A Will of Fire and Darkness

Prologue 1.3

Three Years Later.

The sky was a range of reds and oranges as the sun set below the mountains. Birds fluttered in the distance and the trees swayed to a soft breeze. What would seemingly be a perfect night had the smell of smoke not wafted through our small town. On the outskirts of United Eltrey, we lived mostly out of the way of travelers. But this smoke came with the message of death and destruction, it burned the great tree only miles away, and every town around it, including mine.

My feet pounded the ground as I ran out of the little grass mound house. The horror before me spread throughout the forest and the buildings around. Flames burned the ground with the rage and intensity of a great dragon, the horizon foggy with the smoke. What appeared to be wolves of smoke chased the children and civilians of the village, cornering them in the flames that now surrounded the area. I drew a sword from the nearby blacksmith and lunged for the creatures, my blade going clean through them. It was no use they swiftly reformed and turned to me, teeth bared.

A scream pierced the air dragging my attention to the home of an elderly, the smoky wolves had surrounded it with children inside. The scream came from the old woman swinging a broom in defense. I quickly leaped into the air and slammed my wings down, dismissing the wolves in front of me. Landing down on top of creatures that cornered the lady, I swung my sword through the remaining till they had all disappeared. But they kept on coming and seemed as though they never ended. Soon the sharp smell of blood filled my nose. I franticly looked around and saw the devastation unfolding, helpless to fend off so many on my own.

They're dying, no, this can't be happening.

"Delkor!" screamed the ever so familiar voice of my wife. She was slinging fire at the wolves, her gloves thrown aside.

Fear hit me like a rock to the head. If I can't defend the whole village then I will stand by my only hope. I sped over to the grassy hill where my home was, flapping my wings as fast as I could. I slid through the mass of wolves, one lunged biting my arm and shaking its head. Natalin stomped through the head and swung out another wave of flames to oncoming wolves.

"What the hell is happening? Why is the tree on fire?" she asked franticly, the look of genuine fear in her glassy green eyes. She stood at my back defending my blind spots.

"I have no clue but the fire has surrounded the village so there's no way out, these things keep on coming, there's no end to them," I said as I sent a ball of my dark energy through a pack of them. "Get Varia and go, take your guardian dragon and leave."

She elbowed my side and gave me a death glare. "There is no universe where I leave you here to die. I'll send her with the dragon alone, he will take care of her till everything calms down. We will get out of here, and when we do he will wait for us in Dallain," she said. She turned and ran inside the house.

I fought the relentless waves of wolves, slinging out dark energy and swinging my sword. I had a brief moment of rest once I had rid them all, giving me a chance to look around. Death at every corner, blood splattered every building, the grass became stained. One of the wolves still held the neck of a child in its smoky mouth. I tensed my jaw and braced my legs for the next wave of monsters.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't the long-lost runaway. I heard of you but never thought I would find you here in this tiny village," a deep voice said. I looked around and saw a figure emerge from the fire. Tall and cloaked in black that matched the dark smoke that hid his face. "You know, I would spare you, but the queen and I aren't on the best of terms right now, so I think I'll piss her off a little." A brief laugh followed before the man walked my way.

"This is your doing. How do you know the queen? Who are you?" I could barely hold back my rage. I braced my sword and stood my ground.

"Ugh it's a long story that I don't care to explain to an Eltrey," he said, his voice filled with hate at the last word.

I leaped forward, sword aimed at his neck. A quick flash of smoke and I was flung backward into the smith shop next to my home. Metal and weapons clattered to the floor as I slammed into the shelves. Looking around the man was standing where he had been, utterly unimpressed as he looked at his hand. I stood up again and shot into the sky, the smoke from the fires making it hard to see as I summoned more dark energy and formed it into several balls. I tossed them in different directions hoping to catch the man off guard. A thick vail of smoke covered him and the balls of energy disappeared into it.

"As fun as this is messing with you, I have places to be," said the same deep voice. The smoke parted as a hand pointed in the direction of United Eltrey. "So please, allow me to finish my work here."

Before I had a chance to react the balls of energy shot out of the smoke at me. I'd never been hit by my own power, it stings like putting lemon in a cut, the buzzing sound made my ears bleed. I plummeted from the air landing on the hard burning ground. I let out a roar of pain as my clothes burned, ripping my shirt off. I stumbled out of the fire trying to get a grip on my spinning head. Heaving, bloody, and burned, my chest stung with a deep pain as if one of the balls had struck my chest. I picked up my fiery sword and ran at the masked man, swaying and missing my hits.

"Oh come on, this is pathetic. There's nothing else to protect, everything is burning, and you are too. Give. Up." He stepped aside from every swing I made and swiftly dodged my attacks.

"I have one thing to fight for and I would die protecting that," I rasped, my voice hoarse from the smoke. I looked back at the house to see Natalin carrying a basket into the near by flames. A little more time, I just need to stall a little longer. I charged at the stranger again and again, miss after miss.

Suddenly I heard a scream from the forest, looking over I saw a dragon flying away in the distance and the smokey form of the wolves in the tree line. I stood in terror as I watched Natalin fall to the ground and swing franticly at the wolves. I started to run but the smoke man appeared in front of me, his mask gone. He grinned at me and struck my stomach, throwing me against the smith shop again. I groaned in pain and coughed up blood in my hand, my throat burned, my chest stung with every heartbeat. He picked up my charred sword studying it with a careful eye.

"You know, it's so easy to kill. But it's hard to live with the haunting dead every night and day. People go mad from it, the guilt, the screams, it haunts their dreams," he said slowly. Tilting his head he gave a wicked smile and pointed the sword at my chest. "But I love the sound, I crave the harmony of death, the smell of blood. Of course, when it's all burned it's not as fun." He pushed down on the sword, I could feel my chest cracking and I clawed at the blade, gasping. "At least, I get to enjoy your death," he laughed twisting the blade and ripping the skin below.

I can't breathe, it hurts so much, my chest feels like it's caving in. Panic waved through me; I looked over at the forest where I last saw my wife. Crawling, barely moving, she extended her arm to me from the distance she was, as if she could hold my hand and take me with her. The wolves still clawed at her back and legs, killing her so slow. She's dying. I ignored the sword to my chest and reached my hand out. She is so far yet it feels like I'm right there.

She goes limp.

Her hand falls, her head tilted to the side, her eyes glossy and dark, the light that was once there had gone. The flames of her hands and horns dimmed until all that was left was the charred remains.

My heart sank. I could no longer feel the pain of the sword digging into my chest. Fighting to stay alive had no meaning anymore. But we fought together so she could have some chance at life, and now we will die together.

"What a sad ending to the short love story," said the man in a mocking sad voice. "You know, if you had stayed in Urgriss you'd be safe. As much as I have a great hatred for Eltrey, the dark kingdom is no bother to me so why try to kill them too. I hope you enjoy being the last to live." A crazed laugh left his mouth before he plunged the sword through my rib cage.

The pain was so intense, I couldn't even let out a final cry of agony as I felt a gut-wrenching crack reverberate through my body. I watched as the man simply walked away, my vision becoming blurry. As a final effort I looked at my wife's body, the last thing I wanted to see before the light faded from my eyes too.

At least Varia will live safely...