that engulfs the world, Jeanne's ashes still remain bound in the locket around Joanna's neck, an invaluable symbol of a past that will never fade from memory.
"Sister... I have honored our vow, in a way that is truly my own. I have carved strength within myself, no longer seeking understanding from a world that refuses to comprehend our bitterness," her voice echoed, bouncing into the darkness, creating a bridge of courage that revived the buried hopes in her heart.
"I choose to be both an ending and a beginning, breaking the boundaries that bind me. This anger is a raging fire, destroying the illusions offered by this flawed system." This persistence awakened Joanna's spirit, while the sky hung heavily with lost memories, as if signaling on the brink of uncertainty. "Since I became the Last Chronos, all this sorrow will be transformed into an unmatched power."