Chapter 6: Fool's Gold

 

For all the wishes of abundance and prosperity, The Fell Knight in his youth and into adulthood was never a wealthy man. He and his family struggled early on in life. Things got better with time but never to a point that they expected to live well like the rest. How many times did The Fell Knight’s ears hear disappointment when listening to the tales of others who had traveled the world, to see its magnificent kingdoms, its exotic people, its prolific culture. To taste its rare foods and wines. He was often ridiculed for the garments he could afford, trying to look presentable. He adored every simple thing he had owned. He never saw one thing as “poor” to him. He cherished them. His mother had cared for him all alone after her husband had passed. What The Fell Knight hated the most was not that he never had higher quality materials. He hated that he had seen and felt so much selfishness, greed and lack of appreciation that it corrupted him to barely be able to enjoy anything anymore. He was left with a pit of sorrow and a void he did not know how to fill. For even when his pockets were filled with riches and gems, it brought him nothing but the price he had to pay to exact his revenge. It never brought him the one thing that had eluded him his entire life- Happiness. One night he was counting his schillings, ensuring his amount for the coming season. The amount was a bit shorter than anticipated. He was in need to contest and pillage for more earnings. “Nothing had changed”, he thought. “Still, I work and worry, only to worry some more. To feed a never ending appetite. A sick joke.” He began having a compulsive episode. He kept repeating the number he had reached in gold along with the number he had wanted to be at. “2000 will be 5000, then will be 10,000. 2000 will be 5000 then will be 10,000. 2000 will be 5000, then will be 10,000.” Over and over again. Dozens of times. As if their amounts were going to grow with each declaration of them. No number could have satisfied his disorder. It was ingrained in him that only an extreme amount of material value would make him worthy in his mind. To whom? For what reason? He had no idea anymore. He gave up on believing in his own value. Others never saw the value in him, so why should he pretend? Words can hold overwhelming power compared to a sword which simply cuts you. Words slice deep but linger and seep poison in you. Doubt is the sharpest weapon one can be penetrated with. He banged his head on the table and on the walls repeatedly for the thoughts to stop. He wept heavily when he saw his first pair of boots from young squirehood that his mother had saved up for. He had kept them and hung them on his wall. “Why can’t my wants be small and humble again, like these little boots?” Your gold made nothing but a fool of me, in this life. To have it all but feel entirely meaningless. Mother, please forgive me for what I could not become and for what I did turn into.” The Fell Knight slept somberly that night. 

Chapter 7: Ultra-Violent

 

Midnight. The Tundra of No Return. Treading the snow was the reformed Fell Knight whom had just retrieved a new blade, The Pale Ruin, a sword in which both ignites fire and freeze dries upon contact. A devastating weapon of diverse results. His beard was fuller for warmth and now donned an off-white and pearlescent coat, coupled with fur. A new addition was his helm, The Devil’s Mane. His armor, heavier than usual for the treacherous conditions, sparkled as black ice does, helping him to camouflage against unsuspecting victims. His steps were heavy but steady through the blizzard of this night. Over the howling winds, he heard a familiar voice. One he wanted to hear this time around. The Valkyrie.

“ Valkyrie!!!!!!! “ he echoed violently through the black night. He wanted her to know that this time, he was game to fight her. Last they met, he had nearly embarrassed her with the bare-hand beating she barely evaded. She surely wanted to even the score and she knew just how to do it this time around. The same way he used her emotions against her, she would return the favor ten-fold. She would be as cold and crass as the scathing hails from the dark heavens above. 

“ Fight me!!!!!!! “ he belted once more. She stood silent, staring him up and down. “ You need fur!? Hahahahhaaaaaa, and I thought you were more than some simple man who gets cold in the night. What a Fell Knight you are! What did I even see in you!? “ She responded, condescendingly. Mocking him to the highest degree. After passing through the Trials of Fire and Ice in The Temple of Steam, he had regnited his passion, but also made his cold side more crass than before. He waved for her to bring it. “ Bitch, bring it on. “ He raised his Pale Ruin and displayed its abilities as he empowered the snowstorm, matching his rage. The Valkyrie took off her armor and fought topless. She was going to distract him in every which way. Not only was he slammed with confusion as to how she could bare the sub-zero temperatures, but he was also a man. Her breasts were large and succulent. As trained a warrior as he was, all men are led by their short sword at times. His focus was weakened. 

The calm and collected Valkyrie knowing she had an edge, advanced towards him through the pelting storm. He could barely see her coming. Still, he paid close attention, waiting to strike. Bewildered, at how resistant she was to the extreme weather. He underestimated her. She had secrets of her own, ready to unveil to the proper opponent. The Fell Knight was the only to be a threat to her in so long. She was turned on by this. Another reason why her armor was removed. Like lightning, she slashed and hacked away with The Kiss Me Not. An unseen force was pushing him back with extra impact each strike of her sword. He was knocked to the ground, face first hard. He got up immediately, stunned and bleeding profusely. 

Wiping the red faucet from his nose, he painted the blank fields crimson with a trail behind him. “ First blood, Mister Sonata…and not a moon in sight. Pity. You should never underestimate me. I trained in a chaos far different than yours. There’s nothing left to feel. I am the feeling. I am the choice. I am my way. Rain, ice, hellfire and divine light will not touch me. I command them. And today, I command you! “

The Pale Ruin turned hues, from blue to mauve, into scarlett. An inferno ensued and melted the Winter away from their vicinity. “ Now, you will know the devil. “ Seething with a new found temperament, The Fell Knight turned into a blazing tornado, scorching the Amazonian. She was burned on her bare body. Throwing herself to the nearby ice, he melted every nearby source she ran to. “ I am the Alpha and the Omega. I am the beginning of your fears and today, I will be the end of your fantasies! “ He dug the burning steel into the ground, causing lightning to trail across and shock his adversary into a temporary paralysis. In this opening, he lept and slammed her with the back handle of his sword. Black and blues ensued. As the shock wore off, she feigned still being frozen and used her Kiss Me Not to touch his weapon, absorbing its unruling power. “ Shit. I fucked up. “ An avalanche burst from the tip of her Kiss Me Not,  engulfing The Fell Knight into near oblivion. 

