In a faraway kingdom, the nobles of the court filed into the throne room with anxious and fearful expressions on their faces. Whisperings filled the room, but otherwise, it was silent. Everyone who stepped into the throne room had their eyes fixed on the empty throne, and beside it stood a man with silver hair.
Everyone held their breath as they stared at the new cold and heartless ruler. He was a definition of beauty, but everyone knew the beauty was a facade, for he had the coldest and ugliest heart ever. Ever since he destroyed the kingdom and had the previous king killed, everyone realized how his reign was going to be brutal and heartless.
But the man was undeterred by the anxious looks thrown at him, instead, he began sharpening a silver sword that had been lying on the throne.
Beside him stood another man with blonde hair, whose face was crinkling with a smile. He gave nods to the men and women who entered the room, but no one returned his nod out of fear and anxiety. Everyone was certain that every action coming from these strange men meant death!
As the last noble filed into the throne room, the doors were shut, and the room fell into a deafening silence. All eyes remained fixed on the silver-haired ruler, who stood with his sword in hand as if waiting for something. The room felt like it was suffocating with fear, but no one dared to make a sound.
Suddenly, a loud creaking sound filled the room, as the doors at the back of the throne room swung open revealing two tall men with black and brown hair, their faces cold as the two men beside the throne. The men pulled in a man whose hands were tied and his face bloody as he thrashed about to be set free.
"Let go of me... Let go of me, you monsters!" the man screamed as he was pulled before the silver-haired man.
Everyone held their breath as the silver-haired man stepped down the stairs of the throne, walking before the man who had just been pulled in. The man continued to thrash about but he was held firm by the men beside him. "Kneel," came the quiet but icy tone of the new king.
Everywhere turned so quiet that even a beating heart could be heard. The man refused to kneel but was quickly kicked by the man with black hair, which made him fall flat on his face as he whimpered from pain.
The new ruler turned to the court and spoke, "This man was caught conspiring against the crown. He was planning to overthrow me, colluding with saboteurs of the kingdom, to have me pulled down. But he has failed. And as punishment for his crimes, he will be executed before you all."
The court watched in horror as the silver-haired king raised his sword and pointed it toward the man lying on the floor.
"Please your highness spare me. I am a widower and I have five kids to care for. Have mercy on me, I beg of you". The chained man pleaded as he sobbed uncontrollably.
But his words fell on deaf ears. "Let this be a warning to all who dare to oppose me," he said. And with one swift motion, the silver-haired king plunged the sword into the man's chest, causing him to gasp for breath and writhe in pain.
The court was silent as they watched the man's life slowly slip away. The silver-haired king stood there, his face devoid of any emotion as the man finally went still.
And just as a body had gone lifeless, the silver-haired man signaled to a guard. "Bring me the next person and take away this trash from my sight".
Everyone's eyes almost popped out of their sockets as they stared at the events unfolding before them in shock and disgust. The man was too heartless but no one made a sound, their legs almost turning jelly from the scene.
The guard nodded and then signaled for another guard to help him carry the dead body and then disappeared out of the throne room. They returned with a man in chains. The man was a loyal general to the previous king, but he had been caught trying to infiltrate the throne room to assassinate the new ruler.
The general's face was grim as he was dragged before the throne, and he struggled against the chains that bound him. The new ruler regarded him coldly, his silver sword still in his hand.
"General," he said, his voice echoing through the throne room. "You stand accused of attempting to kill me. What do you have to say for yourself?"
The general glared at the new ruler, his eyes blazing with hatred. "You are a usurper and a tyrant," he spat. "You have no right to sit on that throne. I will die before I bow to you."
The new ruler's face remained impassive, but there was a glint of amusement in his eyes. He raised his sword and gestured to the guards. "Take him away," he said. "Let him rot in the dungeon until he is ready to submit to my rule."
The guards held the general ready to pull him out of the throne room while the silver-haired man turned to walk back to the throne. And just as he was in the middle of the steps, the general began to speak in a loud voice, which made him stop in his tracks.
"Everyone listen to me. I know you all might think he's heartless but that isn't just it. This man here and his three followers are not humans, they are monsters... Demons. I have seen with my eyes... I have seen their true form. Do not let this man lead you. You'd die, and you all would pay with your blood and that of your children".
No one said a word, they were all just breathing and blinking at the general and his words.
The silver-haired man slowly turned to look at the general whose eyes were bloodshot as he spoke to the noblemen and women in the room and when it rested on him, he gave a little smile to the general as he began to descend the stairs and everyone's heart skipped a beat which didn't go unnoticed by the silver-haired man.
"Impressive general, impressive". He applauded the general as he moved closer to the man but the general didn't back away, instead, he was ready to fight off the monster before him.
