My eyes opened to reveal the room my grandfather and I had been standing in. It's atmosphere suddenly seeming so empty and alone. All of his memories danced through me as I searched them. The nostalgia of someone else entered my heart as I traced the books with my clawed fingers.
"He stood here for so many years yet I never knew. All because of an unwanted nap." A grimace crossed my face.
I wasn't close to my grandfather in this life. Even in my past life he was just the ghost of a story. And as I walked about I found something interesting began to happen.
Everything he had owned began to turn to dust and ash. No flames. No smashing. Just the slightest scrape of my fingers started a chain reaction that emptied the room of millenia of knowledge and filled it instead with the dust and filth of ages.
I stared as the desk disintegrated along with the quills and ink. The books fluttered to oblivion. Their written words whispering onto deaf ears as they faded to darkness.
Persephone wasn't kidding when she said her group made sure no copies existed of very sensitive information. The only thing they couldn't stop however was myths and legends. Legends like the Philosopher's stone. But they could destroy knowledge of the process.
And so, when the room was left in nothing but dust and ash, I nodded before stepping out the door and into the cool evening air.
As I walked a few guards noticed me and a few seemed to run away scared while the rest bore their spears and swords. "Who are you?! How did you get into the castle!?" A guard shouted. My brows crinkled in confusion. "The old man of the tower invited me. Though he is now long gone." I responded.
"The Hermit invited you? But where is he now. He had to pass through us to get out of here. And how did you get there without an appointment with the Queen?" The guard responded.
I shook my head. "The Hermit brought me here. And I never met with any queen. Nor do I need to bow before any being in this world to do what I want." I said as I crossed my arms. The guards face was covered by his helmet as he raised his sword a little higher like he would pierce me if I said another word.
"Keep a civil tongue in your head and remember your place commoner! The Queen governs these lands and owns this castle! You will submit or Perish." He growled.
A smirk crossed my face as I felt a vague killing intent from the knight.
"Try it." I said.
That was the straw that broke the camels back.
He lunged forward putting force behind his thrust. I could feel his attitude of superiority as he moved. He was going to do this whether I submitted to him or not. And though everything for him was happening fast. It was as though the world had slowed to a crawl for me.
I felt the pull of the world's laws. It's fire, water, earth, air, light, and shadow all streaming together like a finely woven net of existence. The man's movements were like a snails as I smiled and remembered a scene from a movie I once saw. A man with impossible speed was able to alter the world as though it stood still.
I grabbed a piece of burnt wood. It's consistency like charcoal and drew on his helmet. Little childish doodles and a few inappropriate ones as well. A rod between his eyes making it look like a certain male appendage. And I did all this before returning to my original position.
To the rest of the world however I simply stood there.
I let the sword hit me. It's tip didn't sink into my scales neither did it leave a mark. The top of it bent slightly as it impacted and the blade flexed. The impact forced the knight to stumble to the side of me before he looked at his sword which was now slightly bent out of shape.
"I told you." I said as I started to walk away.
Before I could reach the stairs however I was met with a squad of knights. Lined up two by two down the tower.
I couldn't help but let out a sigh before I flicked the front knights in the helm with enough force to send them toppling like dominos. And while they struggled to get up I simply walked over their armored bodies like complaining cobblestones.
I easily reached the bottom of the stairs where maids were attempting to help the knights up.
One of the maids noticed me but before she could scream I placed my palm over her mouth and spoke calmly.
"I mean no harm to the inhabitants of this castle. I simply aim to leave. Now. If you would point towards the door I will happily be on my way." My voice echoed quietly through the hall.
The maids eyes were panicked but I released her mouth and she pointed to her right.
"Thank you miss." I said as I turned and strode down the corridor without a care in the world.
"I'm afraid that may be difficult." A woman's voice echoed from behind me.
I turned to see the source and found a woman bound in leather armor. It was tight fit and seemed to be high quality for it's material.
"And why pray tell is that... Your majesty." My voice rumbled through the hall.
It was obvious. The knights seemed wary of her and the maids bowed low to her. The Woman's figure told me all I needed to know.
She looked a little like Sam. Her platinum hair was tied in a braided bun behind her head. A strong jaw with pale blue eyes stared at me as her hand rested on the sword at her side.
Though the thing that truly gave it away was a creature that followed to her right.
A large silver salamander. It's eyes a glowing orange and it's flickering tongue a pinkish red. Its four foot long body dragged across the floor as it's eyes blinked to give them moisture.
I turned my eyes back to the woman before me and felt a curious urge. Playful. Not lusting. Just to see how much the family spread of my name.
"I Ignatious Soulsmith greet the Queen of Weremar." I said without bowing or even a nod. My form was rigid as I stood straight looking her in the eye.
Her left hand continued to rest on her sword as her eyes narrowed. " You claim to be Ignis? The same one that laid waste to this very castle the first time leaving it in nothing but bloodied and shattered ruins?" Her voice was levelled. It was obvious my claim was not recieved well.
