Chapter 6: The Demon's Reign: A past 2

Something...

It came.

"So you two survived...hm..? I thought the hiree would be good enough hm...? But you guys lived, hmm? And you two will die now...hmm?" It laughed, a chilling, fearful laugh.

Claws grabbed at us, and Jarald shoved me away.

"Jarald!"

"Only one, hmm? No matter, since I can always track the other, hmm? Eheheheh...or, want to watch your brother die...hmm? Better, yet, watch him die at the hands of your father, hmmm?"

And to the disbelief of my wretched soul.

Father.

"I rather let others do the dirty work hmm? Now..let's get the show started."

Father, no, the puppet lurched toward the struggling Jarald, while I stood frozen in fear, trapped by this horrible image, and the creature's piercing laugh.

None of this could be happening..

No..

NOOOO!

"No! You, you monster!" There was no thinking, no wondering of consequences. I picked up a knife and charged at the creature, only trying for Jarald. But 'father' attacked me. I fell the ground stunned, as he picked up the knife and creeped towards me.

"Harald! Harald! Run! Get up!" Jarald was screaming.

I couldn't do anything.

Closing my eyes, I waited for the end.

And in the midst of the darkness, I heard a swift slash of a sword, and the world faded to nothing.

Head hurting, my surroundings slowly came into focus as I woke up to a bleak world dimmly lit by dancing flames.

"Where..is this?" I asked myself, with no response. Suddenly, things rushed into mind and I lurched out of the blankets I had been lying in. Surveying the site, I saw a man, grizzled with brown whiskers and mousy brown hair.

Carefully, as to not wake him, I grabbed a short stick underneath a tree and painfully crawled towards the man, with no sound except a rustle of leaves and the crackling fire.

Steadily raising my stick, I prepared to hit when he grabbed me by the arm.

"Hey, you're not supposed to hit someone who helped you." the man said, not unkindly.

"How am I supposed to trust you?"

"Who else are you supposed to believe?"

"Nobody!" I growled and flopped back down on the forest floor, ignoring the man's stare into my back.

I guess I needed someone to trust.

Jarald was wary of him, but I grudgingly got along with the stranger, who was called Kirsod.

He treated us kindly, yet strictly taught us in fighting. If we failed to live up to expectations of him each day, we went to bed hungry. Which was often.

But slowly, Jarald and I learned the rules and actions of battle. "You won't need me at this rate." he sometimes chuckled and said, as he prepared meals. We never asked about him though. All questions were turned into other topics faster then we could recall that it was a question in the first place.

All was peaceful.

"And then?"

"Kirsod went and died on us." Harald said bitterly.

"How?"

"He used to be a prisoner of war and when he escaped out, murdered masses of people in revenge. Bounty hunters finally caught him unwary and stabbed him in the heart, but suffered death for it. He told us what he actually was, and regretted it. Jarald took it hard, I think, since Kirsod was like a second dad."

"And what about you..?" Kriel asked with caution.

"I don't know anymore. I just don't know. But we wandered for a while until we listed in the King's Guard, well, I listed and Jarald unwillingly joined. He doesn't like noble folks ever since that day."

"And now you're here." Kriel leaned against the wall. "Through everything that happened, why'd you come here?"

"Because it was the only place left to go that has some safety left."

The king was confused. "Safety..?"

Harald shrugged. "It won't matter to you. Let's get back, shall we?"

Note: Mehehe...okay, this one took a while since I was busy, procastinating, and such. Thanks to my friends though, managed to finish it.

Yeah, lame a cliche, but what else? I like tragic stories...ehehe.

Chapter 5: The Demon's Reign: A past 1

Edit: Fixed the dialog.

"Who's Lord Kriel..?"

"You..you don't know..."

"I'm not smart like you Harald." Jarald, still a bit woozy, snapped at his brother.

"Well, for the start, he's the king. You should know that at least." His brother stated hesiantly.

"WHAT?" A long silence held the room. Harald wondered when Jarald had become so ignorant.

"Hey guys?" Kriel broke the quiet. "I'm standing right here."

