"DESPITE WHAT PEOPLE SAY, I AM JUST A PLEDGEBORN. NO DIFFERENT TO THE OTHERS THAT FIGHT FOR ME, I'M SIMPLY A RARER BREED IF YOU WILL. I AM A PLEGEBORN, NOTHING MORE AND NOTHING LESS."

- THE HELLFIRE CHRONICLES, HOLY BOOK OF TRAGSXT

7th of Jirath, 1012 on the War Calander, Day of Destiny:

Etheail stalked the halls of the ruined castle. His days were about to end. He knew that from the start

So why did he feel so surprised? Every day, he woke up astonished at the position he found himself in.

A leader of a small town, that had somehow managed to anger the strongest nation in the world and a soon-to-be Devildealer. That is if he lived long enough to become one.

Tragsxt didn't oppose Devildealing. He brought it to Kalendi to find his host, but since Kiral, the day the Arcaunums put up their blades, the art has been corrupted into something unholy. Etheail would be different; He'd bring Devildealers back to their original purpose.

His pledgeborn hadn't been too helpful though. Something was coming, but the thing couldn't even say what. Etheail didn't even know what Arcane he was going to get!

Etheail found a staircase and went down.

Below was what he assumed to be a basement. There were crates of weapons and armor all around.

Etheail grabbed a new spear and a set of simple bronze plates. After taking his equipment, he glanced at the large statue in the middle of the room.

A large, imposing man in pure golden armor. It wasn't like the intricate all-covering armor that the Yjraith wore. It was simpler but somehow more grand.

The armor was strong, but also thin. And it only covered the chest. The sleeves were left exposed where a white undershirt was worn. There were also golden boots and a helmet with a split down the middle, which met the eye holes and had a mane of horizontal red fur going down; Spartan armor.

It was Jirath holding his hand out where a phoenix perched on his arm; Tragsxt.

His phantom pledgeborn made an appreciative, almost nostalgic hum.

'Did you fight during the 3rd Bleakness?" Etheail asked of his pledgeborn, who might be millennia older than him.

"I..Think so. Without our bond finalized, my memories are hard to access."

Etheail nodded.

"What are the words I have to speak? What Arcane am I?" Etheail asked.

"They will come to you when it's time." His phantom replied.

Etheail nodded again; It was frustrating, but there was nothing to do.

The King of New Learu City rose from the basement and walked towards the main gate, where early dawn's light exploded from the door. Walking through, two people were waiting for him.

Uria, and the slave that had started all of this, Daiez. He was a former soldier in the Ilraian military.

Everyone else had started evacuating days before. They were the only three left.

"Are you sure you two don't want to leave?" Etheail asked them.

"No, I'm a soldier; if you are to die for me, I shall die with you," Daiez explained.

Etheail turned to Uria, "Go away, you've done all that you can."

"But lad-" Uria was cut off,

"That's an order. My final order." Etheail said.

Uria tried to make a rebuttal but eventually went into the castle to get his things and leave.

Daiez and Etheail turned to face the horizon and waited, spear and blade at the ready.

After a few minutes, furious clomps of hooves started ringing from the hill. Horses of shining white with riders of the same colored armor started charging towards the castle.

"What comes around goes around," Daiez muttered.

Etheail raised an eyebrow.

"I was one of the two survivors of General Oa's charge."

Etheail had heard of that event. It happened a year ago, a suicidal charge that managed to save Ilra.

"I thought there were no survivors?" Etheail questioned.

"WarThunder branded us slaves, as a mercy. Made sure no one knew who we were, I guess." Daize looked somber.

The silence that followed was deafening.

"Ready to die?" Etheail asked, breaking the quiet. Before Daiez could respond, a voice spoke in Etheail's head.

"You will not die." His pledgeborn spoke.

Daiez raised an eyebrow, "You're a Devildealer?"

"You can hear him!?"

"I have extended my voice to him." The pledgeborn explained, "Our bond is still forming, Daiez."

The soldier nodded.

"What do you mean we won't die?" Etheail asked his phantom.

"4 will come to your aid." The pledgeborn said, "History has a habit of repeating itself. They will come. I'm sure."

What? Etheail thought, Is he talking about the Arcanums?

"148 days, Etheail." The phantom said, "148 days until the world ends."

Etheail gulped, though he'd been expecting it. "So another bleakness, huh? The 4th apocalypse, the one that'll kill us all?"

"Yes, unless you can stop it!"

"Why, how could I possibly stop it?" Etheail asked,

"Because I chose you." The pledgeborn stated, matter of factly.

"Who are you?" Etheail asked, perplexed. The same image of a man made of flames appeared in his head, except now it transformed into a phoenix, just like the one perched on Jirath's arm.

