-The Crimson Dragon's roar thundered throughout the lands. The Demon was slain, the dawn had come at last.-
Or so they thought.
"How pathetic are the mortal races? Do they truly believe they have defeated darkness? Darkness can never be defeated. For as long as light exists, there will always be darkness! Do they not see what lays ahead? As they celebrate their "victory", are they blind to the truth? These chains will not last much longer. Not even my all-knowing brother was aware of this, or he wouldn't have so foolishly sacrificed himself. That was merely a shadow of my true form. The real darkness is before them, and when I am free, I will see this whole world BURN!"
"We did it, we defeated the crimson dragon!" A black haired youth wielding a katana breathed in astonishment. Surprisingly he appeared to be in his teen years, although he had been in more battles than anyone his age should ever have had to witness, much less fight in.
"We couldn't have done it without you, Ravager." said a bald man with a gray suit of armor. The man held a crested shining helmet in the crook of his arm as he used the other to clap the kid on the back. The boy known as Ravager let a smile spread across his face as the sun began to shine through the clouds. The sunlight's glow had been absent for many days, and was a magnificent sight for all those gathered to behold. In the distance, a man wearing a black robe decorated with glowing purple runes, and a skull covered by a hood, chuckled darkly at the scene.
"Now that he's gone, the time is upon us." the shadowy figure said with a grin.
"Dirim, is it time for part two of our plan?" asked a man wearing a lengthy dark robe and a black cowl, with a single intricate purple rune on the back. The warlock known as Dirim laughed.
"Why of course, we don't want to waste any time do we? Now is the time to make preparations for the end of the world!"
The black haired boy who was titled Ravager pushed open the gates to the grand city known as Aeorinahk. He took little time to study his surroundings as he walked briskly through the cobbled stone pathway. Usually the nearby buildings would astonish people, and cause some to gasp in amazement, but Ravager had seen these streets many, many times. He approached the large keep in the center of Aeorinahk, and saluted the armored guard at the gates who quickly returned the formality. The dark haired boy tapped his foot impatiently as the gate slowly slid apart.
"Where will the meeting be held this time?" questioned Ravager once inside the magnificent structure.
"Oh, right to the left, sir." answered a young girl at the desk opposite the door. Ravager walked to the specified side of the room and into the nearly endless hall. He didn't need any more directions other than "left" to know the location she was referring to. Ravager quickly approached a large, cast-iron gray door. As the door was pushed open, Ravager was greeted by a room full of various people all sitting on wooden chairs next to a large stone table. As Ravager sat down, a masked figure at the head of the table began to speak once more.
"Now that your here, let me ask the question that i'm sure is bothering us all... Is our enemy really defeated?" A tall man wearing a wide-brimmed brown hat with a leather coat shook his head sadly in response.
"No. While we still can celebrate this victory, it is unlikely this was the end. It ended too swiftly, knowing them. They would have had, as surprising as this sounds, added in a lot more chaos. They would have all been doing everything they could to shake this world to its very foundations. Even though we had chaotic weather patterns and flaming boulders raining from the sky, it still doesn't seem like its all they could come up with after all these years." Ravager along with the rest of the table nodded in agreement.
"So what next, what do we prepare for?" questioned Ravager with a frown.
"What do we prepare for? We prepare for the worst. We prepare for the day when these walls will come crashing down around us, when their plan finally reaches fruition. We must be ready, never underestimate our enemy." said the masked man.
"Ravager, keep an eye on the cult, don't let any strange occurrences go unnoticed. If their bases are dismantled or abandoned, search through every crack. Any new activity is a threat." Ravager nodded and began to stand.
"Halt, I need one thing to be clear. Do not let down your guard, keep an eye out for any and all suspicious activity! These are dark times, and even though the light has
returned, the shadows only grow. You are now dismissed, be wary of everyone, even friends." declared the masked figure.
After a painfully long climb, the black-haired youth reached the top of the jagged mountaintop, in what was now known as the "Corrupted Lands". These grounds of dust and decay had been abused and tainted many times over the years, what was once a beautiful field was now a barren and burnt wasteland. The many battles fought there, along with the demon legion's taint had rendered this place beyond help. Ravager stared down the other side of the mountain, spotting a structure made of a very strong type of metal known as darksteel. Ravager glanced curiously at the tower. "Something isn't right, are they really dismantled for good?" Ravager whispered to himself as he observed his surroundings.
Miles away in one of the many hidden lairs the cult possessed, Dirim along with a considerably large group of cultists had gathered. "They took heavy losses from what was unleashed, now is the time to strike. We cannot let them regain their strength, we will rally our forces, and annihilate them." Dirim said calmly.
"We will start with the outer kingdoms, slowly cutting off all of Aeorinahk's support." "Master, shall I inform the others?" A robed man asked with a hint of fear in his voice.