"Indeed. To rescue my bride from the hands of a mad king. But it was he who destroyed this country before my arrival. I simply cleaned up the trash. Though I say after a hundred or so years I never expected the Carnacs to take the throne." I rumbled out as her look turned into a full on glare.
"Your story only corroborates local legends and folklore. If you claim to be Ignis then prove it." She growled.
I smiled as I gestured to the courtyard outside. "If it's proof you want then it would probably be best to show my proof outside. As it's a bit... cramped in here." The queen looked at the guards and they quickly organised themselves to surround her in a protective entourage before we made our way outside.
"When I first joined the Carnacs I was a simple Salamander. The only exception being that I was a rare six legged one. And though the years were a little rough they were good to me and because of them I made my way to being what I am today. So I will entertain you. What would convince you of my identity?" I asked as I turned to face the guarded queen.
"Show me the proof of blood. That you are capable of controlling it. That you are the being who summoned jeweled giants from the earth and deployed bloodied undead to raze this place. Show me even a little of that and I will have my proof." She said before a small grin appeared on her face. "Though I doubt you will. Anyone who appeared in the past claiming they were Ignis... Well. Let's simply say their ends were quickly met."
I smiled. It was a partial compliment to have others claim to be you. Bittersweet as it was.
I raised a hand and the cobblestones beneath our feet shook as red dust came from the ground. Flying up from between the stones till it formed a ball beside me. Moisture began to gather in the dust till the rich scent of iron filled the air. The smell of blood.
The Queen's eyes widened as the blood formed a soldier by my side. Though with no soul to control it, it was simply a blood statue.
"My blood soldier. Though this place was once rich in souls to grant these life, I am happy to see and feel far fewer around here now.
And I can say for certain that unless you wish to level the castle town I will not be summoning Atlas ( the Jewelled giant)"
The guards moved aside as the queen moved slowly toward the blood soldier.
"You really made a puppet of blood. But... Why isn't it moving?" She asked looking at me.
"I was a Lord of Vengeance when I stormed into the castle to rescue my beloved. And there were many souls who were wronged by the king. I stood as a... Channel for their anger so to speak. At the time I allowed them to inhabit my soldiers as I invaded. I needed only command and they would fulfil. But now this place is balanced and calm. So the vengeful souls are few. Hence why it does nothing." I responded.
She nodded slowly taking in my information.
"This is proof enough." She said as I released the blood soldier, allowing it to sink beneath the stones once more.
"I have been in a deep slumber for the last hundred years so I am a little outdated. But I am glad to see a surviving Carnac... Last I saw my in-laws they were only a small few with a mountain of gems. It's is good that the family itself recovered. To some extent at least." I said gesturing to the castle.
The queen grimaced. "The Carnacs of old were forced into being Merchants. And with Lord Carnacs history and his Wife being part of the trade before marriage it was easy for them. The jewels you left were what allowed them to thrive so readily. Though do you remember a... Morgan?" She probed a little glancing at my direction.
I tilted my head a little as I thought. " I didn't leave jewels with the Carnacs though those "were" a side effect of summoning Atlas at their ruined home. And Morgan was Gerald's Gryphon familiar. Strong, capable, and was very sensitive about her weight. She had alot of trouble getting close to male Gryphons due to her strength though." I replied.
The queen smiled a little as she waved her knights away. "Gerald Carnac was my Father. A good man, a strong man, and a loyal man." She said as she turned to face me again. Her face seemed to have aged slightly. What once looked like a woman in her twenties now seemed like a woman in her forties. Crowsfeet wrinkles crinkled around her eyes and circles seemed to sit beneath her eyes from long nights of paperwork.
"Morgan as you said was a very loyal creature. Strong, resilient, and of course a very lonely Gryphon. But... Her road was one she gladly walked with my father." The queen came to stand before me.
"My father always told me stories about you. And any tales he heard he relayed to the rest of the family with pride. We even went to your home once to visit only to find out you were tricked into saving an entire country by a petty god." She turned to the side and approached a pot with large orange flowers in it. The petals were broad and interlaced like they were naturally braided this way.
"I was 5 at the time. And now that I'm almost 60 I finally get to meet the legend that bore a country on his shoulders at the cost of his family." She faced me once more. Her face had aged even more now.
"Truth be told I am not the queen. I am her mother. And as you can see... I'm running out of time. I simply wished to see our family's legend for myself before I go. Now I have." Cough cough.
Her once straight frame bent as her clothes shifted to being a white and gold shawl wrapped around aged shoulders. Her leather armor molded into a dress with cloth wrapped around her waist. "Would you spare some more time for this old one? Speaking with a god is probably the only thing left for me."
A pain filled my heart as I saw her hopeful gaze. I had been around so much death. What could a little more hurt. "It would be my pleasure to accompany you..." I was lost for a name.
"Mystia. Mystia Von Carnac." She said with a smile.