Chereads / The Last Campaign / Chapter 17 - Damage of the Past: Part Two

Chapter 17 - Damage of the Past: Part Two

As Atrocity returned to palace, blood dripped down his body.

"Brot..... Brother what has happened to you?"

"N-not now Demacrotus." 

As Atrocity made his way to the soldiers bathhouse, he stumbled and staggered into the center of the baths. As the rune water spouts began to drop water like rain onto him. The water mixed with the blood as it ran down his body. His eyes were bloodshot and in a panicked fury as he scrubbed his body down. 

As he leaned against the bathhouse walls, whispers and demented voices crept into the room. 

"..... Now you shall see what the true meaning of your power is...."

"WHO'S THERE!?"

The eerie voice stopped as he slammed his fist into the tiles of the bathhouse. He shut off the water and dried himself off. His mind was racing, trying to understand what had happened and what was happening. 

As he dressed he made his way straight to his room, but for the man known as Atrocity, there was no sleep. For two weeks, he couldn't sleep. The moment his eyes would shut, the voices and images would return. He kept himself isolated from the world trying to break the hold on his mind, but nothing came of it. On the 16th day, Atrocity made his way down the stairs of the palace into the throne room where everyone in the Winters family had gathered. 

"Yes, it seem the hum.... Prince Atroseus, I didn't think you'd be joining us."

"You..... It was you....."

"Atroseus? What is the matter with you?" Asked his mother making her way towards him. Without warning, he crushed her skull in an insanity riddled rage. The veins in his arms were bulging through the skin as he grabbed Demacrotus by the throat.

"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS!?" Demanded the King. 

"This? YOU BROUGHT THIS UPON YOURSELVES! THOSE WITCHES, THEY SHOWED ME! HUMANS DESTROY EVERYTHING WE WORKED FOR! EVERYTHING I SPILLED BLOOD FOR!" 

He snaps Demacrotus's neck and makes his way towards the throne. 

"Atroseus, stand down! DID YOU HEAR ME?"

Atrocity slams his hand around the king's throat. Gazing into his eyes, the King caught a glimpse of the madness raging within his son's mind. 

My god..... Help us all...

Atrocity ripped him limb from limb as the Royal Guard entered the throne room. 

"My god.... Prince what happened? What did you do?"

"I rid our Kingdom of traitors. They were selling our wealth to the highest bidder. Captain, clean this mess up and have the crier inform the citizens of my ascension."

Without hesitation the Captain orders his men to do just that. By sunrise, Atrocity was the ruler of the Wintersbane Empire. 

Years and years pass and the war against the rest of the world begins. Atrocity has two sons, Astotle Winters and Thermousious Winters. Astotle would go on to become Captain Winters, founding member of the Wintersbane Expeditionary Force, leading scholars and many others from other races to avoid annihilation at his father's hands. He would later have a son, Absolute Winters, who took after his Grandfather, naming himself after his ability. Upon his tenth birthday, Absolute had killed Thermousious making sure there was only one contending bloodline and was being raised by Atrocity and a concubine. Astotle Winters was considered an enemy of the state after saving an elven village from the Wintersbane Army. 

"Atrocity?"

"What is it Absolute?"

"Why are we attacking the other races?"

"We are here to keep them rising up and resisting. It is pointless to challenge the strongest Empire, someday your Empire. We are better than all of them my boy."

As Absolute grew, so to did his ambitions of world domination. As he reached the age of eighteen, his powers fully manifested, allowing him to freeze anything at the temperature of absolute zero, clod enough to freeze molecules of air, suck the heat out of any living and non-living things. However, this was just the start, he knew his demented guardian was all that was standing his his way. One night, he and his troops went through with a coup, marching into the throne room where Atrocity was sitting. 

"WHAT THE HELL IS THE MEANING OF THIS?"

"Atrocity Winters, your time is up. Surrender the throne, or die a death more painful than crucifixion." 

Atrocity simply laughed and lunged at the first attacker, who was mauled into bits of flesh and gore. 

"I am the Polar Wasteland's most feared conqueror, Better known as the Red and White death, the Polar Bear incarnate, the most aggressive killer in the entire world. I have spilled more blood with my bare hands, WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU! WHO ARE YOU TO CHALLENGE THE LIKES AN STATUS OF SOMEONE LIKE ME!?"

The Throne room became soaked in blood, but ultimately, Absolute's Death Frost was far more than Atrocity was able to withstand. 

"Y-you haven't won."

"If you mean I haven't killed you, then yes. I, Absolute Winters, hereby seize the throne of the Wintersbane Empire, and exile you from these lands. You will now be considered hostile and killed on sight should you be foolish enough to return."

Atrocity simply stood up, frost burning his body and made his way out of Wintersbane in silence, never to be seen again...

*Present Day*

A cloaked woman stumbles into a cave during a blizzard of epic proportions. Shivering and shaking, she makes her way inside the cave following the warmth, only to discover a man sitting by a fire, covered in ratty clothes. 

"You must be cold, come, sit by the fire."

"T-Thank you."

The man doesn't hardly speak. The woman raises her hands slowly casting a spell. 

"Witch.... I'd really consider your next move."

She fires off the spell as he rushes towards her. It hits him, stopping him dead in his tracks. 

"What have you done to me?"

"I lifted the curse of insanity placed upon you. You Are Free."

The man lowers his hood and looks at the Witch.

"Why have you done this? Who are you?"

"I am Anastasia Winters.... My brother needs your help, and you'll want revenge after what I tell you." 

Atrocity leans forwards towards her. "Winters.... Absolute....."

The witch nods and scoots closer to him, telling him of the last millennia of pain and death as the snow whips around the cave, covering his muffled laughter. 

"What fun.... I shall enjoy this to no end."