The first book of David
Chapter 1
10,06,2004
The world of Megaloprepis. Where demons and humans have been at war since the beginning of time. The tide of the war soon changed after the coronation of the demon king. The demons destroyed villages and mercilessly terrorised and ravaged people. Some of these heroes became kings and queens, while others concealed their identities from the rest of the world.
300 years after the end of the war
"Hail be to the royal family!! May the goddess of light bless their newborn son!!" Hailed by a great crowd that numbered over a million. The whole kingdom of Fior had come to watch one of the greatest celebrations of the royal family. The banner and the flag of Fior were mounted on every rooftop and streetlamp. Monarchs of great kingdoms, the sect masters of reputable sects, influential people and people with power had graced this occasion.
The kingdom of Fior was a newly established kingdom that was founded after the war by the hero Gabriel Fior, one of the chosen. Now, it stood among the strongest domains that could disrupt the balance of the entire continent if it wanted.
At the heart of the city, next to the statue of Gabriel Fior, stood an elevated platform made of Calacatta marble. It was matted with the fur of a silver-tooth tiger. Three figures stood on the platform. Gold Fior, the descendant of Gabriel Fior, was the current king of Fior. His raven black hair flowed like a waterfall, he had gold eyes that glowed, and his smile was infectious. Evelyn Silverwood, now Evelyn Fior, had an elegant and graceful appearance. Silvery white hair and galaxy-like eyes adorned her. She too, was smiling, clearly infected by her husband's cheeky smile. She was wearing a heavenly white gown with jewels sewn on it. In her hands was an infant wrapped in white cloth. He had silvery white hair like his mother and gold eyes like his father. Behind them, about twenty elite knights kept them safe.
It was the christening of the firstborn of the Fior royal family today. A cleric who belonged to the church of the goddess of light came forward. Touching the forehead of the infant with a silver cup containing water from the fountain of purity, he made the infant a part of the goddess of light's faith.
They were sure this day would be one of the happiest days of their lives, but they couldn't have been more wrong.
The cleric then asked the question, "Do you believe in the Goddess of light, the one who brings light to th- "
*cough* *cough* *cough* The cleric coughed for so long that he ruptured blood vessels in his airway and coughed up blood. He collapsed suddenly, spasming violently. As guards clad in silver arrived to check, they discovered that he was dead. The whites of his eyes were tinted red and his veins were visible.
The guard began to speak, "He has been poisoned, your highne-"
*crack* The sound of the soldier's skull being split open could be heard by everyone.
The crowd gasped. A single man fled from the scene, and as if suddenly awakened, the crowd ran for their lives. The sect's leaders and monarchs who were held in high esteem headed for their kingdoms, leaving Gold and Evelyn to fend for themselves. After all, they were allies in name only, and each kingdom desired the downfall of the other.
"Who dares ruin the most important day for my child!!!!" roared Gold Fior, trembling and quivering with rage.
Twelve of the elite knights held their swords to Gold's neck.
Gold frowned, "What is the meaning of this? You are committing treason!!!"
They did not reply but brought their swords even closer to his neck. Gold became stiff. Two elite knights made their way to Evelyn and grabbed her by the neck. She struggled, but unfortunately, her strength was not enough to take on two elite knights. One of Gold's most trusted butlers snatched the child from the struggling Evelyn.
A man of strong and lithe stature, wearing golden armour with the symbol of a dragon, walked towards Gold. He had golden hair like a lion's mane and eyes as sharp as a hawk. The captain of the elite knights Kabaan, strode towards Gold. When Gold saw him, relief flooded his mind and he smiled with joy. Kabaan was his childhood friend who would throw away his life for Gold.
Gold said, "Kabaan, my friend, at last, you are here! Do something about this..."
But Kabaan walked past the now shocked Gold and towards Evelyn. Kabaan drew his sword. He stood before Evelyn with an ice-cold expression. His eyes, normally shining with emotion, were completely blank. His hands were trembling. Kabaan calmed himself down.
"Evelyn...I am so sorry."
