In the quiet solitude beneath the sheltering tree, Zeral found himself in the midst of a perplexing dance with his own memories. Lost fragments of his past, shattered and scattered, were tentatively returning to him, each recollection a piece of the fuzzy puzzle that was his former life. Yet, within this delicate reconstruction, Zeral's focus remained steadfastly fixated on a specific period—the aftermath of his confrontation with the silver sabertooth and the subsequent descent into a deep, mysterious coma inside the unforgiving mountains.
Despite the gradual return of his memories, Zeral exhibited a curious indifference to his past life. The significance of the recollections eluded him, and a peculiar question lingered—why were these memories resurfacing now? The details of the Moskal city battle, while present in his mind, seemed inconsequential, a distant echo of a life he no longer recognized.
Lying in repose, Zeral's contemplations were abruptly interrupted by an otherworldly disturbance—footsteps that deviated from the familiar cadence of human gait. Recognizing the odd quality of the approaching sounds, Zeral tightened his grip around his sword and assumed an air of feigned slumber, his eyes closed in preparation for an imminent confrontation with a presumed wild beast or monster.
The anticipation hung thick in the air as the footsteps drew nearer. Suddenly, three monstrous figures emerged from the shadows, their movements deliberate, and their hushed whispers betraying an air of clandestine conversation. "Oh, is that him?" one of the monsters queried in a low, conspiratorial voice, casting a scrutinizing gaze upon the seemingly slumbering Zeral.
In that moment, beneath the arboreal sanctuary, an uneasy alliance unfolded—an encounter between the tormented Zeral and the monsters. The air crackled with tension, and the impending dialogue promised to unveil new layers of mystery in this fantastical narrative
"I guess yeah, as you see, he fits the description we got about him," the second monster replied, its voice carrying a gravelly undertone that resonated with an air of otherworldly knowledge.
The third monster, a looming presence in the shadows, contemplated their next course of action. "Yeah, it is him, but what now? Is he sleeping? Shall we wake him, or wait for him to wake?" it pondered, the weight of the decision hanging in the air like an invisible shroud.
The first monster, seemingly not afraid by the potential danger, stepped forward with a sense of cautious determination. "Let me try to wake him," it declared, closing the distance between itself and the resting Zeral. However, the second monster, wise to the perilous nature of their endeavor, issued a stark warning, "Oh, be careful, he is so dangerous."
As the monster approached Zeral, the air grew charged with an unspoken tension. Zeral, keenly aware of the monster's every move, remained motionless, biding his time. The monster drew near, reaching out to rouse the seemingly slumbering figure.
Yet, in a swift and calculated motion, Zeral revealed his hidden sword, its blade gleaming ominously in the dim light. In the blink of an eye, the sword was pressed against the monster's neck, a lethal dance frozen in the tension of the moment. Zeral's piercing gaze met the creature's eyes as he issued a terse command, "What do you want? You should listen to your friend..."
The scene unfolded in a delicate balance between hostility and curiosity, as the monsters and Zeral stood at the precipice of a new and uncertain interaction.
The monster, trembling in fear, pleaded with Zeral, desperation coloring its voice, "Please, sir, don't kill me. I just came here to talk to you." The raw emotion in its words echoed the genuine terror that pulsed through its monstrous form.
The second monster chimed in, seeking to reinforce the plea, "Yeah, we're just here to talk."
Zeral, his demeanor unyielding, unleashed a guttural scream, "To talk about what? Joining your side in this stupid war? I already gave my answer to humans. I will not be on your side as well, so leave me the hell alone."
The third monster, its tone a calming counterpoint to Zeral's outburst, asserted, "Oh, calm down. We are not here to persuade you to come to our side, even if we really wanted that in the first place."
The second monster added with a hint of sincerity, "Yeah, we came to you to tell you that we have someone important who wants to meet you."
The monster, still under Zeral's unrelenting grip, implored, "Oh, please, let go of me. As you heard them, we are just here to take you to someone who needs to see you."
The scene hung in a precarious balance, a delicate negotiation between predator and prey, as the monsters sought to convey their purpose and Zeral grappled with the unexpected proposition before him.
Zeral's anger flared as he demanded, "To meet who? My wife? Didn't she die years ago alongside my son? And those are two persons I want to meet. Well, about the rest, I don't care! So, no, I will not go with you."
