Follow me in the Dark Path

[Tardine]

This is a story of death, magic usage and weeping. It may not have a good ending. Or any ending at all. Read as you wish, but I cannot guarantee the best outcome. After all, the spirits have spoken.
​

D̵̙̰̠̆e̴̫͒̈ą̷̙͓͓͖̈̊́t̵̥͐̎̽̈̾ḫ̷̛͕̒̆̍̕ͅ ̵͖̭͉̠͔̀i̶̡̳̮̱̐̏̇̀̚s̸͔͚̱͛̀̒́ͅ ̵̧͍̣̥̹͛̈́á̵̢̢̠͝ẗ̵̝͛̐ ̴̹̫͔̋̾̈̐̋t̵̘̖͑̄ȟ̷̫͓͛ḙ̴͍̫͌ ̷͉̗̬͋̇̐͒͠d̶̡̟̜̒̌͜͝õ̶̡̑ö̴̱̞͖́͗͐͒̅r̶͕̭̞̈́͆͜s̸̫̝̥̠̓̄̈t̸̠͓̫̩̏̓̕̚e̵̍ͅp̴̖͔̬̉

---

Once again, he had nightmares. The spirits were tormenting him, but he couldn't remember what it was. He feared that those dreams were revealing something important and that someone might get in trouble if he doesn't figure it out soon. Perhaps it had something to do with that strange prophecy everyone was talking about. However, it was 3 years ago an nothing has happened... "Yet", he thought. "I get the feeling that something bad is going to happen soon", he said out loud with a chill, as if someone was watching.

"Who's there?" He said, brandishing his sword. "Do you know who are you messing with?"

Silence.

"I am Siferach Varus of Mariachi, High Prince of the Luminae Kingdom, first of my lineage and heir to the throne." He paused for a bit but heard no sounds. Whatever it was in there, it didn't make a sound. "If you dare touch me, all the Kingdom's Knights and Mages will come for you."

"I know who you are, Sif." The voice was cold as stone, so grave and toneless that made Siferach freeze in place. Worse than the voice, was the creature itself. There was no face nor body, only shadows that stretched all the way up to the ceiling. It was all consuming, all burning, and it felt like the shadows would eat him alive. The corporeal creature approached (if the darkness looming closer can be called approaching), and spoke once again. "I have always been watching you, ever since you were a kid."

"Wh-Who the hell are you?", the High Prince was trembling but managed to burst that few words. "I am... It does not matter who am I. Today is the day YOU will decide the world's fate. I hope you chose what is best for us- I mean, me and my comrades."

"I won't obey you, devil!" Siferach actually stood up and held his ground this time. The contours of what resembled a smile formed in the shadowy body. "Were do you think your magic comes from?", a dark finger pointed towards him, making the prince freeze in place again. "Why do you think your magic power is so strong? You are not an elf as far as you are concerned. Just accept the Darkness Within and become one with me."

"Shut up, demon, shut up." The thing laughed, a dry, dark laugh. "You won't make me accept whatever you want to do with me."

"Leave me alone", said the prince, as light grew up in his hands. "Leave me alone, demon", the light started to spread and the shadow started to recoil. "I will say one last time.", the light was already too bright and unbearable, even for him. "Leave. Me. Alone." The light was so bright, he could feel it burning himself. But he didn't stop. One more time, he said:


L̶̮̘͚̙͍̎̈́Ē̵̛̜̰̐̔̎̇̕A̵̡̯͚͓͎̾́̃̅V̷̢̙̙̗̙͓̖̞̾̔̾̈́̔́Ę̴͇̦͈͉̖͂͑̐́̋̌͋͛ ̷̟̦́̔̂̈́̈͠ͅM̶̡̝̱̰͖̦̦͗̈́͗̓E̴͇͂̈̐̌ ̴̧̜̲̎̍̓̍͊̊͒̄A̷̢͔͕͖̥̞̰̓͑̔̚L̶̞̖͖̎͝O̸̲̳̽̈̉̐̌͘͝͠ͅN̶̪̣͓̬͛̏͊́̀É̶̛̞͎̽̀̃̆͘


