Ascension to light (alternate prologue)

A woman walked through a battle scarred forest, the unfamiliar weight of a sword and shield heavy on her exhausted arms. Her black hair, strewn about her face. She wore a black traveling cloak to help cover her identity and keep her pointed ears from view. She was tired, more tired than she had been in recent memory, but she kept trudging along, her wary eyes looking everywhere for some sign of life and enemies. She stumbled once, over the body of a soldier, she didn't know which side he was on, but as she caught herself she looked in the man's eyes. They were open in a silent scream that had ended hours ago. She knelt down and buried her sword in the soft ground next to the body and closed his eyes, out of respect for the dead. Her ears perked at the sound of a twig breaking close by and hurriedly stood, pulling her sword out of the ground. She tiredly raised her weapon and shield, praying that it was not a person who had broken the twig. When no one came forth, she lowered her weapon cautiously, then turned and trudged along on her weary way once again. She tried to keep herself ever alert for even the tiniest sign of life, hoping to either defend herself or regroup with allies. She knew that the latter was far more likely than the former, but still, she kept her hopes up. She passed body after body, her feet moving almost automatically, knowing somewhere in the back of her mind that if she stopped she was as good as dead. It was fear that kept the woman going, and fear was one hell of a motivator. Finally, the woman stopped and fell over in exhaustion. Her small, but numerous wounds taking their toll on the willpower of the woman. She closed her eyes as she hit the earth, her cloak covering her neatly. Her breathing slowed as she fell into a dreamless sleep.

The woman woke up after an indefinite amount of time. Her entire body was so sore, it was all she could do to push herself up. She got to her feet and looked up, into the sky. It was a clear dark night, the moon was out and full and she could see all of the stars. She looked towards the Draco constellation and said a prayer to the dragon god she knew made his residence there, thanking him for keeping her safe from the monsters and animals that lived in the forest. She brought her attention to herself once again and looked around at where she was. It was a small clearing, eerily clear of bodies from the earlier battle, but still smoking from the fires that had burned all through the fighting, bringing much needed light, but inciting confusion and fear in her allies ranks. She coughed and picked up her sword from where she had fallen, sliding the elegant weapon into its sheath on her back. She took her shield off her arm and strapped it to her back as well, then pulled her cloak about her to keep herself warm as she searched for a way out of the smoking remains of the forest. She walked and walked for what felt like days to her, until she came to another clearing, this one surrounded by much more burnt trees and undergrowth. She looked around, unsure of what to do, but luckily she had found a large rock that was still warm from the fire that had ravaged the plant and animal life in the area. She put her hands on the warm rock and sighed in relief as the cold stiffness in her hands and fingers eased away.

She closed her eyes for a moment, but immediately opened them up again in alarm. She had heard screaming coming from her left. It wasn't the shouting of warriors, that much she knew. Warriors tended to shout loud and fiercely, to make their opponents quake with fear. This screaming sounded like the lamentation of women and children being hurt or even worse, killed. The woman took her hands away from the rock and drew her weapon without making a sound. She took her shield and raised it again, then made her way to where the screaming was the loudest. She eventually saw an orange light through the trees. She looked up again, wondering if she had misjudged the time, but no, the moon was still high in the sky, as bright as ever. She looked back towards the light, a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach as she continued towards her destination. The screaming got louder and louder with every step she took, until the trees stopped and she saw the thing she was dreading the most.

The woman sank to her knees and stared in horror at her once beloved and beautiful city, remembering what it had looked like before the catastrophe. The city was built into the side of a mountain, the thought being that no one would be insane enough to try and climb over the mountain to attack from the rear and the front of the city was stacked neatly, the front row of houses and businesses built lower than those behind to give the city militia and the castle guard enough room to shoot arrows in case of a frontal attack. The streets were wide in some areas, to allow for parades and such, but there was also a defensive reason for that as well. In case of attack, those main streets would be used for defense, as the enemies coming up would be exposed. The narrower streets were defensive as well, because attackers would be bottle necked and could be slaughtered easily. The castle itself was fortified and large enough to fit the entire city into it, in case attackers actually managed to take the city proper, and there was enough supplies there to keep the city fed for months or more. The woman even thought how proper the city's name was. Zirconis was easily the most fortified and impenetrable fortress for twenty leagues or more, and the name of the city came from the large deposits of zirconium that were almost constantly mined from the mountain using a combination of magic and manpower.

But that didn't matter now. The once proud streets were littered with the bodies of the dead and dying. The roofs of the buildings meant to be easy to defend were covered in the blood of the militia members and soldiers. Some soldiers were still living, still fighting for their homes in the streets against near impossible odds, but they all knew it was for naught. The keening of mothers mourning for their children rent the night sky, shattering the tranquility of the forest behind the woman. The castle, once a bright beacon of life and joy and prosperity was now burnt black and smoking. Her beloved city was burning and she knew there was nothing she could do to stop it.