The King sat alone in the darkness of his empty throne room. Fidgeting with the cracked crown that normally rested on his head. He basks in the peace and quiet as he drifts to and fro his memories.
The King of Darkness rarely experienced this kind of moment in his life. But such is a life when you are regarded as the natural enemy of everyone who ever lived, currently living, and who will live. Even the furthest memories he could muster in his head still has him struggling to survive against the world that wants him dead. Lacking the wisdom he has now, he failed to see how fighting back only solidified those impressions of him. The bright side of the experience is that he never dealt with the issue of boredom. What he wouldn't give to at the very least have the option to pick between the two.
His trip through memory lane was cut short as something began to disturb his peace. His senses had heightened over the course of his immortal life, due to always having to be aware of his enemies to ensure they would never gain the advantage in an ambush. Faint pitter-patter was being picked up. Someone was approaching his throne room. Not many of his minions would dare disturb him when he was in here, which made it the perfect location for him to run his thoughts without interruption. And only a select few could keep their nerve when near him.
The doors to the throne began to move heavily. The lowly-dim light from the hall began seeping in, revealing the dull gray stone that was used to construct the dark room. A knight cladded in luster-black armor began making their way toward the king. The sword that hung on their belt was just as black as the lightless room, making it nearly invisible to the average eyes, but not the king's. Once they stood before the king, they would quickly kneel, their armor clanking with the swift action echoed in the room.
“My liege.” A feminine voice blew from beneath the helmet that they wore.
The king did not speak, but merely straightened his fingers that rested on the arm of his throne.
The knight took this as a gesture to speak. “Reports have been coming in from our outposts that a massive army has begun scaling the mountains. All agree that they are on their way here.”
The Castle of the King of Darkness sat in the very center of a mountain range that was fairly difficult to climb. And the difficulty merely rested on the steepness the mountains were shaped in. Excluding the spike of the challenge when you take into consideration the many monsters that call it their home. They too act as a barrier for the castle. And as a last resort, demi humans occupy the more suitable pathways and cliffs that could be used as campsites for travelers.
“I see.” It was all he could say to the news as he attempted to pinpoint the memories he was re-experiencing in his mind. He wanted to continue enjoying his peace. But the irritation that he once again had to fight behaved like an anchor that prevented him from truly returning to the dream world. His knight was unaware of his uninterest and continued on with their report.
“I have personally alerted our troops to prepare for battle and are now awaiting your approval to be deployed and attack them now.”
Silence befell the two of them from a mere moment. But then both figures in the dark jerked their heads to the left of the throne room. The King was wide awake now.
“He is here.”
“Yes, few have reported seeing HIM among the fodder, some believe he is the one leading the forces here.”
“I can believe that. He likely finally accomplished forming a unity of the world's nations to combine their armies for a final battle of sorts.”
Their armor rattled as rage began to take over the knight. “I shall have his head for this disrespect. How dare he invade our home.” They declared. But the anger quickly subsided when the King raised his hand up. They take a deep breath to blow all the negative emotions out.
“Be still, my loyal sword. Being fueled by emotions at this critical time will be our downfall. We must be level headed in our approach and moves to give us large quantities of time we can muster. That will be our goal here, not victory in combat.”
“Your wisdom knows no bounds, my liege.” They exclaimed as they bowed their head, showing off their easy to gain impression for the king.
“I'm aware,” he brushes off the praise and continues, “For now, continue alerting our troops to prepare for battle. Have those who are ready to head out into the field and get into positions behind the army for an ambush from behind. Using a pincer attack would develop many casualties and weaken the force before they could breach the castle gates. Report back to me once they are near the gates.”
“At once, my liege.” With a faint nod, they would twist on their heel as they rose back up and began exiting the throne room. Once the doors closed behind them, the king was left back into his peaceful darkness once more. But knowing the enemy was on their way prevented him from fully enjoying his moment. Tilting his head a tad to the left once more, he can make out a small opening at the corner of the wall. It led to the outside, giving the room a small whiff of air into the room while being a form of ventilation. But the walls were too thick to allow any light from the outside to slip in and illuminate even the small corner that it was in.
The idea of his own home being invaded didn't impact him as much as it should. Even the smallest of unintentional mistakes by his minions was enough to deliver them quick death. The reaction of his knight should have been shared by him, but as he explained, now wasn't the time to let emotions get the better of them. Not when they were this close. With his heightened senses, he felt something rumble in the depths of the castle basement. His plans were nearly complete now. All he has left to do is give it time.
