Ashes to Ashes;Prologue

When the world comes knocking, hiding is rarely an option. In Zero's case especially, she had no choice but to answer. So she did...with violence, defiance and finally acceptance. From the beginning, she had been alone in this world.

Midgard, where superstition and chivalry ruled.

Her road had been long and weary, overtake with lies, violence and subjugation. It was her choice that she'd find an end to such a path. An end for herself and for her sins. An end to the sound and fury signifying nothing and no one.

Alas, when dusk approached, Zero found she wasn't alone. The young fool had acquired an ally...a friend. Michael, the strongest of all dragons.

Millennia upon Millennia had rendered everything the dragon cared for to ash. One born with nothing aligned with another who lost everything. This seemingly worthless detail is where things began.

For the Draconian Lord of nothing would see to it that the pauper had one last chance to gain a new hope.

This is a story of six sisters.

Five of whom brought peace to their world. But the sixth would see to the end of days, hungry from blood and misery. She could not rest until the others were dead and the past was finally absolved. No. Not absolved. Forgotten.

If only she'd known…

Cathedral City, Midgard's Capital

"Man, woman, child, the elderly...Doesn't matter. Get in my way, I'll see you dead!" Zero roared, her voice bouncing off of ancient stone. Cathedral city. Her sister, One's, stronghold. It was lousy with her militia, of course.

"It's Zero!"

"The traitorous Intoner!"

"Demon!"

Yadda, yadda, yadda, blah, blah, blah. She definitely hadn't had those insults screamed at her one-thousand times. That day.

She'd put up with it however. Today was a special day. Zero would be reunited with her sisters for the final time.

Lucky her, they were all here. Then again, why would she come crashing into the most heavily guarded city on dragon-back otherwise? One knew she'd be coming just like Zero knew they'd be here. With family, you just feels these things.

Speaking of knowing, what was One thinking anyway? Flinging her soldiers at her knowing they wouldn't make a difference. Hadn't she defeated their former lord to free them from that kind of misery? What were these fools doing, thinking they could make a difference? Mortals should know their coil.

Their precious new overlord was an Intoner just like Zero. They knew the power of song and worshiped it and its carriers. Her sisters. So what could the maggots have been thinking?

Maybe they didn't understand the power first hand. If so, it was only right that she help them, then. Zero did what she did best:rage. Blood sprayed, limbs flew, bodies vaporized and through it all, Zero kept cutting, kept raging. This nonsense about saving the world would end today.

The albino would take back the power stolen. Her siblings, those bitches, had suckled at her teat long enough. They would die here screaming, all of them.

Easier said than done. One, as the second oldest, was nothing if not crafty. Zero was soon face to face with automaton knights, Goliath crafted and controlled by magic. They threaten to abstain even her wrath but Michael would not allow it.

"Zero, go and defeat your sisters!" He boomed, flying in bashing one of the fiends aside.

"No!" Zero growled, pink eyes glowering. Even now, Michael needed to protect his ego. "You don't have the strength for this!"

"These puppets are no match for a dragon!" He chortled, knocking them around once more. "Go!"

The girl had never been one for being told what to do, but destiny called. "Don't you die on me…" She hissed before continuing onward.

This time, gore flew in greater volume. These loyal knights, worshipers of the Intoners, paid a heinous price for their faith.

Cloak and Sabre dyed crimson, she reached the gate at long last.

The Grand Cathedral from which the city got its name loomed tall. And why not? This was the source of all magic in their world. Of course One would feel comfortable fighting her here, where they'd fought once before already.

Speaking of which, familiar crimson eyes framed by platinum blonde hair stared down on her from the church's peak. The eyes that never stopped hunting for peace. They made Zero sick. "One," she smiled grimly. "It's been a long time."

"Zero," her little sister's stoic nature hadn't vanished. "I see you haven't changed. You're still insane."

"Aaaaahhh...Stop it. You're making me blush."

"That wasn't a compliment."

As expected, One wasn't by herself.

"Hey look it's, Zero!" Two cheered with a wave. "Hey Zero!"

"Ha ha...ha haha!" Three cackled vacantly.

"Zero, please stop this!" Four begged painfully. "This fighting is pointless; we're sisters!"

"Don't be such a prude, Four," Five chided. "A good cat fight really gets my juices going."

Yep. After all this time, they were still only headaches. For all the good it did, One sicked them on Zero. They were no match. All four of them could not beat her. She was the trunk and they were the branches. They returned to their perch beside the second oldest sister, beaten and bruised. Ever the diligent planner, the platinum blonde had seen this coming. She lifted a hand to the sky, "Gabriel."

A fiend hailed from the sky with a flash of light. It was a purple dragon, armored and chained. A Daemonic being. Wait...Yes, Zero recognized this beast. She was with One the day they fought that bastard, Bartas. Gabriella. Or what was left of Gabriella.

The albino wouldn't miss the opportunity to ridicule her upright sibling.

"Hey One," she gave a shit eating grin. "Did you really sacrifice Gabby just to turn her into this shell of a creature. Just to beat me?" Zero mocked. "She must have really cared for you to let you use her dying wish for this. I never thought you'd take advantage of a friend like that. I'm almost proud!"

Zero got exactly what she wanted. One's calm mask was gone as her teeth became like fangs. "Shut up! I'm not subject to your judgement sister! Us Intoners swore to protect this world. Now you seek all our power for yourself!? It's shameful!"

"It's my power, all of it!" Zero corrected while brandishing her Sabre. Gabriel charged. The bastard was actually tougher than she expected. Of course it's be that way. Dragons and Intoners were natural enemies. The irony certainly wasn't lost on Zero. Not a single bit of it.

After calling on her song's might, the purple dragon went down at last. Or so she thought. The bastard actually feigned death!

While her guard was down, a well aimed fire blast took off her arm and she collapsed. Almost in shock, gushing blood and gasping for breath, she persisted to crawl forward. No...she wouldn't come this far to go down like this. Not before it was all over. "You...eh...will die!" She roared.

"Finish her," One ordered her calmly, no longer threatened in the slightest. Not while her sister couldn't even stand.

Ever chivalrous, Michael came at the exact moment he was needed. "Zero!" He appeared from the sky behind her.

"FIRE!" His partner boomed with a vengeance. He gladly obliged. A phalanx of flame went spearing towards their enemies.

Though the other Intoners could be just as stubborn. They banded their songs together to shield One and Gabriel. The latter took the opportunity to strike back, ripping through the shield and Michael's own flame with a devilish inferno.

The greatest of all dragons didn't hesitate. He threw himself in front of Zero. As a last act, he would save her. As a last act, he would betray her.

Michael decided before they even came to Cathedral City, that if all went wrong, he would give Zero one last chance for a normal life. With his dying wish as a dragon. He would not reincarnate so that she could try this fool's errand again. He would spit in the face of the destiny she was given.

There wasn't much time. His flesh was burning away and he enacted his kindness during his last seconds.

Farewell, little fool.

In another time, in another life.

Please farewell, my only friend.

…This is a story of six sisters and the foolish Dragon that altered their fate.

For better or worse.

Let the struggle begin anew.