Congratulations to all of our winners! Below is all of the winners circle winners for the Writing Category. Click on their names to be taken directly to their Twitter entry.

 

Writing Category Winners:

Grand Prize:

Hnybnny

A worn metal boot digs aimlessly into the dirt, dirtying the already dusty crimson sheen of the metal (there really is no purpose in keeping it polished anymore, no time ). Footsteps crunch but Gravelyn doesn’t look up from where she is gazing- mourning , perhaps being a more apt term- at a makeshift shrine of stone, topped with the shards of a broken weapon, once mighty, with scattered flowers around the base. A few dark roses and orchids, wolfsbane, a couple sprigs of nightshade. Plants only placed around a grave if said grave is in Skullholme.

No. Not a grave. It’s a memorial, Gravelyn reminds herself silently. There is no body to bury, no trace of them left on this physical plane of Lore. Not that she knows of, anyways.

Dage’s hulking shadow looms over her shoulder and she sighs as she crouches down to place a flower of her own on the ground in front of the limestone boulder ( salvaged from the remains of Battleon , the minion told her- she wants to believe it). A pale purple iris, signifying hope and cherished friendship . And valor , a voice in the back of her mind adds softly. Only then does the young woman stand up straight, still not acknowledging her newly appointed second-in-command. She silently wishes it was her previous second, her champion , standing there and not him.

He coughs awkwardly (he doesn’t even have lungs, yet how can he-) and Gravelyn turns towards him. The undead lord bows and addresses her as ‘empress’, telling her of recent advancements in the debacle with the Mother of all Monsters. Parts of Yokai have dropped off into the sea, the cracks in the land are growing larger by the hour it seems, one such fault has split Dwarfhold Mountain- all of these do not surprise Gravelyn, and Dage trails off as he senses obvious disinterest, her thoughts obviously elsewhere. A pause. She suddenly asks if there has been any activity on the plateaued peak of Doomskull. What she means is, have they come back yet. That hellish portal of chaos still sits there, a swirling empty abyss of purple and black. At the moment, nothing can go in. And nothing- specifically no one- has yet to come out. Dage answers her in the negative, as he has every day for the last few weeks- Gravelyn is sure he is tired of her asking, as she tries to keep her shoulders from slumping. She is also sure that he thinks it high time she moves on, much like she finally moved on after her father’s death, and turned to focusing on the threat at hand. But with her father… there had been no chance of him truly coming back. For them, however, there was a sliver of hope- and a sliver is all she needed.

She asks if there’s anything else, and Dage hesitates. A potentially ally, he says, sounding almost… apprehensive . That tone is a first, Gravelyn duly notes. She impatiently asks what is the deal with them, then, if they are only a potential against the most powerful being on Lore at that moment?

He’s extremely unstable, volatile and violent. A wild card (but that’s just what we need right now, Gravelyn wants to interject) whose trust cannot be kept. But…. Gravelyn grows more impatient, demands her inferior to cut to the chase already . Dage makes a noise that can arguably be called an annoyed huff.

It’s Xan , he says. Gravelyn’s stance suddenly stiffens. He had gone missing, right off the map seemingly just before the Thirteenth Chaos Lord arose. He had lost his fire powers, though- the Archmage Warlic had made sure of that, hadn’t he? Dage shakes his head, the skulls on his helmet quietly rattling. He lost his fire, but gained something else. He’s now the most powerful cryomancer on the continent, if not the planet. Inversion magic is a funny thing, Dage was told, and he knew better than to question this surprising turn of events.

Xan says he owes them a favor. Their name is left unspoken (as it has been since they ventured into that portal) but both know who Xan is referring to. Then why is he wishing to ally with the Shadowscythe, Gravelyn asks cautiously; Dage relays an answer- because since they are not around to call in the favor, he thought it’d be best to offer it one of their two closest friends (and that he’d be better welcomed among fellow bone-heads than in the company of paladins- he apparently said this followed by hysterical laughter).

