Nightblade (Darkest night)

The joyous atmosphere vanished almost instantly. Down below, in the city’s plaza, the orchestra fell silent.

One by one, conversations throughout the plaza died away as thousands of eyes instinctively followed the king’s gaze toward the heavens.

The brilliant lights hanging high above Elaris continued their slow descent. At first glance, they resembled falling stars but Morgan quickly realized otherwise.

Then a few moments later, they came to a stop, suspended impossibly high above the city. The figures grew perfectly still, hovering silently in the air.

Morgan narrowed his eyes, observing the distant figures.

"They’re... people," he muttered.

Lysara’s face paled. The distant figures hung motionless in the sky, their silhouettes barely visible against the stars.

Dozens of them. Perhaps hundreds. Each radiated a faint silver glow that seemed to warp the air around them.

An uneasy murmur spread through the crowd but up on the platform King Aldren’s expression remained cool and unreadable.

"Evacuate the civilians."

His calm voice echoed across the plaza.

The Royal Guard immediately sprang into action, ushering families toward the inner districts with remarkable discipline.

The people obeyed without protest. They trusted their king. Morgan watched in silence.

Despite the urgency of the situation, no one screamed.

This was a kingdom that had known hardship before. It was almost as though prepared.

The king turned toward the captains gathered nearby.

"Seal every outer gate."

"The Seventh Legion is to secure the eastern pass."

"The First and Third will reinforce the palace."

The orders flowed effortlessly. Every officer bowed before disappearing into the growing chaos.

Morgan stepped beside him.

"...Father."

King Aldren didn’t look away from the descending lights.

"You felt it too."

Morgan hesitated, staring at the old king.

"...I don’t know what I felt."

The king smiled faintly.

"No. I suppose you wouldn’t."

His expression became solemn.

"They’ve finally found us."

Morgan frowned.

"Who are they?"

For the first time...King Aldren seemed uncertain.

"They call themselves many things."

"Seekers. Pilgrims. Liberators."

He slowly shook his head.

"But history remembers them by another name."

"They’re the First Awakened."

The words struck Morgan strangely.

Awakened.

His pulse quickened.

The same word existed in his own era.

Before he could ask another question—one of the lights gracefully descended from the dark nightsky.

The figure landed atop a towering crystal obelisk overlooking the city.

A ominous silence followed in his wake.

The man was dressed almost entirely in black.

A dark, tenebrous long coat fluttered behind him despite the still air.

His face appeared unnaturally young, his porcelain skin and yet his silver eyes...they were they glinted with a dark gleam and carried an ancient depth to them.

Far older than any ordinary human would normally possess.

The man looked upon Elaris almost wistfully.

"What a beautiful city," he murmured.

His voice was a soft whisper and yet somehow somehow it reached Morgan where he stood.

The man let out a weary sigh, tilting his head slightly.

"It would be a shame to destroy it."

He paused as though waiting for a response, staring at the the people down below with a hint of dark amusement in his eyes but no one answered.

The man smiled, his pearly white teeth gleaming in the moonlight.

"King Aldren. I’ve come to negotiate."

The king stepped forward.

"I know what you want. And you shall not have it. Begone."

The stranger chuckled, his eyes gleaming with a hint of glee.

"Your Majesty, you’re as perceptive as ever, I see..."

More figures slowly descended behind him.

Men. Women. Young. Old.

There eyes glowing with an unnatural gold the in moonlight.

Morgan felt recognition stir inside him, from Modric’s memories.

"They’re all awakened..."

The man sneered, his face twisting into a cold mask, as he stared down at them.

"What makes you think you can stop me? I could just as well take what I want..."

He smiled, the the sneer disappearing just as fast as it had appeared.

"With...or without your consent..."

Lysara whispered, her hands shaking slightly. Morgan spared her glance, noting her reaction to the newcomers.

"...They’re here."

Her voice trembled. Morgan looked at her.

"You know them?"

She nodded hesitantly.

"Everyone does. They’re legends."

"No."

King Aldren corrected softly.

"They’re survivors."

The man atop the obelisk inclined his head.

"I see your historians have remained hones, atleast..."

A faint smile crossed his face.

"Good. I’ve grown tired of introducing myself."

He spread his arms, in a magnanimous gesture.

"We seek only one thing. The Vault."

A murmur rippled through the gathered nobles.

Morgan frowned.

Vault?

The king’s expression remained calm.

"There is no Vault."

The stranger sighed dramatically.

"What a shame, and here i thought you’d be honest with me. A thousand years have passed, and yet, your family continues protecting the Vault, hoarding secrets and power that never belonged to them in the first place..."

