For every sin, there is a price to be paid. For every wish, a deadly sacrifice must be made.
The smell of burning flesh, clouded the air of the dungeon. There was no source of light and the darkness, was consuming. It strangled every hope and burnt out every dream.
A cage, was placed at the end of the dungeon and, a man sat in this cage, naked but covered in scars and bruises. Steam, came from his body as though he had taken a hot shower or rather, been thrown into a volcano.
He breathed slowly, trying to control his movement but it was difficult because, each time he released a breath, the chains around his neck tightened, choking him slowly.
He coughed and spat out blood, he was truly at his limit. He was at the edge of sanity, a little push, and he would be deep in the abyss of madness.
Would he find peace when he ran mad? When he had truly paid with his life?
He shook his head at this thoughts, he couldn't be broken yet, this was a small price to pay. A thousand years of torment.
He coughed up more blood as the chains tightened around his neck.
How many centuries had already passed since he had been locked up in this hell? How many lives had been stolen since his departure?
"Failure! Weak King!"
He shook as voices rang around the dungeon. Just then, hot lava was poured on his skin causing him to release a shrill scream, like an animal being slaughtered.
"Shameless!!"
"Disgraceful!!!"
He struggled, trying to rip one of his hands from the chains to cover his ear, to block out the voices but the chains around his hand tightened until he heard a crack, his hands had broken.
He released an inaudible scream, his voice was gone, stolen. He could no longer scream. He could no longer beg for death, he was not going to die no matter how much he was tortured.
"Failure!!!" The voice taunted.
The chains, burnt his skin and the pain grew worse. The pain shaped his reality and he slowly began to forget who he was.
"Why am I here? Who am I?" He gasped for air. What great sin had he committed that warranted this form of affliction?
Ah yes, yes he was paying the price to undo what had been done. He was paying the price, to set her free.
As he remembered why he was locked up, memories began to flash into his mind. Memories of when he had it all, the power, the fame, and the woman he loved, the time they spent. Tears gathered in his eyes as he thought of her. He had not shed a tear since his torment began. He had screamed, shouted, begged for death but never for once has he cried.
His head bent and just when he was about to lose consciousness, a little light shone at the beginning of the dungeon. This was the first time in centuries that he had seen something other than darkness.
He lifted up his head as the light drew near, blinding him. He closed his eyes and when he opened them, a woman, wearing a white robe, with skin as white as snow and lips as red as blood stood in front of him. It was a mystic.
"A fall from grace I must say."
He chuckled as he heard her speak. "Finally, another's voice asides mine." He said in a raspy voice.
She shook her head and looked at him with sadness. "Who would have thought a king would be reduced to something worse than a slave."
"What... do... you... want from me, witch?" He paused and gasped at each word.
Her eyes, flared up in anger as she heard what he called her. "I will have you know that I am a mystic not a witch. Or did your years of torment, make you senile?" She chuckled as she said this. Her eyes dancing in excitement.
He could not bring himself to make an expression but he was not surprised. She was merely a wicked being that feigned innocence.
"And to think I once begged you to take me in different ways. Remember when I was once on your bed, moaning your name?" She said seductively as she placed her hands on her waist.
He grimaced as he remembered all the things he had once done with her. But that was ages ago, when he was the most powerful and the strongest. "Are you here to gloat?" He said.
"Gloat? What do you take me for? I'm merely suprised to see that the man I feared is now less than a roach in front of me."
"So what?"
"Do you know what I like to do with roaches?" She bent down until she was close to him and her nose, turned up in disgust. "I like to squash them under my feet, filthy little creatures, until they die"
"Is that what you came to do?"
"Unfortunately, no. It isn't as though you'd die"
"Do it, so I'll die"
She chuckled at what he said. "You beg for death every day but yet, your spirit still fights to be alive."
Was she right? Was that the reason he had yet to leave this situation? Was a part of him longing to live?
"If you wanted to die, you could have let yourself go but, you don't want to. Why?" She continued.