 

Adam1a1:

Backstory of Tynimu Secretteller: Prologue

Darkness. All I see is darkness. But… why? Shouldn’t there be light? I failed, after all. Did someone else stop him? No, I don’t think so. He probably joined the army of undead and defeated Alteon. No, that can’t be the case. The fact that I am still alive mean that Alteon managed to win! I am glad. They probably already defeated the army and started putting of the fire. And now, the only darkness what remained is the one of the night’s sky. I will just open my eyes and everything will be fine. Everything will be-

My thoughts were interrupted by someone’s shout.

???: What!? Drakath was defeated!?

???: Calm down, hero Rajty2, your friend isn’t the only patient here.

Rajty2: Sorry, doctor, but that person put him into a coma, killed Sepulchure and was responsible for Alteon’s death as well. We should be celebrating that he is gone without holding back! By the way, who is responsible for it?

Doctor: A fellow hero of yours, you might have heard of him before, the name is-

Suddenly a loud sound was heard from the direction of my bed. I fell onto the ground. I haven’t even got time to open my eyes, as soon I heard those news I wanted to get up and confirm it myself. Alteon...is dead? And Sepulchure as well? That means that edgy purple guy wasn’t working for him! And yet, he was strong enough to take out both good and evil armies. Who the hell is that monster? And...he was defeated by a mere hero?

Rajty2: Adam, you are awake! I am so glad, I thought you would never come back.

I open my eyes. A familiar face is walking walking towards me. His name was Rajty if I remember correctly, we met on our first adventure and we also teamed up to save Swordhaven from the Undead invasion. He probably noticed I was missing, went back to search for me, noticed me unconscious on the ground and left to find a doctor. This is probably the very next day. Some strong hero shoved up, defeated Drakath after he was weakened by fighting Alteon and Sepulchure and Rajty got this information just now. Yes, that makes sense. Then… why is he hugging me crying like it was an eternity? Come on man, don’t assume the worst after only one day! It was a tough fight, you know? All I needed was a day of rest.

Rajty2: After 3 months I gave up, went back to doing adventures and reduced my visits to only one hour a day. Sorry for that! But, lucky me. Your consciousness came back when I was present.

Wait… it was at least 3 months? No way… What happened?! I want to shout, but somehow I can’t. Also, I just noticed and unbearable pain about my left eye and in the middle of my chest. I finally made a sound. It was load scream which I continued to produce for about a minute. Then my vocal cords stopped me. Silence filled the room. Rest of my memories started to fill my head. Everything was clear now. The very moment I confronted Drakath during Sepulchure’s attack on Swordhaven, I basically died. And everything what led up to it was entirely my fault.

 

***

 

Aspros:

Seraphic War II: Sin

 

*a flashback of Laken’s death is shown. You see the moment his soul was split in two*

*Vision cuts to a Soulweaver*

Soulweaver: We could get only part of it, master, I think it’s enough to proceed though.

Dage: Good… it will more than enough.

*Dage’s plan is explained: forcing Lake’s evil soul into a rebuilt cyber-undead body, making of him a mindless soldier, as the defense to the World’s Soul. And so it was done*

*meanwhile, on the Seraphic Paladin’s Order, Ada still communicates with Scorn in secret. She had nightmares where Laken calls for help almost every night. Scorn tells Ada the day is coming…*

*the Seraph Paladins march towards the Underworld. Once the Legion takes notice, their army started to get ready. Dage summons the hero to aid, and tells him everything. He also tell he can sense Scorn behind Ada*

*Ada reaches the underworld. She stares at Dage while Scorn feeds her angery. The war starts…*

*In the middle of the hard battleon, Ada finds herself facing a masked warrior.

His fighting style seems familiar to her, but she doesn’t care. Ada hits his helmet off, and gets to see his face..*

*Ada sees Laken before her, but refuses to believe. She falls to her knees, crying while Laken stops attacking. The hero arrives, and explains all that happened. Laken slowly walks towards Ada. Dage appears.

