The King Behind The Shadows
977 Words
WUSSHH!
The massive sword slashed toward Aldric. In the split second before the cold steel could carve through his body, he twisted with every ounce of strength he had left.
CRAAAK!
The blade smashed into the stone floor, creating a massive c***k. Dust and shards of rock flew into the air. Aldric coughed, then kicked the charred hand gripping his ankle, freeing himself to rise once more.
The figure behind the flames was now clearer.
A black knight.
Twice the height of an average man. His obsidian armor was covered in battle scars, yet still exuded a terrifying presence. His helmet resembled a skull, and behind it, two glowing red eyes burned like embers.
"Aldric von Rhenwald," the voice echoed through the corridor. "The last prince of the kingdom we burned to the ground."
The world around Aldric froze.
Selene turned to him, eyes wide with shock. "What did he just say? Aldric… who are you really?"
Aldric didn’t answer. His blood boiled.
"You know me?" his voice was low, almost a whisper.
The black knight laughed—a deep, thunderous sound, like a storm rolling over the mountains.
"I slaughtered your family."
BRAK!
Aldric struck first. His sword clashed against the knight’s armor, sparks flying on impact. But the knight’s blade was heavier, larger. Aldric was forced backward, barely keeping his footing.
Selene grabbed her bow and fired an arrow straight into the knight’s chest. TAP! The arrow bounced off harmlessly, not even scratching the armor.
The knight turned to her. "Useless."
With a single movement, he raised his hand and flung Selene against the stone wall. She crashed hard, hitting the ground with a sickening DUGH!
Aldric roared. "BASTARD!"
He slashed again, aiming for the gaps in the knight’s armor. His blade pierced slightly—but not deep enough. The knight merely smirked.
"Weak… just like your father."
And in that instant, Aldric remembered everything.
Memories that had been locked away shattered open like the gates of hell.
Fire. Screams. The stench of blood.
He had been just a child when his kingdom fell. Rhenwald, the great northern kingdom, destroyed in a single night.
His father, King Eadric, had died by the black knight’s hand.
His mother… burned alive beneath the ruins of the castle.
He was the only one who survived.
And now… the executioner had returned to finish the job.
"Now you remember?" The knight’s voice was darker, heavier.
Aldric stood trembling. His grip on his sword tightened.
There was nowhere to run.
Nowhere to hide.
Tonight, he would fight.
Or die.
"Come on, you cursed demon." Aldric spat on the ground, his eyes ablaze. "You’ll regret not killing me when I was a child."
The black knight slowly raised his sword once more.
"Show me that you are more than the last scrap of a dead kingdom."
DUAAARRR!
They clashed, fire erupting around them—a battle of blood, vengeance, and a past that refused to die.
A Debt of Vengeance Paid
DUARRR!
Aldric was thrown backward, his sword nearly slipping from his grasp. The black knight’s strikes were too powerful, too fast. Each swing sent shockwaves through the air, shattering the stone around them.
But Aldric didn’t care.
He stepped forward, parrying the next strike. CRANG! Sparks flew as their blades clashed.
"Good!" The black knight laughed, his metallic voice echoing. "Now you’re starting to look like a warrior, not a child running away!"
Aldric’s eyes burned with fury.
"I never ran!"
He bent his knees and leaped into the air! His sword spun in a deadly arc, aimed at the small opening in the knight’s helmet.
CLANGG!
FAILED.
The black knight raised his gauntleted hand just in time, blocking the strike. With a brutal motion, he grabbed Aldric midair and slammed him into the ground!
DUGHH!
Aldric coughed up blood.
His spine felt like it had been crushed, but he forced his body to move. If he stopped now, he would die.
The black knight stepped closer. "You're too weak. Just like your father when he knelt before me."
Aldric's blood boiled.
No.
I am not my father.
And I will not die like this.
As the knight’s sword swung down, Aldric twisted his body to the side!
BRUUAKKK!
The massive blade smashed into the floor, creating a deep crater! Stone and dust exploded into the air, giving Aldric his chance!
With lightning speed, he jumped onto the black knight’s shoulders!
"YOU’RE DEAD, BASTARD!"
He plunged his sword into the gap in the knight’s helmet—straight into that burning red eye!
SRAAKKK!
The black knight roared in agony!
He thrashed, trying to grab Aldric, but it was too late.
Aldric twisted the blade deeper, shredding whatever rotten brain remained inside that cursed helm.
The knight spasmed, his body convulsing.
"N-No… imp—…"
Then, the voice faded.
DUUMM!
The massive body collapsed. His black armor shattered into fragments, dissolving into ash carried away by the wind.
Aldric fell to the floor, his breath ragged.
His hands still gripped the sword, now soaked in dark, foul blood. His eyes stared blankly at the remains of the once-mighty knight—now nothing more than blackened dust.
He had won.
His vengeance was complete.
But for some reason… an emptiness crept into his heart.
Selene coughed as she pulled herself from the rubble. Her eyes widened as she saw Aldric standing over the knight’s ashes. "You… won?"
Aldric didn’t answer. He only stared at his trembling hands.
One by one, memories resurfaced. The flames consuming the castle. His mother’s screams. The stench of blood thick in the air.
And now, the murderer was dead.
Yet why was there no relief?
From the darkness of the corridor, a cold wind blew. As if something still lurked…
And in the distance, a trembling old voice whispered through the air:
"This is only the beginning…"
- Writer
