The True Purpose of One Sad Death

Prologue: A Tragic End
         The war of the two powerful kingdoms had claimed many lives, to the north, a powerful kingdom full of grand mages, awe inspiring magicians, and dark sorcerers, and to the south, a kingdom of sheer might, full of great paladins, zealous knights, and organized lords. The two had been fighting for a very long time, three rulers have lived and died over its course, now King Lithran and Grand Enchantress Lynra hoped to end the conflict, and this negotiation attempt counted on the success of a soldier on his mission, a mission that would never be fulfilled.
A young man walked down an old dirt road, drenched by the rain that chilled him to the bone, but the soldier had his duties, and his was to make his way to secret camp. His clothes were soaked, his body ached and squeaked with every move he made, his breath was slowing, he didn't have much longer, he didn't want it to end here, but he had little choice in the matter of fate. He was a candle that fought the wind for as long as possible, but couldn't fare the powerful storm any longer, a flame died that cold, dark night, and so did the hope of peace between the two kingdoms.
Falling to his knees, his eyes closed, never to open again, he slipped into his eternal sleep. A strong wind blew his poor corpse to the ground, leaving him to lie in a deep puddle of mud, destroying the most important letter he had ever carried.
Over the course of the next few weeks the fighting had increased drastically, King Lithran's armies were being pushed back by the mages, and the body of the young messenger was found put into a proper burial by fire, a service that the mages saw as something necessary for a casualty caused by accident.
The young man laid still, arms crossed, atop a pyre, slowly being consumed by blue flames. Though something unexpected happened, when the fire touched the man's skin it crackled and sizzled, unable to burn his body. Some other power was preserving his remains, something had plans for him, and needed his body to be usable upon his soul's return.





Chapter 1: Revival in Fire

The young man awoke surrounded by the blue flames with a gasp, he felt the heat and tried to get out, falling to the ground, scared and in an unknown place.
"Young man, may I please have your name, who are you?" An older woman looked down at him, she carried herself with great pride, and was rather intimidating.
"M...my name, my name is.... I..I don't know my name," he looked up at the woman, quickly standing up with a bow, "if you do not mind my asking, what is going on, what happened, and why was I in the flames?"
"Well, if you do not remember anything, then you are now a threat, at the moment," she watched him stand and listened to him speak, "before I tell you more, allow me to introduce myself, I am enchantress Morgan, head of the western mage army, and now about your situation. We were giving you a proper burial by fire, we had found your dead body, or what we thought was dead, lying in the mud on a road, so we brought you to our camp for said burial."
"A...a burial, d...dead, do you mean to say that I came back from death, but I remember dreaming," he put his head on his head, "my head hurts."
"You should rest, you have a lot to take in, and a lot to explain, when you wake up," Morgan brought the young man to a tent for rest, she might have been surprised, or even awed, but nobody would have known. For the next few hours the man slept, his eyes darting back and forth, he was dreaming so intensely, the enchantress was fascinated by it, so she watched him. She wanted to know everything about his dreams, and soon would, as he awoke she gave him a glass of water. "Drink this, it should help you some, now, please, tell me of these dreams you experienced."
"Well, I remember walking through a burning field, bodies everywhere, then a light parted the smoke in the skies, and a man came down, while another came from the flames, they spoke at the same time, saying the exact same thing, like they had one voice for two bodies. I was unable to understand their words, but I seemed to know exactly what to do, they trained me in the use of a weapon, it wasn't like anything I had ever seen before, it seemed to harness the power of light and dark. The last thing I remember was their parting words, 'this weapon is yours, the responsibility is in your hands to choose how it takes shape, how it grows, how it lives, and how it will be used,' then they disappeared. After that I stood in front of a temple, somewhere, the place was dark, I felt little light touch there, but I do know where it is, may I see a map?"
"Yes you may, come with me," Morgan lead the mystery man to a table and had someone bring in a map, "point to the location."
"It is there," he pointed to a dark area on them map.
"That is Lovers Rest swamp, a place said to be cursed by a maiden who was betrayed by her lover, while he took refuge there, it is dark, and deadly, but this is quite interesting, I will accompany you to the place to ensure that you are safe," Morgan smiled for the first time in a very long time, she was excited about this strange occurrence and wanted to know all about it, "we can head out today, just give me some time." Morgan left the tent, still smiling, to go get a few items for the journey.
The man was rather confused, he waited for Morgan to return before he asked her a question, "excuse me, may I bathe myself before we leave, I feel grimy." She nodded and had someone lead him to a small river, the guard turned his back so that he could bathe in partial privacy. He removed his clothes and looked at his body, before the dream, and his death, his body was lithe, not even strong enough to wear a proper set of armor, but it seems the dream had altered him, his body was now strong, his muscles were more defined, he had a chest and shoulders that looked like they could actually carry something, and he liked a certain upgrade that he had gotten, it was an upgrade that would be more fun in the future, for sure. Despite the new muscles, he was still rather small in stature, standing only five foot seven, he was normally described with words like cute and adorable instead of manly and strong, and he hated it, except when the person saying it is saying it to his face, maybe in a tavern. He felt weird, he remembered things of his old life, but mainly the memories that did not show where he was from, or whom he used to be.
He began to wash himself, getting the grime off of his body, he would need new clothes, which he didn't see before, but it seems the guard had brought him some, if the guard bought him clothes, he really hoped that the guard didn't watch him undress. He threw the thought out of his mind and went back to cleaning himself, finishing after thirty minutes, quickly redressing, he went to the guard and looked at him, the guard was a towering man, he was a good foot taller than the young man, and wore armor, he didn't look like a mage, but he didn't question.
"Are you ready to return to enchantress Morgan, she is undoubtedly waiting for you," the guard had a deep and calming voice.
"Y...yes, I am ready to go, did, you, um, bring me the new clothes?"
"If you are asking, no, I did not look at you disrobed, it would be rude, I rather not come off as such, but come now, I will be going with you and enchantress Morgan into the swamps, so we can talk more later," the guard lead the young man back to camp, and to Morgan, she was still smiling.
"I am glad that you are ready to head out now, and you should have everything that you need, being you don't have a lot at the moment," Morgan hopped atop a horse, two more stood beside her, one for the guard, and one for the young man. They all headed out after that quick welcome back.