From the rubble of crystalline, he rose like a phoenix and formed ice paths with his sword, sprinting across them, then switching to fire volleys. They were in a war of the elements. A perfect analogy of their emotions, both capable of being so hot and cold with others and with themselves. He would melt holes within them to try and make her slip up. The Valkyrie did in fact fall through one and held on to the slippery slope. Stomping on her hand, she plummeted a few stories to the blanketing diamond dust beneath. “ Have a nice Fall! “ chuckled The Fell Knight. 

From the igloo of decimation, The Valkyrie turned to her hotter side. An all out nova-like explosion infused with her Kiss Me Not’s other abilities burst forth a blast which sent The Fell Knight soaring into a frozen lake nearby.

“...MOTHERFUCKER!!!!!!! “ She shouted, claiming her victory against the undefeated warrior.

As she began dressing and tending to her wounds, near the horizon, a black-flamed thunderbird emptied the lake of its water and rose to his feet once more. 

“...Not yet, Valkyrie!!! It’s not over YET!!!! “

Stunned, The Valkyrie retreated and smiled widely to herself.

 

Book I- Chapter X: The Two Sirens & The Scarlett Queen

Removing all of his wickedly divine armor, washing away his deathly face painting, The Fell Knight wanted to witness this as himself. After all, this was about realizing who he is, his potential and the meaning of Life, for himself and for All. He thought of nothing but that as he stared at The Black Lotus resting delicately in his hands.

There he was, alone again ironically, with the absolute power of The Universe in his very palms. “Didn’t we always have this to begin with?” He proclaimed aloud, as if the whole of all the realms were hearing his words. “Did we not always have the infinite power to do and be whatever we wished? Why desire anything but what I always believed in? And that’s simply to be Good. To be of The Light, of The Wondrous Infinite. To serve whatever God or Gods you believe in, or don’t. You must believe then in yourself, is it not so? For what else would there be besides the very You that you know? The You that is in Others, and They, in You.

All beings, humans, plants, animals, insects, the clouds, oceans, the stars and the planets. Are we not the same? Are we not in the very same infinite space? This, is what we ended up looking like. Being like. Feeling like. We Are It. The All. Who the Hell am I to end It?” A profound moment of doubt and revelation came to him. The red sun lit the skies a fiery orange and yellow, shadowed with pinks and purples. “This could’ve been the final sunset. Though the most fitting, it won’t be the last…still, let’s see what lies Beyond It All.

I wish to at least see and finally know The Truth of What We Are. I fought so hard to get to this point. I’ve decided there is no point in ending such magnificence that was gifted to Us All. But I’m curious. No one and nothing stands in my way anymore. That’s got to be worth something. I’ll know The Truth and be at peace. At last.”

The Black Lotus began floating from his hands and glowing an unearthly gold and black, iridescent but out of this world, visually. It felt the wish of the Fell Knight’s heart and that was enough of a command to unlock the skies unto him. A stunning geometric glyph began blossoming from the flower. Its light gave off an extremely intense aura of divine Love, Intelligence and utter Perfection. It was almost frightening in its immense absolution. It made him feel emotions he never thought could exist in his being, just by witnessing The Black Lotus unlock the Gates To the Beyond. The rainbow sky ripped open, unveiling the Fabrics of Reality. Tears and a deafening silence came over The Fell Knight.

He was terrified but exhilarated. This was it. There They were. God. Goddess. The Fell Knight gasped intensely but no sound or air came out. He nearly suffocated as his heart pounded rapidly. What we thought as God, as One was half correct. It was Two As One. He was right all along. True Love. Union. It All Made Sense Now.

One Of Them was all encompassed in sheer black, but it contained all matter and color, colors never perceived before. They flowed throughout Its body. It was a human shaped body, but very Feminine, the most beautiful creature ever seen. Her eyes contained the Souls of Everyone who had ever lived and that would be born one day. They held Each Other, The Two. Intertwined but dancing about and playfully motioning. They would sometimes shapeshift their appearance but ever so slightly. Nothing dramatic. Her hair flowed like the rivers of the cosmos but also burned like the depths of Hell. Her voice. She sang, almost like a soft humming that would go high and then low, seemingly random, yet it sounded harmonious. It was the most entrancing and drug-inducing melody you had ever heard.

The Other, was The Male aspect. A bright white and golden, almost pearl-like shimmering to Him. You could see trillions of veins, organs and other beings within Him. He was the more solid, reality-based Side. His eyes were blank, truly clear without any reflection. To look through his eyes would be to stare into the source of every void in Existence. He had hair which was long and a metallic hue which no mortal had ever bared witness to. He made no sound, but his movements were mesmerizing. They would calm and cleanse you to the very core of your soul. Just a glance had that effect. There was an overwhelmingly serene and unconditional Love that flowed from Them. Outwardly and inwardly.

