Chapter 1:
Resolve
...
Low, harsh steps bounced throughout the luxurious room as he advanced forward, slowly coming to a halt near his balcony. The stars above were practically gleaming, but he could not bring himself to care when something else had begrudgingly gained his attention. He gazed down, cold black eyes staring dispassionately at the thriving town below. They were celebrating their annual fall festival, which unfortunately occurred every year on the first week of Autumn. A week, whereas he could otherwise be enjoying some peace and quiet in his lonely chambers.
However, it wasn't that he disliked the celebrations and what they stood for; in fact, it was quite the opposite. He wholeheartedly supported the idea of giving back to nature. The world was a cruel place, but it was the humans that made it that way. They destroyed lands and tarnished them with their foul civilizations, not even sparing a glance at the true beauty of the world. Planting seeds and keeping Earth Land clean was, admittedly, a great idea—if only that was what happened during the festivals.
Instead, his pitiful civilians chose to do none of those things. They would gather around the local bars and shops, littering the streets with their filthy trash. When the moon reached it's peak, they'd flood the courtyard and play the most jarring music he'd ever heard. He couldn't bear watching it. They weren't giving back to nature, they were only adding more to the predicament. He'd addressed this issue in the courtroom, but like always, his opinion on the matter had been ignored in favor of the council's. Everyone thought him to be an incompetent king, so why would they even care to listen to his wishes?
Sometimes, it seemed like humanity was deliberately pushing away his ideals for a better world.
As the thought crossed his mind, something inside of him stirred. His breath hitched, and he could feel a thick layer of sweat beginning to drench his body. He hadn't even realized that his feelings were turning bitter towards his people, and now he was going to pay the ultimate price for it. The darkness sealed within him was slithering, tugging at his consciousness as it attempted to gain control. Though he tried to fend it off, he was quickly losing the internal battle—defenses gradually waning. Vivid colors began to fade to black and then all he could see was red.
Moments later, dozens of agonizing screams rang out from below, echoing throughout the night for a mere few heartbeats. The grating music came to an abrupt stop, and then everything went eerily silent. He could feel his heart pounding in his head, darkness finally receding, but leaving him entirely drained and exhausted. Something familiar awakened inside of him and tears began to form in the corners of his eyes when he realized just what he'd done.
It was smothering—the weight of regret and sadness washing over him. For many years, the curse within him had been sealed and secured; the darkness was never thought to be a threat anymore. Yet, he'd somehow managed to loosen it's bindings, resulting in a mass tragedy. He was to blame for killing those innocent civilians. Despite having hated the way they did things in his kingdom, he'd never wanted them dead, no matter how disagreeable their yearly festivals had been.
He then felt sick, nausea overwhelming him. His legs were suddenly weak, and he clawed at the balcony in an attempt to stay upright. Behind him, he could hear steady footsteps approaching. When he turned slightly to glance over his shoulder, he noticed a lone knight standing just a few feet away. His misty, black eyes clashed with purple, spectacled one's. Heavy tension flooded the room as they continued to stare at one another like that, his eyes conveying more emotion than words ever could.
Finally, the silence was broken.
"Lord Zeref," The man's face was a perfect mask of indifference, even as he continued to hold eye contact. "I have received word from the Magic Council. They have given me orders to bring you into custody immediately. To avoid any more civilian casualties, you will be held in containment."
There were no protests or objections. The expression on Zeref's face remained neutral as he processed the knight's words.
When a few moments past by with still no response, the knight grew a bit impatient. He pushed up his glasses and elaborated. "This is only a temporary solution, my lord. Until they can find someone to reseal your curse, you will be isolated and put on trial. Whether this massacre was of your own accord or not, you have been labeled as a threat to the kingdom. If you come along willingly without any trouble, I will ensure that no harm shall come to you."
At last, the young king reacted. As he turned to face the knight completely, a gust of wind blew in, rustling his dark robes. His bangs swept to the side, cool breeze beginning to dry his tears. Solemnly, he spoke, voice low and soft. "You're a good man, Lahar. However, it must be hard for you to show sympathy for someone as despicable as me. I've murdered hundreds of innocents in the blink of an eye and yet, you remain civilized within my presence. For that reason, I warn you now—"
He took a step forward and Lahar's tall, straight posture suddenly turned rigid. A malevolent aura began to surround him once more, licking at the expensive marble flooring below. Fear was now evident in the knight's wide, panicked eyes and the soldier unconsciously retreated back a step to avoid the dark magic from reaching him. Zeref stopped dead in his tracks, face twisting into an expression of agony as he tried to fight back against the unrelenting energy inside of him.
In his struggle, he managed to choke out a strangled, "—you must run."
As if on cue, Lahar bolted out of the room, hastily ordering the awaiting knight's in the hallway to evacuate the castle. Their retreating footsteps grew fainter and fainter until eventually disappearing altogether. The castle was then silent, not a single soul to be heard. His eyes flickered from red to black, the darkness within him unsure of whether or not to remain dominate now that there was no target. In the end, control was passed back to Zeref and he slumped down to the floor, exhausted and miserable.
The tears spilled down his cheeks like a river, only stopping when he found himself unable to cry any longer. Even then, he expressed his grief by stumbling over to the balcony, mournfully apologizing over and over to the townspeople for massacring them. He continued to lament like that until the sun began to rise the next morning. During those noiseless hours, Zeref had come to a grim conclusion. He would leave the kingdom once and for all before he could take away another poor, unsuspecting life.
Decision in mind, he packed what he would need for the journey and climbed down the balcony, sneaking past the guards posted around the castle. Although he agreed with the Magic Council's idea of containing him, he couldn't risk the chance of killing someone in the process. Zeref would separate himself from humanity, and thus, never harm another human again. His idea sounded painfully lonesome, but it was necessary. He sincerely believed that he deserved no better, after all.
...
A.N. I hope everyone enjoyed the first chapter of this story, as I have surely had a lot of fun writing it. This is kind of a rewrite of an older story I had written last year called, "Cursed". Back then, I had just started writing fanfiction and thought my story was epic as hell. But looking back now, my writing skills were rather amateurish. So instead of completely abandoning the idea, I've come back to fix it and turn it into what I imagine it should have been.