The Shadow In The Garden
532 Words
The throne room was alive with laughter. Elara and Kael sat on their intertwined throne of roses and obsidian, their twin heirs—Nyx and Sol—playing at their feet. Nyx, the spitting image of Kael with his smoldering horns and fiery temper, chased Sol, whose fairy wings shimmered like starlight.
But the peace shattered when a guard burst in, his armor scorched. “Your Majesties… he’s here.”
Elara’s flames flickered. “Who?”
The doors exploded.
Finn stood in the doorway, his golden eye glowing like a captured sun. His body was a patchwork of scars and stolen magic, his once-human features now twisted into something monstrous.
“Hello, Elara,” he rasped, tossing Oberon’s severed head onto the floor. “I brought you a gift.”
---
Finn’s laughter echoed as Kael lunged, hellfire blazing. But Finn flicked his wrist, and golden vines erupted from the floor, binding Kael mid-air.
“Still as predictable as ever,” Finn sneered. He turned to Elara, his golden eye narrowing. “I’m here for the twins.”
Elara’s flames turned white-hot. “You’ll die before you touch them.”
Finn grinned, his teeth sharp and blackened. “I already did. Thanks to you.”
He snapped his fingers, and the ground split open, revealing a portal to a realm of shattered stars. “The First Demon sends his regards.”
---
Nyx and Sol, hidden behind the throne, clutched each other.
“We have to help,” Sol whispered, her wings trembling.
Nyx’s claws pricked his palms. “I’ll burn him.”
They slipped into the gardens, where the Soul Forge’s chains rattled beneath the earth. A voice slithered from the shadows: “Nyx… I taste your rage. Let me help.”
Nyx pressed his palm to the ground. Visions erupted:
- The First Demon, a being of pure shadow, devouring realms.
- Ancient fairies and demons uniting to trap it in the Forge.
- Oberon, young and idealistic, vowing to destroy it… until greed corrupted him.
“Your blood can free me,” the First Demon crooned. “Together, we’ll make them all burn.”
Nyx’s flames surged. “Yes.”
Sol screamed as black veins crawled up his arm.
---
Elara and Kael fought Finn in a storm of fire and shadow. But Finn’s stolen magic made him nearly invincible.
“You can’t win,” Finn taunted, his golden vines wrapping around Elara’s throat. “The First Demon is already free.”
Kael roared, tearing through the vines. “We’ll kill him too.”
Finn laughed. “You don’t understand. The First Demon isn’t just a monster. He’s your son.”
Elara’s flames died. “What?”
Finn gestured to the portal. Nyx stood on the other side, his eyes glowing black, the First Demon’s shadow coiled around him.
---
Elara and Kael plunged into the portal, landing in a desert of shattered stars. Nyx floated above them, his tiny body wreathed in shadow.
“Nyx!” Elara screamed, her flames flickering.
The First Demon’s voice boomed from Nyx’s mouth. “You cannot save him. He is mine.”
Kael’s claws dug into the sand. “We’ll see.”
- Writer