In response, one of the monsters offered a somber acknowledgment, "Sorry about your wife and son! I too lost my family years ago in the war, and I didn't get a chance to save them by reforming them into holy beings, as I am." The admission hung heavily in the air, a shared thread of grief connecting the tormented figures in an unexpected moment of empathy.
The monsters, sensing Zeral's escalating anger, skillfully shifted their approach, attempting to assuage the tumultuous emotions that roiled within him.
One of the creatures, a touch of empathy lacing its voice, remarked, "Yeah, so bad to hear that, but this man is important to you as well because he is one of the last remaining of the people of your city, Batrak. And, as we hear, you are searching for answers about the massacre of your city, right? So how about someone who is ready to talk to you, huh?"
The weight of the revelation hung heavily in the air, and Zeral, momentarily stunned, removed his sword from the monster's neck. In a mixture of shock and skepticism, he demanded, "WHAT? A man survived that massacre? Are you sure? If you are playing with me, I swear I will eat all of you alive."
The monster that had been at Zeral's mercy recoiled, relief flooding its voice as it retreated, "Oh, finally. Damn it, I thought I'm dead."
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Simultaneously, the other monster reassured Zeral, "Yeah, we are sure. He is from your city, and he is not a man. He is a holy being now. Somehow, he survived and witnessed what happened there. As we said, he is nearby and ready to talk to you."
With a lingering sense of caution, Zeral relented, his sharp gaze fixed on the monsters. "Okay, let's see who he is and finally get some answers," he conceded, reclaiming his sword. Following the monsters, he traversed to a nearby nest, where the monstrous priest awaited his arrival.
Entering the nest alongside the three monsters, Zeral surveyed his surroundings. One of the creatures gestured toward the priest, announcing, "Well, here is our special guest for you." The monsters withdrew, leaving Zeral alone with the mysterious figure, poised on the precipice of an encounter that promised revelations and the potential for closure.
The priest, overcome with emotion, found himself rendered speechless as he gazed at Zeral with tears streaming down his face as he remember Zeral's face even with change of his skin color, long hair and scars from his last battle. Zeral, devoid of recognition or sentiment, took the reins of the conversation.
"Oh, so you are the survivor of Batrak's massacre, is that right?" Zeral inquired, his voice void of the warmth or curiosity one might expect.
The priest, smiling through his tears, responded, "Thank God, it is you. You are alive, my son Adomas. Come and tell me where have you been all those years?"
Zeral regarded the priest with a detached gaze, his features betraying no hint of familiarity. "Okay? Ahh, who the hell are you to call me son? And how do you know my real name?" he questioned, an air of indifference veiling his countenance.
The priest, realizing that the passage of time had altered Adomas beyond recognition, explained, "Ah, yeah, forgive me. I did not introduce myself. After all, I changed a lot from my previous life's appearance. You know the effect of this devilish curse." He approached Zeral, continuing, "Well, I'm the priest Philip. I was the last priest of the holy church in the city of Batrak. Do you remember me now, Adomas?"
Zeral, maintaining his stoic demeanor, replied, "Well, I guess so. I do remember I had a few fans back then. However, tell me, what happened there?"
The priest, taken aback by Zeral's lack of emotional recognition, stammered, "Well, I don't recall you speaking to me like this, son. Is there something that happened to you?"
Zeral's anger, long simmering beneath the surface, erupted. "First of all, I'm not your son. Go find someone else and call him that. Secondly, I don't care if you were a priest or a God. Lastly, answer me the damn question: What the hell happened in that city? Answer me now, or I will smash your face." The confrontation, a clash of emotions and indifference, unfolded in the tense space between Zeral and the tearful priest.
The priest, stunned and hurt by Zeral's unexpected hostility, sought an explanation. "Adomas, why are you talking to me like this? Have you forgotten who you were?" he implored, desperation in his voice.
Zeral, unmoved by the priest's plea, interrupted him curtly, "Just tell me now."
Fear gets across the priest's face as he began to revisit the haunting memories of Batrak's massacre day. His voice trembled with the weight of the recollections. "...It was so dreadful. I don't know who was responsible for that, but I'm sure it was an unstoppable force."