Chapter 2: Into the Swamps

The guard rode at the head of the group, Morgan behind him with the young man riding next to her.
"So, if you do not remember your name, is there something that you would like to be called, until we find out whom you really are?" Morgan smiled at him.
"Well, if given the choice, I would like to at least have a simple name, how about," he thought for a moment, "how about Castor." He smiled, "I like the sound of that."
"Then we shall call you Castor for the time being," Morgan smiled, and looked around.
"If introductions are to be had, I am Krain, Dusk Born knight," Krain looked back at the two, Castor still hadn't seen his face, it was strange.
"A Dusk Born knight, what is that?" Castor looked at him partly confused.
"Dusk Born knights are an order knights that are quite adept in the use of magic and blade..." Morgan was about to continue speaking when Krain cut her off.
"We are an order that is sadly dying out because of this war, we fall on the field of battle faster than we are able to recruit more to our ranks, we used to be a great force, around to protect all of this land, but when the southern kingdom attacked, they grouped our order along with the mage kingdom, they declared war on us all that use magic," Krain sighed, "we will be in the swamps soon, maybe another hour, be careful, and stay close to Morgan and I so we can keep you safe."
The three got off of their horses once they reached the edge of the swamps, Krain went in first, the other two right behind him.
"Judging where you pointed on the map, it will take about a day for us to reach the center of the swamps, I had been to the temple that you described, it was sealed back then, so do not keep your hopes too high," Krain gave Castor a quick glance.
"Okay," Castor smiled, he was rather interested to see what this temple looked like. They continued to walk all the rest of the day, and halfway through the night, eventually making it to the temple at dawnbreak.
The temple seemed rather small, it had to life sized statues, Castor instantly recognized them it was the two men from his dream, this was definitely the place. Unlike what Krain had said, the temple door was open, it opened to a small room that help a set of stairs that seemed to go down into the ground forever.
"It is rather dark down there, allow me to go down first, follow behind me, we do not know what may be down there," Krain lite his hand ablaze for light as he began to walk down into the depths, Castor and Morgan walked right behind him.
"This is absolutely fascinating, this art, it seems to be from a time long before the two kingdoms divided from one, maybe from even before the first kingdom, I do hope that I will get to come back someday," Morgan's eyes seemed to glitter as she looked at everything.
After about thirty minutes the group arrived in a large room, the room seemed to suddenly light up, it looked at though it was lit with the light of the sun, and the light of something dark, the sides corresponded to the two statues at the front, art on the walls told about the two men, one entity with two bodies, a body of light, and a body of dark. At the center of the room was the weapon, but it did not look as Castor had remembered.
"The weapon, this was it, but is missing something, it is missing the chain," Castor looked at it, wondering why it wasn't whole.
"Let me see," Morgan walked over to the pedestal that the blade sat on, "ah, here is an inscription, give me a moment to read it." Morgan studied the old and worn text, "let me read it aloud, here lies the weapon of two bodies, one entity that can be shaped by its wielder, the weapon will become a part of your being if you allow it to take form with your soul." She thought for a moment, "I guess you have to touch it my dear."
"A guess, that is reassuring," Castor took a deep breath and put his hand on the blade, it seemed to glow, causing a blinding light, when the light was gone, the weapon had disappeared, "w...what happened, did I do something wrong?"
"No dear, you did it right, as the inscription said, the blade will take form with your soul, it is now a part of you, let's see, why don't you try to imagine the weapon in your hand?" Castor gave Morgan a nod and closed his eyes, holding a hand out. Within seconds the blade formed from nothing.
"It worked, the weapon!"
"I see that you will likely still need practice with this weapon, you mind may know what to do, but your body will need to get used to the movements, let us return to the camp now, so that we are not missed," Krain began to walk back up the stairs, Morgan followed him.
This was something rather strange to Castor, he felt so familiar with this weapon, but he had never actually touched it, he stared at it for a bit, but then looked up to run after Morgan and Krain. This was the start of something rather large, and he seemed to be at the head of it.


