Chapter 8: The Fall
The cavern walls felt closer now, like they were tightening around me, suffocating me with every step. My thoughts had unraveled completely,
and the voices their once soft whispers now screamed, relentless and deafening. The faces in the stone that taunted me seemed to grow larger, mocking me,
twisting into grotesque grins. But I didn't care anymore. Madness had become my constant companion.
I wasn't alone, either.
Behind me, lurking in the shadows, the chimera Günther had once commanded stalked me. I could feel its predatory gaze burning into the back of my neck,
but it kept its distance. It never attacked, as though it were waiting—waiting for me to do what I knew deep down needed to be done.
The witches, Nyssa, the othersthey were all dead. I had slaughtered them in a frenzy of rage, their blood still etched into my mind.
Yet their magic had fused with mine, wrapping itself around my very soul, binding me to this madness. It wasn't just their voices in my head anymore it was
their power, their torment, woven into my every thought.
I stumbled through the winding cave passages until I reached the witches' sanctum, the heart of their magic. The altar was still there,
looming in the dim light of the cave, stained with the blood of countless rituals. My body, heavy with exhaustion, dropped to its knees before it.
The weight of my actions—of every life I had taken, of every soul I had broken pressed down on me like a crushing boulder.
But the altar pulsed with power. Dark, forbidden magic that whispered promises of destruction and vengeance. It called to me, urging me to finish what had begun.
My mind, shattered as it was, latched onto that power like a lifeline. If I was truly this monster, maybe I could use it. Maybe I could destroy the kingdom,
the Mad King, Günther everything.
But as I raised my hand to the altar, a new voice cut through the chaos in my mind. A familiar voice.
"Elijah..." The voice was weak, faint. But it was unmistakable. Günther.
I whirled around, and there he stood. Bloodied, bruised, and staggering, but alive. His once-pristine armor was dented and torn,
his face gaunt and lined with exhaustion. The chimera that had followed me emerged from the shadows and padded to his side, its golden eyes glowing in the dark.
For a moment, I didn't know what to feel. Günther, the man who had slaughtered my parents, who had left me to die in the woods he was here, alive.
But he wasn't the invincible knight I had once feared. He was broken, like me.
"Elijah," he rasped, his voice cracking, "it ends here."
Rage flared in my chest, an all-consuming fire. My blood boiled, and the madness roared in my ears. "You killed my family,"
I growled, my voice barely recognizable. "You made me into this."
Günther stared at me, his expression unreadable. "I didn't know then... what you would become. But now, you've become something far worse than
I ever could have imagined."
I raised my hand, dark magic swirling around my fingertips. "I should kill you right now."
He didn't flinch. "Maybe. But if you do, you'll lose what little remains of yourself."
I hesitated, the magic surging in my veins, begging to be released. But then, something inside me cracked, and a wave of exhaustion swept over me.
I had been chasing revenge for so long, running from the pain, that I hadn't realized how deep it had consumed me.
"Günther..." I whispered, lowering my hand. "It's too late. The witches Nyssa they broke me. I can't go back."
Günther's eyes softened, just for a moment. "Maybe not. But we can still end this."
The chimera growled beside him, low and menacing, but Günther didn't move. He just watched me, waiting. I felt the power of the altar pulsing behind me,
calling to me, but for the first time, I hesitated.
Could I really stop this? Could I choose to end the cycle of death and madness?
Before I could answer, the cavern shook, the ground beneath us rumbling as the air grew thick with oppressive magic. A figure appeared at the entrance of the
sanctum tall, cloaked in black, with eyes burning like fire. The Mad King.
Günther's father.
He stepped into the light, his twisted smile reflecting the madness that consumed his mind. "My son," he crooned, his voice dripping with malice.
"You've found him. The last of the witches' creation."
Günther's expression darkened, but he didn't back down. "Father, this has to stop. He isn't what you think."
The Mad King's laughter echoed through the cavern. "Oh, but he is! He's everything I dreamed of. Chaos incarnate. And now, he will destroy everything in his path."
My chest tightened as the king's words sunk in. I had become a weapon. The witches had used me, and now the Mad King wanted to unleash me upon the world.
But I wouldn't be anyone's pawn. Not anymore.
"Enough!" I shouted, the magic around me flaring as I stood between Günther and his father. The madness surged within me, but for the first time,
I felt something else control.
The Mad King's grin faded, replaced with a sneer of hatred. "You think you can defy me, boy? You were made for destruction. I command it."
"Not anymore," I said, my voice steady. "I choose my own path."
Without hesitation, the Mad King raised his hand, dark magic swirling around him. The ground shook, and the very air seemed to crackle with energy as he
prepared to unleash his power.
But I was faster.
The magic inside me erupted in a blinding flash, and the cavern was filled with light. I didn't hold back. I unleashed everything—the madness,
the pain, the rage and it surged toward the Mad King like a tidal wave.
For a moment, time seemed to freeze. The Mad King's eyes widened in shock, his power no match for the storm I had become. And then, with a deafening roar,
he was consumed by the magic, his body disintegrating into nothingness.
The cavern fell silent.
Günther stood motionless, staring at the spot where his father had been. His face was unreadable, but there was a heaviness in his eyes.
He looked at me, and for the first time, there was no hatred. Only understanding.
I had become something neither of us could comprehend.
I turned away, the weight of what I had done pressing down on me. The Mad King was dead, but the madness was still there, lurking beneath the surface,
waiting to consume me again.
I wasn't sure I could hold it back forever.
