Beginning of a new era

Vivienne and Lilith stood before the lifeless body of the drake, their faces etched with exhaustion and despair. The creature, a reptile-like beast without wings, lay defeated, its threat to their life finally extinguished.

Vivienne's clothes were torn and tattered from the fierce battle, and her eyes held a profound sadness. Lilith, the first princess, looked as though she had been through hell and back, her resonance drained from capturing the drake's power.

Lilith, her voice weak, spoke first. "Vivienne, we're the only ones left. All the other girls who came to this cursed island with us... they're gone because of these creatures."

Vivienne nodded, her gaze distant. "I know, you don't have to remind me, Lilith. It's been a nightmare." She thought of her brother, who should be suffering under the ruthless women that might force him to do weird things, and a pang of sorrow washed over her. But she couldn't allow herself to cry, not now. She was a warrior, and she had to remain strong.

Using the shreds of her clothing, Vivienne carefully covered her wounds, wincing at the pain. Then, with a deep breath, she said, "We can't give up, Lilith. We have to keep going. There must be a human settlement on this island. There has to be something that can save us, I won't die here."

Lilith could only nod her head, as she had alreafy lost all the hope she had to survive, so at this point, she was hoping that she wouldn't have a painful death.

They trudged through the dense forest for days, their hope dwindling with each passing hour. But then, just as despair threatened to consume them entirely, they stumbled upon a breathtaking sight—a massive crystal-like mine with stones that glowed with an ethereal light.

Lilith's eyes widened in recognition. "Those are... Essence Conduction Stones. They're incredibly valuable and useful! Ihave never seen them in bulks like this."

Vivienne shared her amazement. "But how? How could this place have so many of them?"

As they approached the mesmerizing wall of crystals, questions swirled in their minds, but for the first time in days, a glimmer of hope ignited within them. Maybe, just maybe, this discovery would lead them to the answers they sought and a way off this forsaken island.

"With this many EC stones, one could even buy half of the empire; this is too much," Lilith muttered as she touched some stones to check their quality. She was surprised to see that they were better than almost every stone in the empire.

Vivienne, however, was drawn to something entirely different. Her attention had been captured by a massive, slanting crystal structure that seemed to form a barrier or a boundary of some kind.

It pulsed with an eerie, mesmerizing glow that set her on edge. Ignoring Lilith's mutterings about the stones' incredible value, she couldn't resist the urge to reach out and touch the strange crystal formation.

"It looks like something is inside here," She tried to focus her eyes and see what it was.

As Vivienne's fingers made contact with the crystal, a sudden, ominous glow spread from the point of contact, racing along the crystalline structure like a surge of electricity.

The entire barrier began to emit a dangerous, pulsating light that cast eerie shadows across the surrounding area. It was as if Vivienne's touch had awakened something long dormant.

"Lilith! Let's run, something bad is happening here," It was as if her instincts were screaming her to run.

Before Lilith and Vivienne could react, the once-peaceful forest around them began to stir. Strange growling noises of the drakes emanated from the depths of the woods, and the flora and fauna in the vicinity started to behave erratically.

Panic surged through Lilith and Vivienne as they realized that their actions had set off a chain reaction, disturbing something they shouldn't have.

Lilith was already shaking in fear knowing this would be the place, where they meet their end.

"What-what should we do? Vivienne, what should we do?"

Even she had no answers to give to Lilith, since she was scared of what was happening.

The air was thick with tension as Lilith and Vivienne found themselves surrounded by an overwhelming number of drakes, all growling menacingly.

Suddenly, a tall woman emerged from the shadows of the forest. She was a mesmerizing sight as she looked like the depcition of eroticness itself, her body covered in dark green corals, and she sported imposing horns that gave her an otherworldly appearance. Her grin was eerie, and when she spoke, it came out as growls to Lilith and Vivienne, rendering her words incomprehensible to them.

"Who is this woman? Why does she have horns like an animal? Don't tell me-" Vivienne paused for a minute and took a closer look.

Desperate and recognizing the dire threat, Vivienne reached for her resonance weapon, aiming it at the enigmatic woman. However, before she could react, Lilith collapsed to the ground, unconscious. Vivienne's heart raced as she, too, fell victim to some mysterious force, unable to resist its power.

"Ugh~ I feel sleepy, Lilith, get up, we have to run." She struggled against the drowsiness she felt.

The woman with the corals on her body observed them with an unsettling smile. She then turned her attention to the flowers around them, her actions suggesting that she had some control over the natural world. A sinister realization dawned on Vivienne as she saw the woman's manipulation of the environment.

With an eerie display of strength, the woman effortlessly lifted both Lilith and Vivienne and began to carry them away. As they were taken further into the forest, Vivienne couldn't help but steal a glimpse at a strange, crystal gate-like structure with a profound sadness in the her eyes. They were being led deeper into a world they didn't understand, and their fate remained uncertain to some extent.

***

Amidst the eerie silence of the battlefield, Lieutenant Sarah, her eyes filled with determination, addressed her squad. "Ladies, we've faced tough battles before, but this one... this one's different. Keep your guard up, and stay together!"