"But, you're a kid!"

"And? You're a kid too."

The squire proudly stuck out his chest, and winced from his injuries. "Well, unlike you, Mr. Fancy Pants, I can kill a monster."

"Jarald!"

"Oh? It looks like you're the one who was about to get killed."

"I was NOT." Jarald replied indigantly

"Says the person who DIDN'T get out of the way."

"Guys, guys!" Harald tried to ease the tension between the two. "Shouldn't we try to get along? Besides, Jarald, His Majesty, uh, saved you."

"Oh great." Jarald growled. "Now I'm in debt to some noble. The spawn of that damn bastard of the king. Probably gonna be no good as him."

"Hey! You're not so perfect either!"

"I'm better than any greedy noble. Look how your father did. Do I really expect better from his son?"

"DON'T YOU DARE COMPARE ME TO THAT THING."

The king was about to throw another lecture when Harald tackled Kriel.

"Mmph!"

"Not now."

He dragged the resisting figure out the doorway.

"What's your brother's problem? He's so biased and nasty." Kriel grumbled, "And you didn't have to drag me out. He needs someone to set him right."

"I reaaally don't think you'll have lived with him in that mood."

"Why?"

"He gets kind of..scary. I'll say."

"Still doesn't explain his attitude."

Harald sighed. "I will tell you, but don't tell anyone else, okay?"

"If you don't want me to tell anyone, why are you telling me of all people?"

"Because I feel like I can hold your word for it. Not many people would charge a Ebony Bear just to save some random squire's life."

Kriel shrugged. "Couldn't leave someone to die."

Harald laughed. "Usually, if it's dangerous, no one would risk their life to save someone. Especially Jarald. Not even the Knightmaster. 'He's worthless.' is something we hear a lot."

"That's har-" Kriel recalled his own troubles. Memories resounded..and that moment..the moment where he saw his father push his mom down that hole..and something, something laughed...cruel and amused...

"Your Majesty?" The squire was looking with a worried look on his face. "Are you all right? You look a bit pale..."

"I'm fine!" Kriel snapped. Harald looked startled. ""I-I'm sorry. Just remembered something."

"Well.."said Harald, sitting up. "Is it a meeting or something perhaps? Did we sidetrack you from something important?"

"No..." Desperate to get the attention off, Kriel asked, "So, what's up with your brother."

Harald smiled sadly, as if he were reluctant. "Well...it happened years ago."

We lived in a small village, so small that it wasn't on any map we've heard off. The villagers there worship spirits of the dead, who they believed to foretell the future.

The villagers there had strange predictions. There was one, however, that was effective in our lives.

"When the two arrive, the doom will fall."

My father and mother were running..from something. They hid there, in the village. The villagers did not respond kindly to new residents. And when mother had us, they turned hostile. They believed that we were the two.

'Kill them, or we will kill you all.'

Mother and father were also visited by the lord of the village. Having been bribed by the villagers, and trying to gain profit, he asked them to give us to him, so he could sell us to the villagers who wanted to see us done away with.

'We refuse. We'll leave tomorrow.'

Father and mother fled the angry village, and lived in complete isolation in a forest. We were raised with care, but was taught to fear and be suspicious of people. For the villagers, still unsatisfied, roamed the woods, looking for us. Fortunately, our father used to be a ranger in the king's army, and was a roaming mercenary for years, and managed to hide us away. Until...

'He's been paid, he's coming...run!'

The noble has paid high sums by a stranger to get rid of us. He swept the forest with his men, and found the living place.

'Go! I'll hold them off. Take the two.'

Mother refused.

'I'm staying with you. Harald and Jarald are old enough to know their way around.'

No matter how much he argued, mother stayed. And so we were left, on our own.

The two of us were just a few meters away when the house caught on flames. The noble's men charged upon us.

'MOTHER! FATHER!'

'RUN!'

Not knowing where to go, and following no trails, I dragged Jarald through the darkened forest.

After running for what seemed forever, I finally heard the hoofbeats stop. Tired and still mourning, we collasped under a tree.

'Harald...'