" It seems my decision to let you stay in the dungeon until you submit to my rule, is indeed a mistake. Apparently, you have lost your mind, hah! But don't worry I'll make sure you don't poison the minds of my subjects".
And before anyone could make out what was happening, the new ruler raised his long silver sword and the next thing, everyone heard was a whoosh sound. And with that, the general's head dropped off his body and his body fell limp to the floor, his blood flowing like a river.
The King had beheaded him!
Everyone gasped in shock and the women quickly screamed out in terror as they closed their eyes in order not to witness the gruesome murder of one of the most honored men in the kingdom.
He turned to face the court and raised his sword in the air.
Undeterred, the new king continued. "I am your new ruler," he declared. "And I demand absolute obedience and loyalty from all of you. Those who betray me will suffer the same fate as this traitor."
The court remained silent, staring at the new king with a mixture of fear, terror, and disgust. The smile on the face of the blonde man beside the throne widened as he watched the court squirm under the new ruler's command.
The new king continued speaking, "But do not worry. As long as you are loyal and obedient, you will be rewarded handsomely. I have great plans for this kingdom, and I need all of you to help me achieve them."
No one dared to speak up, but deep down, they all knew that this was the beginning of a dark and brutal era for the kingdom. The new king had already shown his true colors, and they could only hope that they would survive under his rule.
"You can all leave now". The man waved his hands in dismissal and then walked back to the throne to have his seat, watching as everyone quickly filed out of the room. Nobody wanted to be the last to leave and he smiled at the scene.
As the court was dismissed and they all filed out of the throne room, the whispers grew louder. Fear was palpable in the air as everyone wondered what would happen next under the new ruler's reign. The kingdom was in for a dark and uncertain future.
When Vlad the silver-haired king saw the people disperse, he turned to Draven, the blonde man beside him. "Aren't I merciful, Draven?" he asked, with a bored expression as he placed his hand on his chin, resting it on the armrest of the throne seat.
Draven chuckled and his eyes twinkled in mirth. "The most merciful king I have ever seen."
Vlad, satisfied with the answer, turned to the two men with black and brown hair. "What is it you found?" he asked.
The man with black hair stepped forward. "The Kingdom of Erthyorgipia is a powerful kingdom and now the kingdom of Erthyorgipia is shrouded with the cloud of fear My Lord, and so far as I have noticed, the kingdom has indeed gotten the attention of other neighboring kingdoms as they are very alert and aware of our presence...," Soren paused on the information as the king as he began to tap the armrest.
"Continue, Soren". Vlad waved his hand.
"You have a new title, my lord". Soren smiled. "A title of the devil king and I hope it doesn't bring us unwanted distractions".
"Why wouldn't we garner the attention of the different kingdoms when just four men, singlehandedly, usurped an alive and reigning king, surrounded by different soldiers, killed him, and destroyed his kingdom?" Vlad said with a smirk.
"I knew this was a very bad idea!" Alistair, the man with brown hair, interjected, which made Vlad roll his eyes. "We should have slowly gathered warriors like the rest of kings do". Alistair's face was already grim as he moved towards a jug of water to pour himself a drink of water.
And when he had drunk the water, he quickly spat it out making an ugly expression as he stared at the cup. "Poison?". He asked with a frown to Draven, who was giving a knowing smile.
Draven's smile grew wider as he nodded. "Of course, my dear Alistair. This is a welcome gift from the people in the palace. They like us so much".
Alistair's expression turned into one of anger as he glared at Draven. "You could have at least warned me!"
"That's enough, you two". Vlad ordered. Already bored by the banter between the two, and the room turned silent.
"When do we leave my Lord?". Soren asked, his hands folding as he stared at Vlad who was lost in thought.
"We leave tonight_".
Draven cut Vlad off. "Leave for where?". His tone was one of surprise.
"We leave for the kingdom of Valtoria to see the girl and have this kingdom renamed to Shadowvale, Soren. It would no longer bear Erthygoria". Vlad stood, ready to leave the throne room.
"My lord, are we all to follow you?". Draven asked, his tone already informing the king that they were all going and he was more interested in seeing the girl.
Vlad sighed. "Very well, you all are going but Soren gets to come back to take care of the kingdom affairs".
"What? Why me?!". Soren asked, already displeased by the king's decision.
Draven spoke instead. "Because you my friend is knowledgeable about the rule and behavior of the humans, Alistair is always disgusted by the humans and can't wait to have them all killed which we do not want and Draven here...". He pointed at himself. "Likes women a lot, I might get distracted".
Soren blinked at Draven's self-righteous words. Speechlessly, he turned back to the direction of Vlad who was already walking to the door.