*Malakye, land of chaos, year not yet determined because no kingdom holds. No one keeps accounts anymore, no one cares about dates. That being said, it doesn't mean that no one is alive anymore. Oh, life, the most abundant resource in the world. Malakye is full of lives. And I've seen all sorts of lives pass by. Fury, Cheetah, Harpy, Kobold, troll, ogre. I think I've killed every existing species in this world at least once. Male and female. I'm on track for genocide at this rate. Actually, I've extinguished some species too. My friend Rhadim told me it was bad for the ecosystem, that it was an important cultural heritage, and that I shouldn't "kill" everything that moves because it affects nature.*
-Screw nature.
*My life is a huge mess. I was born and raised in Malakye, a remote province in a kingdom nobody cares about. My father was a huge jerk and used to beat me often. I waited to be old enough to stand up to him and give him what he deserved. A Kobold took care of that for me. My mother, not the one who adopted me, my real mother was a fanatic. She sold me to an orphanage, and the money was used to pay her entrance fee to her weird cult. Do I hold it against her? Of course not because it was the best thing that ever happened to me in my life. Otherwise, how would the Olsens have adopted me?*
-And now you're wondering what went wrong? Why did Malakye become a field of death?
*Who am I talking to, this Kobold has been dead for a while. Well, as I was saying, I lived a decent life with the Olsens until I was 15. I was loved, pampered, and treated like a family member. At that time, there were rumors that strange crystals were found in the Malakye mines. They called them Kalibur crystals. These seemingly harmless crystals could actually serve as an energy source. Baron Olsen, my adoptive father, had one at home as a decorative object. In hindsight, I wonder if he realizes how stupid that was.*
-I doubt it.
*Anyway, in the year of my 16th birthday, these damn things appeared out of nowhere and started devouring everyone. Some said it was the wrath of the gods, others that it was the sorcery of alchemists trying to unravel the crystal's mysteries. I think today, everyone is too dead to care. Malakye has become a lawless zone. No one can leave, but everyone is free to enter. Strange, isn't it?*
-General Gizon, the forces of chaos are gathering.
-Already? Well, stay put, Koby. *I said, caressing the head of the dead Kobold.* I'll come back to explain the rest.
*You might wonder what I'm doing there. In the middle of these desolate ruins with barely a thousand men when there are probably 5 to 10 times more on the other side. You might wonder who this teenage-looking guy is standing at the top of this rock, clad in crimson armor and holding two huge swords in his hands. Why do I look so young despite being 33, and especially why there are orbs of flames the size of a comet orbiting around me. Unfortunately for you, I can't answer everything.*
-Get ready, guys *I shouted*. Tonight, demon meat is on the menu.
-Hurrah for the Scarlet Phoenix.
*They are right to cheer because when it comes to slaughtering Malakye's demons, I am a damn demon myself.*
-You're in for a tough time.
*The rest won't be explained to avoid shocking the kids reading my memoirs, but the most important thing is that I slaughtered them all. Actually, what was supposed to be a defensive battle turned into a counterattack, then an attack, and an invasion of demonic Malakye. With the help of my two companions, Rhadim and Allen (and our army of relatively useless peasants and soldiers), we brought genocide... Hm hm, the fight to the heart of enemy territory until the assault on the chaos lord's castle. Okay, I don't remember everything because I was busy killing everything that moved, but I'm sure at some point, Rhadim summoned a lightning dragon that split the mountain in two so we could pass, Allen made it rain with his emerald crystals. As for me, I did...*
-FLAME HURRICANE.
*Rhadim had forbidden me to use that one because it sucked the oxygen within a miles radius and seeing fire clouds didn't reassure the troops, but hey, I have the highest kill count in our army thanks to that attack. While our army dealt with the minions, I carved my way to the chaos lord. I had to face hundreds of monsters, avoid thousands of traps, battle against all kinds of species to finally reach him. No, I'm kidding.*
-Hey, you son of a b*** (think of the children). If you don't come out right now, I'll burn your castle.
*He must have thought it was a bluff because I really blew up his entire castle and everything with it. Apparently, he wasn't there. At the time, I thought, "Either I'm too strong, or he was too weak." Until I saw a purple light appear in the distance. I flew at full speed until I was far from the battlefield by a good 3 hundred kilometers. The guy was at the top of a mountain with a circular stone slab in its center. The chaos lord panicked when I landed in front of him. Maybe my wings or the flames in my fists, or just the hatred burning in my eyes, who knows.*
-You. Here...