'Yeah..?'

'Are they really gone?'

'I..I don't know...'

'What do we do...?'

'I guess we wait until morning and see if mother and father are still alive.'

The night was long, cold, and unfriendly. Both of us wished this had never happened.

Day came, and we found our way back to the remains.

I found the noble's slain body with father's swan arrow. Picking it up, I held it as I viewed the wreckage. There were many bodies that suffered the same fate. Some had sword slashes though, most likely from mother.

I was still in a daze when I heard Jarald's cry.

'Jarald?!'

Running to the sound, I found him sobbing uncontrollably near a recognizable figure.

It was mother, stabbed through the heart. But something wasn't right. She was a glowing pale white, and there was no blood. The wound was also jagged, not like an actual sword stab.

'Harald..' Jarald had stopped crying and was looking at me with a scared expression.

'I know.'

Something came.

Note: Yippee...more to this lame story. If anyone's reading this, they're probably bored by now.

Cliche beginning, cliche middle, lame ending.

But peoples, THIS WAS HARD.

Yeah.

Chapter 4: The Demon's Reign: Introduction P2

"GRRRROAAAR!"

From the depths of the forest near the training yard, an Ebony Bear charged out frothing at its mouth.

"You know what, change of plans. Whoever beats the bear first, is better." Jarald challenged his brother. Harald just grinned.

"Critical Pierce!" Jarald's lance pierced the bear though its shoulder. Pained and enraged by the lance sticking out of its side, the Ebony Bear charged at Harald, who was readying up a shot.

"Hail Wind!"

The bear had just swiped its claw at the small figure when it froze.

"Oh great Harald, you got my lance stuck."

"Pull it out."

"Why don't you?"

"It's your property."

"Fine..." Jarald carefully climbed up the towering ice figure, careful not to slip. He headed towards his lance when...

"RAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Ice fragments flew as the bear broke free of its prison.

"JARALD!"

Trapped underneath the bear's paw, Jarald could only cringe as the Ebony Bear readied for the kill.

"May Beddor guide this blow, Dark Shatter!"

The fiend could only scream in agonized pain as it "broke" into shadowy pieces and faded in the sunlight.

"JARALD!" Harald rushed towards his twin, who was trying to stand up.

"Ugh, hey, well, it's a tie, eh...?" Jarald fainted from the agony of trying to stand on two broken legs.

"Looks like he's awake now."

The lancer blinked, slowly registering his surroundings.

"JARALD! YOU'RE OKAY!" Harald tackled the bedded Jarald, who immediately yelled with pain. His brother had landed on his newly healed legs.

"Get off!" He winced and pushed of Harald, who landed on the floor with a thump.

"Good thing we had a visit from a clergy eh?" Harald grinned at his brother, who painfully smiled back.

"Well, well, so this is the victim?"

Jarald could only stare in surprised shock as his savior looked quite..similar to the twins.

"You look like us..only much skinnier."

"That's what I've been hearing." Kriel could only chuckle as the squire tried to close his open mouth.

"Jarald, this is Lord Kriel...you know?"

"HE'S WHAT?"

Notes: Yes, moar lame-ass dialogue, but finally! I'm dun with the intros of chars introing each other! Nao teh hard part... Sigh.

Chapter 3: The Demon's Reign: Introduction P1

"Ah Jarald, once again...the late one."

Jarald looked at his feet, face turning red as Silvyren lectured him in front of his comrades.

"A knight must always be punctual. A knight that reports late to duties can cause deaths of innocent civilians, let a monster sneak into the town, cause plans to be delayed...."

Jarald wasn't paying attention however. He had heard this all before. Instead, his wandering eyes glanced toward a figure under a tree.

"...and so, Jarald, you will receive cleaning duties for a week. For every late minute, you will gain another day."

"Yes sir." The squire bowed awkwardly, clinging onto his lance as it threatened to knock him off balance.

"Alright now, break into groups of three. Six groups will follow me for patrol. Everyone else, train."

Relieved that the lecture was over, and a bit pissed at the thought of cleaning duties, Jarald walked off toward the dummies located at the edge of the field. Harald and his friend Sal soon caught up with the lance user.

