Crown

Nopāzma Iksis Doru-Hell Is Empty

It didn't take long for Illya and Raehar to get close. Initially, Illya was of endless annoyance to Raehar. She couldn't speak their language, she needed constant attention because she seemed to naturally attract trouble, but more than that, she was able to match his strength. When he had finally snapped at her a fight ensued. Neither one of them were kind with their punches and both aimed to kill. As time went on, they began to warm up to one another and before they knew it, they had gained quite the reputation as trouble makers. Illya was cute but never quite learned to tame her wild nature, as such, she became the impulsive one with the temper while Raehar was the calm voice of reason. If ever there was a duo who knew more than they should, it was them.

 Raehar had come to admire Illya for her ability to charm and befriend nearly everyone she met. They spent many nights talking about their dreams, the adventures they'd go on and the things they'd do together. Among them was the dream of making Illya Queen someday. One night Illya had come running to Raehar frantically mumbling about a dream-no, a vision she received. She was pale and drenched in sweat like a walking corpse brought back from the dead. Her unusually ice cold fingers gripped Raehar's shoulders, shaking him awake. When he awoke, she began rambling about the contents of her dream.

Illya always had lofty ambitions and this "vision" as she insisted it was, only fueled the fire within her. Illya and Raehar had explored and traversed much of the land and had seen many things. Neither of them came from or were adopted into kind lifestyles which allowed them to sympathize with those who suffered from the injustices brought about by their corrupt leaders. In this night, during the darkest hour, on the eve of their thirteenth birthdays, they swore an oath to each other. The day would come when Illya would become Queen and when it did, they would create an empire where people would never again be plagued with the horrors of the selfish leaders who were supposed to protect them but only sought to benefit themselves. They would create a land of peace and prosperity.

Not long after this, Raehar started documenting Illya's journey in a series of journals. If she was going to become Queen, it seemed only natural for someone to keep a record of how exactly she would make history. This amused Illya. She thought of it as too much work and would often try and talk Raehar out of doing it, but he wouldn't budge. She was never after fame or fortune. She was optimistic and kind, though some might say too kind. She was strong and endlessly stubborn. She was witty and smart and the night they swore that future to each other, something sparked within Raehar. He threw himself into helping her make it possible. He wholeheartedly believed that if anyone could do it, it was her.

Unfortunately for them, Raehar wouldn't be around to see it happen. Whenever her demons got too much for her to handle, Raehar was there to lift her up. He pushed her to grow strong and bold so that the mere mention of her name would be enough to strike fear in the coldest of hearts. They brought out the best in each other but their rise in reputation yielded  many envious eyes. One of which was none other than Illya's good friend Judas. Before Raehar, Judas had often kept her company. Even more so when she was taken in by the Haan's.

He lamented the fact that she had gone and gotten strong and was now able to stand on her own two feet, without him. He felt the loss of his precious pet heavily disheartening. He missed when she was isolated and venerable, when he knew she had no one else but him. Now she didn't need that. She was fine on her own, but more than that. She had Raehar by her side. He wanted to be the object of her affection so badly, that even though he knew Raehar and Illya were so platonically in love with one another, it did nothing to quench the unrelenting envy in his heart.

something had snapped inside of Judas once he learned of the oath Illya and Raehar swore to each other. His shi bled black as corruption brought about by his deep hatred for Raehar consumed his pure shi. He snuck into Raehar's room and began forcing his corrupted shi into Raehar. Once Raehar had suffered the same corruption as Judas, he began to transform into a disfigured beast. The corruption ravaged him, turning his skin a pale, corpse-like grey and his eyes completely black and devoid of light. Overtaken by the corruption, Raehar began laying waste to the Haan Palace grounds.

Illya awoke to the horrific scene, only to find that she was merely able to somewhat subdue him. Because they were so equal in strength, he just wouldn't go down. She pleaded desperately for him to come to his senses, she tried using her magic to purify his shi, but nothing worked. It was only after his shi had been so exhausted that his body began to break down, that he finally regained his senses. Illya held him in her arms, frantically trying to heal him, but to no avail. 

She wasn't even given the privilege of saying goodbye. Angels descended from the sky. Raehar's crippled body was ripped from her arms, all the while he repeated their promise to her as she begged them not to take him away. Without so much as a glance, Raehar was taken through the gates to the heavenly prison and sentenced to the life in prison for all the damaged he had caused to the natural shi in the surrounding area in his rampage. 

Illya spent days at the gates, begging until her voice went hoarse and slamming her fist against the gates until it was nothing more than a bloody stub. By the time Judas realized exactly what he had done, it was already too late. She looked at him with utter disdain. She never forgave him and ever since, gave little thought to his existence. As far as she was concerned, he was dead to her. 

Many years later Illya would rectify the parting she never came accept. A twenty one year old Illya stood before the gates of the Heavenly Prison. A long spear was held tightly in her hand. She was strong now. Strong enough to smash the gates wide open and lay siege to the heavens. The girl who gave her heart freely for nothing in return, the girl who was ruthless and cold, the girl who learned well what the price of her dream was, stood proudly before the gates, ready to raise absolute hell in order to free Raehar and that's exactly what she did.

•~•~•~•~•~•

Present day...

Illya laughed as she recalled. "And that's how we know each other!"

Raehar snickered, whacking her on the back. "Alright, enough nostalgia. I have something to discuss. I've been sensing remnants of Henaer. Are you absolutely sure she's dead?"

****Author's Note****

To read Illya and Ray's story, check out the mini series written in A Thousand Words called "The Goddess of War and the Sky King's Son."