Shalas fell to his knees and sobbed out of bliss into his hands. “Forgive me for all that I have done. Please, now I have no shred of doubt, not that I ever should have, to be better, to be my best. Still, I give you my sincere regret and admittance for all of my wrongs. For all of my words. Actions. Wrong deeds. Conquerings. For my vengefulness. For my unbound rage. For my cold and unforgiving scowl. For my wretchedness. For my disbelief in myself. For all of the shame. For all that I failed. For all that I betrayed. For all that I Loved and wronged in the worst ways possible. Please, take what you will of me, may it be my very Soul, my Essence, but do it if it means that All Is Right again, forever more. I’m so sorry, Love…”

He bowed down and had nothing left. He had truly given His All, To The All. An innocent child. A grown bastard. A once hero. A king of his world. A lost soul that had found himself and all others. The Fell Knight and all of his versions had been terrible in their own ways, but one thing he remained throughout was honorable. He had a code in him that beneath all of the shadows that consumed him, were his values. He knew when he was wrong, he had to make it right. He waited in silence, feeling peace for the first time in a quarter of a century.

The Two Sirens had looked at The Fell Knight directly in his eyes. They smiled with the utmost Love and Care and it was in an instant that Everything “bad” had washed away permanently from him. Entirely. Not even a memory of its negative effects. He could feel real happiness surging through him again. A zest for life, a vitality and deep desire to create and to fulfill great dreams and deeds. Not just for himself, but for those he loved and for all. Why not for all? The Gates To The Beyond then began to close. As it came to be sealed, a sight that was even greater than what The Fell Knight had just witnessed.

Impossible as he had thought but moments ago. It was her. The crimson hairs blew in the wind. She was just…there. How was she there, in such a place? Shalas thought, though. This was after all, a canyon in the Northern most parts of the world. This must be a miracle perhaps, gifted to him by The Gods. Their way of letting him know he was always worthy. “...It IS you.” She yelled from afar. They both ran towards each other. As they met face to face, it was as if they had known each other for a long time now. It was odd, but such a wonderful feeling.

“H-how did you get here?!” Still stuttering a bit, even after witnessing God, he surely knew being shy was just his mold, The Fell Knight thought. “I’ve heard countless tales of your untold bravery and benevolence in destroying these corrupt kingdoms, the poisonous 12 Zodiac Counts you slayed, not to mention all of the cheats, thieves, rapists, marauders and liars you ousted. By your very hands. The red hands filled with your own blood of sacrifice. When I heard tales of how you swing your sword during a blood moon, of how you are willing to literally give of your flesh and blood for us. It inspired many people throughout. We secretly built coalitions to reserve your image and prepare if you ever returned, to lead us into a new era. We revere you, Fell Knight! You are our hero. I had mustered up enough courage to come and find you, to let you know this. After being mistreated by my own husband, I saw the treachery you wrote of in your journals.

I found them laying by the river, along with your black armour and Fell swords one day. I took the journals because I wanted to know why you had left the kingdom. I had always admired you and wished you would look at me with interest, but I never had the courage to admit my intentions and I never thought someone of your knighthood would wish to marry a mere maiden. So I settled. I had wanted Love ever since I could dream of it. The real kind. Not an arranged marriage. Not for status or for gold. Not for royalty, but simply for Love itself. For the two people involved. Two as One.”

Funny he thought. Two as one. How right she was. Humankind truly was created in the Image of God. The Two as One. That’s what Love was about. A reason to go on Forever would have to be a really good one. And it was. He was slightly angered thinking that he had gone through literal Hell and became The Fell King. All of it. It all could have been avoided had she just spoken up. But then he thought, he had also witnessed what no other soul ever had and possibly ever would. How could he still be upset after that? Here she was, after all. She did come to seek him and to profess to him. She had done her part. Maybe that was his part after all, to conquer his own chaos and overcome what held him back. As she had risen above her fears as well, it had appeared.

“...From the moment I laid my eyes on you, I knew you were the most beautiful woman I would ever see. It still is so. I would speak to the winds and hope they carry over my words to you.” “...They did. I always felt incredible when the breeze would caress my hair.” The two walked to each other closer and closer. They opened their arms and embraced after a seeming eternity apart.

A blade through his heart.

“...You should’ve left my brother Shalashango alone, Fell Knight. You’ll pay with your fucking soul now.” Her arm had become a blade fused of metal and flesh. She was not human. Her true form arose as she still held him in her puncturous grip. She was The Scarlett Queen, a powerful demon of the deep underworld, but of another dimension. Her brother, far more than a Witch Doctor. Had The Fell Knight not known of Shalashango’s name that fateful day, he would have lost to his true monstrous form. He had gotten extremely lucky. That was why The Fell King grew so advanced. He had slain a tremendously powerful devil from another world, unknowingly.

“How fitting my revenge for my brother, to destroy The Fell King himself, The Ruler of this world! Hahahahahahahahaaaa!!!” Her crimson hair. The very same color as his. How did he never notice? The Fell Knight was always so calculating and perfect in his preparations and execution. In his intuitions. He had vastly underestimated an act of revenge that should have never been. It had cost him everything. This. All of this had pulsed throughout his body in a quick moment, as he was losing life with every second that passed. His body slowly slid off of her sickle and fell. “I will have the utmost privilege of claiming the Fell King’s body and soul, all for myself! You wanted me to want you so badly and now you’ve got it- be careful what you wish for…”

She was readying to devour the corpse of the Fell warrior. It was all over, he thought. Everything he had fought and suffered for, gone by his own foolish mistake. And what a horrid ending to add salt to the wound. The Fell Knight had remained undefeated by any opponent. Out of all people to fell him, it was she. The one he had longed for since before all of this. The very crimson queen he had adored, had now literally slayed his heart. His eyes began to fade, gasping heavily, as the spiderous succubus loomed in for consumption.

Her head fell to the ground as he was blinking in and out of consciousness.

