The Shattered Crowns

The Falling Star bannermen struck first, their pristine white-and-blue armor gleaming beneath the scorching sun. Their helmets curved elegantly, segmented plates cascading like the feathers of a bird, protecting their faces from the sand. Their polished armor, with its layered sheets of white metal, stood out like foreign marble against the blood-red dunes of the battlefield.

On the opposite side were the warriors of black and copper. Unlike their gleaming foes, these desert soldiers blended into the crimson sands, their armor seemingly forged by the dunes themselves. Copper plates shielded their vitals, dull and worn, while the rest of their bodies were wrapped in loose, black robes and ragged hoods that billowed in the arid wind. At their backs, two large, fin-like wings jutted from their helmets—menacing and primal.

The two armies clashed.

A thunderous roar erupted from the horizon, growing louder with every beat of hooves against the ground. The Falling Star bannermen surged forward, their cavalry emerging like a tide, relentless and unbroken. Their mounts were unlike anything Akash had ever seen—beasts forged of hardened stone, their bodies encased in unyielding carapace. From their backs, thick metallic petals unfurled like the blooming of iron flowers, forming manes that glinted under the sun's glare. Atop each flowered mount sat a rider, wielding halberds and spears with deadly precision.

Leading the charge was a knight in resplendent armor, his cape striped in blue and white, draped over his right shoulder like a banner of righteousness. His blade gleamed as he raised it high, signaling the charge that tore into the flanks of the desert warriors.

The impact was devastating. Spears pierced through the ranks of the black-and-copper soldiers, their formations collapsing under the brutal assault. Blood spattered across the crimson sands as the screams of the fallen joined the cacophony of battle. The air grew thick with dust, the dry heat soaking into every crevice.

Still, the flowered banner of the desert warriors fluttered defiantly in the blistering wind. Akash's heart clenched as he watched them give ground, retreating step by step. It wasn't a tactical withdrawal—it was desperation. The Falling Star cavalry hounded their every step, tearing into their lines, cutting them down as they ran. It was a massacre.

And then, the battlefield froze.

The sounds of war—screams, steel, and thunderous hooves—vanished, replaced by an eerie, deafening silence. The desert warriors halted their retreat, their eyes locked on the heavens above. Akash's breath caught as a brilliant flash of light streaked across the sky, brighter than the sun. A shooting star descended, carving its way through the air with impossible speed.

The sand erupted.

An enormous reptilian beast exploded from beneath the dunes, scattering men and horses like leaves in a gale. Dust and debris filled the air, obscuring everything but the hulking monster that rose above the battlefield. Its scales glimmered a deep crimson, as if carved from the very sands it had emerged from. Nine serpentine heads writhed atop its massive body, each mouth filled with jagged teeth the size of bastard swords. One head lunged forward, snapping through the ranks of the cavalry, sending men and their stone mounts flying. Another head reared back and spewed a noxious smog that melted through armor and flesh with horrifying ease.

The desert warriors rallied behind the beast, their cries swelling into a roar that echoed across the dunes.

Atop the hydra stood a man.

He was draped in resplendent gold, his armor masterfully crafted, each plate fitting seamlessly into the next. His helm, adorned with five lizard heads, reflected the sunlight in dazzling patterns. Towering red-feathered wings flared out from his back, nearly blocking out the sun. He leapt from his monstrous mount, descending with the precision of a falcon. His golden sword found its mark, piercing through the neck of one of the cavalry's decorated knights. Blood sprayed as the man withdrew his blade, spinning into a deadly rhythm.

Every movement he made was calculated, a dance of carnage as he cut down soldier after soldier. The tide of the battle shifted with his arrival. The once-retreating desert warriors surged forward, their confidence bolstered by the winged man's presence. The cavalry of the Falling Star broke under their assault, retreating in disarray as the hydra's heads snapped and thrashed, leaving a trail of shattered armor and mangled bodies in its wake.

The red-feathered man approached Akash as the chaos of battle raged around them. The warriors ignored him, their focus on destroying the remnants of the opposing army. But the man's gaze remained fixed on Akash.

"So, you are the next champion of Reem," he said, his deep baritone voice cutting through the noise like a blade.

Akash took an uneasy step back, his legs trembling as the hydra lumbered behind the man. "W-who are you?" he stammered. "Where am I?"

The man smiled as he removed his helmet, though his features remained blurred, enigmatic. "What is it you wish, Akash Dorher?"

Akash froze. "How… how do you know my name?"

The hydra hissed, one of its nine heads lowering to bare its teeth inches from Akash's face. He stumbled, nearly falling into the sand.

The man repeated, his tone firm. "What is it you wish to accomplish?"

"I… I don't know," Akash admitted, his voice barely audible over the beast's low growl.

The man frowned, his red wings shifting slightly. "So they have learned. They do not send boastful champions anymore. No longer do they send those who think they deserve the Right of the First King. They send someone fully human."

He turned, pointing toward the horizon. "Look to the east. What do you see?"

Akash followed his gaze and saw a city built into the edge of the mountains. Its walls were impossibly high, its towers gleaming like polished stone. Even from a distance, Akash could see its intricate architecture, its aura of impregnable strength.

"That," the man said, his voice filled with a strange mixture of pride and sorrow, "is the city of Tyreth. The grand city of stone, built by the first of men. Its walls are unbreachable. It is said that gold flows through its streets as easily as water, and its towers are the tallest in all of Lorian."

"It's beautiful," Akash whispered, awestruck.

The man's tone darkened. "I burned it to the ground. The same mountain that shielded it became its doom. Tyreth exists now only in memory."

Akash turned back to the man, confusion and fear swirling in his chest. "Why are you showing me this? What does this mean?"

The man's wings spread wide, feathers catching the light in a fiery display. The hydra coiled around him, its heads rising high to blot out the sun. "I am your judge," the man said, his voice like thunder. "I ask again: what is it you wish, Akash Dorher? What will you do with my title? What will you do with the weight of the Honors?"

Akash's throat tightened, but he forced himself to stand tall, meeting the man's gaze. "I want… I want to find my friends. To be the man my mother taught me to be. I want to visit the burning mountains of Kalla. I want to prove the elders in Morgoi wrong. I want to save a princess, become a great swordsman, and… I want to beat Veneres."

His voice grew stronger with each word, his fists clenching at his sides. "But most of all, I want to be a Hero of the Ages."

The hydra loomed closer, its heads circling him. The golden man stepped forward, resting a gauntleted hand on Akash's shoulder. "Ambitious," he said with a faint smile. "But admirable. If you hold onto this resolve, Akash Dorher, you may yet guide the world toward something better. Just as I once did."

The winds rose, carrying the red sands into a swirling storm. Akash reached out as the man began to dissolve into the whirlwind. "What if I'm not good enough?" he called.

The man's voice echoed faintly. "Then Parthidus would have burned you until nothing remained. But it seems you have potential." His laughter rang out as he faded. "Fly high, Angel of the Red Sands."

Akash's eyes snapped open. He lay on the blistering sands beneath the towering stone pillars of the coliseum. His head throbbed as the deafening roar of the crowd brought him back to reality. The priest's voice boomed over the chaos.

"The God Kings of Reem have accepted you as one of their true sons. The Angel's blood flows within you. Rejoice! But know this: the next trial will test your body and your resolve. Step forward and prove yourself, just as the First King did."

The crowd erupted, their cries ringing in his ears. Akash staggered to his feet, his mind reeling from the vision.