Dage: Impressive...Even his evil-self can remember you, child.

Hero: is this serious? How?

Dage: A strong feeling can not be always restrained. Right now he is trying to break through my mental inhibition.

*Laken then touches Ada’s shoulder. All he gets to say is: I don’t mean to hurt you…*

Dage tells Ada about Scorn and what she desires. A legion Soulweaver arrives:

 

Soulweaver: we found something important, my lord. Scorn is holding another soul captive. It’s the other half of Laken’s soul.

Dage: It makes sense now, his good half went after Ada, but was intercepted by Scorn...and she’s been draining his force all this time.

*Scorn suddenly takes over the body of a fallen Seraphic Commander, and attacks everyone. The lasst big fight happens*

*after defeated, Scorn flees away once again, but the good half of Laken is finally set free.

Ada asks a favor to the legion Soulweaver. If he can mend the two halves in one. He agrees, and start the process, helped even by Dage.

The soul then is put back into the body. Laken awakes and hugs Ada.*

*Dage offers Laken freedom, surprising everyone in the room. He says Laken can live a peasant life with his daughter, in a unknown far land, if he wants. Laken and Ada agree*

Laken: We will retire, but if Lore ever need, just call us...we still like a good fight!

*They leave. Ada names a new person to lead the Seraphic Paladins, a man named Gandiral, The last scene shown is Laken and Ada walking in a snow field, going to hunt and collect firewood*

 

***



Hinuki:

The Days of Adventures

 

Heroes protecting what’s good

Villains initiating war

Thieves and bandits hiding in the woods

Monsters lurking all over the lore

The brave faces of adventurers

Cherishing the fight they live for

Many times they have suffered

But they greet the future with an open door

Countless quests have been turned in

Sweeping away the chaos within

A long time, it has been

Smiling faces, full with grin

Lovely friends, gorgeous folks

Living under the oaks

Words I cannot express verybally

They shall be in my heart eternally



***

Rivejix:

 

Dear Journal,

I once arrived in the land of Doomwood, it was dark all the time, and the air reeked of rotten flesh. I took three steps inside before a paladin approached me telling me about the problem that started a journey that changed me. At first, it was easy, not able to make me blue, but then that Paladin Slayer, Vordred, made me an undead. Thanks to the necromantress I was back to normal, but then I had to throw a certain paladin named Artix in jail, which didn’t feel normal. Feeling frustrated I went to the maul, to slay some undead. Which then led me to the Tower of Necromancy where I learned to raise the undead! Through Necro u, temples, and mad labs getting some payback is all that I wanted. Until eventually, I stood up on a hill, with the paladin and paladin slayer about to battle, so I jumped off the hill with no more than a giggle. Then I STABBED Artix right through the heart!, Wait wrong timeline, let me restart. So then Vordred was slain by the power I had, Artix was there as support since I didn’t need his help. It was then that I learned why they didn’t want him there. Him? The Champion of Darkness?, that is something that I was not prepared for I swear. The sun shone in Doomwood once more, and I could be prouder, but now when I look at any undead I am repulsed. Since I am to remember, that I had to learn necromancy for nothing, what a waste of time. I guess it’s time to head back, lay under that tree, and wait for the next adventure.

 

***

 

HubaFluba:

Twig is a Fish… CONFIRMED!

 

Twig, arguably one of the cutest ‘moglins’, is a FISH! At first, it may be very shocking. However, once you actually research into it, it’s BLATANT! At first, you might think that this is all a joke, but it’s not! I will now go on to give you some reasons why Twig is a fish.

For my first reason on why Twig is actually a fish, I just want to talk about the way he speaks. He can’t speak properly. Now, we know that this is a normal problem for regular human beings. But with Twig, he’s (apparently) a moglin. From the knowledge we can gather from moglins around Lore, none of them speak like that. This obviously means that Twig isn’t actually a moglin! Also, it’s not like Twig speaks like that because he is young, he’s AT LEAST 13 years old and typically people under the age of seven speak like that!

