The Uprising (Hermitcraft AU)

Prologue

Xisuma

Horrible thoughts raced through Xisuma's brain like a whirlwind. His stomach was twisted in knots and the unrelenting sadness rushed over his body.

"You'll never be as good as your father," the thoughts hissed. "You have no idea how to run a kingdom."

As the crown slowly came down upon his head, he felt like throwing up. He'd felt a nervous excitement before his coronation, but now... now evil thoughts had entered his mind, permanently, and he wasn't quite sure what to do with himself.

After the recent death of his father, the King, Xisuma felt trapped. He felt such a strange sadness and he knew he'd been training for this moment his whole life. Now that he was actually being crowned king, he didn't believe he was ready at all. He rose, the crown weighing a thousand pounds on his head, and turned to face his people, wobbling slightly. The grand hall seemed so silent, you could hear a pin drop and Xisuma could feel the sweat dripping down his back. He lifted his head high, as a king should, and he looked out upon his subjects, forcing himself to breathe.

"Long live King Xisuma!" A voice shouted from the crowd and the call took up across the great hall. Millions of voices praised his name and shouted their excitement. Xisuma wanted to run.

-

With a horrible gasp, Xisuma sat straight up in bed, his eyes flying open in terror. He scanned the room, furiously searching for something in his chambers. After realizing his safety was ensured, he sighed, wiping the sweat from his brow, and he laid back against the headboard, trying to calm his breathing. Slowly, he climbed from his warm, comfortable bed, and struck a match, lighting his bedside candle.

The warm light of the candle flickered in the darkness and Xisuma picked the candle from his table, shakily. He headed for the door, trying to rid the horrifying thoughts that had entered his head during his dreams.

Ever since his father's death, Xisuma had been plagued with horrible nightmares that only seemed to get worse as time went on. This one had been the last straw.

"My lord?" A deep voice cut through the darkness as Xisuma placed his hand on his door handle, pushing it open. "Are you alright?" He recognized the voice of Doc- his most trusted friend. Xisuma had named him Captain of the Knight's Guard almost immediately. He trusted his life with no one else.

"I'm alright, Doc. I just need to see someone." Xisuma immediately felt Doc tense, not even having to see him to feel the anxiety coming off of him in waves.

"Would you like me to accompany you, my lord?" He asked, stiffly. "To ensure your safety?" Xisuma felt warmth flood him at the thought of his friend's loyalty. He almost felt at ease.

"Not this time, my friend. I will return, shortly," he replied, placing a firm hand on Doc's shoulder and giving him a small squeeze of gratitude. The candlelit corridor led Xisuma through the confusing passages of the castle till he finally reached his destination.

A large wooden door stood between Xisuma and his possible cure. He rapped his knuckles on the door softly and waited for a moment. It suddenly dawned on him that it was midnight and Tango was probably sleeping. He felt guilty but he couldn't wait- this was much too important.

"Tango!" Xisuma hissed through the door, knocking again. Almost immediately, the door swung open, revealing Tango, a young blond man and Xisuma's trusted mystic. Tango looked up, groggily, wiping the sleep from his eyes.