As Sarah finished her rallying cry, a shiver ran down their spines. The ground trembled beneath their feet, and a thunderous roar pierced the air. From the shadows of the horizon, massive reptile-like creatures emerged, their scales glinting ominously.

Sergeant Emily, her voice trembling, exclaimed, "By the heavens, what are those things? How did drakes got so big?"

The creatures were colossal, towering over the soldiers. With teeth like jagged knives and claws that gleamed in the strange light, they were a nightmare come to life.

The drakes that the empire used to fight were much smaller than these creatures, and everyone felt fear knowing this would be the most intense battle they had ever faced.

Sarah shouted, "Brace yourselves! Form a defensive line!"

The soldiers raised their shields, weapons ready, their hearts pounding in their chests. The reptile-like creatures charged with a ferocity that struck terror into the hearts of even the bravest warriors. Chaos erupted as the battle began.

In the midst of the bombat, Another commander from Sarah's friendly unti, Lily was knocked to the ground by one of the creatures. Desperate, she cried out, "Help me!" before being crushed beneath its massive foot creating a bloody mess on the ground.

A gut-wrenching scream echoed through the battlefield as Vice captain Emma was snatched by another creature, its jaws closing around her. Her life ended in a horrifying instant with a disgusting crunch.

Commanders tried to maintain order, but fear gripped them. Captain Sofia, her eyes wide with terror, whispered to herself, "How did things escalate so quickly? What did we do wrong to face these creatures? I want to go back and see my husband."

Despite the soldiers' valiant efforts, the reptile-like creatures were relentless. Their onslaught was overwhelming, as if they had been waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

Sergeant Emily, her voice filled with despair, yelled, "We can't hold them back much longer!"

The battle raged on, and the soldiers fought with everything they had, but it was clear that the creatures were unlike anything they had ever faced. The commanders struggled to come up with a plan to turn the tide, all while wondering what had triggered this sudden, intense assault.

"It's the end for us," Sarah muttered, as she despaired about the situation until she witnenssed something rather intreseting.

Suddenly, a rumbling sound filled the air. All eyes turned toward the horizon, where a lone figure on horseback appeared leading a group of new soldiers, riding with a grace that defied the chaos around her.

"We are saved!" Everyone started to rejoice, since this was a scene rather famillar forthe most of the battle squads. "It's the Bloodborne squad!"

It was none other than Isabella Bloodborne, the daughter of the legendary Victoria Bloodborne, who had once been a formidable commander herself.

Isabella reined in her horse, her eyes scanning the battlefield with a steely determination. She was a symbol of hope, and her mere presence seemed to breathe new life into the exhausted soldiers.

"Stand your ground!" Isabella commanded, her voice carrying over the din of battle. "Form ranks and prepare for my orders!"

The commanders, recognizing Isabella as the superior of all, quickly gathered around her, their faces filled with a mixture of awe and relief. They nodded in unison, ready to follow her lead.

Isabella's horse galloped to the front lines, and she stopped abruptly in front of a colossal drake, its jaws dripping with the blood of a fallen soldier. Without hesitation, Isabella raised her hand, and a brilliant, shimmering chain emerged from her palm. The chain shot forward and wrapped around the drake's neck.

"Anything that touches my Sovereignty Chain, will fall under my command for a few hours, after all this is one of the most powerful resonance in the empire that I am proud of," Isabella muttered showing how confident she was.

Gasps of astonishment rippled through the battlefield as the soldiers watched in awe. No one had seen such power before.

Isabella's voice rang out, carrying clear and strong. "Hold your positions! Stand down!"

To everyone's amazement, the drake, its enormous body quivering, obeyed Isabella's command. It ceased its brutal attack on the fallen soldier, its jaws slowly releasing its prey, but everyone knew it was too late for that woman.

Isabella's eyes remained locked on the drake, her power pulsating through the chain. With a calm and authoritative tone, she said, "Back away, creature and attack your own kin. I order you in my Bloodborne name."

The drake, compelled by an invisible force, took a few steps back, releasing the fallen girl, who missed half of her body

The soldiers, their fear replaced by newfound hope, began to follow Isabella's orders. The commanders relayed her instructions, and the soldiers reorganized themselves into a cohesive force.

Isabella's control over the drake was absolute, a testament to her legendary abilities. She guided the creature into the battle and caused mayhem allowing her soldiers to get clear hit on the drakes.

"All hail, Lady Isabella. She is our savior," Sarah shouted and entered the battle. Even though they suffered an unlimited amount of damage, they still managed to kill most of the drakes before the battle ended.

After killing the drake that she had enslaved, Isabella looked at the forest, her face expressing a complex mix of emotions as she observed the current events happening in the empire.

"Did that hag lie to me? Why do these things keep happening after Oliver left? Is he really some kind of protective charm?" She kept questioning, but at the same time, she knew that it was time to report things to the empress. So, after getting on her horse, she rode back to the empire knowing things are going to change.