Updated: 28/10/2016

No warning.

Darkness covered the skies, and for a moment, the world stilled.

Like the shadow of the hand of the mightiest of Gods, or perhaps something more sinister, blackness descended upon the fields beyond the mountains that guarded the passage between Realms, northwest from the battlefield. The creatures screeched and bemoaned, limbs twisting inhumanely in every possible direction. The leaders ordered immediate retreat to their initial positions, uncertain of this new development and its meaning.

The earth cracked under their feet, unable to stand the pressure that lingered a minute too long after the fall of the shadows. It was like all the rage of the world that had been compressed for years exploded in front of them.

The shadows materialized into thick liquid faster than they could process, it came in a wave at a distance, quickly approaching and relentless. In its wake it left only death; trees that had been touched by the blackness took but a fraction of a second to dry, as if the life had been sucked out.

Dread and fear gripped at the hearts of the young and the weak of mind. Their enemy could not be cut down, and it was as wide as their eyes reached. A few warriors threw down their shields and waited. There was simply no escape without cowardice, without leaving comrades behind.

But it was not their time yet.

"HRÍVË!"

Warning bells rang strong in Seiko's mind, of a time forgotten amongst the early years, when she was young enough to listen to bedtime stories and her only worry was making her parents proud. Awe came to her by instinct, such was the natural reaction to the name uttered. A warm grip seized her heart seeing it.

A great dragon hovered above their heads, bigger than any mountain they had ever laid eyes upon. It floated with otherworldly grace, wings not even making a shift in the winds, in spite of their size and thickness. It was the color of unspoiled snow, so beautiful one couldn't help but feel reverence. Its pink eyes older and wiser than life itself, bestowed not by experience, but birth.

Hrívë. Lord of all Winters.

Myths had come alive over their heads.

Tuilë, Lairë, Yávië and Hrívë, born of Quellë, mother of all dragons. All ancient beings since the beginnings of times. Each one represented a season. Tuilë of Spring, Lairë of Summer, Yávië of Autumn and Hrívë of Winter; two sisters and two brothers. They were creatures of purity and peace, slaves to their purpose in life and strangers to the matters of mortals and other immortals alike.

"Fuck…" Seiko wheezed out, eyes wide in wonder and disbelief. What was he doing here? Now? Was this the end of everything and he would oversee?

Her moment was cut short, however, when the wave of darkness passed the main gates. Time slowed down as her eyes scanned the battlefield, and she smiled a small smile of contentment. Nowhere better to die than as a warrior protecting her homeland, under the watchful eyes of one of the first beings in existence.

Her stance relaxed, acceptance overcame her body as memories she thought lost forever came back to her. One in particular struck her harshly; the first time she saw Setsuna again, striding through those very gates, Evangeline close behind her. Everything she felt at that exact moment, she remembered. The aguish and anger of not being there for her only cub as she grew into the exemplar woman she was today. But also the absolute happiness she felt as she gazed upon her beloved Setsuna once more.

The wave was almost there, it had already absorbed the bodies lying around the field. Seiko looked up at the sky, for a moment the thought of imagining the ancient being above them crossing her mind. But, there he was, in all his glory, stance unwavering but for the twitch of the corners of its muzzle.

Seiko paused, her jaw suddenly tense, then slack, as she as a fellow dragon understood Hrívë's demeanor. Chest slowly filling, lips curling and revealing teeth deadlier than any weapon, claws extending…

Then the same voice that had first called the ancient's name, a voice she realized was familiar with, called from the most astounding of places, right on top of the colossal.

"HRÍVË! ÛR!"

Seiko had predicted, the glorious beast breathed out a bout of fire. White fire. As big and terrible as the sheer darkness it faced ahead. Two forces clashed in a show of brute strength and raw magic that had her on her knees the moment they touched one another. She faintly heard Kruger's call to arms, the clattering of shields being picked up in a frenzy. The leader's instinctive order was on point, for what came from the shadows was a worse fate than its bearer.

Hrívë's fire was successful in subduing the threat of instant annihilation, but at a cost unimaginable.

For when the mighty beast ceased his attack, another being was born from the ashes. First came the legs, with spikes that were not quite so, but a deformation of the claws of the creatures absorbed by the entity. Then, organs materialized from the base, what looked like intestines and grime pulled themselves together in an organized mess. It was all too soon covered by black mass, leaving behind a glimpse of lungs, but no heart, forming inside. Arms shot forward, twisting much like the creatures' had before. Neither nails nor claws formed, but something much more macabre: a mouth on each palm, sides curled in a malevolent smirk.