Now, for my second reason, I would like to answer the question that you were thinking. How is Twig a fish? Well, think of what he likes, ice cream? Everyone likes ice cream, Next? Oh right, FISH! No regular person would like RAW fish that much. Except fish themselves! Now, why doesn’t Twig look like a fish? Simple, he’s a specially trained fish spy. It has come to many people’s attention that the amount of fish left in the sea isn’t as close to how much there used to be. This is all thanks to humans. So Twig is a fish spy learning about humans so the fish can make a massive counter-attack against the humans!

 

For my final reason on why Twig is a Fish, I have some crucial information. Twig has never said he was a moglin before! I mean, his name says it all. Twig. Fish eat twigs? Right? If you still don’t believe that Twig is a fish and not a moglin, surely you’re joking! It’s so obvious! Not to mention the fact that we don’t even know who Twig’s parents are! For all these reasons I believe that Twig is actually a fish!

 

In conclusion, Twig is a fish, this is proven by the fact that he speaks as if he didn’t understand much english, he loves raw fish, and his name is literally fish food! Not to mention that he’s a fish spy that is planning to bring down humanity. We must take action!

 

***



Katiria:



***



Aura_Knight

[The Villainous Hero]

 

“Heros you say? Just what is a hero anyway? Are we heroic for hurting those we’ve accepted as the enemy? Are we supposed to be proud that we can defeat those weaker than ourselves? In all our adventures, not once have we stopped to consider that maybe, just maybe we could have left those creatures alone. It’s a darn shame really. Boy, what a mistake being a hero was.”

The cloaked man spoke with a somber tone that filled the air with a certain realism which gave rise to a deafening silence that was almost too much to bear. Who was this person? What were his stories and what is his purpose? Curiosity took hold of the onlookers, but none could respond. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, a young child spoke. She asked the mysterious man a simple question. “Are you a hero?”

The man remained silent for a moment, looked up and smiled. “Well you tell me little one,” he answered. “Since you all seem to be curious, I’ll tell you a story. A story filled with action, adventure, suspense and a mistake. A mistake which I’ll regret forever. And perhaps in hearing my story, you all will understand that being a hero is not all it’s cracked up to be.”

He then took a sip of his drink which was nearly empty and begun to tell his story.

By this time, I had been getting immensely sleepy so figured I’d close my eyes for a moment. I could still hear the story so figured, why not? But when I awoke I somehow found myself atop a mountain. How did I get here? Where is here? And how in the world am I getting down? It was all too odd for me, but I just ignored it. What a foolish thing to do. And that was when it hit me. No, not a realization of something, but a bolt of lightning. It was quite a shock to say the least. Please pardon the pun. So there I was. Just minding my own business one day and now I was falling down a mountain. Fun, right?

I must have hit my head quite a number of times because when I came to, a stuffed animal looking creature spoke to me. He was quite rude too. That jerk. If ever find him, I’ll kick his keister. Anyway, the fuzzy blue creature was of no help. Not sure where I was and what I was doing there. I walked. After a while I came across a building and saw…

“So there I was, in the final battle against this monstrosity of a woman!” the mysterious man proclaimed.

“What? What happened? This isn’t right I had awoken from the dream I was having. The man was still speaking, so I decided to listen to what seemed to be the end of his story.

“Now keep in mind, this was no ordinary woman. Her body was deformed, her mind obviously pure evil and her children, the stuff of nightmares,” he explained. “After my victory over her minions, I was pretty much out of options. Nothing I did could harm her and she thought myself too insignificant to bother with.”

“So you were at a stalemate,” I said sleepily.

“That’s right,” the man answered. “And what was I to do? I couldn't defeat her. She didn’t care to try defeating me because I was so weak in her eyes. Was the world doomed? What could I do? There I was, a so-called hero, but I could not win against the villain.”