The Kiss Me Not.

The Valkyrie.

She had killed The Scarlett Queen. Coughing up blood, he tried to raise his head up to look at her, but couldn’t. She rushed to the Fell Knight and held him in her arms, sobbing hard. She held his face with her hands and looked at him smiling in between her crying. With his last ounce of breath, he looked to her and mustered “...that bitch. She..sucker punched me. Cheap.” They laughed, but Ramon’s laughing stopped before hers.

She released his face from hers, to see his eyes had closed. The Valkyrie stopped crying out of shock, but the sorrow stabbed her deeper than steel. “I love you. You can’t leave me.” She stood up, trying to gather herself. She threw all of her armor to the ground. Possessed. Enraged. “You putrid abomination. That he ever felt a sliver of what he is for you, you fucking wretch. Away with you!!!!!”

She lost it. The Valkyrie raised The once Fell King’s Nevermore sword and absorbed its immense otherworldly powers, making her blade the most powerful in existence. She plunged it into the remains of The Scarlett Queen and obliterated it from its very existence. “Begone with you!!! You took what mattered to me the most!” She dropped the sword and fell to her knees. She looked over to the fallen body of her rival. The one who pushed her to her limits. Her lover. The one she had deep feelings for after seeing something in his eyes one day. The Fell Knight. It couldn’t end this way.

All of his specialty blades were there, including his signature Bloodlust. The one sword she had never absorbed, out of respect to him. It was his first and favored sword. “Forgive me, I know what this means to you. But…you don’t know what you mean to me…” She took its nefarious ability as her own. What would you know it? It was a full moon. She gazed to the stars as a lavender evening fell upon them. The pale pearl-like moon bled red with The Valkyrie’s tears.

She placed upon The Fell Knight’s bare chest, a green feather. It was once his. She had never told him. He didn’t know this, but they were both once from an ancient tribe called The Order of The Phoenix. Each member there was chosen especially as gifted, something of a divine presence within him. Mystical at best. Each member shared a collective spirit as they grew and honed their skills and craft. Studying a rare arcane knowledge from an unknown land, some were gifted with the ability to be resurrected if ever death came to claim them. As a phoenix would rise from its ashes, so could the members of its Order do the very same, but only a rare few. And only one time. There was a special feather that fell from a brimming phoenix that flew the skies long ago.

The very same The Valkyrie held. It had the properties to heal severe wounds. She was hoping that it was strong enough to revive him. She had a fail safe plan as well. The Bloodlust had a secret technique that The Valkyrie never let him in on. The Bloodlight Sonata, if performed on the freshly deceased, would revive them. Peering to the bloodsoaked moon, she thrust The Kiss Me Not into herself over and again, as the feather lit aflame over his heart. “Bring my Fell Knight back. Whatever it takes.” She impaled herself, losing vitality fast. Strengthening the spell. His eyes. They moved. It actually worked.

She was now in the position The Fell Knight was moments ago. Fading from the Bloodlight Sonata she had performed. It was the strongest ever played that night. Both in mortal pain, Shalas with all of his might rose and ran to his lover. During his time studying Shalashango’s ancient tomes, he learned to heal himself through white magic. This was what gave him an immense edge in his wars against his former enemies. Quickly, he placed his hands on her deep wounds. A warmth came and the bleeding had stopped. Keeping more pressure, the cuts began to close. Breathing heavily and frightened, she was now held in his arms. She wrapped hers around him, and they sat. They watched their beautiful blood moon, singing the melody of their forever, once more. For it was the stars and the very heavens that were at play here. They had adored their tale of love and conquest.

            It was like no other.

Chapter X, "The Two Sirens & The Scarlett Queen," culminates Book 1 with profound revelations and transformative events. The Valkyrie's ultimate sacrifice to resurrect the Fell Knight signifies themes of redemption and rebirth. The dual nature of the Sirens, embodying divinity, brings a deeper understanding of power and morality. The chapter reaches a climax with the revelation of the Scarlett Queen's true, nefarious intentions, a grand twist that redefines the Fell Knight's journey, blending forgiveness, deception, and the complex interplay of characters' motives into a rich, emotionally charged narrative.

Book I- Chapter IX: The Gray

For him, he calmed his eyes and cast away the gray clouds for their encounter. He allowed the sun to shine alongside the moon’s eye. They were eclipsed. A testament of their eternal friendship. The Fell King was once The Sun and he, The Gray, had once been The Moon. Or at the least, they had adored these lights of day and night as their very love for life.

The perfect setting to honor them and their final meeting. They had both chosen their “warrior” colors when they were children. The Fell King chose red and The Gray picked blue. They were best friends and healthy rivals, always playfully competing. The Fell King’s demonic face markings were red as a tribute. He donned a pale white garb as opposed to the usual midnight hue.

There was nothing to conceal any longer. Everything was out in the light. He put away all of his swords. His spells were not to be used. They had this agreement. Hand to hand combat was the only true form of honorable combat. To rely on one’s own. No extension. Just two forces clashing and dancing the waltz of war. They were fighters at heart. Valhalla could not contain their fires. They were both more ancient than they could remember. Pillars of yin and yang, unknowingly. The children of duality.

The Gray was the last in line of a once great collective. One that set their values on a healthy indifference. Not one of not caring, but one of not interfering…unless they had to. As the shade of gray implies, it centers in the middle of black and white’s polarity. It represents justice and neutrality. Fairness and form. His brethren were all lost in combat during the Fell King’s onslaught upon all of the kingdoms. He was the last Defender Of All and could not allow The Fell King to achieve his goals.

