Do you ever wonder why humans have an irrational fear of the dark? Darkness in its own right is simply the absence of light, yet many are still afraid. So why is that?
People are afraid of what they cannot see; afraid of what exists in the place void of light. But, darkness as a concept is scary in its own right. So with that in mind, are people afraid of the concept of darkness itself, or are they afraid of what lingers in the lightless plane?
These were just some of the thoughts I was having as my horse trudged across the barren plains. After all, while darkness enshrouded horrors that shouldn't see the light of day, it also enshrouded us.
The moon had enveloped the sun, but the echoing crunches of 300 men and women could still be heard.
The soldiers stared at their broken and bloodied feet as they marched on almost autonomously. The cold embrace of the death lingered around the horde like a plague waiting to strike at any given moment; yet, they persisted.
Behind me, an army of death slogged on and on with no clear goal in sight. But, when I—Ludwig Von Stanten— raised my arm clenched my fist, in an instant, all of the hundreds of soldiers following me stopped dead in their tracks.
We had arrived at our destination.
I reined in my horse to stop moving and hopped off with a massive clank. The sun had started to rise, illuminating the large hill we were on.
As the sun rose, we saw the fruits of our month long labor, and the carnage that was left in its wake:
Mutilated corpses of humans and demonic entities alike littered the ground around us, and the pungent smell of iron permeated the air we breathed.
This was the result of our choice. Our choice to take back the lands and reclaim the peace so violently stolen from us our enemy the demons. The name of this crusade: the Demon Subjugation Campaign.
Whether with victory or defeat, the campaign ends tonight. In the distance lay heart of the enemy, the black gothic castle of the Demon King Kestus. Promptly named, the Castle of Naught.
I turned around and scanned the troops that had managed to survive and follow me to this far. These soldiers had abandoned the things they held precious and followed me through hell and back to reach this point. Some had lost body parts, some had lost comrades and some had even lost loved ones, yet their bloodied and dirt-stained faces were brimming with vigor.
These soldiers were determined to see this through for the people they cared about, which was why this whole situation left a bittersweet taste in my mouth. Soon I would be leaving these troops that I have been leading for so long, and would most likely never see them again. Not of my own volition thought but by someone else's. The person who gave me life.
"Sir, you've been staring for quite some time, are you ok?" Vice-Commander Khan Lim asked me, snapping me out of my trance. "We are running low on time, so if you are done with whatever you were doing it would be best to get going." His long auburn hair blowing in the wind and his wistful sea green eyes distracted me for a moment before I finally finished collecting my thoughts.
"Yes, I am fine. I was just observing the valiant men and women who came with me on this journey." I quickly changed an awkward moment into an encouraging speech.
I continued in a loud voice that my battalion could hear, "All of you have been through hell and back to make it here. Some have lost comrades and loved ones on our long campaign but you have pressed forwards despite adversity for the sake of Hyptis, so for one last time I beg of thee…"
Suddenly the Castle of Naught began to quiver and shake as the Demon King Kestus arose from his slumber. He must have sensed the presence of our massive army and seen us as a threat to his safety. The gates of the castle blasted open and the cruel demons that had plagued our armies for centuries flooded out to protect their king. Giant creatures with large lumpy crab legs, humanoid monsters with large scythes for hands, and flying creatures with mouths that sprayed venom.
Khan turned around in surprise and drew his blade, but I continued to stay still and maintain eye contact with the troops. They needed this encouragement before we went into battle, as for many this may very well be their last.
"Follow me one last time and bring glory to the Empire!" With one final call I drew my sword, the brilliant sword of dawn Ewingar, and pointed it forward.
"CHARGE!" With a guttural cry, the army of Hyptis surged forward to subjugate the enemy.
I entered the battle and instantly got my hands dirty, slashing one humanoid demon on my left before ducking under the sword strikes of the lizard creature on my right. Surprised that I managed to dodge his attack, the demon cried out with a series of incoherent screams.
"Kahum, Gragula, Crieeeeee!"
"Oh shut up." Before it could retaliate, I cut off its arm before decapitating it with one swift motion, its scaly head falling to the ground and rolling onto the raging battlefield behind me.
"Ludwig!" Khan shouted at me as he drove his sword through a creature that managed to get behind me. "We'll hold them off. Go on ahead and we'll follow you." I looked over at him and slowly nodded my head and started to make my way towards the broken entrance.
With my affirmation, Khan stopped fighting for a second to take a deep breath in before shouting, "Our noble leader is pressing forward in an effort to slay Kestus. Press forward and slay anything that gets in his way!" I heard Khan's declaration from behind me, and I couldn't help but smile.
"Heh, I guess I rubbed off on him."
With my back covered, I slowly waded through the onslaught of demons and made my way to the entrance of the castle. I stopped in front of the entrance and turned to Khan and the three soldiers who followed me.
"Thank you. Though I would like all of you to accompany me towards the throne room, I cannot afford to sacrifice any more lives."
Khan's eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
"The way you say that makes me think we'll never see you again-"
"You won't." I responded firmly.
"What!?" Khan ran up to me but I raised my arm.
"I'm sorry. I would love to explain but this is where we must part ways."
"But..." Khan opened his mouth to say something else, but the words he wanted to say died in his throat as all he ended up saying was,
"Good luck Commander."
I gave Khan a small smile.
"Thank you Khan, I hope you will survive long enough to see tomorrow's sun rise."
I then turned around and sprinted inside the castle. As I left, I made sure to take each step forward with confidence, as the silent glares from Khan and the three other soldiers seemed to dig deep into my back.