Grand Adventures of the Witch King

They Should Have Let the Boy Be

The atmosphere outside was frightening as nature went wild at the arrival of an intruder, with flashes of white lightning bolts that shook the air within the dark clouds like forked tongues of massive snaked hissing in anger and fear.

While the wind howled like mad wolves and almost broke trees of the forest in the distance as if they were venting their frustrations at the poor foliage for not being able to destroy this intruder.

And the rain just pelted the leaves and roofs of the villagers’ houses heavily as if to wake them up and warn them of their doom.

Yet, it was futile for it was akin to lullabies that sent them all into sweet and restful sleep after an eventful day that they believed would have destroyed their home. Only thanks to the heroism and valiance of their powerhouses who fought so well to weaken the fiend, enabling it to be destroyed by the two talented youngsters that will become the future of this village, their ancestors would be proud of them right about now.

Ah! What a day that will go down in the annals of history!

And though the battle was fierce that it shook the ground and rumbled the air, there was no death from their heroes or the poor boy that the fiend over too, truly a happy ending and now they had a blissful night that was being cleansed by the wind and rain as tomorrow would be a new and fresh day for everyone with only the Coming of Age ceremony in 3 months to look forwards to.

Such thoughts wondered in the minds of almost all the villagers, there was no doubt that everyone was happy and at peace at this moment as they all drifted peacefully into the world of slumber.

Unknown to them all, their actions today had let a being that went against the laws of nature arrive in this world.

If everyone who suffered from this being in the far future knew that it was this village that was responsible for the most terrifying creature to come into existence, it was unknown how they would have reacted, but one thing was sure was that they would have all begged and told them to have left the boy alone, even if he was possessed!

For in the ancient times' beings such as the Buburu had been defeated before and made into myths every one of them would have gladly let them all die if it meant the safety of the entire world.

Yet now in exchange for a mere parasitic spirit that is scared of a little daylight, they brought a being that would make even the gods tremble in pure and utter fear!

But that is for the future, for at this time said there was another person much like the villagers was also happy, but unlike the rest, he was wide awake.

The flashes of lightning in the night sky helped illuminate the interior of a certain small house, revealing a large misshapen male humanoid figure.

"Poor lad.” A voice so hoarse that it belonged to a dry and old corpse from a hundred-year-old tomb spoke in the darkness that would light up due to the occasional flashes of lightning outside.

Yet, he was undaunted by the darkness as he sat there calmly as if he had seen things far worse than the mere darkness in this room brought by night outside, or perhaps he far worse himself. For he had a calmness and peaceful air about him, even if he had a body so deformed and haunting as well as the voice of a mummified body belonged in an ancient tomb.

But there was some sort of strange joy and happiness coming off him, but it soon turned solemn right at this moment.

“But since you gave me this body, I will give you your vengeance. However, to do that I have to fix this body… that they broke… Ahem!” The voice gave a mild cough due to the dryness of its throat as it seemed to be slightly difficult to speak.

Another flash lit up the room again, but this one longer and showed his deformed figure clearly a large hunch-backed corpse with pure white hair like a ghost that touched his shoulders.

“I need a little light… Luckily I brought a little of my remaining power.” Suddenly a small green flame lit upon his hand that looked like an old dried-up tree branch, with crocked wicked-looking fingers, but it was not enough for it made the darkness now stand out more and if one had the chance to gaze at the face that the small flame lit up they would have nightmares for days.

“Better...” With a stiff and crocket smile, the face looked even more horrifying, for the green light of the flame along with the darkroom made it seem like a sinister creature out of the darkest of dreams enough to make a grown man shrill like a little girl.

The small flame danced enchantingly in the chilly breeze from the outside the small window as well as other the cracks of the small door that rattle due to the howling winds outside, making the shadows that the small light created behave as if they have come to life.

This man, or more correctly before this soul took over, this body of a boy this used to belong to Ullo was so old and dry that it barely seemed even living now as it looked like a corpse that was supposed to remain in the grave.

Surprisingly only a few hours had passed since the battle and the ambush by both Yuje and Assini to defeat the ‘Great Buburu host’.

Now, this had turned from a mighty tall and handsome body of a young teen that had such strength and vitality that it could fight off this entire village and even barely win, to a corpse that would seem like it refused the comforts of its coffin and still missed the joys of sleeping in a bed even after decades of being dead.

His current face was so dry that his eyes has sunken so deep in his skull that he could barely blink, it was like he had all the liquids from it sucked dry, much like his hand he was so sure that he could snap a finger off like a dry twig and still not feel a thing as well as perhaps not even bleed.

He then lowered the hand holding the flame to see the few injuries that were supposed to be still bleeding even now, look like dry black scars.

“What the heck… was that object that Yuje… used to stab this body with? It is now shriveled to the extreme.” He pondered as he didn’t recall such as spell back in his life that left a target barely a life.

The fact that Ullo died was because his soul was already over-drafted by the forbidden technique that he kept on using, they were called forbidden for a reason.

He then proceeded to investigate the rest of the body as slowly as it would let him, the thick and powerful limps that used to be filled with savage grace and power had now become so thin and dry that they were just pure skin and bone.

But that was not all, for whatever that wicked spell or weapon was, it seemed to have done something worse, for even though the body was so dry and skinny, it could be pumped back up again, yet it would seem to be almost impossible to do so in this case as it was as if all the blood in the body had almost dried up and turned into something like thick mud barely even in his limps.

