Chương 34: The General

Solskin

Saying we were summoned was putting it lightly. At the break of dawn, a small army marched into the inn, dressed in full armor. Through closed steel helmets, we were informed that we were summoned. Without a second to spare, we were escorted into an eerily secure wagon, complete with a barred window and a door that only opened from the outside. I felt like a prisoner on his execution day.

The trip wasn't much better. Outnumbered by the guards in the wagon two to one, the atmosphere quickly became suffocating. Not once did they tried to talk to us or let go of their hilts. I stared out of the window to the early morning city. The early morning sunlight blanketed everything in a white light. It felt surreal.

The wagon slowed to a stop. There was a brief conversation outside before I heard the rattle of chains. We had passed into the inner circle of the city: the palace. From the window, the tall white walls loomed over us, casting a formidable shadow over the gardens inside.

I stuck my head as close to the window as possible with childish glee. "We are in the palace. Odin's beard." I couldn't quite believe my eyes.

"I hope this will be quick," Xavier mumbled to himself.

Persephone looked up from her hands and turned towards me. "I wonder what this is about? I don't think we are that important for such treatment." Her voice was flat, but it was clear that she was unhappy with the situation. Her frosty aura was practically freezing the entire cabin.

The wagon made a sharp turn, jarring its passengers back into silence. We turned away from the gardens. The green scenery was quickly replaced by stone buildings, soldiers hustling about their morning tasks. There was a constant thudding that cut through the busy camp. It was the sound of metal biting into leather. It wasn't hard to tell we had arrived at the barracks.

We finally stepped out into a barren courtyard. Surrounding the perimeter were more guards. Standing at attention, they were like statues. Lieutenant Savah was there, dressed in a ceremonial uniform. Dipping his head in greeting, he beckoned us to follow. We marched down hallways and corridors until he arrived in front an unassuming door and stopped. On it was embossed General Nightrider.

Xavier hesitated at the door. For a brief moment, I swore to Odin that there was a flash of nervousness and fear across his eyes. He hesitated to open the door. Before I could do anything, Lieutenant Savah barged in front of us and opened the door. The room inside was quite spacious, books lining the walls and a large table in the center. There were two people seated facing us.

I was jolted back into the present. Looking inside, I noticed the man sitting directly in front of us. He looked exactly like Xavier, except for the fact that he was missing the scars running down the side of his face. The resemblance was uncanny. Countless medals adorned his breast and on his chair leaned a massive axe. When we entered, he stood up with his arms outstretched. "Greetings." The voice was overly friendly, his gaze focused on Xavier.

The man next to him looked like he wanted to sink into the depths of his chair and never be seen again. He looked human, if one overlooked the massive red wings and scales that covered every inch of his body. He tapped his fingers against a large tome in front of him.

The standing man continued. "The reports of your death were as exaggerated as I thought."

"Hello, Carolinus." Xavier's words were crisp and icy cold.

"Now, is that the way to treat your brother?"

There was a brief pause. Xavier looked like he wanted to get away from it all, his eyes kept shifting around the room, searching for any possible escape routes. Much to his disappointment, he was quickly pushed into the room by the guards and barred from leaving.

"I doubted you were dead since the beginning. You have always been a stubborn bastard. And besides, Epoch is a terrible, terrible, liar." Carolinus shot a teasing glance at Epoch.

The dragonborn was visibly uncomfortable, his face almost as red as his scales. He whispered guiltily, "Sorry, Xavier. He wouldn't stop hounding me about it."

There was a friendly atmosphere being built. Until Xavier killed it immediately with ice cold words. "What do you want with me?"

The room grew tense. "You have changed." Epoch and Carolinus both seemed shocked by this. Carolinus quickly recovered, bringing back a lighthearted atmosphere. "Well, straight to the point. I want you to come back to the army. Epoch has already agreed to serve again."

"I was blackmailed into it. Blackmailed, I say," Epoch muttered dejectedly.

