Episode 25: The One Who Created the Darkness
1094 Words
Aria Valen’s POV
The ground beneath us split open.
Not like an earthquake.
Not like an attack.
It was as if the world itself was afraid of what was coming.
The ancient temple shook.
The walls cracked.
The moonlight disappeared.
And from the darkness below...
Something awakened.
Something that had been waiting for thousands of years.
Everyone stepped back.
Even the strongest warriors.
Even Azrael.
That frightened me more than anything.
Because I had seen fear in many faces.
But Azrael...
The first Shadow King...
Was someone who had faced armies.
He had faced hatred.
He had faced centuries of loneliness.
Yet now...
He looked terrified.
"Who is that?"
My voice was barely a whisper.
Azrael looked at the darkness.
And for the first time, his voice carried fear.
"The first one."
Lucian's expression changed.
"The first one?"
Azrael nodded slowly.
"The one who existed before light and darkness were separated."
The shadows moved.
A figure slowly rose from beneath the temple.
Not a beast.
Not a monster.
A man.
Ancient.
Powerful.
His presence alone forced everyone to lower their heads.
Not because they respected him.
Because their instincts told them to survive.
"My children."
His voice echoed.
Everyone froze.
I felt something strange.
A connection.
Not from my heart.
From my blood.
The man looked at me.
"The last Blessed Luna."
Then he looked at Lucian.
"The final vessel."
My blood ran cold.
Lucian Vareth’s POV
I hated that word.
Vessel.
For centuries, people had looked at me and seen what I carried.
Not who I was.
The darkness.
The power.
The curse.
Never the man.
And now this creature looked at me the same way.
Like I was an object.
A container.
"Who are you?"
I demanded.
The figure smiled.
A cold, ancient smile.
"My name has been forgotten."
A pause.
"But once..."
The darkness surrounded him.
"I was called Malakar."
The name meant nothing to most.
But Azrael reacted immediately.
"No."
Malakar looked at him.
"You remember."
Aria’s POV
Azrael's face changed.
Not anger.
Not hatred.
Pain.
"Who is he?"
I asked.
Azrael remained silent.
Then finally...
"The creator."
The room became silent.
"The creator of what?"
Azrael looked at Lucian.
"The first darkness."
The Truth of the Beginning
Malakar walked forward.
"Everyone believes darkness was born from hatred."
He laughed softly.
"They are wrong."
His eyes moved toward me.
"Darkness was born from protection."
I frowned.
"Protection?"
He nodded.
"In the beginning, there was only power."
"Pure power."
"But power without balance destroys itself."
He looked at Lucian.
"That is why I created the first seal."
My heart tightened.
"You created the curse?"
Malakar smiled.
"Yes."
Lucian’s POV
My fists tightened.
Another creator.
Another person responsible for my suffering.
How many times would I discover that my life was controlled by someone else?
"You cursed generations of Lycan kings."
Malakar looked at me.
"I preserved them."
My anger rose.
"You destroyed their lives."
"No."
His voice became cold.
"I gave them purpose."
The same words.
The same excuse.
Everyone who hurt us always called it a purpose.
Aria’s POV
I stepped forward.
"You keep saying purpose."
Malakar looked at me.
"But what about choice?"
Silence.
"What about the people who suffered because of your decisions?"
His expression changed slightly.
"You sound like Elara."
My breath stopped.
"Who?"
The First Blessed Luna’s Secret
Malakar looked at me.
"The first Blessed Luna."
My heart raced.
"Elara?"
He nodded.
"She was my daughter."
Everyone froze.
Azrael's eyes widened.
Impossible.
"The records..."
Malakar smiled.
"Were rewritten."
My mind struggled to understand.
Elara.
The first Blessed Luna.
The woman who started everything.
Was his daughter?
Malakar’s POV
I watched their confusion.
They believed history was written by truth.
They were wrong.
History was written by survivors.
And survivors always changed the story.
"I loved my daughter."
My voice echoed.
"I wanted to protect her."
"But she chose compassion over power."
I looked at Aria.
"Just like you."
Aria’s POV
A strange sadness filled me.
Because I understood something.
Malakar was not simply evil.
He was someone who loved someone so much that he destroyed everything trying to protect them.
And that made him more dangerous.
Because the most dangerous people are not always those who hate.
Sometimes...
They are those who believe they are right.
"What happened to Elara?"
I asked.
Silence.
For the first time...
Malakar looked away.
"She died because the world feared her."
The room became quiet.
Azrael’s POV
I remembered.
The first war.
The betrayal.
The lies.
Malakar was not the beginning of darkness.
Fear was.
The world feared what it could not control.
And they destroyed everything.
The Final Prophecy
Malakar raised his hand.
Ancient symbols appeared.
A new prophecy formed.
Everyone watched.
Even Valerius.
Even Cassian.
Even Azrael.
When the daughter of light awakens, and the king of darkness accepts his heart, the first creator shall return.
I continued reading.
My blood froze.
The Blessed Luna shall choose:
To heal the world...
Or to become its ruler.
Lucian’s POV
I looked at Aria.
I knew immediately what she was thinking.
She was afraid.
Not of Malakar.
Not of prophecy.
Of herself.
"Aria."
She looked at me.
"Listen to me."
A pause.
"You are not your blood."
Her eyes filled with emotion.
"You are not your ancestors."
I stepped closer.
"You are Aria."
Aria’s POV
Those words saved me.
Because I needed to hear them.
Again.
And again.
Until I believed them.
Malakar watched us.
Then he smiled.
"You truly believe love can overcome everything."
Lucian stepped beside me.
"No."
Malakar looked surprised.
"We believe choice can."
The darkness moved.
Malakar raised his hand.
The entire temple shook.
"Then prove it."
Suddenly...
The sky outside turned black.
Every kingdom felt it.
Every wolf.
Every supernatural creature.
The ancient power had returned.
Darius rushed into the chamber.
"My king!"
Lucian turned.
"What happened?"
His face was pale.
"The world barriers are collapsing."
A pause.
"The Shadow Realm is merging with the human realm."
Everyone froze.
Malakar smiled.
"The final war has begun."
Aria’s POV
I looked at Lucian.
The man who was once a cursed king.
The man who believed he was broken.
Now standing beside me.
Not as my protector.
Not as my ruler.
My partner.
The world was ending.
The enemy was stronger than anything we had faced.
But for the first time...
I was not afraid.
Because I finally understood.
I was never chosen because I was powerful.
I was chosen because I could choose.
And now...
I had to make the greatest choice of my life.
- Writer