At last, the king has lived long enough to see the start of this destined day. Out of all the schemes he had conducted with his minions, this one was the biggest of them all. Everything was precise for a certain idea. And the drastic difference has left their enemies confused and nervous. He expected a resistance would occur out of it. Even awaited for them at the critical moment such as the end. It was nothing new to him. Like always, this was a do or die situation. And like always, the fate of the world was betting on the latter.
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Outside the castle, the empty peaks of the mountains that acted like a shield for the castle have been compromised. Standing at the end of one mountain face stood a lone knight.
His armor shimmered even with the dim light that barely broke through the smoky clouds that historically never faded over the area. The gold and silver plates of the armor shined despite the metallic scratches that plagued it showing its usage. Attached to the back of the breastplate, a white flowing cape stretched behind the armored being as they stared down at the castle. His head was the only thing that wasn't carefully secured in armor. He was fixated on the building down in the valley. Despite the calming blue, his pupils glowed a faint red with anger, mimicking his face flushing with a burn.
Someone rushed behind him, activating his instincts to reach for his sword that was once sheathed and was now gripped tightly in his fist.
"Sir, we just received word from the Capital." The knight exclaimed. Their words delivered swift enough to halt the deadly reaction.
The Champion of Light took a deep breath, releasing the stress that was building up from his glaring at the King of Darkness' castle for so long. He nearly forgot he wasn't alone.
He turns back to the knight and the rest who have followed him this far. Even after multiple looks, the sheer amount of those who were willing to fight impressed him greatly.
This was the first time in their world's history that the nations have united for one fight. The nations of the north, east, and west have become one army to fight against the King and his Dark army. And that included his own nation, ruled by his queen, nicknamed: The Queen of Light, the King's mortal enemy. And to her, he was her Champion. Giving him the title as the Champion of Light. Or shortly, 'The Hero'. The one who is the most experienced in engaging with the King.
"What is the report knight?" He asks after he puts away his sword for the time being. He keeps his hand on the handle in case he needs to brandish it at any moment.
"We have received word that Her Majesty is on her way to participate in the fight."
"What!?" He exclaims, his calm and serious composure is lost at this sudden news. Alerting the nearby knights that lounged around near them until it was time for action.
"Yes, the messenger was sent off by the Queen herself as she was already on her way. Many tried to stop her, but she wouldn't listen to reason and it was too late to stop her."
Multiple emotions went and came over his face, plain to see for the knights. He cut his report short before he made it any worse. Despite the many pleads and various discussions with his Queen, she still in the end chose to endanger herself. It annoyed him immensely, but at the same time, that was what drew him to her in the first place.
He can still remember when the two met, it was after the forces of the King of Darkness attacked the village where he lived as a child. He was the sole survivor. It was a poor village that didn’t have much to offer, and yet he was surprised to see the Queen herself be one of the first to search the area for survivors like him. She saved his life that day, and since, he has devoted to growing strong to ensure he would protect her from the menace.
Reliving that and remembering his promise, he calms himself and begins thinking what his next actions should be.
“Sir?” The knight hesitates, but speaks after what felt like too long of a silence between them.
“I am fine. If the Queen wishes to join us in battle, then that is her wish. But that also means we cannot afford any delay. Inform the faction leaders that we are beginning to mobilize for battle.”
The knight clicks his heels together and salutes the Champion, “Sir!” He then blended in with the crowds of knights that stood idle about and attempted to recover from the trek through the mountains.
The Champion of Light returned his attention back to the castle. Its bleak appearance was not the kind that would instill fear into you, but knowing who it belonged to would send the feeling of cold death up their spine. But only two people in the world aren’t afraid of the King. One of them was on their way and as for the other…
He drew his sword back out and pointed it toward the building. He knew somewhere inside that sad looking structure was the dangerous tool that the King was building in his attempt to dominate the world. At least that was what their intel told them was what the King was doing. It wasn’t like the King to be constructing anything. Destruction and ruin was always his motif on any incident he had been responsible for.
The change worried him immensely. It was the very reason he knew he had to end the King’s life before he could even use the tool. And that triggered his odyssey to convince the other nation leaders to put aside their differences for a single event and have their armies fight together as one. With further aid from his Queen, a treaty was made. And the World’s One Army was created.