Chapter 3: The Corruption has taken the King

It seemed to take less time to return to the camp than it did to go out, but when they got within earshot they heard something, and it wasn't the sounds of the camp they had left behind.
"You two, stay here, it seems far too quiet, and I wouldn't want you two to get hurt," Krain looked at Morgan and Castor, they nodded and waited for him to go ahead. He went towards the camp, but stayed quiet, upon his return, the air about him seemed heavy, and sad, "everyone is dead, it seems that the camp was attacked last night."
"Did you see any sign of my daughter?" Morgan's smile disappeared.
"No, I did not see any sign of her, she may not be a master of the art like you, but Grace is a smart girl, don't worry about her," Krain did his best to reassure the old woman. Krain heard something and drew his sword, "show yourself."
"Please don't point your weapon at me," a younger woman that looked a lot like Morgan stepped out of the brush, Morgan ran and hugged the girl.
"You are safe my dear, please, tell me what happened."
"Well, mother, I was studying last night, as I always do, when I started to hear fighting. I went out to see what was happening, but what I saw, it was the army we pushed back, but they seemed altered, they weren't even affected by our magic. I ran as fast as I could, it was horrible," Grace began to cry into her mother's shoulder.
"It is okay my dear, you are safe now," Morgan pet Grace's long black hair.
"Krain, they apparently didn't stop at us, they must have continued after they defeated the army, we should find a way that will take us far away from the army, we stand no chance with our current state and numbers, four people against hundreds, it would be a death sentence."
"I agree, come, we must follow them to see where they camped, then bring the information to the Grand Enchantress."
"I believe I might be able to learn something if we study the ruins, maybe something more about the ancient weapon, you two go on ahead, Grace and I will study the temple in the swamps." Krain nodded, understanding that Grace couldn't do much to defend herself at the moment, and the temple would be far safer for the two of them.
"Come Castor, we shall go on ahead," Krain began to walk, hoping Morgan and Grace the best of luck, he truly didn't want them to die.
Krain and Castor traveled for a few hours on foot, it was dark when they decided to make camp, Krain set most of everything up, leaving Castor a lot of time to think, when he finished setting up their little camp, he questioned Castor about something.
"So, Castor, I must ask, how do you view magic, do you see it as something to be feared, or respected?"
"Well, I would have to say it is something to be respected, not feared," Castor seemed a bit confused at what Krain was getting at.
"So," Krain removed his helmet, he was a blonde with gorgeous purple eyes, "do you think that it is something worth fighting for?"
"Y...yes, I do," Castor began to blush, seeing the face that came with Krain's deep, soothing voice calmed him.
"What do you think of me then?" Krain removed his chest piece, his strong chest was littered with scars, but one stood out, it went from his left shoulder and down to the lower part of his abdomen. Krain moved closer to Castor, he was making it clear that he liked the young male.
"W...well, I don't know what to think, you are clearly strong, and handsome, and..." Krain touched Castor's hand, deepening his blush.
"I would like to be able to protect you, when I first saw you, I thought it was a shame that your life was wasted, but when you returned from your sleep, I had to have you. Not allow you to slip away from this world again, I had to keep you safe," Krain looked away, feeling that he just crossed the line.
"Krain, I...I don't know what to say, I mean, I barely know you, I barely know myself. But, ask again in a few days, and you will have your answer. I just need time to think, this is all so much for me, but please don't think that I am rejecting you. I just don't know enough about what I want to give you a truthful answer," Castor looked away, he wanted to say yes, but he couldn't, not yet.
"That is how you truly feel, and that is all I hoped to hear," Krain smiled and ruffled Castor's hair. Krain's words relieved Castor, it made him feel better, he knew when he found out a bit more about himself, he would tell the knight yes. Krain stood and bowed, "you should rest, I will watch out for anything that may cause harm to you, and don't fret over me needing rest. I have gone on for far longer than two days," he grabbed his blade and stood guard, Castor knew he wouldn't be able to change Krain's mind, so he laid down and slowly drifted off.


