Ch. 1 - The Path Towards Divinity

A quiet night beckons all kinds.

A man walks lonesome down an untraveled path, leaving behind him a forged trail of kneeled blades of grass. Solemn and inconsolable is the soul residing inside, hid behind the hollow-blue pearls fixed to his eye sockets. His eyes don’t shine in the moonlight, taken over too much by thought and woe.

Memories strike incessantly, wincing and tugging at the man’s face, anxious and taut.

“You'll fail them all.”

An oily voice slips through the cracked walls of his mind, secreting like a bloody gushing wound. The material thought poisons his every word and memory.

And still the man carries on.

Don in a golden brandished cloak, pacing tall and gaunt, and leaning half of himself onto a jewel-encrusted cane, a King strolls through the night.

A soft wind makes the trees sing and the brush to it’s tune, the high Moon and stars rain a brilliant blue radiance onto the field before him, as if it’s all meant for him. He steps heavily down, the opposite foot of his caned aid, and wearily again as he continues on. Stepping onward, he begins to peer from the side of his eye. Light seeps in, allowing him now to focus for a moment on his surroundings. Becoming clearer with every breath, his senses tingle as the area widens with color and vantage.

A feeling of unease creeps up his neck hairs as he slows his pace to a definitive halt. Puffing his chest with the cold night air, he leans his head over towards the unease, letting his long brown and blonde hair fall softly too.

"You might consider showing yourself,”

The King pauses, and as if told to do so, the air halts around him now too.

“-it’s rather rude to sleuth a King."

He announces, seemingly to nothing.

The wind acts as if it was caught in a lie, and chokes itself in a twist, throwing the trees around him in a blur. The leaves shiver and then come to their own halt.

A calm comes over the trees, crickets silence their chirps, the grass almost bows itself to the intensity, and the wind holds its breath. A smile cracks along the monotonous face of the King, inhaling through his nose, taking in his freshly caught guest.

"Whatever you say…”

Growled through the treetops.

“Pretty Boy."

The eyes of the hidden man alight, dropping onto the King’s path and into sight of one another. Eyes scan over their bodies quickly.

Stalky and armed, the man slinks his hand across his sword hilt, strapped to the side of him, ready to unleash it to feast on the King flesh.

The King's smile breaks more and more, and the regal visage parts, letting loose a "ha" with every crack.

The man storms towards the King and raises his hand, pulling back his arm to give his swing as much force as he can, thrusting it forward towards the King's shoulder.

"You son of a bitch."

The King roars in hearty laughter, jabbing the man in his ribs lightly, making him dip to bring his shoulders down from his immense stature, greeting him in a kind embrace.

The King hugs his most trusted advisor and friend.

"Diagis" said with a warming heart.

"My King" a response in kind.

"Please, Di, Mal or Maloin is fine. I am but the same man since before my ascension to the Throne."

Diagis dips his head.

"If it pleases my King."

“It does.” Settling the matter.

The two hold each other's arms at their length and look kindly upon each other, it's Diagis who breaks the kind moment by letting worry wear his face.

“Sire, you know you mustn’t walk the grounds this far out, and at this hour-” Diagis paces a step backward to glance at the outskirts of the town. Crowded with trees and darkness of the shade, the sense of danger is unrelenting in the Captain Guard.

King Maloin brings down his hand to his friends’ shoulder, slightly gripping his cloak.

“I apologize my friend, it's- “

Maloin pulls away to sharply gaze at the moon, he inhales deeply then lets out a labored sigh, full of pain and restlessness.

“On nights like these, I feel I am haunted by visions of my family, abounded by their words….”

He turns to Diagis, showing his pained expression.

“By my Father's words…”

“Ever since I took the throne I've been dealt this hand of woe and worry, realizing my family is now the entirety of Regnus. I have every single one of you to keep safe….”

The King paces, swinging his arms in frustration. His age lies at this moment, nearing tantrum and a strict notion of being afraid. This is the behavior of the boy who was thrust unto Kingship.

Diagis steps in closer to the pacing King.

“You’ve done wonders for your Kingdom, and I can think of no dynasty that hasn't had a patriarch leave the entirety of the Kingdom to the heir and the heir not feeling like the world is sweeping their feet out from beneath them.”

Diagis assures his friend, nudging his shoulder as if to let some of the weight fall to the grass.

“And Regnus will always be thankful for the work of their mighty protector...”

He grabs both of his shoulders standing firm in front of him, shaking him slightly as he says, “Then again, being the great protector I am, maybe they'd make me King instead, then you wouldn't have to worry!”

Diagis laughs and pushes him a little, Maloin is taken aback but quickly returns the push, lightening the mood successfully, Maloin lets his worries wash away.

The stage is reset.

An unfamiliar gust of wind falls on the trained ears of the Captain Guard, and he dashes around, slightly weary.

In the next split second, the crashing of a tree branch is cast through the field, making Diagis grasp his sword firmly. The King still allows his worry to fade, looking at Diagis and smiling quizzically.

“Still trying to play games, old friend?”

King Maloin walks a pace towards the open field that ends in a forest bathed in darkness, arms wide open to welcome his assumed pranksters.

“Come now, the fun is over, you may greet your King!”

“Sire, get back!” He barks at his King, the fear and ferocity unleashed through his teeth.