He didn’t know how exactly he ended up selected as the one who would lead the charge of the attack and be the main general of the army. He first thought it was a sick joke. He didn’t have the smarts to lead an army, let alone one composed of millions and millions of knights with different attributes and qualities that he has to mind, the idea of it makes his stomach turn. But he couldn’t reject it when the Queen was the one who suggested him for the position.
A collection of knights began piling behind him, awaiting for his command. Some could be heard bickering with one another on various things, but the noise was too much for his ears to pick up any key details. But he suspects they must be talking about him and how they want their own general to be the one to lead the World's One Army.
The Champion would climb onto one the larger boulders present near him as he attempts to speak to the unified force.
"I want to thank you all for making it this far into the enemies' territory." He begins, giving time for the knights to stop their actions and give him their attention before he goes to the main point. "I realize that we have only united here to stop the King from activating his constructed tool. But this is a long time coming. For too long, we have allowed this parasite to infect our livelihood. Every year, we lose lives that could have been prevented if we had the strength to rebel him back to the hell he came from. Not just lives are being lost, but the ones living have to spend their days in fear of whether they will be next to fall by one of his minions rampaging through our countryside."
Few of the knights nod, others stay silent, but it was clear that reminding them of what the King of Darkness has been doing to the world for centuries was keeping their attention. There was not one knight there that could make a joke about the situation revolving around that being. Either they tell their children to beware of him, or their own mothers did to them growing up. But what gets them the most about it is that this was a warning their parents also received as children from their parents and the lineage continued for as long as humanity lived.
"Well, I grow tired of hearing my comrades and neighbors dealing with all that. I grow tired of having to be depended on to be the sole answer to this demon. Everyone deserves their own life without the constant reminder of the chain that keeps them from experiencing real freedom!"
The Champion could see that many were nodding to what he was saying. They forgot their fatigue and were energized by their personal reasons as to want to take down the King of Darkness. That was what united the army in the first place. Every nation had good reasons to want to end the reign of the King. Some wanted his land, some wanted safer trading between nations for profit, some had even more personal reasons.
Whatever their reasons are, they were for once, united.
"Today, we will make a stand and declare we want our freedom! We want to be free of fear! We will end the Demon of the Human Race!"
The knights roared in cheers. When the Champion raised his sword into the sky, the knights followed his movements.
But as they cheered and their morale boosted, none saw how some small child-like dirty beings scurried behind the rocks and headed toward the back of the force. Some looked hungrily at the knights.
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The King nearly managed to leave reality and back into his memories of the good past he only has recently obtained and treasured until a rumble woke him. It was followed by some scurrying steps coming from the hall outside the throne room and the doors were quickly opened.
His knight in black armor had returned, but not alone. They had another person within his small circle of the trusted behind them, clutching a large black orb against their bosom. She didn’t don armor or have weapons on her. Instead, she is a master of the dark arts and is capable of performing dark miracles for the sake of her master. The two hurried to their king and kneel’d just as swiftly.
“My liege, our forces have engaged the enemy. Some of them are getting near the castle gates.” The knight in black armor cried out, the other was hugging their orb for emotional support rather than worry of dropping it. They weren’t the kind to look so distressed. But he suspects it has to do with his plan and how important it was that it would not be disturbed. They were unsure of their actions for the first time, unable to plan due to their lack of insight.
The King pondered for a swift moment as he weighed his options carefully. There is still some time before his plans can go into motion with no threat to stopping it. The enemy has indeed continued on with the tradition of interfering at the most delicate moment of his plan. But one with such experience is capable of putting on a poker face to ensure his loyal minions do not see his frustrations.
“At ease and calm your minds. Now is not the time to hesitate in any matter. Continue with our aggressive defensive maneuvers and continue delaying the enemy from entering the castle. Hold no punches and use anything we have at them.”
“Yes, my liege.” The two say in unison.
With their response, the King begins to rise from his throne. His ripped cloak shifted over his body, hiding his black thin armor and dark jewelry that glisten at only precise angles.
“Are you joining us on the battlefield?”
“No, I will take the role as the guardian for our plan. As a precaution, I will be down at the workshop to ensure nothing happens to it. Continue on with our plan until we activate it.”
