Empire of Bones|| ONC 2024

one|| the past

YEAR 122
🌒🌒🌒
Nerezza

IN the depths of the night, beneath a canopy of stars that bore witness to unspeakable tragedy, Nerezza's heart burned with a fury that matched the flames consuming her parents' bodies.

The air crackled with an ominous energy as the flames began to consume the last remnants of her parents' bodies. Embers danced in the night, casting eerie shadows across the forest clearing. Tears streamed down her face, but they were not tears of sadness. They were tears of anger, frustration, and a burning rage that threatened to consume her from within.

She clenched her fists, feeling the raw power coursing through her veins. How could they have let this happen? How could they have been so weak, so helpless in the face of danger? Her parents, once strong and proud warriors, now lay broken and lifeless before her, victims of a merciless attack by unknown assailants.

"I won't be like you," Nez whispered through gritted teeth, her voice barely audible over the crackling flames. "I won't let myself become a victim."

With a surge of power, she unleashed a torrent of fire, engulfing her parents' bodies in a blazing inferno. The flames roared higher and higher, fueled by her anger and despair.

But before the fire could consume them completely, a voice called out from behind her. "Nez, stop!"

Startled, Nerezza turned to see a figure emerging from the shadows. It was Killian, her childhood friend and best friend, his expression one of horror and disbelief.

"What are you doing?" he cried, rushing forward to grab her arm. "You can't do this!"

Nez struggled against his grasp, her eyes wild with rage. "They couldn't save themselves, Killian," she spat, her voice laced with bitterness. "Why should I mourn for them? Why should I let them rest in peace when they couldn't even protect themselves?"

Killian's grip tightened, his eyes pleading with her to see reason. "Because it's not our place to judge, Nez," he said, his voice calm but firm. "Because burning them won't bring them back. Because in our world, those who are burned cannot find peace in the afterlife."

Nez faltered, her anger giving way to a sense of guilt and remorse. She looked down at her parents' charred remains, the flames now reduced to smouldering embers.

What had she done?

Together, she and Killian began the solemn task of burying her parents, their hands stained with dirt and tears mingling with the earth. But as they worked, a sense of unease settled over the clearing, a feeling that they were not alone.

And then, without warning, the attack came. Dark figures emerged from the shadows, their eyes gleaming with malice as they closed in on Nez and Killian, their weapons drawn and ready for blood.

With a sinking heart, Nez realized that her promise to herself would be put to the ultimate test. The darkness had come for them, and there was nowhere left to run.

Soon enough the darkness swallowed her.

*****

As Nez's eyes fluttered open, the grim reality of their situation flooded back to her—the cold, damp ground beneath her, the harsh bindings cutting into her wrists, and the eerie glow of flickering flames illuminating the masked figures surrounding them.

Blinking away the grogginess, she struggled to focus, the dim flicker of firelight revealing the grim reality of their captivity. Bound tightly alongside her best friend, Killian, she could feel the rough texture of the ropes digging into her skin, a cruel reminder of their dire predicament.