I spun through the unfathomable void between planes, the sensation both familiar and alien. Almost as soon as it began, it was over, my twin hooves crunching against the rocks below as my body snapped back into place.
The sun overhead shone warm and inviting in the cloudless sky. I was surrounded by winding canyons and wind-carved rock formations, the sandstone a most welcome sight. My grin quickly shifted into one of genuine happiness. Home, at last.
An enormous sigh escaped my lungs as the weight of a short lifetime lifted from my shoulders. The fires of my heart were quelled, the rage born of countless indignations fading away. It was over. It was all over. Lightheaded, I braced myself against a nearby boulder.
At long last, I could see my precious daughters again. Would they remember me? They were both so young when I'd left, and I'd been away for so long, agonizingly distant. After everything I've done, what that world made me become, could I still be a good father? No, that was no way to think. I must be, for them. I didn't have to be Angrath the ruthless pirate captain anymore. I could be Angled Wrath the humble blacksmith again.
Angrath didn't belong here, on Equus. He had been driven by fury, free to do all but the one thing that mattered most. Ixalan had shaped him into a conqueror, one who took what he could in a futile effort to fill the void and then burned the rest. But now I was back, my one true joy within arms reach. I remembered Golden Heart's affectionate words and Argent Soul's adorable giggle, and I smiled. It may take some time, but I would care for them as best I could, even if I had to relearn all the nuances of fatherhood from scratch.
Unable to wait even a moment longer, I scanned the horizon - a familiar one - and begun to march towards the tall mountain that marked the edge of the city of Rinthos, my birthplace. With each step, a bit of Angrath was left behind and a piece of Angled Wrath returned. I wouldn't abandon everything, though. With some omission and embellishment, my adventures would make for most entertaining stories to share. Not to mention the fact that I could cast spells now, drawing upon the land's mana to heat objects, among other things. As far as I know, I'm the first minotaur from here to attain such a talent. Angled Wrath, the planeswalking battlemage! I can already picture the look of wonder on their faces, starry-eyed and innocent.
Wait, no, it's been fourteen years. Golden and Argent should be all grown up by now. Oh gods, they're all grown up. I've missed so much... but I can be there for them now, and that's what matters.
My thoughts never left my daughters as I set off. I spent hours marching down barely visible mountain trails, not even stopping to eat or drink. The sparse vegetation and dry air of our people's native land was quite welcome after the dense, stifling jungle. The heavy chains wrapped around my torso felt like nothing, propelled onwards by renewed purpose as I was.
By the time I reached the final ridge between me and Rinthos, the sun hung low in the sky, dying everything in an orange tint. Soon, the pony princess across the sea would be setting it in motion anew. But that was the least of my concerns. As I imagined the sight that would greet me on the other side, memories of my life, once tainted by resentment and loss, returned in force. Peaceful days, quiet work, and simple pleasures spent with family, grateful for what remained.
Then I crested the edge of the valley, and everything inside me ceased.
Where a proud city-state once stood now rested only ruins. Almost every building had collapsed, bricks reduced to rubble and wood charred to ash. The fields had turned fallow, unattended. There were no signs of movement, not a single 'taur to be seen. Only the lake was the same, quiet and still.
I couldn't breathe, couldn't think. I descended the slope on automatic, overwhelmed. As I got closer, passing the city limits, more details became visible. There were corpses, long picked clean by scavengers. Some were large, and some were small, but all were recognizably my people. Many had weapons still clutched in their hands. Within the wreckage, the cold black iron of cannonballs poked out from beneath the dust.
No. No no no no no. Please, no!
Unable to stop myself from trembling in fear, jaw clenched, I broke out into a run. Adrenaline rushing through my veins, I followed familiar streets, heedless of any further evidence of carnage long passed. When I reached my once and former household, my heart shattered.
Mere paces from where the door once stood, there were two bodies, clad in tattered dresses. Female. One had a two-pronged spear still lodged in her ribcage. The other's horns had been shattered by deadly force, along with her skull.
How was this fair? First my wife, then Ixalan, and now this? It was simply too much to bear.
I dropped to my knees and wept, my wails of sorrow echoing into the heavens.
I did not know how long I spent there, crouched in the dirt and pawing at all that was left of my family. Eventually, the unbearable pain receded, overwritten by a building rage stronger than any I had ever felt. I saw only red, my tears turning to spiraling embers as my fists and horns thrummed with unrestrained energy. My blood boiled like magma.
In that moment, after the last traces of my old life had been stripped away, Angled, nearly returned, was eaten by those flames. Only Angrath remained.
That made things simple. I had but one dream now: vengeance. To see that those responsible for this slaughter suffered tenfold for their actions.
I stood, scanning my surroundings for a sign of the perpetrators. There were no bodies besides those of my kin. If any were felled by the minotaurs, they were later removed by those that survived. I could understand that. To leave behind valuable gear or provisions was a waste. So, I ended up weaving through the husk of the city until, eventually, I stumbled upon something unusual: a strip of black cloth, likely torn from a banner in the chaos of war. The emblem in the center was a mirrored pair of teal green spikes.
I clenched my hand, crushing the symbol between my glowing fingers. Whoever flew this flag had made a grave mistake. Because I would be coming to hunt them down. Nothing would stop me, for I had nothing left to lose.