The Unwanted

O.

18.21.14

     'Always lock eyes with your opponent' was the first lesson I learned as a young warrior. It's a rule I've upheld through countless fights, unwavering even in the face of death himself. Yet now, as I walked through the dense, dark forest where the only light came from the occasional flicker of red moonbeams through the tree branches, I found myself facing a new challenge.

He possessed no eyes to see, no mouth to utter a sound.

Instead, he navigated through an uncanny reliance on scent and sporadic, disquieting touches.

At first glance, he appeared normal, a semblance of humanity. Yet as he drew nearer, the illusion shattered. His skin was pale and translucent as though scraped from the marrow of the dead, his height was over eight feet, his clothes were a grotesque parody of a suit, clinging to his form with an unsettling familiarity. Underneath it, however, there could be spotted patches of coarse, matted fur sprouted with a sickly, unnatural vigour.

New challenge indeed.

Midnight had cast its pall over the land, and the prospect of awakening yet another beast from its slumber whilst contending with this abomination filled me with a weariness that only us, immortals, know. From the depths of this creature's throat, though it had no mouth, emanated a guttural growl, a sound that reverberated through the chill night air and other creatures nearby. And though eyeless, his head turned towards me with unnerving precision, and he advanced.

With surprising measured calm, I adjusted my glasses, pressing them firmly upon the bridge of my nose.

My claws extended, poised to rend flesh from bone.

My fangs flashed in the darkness and I met his advance with a feral snarl, but he was not so easily caught. In a blur of motion, he twisted away from my grasp, and before I could recover, his booted foot collided with my abdomen, the impact jarring my senses and sending a shockwave of pain through my body.

"Do not dare soil my garment," I snarled in protest from where I was kneeling on the ground, "it was—" my words were swallowed by the shadows as he vanished into the night.

I staggered, my breath ragged as I fought to reclaim my balance.

Gods be damned, I didn't lie when I said the clothes were expensive.

Movement to my right caught my attention. I looked up at him, the rubber like skin on his face now slashed slightly. With a powerful sweep of my arm, I caught his wrist in a vice-like grip, pulling him close. I drove my knee into his side before throwing him back with a forceful shove. From underneath my long coat I took a blade, the red moon causing it to reflect in the night. With a fluid and practiced motion, I reared back my arm and sent the blade hurtling towards the creature's head.

Where a mouth should have been, the skin stretched and twisted in unnatural contortions, emitting a howl so ghastly it seemed to defy reason. The sound pierced the stillness of the night, sending flocks of birds into a panic, their cries mingling with the creature's unearthly wail. Even I, experienced in the dark arts, was taken aback.

"That's for staining my clothes." I grumbled, irritation lacing my voice as I knelt to retrieve the blade, my fingers brushing against the cold, crimson-streaked steel. I swiped the blade one more time, cutting the head from the rest of the body. Just in case.

Indeed, these past few days have been plagued with encounters of the most sinister kind. Once a place of serene whispers and happy yelps of creatures, has turned into a realm of lurking horrors. In days gone by, I would tread these paths under the cloak of night, the flickering lights of fireflies guiding my way through the darkness. It was a sanctuary, a place where even the shadows held no threat. But those days of quietude have been banished by an unspoken decree. The forest now stands as forbidden ground, a realm that none dare to tread.

Yet, who would dare chastise me for my transgressions? I am beyond their reach, beyond their mortal fears.

I shook my head, the weight of my crownless legacy heavy upon me, and lifted my gaze.

For I am the forsaken prince, the unwanted heir of a kingdom long lost to the annals of time. The world shuns me, yet it is I who commands the darkness.