The sounds of swords clashing rang all around. Horses ran amok, some without riders and others with dead ones. Men with little to no energy staggered with swords in their bloody hands, attempting to finish off enemies with no more resolve for slaughter.
Death loomed all around. Gone was the fresh air and blue skies. In their place was the smell of smoke mixed with the metallic scent of blood, wails of dying men and the cries of crows flying above. The sky was darkened and death hung heavily in the air.
Amidst the grave scenery one being stood out of place as he crouched beside a dying man.
"Is this what will become of you after all this time? Your time in this world should not come to an end now. The vessel binds me to you. Speak the words and with your remaining wish, I shall make you whole again."
The appearance of the one speaking was anything but human. His white hair danced unnaturally around him like he was submerged underwater. His skin was almost as white as his hair but had a blueish tinge to it, giving the appearance of one who had suffered from a severe frost. He wore no garment on his being except for a loincloth covering his lower half. Golden bracers adorned his wrists and ankles.
His ears stood pointed and tall, as if shouting out to onlookers that this being was anything but human if they had not already guessed it.
"Speak the words Faheem. You know I cannot help you without the command."
His voice was like a blizzard coming from everywhere at once. It made the nearby soldiers freeze and shivers ran up their spines as they struggled to get away from the mysterious being.
His golden eyes, the only contrasting thing in his appearance, were trained on the man whose life blood continued to spill on the ground.
"That is not the promise we made. How do you expect me to live with a clear conscience if I cannot keep my promise to you." The man said weekly as he raised his arm with what little strength he had left. The mysterious man clasped it firmly in his and with more urgency in his voice replied
" The promise be damned. Your life means more than anything else to me my friend. Do not be so foolish as to throw it away over a promise such as that."
Laughing weakly while looking nowhere in particular, the man wheezed and smiled gravely. He knew his time was up and he intended to do what needed to be done.
"Take revenge for me, my friend." He said with a strength he should not have possessed for a dying man.
"Do not let their empire flourish over the death of my people. Make them an example to those men who believe that they are of a higher race than the rest of us. Let your flames etch into the memory of thousands the outcome of a war started for their own entertainment."
Taking a deep breath causing him to choke on the blood that was in his lungs, he grabbed the ring that hung on his neck via a string and held it up.
"Iskandar I set you free!." He whispered quietly before drawing his final breath.
A bright light escaped the ring and It crumbled into dust.
A shocked expression swept across the face of the being who held the hand of his dead companion. For a moment there was utter silence as not even the crows dared to open their beaks. All could sense the impending doom that approached like a storm coming after clear skies were visible.
A dark ring that was tattooed around the beings neck faded away moments after the ring had crumbled, signifying he was no longer bound to it.
A lone tear slid down his face and dropped on the hand of the dead that was still clutched in his own. From the point of impact, the body turned blue and froze over before it also crumbled to dust beneath his fingers. Sobs wracked his body causing him to tremble before he threw his head back and wailed in anguish.
His voice carried for miles on end causing faraway creatures and plant life as well to shiver where they were. Birds miles away flew out of trees and tore across the sky in the opposite direction.
The thunder of hooves came from the opposite side of the field where death loomed. The army that had caused the death of Faheem had sent reinforcements to clean up what was left of them and proceed to plunder their homes. But Iskandar would not have it. They had taken his friend but they could not take the home that held his friend's memories.
Iskandar floated in the air and hovered in front of the army that stopped their approach as they saw him in the air. Gone was the moment of grief. Now was the time for retribution.
For what seemed like an eternity, they stared at each other. One man finally rode forward, away from the rest and stopped a few feet away from Where Iskandar hovered. His frightened horse showed it's displeasure as it swayed stubbornly, clearly not wanting to go where it's master ordered. Begrudgingly, the man dismounted. From the looks of his attire, he was the leader here. That was further proven as another man ran forward and took the reins of the frightened horse that had just been dismounted.
The man looked back to his army and then returned his gaze to the being floating in front of him.
"You block out path magical one. I order you to step aside that we may pass and be about our business. Remove yourself or you will be removed." He said haughtily.
In a calm voice Iskandar replied. "What is this task that would have you trample over this field of the dead?"
"We have won this war. And now I will claim my prize as is my right. Now leave! A king has no need to explain himself to a lowly sprite." He waved as if dismissing the man floating above him.
At that moment, a cold breeze began blowing across the field. Before long it picked up in speed and soon the howling of the wind could be heard far and wide. Iskandar's voice carried in the wind.
"In your quest to fulfill your greed, you have taken what I consider precious and now you still wish to defile it. You have shown me that men are little.more.than beasts."
"My master and friend chose my freedom over his life, a debt I can no longer repay as he has no kin alive to remember him. But he had me."
At these words white flames danced across his body starting from his hands before spreading to his shoulders, back and finally his hair. This caused a stir in the enemies below him.
"I will turn all that you hold dear into ash, I will make your land into a tomb that even the dead will fear to enter, and only when you have fallen into the depths of despair as I have now will I end your petty existence."
Stretching forth his hand, the flames shot out and struck the king in his chest and engulfed him. Before he could fall, the flames sucked him and drew him to the magical man whose anger poured off him in waves.
"Protect the king" came the panicked voice of a high ranking official in the army.
Arrows left their bows as they descended like the rain. Waving his other hand, a wave of power pulsed from him and all the arrows were covered in white flames. Hooves thundered as they charged. Swords drawn and voiced raised, the men charged with the intention of rescuing their ruler who had allowed then see many victories.
Waving his hand in a circular motion, the flame around the king covered his screaming form completely and compressed it. Holding the now small flame in his hand, Iskandar blew it out to reveal a crystal ball with a man inside pounding on it trying to get out.
"Watch as I destroy all that you pride yourself in." He said before materialising a necklace on himself and embedding the crystal ball on it so the man could see all that transpired.
Landing on the ground, he created a tornado in his hands and pushed it forward. With the help of the surrounding wind, he made the tornado grow in size till it touched the sky. Lighting struck and thunder roared as if nature mirrored the anger Iskandar held towards the men. With a snap of his fingers, white flames erupted from within the tornado before lighting it up completely.
Now it was ready. Waving it forward, the disaster began its move towards the army of men that had begun to run away. There was no way they could fight against a natural disaster. But it was futile. The very air was against them as it blew a chill into their lungs making it hard for man and horse alike to breathe.
Their retreat eventually came to a halt and they could only stare at their impending doom while cursing the leader who had taken them to their deaths. Taking in everything in its path, the flames that burned so hot but left chills in the air. Scattering white ashes of everything it demolished and spraying then in the air, creating a snowfall of ash in its wake.
In moments, an army of more than ten thousand men was turned to dust. Nothing remained of their presence. The very land they had walked on had been scorched clean and not a blade of grass could be seen.
"Your men have fallen." Iskandar said. "And now onto your kingdom."
With that he flew off, leading the tornado towards the empire of the wailing king trapped in his crystal orb...