Two wooden swords clashed together in the outskirts of Melachoron. With the blazing sun high in the sky, Kiera and Areiya were training their swordplay. Kiera managed to parry a few of Areiya's swings.

"That's it. You're getting the hang of it!" Areiya panted. Kiera didn't expect Areiya's sweep with her feet as she crashes into the sand, dropping her sword.

"Ow!" Kiera grunted.

"But not your stance! Don't just focus on what happens above. Use your feet. It's essential in combat as well. Come on, get up." Areiya said as she pulled Kiera up with her hand.

"Here, let me show you. Your stance is still a little clumsy." Areiya said as Kiera put herself in her combat stance again. Areiya corrected her feet.

"If you're going to stand like that, it'll be very easy to ground you. Spread your legs more."

When Kiera did what she was told, the tribal warrioress put up a smile. "Good! Now keep your sword up at all times. The moment you don't, you're dead. It's as simple as that. As an addition, you can keep circling your opponent. That way it will be a lot easier for you to dodge attacks if you cannot parry."

"Ary!" a child's voice emerged behind them. They both turned their heads, and Areiya immediately smiled. "Senida!" She shouted and opened up her arms, allowing an eight-year-old girl run to her and jump into her arms. The girl's mother was behind her, smiling warmly. "Athchosi yeronn akka yeri Rehjsheth. Fonolat se jin lekh-tiholat?" (I thought you were in Rehksheth. When did you move here?) Areiya asked the girl. The mother stepped forward and answered the question for her daughter.

"Athche it'tka veni rahsek sen luana. Sa'ciat bian mehdi se gih ra'hu munjadi." (We moved here two moons ago. The men in steel armours are getting closer to our cities.)

Areiya and Kiera glimpsed at each other with knitted brows. "Verid da...athche m'enjoni Radakehl Zaheem." (About that...we have to talk to Radakehl Zaheem...)

About an hour later, a crowd of tribe villagers gathered around in front of the chief's house and formed a circle, playing the drums and singing exciting melodies. Kiera and Areiya stood in the middle of that circle, waiting for the chief to come. People were mostly eyeing Kiera since she was the only one that had lighter skin, but still wearing the traditional Volarian tribal armour. All these heads aiming at her made her quite uncomfortable.

"I got a feeling your people don't like me," Kiera mumbled.

"You're an outsider to them, but you'll be fine," Areiya said. It was the first moment Kiera saw her friend become quite anxious. Her facial muscles were tense, and her brown eyes were glaring at the entrance.

"You okay?" Kiera asked.

"Don't worry about me," Areiya answered. Finally, Dakehl Zaheem arrived with four warriors beside him as the crowd made way. Tattoos covered his entire torso, even his face.

"Ta'ki sewa da naho?" (What do you want?) Zaheem asked with a raspy voice. He seemed annoyed because he paced around as if he didn't have much time. Areiya unsheathed her curved sword, generating a few gasps in the crowd and the Dakehl's protectors took a step forward, assuming combat position. But then Areiya just drew a curved line in the sand before sticking her sword into the ground and kneeled.

"Dakehl Zaheem, athchosi Dageima Areiya Chos' Melachir sa'he vinjo ta'ki Kiera Bloodcrest. Athche chi'n akka senu beda vahir suu'm soni." (Dakehl Zaheem, I am Warrior Areiya of the Melachir tribes and my friend Kiera Bloodcrest. For the sake of my friend, let us continue this conversation in the common tongue.) Areiya said. The chief gazed upon Kiera, inspecting her from top to bottom.

"What is it this white girl wants?" Zaheem asked.

"We are here with a very important request. Something that would stop the other white people from enslaving ours." Areiya said, standing up, but keeping her sword stuck into the sand.

"Slavery cannot be stopped. It is something we have to fight against ourselves. How does this whore have to help us with this?" Zaheem asked, his tone turning aggressive. So were his warriors, taking another step forward. Kiera stood her ground, looking the chief straight into his eyes. That didn't mean she wasn't afraid, though.