“Very well, we will lay down our very lives to ensure you and your future’s safety.”
“I shall hope it doesn’t come to that, But should it come to that, know that I thank you for your sacrifice.”
The two had trouble forming words and what sounds they made overlapped themselves. They watched as the King’s cloak floated like a ghost behind him as he headed toward the back end of the throne room. As he approached, the wall began to split open into a doorway, leading toward an even darker opening.
With a final wave of his hand, his figure disappears into complete blackness before the wall recloses itself.
Another rumble broke their staring as it reminded them that they have work to be done.
“We must ensure to give the King as much time as he can get. After everything he did for us, we could at least do that for him.” The Knight acclaimed as she rose to her feet and drew out her sword. The orb that the other was holding gave a faint glow and debris began circling it as if it developed its own gravity that picks and chooses what it affects, as both beings don’t notice it, but the loose stones of the room do and behave accordingly.
Soft knocking echoed from the hall outside the throne. The throne room laid in the deepest and centermost part of the room. If the noises reached them, it only indicated how strong the causes of the noise were indeed. With a silent nod, the two head to the frontlines.
At the front gates, the knights and demihuman soldiers have crossed paths. Demihumans make up the backbone of the King of Darkness’ force. They stem from the evolution of humans giving into their sinful desires. Once transformed, they get outcasted and either must survive on their own in the wild or join the ranks. To the demihumans, the King was their salvation to a possible better future, for it is when they see him in a different light, and gain new insight in the unfairness the world is built upon. Such resolve is what drives them into putting up a good fight. Not unlike the more chaotic beasts that aid them in the fight. Driven to combat by mere discipline and hunger.
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Meanwhile, somewhere in the castle’s many towers, a man in thick cloaks fidgeted back and forth from one station full of strange devices to another. He was so busy scurrying about that he failed to notice that the King was standing by the only doorway leading out from that particular room.
“Time is counting down, Wizard.” The King spoke to draw his attention. It shocked the man in the robes enough that his body jolted and he dropped a gear he had picked off the table.
“Sire, you’re here. I failed to notice your presence.” He exclaimed with a bit of stutter to his breathing to calm himself.
“Did you also fail to notice the rumbles going about in my front yard? What is the status of the machine?” The King asked and carried himself to a large contraction that sat in the center of the room.
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“N-no, I noticed the engagement. I can hear the yelling from all the way up here.”
The machine was quite a strange one. Constructed from metal pipes connected and going into the center with a large oven-like body. Multiple Gauges plastered on the body to show various conditions such as heat of the metal, heat of the air, and what-not. There was a panel at the front end of it that also contained nonsensical switches and buttons used to interact with it.
Only two people knew how to handle it.
The wizard in the robes rolled his sleeves as they continued catching themselves on unplated sections of the machine and ripping off gears that he had to put on. His arms were coated in strange runes and tattoos, that contained history and power. “The tool continues to be in a stable condition despite the unfinished body. And it started drawing in power since you demanded it. So far, we have reached 60%.”
“And how much time until we are at full power?” The King continued his questioning. His eyes wandered around the small room. Every small detail was being looked at, and that was making the wizard nervous. He tries to distract the King, “Do you plan to join the battle out there with your generals or do you wish for me to join your ranks?”
“Neither, I have faith in my subjects that they will give us enough time for the machine to be at full power. You just focus on ensuring the machine is stable enough to go at full power. We need to only activate it once.” The King explained, picking something from the ground that was so small, the Wizard was unable to see what it actually was, it only made the tension worse.
“Very well sire, I shall continue my work.”
“Are you capable of having a conversation while you work?”
The question sent off a red flag for the wizard, but he had no way to refuse, “I am able.”
“Then allow me to pick your brain on the matter of the enemy.”
“What about them sire?”
“Out of all the times that the enemy has arrived to interfere with our plans, it is mostly due to the non-subtle way we handle ourselves that have alerted them of our presence. Taking land and attempting to infiltrate foreign governments are definitely something we would previously engage in. But this one is separate from those, and yet, the so-called heroes have arrived, the same as always.”
“It is as you say, that fate is always betting against you and ensures your failure.”
“I am aware. But fate isn’t a true player or we would know by now and raise our fists at them. All we have is the ones who have been playing this game their whole lives.”
The wizard didn’t respond, but he was giving the king his full attention. Just a sliver of a second was used to locate the exit of the room, but the King had already moved back to the front as he rambled on.