Carolinus continued. "I managed to get permission to create a new force. There have been some foreboding rumors and I fear demons. You two are the only two in the country that can deal with them."

"Can I join?" I leaned in, staring intently at Carolinus. This was my chance to achieve my dreams.

He was taken aback by this. "This one is eager," he stated amusedly. "Are you willing to command men once more?" He once again returned his pointed gaze at Xavier.

"Never. Again." The words were like dagger, stabbing into the ears of everyone present. He slammed his hands against the table, and the wood cracked under his palms. He glared at them with hateful yellow eyes. I was shocked, fear rooting me to the ground.

Carolinus rose to the challenge, slamming against the table with equal force. "WHY THE HELL NOT?! Stop wallowing in grief. It's pathetic! You were the best commander in the kingdom. IT IS YOUR DUTY, DAMNIT! What would Bloody First want you to do? They trusted you."

My head spun. Was Xavier a survivor from the Bloody First? Was he their commander? I didn't believe what I was hearing.

"AND I LEAD THEM TO THEIR DEATHS! ALL OF THEM."

"WHERE IS THE CONFIDENT XAVIER I ONCE KNEW?"

"DEAD! With the rest of them," Xavier spat out. An emotion I had never heard from him before colored his voice, making it tremble with what seemed like rage mixed with sorrow.

The room went silent, tension crackling in the air. I wanted to retreat out of the room, hiding away from the two colliding iron walls of will. Both were gripped their weapons tightly. The guards outside, shocked from the sudden explosion of voices, were unsure on what to do. They stood at the threshold of the doorway, hands on their weapons, staring blankly at the current situation.

At this point, Epoch stood up, his tome glowing. "Calm down," he demanded, his voice firm and resolute.

The tension in the room was sucked out as I felt a wave of tranquility wash over me. Hands fell back to their sides limply, and everyone sat down.

"What exactly happened all those years ago?"

Xavier looked downcast, memories clouding his vision. He was no longer with us, but in some distant memory. "I don't what to talk about."

Carolinus was slightly irritated. "Why?"

"Because I just don't want to talk about it."

"That is not a reason," Carolinus snorted. He crossed his arms over chest and began tapping his finger against his arm. He stopped and abruptly stood up again. Walking to the wall of books, he pulled out a old tome. It was small, red book with golden writing across the top. Carefully setting it down, he began flipping through the pages. He stopped at one page. He slid the book across the table, coming to stop in front of us. The book was old, the page yellowed and ink faded. Torn slightly at the edges, it described a thing. The king of the shadows. The king of nightmares. The torturer of the night. Kalakrath.

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Chương 35: The Confrontation with the Past

Persephone

There was an image at the center of the page. It was a black ominous shape. From what seemed like a head peered out blood red eyes. It bore into me, looking for the best way to torture me. The image sent shivers down my spine. It felt visceral, imbued with a primal fear. Despite the small size, it seemed to dominate the entire page, drawing all eyes on it. With a image like this, I shuddered to think what the real thing was like.

Xavier slammed the book shut. With a burst of rage, he threw the book back at Carolinus, it impacting against the chair behind Carolinus with a heavy thud. "Are you trying to pour salt into old wounds?" There was a hint of violence in his voice. His murderous aura returned, darkening his face and the room.

"So it was this." Carolinus remained calm, speak with a tone that merely suggested a satisfied curiosity. He picked out the book, setting back on the table, flipping it back open to that page. "995 men. This thing killed 995 of the best in three days, by itself." His voice was filled astonishment. He stared into the page, studying every word on it.

"Praise the gods that it is gone!" exclaimed Epoch. His eyes flickered around the room quickly as he said that. There was an uneasiness about him that was always present. He never sat still, always looking around. It was fairly obvious that he was nervous about something. Carolinus was right. Epoch would make a terrible liar. His emotions are like bright flares at night on his face.

