The Shattered Night

11| Darien

Something had changed. Something terrifying and unspoken of.

Darien Sentorino did not know what to think or say. There was already, no doubt the king had a plan in mind, a secret motive that he was hiding from everyone. He was a demon after all, and the very birth given to the Devil from the underground world.

As the symbol within the commander's mind told him that a terrible foreshadow was going to descend, a rush of tense adrenaline pulsed throughout his body and sent a sensational tingle down his spine. He had to find out what this trigger was telling him. Whether the feeling he was currently experiencing was good or bad, Darien had no intention of messing deeper with the mayhem of the court. There was evil to be stopped, and the commander had many other problems to worry about. Most of all, he didn't need any more weight stacked upon his shoulders.

One day our kingdom will fall into ruins. The fact was already out there, oblivious to the people of the country. But sooner or later, they would know that this empire they were living in would not last for long. Time took its heavy wait, and when it was finally tired of the human rule, it would make its move at last.

As the Supreme Captain walked down the blooming halls of the palace that clasped him within their grasp, that single statement was all he could think of. The Ruler of Azaelia had never been the type of person to give random offers to people off the streets for no reason, especially if that person was anyhow crime related, or bared hatred against him. It just wasn't right.

But the girl, Piper, had gotten a free pass. It may have seemed strange for an outsider, but the king had let both her and her brother off the hook. He could have just sent them to prison to starve, or even beheaded them in front of everyone in the court. At least, that was what the tyrant usually did. But out of all the options that he could choose from, the king let both civilians live. And bad enough, they lived just to serve him. Yes, maybe there were some disloyal people here and there, but that didn't make up for the crime committed. The sin the court was playing with was first-degree murder. Everything had been planned out, step by step. To Darien, the fact on why the king didn't just kill his would-be assassins was eerie and intriguing at the same time. 

Why would he do that? What else is he planning to take? The king's greed was spiraling out of control. Soon enough, the world would not satisfy him. Soon enough, what the tyrant would be asking for would be impossible to live up to. And then after that, how would the king choose his punishments? Could he possibly hunt down and kill every person who did not meet up to his expectations? The people who tread upon this earth were humans after all, and humans were not perfect.

But of course deep inside, Darien already knew the answer to his own, terrifying questions. It was the same reason why he was stuck in this hell of a kingdom. The bitch ruler had taken away all his freedom, and he dare say, almost all of his life. The tyrant was merciless. There was only one last reason why Darien was still playing the game of pretend, and that was because of the deal made with himself and the king. Assuming the king kept his promise, towards the very end, the commander would finally be free. All that was left to do as of now, was hope. Faith and destiny had to be on his side.

The commander's family was still alive, somewhere out in the scums, and hidden away from all the countries of the vast world. His long lost family was his one key of loyalty, nothing else. If they were gone from this world, not even the gods could know what would happen. The king would not dare to murder his blood-related. If he even laid a finger on them, then no more servants would pray to his throne.

Darien stared at the elaborate doors of the king's chambers and pushed them open. While his eyes stared straight ahead, the commander took in a deep breath of his surroundings while the guards stepped aside. It was as if he was inhaling poison. The palace itself was just a gloomy dread of inkiness. Within the dark mist, hid the fiercest of nightmares and the deadliest of storms.