“We played this new play with the cards close to our chest. We trained a special faction to stealthily gather the supplies we needed to construct this contraction for you to build up for me.”
“Meaning?”
“Meaning that the enemy should not have known we were doing anything at all and yet they are here with cries of stopping a plan they should not know.”
“Are you suggesting that there is a rat within your ranks?” The wizard says directly. One of his hands has tucked themselves into his cloak and begins an enchantment with the waves of his fingers. The wizard has no chance against the king. But even an attack can give just a sliver of a chance to flee.
“Yes it will likely have to be the few people that know about the machine.”
“Want to know something amusing?”
“What is it?”
“I lied to my generals and minions. I have told them what we were conducting is merely a ritual spell. Not a machine. They know nothing about the science angle at all.”
“Why would you lie-”
“To ensure that any leaks occurring would give our enemy false implications as to what we are doing and creating. The enemy will not know how to exactly encounter our machine if they anticipated and planned for a form of magic.
“I see, a brilliant move, sire.”
“Yes, it was. But depending on our leaker, it will be futile. But it does help if the enemy believes that we are making a mere tool or weapon.”
“I-I suppose it does.”
“That was a test, wizard.”
“Excuse me?”
“As I said, my minions only recognize our final product as a ritual spell. I have alway referred to it as a machine. And you, my co-creator, labels it as a tool. As does the enemy, they have been referring to it also as a tool or weapon in their reports.”
The wizard continues to stay silent as he watches the King hold something pink and thin. It was hard to see what it was. But when the Wizard realized what it was, the King confirmed it.
“Also, how were the tree blossoms? I hear they were exceptionally lovely this year. The world public took them as an omen that the meeting between the world leaders to be successful and the formation of the One World Army to be completed.
There was no defense he could think of to counter the process the King was making.
The slightest move the King made triggered a reaction. The Wizard pulls his hand out and a glowing cloud of blue mist shoots from his fist and at the King. The King did nothing as it flew at him. Just as the projectile was about to land a hit his cloak mysteriously blew upwards and absorbed the hit.
When the king turned his attention back to the Wizard, he found him mid-transparent as he was attempting to escape. The King simply allowed him to go without a fight so as to not damage the room and risk the machine.
The King turns toward the panel and begins inspecting the process. He sees that it was making progress in both gaining energy and in the middle of a sequence that would have shut the machine down. The King arrived just in time to save himself, the irony. He smirks. If this wasn't a sign that things were different, nothing else will be. He shuts off the sequence and patiently waits for time to continue. The end is nearing.
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The battle is the most chaotic one the world has seen, the World’s One Army was attacked from both ends, causing confusion in one end as to what was going on. Only to then be caught up in their own situation when the Castle’s defense began pouring out to defend their home. And they do not hold back. The many varieties of the King’s forces have been unleashed. Monsters and beasts alike rush into the center of the Army. The combined strategy of an unorganized force which consisted of the monster and beasts, followed by the demihumans who supported them with organized efforts proved to be a challenge for most of the soldiers.
The Champion of Light had to fall back on relying on the generals that lead their own factions to lead portions of the army to communicate with one another on their conditions and what they were going up against to prevent even more casualties from occurring. Once the situation was stable, the generals ordered a few of their men to be a special squad to accompany the Champion to go be the vanguard and pursue the King of Darkness.
The Champion and his group break through the main gate and bypass the flood of enemies that come from inside.
To cut his way through, the Champion relayed an ancient chant that bathes his blade with an unnatural aura of light that grows in size and breaks the flow of enemies into two halves, allowing him and the others to reach the inside of the castle.
This was the first in their history that anyone ever stepped inside the Castle of Darkness. Many tales described what it was like, but none could confidently declare themselves to be the truth. As his squad looked about in terrifying awe, the Champion was not impressed. He reaffirms their attention to the goal and they carefully skulk through the various halls.
Few enemies were inside the castle to challenge their progression, which made it much smoother than they thought. Just as the Champion was giving praise to the idea, they were ambushed once more.
Two stronger variations of the King's enemies have confronted them, about 1⁄2 bigger than the average man. They roared in intimidation and began swinging their poorly constructed weapons at the group of the Champion and Co. Many dodged, but few had such delay in their attempt that limbs of theirs suffered a hit and became paralyzed from that moment on.