I wanted to see what the others thought about all this. But as I glanced around the room, I saw that it wasn't much use. Solskin had his eyes closed, muttering to himself. He looked like his mind was ready to melt from running a impossible obstacle course. Savah was even worse. He wasn't even thinking, assuming a complete spectator role. He leaned against the wall, mesmerized by the dumpster fire of a conversation.

With a look of helplessness, I turned back to the conversation at hand. Xavier was still staring daggers at Carolinus while Epoch drummed his fingers against his ancient tome. Carolinus, sensing the tension, looked up again, meeting Xavier face to face. "Shut the door!" he barked. The guards, shaken from the shocked stupor, immediately slammed the door shut. A lock automatically fell into place, giving out a loud click.

"Xavier, as your older brother, I am going to ask one last time. Will you come back?"

"Carolinus, you should know me. I never, never, change my mind."

"That is unfortunate," Carolinus let his hand fall to his axe. "You know, you are technically a deserter."

"Try me."

Weakly, Solskin stood up finally. "Can we all just drop the weapons?"

Solskin

I felt dwarfed by them, like a little child trying to stop his parents from arguing. My blood ran cold from the intensity of the argument. My sword shook at my side, my hands trembling with fear. I gripped my pants tightly, trying to calm my nerves.

Carolinus got up slowly. His every movement had a slow deliberation behind it as he ambled his way over in front of Xavier. Side by side, I could notice quite a few differences. Carolinus seemed much more aged, as if he had the world weighing him done. His build was larger than Xavier's, but it had an unmistakable presence about it.

Staring at Xavier with a forced smile, he glanced at his right hand. In a sudden blur of motion, that hand drove straight into Xavier's face. The force caused Xavier to stumble into the table, knocking over chairs. His murderous eyes shot up at Carolinus as blood began to trickle down his nose.

"You coward. Do you know what we have gone through? Father already gave his life before we were born. Mother went insane after we received the news. Now, still, she locks herself away, refusing to talk to me. I was lost my mother and brother on the same day. I was left alone. ALONE. Do you know how painful it was? I searched and searched for you. And then I saw you. In that forest. I know what you are going through." Carolinus went quiet for a moment, as if he was letting the weight of his words sink in.

Carolinus's voice went soft, sadness coating each syllable. "Please, I want the man how would sacrifice himself for his men back. The man who saved my life countless times. Xavier, I trust you. I know you will come back to me. I just know it. I never blamed you for what happened. To mother. To the First Regiment. To me. I never will, just… come back. Come back to my side and be my brother again. That is all I ask."

Xavier cut in, his voice flat and unwavering. "If you saw, then why? Why would you want a monster at your side?"

"You are not a monster. None of it is your fault. Let-"

"But I am a monster. Don't you see? It. It is in me. I will just kill you all." Desperation clouded his eyes as tears began to well up in the corners.

"Then stay. I will take the risk. Forget about commanding the army, just stay with me. Epoch can hel-"

"He can't." Xavier's voice choked.

"Then why did you come here? There is no reason."

Xavier was quiet. His head hang dejectedly downwards.

"Why did you come back to the capital? With what happened, I thought you would never leave that forest. Just let us help you."

Xavier chose to remain silent. Carolinus reached out to comfort him, placing a hand gently on his shoulder. Epoch also had a sympathetic look on his face. He stood up and walked over. He reached out as well, placing a hand on Xavier's shoulder.

Something happened. The moment Epoch touched Xavier, a cold chill rushed through the room. Ice actually began to coat the interior of the room. The candles lighting the room flickered and everything seemed dark. Xavier's hands shot up with frightening speeds. He began to lift both of them up by the neck, choking them. The bandages on his left arm yellowed at a rapid rate, coming loose in process. It was black underneath, like old armor.

Xavier spoke, but there was another inlaid in it. The two voices grated each other, creating a sensation that caused your gut to twist and churn. "Don't. Touch. Me. I will kill you." His eyes were bright yellow.