Unfold

Chapter 4: The New King( Part 2)

With the knight now directed all his attention to Alicia, Arlin silently slipped towards him from behind. Her nails sharpened at the end as veins surfaced and thickened on her skin. She grinned at the thought of being able to take down another knight with her own hand. And, with that, she lunged at him. He turned his head, and she found empty sockets glaring down at her from behind the helmet. ‘The hell?’ She jumped back, in response to the sudden increase in beats at her chest.

The skin that bore the characteristics of the knight gradually melted off the bones. The muscular arms that once held the armours in place was now swinging weakly in the air, seemingly about to crumble at any moment to come. He or it, to be precise, could not spoke through his mouth but could only groaned and growled at me. His thoughts, unexpressed to her. His words, died off before they reached his mouth.

‘GAHHHH!

'

Arlin shot a glance at Alicia. It's high time we retreat now.

‘B-but…’ Alicia thought, hoping that Arlin could read her mind. A massive hand swung down at the little vampire, forcing her to take another huge leap backward while locking her sight on the hideous creature who has seemingly, just return from the dead with its bones in the open air. Not a second was wasted for Arlin instantly made a dash towards Alicia, then, grabbing her hand, they ran like never before. Or maybe, it was just Alicia. Well, only they know the truth! The armour that became the shell for knights, slowly melted away into a pool of silver liquid at its foot.

Trident, in the throne room, raised his glass of wine, to the cheers of the highly ranked knights and authorities. ‘To the birth of a new era!’ Axtec, the Great Knight’s most trusted knight, shouted. His drawn blade in the air, glimmering with the rays of light bouncing of its surface.

‘ALL HAIL TRIDENT!’ The others followed.

Trident, seated in the throne chair, put up a warm smile before the guests to which everyone naturally responded with a smile. However, what they did not notice was the dark, malicious aura enshrouding him. A tinge of darkness could be seen pulsing in his eyes as the low ranked knights across the kingdom had their living body exchanged for bodies from the realm of the dead, in return for a greater strength. ‘Mhm.’ He grinned. ‘I am returning to my chamber first, Axtec.’

‘Very well, my lord.’ Axtec leaned towards him, and whispered something at his ears, which widened his eyes for a brief moment.

Back in his room, his door locked, he went to the nearest window, scanning the landscape that laid out before him. ‘I missed one, eh? Now, that is something I must not overlook, unfortunately.’ He raised his finger to his shoulder-height and pointed it at a certain direction, over the mountains at a distance. ‘Begone.’ A stream of light burst out from the tip and across the sky.

The skeleton knight was chasing after them at the back as they ran as fast as they could, turning around the alleys and entering buildings before exiting them, before eventually losing it in the process. It was when they thought they managed to by- passed several similar creatures that they managed to escape from the town and arrived at the woods surrounding it when suddenly, a bright light burned brightly above them and shot down at them. Alicia opened her eyes afterwards, only to find Arlin had a hole in her chest. She died a quick death. Everything happened so fast before she could find a perfect response to the scene before her. A girl enveloped in her thin, brown cloak lying on the grass. Her eyes gazing up at the sky above her. ‘ARLIN!!’ She clenched her fist tightly as tears ran down her cheeks and dropped to the ground. In a mere one day, a friend was made and a friend was lost. ‘Arlin…’

Just then, a storm brewed in the sky. Thunder roaring in the distant and lightning scattering across the dark clouds. Her blue eyes darkened into a shade of red and the blackness that covered the surface of her hair faded away slightly, revealing the green core underneath it. Small fangs replaced her once normal teeth. ‘Your death… shall be AVENGED!’ she cried after undergoing a metamorphosis into a close lookalike of her dead friend, Arlin.

Axtec entered the room and found Trident still with his finger up. ‘You did it, I supposed?’ Trident replied with a smile, his back still facing him as he lowered his arm.

‘I cannot sense their presence without knowing about it. A great job indeed, Axtec.’

Axtec bowed to him proudly, knowing that he had served his lord’s desire.

‘So, what do you have for me?’

‘The guests have dispersed after knowing of your sudden absence from the room.’

‘Very well. You may go now.’

He closed the door behind him and walked down the hallway, back to his chamber. The power over the kingdom now rested upon the new ruler, the Great Knight, Trident.