Where Light Dies

40. Succumb to Darkness

Cold winds rose over his kingdom as light gave way to darkness. The stars had been swallowed by an endless void, a lonely moon's light being the only thing that kept his world from vanishing into nothing. As fearful as it was, there was grace to it, a sort of hidden beauty that could be appreciated only by one who had an eye for such elegance.

A shallow click broke his reverie. Someone had entered his quarters, and the prince knew exactly who it was.

"A wonderful night, isn't it Raziel?"

"Wonderful indeed."

-- Valhalla, Glasir -- 2017 --

Scores of buildings lined his vision in the form of dots as his gaze spread over the entirety of Valhalla. There were barely a thousand of his race on these foreign lands, most of them around his age. It was hard to believe that this was all it took to bring a world to its knees. A subtle smile played upon his lips.

Raziel felt a gentle breeze nip at his pale complexion. It flowed through his purple satin gown, making it flutter in the wind. Footsteps echoed through the spacious bedroom as the visitor approached him.

Javier walked up to his friend, leaning against the wall as he turned to face him. He was clad in his usual servant's cloak, the sombre fabric hanging loose over tightly woven body. A ram's head was burnt into the cloak in bright red, the sigil gleaming proud on his chest. Not many knew of the power that hid beneath that tattered cloth of obsidian. If the prince could be called the king's golden sword, then Javier surely would be his iron fist.

"You seem to be lost in thought," said the servant.

"In a night this calm, wouldn't anyone be?" he replied with a laugh that would've fooled anyone.

Anyone but Javier.

The royal servant smiled, walking into the balcony. Javier casually leaned against the marbled coping, his gaze falling on a kingdom that had succumbed to darkness long before it could be saved.

"I know what you're thinking of," he said as the thought lingered in his mind.

"You do?" the prince replied nonchalantly, leaning towards the open sky as the cold winds tickled his skin.

Winter.

"You're obsessed Raziel."

The words struck like thunder against the tranquil veil of the night, shattering the solace that the darkness once offered. The prince wasn't surprised. He'd been expecting this talk for a while now.

"We've nothing to gain from their deaths."

"We do. I call it vengeance," the prince scoffed in reply.

"The king had given you these lands to pillage and plunder. Yet you chose to rule well. You spared the humans who stayed underground."

Raziel said nothing, staring into the vacant sky.

"It was you who chose to declare that the war was already won, despite knowing that the humans were arming themselves as we rejoiced! You were the one who argued that they were doing it only to defend themselves against the darks," Javier said as he watched the prince turn away from him. Grabbing him by the shoulder, the bane held him straight, making sure he heard every word of what he had to say. He wasn't going to stay quiet, not anymore.

"We could've finished them off, down to every last man, woman and child if we wanted to. Yet you became their shield, guarding them against what they could not overcome," said Javier, his hand firm on the Prince's shoulder.

"You are kind. You are just," he quivered. Raziel's hands were clamped down against his sides, shaking as his friend spoke. "You can be the kind of king Valhalla deserves. Don't let vengeance have the better of you."

Raziel slapped his hand away, his eyes turning pitch black as he lunged forward.

"What kind of King fails to protect his Queen?" a thousand souls screamed from his throat, his face inches from Javier's. Beads of perspiration stuck to his forehead, his pitch-black eyes welled up with tears. "I loved her," he said, his gaze fixed on his palm as it trembled.

And what would she have wanted? he wanted to ask him. But Javier held himself back. He knew Liara J'raad, almost as much as the prince himself. She wasn't one to look at the common good, nor did she care what anyone thought of her. If anything were to happen to the prince, he was sure that she would have the culprit's head. Even if it meant a purge.

The winds whistled in their ears as they stood in silence, their eyes refusing to make contact. In the end, it was the servant who chose to break the trance.

"So, what are you going to do?" Javier muttered, taking a peek at the silent teen. Their eyes locked onto each other. There was something in Raziel's glare that he'd never felt before. It was something demonic, a rage so pure it could've burned him to ashes. Javier felt his eyes grow damp as he struggled to tear them away from the prince's. Chills ran down his spine in ardent waves, his heart thundering as he heard those bloodshot eyes scream at him through the silence.

For a moment he thought he was under his influence, his mind probably slave to what his friend had willed upon him.

He was wrong, and that scared him even more.

This was a kind of fear that he'd never experienced. The kind that would haunt him in his dreams for years to come.

"I will hunt him down. I will take from him inch by inch, watch him break into a thousand shards. I will show him how it feels to lose everything he holds dear," he spewed, his voice splitting into a multitude of screams. His features had churned into a livid mess, hostility spreading in waves from his trembling form.

Javier snapped back to reality, stepping back as he drew his breath. Never once had he felt such murderous intent. He took one more look at the bane. Raziel's eyes had gone back to normal, his skin covered in sweat and his arms trembling still.

"If this is your resolve lies, then I'm afraid you're no longer the man I once knew."

Raziel scoffed, leaning back against the railing. The marble felt cold against his robes, now drenched in sweat. Footsteps echoed in the room as heavy boots fell onto the stone floors, Javier tracing his steps back to the wooden doors.

"Is this where we part then?"

The royal servant turned back around, facing his master with a face as blank as the night outside.

"I've told you what I felt. It is not for me to decide what you do. If you choose to go after the traitor, then so be it. I will do as you command me to," he said blankly, his eyes fixed on Raziel's. "No more, no less."

A loud bang shook the hallway as Javier left, slamming the door behind him. The prince let out a deep sigh, his palm dragging down the skin on his face as he wiped himself down. His gaze wandered into the skies, landing on the dimly lit moon that stood deserted in a stygian wave of shadows. Standing alone against the depthless void, the only thing that kept an entire world from falling into the depths of darkness.

For how long?

A hollow thud ricocheted off the walls, breaking the silence once again. On the wall was a patch of blood, fresh from his hit. Raziel stared at his bleeding fist as it slowly began to steam over.

"My Prince!" another servant called out, standing still as a pole at his doorstep.

"What is it?"

"The king awaits your presence."

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