With that, the shadow disappeared screaming a guttural sound that even in his worse nightmares he'd never have imagined it. His room was completely destroyed and the very palace's foundation was shaken. The worse of it was that the lights left him blind. He only knew something was wrong when he felt the ground breaking. The entire palace was collapsing under his feet. He was going to die.​

 

[Tardine]

Do not let life's hardships affect you. Everything that happens is meant to make you a stronger person. Do not be afraid of anything. Not even dying. After all, death is only a


Ṁ̷̡͉̼̥̙̓̈í̷͐̈͠͝ͅs̵̡̙̭̩̙͒̉̓̈̈͠f̴̡̡̛͎̖͙͙̦́̎͑̇̀̚͘͜o̸̪̍̕ȓ̴͎́̉t̷̨̨͕̥̩̐̌̾͌̀͜ų̷͚̩͈̦̘̳̿͐̃̄̀̽͘͜ṅ̵͉̦̺̟͖͎̟̀̍ė̷̢̢̛͚̭̭͎͍̍̋̀͝͠

---

The prince fell and fell until... Nothingness. Was he dead already? Siferach was frozen in place for several minutes, fearful to uncover the truth behind what the hell happened. When he finally dared to open his eyes he noticed he was in his room once again. The only proof the dream was somewhat real was the messy silken bedsheets and the fact that he was standing up in the middle of the room. It looks like it was all a dream again. However, he still couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. Sif dreamt of something, he just couldn't remember it. He was pretty sure that the spirits have spoken, though.

Oftentimes, magic burns. It doesn't matter how skilled or how powerful someone is. The single fact of using magic is dangerous per se. Sometimes, a few people are chosen by the Oracle God as its portrayers. To them, magic is always burning, consuming their life force. They did not choose to live this life. Fate has chosen them. Fate is a cruel, egoistic force that does not care about whether you like your destiny or not.

So the prince tried to shake these thoughts and get dressed for the day. He had a nice date with a hot chick tonight (please keep in mind that she is a HUMAN chick, not a real chicken nor a human-chicken hybrid), and a bunch of royal affairs during the day. Not that he really cared about his duties, after all, the one who should occupy herself with this stuff is his mother. The prince was pretty sure she wouldn't bother herself with whatever he was doing because she was pretty busy with the preparation for the millennium celebrations, which would take place in a few days.

"Damn", he thought, "I was supposed to meet a bunch of nobles with her this morning." Judging by the Sun, he was already pretty late. So he hurriedly dressed up and ran towards the Throne room, where he would certainly be scolded by the Queen.

However, when he arrived there, he suppressed a scream. His throat went numb and his mouth hung open in shock. The scene was so gruesome he felt the urge to vomit. In the middle of the room, stomach cut open in a bloody pentagram was none other than his mother, the Queen herself. She was still alive and breathing and, when she noticed her son, she tried to move towards him and mouthed a single word. "Run."

Only then, after the initial shock wave, Siferach noticed the dark shadows encircling her and the High Elven that cast them. They all pointed their hands towards the prince and demanded that the shadows took him. Without glancing back to his dying mother, the Prince ran as fast as possible from the shadows until he found the stables. He tried to pretend he did not notice the dozens of dead soldiers and servants as he approached the only horse available, Shelae.

She was a demon horse and couldn't fly, but it was better riding a wingless demon horse than having to deal with the shadows. So he rode her away from the city. Only then he noticed something strange. Something was missing from him. Magic. Where did it go? He tried to cast a single spell but was unable to do so. Sif then felt the ground shaking and, for the first time since he ran away, looked back. What he saw was terrifying. A huge dark scar was spreading in many directions, one of them was towards the path he was taking.

