"Theron, why would you utter such disrespectful words?" His mother, Queen Eileen paced forward and grabbed onto her son's hands. "I apologize for my son's words your Majesty, I hope you do not take it to heart."
Eryth could feel that she was trembling, no doubt out of fear of what the King would do, and with his heightened hearing, he could hear the low whispers of the ministers around.
"Can you believe this kid?"
"No wonder the King always makes mention of making his younger brother the king"
"Such insolence."
Eryth pulled away from his mother and stepped forward. "What's the matter? Are you scared that I'd defeat you in front of all your subjects, just as Uncle Dibo did years ago?"
The gasps and mumbles became even more and the energy that exuded the King's body doubled, a sign of his burning rage.
"That's enough, Eryth," Dibo who had been quiet chipped, but Eryth didn't stop at that.
"I may be terrible with my Acts but even you know that I am remarkable when it comes to wielding a sword, 'The best among others your age' those were your words when I put down three Royal knights at the Moon's Gala, do you remember, father?"
The energy around the King's body lessened as he listened to Eryth's words. He shut his eyes and took a deep breath before opening them again. But just as he was about to speak, a voice spoke up from the entrance of the courtroom.
"Let me take up this challenge in your stead, father." They all turned to the speaker.
Prince Ijar, the second born of his Majesty and Eryth's younger brother. He was tanned skin with light brown hair which was cut short.
The Prince stepped forward to stand by Eryth's side. He glared at the latter before turning to the King. "Father, allow me to pick this sword and be your representative for Eryth's challenge."
Ijar picked up the sword and turned to face Eryth. "I accept your challenge."
Eryth scoffed. "Very well then, I guess defeating your favourite son won't be too much of a step from you." He turned and started out of the place with a small smile lingering on his lips. Though he lacks the use of Acts and energy unlike his brother, Eryth was indeed mentioned as the best swordsman in the entire kingdom, even better than some who have spent more years practising the skill.
.
.
.
Danila opened the ground beneath the man and made a swarm of vines to burst out at him, forcing him to break what he was doing and jump out of harm's way with his staff. He stabbed his staff into the ground and looked around to survey the scene, watching as Arya and Blutox moved to stand next to Danila and Syrie.
"Guys listen," Danila started. "He uses Illusion Act with a high amount of energy from an energy stone in his staff to make his illusions look and feel more real."
"So all we have to do is get the staff out of his hand and this will be done?" Arya questioned.
"Hopefully."
"Got it."
The four made their battle stance, ready to charge at the supposed Illusion act user while the latter simply let a mischievous grin curl up his lips. He stayed put, allowing the four to proceed with their onslaught and unleash their attacks; Blutox disappeared and appeared behind the pale-skinned man and lunged his blade forward, Arya continued straight with her daggers at hand, ready to strike down her opponent, Syrie instantly transformed into her full form, using her lust for blood and flesh to control the transformation and slither towards the enemy while Danila sought to use her telekinesis to control the staff out of his hands.
"Fools," was all he said before they all froze in their tracks. The staff he was holding disappeared and a scythe appeared in its place. The pale-skinned man drove the sharp end mercilessly into Syrie's chest, forcing her to transform back with a loud blaring scream. He pulled it out and lunged the scythe at Blutox who was behind him. The War Kanrie managed to break out of the spell and attempted to move out of the way, but the scythe slashed through his right arm, severing it from his body. With the same momentum, the man turned with the scythe and divided Arya into two, leaving a bloodied scene all around.
"No!" Danila stopped and went down on her knees taking in the horror before her, one worse than the image she has in her head of the damage Hex did to the Faeland.
Blutox lay on the ground gripping tightly his bleeding side, writhing, and silently screaming in agony.
Syrie lay motionless in her pool of blood still fidgeting as her life slowly left her body, while Arya dragged her bottomless body towards Danila, not dying, but still in excruciating pain.
The pale-skinned man stepped forward and stabbed the bottom of the scythe into Arya's head, rendering her motionless and causing blood to spill around as her head burst open. He then looked down at the fairy who stared at the scene in disbelief and regret.
"You…" she struggled to speak. "You tricked us," she finally coughed up the words.
The man grinned and let out a broken chuckle. "Such is life, my dear," he said, finally speaking a full sentence. "Sometimes we have to trick the eyes to create illusions that enslave the mind and bend reality to our will."
"You are not an Illusion." It wasn't a question, the scene she'd just witnessed made it clear.
He smiled. "Oh I am," he replied. "I died long ago as an Illusion act user, but I got revived as the Undead servant of Hex with a new act, which I mastered to its best, Telekinesis."
"With my Illusion Act, I made your mind choose from different options which I played out, and when I realized the one you chose, I used it to tip this battle in my favour." He curbed in front of the Fairy and raised her head by the chin.
"Do not regret your choice, regret will only be a constant reminder of your weakness."
He rose to his feet and paced to where he left the trail of blood from his previous encounter. His staff appeared in his hand which he stabbed to the ground again and resumed his former action which was obstructed by the Fae, crossing his legs while levitating in the air and rune markings appearing on the ground below him.
The markings widened and in a few more seconds, the sky turned dark and lightning accompanied by thunderstorms filled it. The atmosphere and everywhere around turned black and white as though it was being filtered with some mechanism. Smoke and a strong wind began to blow all around, destroying the houses, library and tower in the small village and also causing the ground to split open, giving way for withered trees and vines to emerge from the opening, causing more destruction. The trees and grass that were already around and in range of the scene all withered and died.
The hooves of a horse echoed the air with an ever so slow pace and some seconds later, a figure on a horse marched out of the smoke, no doubt the possessor of the dark and chaotic energy that encircled the entire village.
The helmet that encased his head much like his armour was a twisted masterpiece, its towering silhouette pierced by majestic plumes that seemed to writhe like living darkness. Intricate engravings etched into its surface appeared to shift and twist in the flickering light, casting more evil darkness across the battlefield. The steel seemed to drink in the lighting of the surroundings, radiating an aura of dread that froze Danila in terror.
His steed, a monstrous stallion with a coat as black as the abyss, rippled with muscles forged in the depths of madness. Its eyes burned with an otherworldly fire as if the very essence of chaos had been distilled within its gaze. The horse's armour, a twisted mirror of its rider's, seemed to absorb the light around it, leaving only an aura of malevolence. A long dark sword rests on the horse's side, its hilt, long and black and its scabbard designed just as dark as its owner.
Each hoofbeat shook the earth, a death knell tolling for those who dared oppose him, leaving a dark smokeless flame where it stepped on. The stallion's thunderous neigh echoed through the battlefield, a challenge to all who would stand against the darkness that rode forth.
Danila's eyes widened in fear, shock, horror, and dread of what was coming. Her chest danced rapidly and her body trembled in fear all just from the sight of the being that approached her, rendering her unable to move.
Her quivering lips parted open and mumbled a single word, a word that though she spoke struck more fear into her heart.
"Hex."
….
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