“Di- Diagis, it's quite alright...right?”

Diagis lets his sword sing its unsheathing reaching for Maloin in the same movement.

“Get the hell back!” He yells as he rips Maloin’s shoulder behind him.

Maloin falls to the ground, letting free a small yelp.

Diagis looks as if to rip through the forest brush with his eyes, seeking out this immense danger he feels.

Maloin is left to the ground, scattering to make sense of why his friend is behaving this way.

“I-Its really funny Diagis...you… you can stop now.”

Having a semblance of the danger, Maloin ducks behind his friend and breathes rashly, not having control over anything in this situation.

Diagis braces his legs, giving the King a stern backing to crawl into. As uncomfortable as it is, it's at least a place where he can recognize the King's placement, fearing the second he loses sight of him that he'd make a mistake he's seen too many green rookies make.

Diagis is resolute in the coming fight, whistling a call to his fellow guard, a cry that would ring the ears of any creature within a mile.

The wind stops, the trees stop, and the air saddens.

It's as if the animals and insects of the forest have all been struck dead. An eerie stillness takes over the very soul of the open glen, a dense fear of movement, reaching almost an inability to.

Diagis lowers his head, keeping his eyes on the dark brush, tilting his ear towards where he knows his men reported themselves last.

The sounds are as strangers, unknown and dangerous. Diagis can only grip his sword tighter and wince at the King desperately gripping his calf below.

“This isn't right...you're- you're just being funny Di. Right?”

The King's breath races to leave his lungs, fear swarms him. For as long as he's known Diagis, he's never known him to be this weary of a threat so easily, usually maintaining a calm that could flow through the King as well.

“Sire, get up”

Diagis turns his head down and takes hold of his King, ripping him upwards and meeting his eyes,

“When I tell you to run, you run! Got it?”

He barks at his friend, with all sincerity of needing him to be safe.

In another part of the forest, a worried and stern commandant paces ferociously, her flowing cape whips over her elbow and shoulder with every turn she strides.

A sharp and angered sigh is spat.

In an instant, a leer is shot towards the Moonlit night sky, feeling the coming danger on the wind.

The whistle of Diagis directs her ears almost instantaneously, her feet dig deeply and muddily into the ground, using it beneath her to grip and launch off into the direction of her King and Diagis.

In mere moments, she trekked through the dense and murky forest to find the strenuous situation, arriving to see Diagis manhandling her King.

“What do you think you’re doing!?”

D’tera- the right hand of the crown- blares at Diagis.

“You will unhand-”

“Get him out of here! Now!”

Diagis spares no time, D'tera takes a moment to survey the area, catching even before Diagis does, a shadow cast on the ground.

A shape speedily races towards the moon, D'tera braces herself and grabs hold of the thick hilt strapped to her back. The quickening mass drops closer and closer to them, eventually taking the shape of a man, D'tera swings her sword from her back in a twist, creating a gust as it’s wielded to her front. Diagis now recognizes the coat and color of this man, and just before D'tera swings to eviscerate him, Diagis jumps up to catch him before her slow and heavy blade can land. Diagis clears the face of the man's hood and his eyes are forcibly widened by the horrifying state of his companion’s head and face.

Eaten and halved. Left with a horrifying expression and thrown to give warning of what's to come.

Maloin is silent. He has nothing left to let out, all the while he’s been crying and biting his cheeks, his tongue and his own cloak, writhing in fear below the others.

“Alright, enough of this! D’tera, you’re going to take the King and flee!”

Diagis orders her to protect him.

“Like hell, I can take this thing!”

Gripping her sword again.

“Not if it can do this to my Elites!”

Diagis shouts, he begs and fears for her.

D’tera clenches her teeth at the notion but spits in agreement that she has to return the King to safety.

Maloin is cold and washed of all color, D’tera pulls at his arm and places her giant blade on her back, using both arms to hold Maloin ahead of her and starts to pace slowly and angrily away.

Diagis barks at her again.

“You’re going!”

So she goes.

Diagis hears the screams of his men around him now. Realizing that he’s actually been hearing their muffled horror for a while, he drops his cloak off his shoulders and unsheathes his sword. Glaring intently on the darkness of the dense black and green, witnessing the very darkness leering back.

D’tera is away, Maloin is safe, Diagis is ready and willing to die for his King, comrades, family and country.

As Diagis digs his feet into the grassy plains ready to lounge, a ways away now King Maloin regains clarity and can only scream in horrific warning.

“You won't beat him!”

D'tera pulls him closer and quickens her pace, trying to silence the King from saying anything further.

Maloin refuses to be carried off so easily and rips at her face, with his fingers inside her mouth, he pulls at her face like a fish hooked on the line, she winces momentarily. Maloin takes this opportunity to spring free and run back towards Diagis so he can relay his message again.

“Diagis! You can't beat them, you don't understand!”

The King’s voice shrills, quickly whisked back by D’tera.

Diagis only laughs, not even looking at Maloin, he readies his blade and dashes towards the unknown enemy.

When he's within feet of his attacker, his eyes close as if to fall asleep and whisper a good night he can only muster,

“Pretty bo-”

The resounding metal clanging of swords is heard through the forest.

All kinds were beckoned, welcomed to Regnus, and the quiet nature of night eventually returns.