Some of the knights retaliated with attacks of their own from casting magic at their faces or stabbing their polished blades deep into their flesh. The Champion swooped in to save the struck knights and moved them further to not suffer anymore injuries. But even with that fraction of time taken from the Champion was enough to make things worse for them all.
The roar was no mere intimidation tactic, but a call of arms. The ground rumbled and three more began lining up in the hall from the entryway heading their way, the Champion could see.
He relies on the ancient chant phrase once more, but delays the activation key word until the perfect moment.
Just as they reached him and the first one was in mid-motion to swing his arms up into the air and down for a slam, his attack was triggered. The elongated blade of light shoots outwards as he points and blows through the three demihumans, with the third just barely having the tip stick out from its back. It halts their movement and when he pulls his weapon back, he tilts it upwards, delivering even more damage to their body. As the light fades, the bodies limb against one another, lifeless.
He turned to see how his soldiers were doing, but it wasn't good.
He finished in time to see that the last knight was barely able to deliver the final blow on the remaining demihuman. The wide corridor they were in was layered with burnt ash, wet blood, mixed with dry blood from the flames. And the knights were scattered about. Some clearly gone from the mortal world, and others look like they are begging for an end. There weren't just two demihumans anymore, but a few more. An opened doorway from the wall was exposed, suggesting that was where they came out of.
As he rushes to help the final knight, they gesture at him to continue on and collapse. He whispers a small prayer for them all to find peace and begins to enter the secret doorway.
The hall was narrow, uncomfortable, and dark. He can barely see if there was even more ground to step on ahead of him. And as he feared, he didn't have any more and stepped off the edge accidently. He tried piercing the wall with his blade to halt his fall, but the stones were too tightly mixed to break through.
Then, he fell into a large chamber that was barely dimmed. A pile of some rubble managed to break his fall and he only suffered a bruise on his thighs and back.
Collecting himself, he attempts to look around, but his eyes are still adjusting to the level of darkness he is in. Holding his weapon out, he chanted a different phrase than before and the end of his blade contained a small orb of pure light.
It grew more and more strongly. That was when it was revealed that he wasn't alone. Something large and covered in fur was stalking at the corner, their yellow eyes fixated on him.
He recognized it. "So, this is your room, I take it. I was wondering if we would meet again before I kill your master." He only responded with a growl, but the Champion could sense that it was familiar with him.
The two have crossed paths before. This was one of the King’s most dangerous assets within his forces. It was a beast infused with dark magic. Back before such regulations prevented inhumane experiments to be done. The beast escaped and went on a rampage through the region it was taken to. By the time the champion was called in to stop it, it had already destroyed and killed 4 towns. Before delivering the final blow, The King forces went to retrieve the beast. And ever since then, the beast has sporadically popped in other places around the world to attack and then disappear before the champion could properly end it.
When the champion points his sword at the beast, the beast in turn would bear his fangs. An old familiar dance would begin. The champion charges forth with his sword positioned and ready to be swung. The beast roared and awkwardly charged back at him. Once they were close to collusion, the champion swung his sword, but the beast in its awkward posing jumps to the side to have the attack miss.
The beast then retaliates with a tackle which sends the champion flying into the wall. The attack knocked the wind out of him and he stumbled into the floor, trying to catch his breath. As he tried to grab his dropped sword, the beast smartly shoved it from his reach with a single paw swipe.
"I should have taken that advice by heart." He mutters to himself as he realizes he has been cornered by the beast.
The beast takes its time inching closer to the champion. It recognized the knight as the one who has repeatedly fought against it whenever it had the privilege of exacting its revenge on the people it experimented on. Finally, it will take care of the problem and after devouring him, it would be free to destroy that nation. It couldn’t think any further beyond sinking its teeth into that man’s flesh. It wasn’t fed yet. But it was patient, and now patience is being rewarded.
“Devour me, and I’ll just eat my way out from the inside.” The Champion promises as he stares down the opened mouth with rows of teeth creeping closer.
Just as the beast was in mid-pounce, something immediately shot out with a blinding light that even made the champion wince from it. He shields his eyes and hears something, likely the beast, colliding into the wall like he did. But he didn’t hear the thud of the body. Once his eyes adjusted to the steady light that’s remaining in the room, he sees someone wearing a flowing dress standing about in the center.