"Think, Etheail. What did your god always say he was?" The pledgeborn asked.

Etheail's eyes widened. He couldn't...right? No, that was impossible. The bleakness is over! But, if they're returning, does that mean...That the Arcanums are returning?

The King turned to Daiez. He stood strong, but his face was pale. He nodded, indicating he heard the entire conversation. He looked as one would imagine when told the end of the world was a mere five months away. But then he stood straighter, a smile formed on his face.

"Pledgeborn, you said four would come to our aid. That means a Cloudsummoner, Tidebringer, Stormforger, and Earthsplitter, right?"

"Yes," The phantom said, sounding much stronger than the first time he spoke to Etheail.

Daiez smiled, "If Helandrin's coming, then maybe we will make it out alive." He seemed sure that the Tidebringer was going to be Helandrin... Wasn't that the Ocean's sword? He died too in..general Oa's charge.

Hopefully, he'd be coming soon, because the army was here.

Etheail and Daiez nodded to each other and started walking forward.

The line of horses and soldiers stopped mere meters away from Etheail. Above the soldiers and steeds were 5 figures, all with dark skin adorned with shining white armor.

The Elevated Ones. Though, what caught Etheail's eye was the man on the left of the group. It was the same one that had let him escape when stealing food a few days ago!

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

An Elevated One let him live.

The Elevated in the middle, a young woman with a pretty face, and long braided hair paired with sadistic white eyes spoke up.

"I am Rose. Are you ready for death, Little King?" And just like that, all hell broke loose.

The horses started stomping towards the two of them, and a younger Elevated One summoned a Devilblade in the form of a bow and arrow. If any of the projectiles hit, Etheail would most likely die instantly.

Etheail held out his spear to the side. Since accepting his bond with the Pledgeborn, his spear felt more right in his hand. He could almost be called a beginner.

Etheail charged, dodging slashes and arrows from archers, Daiez doing the same.

Etheail cut a few legs off the horses, causing their riders to fall off, but they just got back up and started attacking him from the ground.

KLINK CLANG KLINK!

It was all a blur. Etheail raced horses and avoided swords. He had to dodge so much that he could barely swing his spear.

Yjraith's soldiers came at him from the side. Etheail managed to knock the blade away with pure luck. The man hissed and came for Etheail with vigor like he'd never seen before. The pledgeborn's voice spoke in Etheail's mind, more commanding than before.

SPEAK THE WORDS

Etheail was knocked to the ground when a second soldier came to attack him from behind. A massive cut was engraved unto his back. The King of New Learu City could barely think but somehow managed to pull himself up.

SAY THE WORDS, The pledgeborn commanded again.

"I don't know them!" Etheail managed to scream while dodging another sword. Trained soldiers in armor much stronger than Etheail's own surrounded him. They all pointed their swords at him and charged.

Etheail managed to weave around the first few swords, but one slashed him straight through the rib. An arrow flew straight into his shoulder. Luckily, it was a regular one, not a Devilblade.

Etheail fell on the ground, pain blazing in every part of him. A soldier held up his blade high, making a show of killing the King.

Etheail managed to grab his dropped spear and shove it into the soldier's eye socket and through his brain. Blood spilled on him from above.

Etheail had just killed a man. He had committed the truest atrocity. He was a sinner, but the King had no time to wallow in his crimes.

Etheail crawled away from the corpse, other soldiers trying to rush him.

SAY THE WORDS

Etheail found strength. A golden mist started to exude off of him. He could almost feel the words. They slowly started coming to him as if he was trying to remember something small from days ago.

Etheail forced himself to his feet and started running, horses and soldiers of pure white chasing him. He stopped running at the edge of the castle.

He turned to look at the display. There were thousands of soldiers, all ready to kill him. Why should he feel bad about killing them?

Fine, Etheail thought, I'll commit the ultimate sin. I'll take more lives.

More golden mist started flowing from his skin as he charged for Daiez, who was single-handedly fighting off around 15 soldiers. For an out-of-practice, underfed slave he sure knew how to fight.

As he ran towards his friend, he jammed his spear into several soldiers, killing them.

SAY THE WORDS

Etheail reached the huddle of men who were trying to slay the former slave, he poked several of them with his spear.

He joined Daiez, back to back, soldiers surrounding them in a circle.

Daiez noted the golden mist flowing rapidly from Etheail's skin but didn't comment.

Soldiers charged at the duo, but they managed to hold them off. Daiez locked several enemies into an extended flurry of swings and parries. Etheail tried his best to support him but ended up having to defend himself more.

A soldier cursed and jumped out from behind them. Letting instinct take over, Etheail turned and jammed the spear through the man's chest. He fell to the dirt, dead.

