The Path of Ruin

When Kael made his decision, he stood up.

But as with his first attempt, he was glued to the ground. His legs were weak, his muscles refused to listen to him. Still, he pushed his whole body one last time, step by step approaching the robed man who was responsible for everything.

He had a sword in his chest. It was a silver sword, almost a meter long. The crossguards were simple, but had a mystical air with strange-looking curves. The hilt seemed to be made of a material he had never seen before in his life.

Kael spent no more time examining the sword. He grasped the soft, strangely comforting hilt with both hands and pulled it out.

The sword was heavy. He didn't think he could lift it, especially with his right shoulder in such bad shape... So, he began to drag it. The sounds the sword made echoed in the room, extremely disturbing... He almost wanted to scratch his ears. But he didn't stop and came to the king.

He was still alive, he saw his chest rise and fall. The glow in his eyes had almost gone out, but it was still there.

So... Kael took a deep breath.

"I... thank you, Your Majesty. Although I have no idea what will happen... I will take the chance you have given me."

The king's expression did not change a bit. However, he didn't know why, but... he could have sworn he was smiling.

Kael said no more, nor did he wait for the king to react. He raised the sword in his hand as high as he could, bringing it down on the king's chest.

He braced himself, took another deep breath in and out.

Then... he pushed the sword.

The sword did not struggle a bit. It sliced through the king's tunic, then his skin, his flesh... and then his heart.

Kael didn't take his hand off the sword. He gripped it tightly, though he couldn't exert much force... and looked at the king's face.

He didn't look like he was in pain, on the contrary... he looked peaceful. A far cry from the woman he had killed on the second floor.

Kael thrust the sword once more. It cut deeper into the king's heart, so much so that he felt the tip of the sword touch the floor. He saw the last glow in the king's eyes fade completely. Only then did he finally let go of the sword.

For a moment, he was dizzy, his vision blurred. He just fell over backwards.

'Am I... dying?'

The fact that he had survived this far was a miracle in itself... he should have been dead a long time ago.

But death had decided to visit him at this very moment.

Kael still didn't give up. He never took his eyes off the king, he waited.

One second passed, nothing happened.

Two seconds passed, a tiny pool of blood began to form under the king's body.

The third second passed... and Kael frowned. His head was spinning faster, strange things were happening to the world. He felt sick to his stomach. But... he trusted the king.

Still, he couldn't help the thought that flashed through his mind.

'Nothing... is happening?'

The fourth, then the fifth second...

But then, just as Kael was beginning to think that perhaps the king had tricked him... his body suddenly began to tremble.

He didn't know if it was because of the closeness of death... But the room felt cold. The world was starting to come apart... Still, he waited.

And finally... he saw a change in the king's body. Just below the sword that killed him, just above his heart... there was a glow.

Kael focused on the glow and saw it take a shape. It was hard to make out anything because of his vision and his darkening world, but... he could at least make out what it looked like.

On the king, he could see a crown with four long, pointed prongs that curved upwards. It was... like a tattoo. But it was visible even through his clothes, continuing to glow with every passing second. It made the already bright room even brighter.

Kael wanted to look at the glow more, to examine it, to feel it. But... he suddenly found himself on the floor, staring at the ceiling. He was out of breath, his muscles aside... he could hardly feel his body directly anymore.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the glow getting stronger. He closed his eyes as all his senses faded one by one. He didn't... care anymore. If he was late, it was his own fault, and if he really survived as the king had told him...

He didn't know, he just... wanted to rest. And so he did. He stopped holding himself, surrendered his body to the comfort and the coldness of the room. There was nothing to think about as he slipped into unconsciousness.

*******

The crown rose, looming over the king. It shone like a star, so bright that a normal person trying to look at it would have been blinded. As it rose, there were links between it and the king's body, like chains, but one by one, they were breaking. The crown was separating from the king.

But... there was no one in the room while this was happening. At least no one who could have witnessed what was happening. And so, without anyone knowing, the chains continued to break. When the last chain broke, the crown just left the king's body. It slowly floated away from him, towards the body of a young boy.

When it came over Kael's unconscious body, it stopped. The chains that had just snapped began to shake excitedly, and then... suddenly, one of them stabbed into Kael's chest, just to the left of his heart.

Kael's eyes widened. He let out an agonized scream, drooling from his mouth.

But... he was unconscious. His eyes could not focus anywhere, nor did they try to.

The second chain was driven into a different part of his chest. His screams turned into wheezing, unintelligible sounds. Tears welled up in his eyes and his body began to shake continuously.

When the third chain entered his body, he lost the ability to scream. He tried to make a sound but he couldn't, as if his body and the pain wouldn't let him.

The fourth chain was attached to him in the same way. Blood began to ooze from his nose, ears, eyes, mouth... everywhere. The whites of his eyes were stained red from the burst veins.

The fifth chain... went right over his heart.

His body stopped shaking, his darting eyes calmed down. But the pain didn't stop. It was just... his body could no longer move even if he wanted to. He was paralyzed.

The chains slowly began to pull the crown, which was floating above his body at this very moment, towards him. Slowly, gently, in a way that only intensified his pain instead of relieving it.

After a few seconds, the crown shrank slightly to fit Kael's body. It landed smoothly over his heart, ignoring his clothing, becoming one with his skin.

The glow in the room slowly began to fade. The white glow of the crown receded gradually. Kael had passed out again, though he had never woken up... but his eyes were closed again.

However, just when all the glow of the crown was about to fade... everything suddenly calmed down. A tiny black dot appeared in the glow of the crown... and then, it spread all over the crown.

The crown, shimmering with white purity, suddenly turned black. Tendrils grew out of it, enveloping Kael's entire body... as if trying to reject him.

The crown continued to envelop Kael's body until his whole body became a dark silhouette. After a short time, everything calmed down again.

Kael's body trembled violently, but no sound came out. The darkness that surrounded him rippled, then... emitted a tremendous wave of energy around him. It did the same thing a few more times, like a heartbeat. Then, one by one, the darkness began to recede. Kael's body became visible again, and the crown reappeared over his heart, retreating.

As a deep silence fell over the room, the crown slowly disappeared, leaving only the tattoo that would remain on Kael's chest.

But for now, it was quiet, it was not yet hungry. And so... no more supernatural events took place in the king's chamber.

Time continued to pass. The darkness that had enveloped the palace retreated after a few hours... as if it had achieved its whole purpose. The pale rays of the sun reached the palace again through the gray sky. It illuminated the garden, covered in blood and corpses, and then the corridors, not so different from it.

The Kingdom of Arcanoa woke up to a new day, with it's palace fallen. It had lost its king, but had gained a new one. A false king, whose existence no one would ever know.

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