A man with an imposing figure and an air of mystery walked through the night streets of Darkwood, enveloped by the darkness that seemed to be his constant shadow. His face was hidden by an intricate black mask, whose sinister design revealed a demonic smile that seemed to mock all existence.
The mask, made of a material that reflected starlight as if it were carved wood, seemed to have been created to inspire fear. The smile painted on it seemed to move.
The man moved with silent steps, as if his boots didn't touch the ground. His presence was almost imperceptible,
"Now that that sinister woman was out of town, he might have the opportunity to seek what he had been longing for," the thought ran through his mind.
With silent and extremely fast steps, as if he were crossing hundreds of meters with every movement of his feet, the man moved through the city, his presence almost imperceptible.
Now that that sinister woman was out of town, he could have the opportunity to seek out what he had been longing for. His thoughts were pure excitement, as he knew it would be the best opportunity in a long time.
His gaze went to the shadows, as if looking for something or someone. His mask seemed to glow in the darkness, like a warning beacon.
"I'm close," he whispered to himself. "Very close."
Taking a few more steps, he found himself in front of an oriental restaurant.
— So, here you are... — murmured the mysterious man, his eyes glowing in a violet light.
Placing his hands together in the shape of a shell, he began to channel a mysterious energy. All the light around him seemed to be spiraling towards that point.
As he stretched out his arms, the energy was released towards the restaurant, being swallowed up by a wave of intense, pulsating light. The air around the restaurant began to distort, as if an invisible barrier was forming.
The barrier, known as the "Khronos Field", was an almost impenetrable wall of energy that isolated the restaurant from the rest of the world, time would even pass differently within it, few things in the world could force their way in or out of it while the barrier was active, ensuring that what happened in the restaurant remained a secret.
The restaurant was now completely isolated, the mysterious man had created a separate space where the rules of the outside world didn't apply.
In the restaurant whose sign read "Golden Dragon", the atmosphere was tense as customers argued eagerly and the staff, used to the restaurant's quiet atmosphere, looked at each other with concern.
— We're all trapped — shouted one customer — what are we going to do?
— This doesn't look good — hey, call old Tanaka right away, we need an explanation! Someone spoke Loudly in the background
Suddenly, the door of the restaurant opened and Tanaka, the owner of the Golden Dragon, walked in with an imposing presence. His serious and determined face contrasted with the atmosphere of panic that reigned in the room.
— Silence! — ordered Tanaka, his voice firm and authoritative.
The customers and staff instantly fell silent, looking at him with a mixture of expectation and fear.
— This barrier... Is it your work, Mr. Tanaka? — a blonde woman in a luxurious suit asked, apparently nervous.
Tanaka denied it, nodding.
— Yes, someone very troublesome is here.
The customers began to murmur amongst themselves, some with fear, others with curiosity.
— What are we going to do? — asked no employee.
Tanaka took a deep breath.
— First, find out what he's doing...
As soon as Tanaka had finished speaking, the door to the restaurant opened and a masked man entered, his presence sinister and threatening.
— Hello, good evening everyone, I'm sorry to cause this unpleasant situation, but I'm in a hurry, so I'm asking for everyone's cooperation, otherwise I'll kill everyone here — said the man, his voice distorted by the mask.
— "Who are you? And what do you want?" asked Tanaka, his gaze firm.
— "My name is irrelevant, I'm not here to talk," replied the man. — "And answer me straight away, where is my grimoire?
The words that came out of that man made him understand the events of that night, Tanaka understood the reason for the visit.
The customers and staff looked at each other, fearing the worst. Tanaka, however, remained calm and determined.
— I know where it is, and I can hand it over as long as you release everyone else," he said.
The masked man laughed.
— "I agree," he said, "the Old Man's cooperation would save you time, so who could they ask for help if the others left? In that small space, his dominance was absolute, his confidence was unshakable since he knew that the only one who could pose a threat to him was far away and even if she got to him in time, he was still confident of escaping.
The masked man made a slight sign with his hands and the door to the restaurant opened
—Everyone but the old man, get out!
The customers quickly left.
Some employees looked at Mr. Tanaka.
— I'll be fine soon!
The employees nodded quickly and followed the customers out of the restaurant, leaving Mr. Tanaka alone with the masked man.
— Come on, what you're looking for is at the back of the restaurant," said Tanaka, leading him into the kitchen, which was just behind the reception desk, and then into a door on the right-hand side of the kitchen.
The masked man followed at a slow pace.
After entering that door there was a staircase, and as they descended the masked man said.
— I really admire your cunning, it's a shame it didn't do you any good! After waving his hand, a "Crash" sound was heard
— What was it? A sealing matrix? Surely something that could threaten my life wouldn't be so easily rendered useless?" he asked curiously
A blue glow appeared, taking over the staircase
"A switch, which you just flicked." Mr. Tanaka replied, smiling as he disappeared from sight.
— Teleportation…
However, when he saw that Tanaka was no longer with him in the blink of eyes, the man thought that he had escaped through the matrix, but when he looked around, that place was not where he was before, it was not the old man who had been moved, but him.
What is that place?
The masked man looked around, confused and disoriented. He was in an immense coliseum, with stone walls and a vaulted ceiling that seemed to stretch to the sky. The air was charged with the smell of blood and sweat.
— Ah! Damn! It's daylight in here! How far did I get?
Suddenly, a deafening roar echoed through the coliseum, making the masked man shiver. He looked up and saw a gigantic creature approaching him.
The creature was a colossal monster, with coal-black scales and red eyes that glowed like coals. Its huge wings stretched across the entire coliseum, blocking out the sunlight.
In a flash of time, no more than a few seconds, the creature expelled a torrent of devastating flames towards the masked man. Desperate, he tried to summon his magic to defend himself, but to his horror, he discovered that it had been completely overwhelmed by the fire before it had even taken shape.
Unable to react, the flames engulfed him, consuming him completely. In an instant, the masked man ceased to exist, reduced to nothing more than a handful of ashes scattered on the floor of the coliseum.
The silence that followed was oppressive, broken only by the sound of the flames that still licked the air. The creature, satisfied with its victory, raised its head and roared triumphantly, while the Master of the Colosseum watched the scene with a grim smile.
— A Lich! If he gets powerful one day, maybe he'll give me quite a show...
Somewhere in what seemed to be a crypt in an apparently abandoned cemetery, a cold, greenish light began to shine. The air was charged with the smell of death.
In the center of the crypt, a black stone sarcophagus began to shake. The lid opened with a scraping sound, and a figure began to rise from the depths of the coffin.
The dark magic surrounding him began to intensify, and the air around him began to distort. The Lich took a deep breath, and his essence began to restore itself.
He stood up fully, looking around him with a cold, calculating gaze. His face was paler than ever, and his eyes shone with a sinister light.
— I... I'm back," he said, his voice low and hoarse.
The Lich began to move, his dark magic spreading through the cemetery. The stones began to shake, and the trees bowed as if surrendering to his power.
— Just wait, you bastards! — he said. — my revenge will be terrible, or my name is not Salazar, the witch king