Chapter 4: Realm of Dreams
         
Castor opened his eyes in a world completely different from the world he fell asleep in. The world was dark, yet he felt a blinding light, he heard howling winds, but felt a warm summer breeze. He blinked, and then was in a city, the deep purple city was full of noises, sounds of people all around him, but there was nobody. As he walked, he closed his eyes again, opening them to a see people walking all around him, talking, laughing, fighting, but not a single sound. He continued through the crowds, feeling like he was being watched, something ominous, this place made Castor's stomach churn and his skin crawl, it all felt so wrong. Castor soon made it to a large open area, a man sat in the middle, he wore an elegant looking outfit with gems and gold. He gave Castor a smile, and a feeling of unease. His voice was strange, high pitched, but deep, and his words flowed with a way that made every sentence sound like the ravings of a mad man.
"Welcome to the realm of dreams, it is your first time being on my side of the fun, courtesy of that sweet little toy you got from mister dark and mister light," the man stood, walked over to Castor and bowed, "my name, well, my name is irrelevant. You may call me the Dreamer, I live in every dream there ever is, was, or will be."
"What do you mean, is, was, or will be?" Castor looked at the man.
"Well, I am the one who makes the dream, I give them the image, make their dreams feel real, it is quite a bit of fun, to give them their deepest desires, or torment them with their greatest fears. I do it all, from this wondrous little world, well it is actually quite huge, when I want it to be," the Dreamer laughed.
"Why does this place seem to contradict itself, silence in crowds, the bustle of life when there is no one to be heard?"
"Because, for every dream, there is an opposite, and as you walk, the side you see, and the side you hear, will change. Why you ask, well, I will tell you the answer, because it is so much more fun when you do it that way, especially with the nightmares," he smiled and leaned close to Castor. "It appears our time together is running short, but, next time you sleep, we will meet."
Castor looked at him, then closed his eyes, when they reopened he was back in front of the campfire and the sun was rising, but that dream, it felt so very real.


