The Last Shade: The Finality of Death

Chapter 4

Kiel had a long dream. In his dream, he had returned to the old glory days, where both Nephilim and Malikayn were at peace, and they worked hard for themselves and for the humans they ruled over. The two kingdoms, separated by a high wall jointly guarded by both kingdoms, rarely mixed or interacted with each other.

Every king of each generation was hand-picked by a Shade, and this year was Kiel's turn. He wandered through a forest, pretending to be a lost and destitute villager who was the sole survivor of a wipe-out. Stumbling upon the remains of a town, Kiel came across a group of children foraging in the wreckage, their hands, clothes and faces smudged with dirt.

                                        ———

A beam of pure destruction pierced through Escarcha's forces, those in its path not having the time to scream before they were pulverised.

Escarcha exited his palace, his sword loosely held in one hand as he looked up at Eldur, who was riding some grotesque contraption made from metal and stone.

"Eldur, if you wanted my Life Stone, you should have come for me, not waste your time on meaningless slaughter," his calm voice rang out clear as a bell, crisp as frost crackling over the fray.

Everyone was silent in an instant, the clashing Servants looking towards the Frost Ruler, his subjects breaking out into smiles of joy and worship.

"My Lord, you're here to save us!"

"My Lord!"

Cries of such nature filled the air, and Eldur slowly dismounted, unsheathing his sword.

"Escarcha, today I shall see the strength of your conviction!"

He slashed his blade horizontally, dazzling sword light levelling the buildings in its wake. Lifting his robes with one hand, he dodged the icicles that pierced down unerringly towards him.

                                        ———

In his waking moments, he couldn't remember everyone he had chosen or even many details, but in his dream the faces of the children were startlingly clear.

"Who are you?" The redhead sprung into a defensive position, his fellows subconsciously moving closer to him.

Kiel held up his hands, showing he was unarmed.

"That's my question," he replied calmly. "I live in this area, from a village nearby. Who are you people?"

"Oh," the redhead lowered the brick in his hand, "I guess you're not a human trafficker."

"We...we are all orphans!" Piped up the pigtailed girl who poked her head out from behind him. "When our parents didn't want us...they left us here."

The atmosphere quickly became gloomy, and then there was the sound of a stomach rumbling. Kiel rummaged in his pocket, producing a piece of hard bread with a smile, offering it to the redhead.

"Want some?"

                                        ———

"Escarcha!"

Their swords locked together, twin orbs of gold blazed as a pair of slightly upturned dark blue eyes stared back.

"Is this all you've got?"

Escarcha sprang back, frowning as his sleeve ignited. With a brush of his hand, there was only a singe mark left behind. Countless snakes of fire swirled up around Eldur, blasting an unbearable heat that made sweat quickly wet Escarcha's robes, the Frost Ruler retreating a few steps, an ice shield forming in front of him.

"Eldur, what are you doing-"

The snakes of fire rushing out all at once, fanning into a sea of molten lava and flames that only consumed, horrifying screams accompanying the smell of burning flesh as people staggered around, their skin and flesh melting off their bones as they howled in agony.

"ELDUR!"

Escarcha cast away his sword, the hilt of a gigantic great sword forming in his hands as he swung the weighty blade down towards the Flame Ruler. It smashed into pieces as Eldur intercepted it with his blade, magma dripping off its length. The pieces of ice trembled, charging towards him and piercing savagely through his armor, driving deeply into him.

"My Servants!" Eldur laughed, blood dripping from his lips, "Kill everyone!"

That's right, that's right! Eldur thought to himself, admiring the crazed look on the always composed Frost Ruler's face, if you don't want your people to die, kill me if you can!

                                        ———

Kiel slid his hand into the gap between the window and the sill, pushing it up all the way. One leg in and then the other, he landed on his feet on the ground, his nose instantly greeted by the smell of blood and urine.

A grown man was suspended by his wrists from a ceiling beam in the centre of the room, his torso bare and marred by deep and shallow wounds, some of them already festering. In contrast to the grisly sight of bloodied tools of torture displayed openly on a table and the tragic state of the man, an elegant table with a white tablecloth was set up near the window, a young man seated comfortably on a chair with a plate of pastries before him.

"Kiel, listen to this," the young man turned to him with an exasperated smile, "even after he lost his position to me and being disgraced like this, he still won't acknowledge me as his son."

Kiel came to a stop beside him, the young man's wavy auburn hair mirroring the suspended man's short locks. He had had a fling with a servant girl, and had killed her and banished his young son to die in the woods. The man groaned, two pairs of eyes turning towards him.

"You are...a monster...a bastard."

The redhead who had grown up tipped his lips into a smile.

"Father, I am the bastard you fathered."

His wrist flashed out, the whip in his hand accurately slicing open the man's cheek. As his whole body jolted from the pain, the young man picked up a pastry, his expression cheerful as he smiled at Kiel.

"Want some?"

                                        ———

A body came whistling from the sky, crashing to the ground heavily, a small crater forming at the impact.

"Weak, how weak!" Eldur announced disdainfully. "Seeing as Kiel had returned to you, I expected better!"

The Scout Shade, May, ran up to him, her hands urgently moving as she signed out her message, her voice pitched in a low murmur. Eldur nodded, dismissing her, a shade of clarity returning to his eyes.

"Oh! I see now- you didn't use him after all. I didn't expect his position to be so high in your heart."

Eldur leisurely walked over to Escarcha, reaching his hand towards him.

"Don't worry, I'll use it well."

The Frost Ruler closed his eyes as a hand plunged into his chest, dark red painting his white attire like a spreading blossom. Eldur's hand came away coated in crimson, a delicate ice-blue jewel between his fingers. In the crater, the fallen Ruler coughed out a mouthful of blood, succumbing to sheer exhaustion.

                                        ———

The boy Kiel had met so many years ago had transformed into an accomplished man and capable king, wise and benevolent to all and supportive of technology and new developments. The only thing Kiel decided was the fly in the ointment was that any slight paid to the new king would be repaid tenfold.

As Kiel entered the throne room and walked boldly up to him, a familiar figure crawled past him and stopped at the feet of the king.

"Kiel, you've come," the middle-aged man said, gesturing for his servant who brought a chessboard over. "You really haven't aged at all, unlike my own lowly mortal shell. Have a game with me?"

"Of course," the Shade replied, as the king's father trembled below, his dull eyes wrung of any dignity long ago.