"Yes. I will go now to speak with the great ones, prepare our forces immediately." Dirim said as he turned around and pressed his palm against the wall. The gathered fanatics watched in amazement as he faded into the wall itself. -
"Hey Ravager, what are you doing all alone?" asked a boy of similar age with blackish gray hair and glowing green eyes. His apparel was similar to that of an assassin, light tan skin with dark leather armor covering all but his face and hands. He went by the name Tiriad, but preferred to be called dusk. However, most of his friends ignored that preferrence. He was light-hearted, had a good sense of humor, and was happy most of the time. The boy was also prepared to risk his life at any second to protect his friends, who basically became his family after his parents died years ago. Nobody knew his original parents, but he claims that he knew them very well and they were great people.
"Dusk? Why are you here?" Ravager asked, outwardly annoyed but actually happy to have some company.
"Why? Because I know how you like to isolate yourself like this. Its not healthy you know." The dark haired boy said with a smile. Ravager spoke in a quiet voice,
"You know that I was given strict orders to go alo-"
"Yah, yah...Its still not good for you to be alone all the time. So i'm sorry but your gonna have to deal with me being here." Ravager let out a lengthy sigh and sat down.
"I just wish this would all stop, you know? All this useless fighting, do you ever wonder why its here, on this world? Why couldn't it be somewhere else..." Tiriad walked over and sat down by Ravager.
"Your not gonna get upset over that, are you?"
"No...I just...Wish we could have some peace...For once..." Ravager responded. "Hey there! What are you two doing out here?" called a disturbingly loud voice.
"Why...are they here..." Ravager buried his head into his knee. A blonde-haired man with an unusually large mustache walked over to the two boys with a group of armored soldiers behind him.
"Whats the matter? You seem down." the man said as he grabbed them both in a bear- hug.
" .Alfred." Tiriad choked out. The man named Alfred laughed and dropped them onto the ground.
"You were all at the meeting, what part of "You are to keep an eye on the cult" don't you understand? It was for me alone, all of you should have your own jobs to do right now." said a very annoyed Ravager.
"Oh, don't be so serious all the time." said the man as he gently punched the black haired boy on the shoulder. Alfred stepped back and signaled the other soldiers, who immediately began preparing their large linen tents.
"Do you have any idea what trying to be stealthy means...?!" The man smiled down at the boy and laughed.
"They won't see these tents, relax."
"Don't you think your being a bit too optimistic?" Ravager said in a defeated voice.
"Dirim, the preparations are made. We are ready when you are."
"Good, good...Attack the northern kingdom immediately, then work our way around. We
will attack Aeorinahk from the south when we have neutralized the surrounding kingdoms." Dirim announced. He brought his gloved hand up to his face and clenched it tightly.
"There will be nowhere to run...Not this time..." he hissed.
- -
"So Dusk, do ya really think they have some grand plan in motion after all thats happened?" Ravager said with a slightly curious tone.
"Knowing them? Probably. Since when did they just give up? They always come up with the best ways to put their time to use, thats the only thing their good at." Alfred walked in before they could talk any longer.
"Oh stop your worrying, if they are here we will finish them this time too, just like we always have." Alfred said with a wide grin.
"I hope your right." both boys said simultaneously.
"Don't be like that, be glad! Our victory may have not been the end to this war, but it was a great victory nonetheless!" The older man leaned down by the nearby candle and stared at it.
"We must be like this flame, burning bright, and keeping the darkness at bay." Alfred said as he watched the small flickering blaze. A cold wind swept by, chilling all three of them to the bone. The wind created a very disturbing whistle, that was only complimented by the dark, endless night. As they turned around to see where it came from, the candle went out. Ravager held up a finger to his lips, then carefully slipped his head out of the tent. The nearby tents had grown dark as well.
"All the lights are out, this doesn't seem like the norm..." the black haired boy whispered as he gripped the hilt of his sword.
"Get back in here, before something-" Dusk was interrupted as a dark shadow ran in front of the tent. Alfred inhaled deeply, then quietly unsheathed his broadsword. A single agonizing scream pierced the night.
"What in the hell was tha-" Ravager paled as he turned around to see a frighteningly tall shadowed being looming over his two friends.
"BEHIND YOU!" he managed to yell as the monstrosity took a step closer. Alfred and Tiriad spun around to see an empty space, previously occupied by an unknown entity.
"I don't see anything there." Dusk said silently.
"It was just there..." the black-haired boy trailed off. Another scream could be heard in the distance.
"Im done with this!" Ravager yelled, taking his sword from its case and charging out the tent's entrance.
"Wait for me!" Tiriad said as he followed without visual concern. Alfred looked uncertainly into the night, sighed, and stepped out.
