She stared into the void, where silence pressed in, and emptiness stretched endlessly. Not even the stars dared to appear. Here, she could vanish, slipping away from the harshness of reality.

  Looking up, she took a deep breath, and slowly but surely, her own eyes saw many visions that she had never known before. The first vision showed a burning city, smoke billowing in the air, and terrifying screams. In the second vision, she was standing in an open field, facing eight confusing silhouettes of people. Before she could record any of it, the vision changed to a boat, and she was floating alone on it, right in the middle of the eerie silence of the ocean. It was dark and cold.

  “Mira.” Someone called out. The voice came from behind, distracting her from everything she was seeing. Now, the sky greeted her again, and she smiled slightly, knowing that reality could still reach her. “That flash appeared again?” The person was standing to her left. A woman who looked a little older than her, Mira.

  The woman wore a plain orange cloth that extended to her feet, with no visible curves or accompanying accessories. Her brown hair was left loose, falling to her tailbone, and her brown skin reflected the night light shyly. The most striking feature was her amber eyes, shining brighter than the moon itself, which even the surrounding fireflies could not rival.

  “Yes, but this time it's different,” said Mira without looking away. She had the same amber eyes as the woman next to her, but if they were compared, she was sure she would lose badly if she asked people whose eyes were the most beautiful.

  “Better... or worse?” The woman looked at Mira, then her eyes followed her sister's gaze.

  “Bad.” Mira shook her head, her face twisting as tears slipped down her cheeks, silent and steady. “I’m scared. Sometimes it’s sharp, sometimes it’s just shadows.” Her voice faded, ending in a raw, broken whisper.

  The older sister didn't say another word. She hugged her younger sister, pulling her into a warm embrace. Mira had just turned 18; she was the youngest sibling, the most fragile of them all. Mira was also the one who felt the loneliest, growing up alone with little parental affection. Meanwhile, her twin sister Mara, who was born eight minutes earlier, lived with their aunt. Mira could have gone too, but she chose to wait, hoping for her parents' return.

  Well, she's the most spoiled of us all, the pickiest, and the most independent.

  Their father was a busy head of the family. Since Mira's birth, he had suddenly been given a special assignment from the king to lead a second-level region equivalent to a province.

  Her mother, moreover, was appointed as the minister of foreign affairs. She had been doing this job for decades, even before her first child was born. The difference was that after giving birth to twins, Mara and Mira, her mother rarely came home. How could she, now that she was stationed on the other side of the continent, on the other side of the world. If she could see us, it would only be once every ten years. Yep, Mira has only met her mother twice, when she was born and when she was ten years old. This is because the vast ocean between the two continents is extremely difficult to cross; only certain sailors are capable of doing so.

  Mira slipped from her sister’s arms. She knew this wasn’t just a visit for comfort—there was another reason. Everyone respected this hill as Mira’s sanctuary, a place even her sisters avoided unless something truly mattered.

  If her eldest sister had come, it meant something important was at stake.

  “Why?” Mira asked bluntly.

  “Father is calling us.” The older sister gazed deeply into Mira's eyes. Her amber eyes were not as dull as people thought; instead, they shone with a different light, a light that no other light could extinguish, not even the light from her own eyes.

  “At this hour?” Mira arched an eyebrow, curiosity flickering across her face.

  Before the older sister could reply, a long, piercing bugle call sounded. It was a signal for all residents of Terakaca City to evacuate, and for soldiers, it was a call to prepare for battle.

  Mira understood. She looked at her sister and nodded, then left her place.

  As she descended the hill, there was a brief but violent tremor, followed by a wave of explosions from the north gate of the city. Mira was thrown to the left, her body ready to fall, but her sister quickly caught her.

  “What is that?” Mira's voice sounded panicked and hoarse; she couldn't hide her surprise.

  “It's definitely not a good thing,” said the older sister as she looked toward where the waves were coming from. Giant black clouds floated in the air, roaring as if they wanted to tear the sky apart.

  “We need to go home, now.” Mira steadied herself, preparing to push through the sea of people running frantically below.

  “No, Dad is at City Hall.”

  They were both about to run when the second tremor struck. This time it was lighter, with no waves reaching their position. But the city was already like a furnace, soon to be reduced to ashes.

  They kept running through the crowd, bumping into people here and there, which was inevitable. These people no longer cared about their surroundings; they only cared about themselves. There was even a toddler sitting alone, crying hysterically, not knowing where his parents were or who was looking after him.

  Mira, who saw this, tried to run towards the toddler, but unfortunately, another explosion occurred, causing a wave that swept everything away. When Mira tried to get up and crawl towards the toddler, she couldn't find him there anymore.

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  Her sister helped Mira stand up. A loud ringing in her ears prevented Mira from hearing what her sister was saying. She was just confused and panicked in response to her surroundings. Deep down, Mira hoped that this was just another one of those visions.

  As Mira looked on, all she saw was chaos, panic, despair. The city where she lived was now a sea of fire, and in just a few minutes, it would be completely destroyed.

  The smoke grew thicker, forcing its way into Mira's lungs. The flames licked higher, melting her skin. The buzzing grew louder, turning into a screech that could shatter her eardrums at any moment. The ash that landed on her eyes grew hotter, and even tears could not stop the pain.

  Suddenly, a massive symbol appeared beneath Mira’s feet: eight-pointed like a compass, ringed by a jagged circle, each arrow inscribed with ancient script, all glowing in sea-blue light.

  Absolute Rain, Mira realized. Yes, this was her older sister's technique, the technique to summon a storm. And sure enough, heavy rain began to fall, thunder rumbled in the sky, and its reach covered every corner of the city.

