KENAN
"I'll start by letting you know that most of the things I will be telling you here is only known to 3 people and Karl is one of them. The other two are not in this part of the world. This means whatever we say here remains here" he says and I nod in understanding. I know how it feels to need to keep things from the world and the weight it places on you.
I am the most powerful undead alive right now because I am the only living original" he says dropping the bomb on me and I couldn't believe my ears. Aren't originals the first set of undead that came to life after being killed by Haeclus? How come he is now claiming to be one of them? If he is one of them does that mean he is thousands of years old?
"So you were alive during the war of the gods?" I ask and he nods "how can you have been alive this long" I ask and he cocks and eyebrow. Yeah he is an undead, pretty obvious. I just never knew they could live this long.
"I was born long before the war into the powerful Flint dynasty." He says and i remember according to princess stuck up it is the most powerful caster family sibce they are the only living direct descendants of Phelein.
*****************FLASHBACK****************
PROF PRESTON
Being the first son of my father and the best caster of my time I was loved by my father and everyone who knew me. My dad taught me everything he knew about casting and also put me in charge of the whole family at the young age of 20. I was so happy and fulfilled being the youngest family head recorded, most powerful caster and most loved child.
Then the war began and Taellus came to my family being the head of all the casters for our help. Every fibre of my being was against it and you know the strongest sense of a caster is their sixth sense so I told my father about my reservations.
He didn't listen to anything I had to say telling me that we have to obey the will of the gods because they are the reason we have the power and choice we have in this. I know he was doing it to protect the family from the wrath of the god of forms so I had to concur relunctantly.
The war came and we picked out all of my best casters forming an army with the shifters. Our army was large but Haeclus also had his own army of Plaifers {creations of the underworld}. The war went on for weeks with no side having the upper hand and by this time we were getting weak.
We were tired mortals that have used most of our energy and mana in fighing while Haeclus army were as alert and agile as the day the war started because they were creatures created for mass destruction. We were bot getting any where since we couldn't kill the plaifers so we were fighting a one sided battle with immortal creatures.
A few weeks later we finally hit the jackpot on how to kill these monstrous creatures that refused to die and one of our best creators came up with a spell that could do just that. The war turned in our favour after that day and a week later we had almost killed every single plaifer.
That was when it all went sideways. We finally decided to take the war to the god of the underworld himself in his camp. We had contorted a fail proof plan but I just kept having the feeling that something was going to go very wrong. I had a meeting with all the generals and tried to convince them and Taellus to back down on this but they were all so drunk on their wins that they didn't even give it a thought. They called me several disgusting name because they believed I was a coward.
The d-day came and we packed everything we needed and headed to the camp of Haeclus which was in the Tulyan Forest {popularly known as the forest of death}. The breakthrough we made was simple and effective. Heaven light or godfire was the only thing that could kill the creatures. Since i was in charge of the casters my battalion was the first phase of attack. My batgalion were soon in position and once we were in close range we casted and set the whole camp on fire using god's fire.
We never expected Haeclus to be in the camp at that time but that was our biggest mistake. I don't know if it was the camp we set on fire or the creatures we killed that pissed him off but a very angry and furious Haeclus walks out of the camp on fire and I realised why all the gods feared him.
Haeclus was tall and hefty. Thinking back to that time now he looked exactly like you but a fitter and older version." he says and I scoff. How can a very powerful god like Haeclus look like me? He ignores the attitude and continues
"I clearly remember he was wearing a robe made completely out of darkness and he held his staff in his hand. He had long dreadlocks and his eyes were shining onyx black. He was very huge and was in god form so he was 15 times each of our size. We all start to run but all of a sudden our legs were frozen on the spot.
We pulled hard, casted and even shifters shifted and shrunk their sizes but nothing was working. We were completely locked down on that spot. I don't remember much but I remember a huge wave of darkness cover the whole forest as Haeclus screams in rage. It felt like a thick fog of darkness. It was the kind of darkness not even night vision can see through. The darkness was so thick you could touch it literally.
All of a sudden I started to feel like every organ in my body was on fire. It was like all the organs that were on fire had also stopped working. I was suffocating and going through excruciating pain at the same time and it was a very terrible experience. After about ten long minutes of a near death experience it all ended.
All the pain everything was gone and we were left with an inexplicable emptiness. Most people had shut our eyes welcoming the imminent death that was beckoning us so the silence and ease was shocking. I was one of those people so when I finally peel my eyes open I was welcomed by the disgruntled expressions of my battalion.