What the hell was that? What was going on? He didn't have time to finish his thoughts as the devil horse suddenly stopped to a halt, then bowed. "Oh no", Sif said, turning his face towards the road. He was right to say that. After all there's only one reason a devil horse stops. They only stop in front of a higher ranked demon and only bow to the demon's nobility. Something was about to happen, something pretty bad.​

 

[Tardine]

I strongly advise you to stop reading this. The Oracle's wrath shall be brought upon you, fool reader. Whether your like it or not, there will be consequences of your


Ḯ̵͔̠̟̌ͅm̷̲̟̰̼̯̅͐̓͗̀p̷̭͓̠̺̜̐̈́́̆͋̋̐r̶̀͂͠ȕ̷̮̥͓͚̺̈́̓͌̓̚d̴̨̯̪͋̄̀̔̂e̵͖̭̓̀͆̎n̸̲̘͍̪̊͋̀c̷̖̝̹̦̄͗̌͂̽ę̶͕̲͇̳͍̌̽́̕

---

Just so you know, I am not kidding. The Oracle knows that you, a foreigner, is reading through the magic book that I am seeing. This is wrong, you know? If I were you I'd be trembling in fear, for you are now cursed by the Oracle itself. Keep reading my fate if you want to face a gruesome death. Stupid human.

The Prince was baffled at the terrifying sight, a man-devil thing was lurking across the narrow forest surrounding him. He didn't dare move or make a sound as the insubstantial form approached him, with pale eyes and something that resembled a guttural smile. The thick shadows that composed the thing's form made Sif suppress a scream. He was sure he'd seen it before, but couldn't remember where or when it happened (after all, the poor prince always forgets what he dreams). Then the thing finally spoke to him, despite the lack of a mouth, with a chilly voice.

"Siferach." the shadows approached as the Prince recoiled in utter terror. A sense of dread came across him. "We met again."

"No, I do not know nor have any business with you...", he looked back and forth to the thing and said. "Demon."

"Huh, of course you don't remember me." the thing approached, this time Sif didn't back away. "I do remember you, son."

"Quit the bullshit, monster!" Siferach shouted while brandishing his sword at the creature. "My father died many years ago."

"Was that what your mother told you?" the monster laughed throatily. "Guess she didn't completely lie, after all. I am indeed dead. At least by your mundane standards."

That was when the thing started to shrink down to the average elven size, about a human and a half. The shadows started to dissipate and the creature began to look like an adult male elf. Siferach gasped at the dreadful sight and more so at the birthmark it had in its right arm, the same one he had in his own arm. His mother always told him he'd inherited the birthmark from his father, though she said he was a human warrior who died a few months after his birth, near the Foglands' border.

"Surprised by what you're seeing?" the thing was now fully looking like an elf, with fair skin and brown hair it was surprisingly average sized, instead of bulky as Siferach imagined it would be. "My name's Me-e-agur, by the way. You may call me Agur, my son.", said the monster now turned to an elf smiling while also extending his hand towards Siferach.

"Agur...", the prince repeated the name, as if he was savoring the word. "It doesn't sound like any elven name I've heard of."

"You are correct, Siferach!", Agur gave him a broad smile, while still holding his hand to Siferach. "I am not like any elven because I'm a high elven, one of the few survivors of the great Kingdom of Sen-rah."

"What is your business here then?", the Prince asked warily. "Why are you a demon now?"

"We seek to take back what's ours, meaning, this whole land." Agur approached his son. "You are the final piece to get what we want, the sacrifice ritual was supposed to be led by you, my son."

"Why me? Why did you want to kill me?", he asked, not noticing his father was so close to him he could touch him already.

"You are a powerful magic being, despite not knowing that." the high elf answered with a strange grin. "You, my child, is the key to get together the Staff of Helvem and the Eyes of the Shadow Realm."

"You want to unleash unlimited power...", Agur's eyes lightened up at Sif's remark. "You are an evil being, I won't help you!"

"Yes, you will help me." When Agur's hand finally touched the Prince, he felt a burning sensation spread across his whole body as he screamed for his life. "There's no hope for you, as I already touched you."

"You will pay for this, Agur.", that was the only thing Sif managed to say before closing his eyes due to the pain. Before he lost consciousness, he heard the sorcerer say: "Thanks for lending me your corporeal form, my son. Have nice dreams in the Shadow Realm."

