Trapped in the dark cage, Royce boiled with fury and frustration. The prison was built to keep him in, with no way out and darkness everywhere. Royce felt hopeless, but he refused to give up.As he sat there, thinking of escape, he heard Selena's voice outside. "Release the other soldiers," she ordered her guards, "but keep the mortal locked up."Royce's anger boiled over at the injustice of it all. "I won't stay here," he muttered to himself, his voice filled with determination. He scanned the cage for any weak spots, anyway, he could break free of. But as he searched, he couldn't find any escape route.Royce pounded on the bars of the cage, his frustration boiling over as he overheard his soldiers being led out, their hands bound behind their backs. "Let me out of here!" he shouted, his voice echoing off the walls of the prison. "Or you'll face my wrath!"But his pleas fell on deaf ears. A soldier approached, his expression stern as he kicked the cage with his boot. "Quiet down, you
As the festival of the goddess got closer, the whole city was full of excitement. It was an important time to honor the goddess of the moon, and they planned to build a huge statue for the celebration. This statue was so big that even ten skilled builders would have found it tough to finish quickly.The supervisor, a huge man with serious eyes and a booming voice, gave Royce the tools he needed. His large hands and deep lines on his forehead showed he had worked hard for many years and had little patience for mistakes. “You must finish this, Royce,” he said firmly. “Do it fast and without mistakes, or you will feel the whip.”A taskmaster, thin and quick with icy, sharp eyes, was put in charge of making sure Royce did everything perfectly. “Any mistake, and this,” he said as he cracked a whip in the air, “will remind you to do better.”Royce was scared but tried not to show it. He nodded and said, “I understand,” trying to keep his voice steady.The first job was to get the materials n
As the flames burned the statue, Selena rose from her throne, her eyes burning with fury. "Guards, find out where that fire came from!" she commanded, her voice commanding.The guards sprang into action, rushing to investigate the source of the fire. As they investigated, what they saw made them afraid. Before them stood Grimnar's army, very, very much and large. It was as if Grimnar had summoned an entire army from nowhere to challenge Selena."By the gods," one of the foot soldiers gasped, his voice trembling with fear. "It's Grimnar's army. How did they get here?"“Lock the gates!”Selena commanded, the gate guards, wide-eyed, hurried to obey, pulling the heavy gates shut with a resounding clang.The chief commanding officer of Selena's army, named Commander Verek, immediately recognized the threat posed by Grimnar. He knew that Grimnar had come for revenge and possibly for Royce.“Secure the prisoner!” Commander Verek shouted to his men. “Take Royce and lock him up. We can't let Gri
Grimnar struggled to his feet, his eyes burning with anger. Selena moved towards him, standing over him with a sword in hand. "I've always waited for this moment," she said, her face speaking of victory in her eyes. "The feared and powerful Grimnar is right here at my feet," she laughed.Immediately, without any Delay, Selena raised the sword, aiming to strike Grimnar and end the confrontation once and for all. But Grimnar, despite his weakness. In a surprising display of strength, he swept Selena off her feet, sending her crashing to the ground.Grimnar unleashed a surge of dark energy from his dark blade, sending Selena crashing to the ground. She struggled to rise but couldn't. Her guards rushed to help, but Grimnar effortlessly kicked them aside, causing chaos in Selena's palace.After defeating the guards, Grimnar seized the sword from Selena's hand. "Your head will be a trophy in my land," he declared grimly. "Today, you will pay for your crimes."With a swift motion, he swung t
After it appeared that Royce and Grimnar had been burnt, Selene commanded that their bodies be thrown into the river. The soldiers quickly obeyed, lifting the bodies.As they approached the riverbank, the rushing water sounded loud against the quiet of the evening. One of the soldiers, breathing heavily from the effort, grunted to his companion, "Let's do this quick please."Together, they swung the bodies into the flowing river. The water splashed noisily, swallowing up Royce and Grimnar, carrying them away with its current.Aethon hurried to the river where he thought Royce and Grimnar were dead. The river was cold and moving fast. Aethon looked around and found Royce's body. He quickly pulled Royce out of the water but left Grimnar because he thought he was too far gone.Carrying Royce on his shoulder, Aethon returned to his hidden shelter deep in the forest. The shelter was dim and had lots of herbs and tools for healing.He laid Royce on a bed made of old blankets and started tre
Aethon grabbed Royce's hands tightly, insisting they needed to go somewhere. "Come on," he urged.Royce hesitated, folding his arms defensively. "Where to now? I've had enough of these adventures," he grumbled.Aethon sighed, realizing Royce's reluctance. "You don't get it. That fruit you ate? It's more than… just a fruit," he explained, his tone serious. "Five hundred years back, a priest named Alaric planted a special tree called the Tree of Souls. It was supposed to let people talk to their dead loved ones. But things went bad. Mortals started abusing it, calling in bad spirits and causing chaos. Alaric cursed the tree to stop the madness, making its fruit taste terrible. But you, Royce, found it sweet."Royce listened closely as Aethon went on, "The bug that got in your eye? It's called the Seti. When someone eats from the Tree of Souls, the Seti shows up, cleaning their eyes so they can see into the spirit world. That's why you saw me."Royce's eyes widened. "That explains a lot,
"Master, you have a visitor," a demon said as he entered the room.Silence.Grimnar kept enjoying his bath in the big, green hot water tub. The water glowed green and steam filled the room, making it warm and foggy.Some guards stood around him, quietly fanning him with big, old-fashioned fans."Master, you aren't responding. I said—" the demon started, but Grimnar cut him off."Are you out of your mind?" Grimnar snapped."I heard you for the first time. I don't need visitors right now. I need some time to myself," Grimnar said as he sank deeper into the green water."But... but sire, it's urgent," the demon insisted, crossing his arms. He lowered his head and added, "It's a visitor from the East.""Tell them the great Grimnar doesn't accept visitors from the East," Grimnar commanded as he twisted around in the water."Alright, sire, I got your message," the demon said quickly and dashed out of the room respectfully. The room fell silent again.Breaking the silence, a tall and huge be
Aethon told Royce, "Now, it's time to learn how to fight."Royce stood up straight, looking like a soldier ready for battle.Aethon held Royce's hand firmly, his voice determined. "Come, there's somewhere important I need to take you to," he insisted."I can see you're already strong," Aethon observed, giving Royce's chest a firm pat.As they neared their destination, Royce's eyes widened at the sight of a building shaped like a giant sword. The sword radiated from the sunlight, with sharp edges pointing towards the sky.Royce, eager to proceed, rushed forward, but Aethon quickly stopped him."Hey, take it easy," Aethon cautioned, gently pulling Royce back towards him. "You can't just rush into this place."He continued, his tone serious, "There are fierce gatekeepers here. They wouldn't hesitate to behead you without a word." Aethon's voice dropped to a whisper.Royce's eyes shrunk as he looked at the building shaped like a sword. He wasn't scared, even though Aethon had mentioned th