*He had pale skin, pointed ears, a hoarse voice, and his long hair reached the ground. He looked like a prince charming before. Famine strikes everyone in Malakye, apparently.*
-Hey buddy. How are you? *I asked him*. Do you want some water? You look really pale. If you want, I can come back in the afternoon.
-Youuu. *He pointed at me*.
-Oh, how rude.
-Yes, you. Mongrel. I was so close, yes, so close to achieving my goal.
*He never explained his goal to us. This son of a... spent his life playing with things beyond his understanding. The Kalibur in his veins altered his mind and judgment. Personally, it gave me eternal youth.*
-If only I had completed the assimilation ritual, then...
-You know, you should find a job. Lord of chaos is not a well-paying job these days. *I said nonchalantly.* I know a bakery that's ready to hire anyone. Including a former chaos lord.
-Haha. I like your humor, Lord Phoenix. You, who are so powerful that you built a country in the heart of this chaos. You, who by the sheer force of your sword repelled tons and tons of my brethren. You, without whom I could have become a superior life form.
*His words intrigued me. What did he mean by superior?*
-You misunderstand me, Lord of Chaos. *I said seriously.* This strength you see here is not a gift. I spent 17 long years forging it.
*I grabbed him by the throat as my flames began to consume him slowly.*
-Throughout my life, I've been hunted by your minions. I lost friends, brothers, a family. I prayed to the gods for help; I even begged you to stop your massacre. At that time, I was younger. But you just ignored me. You just kept moving forward.
-You...
-Oh, don't act tough now. There's zero chance you'll recognize me...
-You are the son of Laurenne and Vigil Olsen..
.
*Okay, pause. I know this is where I should lose it and rip every bone from his body, but at that moment, he inspired nothing but misery and pity.*
-You're playing it cool now. With that power you're so proud of. If only I finished the assimilation ritual, no one could defeat me.
*He talks too much, so I decided to let him go and went to sit in a corner.*
-Finish it.
-Huh...
-Was I unclear? Finish your damn ritual. I have a deadline to meet, and you're going to die by the end of the day anyway...
*I didn't know it yet, but I just made the biggest mistake of my life. Allen and Rhadim joined me, and like any respectable friends, they gave me a lecture. No, I'm kidding; they sat down with me, and we waited together for him to finish the ritual. And then, I admit it was something huge. It was colossal; he had changed appearance completely.*
-Damn.
-Admire. King Krezios. Sole and unique master of chaos.
*His voice was threatening; it had nothing to do with the feeble man from earlier. His body was covered in silver scales, and pieces of purple crystals were at certain places. He had horns, a pair of wings, and a tail. I think describing the devil would be simpler. I could feel the stress on Rhadim and Allen's faces.*
-If we fail, I would at least like you to know that it's Gizon's fault. *Allen said.*
-And who waited foolishly with me, huh?
-Both of you, shut up. *Rhadim said.* There are more important things now. Which one of us is going to kill him?
*Okay, from this point in the story, there are many contradictions about me volunteering not to risk my friends' lives. The truth is, I just lost at rock-paper-scissors. I was quite disappointed. You're probably thinking that with the description I gave you, the chaos lord was incredible. Yes, indeed, he was. But the forces had to be balanced. So, I took off the top of my armor and faced him barehanded.*
-Worst decision of my life.
*Okay, I sealed him and all, but he left me with a nasty wound that would be fatal three years later. But before dying alone like an idiot because of my shitty decisions, I finally put an end to all of this. After the war, I became king. I married the princess, had a prosperous reign, and many children.*
-Nah, I'm kidding; I left Malakye in a hurry. I traveled the world and enjoyed the flavors of everything. I felt like I had lost a lot of time, so I lived my life to the fullest. Reconstruction? Not for me. All that past, that hero life, it was a burden for me. I just wanted to be free. And live the life I wanted, not the life that was imposed on me. And I died with a smile, thinking it was the end of the journey.
*And now, young Cohen, you're wondering what the most powerful Psyker of all time is doing inside your body, right? How did a man who died centuries ago suddenly come back to life?*
-I'm waiting for you to explain what I'm doing in your body and why I didn't stay dead as I wished.
*To be continued*