 

[Tardine]

Two of most powerful artifacts in the realm, the Staff of Helvem and the Eyes of the Shadow Realm. Combined they will create the Dread Scepter. The elf turned demon goes after them, while everyone else is busy fighting the Fog and the

​

D̵͖̥͚͍̋̍̄̇̔̇͛̍̆̈͠á̴̯̪̜̲̾͊̔̀͌̈̕̚͠ͅr̴͙̯̟̣̙̬̙̱̲̺̈̀͊̒̇̏k̵̳̞͕̔̌͝n̸̨̢̺̦͔̉̈̏ë̵̻̥̩͓̳̯̱̣́̓̄͑̀̋͛̈͘͘͜ͅs̸̡̡̳̹͇͈̝͖͖̚š̶̡̾̑̅̋̑ ̶͉̮̥̃͛̅ś̵̮̾̌p̵̘̌̚r̸̗͈͈͛͐͝e̸̻̐̆̋́̓̈́̈́͛̚ạ̶̎́̏̓̃̂͗̄̂̀͂ḍ̷͎͎̻̩̥̼͛ṡ̶̢̝̬̘̰̯̘̳̜͙͙͂͆̆̓̐̏̒͋͠​

​

---

I need to do something. Not about you, idiot! I need to intervene somehow... I can hear it, someone is calling to me. It says "Grab the Ring of Kerlay and you'll get the answers you desire." At first, it was a mere whisper, but now that I've arrived at Maka it is a screaming, deafening roar, that never stops. It will only stop when I get it. And I will get it. You too, human, should do something to help. After all, you know the truth about the Prince of Lumina! What's stopping you from helping?

Agur, now wearing Siferach's skin, returned from the woods running towards the once bright Palace of Wonders. The City of Summers - Summerat, as the Luminae Capital was known, was now cold and moisty, a clear sign that the Fog had been spreading. Besides from the obvious darkish scar that literally teared apart the town, everyone seemed fearful, hiding in their houses as the unexpected threat arose. The Fog and its origins were no more than a legend to most of the townspeople, who had lived far enough from the Foglands to never worry about it.

Still, the most trusted advisors of the Queen and the higher ranked Generals knew the truth. The sickening truth that menaced the whole Kingdom, perhaps the whole land of Avon. The Fog was growing, and now it was almost impossible to stop it. The solar eclipse that happened every two hundred years was now approaching. It coincides with the yearly festivities, the very foundation date of the Kingdom. During the eclipse, the border between the two worlds grows thin and the dark beings are free to roam about. Agur was well aware of that, so he took advantage of it.

When he arrived at the palace, everyone knelt before him. He was looking exactly like the Prince, after all. "My Lord. Do you wish to address the citizens before preparing your Mom's - the late Queen's, funeral?" Asked him a well dressed man, presumably the Advisor. Agur didn't know any of them. Should they ask too many questions, his real identity would be revealed.

"I have more pressing matters to attend." He calmly said to the other man. "Now, where's the crown?"

"My Lord, what could possibly be more urgent than-", Agur raised his hand, immediately silencing the man. Whether it was his magic or simply the man's fear, he didn't know for sure. The man was looking terrified, unable to speak, and all other soldiers left the corridor.

"I will ask once more, where's the crown?" The man could only point towards the Royal Chamber, where the late Queen's body was sprawled gruesomely. Paying no more than a furtive glance to the body, whose killing was ordered by himself, Agur took the crown on his hands, smiling to the sight of it.

"Stupid humans. Or half humans, whatever." He plucked out a stone from the crown, which, at first glance, looked like a plain obsidian. But Agur knew what it really was. "Finally, the Eyes of the Shadow Realm. Now there's only more place to go. Off to Ban-verhah, the Library Town."

Tossing the Crown aside, and tucking the stone into his robes, he left the room. Knowing that the crown itself held no real power, he didn't have any use or it. Then, again, he didn't need a crown. He already looked like the Prince. It was only a matter of time before he could put both artifacts together. And when he succeed, everyone will be doomed.