Chapter 5: Making Friends

         The sun shined brightly through the trees onto Castor's face, with a yawn and a stretch, the young man was back on his feet, the only problem facing him now, was he hadn't eaten in two days.
"I see that you are finally away, good to see it, are you ready to go forward, we have little time to waste?" Krain gave Castor a smile as he stood, Krain was far too accustomed to living on less, Castor on the other hand, wasn't, the only reason he hadn't noticed it yesterday was because of all the new information being thrown at him.
"Krain, do you not eat, I am starving," Castor's stomach growled loudly, "see, I can't travel on nothing."
"Okay, well, I will see if I can get you something to eat," with a quick chuckle Krain was off to look for a meal. He soon came back with a small hog and a smile, "is this enough for you, I can go get something else if you like?"
"No, no, that is enough, I am a small guy, I don't eat a lot," Castor smiled at him, "I can cook it if you don't know how."
"I know how to cook, I usually eat what I cook, I don't want others to burden themselves with my needs," Krain began to cook the food he brought, the only thought going through Castor's mind at the moment was five simple words, 'why is he so hot?!' Castor watched him cook, it was nice to have someone else making food for him, "there we go, all cooked, I do hope you like it Castor."
"Thank you Krain," Castor took the food he was given, and took a bite, he loved it, he hadn't had hog in a while, so it was a treat for him. It didn't take Castor long to finish it, when he did finish, he stood up and smiled, "well, I am ready to go now."
"Then lets, as I said before, there is little time to waste," Krain put his armor back on and began to walk, Castor walking next to him, "so, Castor, what do you plan to do once we get the the capital?"
"Well, I don't know, sleep, eat, think," Castor looked at Krain, it was hard to imagine the guy without the armor that he saw last night, was the same man in the armor, he seemed so different. In the armor Krain was far more driven to his goal, he was a true warrior when he was in it, but without it, Krain became soft, gentle, caring, Krain was a lover without his armor. This fact drew Castor to Krain, it made him feel secure, he almost didn't want to leave Krain's side because he felt that if he did, he would no longer be safe.
"You okay, you seem to have spaced out?" Krain gave Castor a slight nudge, knocking him out of his little world of thought.
"Wh...what, oh, yeah, I spaced out for a second," he smiled at Krain.
"Well, I am glad you are still here, at least now, because I don't want you out of it if we get ambushed" Krain smiled as the two of them continued to walk. They walked down the forest path for a few hours, chatting about simple things, until Krain stopped Castor in his tracks, "someone is here with us, prepare yourself." Castor brought his weapon into his hand, the hook like weapon swung back and forth above the ground, Krain drew his weapon, coating it in a blue flame. A woman walked out of the woods, she wasn't the most properly dressed, but covered her, sensitive areas.
"Well, what do we have here, two strapping young men to play with," the brunette licked her lips and raised her hand, which bore metal claws, "bring me the big one boys, you can have the little one."
"Well, I guess we can't be civil about this," Krain made another blue flame in his left hand throwing it at a bandit as he jumped out of the bushes. Another man jumped out, going at Castor, the young boy spun around letting out spectral chain, his weapon swinging and piercing his attacker in the side. Castor was in awe at how he had just did that without even thinking, but in horror, he had never killed another man before. The two men fought another five people before Krain pinned the woman down.
"I concede, you win, I lose, no need for anymore blood to be spilt, heh," the woman, that seemed more like a girl now, stared up at Krain.
"So, you wish to be civil now, good," Krain put his weapon away, but kept an eye on the girl, "who are you?"
"My name is Raven," Raven looked down at the ground, she seemed upset, now seeing that, even though it had been fun before, this thing she that she saw as a game, got people killed. As she thought, she looked at Castor, "um, your friend doesn't look so go..."
Before she was able to finish her sentence, Castor began to puke, Krain quickly rushed over to his young friend and rubbed his back.
"Castor, are you okay, I am guessing this is your first time actually ever killing a person," Krain removed his helmet as he did his best to make Castor feel better, rubbing his back until he stopped throwing up.