" 'Least he didn't give you mucking duties," Sal sighed wistfully, recalling his own punishment for falling asleep while horseback riding.

"Well, I wouldn't have gotten the punishment in the first place if Harald hadn't woken me up." Jarald grumbled.

"Not my fault that you always toss me into a wall."

"IT'S REFLEXES."

"Hai guys, wanna go first?" Sal had a cocky expression, as if he was proud of something.

"Whatever, mister. You look like you have some new move," said Harald.

"Hehe, watch this." Whirling his mace at an incredible speed, Sal charged at the straw dummy, but, instead of colliding he leaped into the air. "ICE SMASH!", and with that, brought down the mace sealing the dummy into a block of ice.

"You missed the point of smashing it." Jarald pointed out dryly.

"I'm still working on it."

"While you're working on it, I'll show you something." Grinning, Harald spun an arrow, which ignited with golden flames. "Let the winds guide this purifying shot, Holy Arrow!" and fired.

It blasted through the ice block, shattering it into an shower of shards. The dummy however, was caught up on the arrow's momentum, and crashed into a tree. Streaks of gold light lingered against the blue sky.

"Nice..." the other two said.

"But, I bet I could do better." Jarald smirked at his twin.

"Oh, really Mister Lanceman? You can barely carry that thing around."

"I can hold it, and I am holding it."

"More like falling over to me." The siblings started to bicker, when suddenly a large roar echoed through the training yard. All the squires looked up in shock.

"Wha-what was that?" Sal stuttered.

Notes: Effing stuck. Just gonna post et. CLIFFHANGER! :D

I think the rawring thingy is gonna be some boar....o.o

Epically fail story, first time trying to work in some moves. ):

Chapter 2: The Demon's Reign: Thy Fated

Fail.

"I beg of you, your Majesty. My village is suffering and needs-"

"Seed for plowing and farming, am I correct?"

The gaunt farmer looked up in surprise. "Yes, that is correct."

"Very well." Kriel motioned to the treasurer at the right of the throne. The man brought forth twenty sacks of soybeans.

"What shall be the payment, my Majesty?"

Kriel smiled. "Pay us back when the harvest is well and thriving. That will be enough."

"My Majesty..."

"Please go and take the sacks. May the Lady shine on your planting."

Appalled and overjoyed, the farmer left, carrying the sacks in a beaten down wagon.

"My Lord, are you sure it was a wise idea for giving food to peasants?"

Kriel glanced at his advisor. "I am sure, Proditus. Without our subjects and new plants, we will starve."

"But it's better if we keep it. If the commoners do not wield a good harvest, we will starve. The king and his closest men should stay alive at least."

Sighing, Kriel got off the throne. "The subjects rely on us, and we rely on them. It is not only a noble's world. And I thought you were an advisor. No matter, I need to retreat outside."

"But, outside is-"

"Proditus, you are dismissed."

Proditus flinched from the prince's gaze, but backed away and bowed. "Your wish, my Lord."

"Thank you." With that, the young prince headed out the wooden doors.

The advisor stared for some time after the retreating figure. He suddenly smiled, with a devilish grin. "You will not be 'my Lord' for long..." Proditus hissed. "Soon, I will take your power. Soon, you will see why I will be a better king, and I will take your head and those devilish eyes and cast them away..."

"Jarald!"

Groggily, the squire dragged himself out of bed. His twin brother, Harald, was already fully dressed and was stringing his horn bow.

"What? Harald. Why so early?"

Harald snickered at the sleepy squire. "It's not early at all, brother. Check the dial."

Jarald glanced out the window and peered at the sundial set outside. Sure enough, the dial had a quarter of shadow on its round face.

"Harald! Why didn't you wake me earlier?"

"If I did, you would be all cranky and murder me."

"At this rate, Knight-master Silvyren will murder me!" The squire rushed to change clothes and slip into his tunic. "This is bad."

"Well, I'm off."

"Thanks a lot."

"No problem, brother."