  The buzzing had disappeared, replaced by the sound of rain, thunder, and strong winds beating in rhythm. It was better, of course. As Mira's hearing became clearer, she could hear roars from all directions, endless screams, and heart-wrenching cries. Everything beat in rhythm, forming a desperate melody.

  “Let's go,” said her older sister in a high-pitched voice, making sure Mira heard her clearly. “We have to go,” she repeated, helping Mira to her feet.

  Mira nodded in response.

  The city hall building was not that badly damaged; it still refused to collapse after being hit by numerous waves of explosions. Everyone in the building ran outside, except for the two women who entered against the flow.

  It wasn't difficult for them to find their father. Lord Agnilith, leader of the House of Agnilith and Duke of Kadipaten 4. He was gathered with the Pati, discussing and preparing everything to overcome this chaos. When their father's eyes found them, he smiled with relief, ran over, and hugged his sister and then Mira.

  Even his large brown robe with silver accents could not stop Lord Agnilith. His face was covered with deep wrinkles, his eye bags were even bigger than the last time Mira saw him, and his gray hair had replaced Agnilith's signature brown hair. If it weren't for his intact amber eyes, Mira might not have recognized her father.

  Lord Agnilith touched both of his daughters' cheeks with each hand. “You are the heirs to the House of Agnilith,” said Lord Agnilith in his characteristic hoarse voice. He looked at both of his daughters in turn. “Father loves you, father loves you all.”

  Both the older sister and Mira remained silent, not uttering a word, simply watching their father as he prepared to continue his sentence.

  “Go to your mother.” Lord Agnilith lowered his hand, reaching into the pocket of his robe and pulling out a scroll tied with a cyan ribbon. “Take this, and don't open it until it's in your mother's hands. I trust—”

  “Why? What's really going on?” Mira couldn't resist the urge to ask. Mira's eyes searched for something behind her father's gaze; she needed answers.

  “House of Ellior and House of Waguni are attacking us...” Lord Agnilith held back his words, sensing the sad gaze of his older sister, who already knew everything, and Mira, who was still so innocent. “They want you, as a debt the House of Agnilith cannot pay.”

  “Father refused.” Mira nodded in understanding, unaware that tears were already slowly rolling down her cheeks. “That’s why they attacked.”

  Lord Agnilith nodded. “We will hold them off.”

  “Come with us,” Mira interjected.

  “I am the leader of this residence, this city, and this province, Mira. I will not abandon my people.”

  “But I am your daughter.” Mira could no longer hold back her tears, repeatedly wiping them away with both arms. “Why don't you ask the king for help?” she continued, stammering.

  “There's no time.”

  “We have to go.” Finally, her sister spoke, patting Mira on the shoulder to snap her out of her sadness and panic.

  “What about Alma and Mara?” Mira's voice grew hoarse; she might lose it tonight.

  “They’ll come with you. I’ve told Captain Astara to go with them.” Lord Agnilith smiled, realizing that Mira had grown so much. He had never watched his youngest daughter grow up. He looked at the older sister as he handed her the scroll. “They’ll wait in the Terakaca Forest.”

  Lord Agnilith took each of his daughters' hands, holding them gently and lovingly. “You are my Agni eagles, you will fly high above everything, your wings will flap beautifully. Nothing can bring you down, I believe that.”

  An explosion occurred right in front of the town hall. The enemy soldiers shouted as they prepared to storm in. The armies and the Pati formed a circle to protect Lord Agnilith and his two daughters.

  “Sirra, protect your sisters,” said Lord Agnilith as he summoned the sword lying on the table. Instantly, the sword was in his grasp.

  Asdor, the legendary sword, was passed down through generations to the pure bloodline of Agnilith. It is said that only the true descendants of Agnilith can wield the sword, and its true power lies in its ability to unleash flames from long-dead stars, flames that can purify all elements and even rival the weapons of the gods.

  “Pati Tirta, take my daughters out of here.” Lord Agnilith's command to one of the pati, a pati with a bandage wrapped around his forehead as his trademark.

  Mira was reluctant to move from her spot, still unable to accept what was happening. Her head was throbbing uncontrollably, her heart was beating fast, and sweat was pouring down her face, adding to Mira's uncertainty.

  At last, she relented—Sirra’s hand anchoring her to reality. But then her vision slowed, sounds faded, and she could no longer hear Sirra or Pati Tirta as they drew near.

  Mira looked around; she could see her father fighting against several enemy soldiers. In this slow-motion state, she carefully followed every movement of her father. Each slash was precise, white flames surrounding the Asdor Sword, easily burning every soldier it touched.

  Blow after blow had passed, yet instead of weakening, Lord Agnilith appeared to grow more dominant. No weapon of any kind could touch him, and even the opposing wizard was powerless, every spell he cast proving futile.

  Until a black figure appeared from the sky, about to land on top of Lord Agnilith. But experience cannot lie, and Lord Agnilith's reflexes were quick enough to dodge backwards.

  The figure hovered, cloaked in darkness, gravity forgotten. His right eye blazed blue, the right side of his face masked in black. He grinned, then hurled himself at Lord Agnilith.

  The slow-motion scene Mira was watching collapsed instantly upon the figure's arrival. She returned to reality and could see her sister's hand pulling her—urging her to leave immediately.

  Suddenly, darkness swallowed everything, the light consumed as if by some divine force. Silence reigned—then came the explosion.

  Glosarium:

  - Kadipaten = A monarchical territory equivalent to a province or state, but still subject to the parent kingdom.

  - Pati = Equivalent to a general, leader of armies.