Cold Blood and Icy Hearts: Tale of Caine Conven (Discontinued)

Chapter 1: Humble Beginnings

There once stood a kingdom, with a tall icy castle in the middle. This kingdom was once a bustling metropolis, with merchants who sold their goods anywhere they wanted to. It was home to anyone who was able to withstand the temperatures and cold location. The kingdom was also home to one man, myth and legend that lives in infamy to this very day. A man whose name had stood tall with the blood of what seems like a thousand wars. A man who carried the entire kingdom in his hands, but failed to protect it when he was needed most. That man is Caine Conven, and while that name may not ring any bells to you, to the people of this once great kingdom, Caine was the hero that they needed as well as the hero that they deserved...or so they thought. However,  before we can begin with Caine's story, we must begin with the story of his father; King Zane.

King Zane was a man who was very well respected both in his land, and the kingdom he would soon settle into. However, he was not born into the throne. You see, he was once a member of the underworld's top demon generals. The generals at that time were labelled with numbers, with a decrease in number showing an increase of power..at the "young" age of 240 (16 in human time) he was able to not only get the rank of general, but also overturn the power rankings by coming in at number 4. Despite his rank, and subsequent strength, Zane faced a lot of hardships, being mocked for his inexperience when it comes to war being the most notable. A lot of lower generals who had been hoping to get their promotion would often taunt him and attempt to make him leave the army. However, Zane merely glared at them and offered his title versus their life in a fight. Whenever he would do this, the other generals would be very scared. No matter what they said they never dared to attempt full insubordination, or risking their lives on it, just to achieve a higher rank. As such, Zane would never let their insults get to him.

As a general of the underworld's 4th strongest army, he was sent to the realm of humans in order to wage war. The king of demons would order the armies to go out and fight in various places, but it never seemed to work for them. The priests of the world above were merely too prepared for even the strongest armies to handle: blessed swords, arrows dipped in holy water, anything that would drive the demons away. But one day, Zane was sent to an ice kingdom to usurp the throne in the name of the demon king. He would stand at the gate of the army in his humble human appearance: A Caucasian male with white hair, icy blue, nearly white, eyes and beautiful white teeth. He would wear a bard outfit, and would cover the outside with a cloak. As he approached the castle gates, two guards not only would stop him but would question him.

Guard 1: "Well, you know the rules here, Bard. Show us your summons or leave the gates! The king wishes not to be intruded upon. There have been rumors spreading of demons invading kingdoms. Our army currently has fallen ill so we are mighty defenseless." He said his loud deep voice echoing many times as it travel into Zane's ears.

Guard 2: " Oy! Hurry on, then! Where's your summons, boy?" He asked poking him with the handle of his sword, his voice piercing through the wind with how loud it was.

Zane would smirk and adjust his posture, he was after all in the presence of a king's men. He began to speak as he held his hands behind him, preparing for an attack. His voice would be soft and chilling, very cold and calculated, as he responded to the guards. "Well gentlemen, I've been summoned here because it appears the king has been shorthanded. Two of his guards were found dead in the front gate, and his army was stricken dead by a plague. My mistake, here is my summons of a paper." He says as he hits the two guards with icy dark energy blasts. The first guard would be so shocked by Zane's words that he did not have time to react. However, the second guard was able to reach for his sword and get it drawn before the blast had gone through his heart. "My mywho could have done such a thing to the king's guardsmen? I should go into the kingdom and find them." Zane says to himself jokingly, as he would freeze the gate, before breaking it open.

He approached the castle, sparing any person who approached him. He did not want any extra deaths on his hands, that is what the plan was. Those guards merely antagonized him and he didn't need extra attention. He entered the castle and quickly made his way to the throne room. He would enter the throne room, and see his target: the king, standing there. King Blake Maxwell, was a moderately aged man. He looked no older than 40 and had two daughters: Brooke, and Noelle. Both were beautiful and kind, however Noelle was held as the heir due to her power. It served the kingdom better since she had ice powers like her father, while Brooke had water. Zane would approach the three with a small smile as he removed his cloak, and began to grow his horns and wings. He couldn't have his full demon appearance, however he was still able to be seen as one.

Zane: "King Maxwell! I am demon general Zane Conven! I am here to take your throne in the name of the demon king. Surrender peacefully, as I wish no harm unto your daughters." He said as he continued to stare at the man. He stared at Noelle as her aura seemed to show that she was angry but frightened.

Noelle: "A d-demon general?! What's going on? Dad, he's got to be joking with us! GUARDS!! SEIZE HIM!!" However, despite her frightened yelling, nobody came. The guards were either off assisting the other kingdoms in alliances, or too ill from some mysterious plague. Zane stared at her and would blast her, as well as Brooke for good measure, with a sleeping spell. She would hold her hand out towards her father as she began to fall to the floor in tears. "F-father...no.."

As his daughters were being targeted by Zane's sleeping attack, the king would grab a nearby sword and would charge at Zane. He swung the sword time after time, and continued to attempt to strike the demon. "Bastard! What have you done to my daughters?!" He asked as tears filled his face.

Zane, while dodging sword swings: "Your daughters are fine. Merely in a temporary sleep as I command it. However, I will remove it once our business is done." The king would continue to put up a fight, dodging punches and attempting stabs on the general. However, the fight came to an end as Zane lured the king to a pillar. When the king swung his sword, Zane ducked it and the sword would get stuck in the pillar. Zane would take that moment to stab the king in the stomach with his horns, causing the king to cough up blood. Zane removed the king from his horns, and the king would stumble back. He was bleeding profusely and was dripping blood all over the floor.

Zane would raise his hand with his palm facing the king and then blasted him with his magic. The king's body would get freeze burns along his skin, beginning to crack and split open, as dark energy seeped into his bloodstream from the wounds. Zane would watch the man and sadistically laugh, as King Maxwell would die from the blood loss, and the injuries from dark matter forced within him. However, Zane looked at the two girls, and rather than leave the king there, Zane took the body and dropped it outside of the castle. He did not want the girls to awaken and see the deceased man they called a father. He would don the cloak and leave the castle and kingdom, after making a detour to the barracks of the army. The lot of them were sleeping however he still proceeded to cast a spell on them before moving to the portal outside of the castle gates, relinquishing his spell on the girls only after he opened it, to return home. He went home with blood upon his horns, and the king's staff as proof of his victory. As he was showered with praise, he felt a sense of unease come over him. As if it wouldn't be the last time he would see those two girls.

When the two girls woke up they checked on each other first, before noticing their father is gone. They looked around the room and saw bloodstains and their fathers sword in the pillar. "He must have won! Father never loses with his sword, after all!" Brooke said as she went to her bedroom in the castle's west wing. However, Noelle was not going to assume that. She continued to look around and eventually she saw the nail in the coffin.

Noelle would look outside of the window and a shriek of terror, high pitched enough to wake the entire army, and break the plague curse the demons put on them, as she saw her father's lifeless, bleeding body...or rather, what was left of it after Zane's blast. "Father!! No...you can't be dead! I need you here! Please get up, dad!" She says crying streaming tears, before letting out a loud and pained howl-like scream. The guards would arrive and see the body before cleaning it up and after a funeral and a few months, prepare for a new reign.

Zane would sneak out of the underworld time after time to see what the sorrowful aftermath of his attack wrought. He anticipated that the princesses would scream and activate his spell. During his visits he saw the funeral processions, the coronation and even saw that the kingdom would grow more and more with the new queen. But he knew he would be recognized if he was spotted so he never stayed long. However, one day that would all change.

To be continued