Jarald ran around, looking for his armguard and lance. He found them, under the bed that he and Harald shared. Quickly tying the armguard around his arm with one hand, he snatched up the lance and dashed out the door of the room.

Notes:

This one fails. Okay here, I wuz trying to portray Kriel as a fair king dude. Advisor is a greedy guy, the one who would rather not trust his money in other hands, and would overtax for stupid things, like a statue of himself! Worse than Kriel's daddy. Lame-o dialogue, but yay! Plotting!

Harald and Jarald are twins. :3 I love their names, I just hate how this thing spell-checks all maicharacter's names. D:

Chapter 1: The Demon's Reign: The Start of All Sorrows

Fuck yeah. New chapter. Sucks, but oh well.

Kriel is someone who you may not think to be~ :3

No one's reading this anyhow. Talking to myself.

"I wish...for power."

"Power, you say? Ah, human....you have made the right choice..."

Chilling, red eyes glared from the pit of darkness.

"Free me, and everything will be yours. Free me, and I will give you power...in exchange for a price."

"What would you like?" The man trembled slightly, but his face gave no emotion away. "Power? Riches?"

A leering smile flashed in the shadows. "Your firstborn's blood...and soul."

"Lord Kriel..."

The slim, tall figure made no indication as if it heard.

"Lord Kriel..."

"Yes?"

The advisor shivered at the coldness in the child's voice. Fourteen, but with the maturity and wisdom of an adult, Kriel was an intimidating figure.

"Your father...the surgeon says he only has moments."

"Did he call for me?"

"Yes...my lord."

Kriel swiveled around on the chair. The advisor cowered under the silver-blue gaze of the child, as if it glimpsed the very depths of his black, corrupted heart.

"My father called for me, eh? He's finally where he belongs." Kriel walked past the advisor, ignoring his fearful glances. "Finally, among the ones he killed. May they haunt him for eternity."

The king laid on the bed, panting heavily. Breathing was getting harder, and every so often, he would cough up blood.

The door to the room creaked open.

"Kri-kri-el."

"Father."

The lad went and stood next to the bed and bowed. The king raised his hand, but Kriel made no move to grasp it. It fell back onto the sheets.

"My chi-child."

"Father."

An agonizing silence passed. Finally, the king took in a deep breath, and spoke.

"I ca-cannot regret wh-what I did. De-dear chi-child, I am sa-sorry. For wh-what I ca-caused. Bu-but. It wa-was for your sake..." He coughed and spat out a scarlet splotch.

"Like killing Mother? You don't regret killing Mother?"

The king made no reply.

"You, you monster. You killed her. Shoved her down that pit. And in front of the eyes of the young. Do you understand what you've done? DO YOU? AND YOU SAID YOU SAVED ME? FROM WHAT? WHAT?" Kriel took a heaving gasp and continued, "You. Murdered. Your. Wife. The queen. OUR MOTHER. Me and Mai's mother! For what? For WHAT? And all those people you tormented. All those lives you threw away, used them like dolls. Torture. Pain. Those screams still ring in this damned castle. AND YOU CALLED YOURSELF KING? WHAT KIND OF SICK BASTARD ARE YOU?"

There was no sound. Not even the wheezing of the king's struggle for breath. He was gone. The king was gone.

"I hope you suffer forever. For from me, there will be no words to comfort you. Suffer, suffer eternally. Like the ones who you pained did."

Kriel stared at the body that was once the king. Then the child walked out, and into a group of dukes and dames.

"The king is dead." Kriel announced. "I will rule in his position. Burn his body. Let his soul scream in the agonizing pain."

Prologue: The Demon's Reign

Beginning of The Demon's Rule

(I'm seeing if this thing will help me write this dang thing. This dang, epically, stupid thing lame ass story I made up. whoo-hoo. Sorry for the extreme lameness and clicheness of this story, but I'm a terrible writer, imaginer, and etc. I fail.)