Its head, though, was the worst trait. While it possessed little true threat, it was impossible to look at without feeling deeply disturbed. Thousands of red eyes, empty as the host's soul, gazed upon them, watching – waiting. The skin of the whole face looked like it was melting down like butter under the sun, but never quite falling from place, just moving in an unnatural manner. Then… heads. The heads of their fallen companions, about a hundred of them, hung from the putrid skin – on and between creases and folds-, eye sockets empty and faces morphed in perpetual anguish.

"Seiko!" She tore her eyes away from the monster before her, a heavy weight slowly resting on her shoulders, suffocating her. The sight of her husband and his group brought her temporary relief, but also more questions than answers.

Frustrated, she grabbed Noburu by his collar and glowered. "What the fuck happened?" His eyes, grave, turned to the scene before them. The monster, the ancient, the dead land beyond the gates. His gaze finally rested on the terrible creature that opposed them.

"I'm still not sure. We were on our way when Viola here," he pointed to the brunette woman that stood beside her spouse, her usual smile replaced by a troubled look. "She ran all the way back without much explanation." Not that she had given them the time to get close enough to hear one. The woman was so fast even Noburu had to struggle to catch up.

Seiko lifted an eyebrow as she seized Viola. Her lips pursed, she regarded her with skepticism. Viola copied her stance, though she gave her an amused smile, her worries forgotten for a second. Kruger barked orders somewhere in the background not far away from her partner. Neither leader would admit their fright over being away from their spouses, Kruger having more to worry about, given Shizuru's bloodline. However, defenseless she was not. A worthy opponent for Seiko even at her worst, which gave way to begrudging respect.

The brunette stepped forward, her arm reached to Seiko's. Her hand posed on her forearm, delicate skin that could never belong to a demon connected with her own roughish one. The former queen felt her heart skip a few beats, Shizuru rarely touched anyone other than her other half without reason, usually somber news accompanied such angelic touch.

"This will be our toughest fight yet," Viola then began to explain her side of the story.

"Across from the river not further than a hundred miles east, that is where I felt it. It was raw like flesh being torn, and angry – so angry; and ruthless, implacable. I pulled to a full stop then, our men shouldn't of gone farther, else they burn forever in the loins of such untouchable beast. No, they did not feel it like I did, and I suspect that is the main reason I was sent with them.

This is the second time in my life I thank my blood; I was the only one able to proceed, but couldn't get two feet inland without risking our men's lives. I almost failed to notice my magic negated the effects of this entity, thus saving them a terrible fate.

Those of you that do not know, I am half-angel. My life was only spared by the hand of my Natsuki. Being the last of a very unpredictable race, my magic is not easily manageable, for my two sides have been in a constant struggle for dominance since I was very young. Luckily, I learned with time to placate both of them, and even control the gifts given to me. I can sense any kind of magic impulse, no matter whether it comes from a demonic or angelic source. I also have a natural knack of fighting back either magic, as a repellent of sorts, if you will.

As I was saying before, it was… strange. There were three greater forces ahead of us, then everything went quiet for a second. Literally very living and non-living just stopped. It was all a blur from then; the first of the three joined with this dark entity, which I now know is the creature that we face.

The second force I couldn't figure out. It was not malevolent, but I sensed forbidden binding magic for a moment. I can only speculate it has to do with the return of the Lord of all Winters, though curious as it is, I feel no magic I've ever known inside him.

The third one, Seiko-sama, is what worries me."

At this point, Viola was frowning in concentration, her crimson eyes flooded with emotion. The few that were listening to her inched closer, eager to know more, if not simply to bask in the beauty the regnant so effortlessly carried. Her next words struck deep.

"It was not as imposing as the other two. For a moment I though something had imploded, and then it was calm. Nothing; it merely disappeared, like it wasn't there to begin with. The two remaining forces surged forward, in this direction, although one was much, much faster than the other." Yet again she glanced back at the creature. It was calm, awaiting. "And thatis when I came here."

"Indeed it was," the same voiced that had commanded the ancient growled from above, startling the group. Seiko felt no surprise, unlike the others who nearly fell on their asses, when Fallon graciously landed before them, scowl firmly planted.

"You will explain later, that I promise you," Seiko informed the woman in a definite, no-nonsense tone. The secrets were wearing her patience out. "Now where the fuck is my daughter?" She didn't show any weakness in front of her army, now at full attention due to Fallon's dramatic entrance but the question was eating her from the inside.

"Yeah, that might be a problem, because she's inside that thing."

LoTR references can be found, such as the name of the dragons and the chosen Elvish language used.

Translations:

Ûr: fire.