“I find it funny that the so-called damsel in distress has to save her hero like this, don’t you?” The voice carried within a tone of amusement.
The champion scrambles off the floor and properly kneels with his sword poking the floor, “Your majesty.” He responds.
It was his queen. The Queen of light, she was already here. He wondered how much time had been wasted if she was capable of reaching the castle. But he couldn't deny seeing her was pleasing to his eyes and heart. Aside from her sun dress, she was also wearing her new readjusted armor pieces crafted from ritual armor that was previously given to her. Before, it was merely cosmetic. Now it was secured with magical
She gestures to him to be at ease as she carefully walks over to the spot where the beast would have been after being struck by her attack.
There was nobody there as he thought. Just a burn mark on the wall and some black ash on the floor. The Queen’s magic was nothing short of the most powerfulest in the world. Only ones that come close would be the King of Darkness and the Ancient Red Mage.
“I appreciate the save, your grace, but why are you here? We agreed that you would stay at the castle.”
“I did not agree to it. I simply walked away from the conversation and let you have the final word.”
“But-”
“It’s fine. Leave it at that, I am already here. So let us see that this tool of the King is stopped.”
The champion wanted to rebut, but he couldn’t argue with her that it was indeed too late. They were both at the heart of the enemy’s territory. And the mere fact that he was struggling with a lackey of the king. “Very well. But I insist you stay behind me when we go into battle with the enemy.”
“So I can watch you fall on your behind again, if you say so.” She teases as he uses her magic to dissolve a portion of a wall to reveal, yet another pathway inside the castle.
His face flushes red from embarrassment and walks out of the room, with the queen casually following behind, illuminating the way. The two ventured through the castle with little resistance as they confined themselves through only the hidden paths until they had reached the throne room. There, they cross paths with the two generals, armed with their weapons and ready to stop the Queen and her Champion dead in their tracks.
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The King could hear the rumbles of combat occurring and echoing from the stairs he climbed up from the throne room.
‘They have reached the throne room.’ he had thought. He began playing scenarios in his mind on the possible situation that was going on down under him. Using only the heavily muffled sounds that echoed to him as reference. He can faintly hear a male voice. Likely belonging to the champion he despises so much. Despite their repeated history of fighting one another, he had no respect for the man who is considered by the world to be the one who will end his life eventually. The king does not believe he even has the strength to do so and relies heavily on the Queen to give him an edge in combat.
Truly, he was more so an avatar for the Queen than a soldier. Constantly sent into combat with her blessing and magic enchantments that make his dull sword swings pack a punch, even for someone as powerful as him.
The Queen on the other hand, was a different story. They previously engaged with one other in fierce combat. This occurred very early on in the years of the world. Back then, there was more space for their destructive dance. Thinking back to those times, he could recall the burn marks whenever one of her attacks would land on his battle. It only heated up his blood and wanted to return the favor with a good strike of his own. But as he felt the excitement of their battles, he recalls the last time the two crossed paths. All that excitement was replaced by the calm and loving sense.
Another rumble disrupts him again. He now hears something approaching him and his machine. Whomever it was, they would die before they set foot into the room, so he wasn’t worried much. But the echo hid something, it was two footsteps. Someone was accompanying the Champion. Or perhaps he failed worse than he expected and his generals are approaching him to share their victory. Something that should at least deserve some praise.
Indeed, it was his two generals that rose up to them. But they were in awful shape. The shiny armor one of them had was cracked and he could see their exposed flesh underneath. Something she was proud of. The other was shamefully holding their broken orb in their hands.
“I’m sorry, my liege. S-she was more powerful than we anticipated. We had to warn you.” She states through her cracked armor. It was difficult to tell whether the drips of liquid on her face were her tears or sweat.
‘She?’ He took notice but couldn’t because again, footsteps began to climb up the stairs behind them to disrupt. The two pressed on each other and behaved like they were attempting to act as a blockade from the invading party from getting into the room. The King simply projected his immense aura of miasma that he could weaponize to knock out his own generals. Carefully, he moves them to the corner of the room and tucked behind a desk. Though he didn’t admit it to them, he valued them dearly and couldn’t bear losing them, even if he was unsure of the future.
His attention was taken when he felt daggers being shot at him. He turns to see the Champion standing in the doorway, sword in hand. Fresh blood dripped from the blood. He could feel rage building inside of him, but with a steady breath, he was able to swallow it back in the depths of his soul with the other burst moments of rage he had in stock.