Long ago, the God of the Underworld had three powerful beings in rule. They were the opposite of the winged Seraphs of the Goddess, yet performed justice similiar to the winged deities. They were called the Daemons, and led each tainted soul to their eternal destinies. The most wise was Ruthos. He judged the sins of each seperate soul, and decided each punishment. The most powerful was Serente. She dragged the souls of the sinners into the Underworld, and tormented anyone who tried to escape. The most cunning was Etheren. He was granted the power of taking the lives of the damned, and send them to the Underworld. The Judge, the Tormentor, and the Harvester. They were feared, yet, brought balance to the world. Few worshiped or honored them; those who did were often the ones condemned.

But Etheren was unsatisfied. He grew bored of his duty, and played games with the creatures of the ground. Wars and destruction, plots and tyrants, those were all his cause. But even those did not hold his attention for long; for soon, the Harvester wished to bow the world to his will.

With a plan so cunningly laid that even his father, the God of the Underworld, did not learn of until much later, Etheren created a separate dimnesion with the help of the God. He then walked among the mortals and the immortals, reaping souls for his ever-growing army of death. It wasn't all at once; no, it was a child there, an elf here, and a wolf there. He bribed beings with the falsehoods of power, and tricked them into forming a pact that his souls could possess. The possessed creatures became "Demons", monsters with unholy power. And with some of the most strongest, most tainted souls, he created the Bacilicus, six demonic beings, each with strength that were just under Etheren himself. It wasn't until much later that the Council became suspicious. By then, it was too late.

Etheren advanced against the world first. He murdered and burned, killed and slaughtered, until the beings of the world cried for mercy and begged him for 'forgiveness'. The Council could do little to help the world, for Etheren's army was stronger, and the Gods' and Goddesses' strength came from the world's worships and pledges. Even the Creator, the Lady, grew slightly weaker, for many were afraid to pledge to the Goddess, lest Etheren's rage would fall on them.

The Lady decided to enlist the help of mortals, against the other Council's wishes. She found a young lad pushing back the forces of Etheren against his village. Fascinated by his steady hope and loyalty to the Council, she bestowed a great weapon upon the boy, the Aureus Telem, a powerful holy weapon forged of the light of the Goddess herself. It could only be wielded by a courageous, compassionate, loyal, and pure heart. But, the weapon has a reflection. Its power grows as its holder nears death. For the more you use it, your life gets stripped away to fuel the weapon.

The young lad journeyed thought the ravaged world, fighting off groups of demons and undead, who were cursed by Bascilicus to add to their numbers. Others joined him; men, elves, werewolves, and even dragons. The Bascilicus were defeated, and they disappeared from the might. Finally, the boy, now a young man, reached the gates of the heavens.

Etheren had been too busy fighting the Council to notice his army crumbling. But when his generals fell and disappeared, the Harvester felt the losses and flew into a rage, and attacked with even fiercer power. By the time the group reached the battle, all but the Goddess had fallen. But even she, the Creator, was barely standing.

The Harvester flew at the lad, cursing and screaming with rage, and was met with the blade of the Aureus Telem. With a bright burst of light, the hero pierced the Daemon's chest, and fell backwards into the arms of his comerade, just barely alive. The weapon had drained his lifeforce in order to defeat such dark power, but the deed was done. Etheren staggered backward, screeching as the cleansing light of the Aureus Telem spread though him.

"You! YOU!" The enraged Daemon charged at the lad, but was stopped by the Goddess. While the Harvester was distracted, the Creator had trapped Etheren in a prison of light, sealing him away. But even weakened, Etheren was still powerful, and it took the Goddess's remaining energy to seal the dark foe away. With that, the Creator passed, and her spirit spread out into the world, reviving the lands and awakening the remaining Council. But she could not save the boy.

He was gone.

For his bravery and loyalty, the Council blessed his family with pureness and a small fragment of the Goddess's power. They became clerics, holy magic users that could heal the hurt and banish evil, or was blessed with mythical powers. And in the memory of the Goddess, they placed the Aureus Telem in a hidden temple somewhere in the world, where her spirit could rest.

Peace was restored.

But Etheren, even in his sealed state, still plotted to someday dominate the world and heavens.

And so our story begins here.