"I never thought that I would feel this horrible, I...I actually ended someone's life, h...how do you live with it?" Castor whipped his mouth as he panted.
"How do I live with it, I think of what those men, or women would have done to another human if I had not stopped them, but it is difficult at first, you will get used to it, in time," Krain stood and looked down at Castor, offering a hand, Castor took it.
"I...I am sorry for causing you trouble, but if you wouldn't mind, I would like to go with you, to make up for what I did. I may not be the best in combat, but I can pick just about any lock, help you get into places," Raven walked over, rubbing her arm. Krain looked down at Castor.
"It is up to the young man, not me."
"If you wish to help us, I will gladly accept the help, winning a war will take more than four people," Castor smiled at the girl, getting a nervous smile back from her, "let's get going, we have quite a bit of ground to cover."
The three began to walk, Raven sat in the back of the group, staying quiet, while Krain continued to talk to Castor. After about thirty minutes, the three of them heard fighting, and ran to see what was going on. There was a young knight in the center of four other knights. The four knights seemed different different, a purple haze seemed to float from their bodies, and their eyes glowed from the inside of their armor.
"Oh, hey, how you doing, if you three nice people could help me out of this mess, I would be ever so grateful," the young man turned his head to the group with a smile, some of his red hair played with his green eyes.
Krain drew his weapon and went to help, Castor and Raven did their best, but weren't strong enough to take down the corrupted knights. After a few minutes, they had taken down the four enemies. The young, redheaded knight smiled, and put his weapon in a sheath on his back.
"I thank you for your help, my name is Elrick. I was on my way down the road, when I was jumped by those things. If you all hadn't came alone, I probably wouldn't have lasted too long," Elrick walked over to Castor, and kissed his hand, "and I am glad a young man such a yourself came along to help." He smiled as Krain growled at him.
"Elrick, are you okay, I heard fighting..." another young man appeared from the brush, his voice trailed off as he saw Raven. The young man walked over to the young girl and removed his coat, "you will freeze in this weather if you don't dress warmly." He looked a lot like Elrick, but his hair and eyes were brown.
"Conner, I see my dear little brother finally showed up to help, but you seem to more interested in other things," the redhead laughed and went over to his brother and put a hand on his shoulder, "you are real smooth." His comment made Conner blush, he was trying to be kind, not trying to hook up with Raven.
"No, no, he is fine, I am glad someone cares," Raven leaned against Conner a bit.
"Heh, it isn't a problem at all," he rubbed the back of his neck with a smile on his face.
"Well, it seems that we may have two new members to our cause, if you two young men wish to help us," Krain, yet again, was getting straight to the point.
"Well, if I get to see this wonderful young man everyday," Elrick took Castor's hand, "I would most certainly love to help you all."
"If my brother goes with you, I will go as well," Conner smiled down at Raven, a slight blush on both of their cheeks.
"Then it is settled, you two will be joining us, but Elrick, your teasing is walking on a thin line," Krain didn't like the fact that Elrick was trying to woo Castor.
"Oh, I am no man to tease, I mean every word I say," Elrick's words got an angry growl out of Krain. Castor didn't know how to feel about two guys fighting over him, and he barely even knew either of them. In his own mind, he liked Elrick's mischievous flirting, but Krain's protective attitude towards him made him feel safe. He really hoped that he wouldn't have to choose between the two.
"Well, why don't we get to moving forward," Castor pulled away from the two dominant men with a nervous laugh, "we do have quite a bit of land to cover, and we wouldn't want Morgan and Grace to beat us to the capital, right?"
"Of course, you are the leader of the group," Elrick was the first to agree to Castor's request, which provoked another growl from Krain.
"I have to agree with you Castor, we must make haste if we hope to have any chance of ending this war," Krain walked up next to Castor, he looked down at him, wondering what he was thinking about, and who he liked more.



