Elizabeth's REIGN

Prologue

Lightning crackled to life, but there were no thunderclouds in the sky.

The moon shined brightly upon the secluded forest of a small city not known to most.

And within the woods, where the tiniest of creatures stirred at night, a great wind spiraled out of control.

Sparks flew and a beautiful, magenta cloud hovered over the top of the forest, dropping a string of men from the sky.

One deterred from the group and gracefully landed on a sturdy branch, while the others slammed into the ground.

He sneered as he gazed down at the fallen men.

"Demons. Your kind has never done well with heights, hm?"

As the man jumped from the branch, the moonlight unveiled sharp, emerald eyes that pierced through the demons.

"Damn you, Fox! Assume the position, we must hurry!!", a burly demon in full-body armor raced ahead of his comrades, leading them to their next target.

The fox grinned as he summoned blue fire from the palm of his clawed hand. The hellish flames enveloped him and he soared through the sky.

He stared blankly at the demons, shifting his focus to the aura of magic that pulsated through the air, gradually becoming stronger.

A sudden blast of magical energy ripped through the sky, making the fox's eyes go wide.

"Valhalla's unstable..."

Both the demons and the fox arrived at an area of the forest littered with abandoned mines. Signs posted at the entrance warned trespassers of the dangers ahead, but the strange beings advanced regardless.

Before the demons could set foot in the mines, a wall of magic burst to life. Unsheathing their swords, the hellish soldiers advanced toward the blockade but were flung aside due to the brute force of the magical energy.

The fox's discerning gaze overlooked the demons and wandered to what lied behind the powerful barrier. A row of dark, eerie figures lined up at the entrance of the mines.

"Pity... Valhalla's unleashed the wrath of the Vicumbras."

Raising both his palms, the fox began to hurl spheres of blue fire toward the barrier, all of which disintegrated upon contact.

Instead of enraged by the outcome, the fox slid both of his hands into the sleeves of his black kimono and walked away without batting an eyelash.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?! Who are those figures?!" The brawny demon swung his ax at the fox.

"They are Vicumbras, conquered souls from the battles of Valhalla's previous successors", the fox caught the blade of the ax in between his fingers before setting it aflame.

"Even I am seen as an enemy—"

"So not even the great Siva can win this battle, huh?", the brawny demon howled with laughter, unable to contain his shaking shoulders. His comrades roared alongside him as well.

The bulky demon's eyes widened as his face was smothered onto the ground by the fox's heel.

The other demons raised their weapons and advanced toward the fox, but a wall of blue fire erupted before them, separating them from their commander.

"...There's no hope for...your doomed Kingdom...you senile dog..!!"

The fox's icy gaze silenced the demon, "Cadyri will never fall to the likes of vermin... Exhaust yourselves as much as you'd like, I will return once Valhalla has chosen its next predecessor and—"

"LOOK AT WHERE WE ARE, STUPID FOX!!", the demon's eyes glowed red under the sole of the fox's shoe.

"There will be no chosen one! Ha! There are only puny, weak humans in this world! Even If Valhalla does choose one of them, it will only damn you more!!!"

Shifting his foot off the demon's face, the fox grabbed his collar and flung him upward. His clawed hand sinking into the demon's neck.

"Human or not, hold your tongue whilst I let you keep it", Siva hissed, slicing open the demon's throat.

The leader choked on his blood and his comrades hurried to help him off the ground.

"...Appear before me or Valhalla again and I'll see to it that your corpse is buried in this dreadful world."

The fox raised his clawed hand and a blue flame ignited in between his slender fingers. The bulky demon's comrades ushered their leader away from the mines and disappeared into the night, all the while the leader glared at the fox.

A worrisome noise echoed from the mines and the ground below let out a thunderous shake. Returning to the safety of the trees, the fox frowned and gazed over at the city nearby.

"those dull-witted humans will venture the mines eventually...", the fox sighed.

Gazing up at the moon, he basked in its light, chuckling to himself with a wide grin.

"Then I shall serve the survivor."