He loved him as his own brother, his very own twin, even. The winds had changed flavor and temperature as it blew the cloak of the red skull king. The eve’s blanket was violet as the steps of The Gray were heard approaching from a distance. The tumbleweeds echoed the deafening silence between the calm winds of unsettled dust. There he was- in a deep gray set of armour but highlighted with bright cyans. He had still remembered their red vs. blue war since childhood. Some things never change, they both thought to themselves as they had beared witness to never-ending changes throughout the ages. The Fell King was looking to end this.

The Gray felt it was neither their destiny to handle these unimportant matters. He was indifferent but not as The Fell King was. He had no action behind it. No malice. No ambition. He was desireless and at peace. The two stared at each other for a while, taking each other’s evolution in. “...It’s come to this, old friend.” The Fell King slowly nodded and he signaled to him to just bring it. Bring the fight to him. They hadn’t felt this level of excitement since either could remember.

The Gray tossed his Indifference aside and acknowledged him. The winds picked up again, this time with a spectacular intensity. The Fell King removed his cloak and let his long hair loose. He removed his armour and gauntlets, as did The Gray. They both advanced with haste as a test of strength was challenged between their grips. Neither side would give in as they rocked slightly back and forth, shifting weights. Their boots digging deep into the gravel. The numerous counters then ensued. Their martial skills of combat were unmatched and at a stalemate, it appeared.

A barrage of strikes and blows parried by the other nearly bloodied their limbs. They were smiling. Amidst chaos and imminent destruction, they could still find innocence and fun in what they did together. Even if it was fighting to the death. They felt redeemed as they exchanged all that they had. Everything that was pained and taken from them, seemed to return with a valuable meaning now. A clearer understanding as to why this all was. As to why they existed. Why anyone and anything existed. This moment, frozen in time, was Their Reason For Being.

The Fell King stopped dead in his tracks, and so did The Gray out of respect. He looked down for a moment, hiding his sadness with his hands. He looked up to him in tears and spoke. “How many rivers did it take to escape our eyes, just to remember that it all leads to the same ocean of our Soul. You’re the only one, Roderick. The only one that ever knew me fully. Not 1% was ever left out from you. I want you to know. I’m sorry you have to see this revolting monster.” The Fell King washed away his paint and showed him his face.

“It’s still me, under all of this.” The Gray was speechless. They stopped their battle as a draw. “Shalas. I love you. But, if you do End It All, I can only say I love you until then, old friend.” He loved him so much that he would not thwart his wishes. Even if it meant, allowing Oblivion at his hands. True Love is the Allowance of All, but their Balance intertwined.

The Gray saw it as Life’s karma. After all, if a mere mortal could thwart all of existence, was it really that valuable to begin with? Maybe this all did need an entire Reset. Maybe Nothingness would birth a new Infinity. One with new laws, new ways. Something other than a duality. Something different and beyond Love and Fear. Maybe this was part of the natural process. The eternal ebb and flow, and it was up to us to change it when we felt the need. Intrigued, Roderick smiled at Shalas and bid him farewell, walking towards the eclipse.

“I’ll be here waiting. Finish It, Fell King.” The sun and moon parted their ways, as did the brothers. The Black Lotus was unearthed.

He thought long and hard as to what his friend had told him.

Chapter IX, "The Gray," explores the profound encounter between the Fell King and The Gray, representing the culmination of their long-standing friendship and rivalry. The chapter delves into themes of destiny, the duality of existence, and the essence of true understanding and love. Amidst a backdrop of intense physical combat, deep emotional revelations unfold, revealing the intricate bond between these two warriors. Their confrontation symbolizes the convergence of their life paths, echoing profound philosophical questions about the nature of existence and the transformative power of true companionship and understanding.

Book I- Chapter VIII: All Out War

The howling winds of pestilence and destruction began. Devastation was upon All. Not just for those of the planet, but the entire Omniverse of Time, Space and Eternity. The Fell King had eradicated the False 12 of the Zodiac. He was the 13th and singular Apostle of The New Zodiac. His manifestations of horoscope were to determine not the Fate of All, but solely his own. There was no more I am and You are. There was no “we are all one”. It never was that way. Everyone was a single, separate soul. An individual that had been duped into thinking there was something governing All. There wasn’t.

There never needed to be, although in this case one could argue that it could use a contingency for the acts of The Fell King. He did not speak anymore. There was no need. He had felt more than enough for everyone, not just for himself. He was more certain now than ever before, oddly. He had thought for sure The Path of Ruin would end him. Indeed it did, but the weakness within him. The only thing that remained was pure and honest. Sincere in its being. Not attempting to be or become something else, constantly as does humanity. He had more compassion for animals and plants.

Yet, he knew in his spirit that nothing would ever change or reveal itself as the miracle this Universe needed. Everything always suffered and for aeons the fates had been making poetic excuses for their dysfunction. Not one deity or mortal had cared or even acknowledged the issue before Everyone. Now, he was the judge, jury and executioner. Before putting forth into action his final plans, The Fell King had decided to mount a throne atop The Mountain of The 12 and just sit for a while.

He had always been walking, traveling, fighting, keeping alert to thieves and monsters. Now, being the most dangerous entity in existence…he was tired. He in all honesty was so physically and mentally exhausted. He was no longer bored, however. He closed his dreary, blood-shot eyes and slept for an entire day. His serpent guardian coiled over him as protection while he rested. Sunrise came. While The Fell King was dormant, the storms would stop. The people of Earth had rejoiced but for one day alone. His eyes shot open, as if he were rudely awakened.