Chapter 6: It Took a While, But We're Here

It took four, long, argument filled days for the group to reach Frostwall, the city that bordered the northernmost region, and the warmer south, and the capital of the mage kingdom. As they stood at the gates, waiting for them to open, two familiar faces showed up, a nice old woman and her daughter.
"Morgan, Grace, you finally caught up with us," Castor went over and hugged them both with a big smile.
"It is nice to see you as well, it might had only been a few days, but it feels like it had been so much longer, and I see that you have a few new friends," Morgan went over to the group and bowed, "it is a pleasure to meet you all, I am enchantress Morgan, and this is my daughter, Grace."
"It is nice to meet you all," Grace gave the same gesture as her mother.
"Morgan, I would like you to meet, Raven, Elrick, and Conner," Castor smiled as he introduced the three that had joined them.
"Well, my brother there is too entangled in his new friend's eyes, so I will saw it is a pleasure to meet a talented woman such as yourself," Elrick gave a bow in return.
"Well, now that we are all acquainted, let's go inside," Morgan yelled up to the guard and he opened the gates, "please do follow me, I wouldn't want you all to get lost." Morgan lead everyone to the castle, she told the guards of how the group had helped her, and how they should be given the best treatment, despite them not being mages, the guard nodded, "okay, Raven, Elrick and Conner, follow this man, we will get you after reporting to the Grand Enchantress. Now, Castor and Krain, come with me, you too Grace, you had a first hand account."
The four of them walked towards the war room, they hear a softer, female voice, no doubt the Grand Enchantress, but she was talking to a deeper voice, one that they hadn't heard before. They quickly went in and saw Lynra talking with none other than king Lithran.
"Why, what are you doing here," Krain drew his blade, pointing it at the king, Morgan was far too shocked to do anything.
"Stop, Dusk Born knight, sheath your weapon," Lynra spoke softly, she wasn't demanding, and she did not yell, but her voice commanded those to listen, and listen well. Lynra was not one to fight, she had been forced into the war as she was the successor of the last Grand Enchanter. "Lithran is here, because his kingdom and his forces, are no longer his, I will allow him to explain."
"Thank you Lynra," Lithran gave the Grand Enchantress a nod of thanks before looking to the group, "as she said, my kingdom and forces are no longer mine, something dark had taken over, and I barely escaped. I made my way to one of the mage encampments on the Eastern front, and they brought me here. I am tired of this bloody conflict, but I have no power to stop it."
"What do you mean, something took over," Morgan looked at Lithran, quite confused.
"Something has taken my place, taking my form, it now rules over my forces, I barely escaped from it myself, I know not what it is, but it is deadly, and wishes to see that everyone in the land is destroyed, it corrupted the highest of knights at first, working its way down the ranks, now every soldier is like the dead, they do not care, they do not feel, they are only there to fulfill the will of the fake king."
"So, the soldiers, are no longer human?" Krain seemed a bit confused.
"Krain, I believe that their bodies are no longer their own, taken over by the darkness, but there may also be some that are no longer in a form that looks human. The darkness changing them for its purpose," Morgan tried to explain it to the knight, "do this will eventually turn them into monsters that you would never think was once a human."
"I see, thank you Morgan," Krain nodded to his friend before Lynra began to speak.
"This will be very troubling, there is no discussion with darkness, and I can feel something, in our newest ally, so please, let him speak to me," She looked at Castor.
"Well, it is quite difficult to explain, may I tell you at a different time, maybe after dinner?"
"If that is what you wish, I will wait for you, my men outside will show you to a room so that you can rest, I believe you would be itching for a real bed," Lynra smiled and left the room. Two guards lead Castor to a room, Krain stayed with Lynra to talk with her about everything that is happening out on the battlefields. A bit after Castor got settled in his room there was a knock on his door.


Chapter 7: Just Some Talking

Castor went to the door and opened it, seeing Elrick standing there, he wasn't in his armor anymore, he was now wearing a simple shirt with some loose cloth pants. Castor was a little surprised by the visit, but he didn't mind.
"Hey Elrick, is there anything that you need?" Castor gave his friend a smile and opened the door to let him in.
"Hey Castor, well, I kinda just want to talk some, if that is okay with you?" He stood, waiting to be invited in.
"Sure, come on in, it is a bit of a mess in here, I was seeing all that they had in here, which is quite a bit," Castor stepped to the side, letting the taller male into the room with him.
"Thank you Castor," Elrick smiled, stepping into the room.
"So, what do you want to talk about?" Castor closed the door and sat on the bed, patting a spot next to him for Elrick to sit.
"I was hoping to be able to get you away from the blonde for a bit," he rubbed the back of his head. The redhead made a small loop around the room, making a trip by the door to silently lock it without Castor knowing, then took a seat next to him. "I just wanted to talk to you about random stuff, maybe about how I feel about you, maybe show you some."
"What do you mean, I understand the teasing, but you barely know me, I barely know myself, and I know very little about you," Castor saw that Elrick was possibly going to try something.
"How about I share a bit about myself with you, maybe show you that I might be a better choice than Krain," with those few words, Elrick showed that he felt he stood no chance against Krain in winning Castor's affections.
"I see, I guess we could talk some, you do seem nice enough, so sure" Castor thought that the bold and brave redhead he saw when Krain was around, was rather shy when he was alone. His answer got a happy smile out of the still nervous Elrick.
"Really? Okay, well, as you know my name is Elrick," he paused and put his hands on his face, this was obviously going to be hard for the redhead.
"Take your time, we have a while until dinner," Castor gave Elrick a pat on the back, in response, Elrick took a deep breath and nodded.
The two of them spent at least an hour talking, Elrick told Castor about his adventures, all the beasts he slain and just funny stories about his little brother. Little did they know, Krain was outside, he didn't stay long though. He heard the two young men laughing, chatting, and seeming to have a good time together, so he left them be.
When dinner was ready, the two had lost track of time, a servant had to be sent to get them because they were thirty minutes late, just before Castor opened the door, Elrick stopped him.
"Wait there is one last thing before we go Castor."
"What is it?" Castor turned to look at Elrick and was pushed against the wall, something soft pressed against his lips. Elrick was kissing him, Castor couldn't help but fall into the embrace. After a few seconds, Elrick separated from the kiss, looking into Castor's eyes.
"Sorry, but I wasn't able to hold it back any longer, please don't tell Krain. I know he hates that I like you in any other way than a friend, and he might kill me if he finds out about this."
"I won't tell on one condition," Castor's was flush red.
"What is your condition?"
"May I have another?" Elrick blushed deeply before kissing Castor again.