Areiya sighed. "Please, Dakehl, hear us out. There is a rebellion and-"

"-I don't want to hear any more." Zaheem interrupted Areiya, accepting his sword from one of his servants. He then stomped towards the two girls. "You shame yourself and us for working with such a snake that stands next to you."

"Uhh, Areiya?" Kiera asked with a shivering voice. The crowd surrounded them, and they had no way to go. Areiya closed her eyes and sighed, wrapping her hand around the hilt of her sword that still stuck in the sand.

"Damnit..." she mumbled. "Va'atchosi ri'haga semiir va se cochesik, Dakehl Zaheem." (Then I challenge you to a fight until death, Dakehl Zaheem)

Her entire expression changed, glaring at the chief as she stood up with the sword in her hand. Zaheem inhaled deeply and returned Areiya's glare. "Ni Seha e'ttk vira so'ka Dakehl, chakma." (Women cannot become chief, you stupid bitch.)

Areiya squinted her eyes and tightened the grip on her sword. "Prove me wrong." and swung at the chief, who dodged it with ease. Areiya took another attempt, but he avoided it again and punched her in the face. Kiera stepped back, her legs shaking and her breath quickening.

Areiya staggered from the punch, allowing the chief to grab her by her armour and throw her to the ground, but she knew better, catching her fall and rolling backwards to pounce toward him with her sword. This time he had to block it with his, a screech of steel sounded through the air. At that moment, it was either him or her.

The chief unleashed swift swings, which Areiya dodged and parried. She didn't even hear the shouts and cheering from the crowd anymore. She dodged another attack, took her knife from her boot and thrust it towards his side.

She missed because he grabbed her thrusting arm and pulled her to him, turning her around and keeping her in a neck hold. She felt his muscles tensing up to snap her neck but decided to grab his thumb and twisted it as hard as she could, feeling the bone snap.

He groaned out loud and released her. It worked.

With the tables turned, she kicked into his stomach and sent him to the ground, winded. She crawled on top of him and bashed his face with her fists over and over again, releasing maniacal grunts every time.

Suddenly, an overwhelming surge of pain radiated through her side as she yelped out loud. He plunged her own knife into her side and then threw her off of him into the sand.

Blood splatters covered her face mixed with sand. She ignored the knife; for now, the adrenaline took away the pain anyway. Both disarmed, the Dakehl dashed towards her and sent his fist flying, but Areiya recovered just in time to duck underneath it and grab the arm, turning around his body and slamming her elbow on the back of his head. Not releasing his arm, she forced him to kneel by kicking the inside of one of his knees. But what she seemed to forget is how strong Zaheem was. He used all his might and jerked the arm Areiya held, pulling her off her feet and tossing her into the crowd, dispersing for her and the chief. But this time, she was winded. With bleeding cuts and bruises on his face, Zaheem stomped towards her with a sword in his hand. "Teotchi ni Dageima." (You're no warrior.)

Areiya, struggling to breathe, could only watch how the chief raised his sword. Seeing someone approach him from behind, Areiya groaned. "Kiera, no! This is my fight!"

The chief turned around, but Areiya knew he was going to kill her any second. With all the remaining energy she had left, Areiya swung both her legs across Zaheem's feet, watching him collapse on the ground, revealing a shaking Kiera with her sword in her hand. With no hesitation, Areiya pulled out the knife from her side and reached out her arm, plunging it right into his heart. Life withdrew from his eyes, and the Dageima panted heavily. Kiera watched her in shock. And then, the whole crowd went silent.

