The war had lasted for over ten years.
The long awaited battle between Shad the Destroyer and Lady Irene the Matron, now known as Lady Aphmau. The battle to crown the the final victor, to determine the fate of all the Realms. Forces of good and evil meet at the battlefield, shedding the blood of their own kind and that of those they knew and loved.
Personally, Gene did not care for those he would have to kill. They were all just weaklings compared to him anyway. He was a Shadow Knight, a warrior brought back to life to fulfill his purpose. That was a gift only Shad was willing to give at any time. Lady Irene, or should he say Lady Aphmau, had only revived her fallen soldiers for the war.
The boots of his armor clanked as he walked through the corridors, carrying him around as he enjoyed his time. This very well could be the last day of his life, even if he was immortal. He had immortality, not immunity. He could still die, just not from age. Another blessing Shad offered, but only to those who were both fit for it and worthy of such a gift.
Up ahead, Gene caught sight of one of his fellow Shadow Knights. This one hadn't been turned to Shad's aemy under normal circumstances. This one had made a deal with Shad, offering him information on Lady Irene/Aphmau in exchange for a Shadow Knight body.
What a disgrace to Lord Shad's name, Gene thought bitterly.
Zane turned his head just enough to catch sight of Gene, before turning back and facing the wall. He always did that, face the walls and act like he was talking to someone. While it was possible that he was speaking with his Shadow Soul, it was still odd and made the others uncomfortable. Normally Shadow Knights spoke to their Shadow Souls in privacy, or as much privacy as they could get.
"Zane." Gene addressed the other male as he came closer, putting on a straight face and towering over him.
"General!" Zane squeaked, turning around ti face him as he saluted.
Gene rolled his eyes, letting out a heavy sigh. Honestly, did Shad really have to revive this one? He was useless in combat and was cowardly, he couldn't even salute to his general properly. Gene supposed that his cuteness and gentle behavior towards the others did slightly make up for it, but he was still useless in battle. Gene was just glad that Zane wouldn't be the one loaded into the catapult with the Relic. After all, who else would polish Gene's sword and be his servant. Gene glared down at Zane in disgust, and spat in his face.
"Stop talking to the wall. Toughen up and be a Shadow Knight." Gene spat at him, watching as the raven haired warrior's shoulders slumped a bit.
Scoffing, Gene kicked him in the shins before taking his leave. He didn't want to waste anymore of his precious time with that scum, a failure of a Shadow Knight and useless asset to Shad's army. He rolled his eyes again as he heard Zane start to softly cry, turning a corner.
How pathetic. He lets words bother him, Gene thought as he continued to walk through the corridors.
It wouldn't be long before the next battle, but Gene was ready. And so were his fellow Shadow Knights, except for Zane obviously. He was surprised that the younger Shadow Knight had even survived this long, but he had a feeling that Zane had either been hiding in every battle or had been sacrificing his fellow warriors in the bloodshed.
Gene wanted to see Zane drop dead.
~~~~
To say he was afraid would be an understatement.
Zane was beyond petrified of the battle that would begin in just seconds. As soon as Shad gave the signal they would all charge into battle, and take down the other army. Or, at least, they would try. Lady Aphmau's forces had been overpowering Shad's for the last four battles. It was like she knew their battle plans.
I'm going to die, Zane realized for the twentieth time in a row.
Clutching his sword even tighter, Zane's hands and neck started to sweat from both nervousness and the heat of the battlefield. He could hear some of the other Shadow Knights surrounding him snicker at his sweating, but at least he smelled like he took a bath. Was that Shad's plan? Have an army that smells like thousands of individual Nether Realms? It smelled like rotten eggs and decaying corpses.
"You're a pathetic, worthless scum." One of them whispered to him.
"A disgrace to Lord Shad's name." Another added, snickering.
"We should load you into one of the catapults." A third suggested, smirking.
"Straighten up you three." Gene growled, walking by them. He stopped to give Zane a disgusted look. "And if you want to survive this battle, Zane, I suggest that you stop sweating so much."
Zane let out a quiet sigh, his shoulders slightly slumping. He hated whenever Gene noticed him, but loved it at the same time. He admired Gene in all sorts of ways, he wanted Gene to touch him in places he never thought he'd want anyone to touch him in. But he knew that Gene would never feel the same about him, even if he just wanted to do that to someone, he'd do everything in his power to make sure it wasn't with Zane.
I'm going to die today, Zane reminded himself for one last time, before Shad gave the signal.
Somehow he managed to not get trampled by his fellow Shadow Knights as they charged onto the battlefield, colliding with the army of Lady Aphmau. Thus the battle began, the one where Zane was sure he would be killed.
And he would be.
The battle raged for hours and hours, and each second that passed warriors from both sides died. Zane narrowly avoided an arrow that whisked over his head, and rolled out of the way as the sword of an Angel almost came down onto his neck. Pushing himself up, he lashed out his sword at the Angel, stabbing them and cutting at their wings.
"Zane, get your ass over here!!" Gene yelled out to him, standing by ine of the catapults.
Zane ran over towards the catapult as Gene had requested of him, skidding to a stop before the general. There was another Shadow Knight with him, who looked nervous and was holding some sorr of Relic.
"Zane, when Lord Shad says so, you're going to fire the catapult." Gene said, and Zane nodded. He then turned to the other Shadow Knight. "You, you're going to be in the catapult with the Relic, and when you hit the base you'll explode--"
The unnamed Shadow Knight had heard enough. In just seconds he had shoved the Relic into Zane's hands, and threw him onto the loaded area of the catapult. Zane barely had time to realize what was happening before he heard Shad give the signals.
"Gene, fire the catapult!!" Shad ordered, clashing swords with Lady Aphmau.
The rope was cut and the catapult launched upwards, throwing Zane and the Relic across the battlefield, towards the base of Lady Aphmau. The Relic started to glow brightly as they were launched through the sky, and Zane kept a tight hold on it, even though it burned through his gloves and armor.
"What the fuck, Richard!?" Gene snapped, slapping the Shadow Knight across the face.
That was the last thing he heard before he died. When he hit the ground his bones started to crack, and that was when the Relic exploded.
(For those who are confused: Zane loved Gene, Gene just wanted to use Zane as a servant. And Richard didn't want to die, which was why he threw Zane into the catapult.)