Serpentarius gazed back at him, slithering about in rejoice. With the rise of The Fell King to his feet, so did the sun taint to an abyssal black once more. The blue skies were grayed, as if life had been sucked out of the heavens. The planet’s energy and life force were powering his Fell Swords, especially his newest and most powerful edition, The Nevermore. It was transparent, almost invisible. Symbolic of the nefarious technique it held- Oblivion. It would annihilate any target with enough source power. This destruction would be permanent. The soul would be no more. No resurrection, no rebirth, no changing of energy. Nothing. Permanent Deletion. An Eternity of Nought. The Truth of Vision and Experience The Fell King saw as The Only Way. The only way for All to be at peace and never truly suffer again. All Memories past, present and future would be No More. This very act is impossible even to illustrate in visuals or to dictate in words.

The Fell King had to find the way into The Realm of The Beyond. This is where The 2 Sirens of The Omniverse sang their eternal melody of All The Universes. The Composers of Duality. The Lovers. Twin Souls. Two As One. The Feminine and Masculine. The Black and White. The Up and Down. The Good and Evil. The Be or Not To Be. The Fell King was going to sever this All. He had pondered what they would look like. A curious thing, he still felt the desire to inquire of something new, considering he was about to End All Things.

He was well aware of something else as well- they would come for him. All of Earth’s greatest remaining warriors and defenders of the light. The armies that combined forces to take him down, all turned on each other through The Deliverance’s Betrayal glyph. He had orchestrated them to distrust one another. And so they did, taking one another out. The Fell King still felt remorse in his heart for what he knew he had to do. He must confront them, all of his former allies, foes and yet to be comrades, and rid them off his Path. They would fight with all of their lifeforce, for this was knowingly the battle for The Universe’s Soul. Everything and Everyone was at stake. They would be at their most viscous, powerful and cunning.

Attempting to trick The Fell King, he was amused by the efforts and artistic renderings put forth in fighting him. It was useless, as all it would take is the Fell King to raise his sword and sacrifice enough energy to obliviate them. He did not wish to do this, strangely. He ceased blaming things for his ways and his circumstances. It was simply far too late to stop at this point. Also, it would prove meaningless to allow All to continue as he was the only one that saw things as they are. He was tasked with bringing it all to end its suffering.

He shed a tear. A genuine tear. It fell to the mountain floor and bloomed a black lotus. This, was the key to entering The Realm of The Beyond. Genuine Love from The Fell King’s heart combined with the chaos in his mind made way for the flower of doom. It was so beautiful, he thought. He delicately saved it in a protective case and placed it away for when the time came. He heard them. They were almost there, ready to try and stop him.

The Last Stand for All had made way and ascended to the top of the mountain, where Death Incarnate awaited respectfully. His maliciousness was gone, yet the eerie consequences he held in his hands for All made him terrifying in the most unique way ever felt. The Kiss Me Not flung its way directly towards The Fell King’s head. It sliced him. He felt deep sadness for he knew it was the signature attempt of The Valkyrie who had once honorably drew him in battle. He never had an equal prior, as The Fell Knight. He had respected her. She stood there and looked at him for a few seconds before recovering her blade.

“What happened to you, Fell Knight? Please speak to me. Say something!!” He spoke of his sadness by the way he looked back at her. He smiled at her warm-heartedly. Before he could realize, from the left came an onslaught of sword strikes from someone The Fell King had never seen before- he seemed to be some Dragon Lord. Brimming with power. Perhaps, almost enough to take The Fell King out, had he not known just how to deal with him. Was it a ruse to distract him? No, The Valkyrie was sincere. What else had he expected them to do to him after what he had promised to do unto them?

He felt guilt with each blow or attempt to kill him, from them. He knew they did not hate him, in fact the opposite- they loved him more than anything. He would not let them down. At least, not anymore. The Fell King peered toward this Dragon Master and was impressed by his strength. He withdrew several blades of dragonic flame that were rapid-fired at The Fell King. They actually damaged him. He had felt pain not by his own hands, for the first time in many seasons. The inferno ricocheted against The Fell King as he grew weary of absorbing hits and screeched in a tyrannical frenzy.

This blew both world warriors nearly over the edge of the mountain. His eyes began to seethe as a warning to them, to let him end them quickly and not make this any more difficult than it had to be. The last thing any force could do is make this easy for him. He wanted them to retreat, for even the temporary memory of him erasing them was too much for him to bear. He felt for the first time since The Path of Ruin, some doubt. Could he actually will himself to do this? After all, it was always his weak will or self-delusion that held him back. He wouldn’t hold himself back anymore. The most important things that need to be done are always the most difficult.

The Dragon Knight and The Valkyrie separated and tried an attack from both sides. She absorbed The dragonic flames from her partner and instantly tripled her power. They both might have a shot at this. Yet to interfere was Serpentarius. He had watched on, waiting in the shadows to strike if need be. He obeyed every order from The Fell King without fail. The ultimate Zodiac. He unsheathed a sentimental blade- his trusted Bloodlust. His very first specialty sword, with his own blood still on it. They were as one instrument.

He summoned the blood moon and swiftly but delicately began dicing at the two. His slashes were soft and meant to keep them away, not to finish them. They dodged his devilishly rapid slicing, almost like a steeled tornado. No blood was shed. He grew irate. The Lockjaw was taken out and he had remembered not to touch The Kiss Me Not of The Valkyrie, for her sword had absorbed its effect long ago. He would be crushed by his own signature. He thrust it into the mountain’s center and caused an epic cataclysm, rocking everyone aboard to the wayside. As they were falling, he drew The Deliverance and vanished to retreat into the forest. Panting and tending to wounds, The Dragon Master cast a circle of protection and invulnerability. He had to, for The Fell King was unleashing flamed winds as he was screaming afowl once more. The eternal embers of his anger had never been put out.

