Lord Of Oblivion

Chapter 0 - Goddess of the Blade

Down a winding path that followed through a thick and uninviting forest, a boy stumbled across and tripped over several branches. His breathing disturbed the nightly atmosphere, sending echoes throughout the darkness that surrounds him. Fear and nothing else, this was what can be observed from the boy at first sight. A young human boy who wore tattered clothes, once and quite recently in pristine condition but had undergone a lot of turmoil and pain. This boy was called Agnar Willow.

Agnar looked back and saw no trace of his followers. He thought if it was the right time to let his guard down. But if he did, then that would mean that he had learnt nothing. He sprinted through the collection of brambles and thorns that the village liked to call a forest.

Apart from the sound of breaking twigs and the heavy impressions that he left on the forest floor, he heard nothing. His father had taught him that for one to be aware of one's surroundings, one must be aware of oneself...the only thing he was aware of right now was his heavy slurred breathing and the burning pain that stemmed from his seemingly broken foot. With each staggering step on the uneven forest floor, he scrambled to get a foothold to carry him further away from the dangers that lurked behind him.

His disability finally got the better of him as he tripped across a fallen branch and sprawled across the forest floor.

Without warning, a sudden force smashed onto his head. It was a big weathered rock jutting out of the ground. Now almost unconscious, he looked up at the silhouetted leaves that glistened in the night sky. He felt the strain of his muscles and realized the test he had to undergo in the coming moments.

He closed his eyes gently, feeling the breeze and smelling the indescribable forest scent. The soft noises that would fill the nights around rural areas were, interrupted by a thundering crack and the sound of something big rushing through the night without a thought of its path nor a goal in its mind.

Agnar quickly snapped his eyes open and rolled to the side. Using his arms to push himself up, he leaned unto a tree next to him. Agnar gazed up with thinly veiled fear at the large, never-ending size of his pursuer, who now stood inches away from him. His grey and frayed armour seemed to want to see Agnar's blood, in fact, every fibre of his being was vibrating with anticipation. He was human or at least his appearance suggested so.

"Finally caught up to me huh? I was getting bored for a second there, I thought of you as someone who was more considerate". Agnar laughed, trying to mask his fear underneath a false bravado. Struggling, Agnar then summoned every ounce of his remaining magic and activated the flame rune engraved on the back of his hand. Agnar could only just manifest his magic, having developed his rune not too long ago. But his desperate attempts were rewarded with the manifestation of two small flames on each palm.

Agnar knew the magic he had wasn't enough to defeat his foe, but it was enough to create an effective diversion. Taking notice of the moisture of the leaves beneath him, he swiftly pressed his hot palms down on the floor, creating an efficient screen of steam. His attacker stepped back in alarm. Seizing his chance, Agnar ran full force right past his attacker who was still trying to assess the situation, but his broken foot forced him to limp.

Agnar felt elated and alive, but his feelings were in vain as he felt a tug of immense force dragging him away from his freedom and back to the cage of fear, the knight's roar shook Agnar's teeth. He was now caught with nowhere to run, his magic also fully drained.

Agnar screamed, but the knight only laughed. He removed his helmet to reveal a face decorated with scars stretching across from all ends. He unsheathed a steel sword with his free hand, and raised it, with the intent to kill.

But then a flash of light cut through the night and sliced the knight's thick forearm that was as hard as granite clean off. The knight screamed in agony as he stepped back.

Agnar fell and felt a sharp pain shoot up from his legs but then he found himself gazing at one of the clearest and pale faces, elegant and yet fierce. He slowly forgot the throbbing pain and was entranced by her beauty. She gave him a reassuring smile and then turned her gaze towards the enraged beast of a man. She sprung faster than he thought possible and swung her thin-bladed sword, aiming for the knight's chest. The knight deflected the attack and cut at the woman's shoulder. The woman skillfully deflected the attack and leapt back.

"Will you be able to entertain me for long with that arm of yours?" The woman laughed, her voice clear as glass. This further intensified the knight's aggravation.

"It must be an enchantment", Agnar thought. He felt his pain being eased just by being in her presence. With another glance at Agnar, she held her blade up, with the tip pointed towards her opponent. The knight was still clearly in pain with blood oozing out of his arm. Even so, he clearly intended to end the fight. The bloodlust in his eyes was enough to give Agnar nightmares. It was reassuring that he felt protected by the woman standing in front of him. The Knight activated his rune, which transformed his steel sword to a green diamond longsword.

The woman stood still as her enemy drew closer and just barely dodged backwards, away from the downward slash which left a dent on the ground. The woman once again leapt back, with careful caution so that there was enough distance between them. She was aware of the dangers posed by the one-handed hulking man even with his injury.

The knight was about dash towards her again when she suddenly swung her blade. The very next second, a large slash was visible on the knight. Blood spluttered from the wound which stretched down from the knight's shoulder. Agnar watched in absolute bewilderment. The woman was still a few feet away from the knight, yet her sword had somehow reached her opponent.

The knight dropped to his knees, the amount of blood he lost finally affecting him. Taking advantage of the situation, the woman charged towards the knight who was still struggling to get back to his feet. All Agnar saw was a blur, and in an instant, the woman had stabbed her sword through the knight's exposed neck.