Being the general of the battalion their lives were in my hands and I wasnt able to protect them. Now that it was all over I would expect they would find a way to escape but they stayed waiting for my next instruction. They were loyal soldiers to the latter.
They all bombarded me with questions but the only one I could pick out as the most common one was where they were. Since I was covered by their bodies I couldn't see beyond where I was laying but the black sand i was laying on was one I havent seen before. I push their bodies off as I stand and soon i was faced with endless expanse of black water.
I don't know if it was the black colour of the water or the moonless night that pointed it out but I'm sure this is not my planet. Immediately I look back and the whole battalion was waiting on me. Though I could not see their faces well under the dim light provided by a torch with blue flames a few feet away I know they were all as clueless and lost as I was.
I really picked a wrong day to piss off the king of the underworld. I didn't find out how shitty that day was until a few minutes later. I get tk action and start walking. If there is one thing being a soldier has taught me it is that when you are in uncharted waters you keep moving. I try to cast a ball of light but nothing was happening.
"Don't bother general none of our powers work here. We can't even feel mana here at all" he says and I have noticed an emptiness in me since I woke up and that was when I knew what it is exactly. Being a caster i have always been able to feel my mana every waking moment like another part of me so not feeling it at all felt different.
We have not walked for too long on the ash black sand when I notice someone or something heading towards us. I couldn't see the figure very well but it wasnt looking human. It was on a canoe that was moving without being paddled and it held a weird kind of a staff. Finally we can get out of this place somehow. Once we are out we will discuss what to do next.
After about 20 minutes of waiting for the sluggish figure's canoe and dreading his intention the figute finally gets to us. Since I was the General I was infront and the rest of my battalion behind me. I walk up to the fighter on the canoe and I shriek the moment I could see it well.
My whole battalion gets into stance hearing my voice but they didn't know the reason I was shrieking. The figure wasn't really a human but a bag of bones literally. It had black rags for a robe and the staff was really a sickle of death. A blue lantern was hanging on thin air and that didn't suprise me. Just seeing the hollow empty eye sockets of this bony face and the missing nose bones sent shivers down my spine but I push my fears down and speak.
"I'm General Cristain Preston of the Reighton Battalion, where are we and how can we get out of here" I ask and the figure laughs. This bag of bones was laughing. It sounded more like a hollow cough from a closed mouth but I could feel it in me that he was mocking me.
"I don't care what or who you are and what you want from me. All I was asked to do was get you the palace without as much as words and the rest would be revealed there" he says without moving his mouth but I could hearchim clearly in my mind. Telepathy, wow that is one powerful mind ability that most people can't control easily.
"And what makes you believe we would just follow you like lost lambs to whichever palace you think you are taking us without as much as a struggle or refusal. You do know we are military right?" I reply and it goes quiet before speaking again.
"If you want to spend months wallowing in sorrow and regret as you walk around this little Island you are free to do it. My lord wants to see you for a reason I don't but I know it is better than being here. It is your choice though Mr General" it replies and I chuckle. Touché. I'm sure it knows this whole place like the back of its hands and we don't really have much of an option here.
"Fine we will go and see your lord but he better have a good explanation or he is gonna have to deal with me if he doesn't" I replied the figure and walk up to the battalion.
"We have to go with this thing" I tell them and they weren't having it
"One of the first rule of the army is to never trust strangers. The enemy can come in different forms. How are we going tk put our lives in the hand of the gods know what that is" One of my soldiers reply
"And he looks too creepy to be trusted" another said
"How will that little canoe even fit all of us?" Another points out
"Where is he even taking us?"
"What if he dumps us in the river midway" they all keep talking and their opinions were valid but right then I didn't need that. What I needed was answers and if that thing was telling the truth I could get it from his lord.
"Look guys I know we are all scared but at this point we have no other option. This place is an island of pure sand. We won't last three days without food and water and we would need a whole lot of that to survive in this pit stall. Let's just go with this thing and whatever happens we face it as always" I say to them and they all grumble before nodding in affirmation and banging their feet on the floor twice.
"Let's do this" I tell the thing and it turns it's canoe. We all get in and surprisingly the little canoe doesn't full up even after over 200 soldiers entered into it. This magic is like nothing I have ever seen before. The figure reads my mind and chuckles.
"My name is the Reaper and I'm not a thing" he says loudly in my mind and I chuckle. It was going to be a long ride so I relaxed and got comfortable. Waiting to see who the hell this king of theirs even was.