“This won’t last us long. I’m surprised we’ve survived thus far. You did great out there, but we need to get close to him and finish him off. I know this is the toughest thing you will ever have to do. I know you feel for him, so do I! But if we don’t stop him, we not only lose Everything, that includes him as well. I don’t think he truly realizes the extent of his wishes.” “...No. You’re wise beyond me, Dragon Master…but he does know. He’s never acted without reason. Everything whether it was good or bad, it was with intention. Is it really his fault that the people of our world are for the majority cruel, non-deserving monsters? How can you stand there and judge him, being from the Dragon Empire and knowing what you and your men have endured to become what you have? He had no one! He could have been far worse! A cold-blooded murderer, with real hatred for everyone. A nonsensical destroyer.

No! Even at his most “evil”, there is a beauty to it that you don’t understand!!” The Master grinned. “...I had a feeling. You love him.” She looked up at him watery-eyed, holding back her tears. “If you love him…then you must know in your heart of hearts that the only way to save him, is to end him. At the least, we will all be salvaged and the canvas of time and space can revive you both eventually. If you do not, It’s all Over. The Whole Game. Can you finish him off if I position you to do so? I would do it myself, but your sword has grown in power far beyond mine, thanks to its side effect.” “Do it quickly, let’s go! I don’t want to think about this or feel this anymore!”

Before they knew it, an obsidian inferno had begun scorching the forest around them. “I’m so sorry”, spoke the Fell King with remorse in his black, searing eyes. He raised his master sword, The Nevermore and summoned The Cindered Phoenix through his spirit. It eradicated everything around them in an instant. The Fell King had blasted them into a far away distance before the true impact could annihilate them. He spared them. He would end this without harming anyone he loved.

Unconscious and defeated, the World Warriors had tried their very best, but had failed to stop The Fell King. Unpacking The Black Lotus, he began to unlock the portal into The Realm of Beyond before picking up on an energy he had not sensed since childhood. It was the true last line of defense for the earth.

The Contingency. The Fell King’s best man and brother from long ago. The Gray. He put the lotus away and prepared the battlefield.

The rules were in effect.

Chapter VIII, "All-Out War," presents the Fell King at the height of his power, engaged in a cataclysmic battle. Here, he faces the greatest warriors of Earth, including former allies and foes. The narrative explores themes of power, moral ambiguity, and the weight of decisions. It's a poignant portrayal of the Fell King's inner conflict and the consequences of his actions, illustrating the complex interplay between love, duty, and destiny. This chapter serves as a climax of the tale, bringing together emotional depth and epic scale.

Book I- Chapter VII: The Twelve Counts of the Zodiac

This is the next tale of conquest. The first as The Fell King. At his peak power, he could now influence on a global scale. He had understood now more than ever that what he was experiencing was a natural force, almost not even as his own will. Something above him. Above all. He was exhausted from things competing to be “above”, to be “better”, to have this weakness of needing to “change” constantly. Eternity was a plague upon existence, for it did not allow you the freedom to not be. You never had a choice. Now, The Fell King was going to give The Universe no choice.

He would ensure that its melody would end and would be sung again, nevermore. He no longer held what was known as hatred and love in his being. These were just Point A and Point B put into place to hold the fabric of space together. None of it he saw as real anymore. It was an illusion that intentionally forgot it was not real. The ultimate laziness and selfishness, he thought. Life itself, unaware of what it was. There was no more reason to have curiosity as to the faultiness of the design. We were a mistake. One he would amend. But, how to truly End All Things? The Fell King, having grown in psychic prowess, was now in tune with the energy of the cosmic realms. He was correct in his assumption that we were a melody being sung by ourselves. Through The Forbidden Action, the darkest spell of all named  “Oblivion”, it was an elegy of emptiness that canceled out the original 2 sounds that reverberated forever upon each other.

The duality itself of the Oneness. Canceling them upon one another would cancel All. Nothing would be. No more memory. No more spirit. No more feeling. No coming back. Not even a void. But, how to reach these 2 Sirens, which held All That Is, intact? He would start by destroying the Stars themselves and all of its Zodiac. The very blueprint of design and creation. There were 12 Guardian Apostles which protected each Zodiac sign’s respective House. They were nothing more than corrupt business fronts using The Church and The Faith as their reason for existing. The way they operated is they were some of the few who were allowed to be Scribes. To write and publish works of literature to the entirety of all the kingdoms throughout the land. They had set it up so that only 12 personality molds for people would be “prescribed”.

They manipulated their words so articulately, with such grace and finesse, that it inspired the masses to buy into it. It glorified them, but they were unaware that their fate was being chosen for them. Guided. Misguided. For their own means. Never for the liberation of their spirit or mind. All for their own gain. This, in turn caused people to behave predictably, as they were programmed without even realizing it. They felt blessed. Different. Divine. Above others. Humanity was like that- all you had to do was tell it what it is and they would agree and become that. The definition of useless and weak. The monthly zodiac scrolls would be delivered to each village on the sunrise of the 1st. The naive would read their “destiny” and follow suit, just as the puppeteers commanded them to. They were the true artists of the world for they painted each human in their own image and way.

After unloading all of the caravans of their scrolls, they would be refilled with gold as payment from the villagers. This was the Fell King’s “in”. The 12 Counts of the Zodiac were near in power to him. They had even more insidious energy and knowledge of the occult, for they had been in control for ages now. Their mortal age had surpassed the limitations of the flesh. The Fell King had to be more cunning and sadistic than they. He had recalled all of the scribes he himself had read every moon. The false hope and joy which was invoked in him, only to dirty to misery and disappointment. Their demise would be a symphony of otherworldly justice. Upon arrival of each caravan, the Fell King had killed off each of their riders and replaced them with his own.