“What did you do?” the young child from earlier asked.

“Oh, nothing at all. In fact she’s coming here as we speak. Coming to kill you all that is!”



***

 

Gandiral

The Coffee Epidemic

 

“It is finished!” exclaimed Zorbak.

“No les with my help,” replied Chairman Platinum.

“Minor details, boss,” said Zorbak.

“Do NOT mess this up. This cannot fail like the Lords of Chaos,” barked the Chairman.

“Relax and laugh a little, boss, it’s bean awhile, meheh, get it!?” Zorbak mumbles, “yikes, should’ve picked a boss with a better sense of humour.” He paused for a moment. “Anyway,” he started again, “It’ll be fine. I assure you I’m not one of those cotton-headed-ninny-moglins, so it’s almost impossible for me to mess this up,” said Zorbak confidently.

Chairman Platinum left King Alteon’s throne room with his bodyguards and hastily made his way back to the Ebil corp. Headquarters. The chairman walked briskly to his office and waited for the news. He grinned as he heard the royal proclamation and muttered, “good, Zorbak. You have started phase two rather quickly. Perhaps you won’t screw this up.”

####

Vesper darted into Artix’s chambers and shouted “Sir! Sir! Listen to King Alteon’s royal proclamation! The news is horrible and I think a riot is starting to brew because of it!”

And so, Artix did just as she said. He listened to the proclamation announced by King Alteon himself and the news spread Lore-wide. King Alteon issued Coffee to be outlawed. Artix fell to his knees, shaking his fists to the sky and screamed, “Noooooooooooo!” For a few moments, he wept. Then, he gathered himself an stood up. He said, “Vesper, get my armour. It’s time to… Battle on!”

Vesper mumbled to herself, “you know, now that I think about it, King Alteon looked a little….green. Wait a second… didn’t King Alteon perish?! Has no one come to realize this paradox?! No no… he must be taking his medicine for his corruption and that’s why he’s green. Just a side effect I’m sure. Wow… I need coffee A-S-A-P.” Vesper collected herself and got back on track. “Sir,” she began, “your armour was corrupted when you fought the Lords of Chaos alongside, the hero, remember?”

“Right… right. Good times, tho,” Artix said as he remembered. “Well, my blinding Light of Destiny Axe will do!”

“Well…” Vesper began hesitantly, “remember, it was destroyed when you battled Vordred. And when it was restored you gave it the hero to wield so long as he always battled on. You know, I think he is hanging out in Yulgar’s Inn, so technically you could-”

“No no, that’s fine,” Artix interrupted. “The Blade of Awe! Let us make way!”

“Again,” said Vesper wearily.

“No need to go on,” Artix mumbled. He was feeling very hopeless, but he was still determined to get his coffee back in business. “I’ve got it! We will exercise our right: freedom of speech!” This cued for Cysero to play patriarchal music and lower the flag of Swordhaven behind Artix. He continued his speech, “and thus, we will be diplomatic. It is our duty as citizens of Swordhaven to keep our government officials honest. We will protest peacefully about such matters and make haste to be violent in such times of distress. Fellow heroes, let us fight of justice! For coffee!”

“Wow,” started Vesper, “that was inspirational.”

“I just want my coffee back, man,” moped Artix.

Alina spoke up, feeling inspired after his little speech, “Let us find the root of the cause. Whoever is forcing the King to take such actions must be of power. I suppose that rules out Zorbak. Perhaps it is the Queen of Monsters!”

“You know,” began J6, “you could always start bootlegging coffee. It’s how we bounty hunters get the good stuff.”

“Thanks a latte for the idea! Bad pun, I know, but I’m coffee deprived. Nonetheless, onward, my trusty coffee-loving friends! Let us partake in one! We shan’t be noticed!” Cried Artix.