Kiera gazed around, noticing the four protectors of the chief looking at their dead leader and each other with disbelief. The crowd distanced themselves in fear, while one of the four glowered at Kiera and Areiya. He raised his sword and charged towards Kiera, screaming in anger. She held up her sword and spread her legs, her heart pounding in her throat. When he reached her, a knife flew right into his left eye, splattering Kiera's face with blood and instantly descending into the sand. When the scared girl looked behind her, Areiya was weakly standing up. She was the one who threw the knife.

Kiera dropped her sword in the bloodied sand while Areiya carefully looked around the crowd, her body covered in blood. The warrioress changed her gaze to her friend. Her pupils widened, like an animal that just fought for their life.

"Dakehria!" a voice emerged from the crowd.

"Dakehria!"

Kiera went over to support Areiya while more and more people started praising the same Volarian word.

"Dakehria!"

Kiera remained careful, darting her eyes around. "What does that mean?"

"It means...queen," Areiya mumbled. As soon as she said that, everyone started kneeling, even the warriors. Dozens, hundreds, thousands of settlers and warriors gathered around Areiya and Kiera. Areiya looked at her friend and smiled.

Three days later

The sun was setting, cooling off the heated sands as Kiera and Areiya rode on top of a tall dune on horseback. They had a view of the abandoned city of Menja. A big city of ruined sandstone houses, and broken down city walls. One would think that place would be infested with ghosts.

"We could make something of this," Kiera said.

"I don't think we have much of a choice," Areiya answered, holding the reins of her horse, squinting her eyes to the orange sun. Kiera looked behind her.

"You think they will be able to adapt?" she asked. Areiya looked behind her as well, looking over the massive horde of mounted warriors and walking villagers following their new female leader.

"No doubt. The Melachir are strong people." Areiya answered.

"I bet they are, I mean look at you." Kiera smiled, "The strongest girl I've ever met."

Areiya chuckled and put up a fake Eryian posh accent. "Oh thank you very much, kind lady, ~"

Kiera tapped her horse with her feet, ordering it to continue walking with a smile on her face. "Come on, let's enter the city of the dead! We have to wait for the others." but Areiya didn't follow.

"You won't have to wait very long then," she said, looking over the horizon, even further than the city. Kiera followed her gaze, and her eyes widened as her lips parted.

"By the gods..." she mumbled.

Innumerable ships stretched far across the horizon of the sea, approaching Menja. A massive armada of ships bearing sails with the sigil of Flames of Dawn, the golden sun with a flame inside. Even the pirate ships bore those sigils, and the other half bore Saenna's. The majestic gryphon with spread wings. A counterpart representation of the real House Valquen eagle banners. They finally arrived.

"Ready to make history?" Areiya asked.

Kiera didn't answer just yet, turning her head to her friend. For some reason, her hands were shaking.

"Why am I nervous?" she asked.

"It's okay to be nervous. The entire fate of our realm is about to change." Areiya answered.

Xinz'r and Aidan walked next to each other through a lit cave tunnel. Xinz'r, as usual, was as mysterious as he could be. Masked from his chin to the top of his head, hooded, and a plated robe that looked religious but battle-ready at the same time. His mask was very strange, ancient-looking, even.

"The Circle of Eight collapsed when one of them betrayed us by using the Black Rose against us. Six of them were killed, except for me. I was the only one that inherited the strongest form of magic the Bright Mother could provide us. It is called Void magic, a talent only given to those who were dedicated the most to Rysia. The traitor, Xhiak, perished by my own hands."

Aidan gained more interest in this cult's story. Especially the magic Xinz'r mentioned.

"What can you do with that magic?" he asked.

"Void magic can enshroud you with total nothingness. It can turn you unable for the eye to see, bend the weather to your will to create devastating storms. It allows you to use what the power of the Rose could. The only difference is that it requires a lot of your own energy. Using the Rose doesn't." Xinz'r asked.

"Where is the Rose now?" Aidan asked.

"Easy there, brother. In time, you'll see. I do want to talk with you about something else, though." Xinz'r said, halting in the middle of the tunnel.

"What is it?" Aidan asked.