They were paid off and instructed to deliver the new contents of each 12 carriages to their respective Count. They would never see it coming. A perfect means of playing off of their expectation and greed. For each Count and Zodiac sign, The Fell King had devised an appropriately themed death for them, except they would never be able to read about it in advance. This was his lesson of reality. Of chaos and deliberation.

For Capricorn, he sent hundreds of rabid and starving sea goats that upon release would devour any and all in sight. These beasts were all captured and enhanced through The Fell King’s black magic, so they were no ordinary animals.

Aquarius had not been sent a caravan, but a cataclysmic tornado conjured by The Fell King, representing the disastrous winds which this Count had attempted to own. They would rip his castle stronghold to pieces along with his army and eventually The Count of February himself.

The third Count of March and Pisces was sent a large supply of poisoned fish which fed the people and the Count of dual fish himself. They dropped dead almost all at once, like a plague had hit them. For it did. The Fell King’s.

The 4th House of Aries was similar to that of Capricorn, except the horned rams were set on fire when released, as is their element. It represented the forceful ways of the ram, burning everything in its trajectory. The 4th Count was gasping for his last breath before being incinerated.

Taurus was a challenging feat to pull off, for even The Fell King could not fully tame hundreds of bulls. He had managed to transmute one of them into one towering golem, which he could control through a combination of his dark blades. This creature of doom had shown no mercy to anyone and bit the head off of the Count of Taurus.

Gemini was a unique approach, for it involved the concept of twins. Of duality. The Fell King had to surmise something extravagant for this occasion. He had packed the caravan with countless pairs of men and women. Exact opposites in terms of age, appearance, gender, ability. Combined with the spells cast by his skeletal hand, they were morbid freaks which would devour the countless victims of the 6th House.

Cancer was an easy one to fulfill. Mutant crabs would dice and use their pincers to decapitate the unfortunate who were in their vicinity.

The 8th House of Leo was specially handled by The Fell King, for he was a Leo. No caravan was needed for this. He had sent a long range spell which invoked rage in all of the lions of the forests nearby. The Count of Leos was eaten alive by the fangs of the true King of the Jungle.

Virgo’s end was sadistic, even for The Fell King’s standards. As represented by a fair maid, The Count of Virgo’s only demonic daughter had been offed by the Fell King’s titan of a bull. She was impaled by his horns and left to bleed out on the castle walls for all to see.

The 10th House of Libra was served justice when the scales of judgment were weighed. Towards the 10th Kingdom he used The Lockjaw to devastate the entire land with the pressure of massive land falling down upon them. The weight of the scales, so to speak.

The 11th Count of Scorpio was second in command and was privy to the decimation of the others thus far. He was readying to advance towards The Fell King and confront him in battle. The smoke clouds of The Fell King’s appearance made way through his Deliverance sword. They were near distance of each other now. The Scorpion Lord was a devious sight to behold. The Skeleton King unsheathed The Bloodlust. It had been a long while since wielding it. Not since being The Fell Knight, did he use this specialty weapon. He raised it to the moon. With the twist of his blade, he turned it into a blood moon himself. He conjured up an undead golem which took the stabbing for this Bloodlight Sonata. It was a deep and deadly wound. The 11th Count had been tethered to shreds.

From his tail, he extracted a rare and exotic poison, one which could be imbued upon the tip of any weapon, turning it into an unspoken vehicle of apocalypse. This would be used for his soon to be constructed “Nevermore” Sword. His final blade as The Fell King which could activate any and all forbidden sword techniques, without any adverse effects to the user. He completed the process and steeled it into existence, combining the venom from the Scorpio Count. He raised it to the fearful heavens. Lightning, devastating winds, pelting rain, sleet and hail marked the ascension of the world’s biggest threat in The Fell King.

The Nevermore began burning with a black fire, the shades of which were never perceived before. The blackest of all blacks. This was the pure essence of annihilation. He teleported to the 12th and final Count of Sagittarius, their leader. The Fell King’s eyes were seering with the very same dark flames engulfing The Nevermore. “...What are you..?” The bewildered hellspawn uttered. “The wish not even God could fulfill.”

Through one of his new techniques, he summoned a serpent from the tip of his poisonous blade.  “I am the new Zodiac. I am Serpentarius, The Resetter. The Great Alchemist that will transmute All that is wrong, to All that is Nought. Starting with you.” This grand snake devoured the final Count in one bite. He was not digested. There was no rebirth for him. He and his essence were permanently gone. The Fell King’s first usage of Oblivion. This was the worst case scenario no one was prepared for.

The 12 seals of the Zodiac were obliterated and an annunciation of Serpentarius, the 13th and new singular Sign would rule over Reality. The Portal of The Fallen had been ignited for the first time in ages. The midnight flames cursed the scorched grounds and made way for The Cindered Phoenix. Its black wings stretched from The Fell King’s back and he screeched a cry of onslaught.The world had been warned.

He was coming for them.

All Of Them.

Chapter VII, "The Twelve Counts of the Zodiac," marks a dramatic escalation in The Fell King's odyssey. Now wielding immense power and dark magic, he systematically eradicates the Zodiac Counts, each demise symbolic of their respective signs. This chapter weaves a narrative of cosmic retribution and the wielding of near-godlike power, as The Fell King enacts his grand scheme to reshape reality. The narrative explores themes of destiny, the manipulation of power, and the ultimate consequences of wielding such immense force, culminating in a climactic metamorphosis of the protagonist and the world he inhabits.