The capital of Albar was a fine city. Impressive to be honest. Its high walls encircled a well developed city and outside those walls there were a number of other homes that had sprung up around. Really it was one of the most impressive human cities Nalista had seen. She would have delighted walking down those streets, sitting in the castle, overlooking the populace and letting them gaze up at their conqueror. She would have enjoyed that quite a bit, but alas it was not to be. 

The Great Sacking within Elsiran lands by Prince Rickard had been enough to gain the eyes of the Empress herself. As such Albar had gained the ire of the ruler of the elven race. She had the Citadel’s masters and councilors prepare grand magical scrolls, artifacts and weapons with spells designed to send a message to all the human world. The price for resisting the new world order. Nalista was to be her instrument in this. So it was that she stood beyond the city. The few defenders were likely gazing out at their army far beyond with a nervous feeling. 

“Please…” 

Nalista looked down and spied the rather pretty and richly dressed form of Prince Rickard trapped inside a little golden cage latched to her necklace. She was rather fond of putting him in dresses now after seeing how lovely he looked in them. A caged bird that knew what was about to happen. A plea for the lives of his people no doubt. The blonde in truth was not overly fond of this herself, conquest rather than destruction was what she preferred by far. However she was a sword of the Empire.

“You should take heart, little Rose. You are the first human to elicit such a violent response from the Empire. The Empress herself took note of your deeds. Perhaps the name you once held will be forgotten. That scar you cut will run deep in our history. Though perhaps not in the manner you would like.” Indeed, it would not be seen as an argument for human worth. It would be another reason humanity needed to be brought under heel. To protect Elsira. 

“You don’t have to do this, please, I’m begging you, Nalista- Mistress Nalista. Goddess, whatever you want me to call you, whatever you want me to be I’ll accept it just please… not this.” He pleaded. 

“Mistress Nalista… I rather like that, little Rose. Unfortunately, my hand won’t be stopped. What has been set in motion won’t end.” The Grand General said. 

The blonde took a deep breath and spoke. “Soldiers of Elsira! Behold! The destruction of Albar! Burn it into your minds and watch the might of our Empire fall upon those that would bleed from us!” Her voice boomed out through magical amplification. Likely even those in the distant city heard her. 

With that, it had begun. Those mages chosen to bear the artifacts and weapons of the Citadel got to work. Nalista herself had taken on one of the spells as well. First clouds formed overhead of the city, dark and rolling and vast. There was a rumble that was the only warning the people of the city had before massive bolts of lightning started to strike the city. Bolts smashed into homes, igniting them. The lightning struck people and jumped from person to person. It was a storm of wrath that fell upon the city and caused large swaths of the city to be engulfed in flames. 

The opening act really. More spells were unleashed. These were spells created and stored by the greatest mages the Empire had to offer. A sign of their might. Fire rained down from a vortex in the sky, burning and incinerating anything it touched. Massive portals opened in the sky and started to suck up anything below them. People, buildings, everything under was torn up and into the sky, the portals leading to a dimension of emptiness evidently. 

Waves of insanity fell over the people in the city as well, a number of people having their minds turned violent by magic and turning against their fellows. Looking upon the city it was bombarded, its walls torn asunder, its buildings lit aflame and its people caught up in the mass destruction wrought upon them. Nalista watched as some fled as best they could. This was permitted since the Empress wanted others to hear of what happened today. To let fear be struck into the hearts of others. 

There was a pause after half an hour of having hellish magic rained down upon them. The capital looked so very broken and shattered. Brought to its knees by the intense display of power. A time for people to breathe and escape. Nalista waited a few moments for some people to get clear. Then she nodded to the mage next to her. 

A spell was cast and a vast image of Nalista was projected. She stood towering above all, her white and gold uniform looking fine and impressed. She held a ring of gold in a hand she lifted up. It glowed and flew out from her, rapidly expanding over the city itself. It grew to the scale of the city before light gleamed down upon it. The city simply… vanished. Completely gone and left behind a barren patch of earth. 

At least until one looked up at the image of Nalista. In the palm of her hand was now the city. It was… unlike anything Nalista had held before. The Grand General felt her own breath stolen as she looked down at the palm of her hand and saw the broken seat of power of Albar. The people inside of it gazed up and to them it must have been looking upon an all powerful deity of old. A powerful being beyond them to such a vast degree there was no measurement of the scales. 

Pale fingers rose on all sides of the city as their cries of despair went unheard but she could very well imagine it. Imagine the despair of helplessness as she held their lives in her hand. A hand that would be their doom in the end. She curled her fingers slowly, her image towering on high to give those that had fled in time a lovely view of the end of their little nest. Her hand clenched into a fist and just like that she had wiped it away. In a single motion she had ended one of the bastions of human civilization.

A thrill coursed down her spine at the sheer power trip from the act. She was not one that got so easily wrapped up in such things but in this case… it was impossible to not feel as though she had scratched on the ceiling of the divine. To render judgement in such a manner. To be the face of the difference between humanity and elven kind. It was an illicit pleasure that she would probably be replaying in her head for decades to come. 

She wiped her hands together, scattering the debris like it was dust as her image flickered out. She looked down at the cage around her neck and saw the expression her little captive had. One of shock. Despair. She lifted the cage up between her fingers and could see it. Could see something had finally snapped after watching what she did. After witnessing just what the Empire did to repay Albar. 

“Tell me. Who are you?” She asked. 

His eyes slowly turned up toward her, their intelligence dulled by the trauma. The spark of resistance was gone. The response he gave was automatic almost, like he was on autopilot. It was enough to draw her lips up into a smirk of triumph. 

“Your little Rose.”