He smiled as he heard her talk. So this was why she had come, to ask him why he had not yet died. To ask him why he had not yet let go.
"You seek an answer that I do not know of "
"Is it revenge you seek?"
"No"
"Then what else do you possibly want?"
"Why are you so curious? Why do you want me to let go so soon? Why are you in haste?" He titled his head as he tried to piece everything together. There was surely a reason why she had come, after many years.
Many years?
His eyes widened as he realized what was going on.
"I do not know what you speak of" She muttered.
"By chance, has a thousand years passed?"
She took a step back and almost tripped on the ground "I have no idea of what you speak of."
"Liar" He whispered. "You reek of lies."
He released a laugh, his head going backwards. So this was what the goddess had meant by; after his thousand years of torment, only he would be able to free himself.
So, he had been torturing himself longer than was needed? When he could have left?
He breathed in once again and for the first time, the chains didn't go tighter. Once he had realized he was free, the punishment had stopped.
He turned his head to look at her and her pale skin, was now ashen, drained of all its blood.
"You smell of fear." He whispered.
She took a step back and began chanting quickly, to summon a portal to escape but nothing happened. "My magic! What has happened to my magic?!" She shouted as she kept chanting and nothing happened.
"It seems they've thrown you to the wolves. You are the sacrificial lamb for slaughter."
She released a scream as she ran away from him. "I still have enough power, I'm stronger than you. I've grown stronger over the years while you've been locked up, I'll kill you!!" She said desperately.
He chuckled as she heard her ramble. "Then why do you run? If you are strong, why do you fear?"
He shook his body, and the chains wrapped around him, began to fall like water until he was totally freed. He stood up slowly, with the little strength that he had.
"You know when you asked if I wanted revenge? I said no because I do not want revenge, I am not like you lowly creatures. I rather seek vengeance."
She continued to step back but his the walls of the iron cage, there was no where out for her. "Please I beg you, forgive me sire"
He walked slowly towards her, like a predator, to its prey. "I am rather hungry, I have not tasted blood asides mine in a thousand years."
She held up her hand to release fire from her hands to burn him but before she could move, he appeared in front of her in a flash and his hands was wrapped around her throat, strangling her.
"You're too slow. I have been locked up, tormented and starved and yet I am stronger than you?!" He released a laugh and threw his head back, he was truly mad.
"I beg of you, have mercy." She whispered as she struggled to breath.
His hands tightened around her neck and his gray eyes, turned dark. "An eye for an eye, that is the law of Hammurabi" he said. He opened his mouth, and his fangs elongated. He smiled madly and then plunged his teeth into her neck, sucking away her life source
She released a shrill scream, fighting and struggling for her life but it was no use. She was weak and the strong preyed on the weak. Soon her struggles reduced until she stopped and gave up her last breath.
He continued drinking until her flesh disintegrated and only her bones remained before he removed his fangs and threw her bones away.
"Filthy, filthy witch"
He stood up and released a breath of relief as his skin began to heal and regenerate. His scars began to disappear and color came back to him. He could feel the power flowing throw his blood, the strength of a king. The hunger of a starved lion.
"I am free." He said.
He began walking into the darkness with one thing in his mind, vengeance.
The news of what happened travelled all through the nine kingdoms. These kingdoms composing of the; fairies, the vampires, the werewolves, the witches, the healers, the enchanted, the demons, the mere-folks, and the mystics. The word rang that the King of Vampires had, risen.
The most powerful being was free of his thousand years of torment and he was coming for vengeance, for retribution.
Fear filled the air, terror clouded the mind of every creature.
Who will die next? Who will be slain? Who will perish?
The prophesy had began to unfold, the queen of vampires will soon come to light and the great war will begin.
The leaders of each kingdoms all arose and, gathered to discuss on how the prophesy will be stopped, on how it could be manipulated. But, It was too late to stop it, everything was predestined. No man or being, neither wise nor foolish could prevent it.
The dead will rise, blood will flow, time will stop and the world will go up in flames.