The people of the walled city whisper throughout the night. The children of Aequalis never silent, even during the harsh winters of the continent. Everyone knew what was going on, inequality and injustice holding a leash on all who lived. At least, to the poor that is. Try as the king might, cruelty still ran deep within the streets of the stone city.
The kingdom has had its highs and lows, ever since its founding by King Lucient. Though all agree that these recent years could be considered the dark ages of the kingdom.
There had been talk, word that the King and his advisors would perform a spell, one that had been lost to the sands of time. But no one truly believed in rumours. Why would you? The risk of falseness almost always shadowing the hope and truth it brings.
Somehow though? It finally seemed like the truth, the whispers are much weight the screams of the light. Why? Because there was a day, that had never happened before, did. The king didn't allow people to see him.
Some would say that the king had finally fallen, giving in to greed. But when one stood near the castle that day, there was commotion like no other day. A light shined from the windows, unworldly. No one knew, what that day would bring, but it certainly brought change.
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The day after the bright light shining from the castle, a few rumours started to emerge. Some of the servants gossiped that the elder princess had screamed earlier that morning. That some of the beasts within had finally been tamed ( some say it wasn't the work of the royal tamer, but if not them, then who?), and that a new Knight had defeated Clause, one of the kingdoms skilled warriors, the Red Suited Bear.
Then, came the incident at the Western Market, where a man/woman/unknown had been seen walking alongside the princess, purchasing an odd assortment of items. His face was covered by a mask, grin wide, with no eyes visible. Some said that you would turn to stone if you gazed at them for too long. Whether or not this rumour is true, is to be seen.
Not long after, the youngest of the notorious Boudouh family was said to have come home crying, his hired mercenaries beaten by an agile, dark and powerful person, the Dark One. The crime? Torturing someone in the slums. The family were able to avoid punishment for this one. Other corrupts families, however, didn't receive such niceties.
Day by day, more and more nobles were being punished for the crimes they had committed, unearthed, by an unknown individual. Each crime read was shocking, which caused many to call for execution. They were, however, more properly punished by the court.
The citizens rejoiced in the fact that justice was finally delivered. The people of the slums bursting with joy that they were finally acknowledged and protected. A few shrines had been set in place around the kingdom as thanks.
Following this incident, the king decreed laws that brought a massive change to a problem within the city, Children's Welfare. King Atlas ordered his guards to survey and investigate orphanages around the city. Revealed, were many places that were cruel to the young, some from the fact they were a different race, others for the pure fun of it. This did not sit well with anyone. Rumours sprouted about the fact that some of the orphanage heads were found severely injured, bones broken in twisted ways. The Dark One was rumoured to be the preprator for this as well. The people were once again thankful for this dark guardian. Though the question did arise. Who's agendas are they serving ; Good? or themselves? The light screamers tried to call for 'justice', but they're cries were not listened to this time.
These orphanages, once inspected, were put under the kings duty. Their budget coming straight from the kingdoms, which had significantly increased in a few days. The king, and ones following them ( they have no objection for a king to be female, after all, it is but a title ) would have to be aware of the states of the orphanages, since there werent so many in the first place, so that they could be properly maintained. They were also provided with bread that some said had come from nirvana itself. A bakery had received its recipe anonymously, and decided to test it. The results were immediate. It became popular among all citizens, rich or poor for its cheap price. Yet none could trace its origin, perhaps an angel had sent it? Who knows.
Alongside this, some sounds could be heard coming from the castle courtyard. Clanging and crashing of metal against each other, with a distinct sound of hammering. The whispers even said that you could see plumes of smoke, white in colour, rising to the blue sky from within.
Not long after that, the Grinning One appeared once more, this time in the Northeastern market, on a metal carriage with no horses no less. Rumours indicate that the construction of this carriage was the source of all the noise, but none could confirm its validity. Though if one were to look closely, they would see a bright blue flame, glowing, in the back part of the carriage. Its use unknown, except to its creator.
This time, they bought simpler things, once again accompanied by the princess, and a Knight no one had seen before. Some said it was the rumoured knight who had beaten Clause, not many believed it, however. And when the elder Boudouh appeared and attacked the grinning one, he was sorely defeated. Only then did people know their name. Phantasm. Yet, neither the screams, nor the whispers could find any truth behind this name. The enigma could only be connected to a boy, 16 or 17 in age, named Sil, whose name was said by Princess Pearl, as one of her new adopted siblings. Perplexing, is it not?
The city erupted into noise once more. the children of the dark whispered amongst themselves. Had they finally received some saviours? All this happened while the screamers of the light shouted at each other, trying to run from the sins they had committed. The children of the night rejoiced, a brief moment of respite in their painful lives so far. Good finally reaching out to them. Many tears were shed when justice was finally delivered, it had been long overdue.
None, however, could have predicted the rising of a new king. And for that King to be The Grinning One, Phantasm? Well, at least his advisor, the boy Sil seemed nice enough. They were willing to listen to all, which gave some hope. The mysterious Knight, named Neo, had once again emerged, this time defeating a legendary beast. The man of darkness, the Dark One; some say his name is Shade, however, had left, seeking something only his allies knew about alongside a blind girl.
Yet royal family seemed delighted with the situation in general, if you don't include Princess Pearl's disdain towards Shade, and her subsequent relief when he left, they all seemed to understand the importance of these three ( some say four if you count Sil, but he's a wildcard in all this chaos ). But everyone knew, they were headed for one heck of a future with them at the helm.
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Draozerox: Hey guys! Sorry, it took so long, and it's short, but this time, we have a short recap of everything thus far, except Shade cooking, and the people's reaction to it. This was a nice experiment, though I knew I needed to add more povs of the people. but this should suffice as a test. This was inspired by an air fic, Of Plastic Bats and Candles, it's pretty good.
As for why we don't update often, is because typing on a phone (even with an actual keyboard) is hard. Shade has the same problem though he also has work to do most days, I'm just forgetful and tend to procrastinate. Sorry about that, I'll try to pick up the pace with Sil's next chapter. Goodbye!