Chapter 8: A Dinner with Royals
         
Castor and Elrick left the room, following the servant to the dining room, a rather large room with long, extravagant looking table. Everyone was sitting, and waiting on Castor and Elrick, they took a seat next to Krain, Castor between Krain and Elrick. Lynra sat at the head on the table, Morgan on her right, Lithran on her left. Grace sat next to her mother, with Krain next to her, Conner and Raven sat next to Lithran, Raven looked rather nice now, wearing a gorgeous dress.
"It is nice to finally see the rest of my guests at dinner, I hope that you rested well," Lynra gave Castor a smile, Castor slightly blushed as he thought about what really happened.
"Well, yes, I am fine, we will be able to talk after dinner, like you asked," Castor returned the smile, "is there anything that is to be said before we eat?"
"Only a short prayer, Grace, will you do the honors?" Lynra looked to Morgan's daughter, who nodded and stood.
"We thank the gods of nature, life, and light, for allowing the trees and plants to grow the fruit for our drinks, for allowing the animals to graze upon the grasses and become strong for our meals, we thank you," Grace bowed and sat back down to finish the prayer.
"Now, we may eat," Lynra gave a small nod, all the younger people dug in, besides Grace. Elrick, Conner, and Raven haven't seen a good meal in a while, so they couldn't contain their hunger. Castor ate with some manners, but still didn't eat with as good manners as Grace. Krain watched him, thinking it was kinda cute, knowing that all of the younger people would over stuff themselves and get sick from eating too much. He wanted to tell them to slow down, but felt it would ruin how happy they seemed at them moment, so he kept his mouth shut about it.
After the feast was finished, everyone went back to their rooms, groans coming from the younger one because of overeating. Castor didn't get to go back to his just yet, he went with Lynra to speak with her.
"So, young man, please tell me about the magic I felt within you. It is not that of a normal, or even that of an advanced mage."
"Well, it is difficult to explain, but all I really remember was a dream, being taught to wield an ancient blade. It was made by the god of Light and the god of Dark, at the end of the dream I was told that I will choose how the blade forms, because it is part of me, part of my soul now." Lynra listened to Castor as he described everything that happened in the best detail that he could, she seemed sceptical about the story, finding that it was so very odd.
"May I see this weapon, show me the blade."
"If that is what you wish," Castor held out his hand, palm facing up, link by spectral link, the chain formed, then the hook blade formed. The purple hue of the blade seemed to put Lynra in a state of unease.
"I have seen that weapon before, in ancient texts. It is said to be made in the realm of Light and in the realm of Dark, it is pure, but corrupted. The weapon is here, but it isn't, I tell you to use it with caution. It is named Chenhato, a direct link to your soul, and though it can bring great strength by being connected to you in such a way, it also will cause great harm, amplifying many things inside you, such as notions of malice and feelings of bloodlust, but it will also amplify desire, love, and compassion." Lynra sighed and then smiled again, "I believe you are very weary, so you should go rest."
Castor nodded and went off to bed, he was giving so much more to think about now, on one hand, he had trying to decide between two affectionate men, and on the other, he had to think about how he will use the weapon. How he will keep his emotions in check, because, if he didn't, he might hurt one of his new friends, and as Lynra said, it amplifies so many of his feelings. He heard it before, but never thought falling in love would really hurt him, because breaking one of their hearts, would destroy his own young, caring, and naive little heart.