Welcome to another book, everybody! I want to give a shout out to Razorblade88 for collaborating with me and making this story reality.
Now before we start, this is NOT CANON. Yes, it's in Crossed Paths, but it isn't CANON to the series. You will see exactly why as you read along.
An Immortal Foe
Darkness had shrouded over the city of Corneria and night had taken over what was once day. As Sol set over the horizon, leaving the sky to fade into a dark red haze, and then into blackness with the stars taking over the night, the people of Lylat readied for what the next day would bring them. It was the eve of a special holiday celebrated by the Lylatians- a holiday that goes back to ancient times after a legend was born and vanquished, a legend that Lylat believed was pure myth.
Over three thousand years ago, Corneria was faced with a terrifying threat, one that shadows all other villains that the system had faced. The threat was strong and smart and nearly ended the vast range of species on Corneria's fertile lands. Of course, this threat was not only strong… but immortal.
The ancients had faced what they have taken to call them the Undead- they were beings of pale skin and a horrendous lust for blood and would effortlessly shake off any lethal harm. None of the greatest minds of the time knew what they were exactly, besides that they don't kill of their prey and only awaken every so often. Not only that, but the Undead had the appearance of everyday people- they were monsters in disguise with abilities that were far beyond what even the greatest warriors of the time had.
500 years ago, several of the strongest and well trained soldiers came together and took notice on their new enemy as their time to awaken once more had come. These men watched these beasts closely and with precision; what did they eat, when did they eat, what weaknesses they had, any type of recurring behavioral patterns. Eventually, after several years of fighting a futile fight during the last awakening, they had devised a way to inflict permanent harm upon the Undead. These soldiers used their newfound intel and had their foe at the neck, a new form of weaponry that could kill such beasts in an instant… Silver. The lead weaponry used then was of no effect, but the Silver was strong and potent enough to negate any ability these beasts had.
One of the more keen soldiers, a grey vulpine by the name of Cyrus Shaw, used the technique to the greatest extent of any soldier tasked with fighting the Undead. Cyrus was unimaginably skilled with his tools and was looked up to for his work during the last awakening, ending the lives of countless Undead during each battle he was involved with.
The Undead noticed how strong Shaw was and made the objective of focusing their efforts on him alone. They vowed to do anything to get rid of this powerful warrior.
After a few years of fighting, the Undead created a trap that would lead Shaw directly to his grave… or so they believed. A great battle took place in the Sarthen Woods, a densely packed woods area that the Undead thought would work for their advantage. Cyrus led a large group of men into the isolated area, only to see the trap coming and turning the tides of the ambush in their favor. The battle lasted for hours with Cyrus leaving the Sarthen Woods as one of two survivors of the intense and most memorable battle he had fought. The other survivor, an Undead, was simply wounded and got up, healing himself with no effort. He searched for other survivors of his kind, but instead found something much more interesting- an artifact belonging to Cyrus. The beast immediately brought it to his superiors, putting the warrior in great danger.
Another trap was devised, only this time to draw Cyrus away from something precious to him. If the Undead couldn't kill him from the outside, then they would do so from the inside. Cyrus once more led a group and fought a great battle, only to have the Undead move one step ahead of him and do something that he will never forget.
Several Undead creatures, Jhin, Damoran, Faltheim, and Halken, were sent to kill the wife of Cyrus. While he was fighting in the ambush, the four successfully infiltrated the stronghold she was within. However, instead of killing the woman, they captured and took her away for reasons unknown. Cyrus, upon returning from his victorious battle and discovering that she was gone, went into a blind rage and killed several of his own men. The Undead had not only harmed Cyrus mentally, but sparked a never ending hate towards themselves.
The greatest scientists then discovered that there was hidden documentation about the Undead, created by their ancestors thousands of years before hand, back to when they first awoken. According to them, the Undead were the first to inhabit the lands of Corneria. Over a hundred years before they had arisen to attack during their first awakening, their kind split and formed the new Cornerian that was roaming the system today. The Undead were banished forever, but rose to attack shortly afterwards, only to be defeated and sent to their supposed graves. Cyrus later learned that they were truly immortal and were to return if they are defeated, a truth he wished he had not discovered. He saw this as a form of destiny saying that the people of Corneria were to be in a neverending war with the Undead, fighting for what each side believed was rightfully theirs. After more digging, Cyrus brought together the best men he knew and formed the Shaw Clan of Hunters, dedicated to fighting this threat and putting them to rest.
The Shaw fought for the next fifty years until they had finally driven the Undead back to what they believed was their extinction. It was a victory made just in time, as Cyrus was among the last 2 of the Shaw left from the vicious war against the Undead. Even with victory on his side, Cyrus knew that they would one day return- he knew that he needed to come up with a way to ensure that they would never cause harm again. With the help of his closest friend, a hermit with knowledge of the past known as Arkanius the Wise, they took in several specimen, and very carefully created a legendary concoction named the Mythvial Elixr of Hunters- granting Cyrus immortality and the ability to forever hunt down the Undead during their awakening periods.
...now was the time… 500 years later, the Undead will rise again…
To Be Continued…
Sorry for being an incredibly short chapter guys. I like intro stuff being implemented, but since this was a new idea and concept, I couldn't really put it in words entirely.
Again, shout out to Razorblade for the idea and collab. I feel this book is going to be fun to write!
Hopefully you liked the chapter being filler for the premise of the story! Much more action and so much more is planned, I can't wait to get to the first little surprise.