"Promises are invisible ties, binding hearts with words unspoken."
In a world shattered by tragedy, Sheira embarks on a relentless quest to unveil the secrets behind her parents' death. As humanity confront a menacing threat that looms over them, th...
Through the dense fog, I sprinted among towering trees, chasing the elusive whispers calling my name. The relentless echoes seemed to anticipate my arrival, an eerie symphony persisting as I ventured further.
After countless strides, a cavern entrance materialized. Without hesitation, I plunged into the abyss, fingers poised on my sword, shrouded in darkness.
Inside, I was met with a sight that left me awestruck - a gigantic tree. I had never heard of such a tree existing on this island. I thought humans were not able to travel this far.
I realized that there was no light at all, it was dark. There is no fog either, just a huge tree placed in the middle of this place. It seems there is only one path towards the tree.
I started walking down the path and made my way towards the giant tree as I heard that sound again. Surprisingly it comes from the tree I am walking towards.
I began to tread down the path, drawn towards the tree by the mysterious voice. As I neared it, I saw a figure standing before it.
"Hello?" I called out softly.
The figure stepped forward, calling my name. "Welcome, Sheira," he said.
I was taken aback. How did he know my name? And why was he here, in this remote place, while we were fighting tooth and nail to reach it? As far as I knew, I was the first human to venture this far. As I grappled with these questions, the figure stepped closer, revealing his face.
My breath hitched in my throat as recognition dawned. "Your Ma...jes...ty?" I stammered, my mind reeling. What is this? What on earth is happening?!
"Ohh, you seem to be surprised. Am I right?" he began.
"Y-yes... Your Majes-ty," I replied.
"It will be weird if I talk further to someone who knows nothing about this world, " he sighed then continued, "Where should I start?"
The King began to tell me the story.
"A long time ago, ZiYou was nothing but a normal island inhabited by a group of humans living simple, repetitive lives. There was no kingdom, no government, just me as their village chief," he stated.
"Our village was actually a small country on the western side of the world. Did you think ZiYou was the only country in existence?" he paused, "There are many more advanced nations out there. ZiYou was looked down upon due to our lack of resources and development. That's why I wanted to transform ZiYou into a prosperous place, a country that could command respect."
"I decided to establish a kingdom with my own strength. That's when ZiYou was born as a true country. A few months after its founding, I realized that every country needs an army, warriors willing to fight and sacrifice for their homeland. That's when I conceived my grand plan to rule the entire world," he added.
"Wait, rule? The whole world?"
He nodded, "Yes, you are correct. I realized the power of mankind won't win against the whole world, and that's why I use my smart brain to make something way better and stronger than humans. I don't need to spend years training them to be strong because they were built differently. I called them, The Heians."
"W-what? Heians?" I exhaled, "Aren't we fighting them for the sake of the kingdom?"
"Haha, yes you are. Heians are made of dead people."
"Huh? What...?" I raged.
"To create an army of Heians, I needed more dead people. So, I allowed my villagers to marry and have children, only to abduct the adults once the babies were born. This way, they wouldn't know the truth and couldn't stop me. I left the teenagers to care for the infants. Fortunately, until now, no one has discovered the truth except for me. As time passed, ZiYou evolved and became unrecognizable from the place it was a century ago."
He continued, "I am now ninety percent ready to wage war against the world and seize the power to rule it. I will be the one and only King who commands the world, and I will have a queen by my side to share in this victory. And that queen will be you, Sheira. Isn't it wonderful to rule over everyone, to have everything go according to your wishes? Come, join me. No one will stand in our way."
I stood there, my heart pounding in shock. I couldn't accept the truth. Tears welled up in my eyes as I thought of my comrades, and then Aria, Blair, and Cara. Yuri. And... Eamon.
So, this was what had happened to my parents too. Devoured by the monstrous creatures he had created?!
Before I knew it, my hand was on my sword, drawing it and pointing it at him. I was ready to strike, to chop off his head anytime.
"Who do you think I am? Someone who will sacrifice everything just for the sake of a scumbag like you and for me? Stupid!" I spat.
Suddenly, he burst into laughter, slapping his right thigh repeatedly, "It seems you are also an obstacle, just like your stupid parents."
"Huh? DON'T YOU DARE!" I yelled.
Undeterred, he continued, "Haha, those are the same words your father spoke before he died, well at least not because of a Heian. I am still a good man, you know. I didn't need a Heian to kill them, that's too painful."
"Do you think that short Levisay guy is a good person? He is the one who killed your father! How stupid he is? He was easily fooled. But, your mother died in a slightly different way," he sneered.
"I killed her myself. It seemed such a waste to let her body simply lie there, so I used her to create the queen of the Heians, a creature far larger than the rest. I thought she would last, but you've already killed her!" he laughed, "Such a pity. But it doesn't matter. I'm on the brink of achieving my dreams, and I won't let you stand in my way. Don't worry, I'll make sure you suffer just like your mother did."
Hearing his words, I collapsed to my knees, tears streaming down my face. This was the truth I had always sought, yet it was the last thing I wanted to hear.
The pain, the grief, it all fueled the hatred burning within me, stoking it into a raging inferno. I was consumed by fury.
"YOU! I WILL KILL YOU!" I declared with a vengeful oath, my fingers tightening their hold around the hilt of my sword.
With a heart seething with rage and a thirst for vengeance, I drew my sword and launched a flurry of attacks at him. I aimed for his neck, intending to sever his head and end this nightmare once and for all. But he was quick, dodging my attack and retaliating.
To my surprise, he was incredibly strong and powerful. I couldn't bring him to his knees. He managed to disarm me, knocking my sword from my grasp and kicking my legs out from under me. I crumpled to the ground, feeling a sense of hopelessness wash over me. I lowered my head in defeat. This might be the end, for me and for the people of ZiYou.
S-sorry...
"Poor soul, goodbye."
The King was about to finish me, but just as he was about to strike, a figure clad in black appeared out of nowhere, moving with the speed of light.
It's... It's Eamon!
To be continued...
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