Evelyn began, "Kabaan, is there something wrong with yo-"
*Stab*
Gold stared in horror as his trusted friend, with whom he had shared many adventures, stabbed his wife. A dark red stain dyed her white robe red. She looked at Kabaan in shock and pain. She lost strength in her arms and coughed up blood.
"Kabaan...Why would yo- AHHH!!"
*Stab*
She was again brutally stabbed. She collapsed as a pool of blood formed beneath her. Her body had lost its warmth, the smile was long gone and her bright eyes were lifeless as she seemed to stare at the infant. Gold watched his wife die before his eyes but could do nothing about it except scream and cry in pain and guilt. He was guilty of not being able to say a final goodbye. He was guilty of the countless times he had not listened to her.
"We have accomplished our mission. Let us return." Said Kabaan, showing no remorse.
"Captain, what about his highn-" The knight began.
"We have killed the target! No need for more deaths. Release Gold and hand him the infant!" roared Kabaan. He saw the now released Gold crawl to his wife. He pursed his lips.
"What more do you want from me? You have taken both my best friend and my wife from me!" muttered Gold as tears fell drop by drop.
"You still have your child. Be grateful." Kabaan said as he walked away with his elite knights, leaving Gold behind.
Later that night...
It was the middle of the night. Gold Fior was walking through a forest in the far east of the Fior Kingdom, holding an infant wrapped in a white cloth. The forest was old and ethereal and smelled of rotting wood. Apart from the sound of his footsteps, nothing else could be heard, which was unsettling. Huge trees with their branches spread out restricted sunlight from entering. Dark green moss grew and dark brown mud stuck to his boots. Beads of sweat dripped down his face. Some trees had a mystical glow to them. It was as if something had taken possession of them. Hollow sounds were coming from the trees, or more precisely, the voices of people. They were repeating the same thing over and over again.
"It is foolish to trespass these cursed grounds!!!"
This made the infant cry. Since his beloved wife was dead, Gold was forced by the nobles to marry the daughter of the Duke of Vintner. According to the law, a father must take the life of his children before he remarries. Of course, this also applied to Gold, but he simply could not take the life of his remaining family. Therefore, he decided to hide his son from the rest of the kingdom. They soon neared a rough and worn-out-looking mansion. Some of its glass panes had shattered and silvery spider webs seemed to make it haunting. This was the cursed witch's humble and welcoming home. One of the few mages still alive who had once been a disciple of the legendary Oracle Marmot. Gold couldn't believe that someone like the cursed witch would live in this mansion. As he walked to the door, spiders skittered around and statues of humans looked alive as they seemed to stare at Gold. He banged on her door.
"Who is it?" said the sweetest voice ever heard.
"It's me, Estelle. I need your help, please," said the king.
The door opened creakily and a beautiful-looking woman appeared, sending a shiver down his spine. She was breathtaking. With eyes that sparkled like a galaxy and silvery white hair. She looked very much like Evelyn, though a little older. She was Estelle Silverwood, Evelyne's aunt and a disciple of the Great Oracle Marmot. She scrunched her nose and raised her upper lip in disgust as she saw Gold.
"Welcome, O great king. What can I do for you?" said Estelle, sarcastically.
"You know what I want, Estelle."
"Do I? Aren't you the person who let my Evelyn die!!!! " she said and pushed him away.
" I know!!! I saw her die! There was nothing I could do. You can hate me all you want, but my child - Evelyn's child - is innocent. I do not think you want to see Evelyn's child die. Do it for him. Do it for Evelyn," Gold pleaded.
Sighing, she considered his request and said, "Very well, but the portal will only be open for ten minutes."
He nodded his head and entered the mansion. Gold's eyes grew wide and his jaw dropped. The interior was so different from the coarse and rough exterior! It had polished wooden flooring and flying candles lit the huge room. It had paintings of different men and women.
Estelle signalled him to follow her. He entered one of the rooms and smiled for the first time that night. A swirling blue-black portal had been kept inside. He looked lovingly at his child. He thanked Estelle and walked through the portal finger by finger. Before he went in, he whispered,
"Thank you, Estelle, truly."
"I am doing this for her, not for you."