Knocking on the door intensifies like someone is in urgent need.

“Alright! Alright… I’m coming.”

Tania opened the door

“May I help y…” Tania was cut off by some towering black armoured figure covered by a black cloak,  before her, its face was covered with the shadow of the cloak. Tania cannot see its face, locked her eyes unto the unknown figure before and slowly closed the door, but was blocked by the foot of her unknown guest. She conjured a magic circle between their feet which a towering tree emerged to bring along the house up above the unknown guest which it only managed to follow the growing tree where Tania was. Tania then conjured five green magic circles surrounding the unknown guest then vines engulfed the assailant trying to crush it. However darkness slowly emerged through the vines which slowly withered, Tania then sensed that her magic will cause a chain reaction towards her, she cancelled the spell. 

“TANIA!” A familiar voice shouted behind her

She turned and saw Kael with their father Roger sword in hand. 

“HOLD ON TO SOMETHING KAEL!”

“WHAT!?” Kael shouted back, since he can’t hear due to the creaking and swooshing air  of the growing tree.

Tania then placed her left hand on the cobbled stone floor and create a text of vines for Kael to read,

“HOLD ON TO SOMETHING!”

Kael looked up to Tania in bewilderment

“WHY?!!” 

“ARGHHHHH” Tania screamed in annoyance, she then moved the vines to engulf Kael to hold him, and move some of it to her for safety. Then she twisted her hand to the right, the house also followed. Raised up her hands and extended her index and middle fingers, placed them on the floor, and moved them like a person walking. Which tree that raised the house up followed the movement of her fingers like a walking giant. 

The house creaks with each step, cracks slowly begins to form onto the wooden walls and cobbled stone floors, Tania then placed her left hand on the ground to conjure to let the walking giant tree engulf the entire house to avoid it from crumbling apart. Until the only sound they could hear is the thud of each step the giant tree Tania made.

Thud 

Thud

 “Tania! What the hell's going on?!” Kael shouted while desperately trying to free himself from the vines

“Theres an unknown black armoured intruder!”

“What!? Why didn't I just say that in the first place?”

Tania turned

“SHUT UP LET ME FOCUS.”

BOOM

The house shook violently. Tania spat blood onto the floor.

“Tania!”

Kael rushed in front of his sister, placing both hands on her shoulders.

“Are you alright?”

Tania continued coughing, her body struggling to clear her airway so she could breathe. Kael stood and ran to the window behind her.

“K–Kael… wait, don’t stick your head out”

The moment Kael opened the window and caught sight of the black figure outside, the world around him darkened as if he had been pulled into another dimension.

He blinked, and the scene changed. A mountain of skulls stretched before him. At its peak stood the black-cloaked figure.

“Cursed be the blood of the dragons, thy soul shall never find rest. Whom you ever loved will die by thine hands.”

“Kael…”

He turned and saw Emily, but her eyes were gone, the sockets hollow and oozing black sludge. When she opened her mouth, thick strands of the same tar-like substance stretched between her lips. Her body was rotting, decaying like the undead.

Then arms wrapped around him from behind. Kael turned his head and saw Matthew’s face, just as empty, the same black void where eyes once were. His breath quickened as horror seized him. The weight of losing everyone he had ever loved crushed his heart.

A voice echoed from nowhere and everywhere:

“Because of the blood that runs through your veins, only you can make their souls rest. Their wailing clings to you, child of ash. No priest, no blade, no river will cleanse them. It is you. It has always been you.”

Kael fell to his knees, ready to surrender to atone for the souls of his loved ones. But then, a radiant light burst across his face.

He looked up and saw a towering figure, a woman wielding a katana in her right hand.

“KAEL!!”

A scream echoed and someone grabbed him, dragging him backward.

Kael’s eyes adjusted. The house had collapsed into rubble. Tania’s tree had fallen. Amid the chaos, he saw glowing Baybayin runes swirling behind the mysterious knight’s back like a halo of light.

She turned to glance at him, their eyes meeting for a heartbeat. She smiled, then faced the enemy once more.

“Tania! Take Kael and run as far as you can! I’ll catch up to you both. Don’t worry, I am Summeria, a close friend of your father.”

Tania hesitated for only a second before standing. But when she looked down, Kael was no longer in her arms. She looked up and gasped he was already charging toward the black assailant.

Summeria whipped around, grabbed Kael by the shirt, and slammed him to the ground. The impact carved a crater nearly a foot deep, leaving Kael unconscious. “Stay put, little lamb,” she said with a grin. “Let the adults play.”

Then she lunged at the enemy, every swing of her blade shaking the air.

“KAEL!”

Tania rushed to his side. She pressed her palms to the earth, summoning vines that rose and wrapped protectively around him as she began to heal his wounds. When she looked up, her eyes widened, the duel between Summeria and the black figure was beyond comprehension. Every clash of their swords sent shockwaves rippling through the ground. A black spear came hurtling toward her. She screamed and ducked over Kael’s body, bracing for the end.

But a metallic clang rang out.

Tania opened her eyes. Summeria stood before her, arm outstretched, blocking the attack. She turned her head, smiled faintly, and reached for Tania’s hand. She whispered something, words Tania could barely hear. Tania nodded. Summeria's smile softned. She touched Tania's hand and in an instant, both Tania and Kael vanished from the field.