The Knights of Aragon

Chapter 1

I wake up to screams outside of my cottage. Nights like these, screams are normal in my village, but this time was different. Beyond the sounds of fear, there is an ominous groan which is getting closer and closer by the second. I quickly get out of my cot and run out my door.

Stepping out, I immediately see the entire village in a scrambling chaos. People running and pushing each other down the cobble street. The sky is bland and starless as usual but... the Mist is moving? My shock quickly transitions to panic. A million questions run through my head, but my focus is on the shadows moving behind the frightening, grey sky. It moves like a snake, coiling around inside our borders in the sky.

"Take cover!" Someone roars over the noise. The voice sounds familiar but not recognizable in this stampede. I move towards the village church but lightening strikes. One, twice, three times. It lights the whole sky and reveals a wicked face in the grey abyss. As if it's alive and enjoying our restless fear. The walls of mist are caving in. Moving towards us like a tsunami ready to decimate anything in its path. The cries of hopelessness grows louder and many run into me. I am rooted at my spot and take most of the hits from my people. It is going to swallow us whole. Why would it do so now after hundreds of years? The Mist has never moved so inimically before. It looks so... alive.

Without thinking, I step forward. One foot in front of the other until I begin sprinting towards the south wall. The screams behind me fade ever so lightly as the distance between us grows. Thunder shakes the ground as the lightning engulfs the sky. The face roars with the thunder and grins with the lightening.

I'm not sure where I gather my courage, but here I am running towards danger without any hesitation. As I see the south wall, I halt. The Mist has moved significantly into the village, devouring about a dozen of cottages. I can still their silhouette through the dark grey fog. I look up to the sky and see the arc it has created to watch its destruction. Its face snarling towards the north wall.

"Hey!" I yell out at it. "Stop, you behemoth beast!" The Mist sniffs the air and turns to me frightenedly slow. I visibly swallow but I push my fear down. My heart beats faster and faster, the exhilaration rushing to my brain. "Was it not enough to feast on our families? On our children?" I feel something cold brush my back. "Does it make you feel powerful and mighty as you completely destroy all we've worked for? What gives you the right?"

The right?

With a start, I turn around and there, standing before me, is a faceless body of fog. What gives YOU the right to stand before me, mortal? Who are you to question what I do? I feel tendrils of its power wrap around my legs. "I am a person," I retort back, "A living being that will not stand by and watch as you once again destroy what little we have." It falters at my statement and the tendrils loses their grips on my legs, so I look behind me and reach for the nearest thing within my reach.

There weren't many items that I could use as a weapon, but I still lunge for a huge stone, but I was a second too late. The tendrils grab me and drag me to the floor. You believe that you mortals deserve mercy? I lived to serve for weak-minded fools like you. But I saw the blood-thirsty beasts you all truly are. I flail my arms around, trying to grip on anything that could possibly save me from entering the Mist. I have seen tragedies and blessing, misery and prosperity. You mortals are the ones that cause the latter and seek higher beings to fix what you yourself have broken.

The Mist stops me a few inches from where its standing. I was a high standing being that you mortals put in chains. And, in the end, it crouches next to me and looks at me with its void face, I killed the villains you all called Heroes. Its hand slowly morphs into a double-bladed weapon. The lightening has not lessened as it spreads like a web and the fog surrounding my village has turned pitch black.

I feel the electricity in the air as it raises its weapon. I blindly search for anything to protect myself with. Doubt creeps up from my chest, but I do not let it paralyze me. The Mist wickedly grins and aims for my heart. I close my eyes and brace for the inevitable pain, but it never arrives. My eyes open wide, and shock radiates through my body. In my hand is a cheap steel blade blocking the Mist's attack. It seems just as surprised as I am at the move. But not only that, my blade... it's transforming into something different. Something stronger. No, it says horrified, It can't be!!

My blade is now a genuine steel blade with inscriptions on it. The hilt is bejeweled with stones of fire that matches the color of my hair. The blade is light as a feather in my hands but firm as the trunk of evergreen trees. It is a sword worthy of Kings and Queens. The Mist can also see the power of this sword. I can see its need to destroy it out of vengeance and hatred. I can see it in its face.

It strikes again but this time I'm not ready and I barely made it out of its reach. I roll over and quickly stand up. The sword falls limp in my hands. I curse at my lack of swordsmanship. How pitiful, it sneers at me, killing you will be easy. It attacks like a snake ready to sink its fang on their prey. Luckily, I don't plan on dying just yet.

Weakly, I lift my sword and block all the blows. The Mist has isolated me from the rest of the world. My only light is coming from my blade. Strike, attack, block. Over and over. It throws all the power that it has against me, but I actively block it with my sword. The Mist growls furiously as thunder rumbles in the sky. Tendrils of cool mist surrounds me as its make-shift body disperses amongst the fog.

Do you believe in Fate, mortal?

Hands grasping my sword, I desperate look at the surrounding tendrils of power. "No, actually," I breathlessly answer, "Fate hasn't been kind to my people." It chuckles darkly. Fate is a cruel thing but yours? Ha, it is unfair indeed. In a blink of an eye, it wraps a tendril from the sky around my throat and squeezes as it lightly lifts me of the ground.

The moment I sniffed the air around you, I knew that you were different than all these vermin. I gasp for air as it keeps squeezing my throat. It was not your choice to provoke me nor was it your pathetic attempt at bravery. It was written before your time. The outcome, however, is all up to me and my master. I hope your brethren receives you well in the afterlife.

From the corner of my eyes, I see all the remaining tendrils surrounding me begin to shape and transform to many double-edged knives. I look up at the Mist in the sky and give it a bitter smile. "Pity," I rasp, "I'm not ready to meet them yet." With all the strength I could muster, I lift my sword and stab it through its body. The lightening from the sky crashes onto my sword and forcefully separates me while it pushes the Mist farther away.

I crash onto the dirt and pain explodes all over my body. I take a deep breath of precious air. I survived. I survived? I don't hear the thunder or the urgent screaming. I just hear myself breathing and the same words over and over. I, Valencia of Stormhold, survived a battle with the Mist. I can still hear it whisper to me from a far distance.

Fate is not done with you yet, mortal.