The last flame

Chapter 1

???:
I don't remember anything about myself, my name, my last name, my age, nothing, the only thing I know is that I have a quest from my lords to complete, I have to find a way to fix everything.

I felt my body coming back to life as I broke the coffin and came out of my grave seeing the sunlight for the first time in years maybe even centuries.
It all felt so weird, I felt like my body was transformed into something I wasn't used to.. I slowly started walking towards the shining letters on the ground knowing it's a message from my lords.. a sword with a shield..
"Welcome back our dearest friend we hope you don't disappoint us"
I took the sword and the shield then started walking through the cemetery trying to find a way out, the once beautiful kingdom was now destroyed, with darkness lurking around. The sounds of the agonizing cries of people breaking the uncomfortable silence.
Everything in my memories were so blurry that I barely remembered anything but the one thing I know is that Oskandor was never this dead, the trees were no longer green, there was no flowers and greenness around. Only the dead trees casting a huge shadow over the cemetery, the air filled with ashes, a sign that the gods were punishing us for our sins.
I walked out of the cemetery to only be met with more misery in the village. The people were dehydrated and starved, they all looked like they haven't drank or eaten for days. A few women were holding their dead children in their arms the sound of their screams muffled by some sort of high power, the men were mostly injured laying on the floor on the verge of dying themselves, smoke was rising from the fire but there was no fire around, was this the punishment they taught us that would happen if we do bad things?..

After walking for hours in a what seemed like a maze I finally managed to find a way out and saw a cave in distance. As I was walking through the woods I saw the familiar glow of the letters on the trunk of a tree..
"You're getting close, keep going."
I read the message and started walking towards the cave and stepped inside, nothing but darkness, the familiar darkness I got used to after being buried for a long time.
My steps could barely be heard since I wasn't wearing my usual armor and it felt like I wasn't decent. I kept walking and walking until I saw the sunlight once more.

???:
I felt some sort of force taking out my body from the lake I've been drowned in for years, the force took me out and I was alive once more.. I could feel myself breathing again.. the familiar rise and fall of my chest.. to my surprise I wasn't wet and my clothes were not damaged at all, I looked at the reflection of my face in the water, I looked so young.. like I hadn't aged or rot in this period of time. I felt the familiar force, the one who was always there when I had a quest to do and it all add up now, I have a quest to do again, that's why I'm back from death...
The same glowing words on the ground.. with a bow, arrows and shield
"Welcome back our dearest friend we hope you don't disappoint us"
The sentence was short but simple, my lords expected me to solve a problem and by looking around I knew something was wrong with our world.. the dead trees, the sear grass, the lake filled with filth and trash, the ashes in the air..
They all spoke volumes, the gods were punishing us...
I started walking through the forest barely remembering anything, like my memories were erased so I stopped thinking and focused on getting my task done like the honorable and loyal knight I promised myself to be the first day our lords gave me a task..
I saw a small house in the distance and walked in the direction of it.
The fog was so thick that I hardly could see anything but I could hear the roars of a creature not so far from me and an intense gaze on myself but wherever I looked I was met with nothing.
I reached the house and opened the door, the house was empty, no alive creatures or furnitures there, the only thing that I could see was a mirror on the wall.
I walked to the mirror and saw the glass transforming into a liquid form sucking me inside of it, I knew better than to scream. This wasn't a mirror, this was a portal that would take me somewhere the lords wants me..

I was there, the lords were gathered together sitting on their thrones.
The lords turned around and looked at me, I didn't look at them and immediately dropped my gaze to the floor, you should never look directly at the lords..
One of them started talking, his voice croaky and dead

??:"so we met again our beloved child, as you saw we are being punished by the gods because our once loyal people don't believe in the flame anymore.."

Another one continued disappointment dripping from his voice

??:"although you disappointed us very much with your past actions, we're willing to give you another chance to fix your mistakes and go back to your grave with peace.."

I just nodded my head, still not looking up at them waiting for their next command

??:"look at us my child..." a female voice said

I let my gaze wander upon them, 4 lords, 3 men, 1 woman. My gaze locked with the woman, I felt like something was different about her.. the last time I saw her she was wearing a white fabric all over her form with a flower crown that had candles inside it but now the fabric turned black and there was a nest crown over her head and the candles were no longer lit, I wonder is she being punished by the gods like this?..

??:"now go my child, your armor is inside the dungeon, you should earn it back and continue your journey..." the other male said dismissing me

???:
After leaving the cave I still hadn't reach our lords, I wonder if they ever let me go to them again or are they punishing me as well for my failure and disappointments?
I saw the familiar glow on the ground again
"We shall meet soon my child"
Our lords would never lie so I continued the only path and reached a church with a pile of burned bodies on the outside and hesitantly pushed the doors open keeping a hand on the hilt of my sword, right in the middle of the church where used to be a flame was now a mermaid hung from the celling with her tail ripped apart from the gem plunged in her skin I knew she was the wife of one of our lords, it was a tradition if anyone was chosen to be the wife, they had to prove themselves by plunging a gem by the lord's choice in their skin.

I looked around the church, my gaze flickering to the walls and the scribbles on them..
'We are free'
'We won't be fooled anymore'
'Never trust them'
I never witnessed anything like this, the church was somewhere holy and no one even dared to breathe too hard let alone scribble on the walls.
I started wondering what if a revolution started and only because some foolish people the gods are punishing us, it was as clear as the day, they disrespected the flame and now we were getting all punished..