####

Zorbak looked through the cauldron that the Cauldron Sisters had lent him. Zorbak menacingly murmured, “Oh, Artix, but I will notice. You can’t bootleg without my knowing! I. See. All! I WILL find you. MEHEHEH!”

To Be Continued

 

***

DF ID: 47055520 (Alyce)

I am not your Valen anymore.

 

Alteon paces back in forth in front of the Swordhaven capital, already seen my message about his queen and knight returning. How long has he been waiting for us? The sounds of our horses alert him, and a smile breaks across his face when he sees Lynaria.. She jumps off the horse, running into his arms, gazing into his eyes like he’s the only thing in the world.

“Alteon,” she says, the sight of him taking all of her breath away.“I thought I’d never see you again.”

My best friend holds her to his chest, running his hands through her red hair. “I am so relieved you’re safe!” They have a moment before he pulls away, turning back to speak to me. Is this the part where he thanks me for saving the love of his life? Where he realizes that I can do more than be a shadow by his side?

Instead, his voice is low, almost too quiet to hear. “And you.” Disappointment bleeds from his words. “I trusted you, as a knight and my best friend. And you failed me.”

The voice from my blade whispers to me, its power heavy by my side, energy ready to be released. You thought he was your best friend, but he believes you betrayed him. How can that be if he’s always taken everything from you? You know that you have always deserved more than him, but you have never said a word against it. This time, don’t let him make you feel inferior.

“You failed Lynaria! I saved her!” I yell, raising my arm. My fist is clenched, my body shaking with fury. I am the hero here. Why must he treat me like I am the villain?

Alteon casts his eyes down, unable to meet my gaze. He’s always been so merciful, and it shows across his face. His next words will hurt him to say. “You are not truly the Valen I know. Not anymore. The armor has killed what you were, and become your tomb.” His voice cracks, and he takes in a ragged breath. “Leave us. Swordhaven was Valen’s home, but it has no place for a sepulcher.”

The words hang between us, tearing everything we shared as best friends away. I needed to survive to slay the Champion of Darkness, to stop his madness from spreading any longer. Yet, to him I am a stranger. A monster.

“What a staggering display of ingratitude,” I sneer. “I did what no one else DARED. And this is how you repay me? With exile?”

My Lynaria stands behind my former friend, looking at the both of us,  “Alteon, Valen, please…” she begs, staring up at me with her beautiful blue eyes. But why does it matter to her? She chose him when she became queen. She’s always been playing with you, the blade hisses. Don’t let her stop you from getting what you deserve.

“Don’t you mean Sepulchure?” I ask, stripping myself of my old name. I am not her Valen anymore. Valen was blind to what he wanted, only a mindless knight. Always a shadow. But now, I will never let anyone think that they are better than me. “I will go nowhere.”

“And I won’t allow such evil to stay! I will force you out if I have to!” He unsheathes his blade, his courage pathetic. The man who rots on a throne thinks he is still a noble knight, that he can kill me. How much of a fool can he be?

I can still remember what happened, when I put my blade through Dethrix. The moment that had saved all of Lore from his madness. Digging into that hole, taking out his heart. Blood covering my pale hands. Don’t stop, it whispered. This is the only the first step of your greatness.  The moment I realized that I could have everything I wanted and all I had to do was fight for it.

Alteon doesn’t stand a chance.

He is nothing to you now.

I raise my blade of doom, ready to do whatever it takes to win. “Go ahead and try.”

 

***

Battle99991

Quick Eulogy to a Friend

 

Frostval has been one of the weirdest experiences I have been a part of ever since I started my journey as the Hero. I mean, symbiotes, snowmen, a Saruman ripoff. All of those monsters and adventures, while wacky, always brought a smile on my face. But nothing has changed my life ever since the year 2012.

I thought it would be like any other Frostval, but Chaos just had to make things worse and free the World Destroyer known as Kezeroth. Out of all the foes I have fought, he is definitely one of the strongest I have faced off against. He was not the one who would abide to typical villain cliches, he would act immediately. I don’t even think I could stand a chance against him, especially with all the odds against me.