"My Emissary told me his birds caught wind of a rising rebellion in the east. Supposedly called the 'Flames of Dawn'. Does that ring a bell to you?"

Aidan moved around his gaze as he thought, but shrugged after. "No, it doesn't."

"Well, it should. You told me you had a sister that got captured and shipped to the east, no?"

"Yeah, I did...why? She's probably dead already." Aidan said, clearly a sensitive subject for him as it felt like he swallowed a rock.

"Close your eyes," Xinz'r said, taking a step closer to him. Aidan was a bit sceptical about this but closed his eyes anyway. "Why?"

"Just think about nothing and let your mind do the rest," Xinz'r said, placing his gloved hand on Aidan's head. And right after, Aidan's mind was flooded with short visions and images of his sister, Kiera.

The slaver that whipped Kiera in the slaver ship. "Quiet, scum!" he growled.

The emperor's attack on Jiron, a boulder crashing into Kiera's shelter house.

Kiera and Areiya arriving in the Silent Waste.

Kiera and Areiya arriving in Menja with their army.

Then, Aiden gasped when the vision ended and regained consciousness of his own mind. He was shocked, his hands were shaking, and his heart quickened. With wide eyes, he looked at Xinz'r, eerily looming over him.

"T-..they're in Volaria? She's...she's alive?" Aidan scoffed with colour draining from his face.

"Menja, to be exact. It's an abandoned city. The rebellion will probably be mobilizing over there. My Emissary's birds mentioned an army. We will be there when they strike. We will strike with them...and they won't even know." Xinz'r said.

"Count me in. I can't let them take away my sister as well."

"Good. Then let's get started. This is a great opportunity for both of us. The Hinos race will have a chance to be reborn, while this world is rid of foul creatures like the emperor." Xinz'r said.

"Something tells me there'll always be people like the emperor..." Aidan mumbled.

Torches were placed around the ruined city as Marlock padded around the ruins with his hands behind his back. His grey cloak hid his hands, and the light of the torches glistened in the commander's steel armour. Patrols of Saenna's soldiers and Valmir's pirates passed by sometimes.

"Last time I've been in these lands...all my men were slaughtered, and I had to flee like a coward," he said. He then turned around, looking at Kiera.

"How did you and Areiya do it?"

Kiera put up a smile and nodded, putting her fists on her hips. "If I have to be honest, I have no idea."

"...And your family?" he continued.

"They're not our concern yet," Kiera said while having to swallow deeply. Marlock decided not to continue this topic seeing her reaction.

"I see you have a sword now...and scars," he said, looking at her bare shoulders, noticing the still healing stab wound from the attack on Vardehk.

"We've been through a lot, Marlock. It better be worth it..." she said. It could have been Marlock's imagination, but it seemed like he heard a shiver in her voice.

"I promise you...slavery will soon be over. And we will have the emperor's head on a spike."

Saenna's voice emerged from Kiera and Marlock's flank. "Commander?"

Marlock turned his head to her. "Yes, Your Grace?"

'Your Grace?' Kiera thought to herself. While she stood there, not understanding yet why he called her like that, she listened to Saenna first.

"My army is ready. It's time to make amends," she said.

Marlock nodded and looked at Kiera, but it seemed she had a question first as Saenna left.

"Your Grace?" she asked with a smile.

"I plead my life to Queen Saenna as her Lord Commander. I will lead a big part of her army now," he answered.

"Well, congratulations then. I suppose we have somewhere to be." Kiera said whereas Marlock nodded to that. "Indeed. Let's go."

A few minutes, Kiera, Areiya, Valmir, Saenna and Marlock gathered around the new improvised war room in a ruined house. Saenna's men heavily guarded it. By then, the sun also disappeared beneath the horizon, casting a starry night above the city.

Saenna placed her hands on the table and leaned forward, looking on the map.

"So, where do we start?"

End of ACT II