Chapter 1: The Fall of Alaric

A mist hung over the valley, shrouding the remnants of battle. Broken armor and scattered weapons lay strewn across the blood-soaked ground, half-swallowed by the cursed chasm that split the earth. Alaric stood at the edge, gazing into the abyss, his body worn and bloodied from the clash he had only just won. The heavy taste of iron filled his mouth, and the chill of the valley

seeped through his battered armor.

Around him, soldiers from his own forces closed in, their weapons drawn and faces obscured. Once, he had commanded them. Now, they raised their blades against him.

"This is treason," Alaric growled, his voice laced with both anger and exhaustion. What is the meaning of this?"

From behind the soldiers, a figure emerged: Lord Raith, a noble who had once flattered and fawned over him in court. The man's smirk twisted with satisfaction, his gaze cold and triumphant.

Meaning? Raith sneered, taking a step closer. "Did you think your rise would go unchallenged? The king grows... nervous. You've won too many battles, Alaric, gained too much influence. The nobles agree it's time you stepped down... permanently."

Alaric's hand instinctively reachedfor his sword, but he knew it would be no use. Exhausted, outnumbered, and wounded, his sharp mind quickly assessed the situation. He could not escape.

You call yourselves noble," he spat, "yet you betray a man who defended your lands, saved your families. You condemn me for doing what none of you had the spine to do!"

Raith's smile widened, his eyes gleaming with malice. "The kingdom has no place for a commoner who thinks he can challenge the throne."

With a wave of Raith's hand, the soldiers advanced. They forced Alaric closer to the chasm's edge, their eyes cold and unyielding. Therewould be no mercy.

"You think killing me will end this?" Alaric snarled, holding his ground with defiance that no mere blade could shatter. "Even in death, I will haunt you."

Raith's smirk faded, but only for a moment. He nodded to the nearest soldier, who struck Alaric across the chest, sending him stumbling backward. His heels caught on the edge, and as he fell, the last thing he saw was Raith's face twisted into a smug grin.

Then, darkness swallowed him.

Descent into Darkness

Alaric awoke in suffocating darkness. He couldn't feel his body- only an overwhelming sensation of weightlessness, as if he were floating in a boundless void. Faint whispers echoed around him, like shadows moving through the dark.

"Where am I...?" he murmured, his voice swallowed by the vast emptiness. He tried to reach out, to feel his hands, his arms-anything. But there was nothing.

And then he felt it: a presence, ancient and malignant, pressing into his mind. Its voice was like stone scraping over metal, a sinister whisper that twisted through his thoughts.