As he spoke, the scene of chaos unfolded in his mind once more. The priest clearly recalled the peaceful serenity of the church, the hallowed place where he had served the community faithfully. In the midst of prayers and solemnity, an unforeseen calamity descended upon Batrak with merciless fury.
Suddenly, without warning, the tranquility shattered. The once-sturdy walls of the church convulsed, assaulted by an unseen force. The air filled with
the symphony of shattering rock, and the priest found himself engulfed in a middle of chaos. A deafening roar drowned the prayers, and the ground beneath him quivered as if the earth itself recoiled from the unfolding tragedy.
Stones and debris rained down, imprisoning the priest beneath the fallen rubble of the church's roof. Panic and confusion reigned as he struggled to comprehend the surreal nightmare that unfolded around him. The air, thick with dust and despair, bore witness to the abrupt end of peace in Batrak.
The priest, now reliving these harrowing moments, continued his account, "I'm not sure who they were, where they came from, or why they attacked us. But I believe neither that damned druid Hirvan or the beloved king David knew about it." His eyes, haunted by the past, met Zeral's gaze, seeking understanding amid the shards of a shattered sanctuary."
Zeral, his mind piecing together the puzzle, asked the priest, "So, you were stuck inside the church until the monsters arrived, and then you got transformed into this awful look. I see now. It was not monsters who did this right? Of course who does such sudden attacks? It was humans after all."
The priest, replied, "I'm not sure what happened out there. But I'm sure king David has nothing to do with it. I swear my son."
Zeral's face twisted into an evil smile as he declared, "Oh, you see, I don't care. But thank you. Now I know who is the real enemy of mine, so I shall take my revenge now."
As Zeral walked away, the priest, desperate for understanding, followed him, pleading, "Oh, what do you mean? Wait, Adomas, tell me. What do you mean? Who is your real enemy that you're talking about?"
Zeral halted and turned his back to the priest, delivering a chilling proclamation, "It's time to put an end to the human race. I will kill them all, starting by taking this kingdom down."
The priest, shock reverberating through him, repeated in disbelief, "What? No? What? Are you? What?" The voice of Zeral's declaration hung in the air, leaving the priest grappling with the unfathomable revelation of Adomas's newfound intentions.
Zeral resumed his cold departure from the nest, the feeling of his chilling proclamation still lingering in the air. The priest, still in shock, struggled to comprehend the depth of the transformation that had overtaken Adomas.
"What do you mean? Are you going to kill humans? But why?" the priest implored, desperation clawing at his voice.
Zeral, halting once again, turned to face the priest, his eyes gleaming with a vengeful fire. "They killed my family! It was them, so I will avenge them by killing all of the humans remaining in this pitiful world."
The priest, his voice laden with sorrow, pleaded with Zeral. "Adomas, no! You can't do that. You are one of them, you are their hero. You must protect them, not kill them."
Zeral, unmoved by the priest's words, burst into laughter. "Protect them? Hahaha, yeah, that's a good joke. Now, if you allow me, I have to go. I've got some humans to eat, hahaha."
As Zeral turned to leave, the priest, desperate to intervene, grasped his shoulder. "Hold on, you can't be serious about this?"
Zeral, with a cold and ominous demeanor, turned back to the priest. "I think you didn't understand what I said. So how about I clear it more for you?"
In an instant, Zeral unsheathed his sword and struck the priest's head, severing it into two pieces. The gruesome act unfolded with a swift and merciless efficiency. Zeral, indifferent to the aftermath, cleaned his sword with a casual flick, sheathed it, and continued his departure from the nest.
As Zeral left, the three monsters, waiting outside, questioned him about the priest's revelations. Ignoring them, Zeral pressed on. One of the monsters dared to ask, "So you are now on our side?"
Zeral scoffed, "Never, but as long as you are away from me, I will not harm you. As for humans, hahaha, they will be on my food table."
The three monsters, elated by Zeral's apparent alignment, watched as he walked away. After confirming the priest's demise, they returned to the cave to deliver the news to the druid Hirvan, signaling a potential turning point in the ongoing war.
Meanwhile, Zeral, with a singular and dark purpose, headed back to the city of Pilan. His mission: to unleash his vengeance upon the human race. Yet, as the narrative unfolds, the question lingers—will something change Zeral's mind, or is this truly the ominous end for humanity? The answer awaits in the chapters to come.
The end.