But, that was before I met Athon the Chronomancer.

The first time we met, he just popped out of nowhere and told me there was trouble, no questions asked. It was surprising at first but I knew I had to help. And well, we all knew how that happened. I easily fell and Kezeroth summoned Quetzal. A terrible time indeed.

So the end of the world is about to happen by the Quetzal, I thought it would be over. I thought it would be the end. But Athon kept telling me: “Don’t give up hope.” Hope...that was a strong word.

The beast eventually fell and we had to fight off against Kezeroth himself. It was a hard fight, I could still feel the scars I’ve obtained in that fight. I knew I couldn’t keep going for long, I thought I was going to die. However, Athon decided to step in and sacrifice his life to save mines. Not just mines, but all of Lore itself by stopping Kezeroth. He knew what he was going in for, but it didn’t matter. He had hope.

After that battle, I was heartbroken. I just lost one of my friends. It was a short friendship, but he was inspirational, like what a true hero should be. I can’t bear the thought of even reliving that day. Even though I wish to forget about that year, a part of me wants to remember it one last time, just so I could be with my friend Athon again.

We can learn from all of this. In the darkest of times, we should never give up hope. When the odds are against us, we should never give up hope. When death is staring right at us, we should never give up hope.

Just like how Athon never gave up on the people of Lore

***

 

DF 7416172 (Floranay)

The New Heartbeat

 

Will anything beat the first heartbeat, the one felt when Lore was just born?

Not that the Hero, or rather a young great-soon-to-be, could understand an event only gods and timeless dragons had seen. That first heartbeat, however, must have felt the same as seeing Swordhaven for the first time.

Marching through the undead and the drifting smoke, the drawbridge falls and the gate opens.

Like a rock in a rushing river, Artix stands on an island of broken skeletons beyond, beating back the waterfall cascading into Swordhaven from the flying draconic lich above. With his red cap lifted by the wind from the swing of his golden ax, he greets “Nice to meet you!” instead of “Hello again!”

Artix calls the adventurer a friend easily, and a twitch in their gut says that they should do the same. The question became lost in a flood of adrenaline and chipping bone, the hammering of the Hero’s boots beating the ground swallowing doubts whole as they rush to the castle.

Through a second drawbridge and another opening gate, hinting at the deja vu, the Hero would find arrows that flew the same way, but in a different arch.

Robina strikes a noble pose, happy to see an ally instead of a gleaming red gaze. She draws the string of her bow farther back, in the name of a bond that held stronger than one between a Ranger and the hunt.

Finally, she asks the adventurer to go find the throne and their heartbeat crescendos faster than the seconds could keep with.

The moment the Hero stepped into the room, eye to eye with King Alteon with scant few words, time stopped. Fate came pounding on the door, ripping it down for the dark to invade.

Sepulchure bursts through and walks steadily, rooting the adventurer to the floor without so much as looking at them. The guards are nothing but Alteon stands to defend. The old friends, forever enemies through space and time, face each other. Their swords clash, roaring louder than thunder.

A purple comet streaks through the storm, ending the fight the Hero couldn’t join. It crashes into the castle, taking a same song and dance, and tearing it to shreds. The King and the Doomknight know the intruder as Drakath, but it couldn't be. The Hero squints, uneasy at what should have been a dragon or a man. Never both and the adventurer didn’t know why that had to be.

Drakath took the soul of the eternal Doomknight and crushed it, giving eyes to the King that would never close until the end. As the flying dracolich plummeted from the sky, the Champion of Chaos proclaiming his 13 Lords to be unbeatable, it dawned on the Adventurer.

This was the same, and brand new. Noon came everyday, but would always be different. There was a choice between Good and Evil, but in the grand newly birth scheme of things, a flip of the coin could be the answer.

The coin lands, striking the new heartbeat.

 

Comments