It would have been unbelievable as well as impossible for this soul to have been even able to operate this body if not for the faint heartbeat that he felt in his large, hard, and deformed chest. It must have been some wicked spell indeed because all the muscles and liquids seemed to have been moved, compressed, and hardened from all the limps into his back and chest which was the reason for the hunch back form, which in turn was barely keeping him alive, well not for Ullo though unfortunately… or perhaps, fortunately.

In other people’s view he would be monstrous right now, his arms and legs skinny and dry while his chest and back were so thick and large, full of tumorous and deformed muscles, giving him a look of a skinny hunch back with a dry corpse-like face that no one would want to get close to, it was a truly frightening sight!

“That is some spell… Hehe! But... nothing I can’t… fix.” His voice filled with undeniable confidence even in its dryness and hoarseness as well full of disdain for it.

Suddenly his sunken eyes rolled about in his skull as they scanned the scarcely lit up room, they caught a figure lying in the corner and shone brilliantly at what they saw. The sudden flash of lightning helped him identify it better even if it was for a split second, the figure was as big as an average dog sitting in the corner.

“Hehehe! Seems like that warning Ullo gave… about his meat was well heard… Good!... Good… for me!” The frightening smile was seen once more.

It was the rabbit beast that was hunted by his predecessor earlier today and he couldn’t be more thankful that it was here right now, otherwise, it would have been even more difficult for him to recover.

Lifting the left arm that held the flame slowly and gently towards the dead rabbit as not to snap it off, which was also the one that was currently working as the right was broken in battle.

The flame magically shifted and turned as it suddenly extended out in the direction it was pointed in.

It flew slowly, weaving about elegantly in the air like a serpent, gently chasing away the darkness in its path as it got closer to the target its master willed it to.

And then it began to transform once more, this time turning into a hand.

Its fingers stretched out as it gently flew down and wrapped around its fingers that were the same size as that of an ordinary man and held the neck of the feral looking rabbit, yet the moment it did there not a single sign of smoke or burning occurred as it continued to tighten its grip.

The smile couldn’t get larger on his face for he knew that it might cause his jaws to rip off, but he couldn’t stop the joy from sprouting in his almost dead heart at this moment, making it almost leap painfully in his deformed chest, though it honestly looked extremely sinister coupled with the eerie green light that shone in the room.

Willing his flame, it dragged the dead rabbit closer. Even then this mere task seemed extremely arduous for the arm holding on to the flame much like a rope was trembling greatly and the flame seemed to flicker gently as if it would go out at any moment. But he held on calmly as his eyes just focused completely on the task at hand.

This paid off as the dead rabbit was within arm’s reach, he then recalled the flame to sit above his hand once more. However, it looked dimmer and duller than before, but there was no hint of worry in his bright eyes, as all was going according to plan.

He then to settled for a while in contemplation as he took another look across the dim and darkroom that would light up due to the lightning outside, not far from him was a small bag with a small knot at one edge that he suddenly recognized from the memories of the soul this body, he then sent the flame to retrieve it. Once it was back it was even smaller.

He then canceled it, leaving him in darkness once more, proceeded to pick up the bag in the dark not that it mattered as he knew where it was.

In the dark, sounds ripping and water being harshly drank could be heard.

“Haa! Better. I needed that drink. As the last drink this body had was not exactly that healthy.” He joked humorlessly in the pitch blackness, the voice raspy but a little less hoarse.

“Now then, let’s do this!”

The flame jumped back in his palm, one could see a few drops of water on his chin and lips, he then brought the flames closer to his face and bit his tongue!

Spitting a tinny black liquid from his mouth into the little flame, this made it burn even more fiercely, he then brought his arm over the dead beast and let the flame drop on it as he chanted a single word.

"Maqlu."

His voice already wispy like a ghost made the palmed sized flame land on the body for a moment before it suddenly covered it entirely, slowly at first, and then began to burn it faster, yet not a single scent of burned flesh wafted in the air as the flame got bigger and darker, devouring everything in itself from skin, muscles, and bones. After that, it shrank back to its palm-sized shape, this time darker, and that it felt like it was… Living?

It rose to his face gently and then turned into wisps of green flames that flew into the dry and withered face, from his eyes, nose, ears, and mouth. A sight that was terrifying to behold as the room lit up brightly along with whooshing and swishing sounds!

Then all went dark!

All the flames had entered him, leaving the room in pitch darkness again.

Crack!

Suddenly sickening hair-raising sounds of bones breaking and crunching echoed in the darkness. But it was the only sound as there was not a single groan or any sound of pain or discomfort. Just the echoes of bones and joints snapping, crunching, cracking. It was hair-raising like a beast or something scary was devouring bones in this pitch darkness.

Then it went all quiet. As heavy silence descended in the room.

“Haah!”

A long sigh of relief was released in the darkness.

Then a small flame broke the darkness slightly showing that it lit up from a malnourished pinkie finger, and one could see that it was from the right hand.

Then with a flick of the pinkie, the flame sailed in the dark air like a firefly and crashed on a bundle of stacked wood and lit it up as if the wood had already been coated in fuel and bursting into the regular yellow-orange fire.

The dark retreated instantly, bringing warmth and light. Letting one see the interior of the small house.

“Finally some light!” Said a deep and gentle voice, before it continued, “Now the plans for this village and my strength.”