“So this is where you have been hiding, you devil.” The Champion stated. Wiping the blood off his weapon as if it was filth. The champion's attempt to get him to snap and lose his cool continues on.
“This is my home, where else would a person be?” The King retorted. Making his way back to the front of the machine. As he did, the flooring began to have glowing lines form under them slowly.
The champion stepped back into the stairway to not get caught within the lines. “A Magic Circle!? This is your tool?” He exclaims.
“Magic is one of the most powerfulest forces in the world. You should have practiced it more than simply relying on that hand-me-down toy you use to claim masculinity.” With a wave of his hands, the line of lights grew more strongly as they began activating. But then the light began flickering strangely.
“Indeed, magic is quite powerful. But so are people who know their stuff.”
The hairs on the King’s arm stood on their end. It came from a voice he hasn’t heard from a long time. There she was, standing behind the swordsman. The two locked eyes for a moment until the King was able to come up with a retort he felt comfortable using.
“Well, if it isn’t her majesty. If I had known you were coming along, I would have been more of a good host and used my finest wine and death traps.”
She chuckled in a playful manner as she waved her hand and the lights that illuminated the flooring disappeared for good. “Well, after ignoring my invitations to join the global council so many times, I just had to come here to make the invitation in person.”
The King was about to answer her, but was rudely interrupted by her Champion, “Come on, your majesty, don’t even joke about the idea of being friendly with the likes of him. He’ll betray us when he gets the chance. It’s in his nature!”
“Your little boy soldier has a point. You know my intentions.” He would say as he moves his hand up and attempts to revive the magic circle. But the lights kept flickering as the Queen prevented its usage. The Champion felt this was the right moment to strike. Gripping his sword with both hands, he begins to charge at the King.
“And here comes the sword swing at full charge.” The King declares. He stops his attempt to do magic and catches the blade with such ease that most of the momentum went through the Champion’s body. Very quickly, the King would twist his body to perform a powerful kick that knocked the wind out the Champion in a single blow.
The Queen also stopped her own magic to catch her knocked knight. Taking advantage of the situation, the King uses his magic to complete the circle. Once completed, the glowing light began melting into the stone floor and soft rumbling began to occur.
It felt like they were moving. Or something was occurring around them, it was hard to tell exactly what it was. The stones that formed the room began to split apart, crumble away even. They were no longer in a room anymore. They were suspended in the air. The light under them was the only thing keeping them in the air.
The queen looks down to the ground level. She could see the castle was surrounded in violence and mayhem. The two forces fighting never stopped. And the ground wasn’t visible to her, as it was layered in bodies. The fullest visual of wars are at full display to the queen, and it makes her heart heavy with sorrow. But she had no time to mourn for the dead, the platform she was on continued to rise up further. At the edges, blue flames began igniting.
“Don’t tell me we failed in stopping the magic.” The champion asks as he recovered from the strong blow and was finally able to get some words out.
“I’m afraid the magic was a mere ruse, this seems nothing.” She explains to him.
“Then what the hell is your endgame!?” The Champion yelled. Clearly frustrated over being tricked.
The King merely smirks as he turns his back on the two and begins to occupy the panel in front of the machine. That was when the Queen clicked it together.
“No, the magic and the mention of it being a tool is just a ploy. That large contraction he is using is the real thing. Zero, wait!”
The King paused his hands before the final button he needed to press to activate the machine.
“Listen, you don’t have to do this!”
“What do you mean by that? Of course I have to.” He says straightforwardly. “In all my life, I have never been given the ability to choose for myself. And neither have you. But with this…” He slams his hand down, the machine begins whirring, gradually getting louder.
The Queen simply watched, unsure of what they could do to stop it. The Champion on the other hand, rose to his feet and with all his remaining strength, threw his sword with a good thrust in his attempt to pierce the machine. But the weapon was caught by the King and thrown off the platform they were on.
The machine grew in size and light began beaming out from the inside. It didn’t stop though, it simply continued on and on until it was getting too much to simply leave their eyes naked and uncovered. Even the Queen wasn’t strong enough to endure. Soon, the area around them was enveloped with light and they were unable to realize that the world was soon engulfed in the light. And finally, the rest of everything.
The World was blank.