Morgan glanced toward the surrounding nobles.

Several had gone pale.

One elderly duke quietly closed his eyes, his face twisting into a mask of fear.

The stranger continued.

"We do not seek conquest. We do not desire your throne. We have no interest in your people."

His smile disappeared, his face becoming an inhumanly cold mask of determination.

"Give us the Origin."

The plaza fell silent.

Morgan looked toward his father.

Origin?

King Aldren’s answer came immediately.

"No."

The stranger closed his eyes, his arms falling to his sides. He sighed once more.

"I expected as much. But at least i tried to do this peacefully..."

"You know..."

His eyes snapped open, piercing the people down below with a solemn gaze.

"You are remarkable people."

His voice carried genuine disappointment.

"You built paradise."

"You ended famine."

"You united kingdoms."

"You even mastered the currents between worlds. Not many kings and even civilizations that have passed through history can boast of the same."

His voice became even more solemn.

"But one flaw remains."

"You believe humanity should remain...human."

A strange pressure spread throughout the plaza. Morgan instinctively reached for his sword.

The stranger’s eyes gleamed.

"We disagree."

He raised one hand.

"We believe mankind was never meant to remain weak."

"We have crossed continents."

"We have explored forgotten realms."

"We have witnessed creatures your scholars believe mythical."

"And everywhere we went..."

"...the answer remained the same."

He looked directly at King Aldren.

"The next step of evolution. It’s awakening."

Several nobles lowered their heads.

The stranger smiled.

"You already possess it."

"You simply refuse to share it."

King Aldren finally drew his sword.

Its white blade reflected the countless lanterns illuminating the city.

"The power you seek..."

"...destroyed civilizations long before Elaris was founded."

His voice became colder.

"It corrupts. It consumes. It demands."

The stranger laughed.

"No. It reveals." His smile widened.

"It reveals what mankind truly is."

The air suddenly trembled. Every lantern across the city flickered simultaneously. Morgan felt an overwhelming force descend upon the capital.

Something vast, ancient and tyrannical.

The stranger slowly floated down from the obelisk until he stood only a dozen paces from the king.

"One final time."

His voice had lost all warmth.

"Open the Vault."

King Aldren answered by raising his blade.

Steel sang through the night.

"I had hoped..." the stranger sighed, "...your son would inherit a wiser kingdom."

Morgan’s eyes narrowed.

"You know me?"

The man smiled.

"I know every descendant of the Kings."

His gaze lingered upon Morgan.

"And I suspect...you will become the most troublesome of them all."

A heartbeat later, the sky exploded with silver light. The heavens shattered, not quite literally. The stars themselves remained untouched, yet the night sky seemed to fracture beneath the eruption of countless torrents of silver radiance.

The serene beauty that had blanketed Elaris only moments earlier vanished beneath an oppressive tide of tyrannical power.

Morgan instinctively shielded his eyes.

The pressure alone was enough to make the marble beneath his feet groan.

Around the city, the floating crystal obelisks began humming in response. Their azure glow intensified until beams of light connected one obelisk to another, weaving a colossal lattice above the capital.

The city’s defensive array.

"So..." the silver-eyed man murmured, glancing upward with quiet admiration. "You activated it."

King Aldren lowered his stance, the white blade in his hand shining brilliantly.

"I never intended to."

A smile tugged at the stranger’s lips.

"You still think it will save them."

Aldren shrugged.

"They’re my people."

"And that," the stranger replied sadly, "is why you’ll lose."

A split second later, the air exploded.

Morgan barely perceived the movement.

One moment the silver-eyed man stood twenty paces away.

A deafening shockwave erupted from the impact, flattening nearby market stalls and sending crystal lanterns hurtling through the air.

The marble plaza cracked beneath their feet as both men disappeared into a blur of impossible speed.

BOOM!

A second shockwave ripped through the city.

The surrounding nobles staggered backward while Morgan struggled to keep his footing.

"What...?"

He couldn’t follow them.

Even with his enhanced senses, both figures had become little more than streaks of light tearing across the plaza.

Above them, the remaining silver-eyed figures simply watched.

None of them moved, which was why the battle was still even.

Morgan stared at them intently.

It was as though they were waiting for something

King Aldren’s sword carved a radiant arc through the darkness.

The stranger intercepted it effortlessly with a black blade that seemed to absorb the surrounding light.

"You’re stronger than before," Aldren observed."I’ve had centuries to improve."

The stranger smiled.

"You’ve had decades."

Their weapons collided again. This time, the ground beneath them collapsed.