Another man growled from behind. He grabbed Etheail by the neck and smashed him to the ground.

Daiez started getting overwhelmed.

KLINK CLANG KINK CLANG.

SAY THE WORDS

The soldier started beating down on the King of New Learu city. Etheail tried to shove his spear into the man, but the large soldier simply grabbed it and broke it in half like a twig.

The man smashed Etheail into the ground again.

The golden mist started flowing even faster, twirling around Etheail so much that it made his skin look the same color.

The King growled and rose from the red grass and dirt floor. He tackled the soldier to the ground and started smashing.

He didn't stop. The soldier's head was reduced to a pile of blood and flattened flesh.

Etheail looked up from his kill, Daiez lay on the ground, more Yjraith towering above him. One swung his sword, cleanly taking off the former slave's leg, then his arm.

More horses started rushing in to kill Etheail.

SAY THE WORDS, YOU KNOW THEM NOW.

The world started to get hotter. The air around Etheail started to burn with the heat. The soldiers and horses that approached him exploded into flames as they did. Screams rang from the enemy as the fire spread. Suddenly, Etheail and Daiez were alone in their own dome. Apparently, he didn't explode with the enemy. Good.

The golden mist poured out of Etheail, like a faucet left on full power. Etheail looked at the enemies. Most of them cowered in fear, but some, the Devildealers he somehow knew, were kneeling reverently. Even the Elevated Ones were bowing.

SAY THE WORDS.

.

.

.

Enjin didn't know why he bowed, but he did know it was the only option. Something had changed within the King of New Learu city and every single Devildealer in the battle, most likely the world could feel it.

Even the other Elevated ones, arrogant as they were, bowed without question.

They were in control of their bodies, but their instincts were so strong that they overpowered them.

In his heart of hearts, Enjin knew what was about to happen.

.

.

.

SAY THEM.

Flames started rushing out of Etheail's skin. He felt himself be lifted in the air, like when the Elevated One gave him a ride, but different. Maybe he wasn't so against flying after all.

Flames flickered in and out of existence around him. He felt weightless while being lifted, even higher than the Elevated Ones, who were still kneeling.

"My ideals will be unbreakable like steel, and I will burn sinners like flame!" Etheail cried out.

The golden mist and flame poured out of him, mixing, becoming each other. For a moment of greatness, the entire world was dark in the shadow of Etheail's brilliant light.

When the glow finally subsided, Etheail found his enemies staring at him with fear and awe in equal measure. The red grass was untouched. It seemed stronger.

Instinctively, Etheail held out his hand. The air bent around it until it lit up into a brilliant gold flame. The flame expanded, growing into a shape around half as big as Etheail himself before resolving into a giant bird of pure black, its beak and each feather outlined in a glowing red; a phoenix.

The phoenix perched on Etheail's arm and extended its wings broadly.

"I AM TRAGSXT! THE KING OF HELLFIRE HAS RISEN ONCE MORE!" Etheail's god bellowed. Not god, Pledgeborn, Etheail reminded himself.

The Devildealers rose, looking at him, as if for the first time, realizing he was their enemy.

Etheail held out his hand to the side. Tragsxt squawked a fearsome battle cry before rising into the air and forming into a large black spear with red highlights, his wings erect at the sides, forming a cross guard below the point.

Etheail could manifest flames with the slightest thought. He always wondered how the Devildealers did what they did, but summoning and controlling fire came to him as naturally as breathing.

The Yjraith cowered in front of him. Etheail's wounds and aches started healing as if he had never even been injured.

The Elevated Ones started to rush him, except for the one that had let him go.

The girl, Rebecca, he was pretty sure, drew her bow and fired a few times from the distance. The rest all tried to attack him, but suddenly Etheail was a master at the spear. It was gone.

Brief flashes of skill will fill you from time to time. The experience of my former hosts. Tragsxt explained.

Even without the skill, Etheail's fire was enough to keep him afloat. He wasn't supposed to be this strong, even he knew that. New Devildealers are more powerful than they should be.

Etheail summoned flames to shield him from the attackers. He might be the new host of god and have the most literal form of beginner's luck on his side, but even then, he couldn't take on four of the most powerful Cloudsummoners of the era. But what if he could get one on his side?

The flames dissolved, revealing Etheail pointing his Devilblade at the the Elevated One not attacking, the one that had let him go. It was a challenge to a duel.

Everyone held their breath, even the rest of the Elevated Ones. It wouldn't have made sense to accept. Etheail was riding on awe and luck to win, four Elevated Ones could easily take him down.

Luckily, the final one smiled regretfully, and summoned his Devilblade, pointing it to the host of Tragsxt, accepting the duel.