The Crownspire trembled under a dark pressure.
A mysterious man stood at its center—surrounded by the Seven Royal Knights. Before him stood Velmira, blade in hand, and behind her, the King of Thandor, Thalorion. His voice rang firm and urgent:
"Elaryndra! Take Lyra and get out of this place—now!"
Queen Elaryndra hesitated, her eyes filled with worry as they scanned the dark figure, the Royal Knights, Velmira, and her son, Prince Drazhael. She turned to her husband, voice trembling:
"Promise me you will return home, dear."
For a moment, the King hesitated. Then he said with forced calm, "Don't worry about me, Elaryndra. Go—take care of Lyra."
Elaryndra nodded, grabbed her daughter's hand, and began casting a teleportation spell.
"Mom!" Lyra cried.
"Lyra, don't worry. They will be safe," Elaryndra reassured her, casting a quick glance at Drazhael.
Drazhael met her gaze silently.
With a flash of light and crackling energy, Elaryndra and Lyra vanished.
The dark figure—known only as the Darkenshade—stepped forward. "What a beautiful family you have, Thalorion. Your wife… she worries too much," he said in a calm, almost mocking tone.
SHHHHHING!
All seven knights drew their blades at once.
The Darkenshade smiled, removing his hood to reveal a bright grin. He laughed. "As I said, I'm not here to play with you all."
Suddenly—WHOOSH!—Velmira dashed forward, rage in her eyes, swinging her blade straight at his head. The Royal Knights joined her.
King Thalorion sat back on his throne, watching like a true sovereign—calm and commanding.
Drazhael's curiosity bloomed into a sinister smile. "If I can get my hands on the Darkenshade…"
The mysterious figure dodged every strike effortlessly—SWISH SWISH SWISH—not even drawing his weapon. The Knights were stunned.
"How foolish you are," he said with cool detachment. "Now, face the consequences of your actions."
Outside the Crownspire, in a speeding carriage:
BOOM! Thunder cracked.
Aelric shouted, "WHO THE HELL carries a divine artifact—IN A POCKET?!"
He groaned. "I never expected my master to be such an idiot."
Zevril looked out toward the glowing sky. "Enough, Aelric. Divine powers can only be sensed by other divine powers."
Rynor added, "Yes, that's why I carried it carelessly. I never expected a Darkenshade to appear in the middle of the ceremony."
Aelric barked, "That doesn't make sense at all!"
Zevril asked, "Master, hasn't the Darkenshade's bloodline vanished from the world?"
Aelric whispered, "What is a Darkenshade...?"
Rynor nodded. "Yes. No one has seen one in a million years. But their name still lives."
Aelric waved, annoyed. "Hey, I'm still here! You idiots!"
Zevril asked, "But how did the Prince... Drazhael?"
Rynor answered, "Prince Drazhael's power is Crimson Instinct. It lets him see the genetics of other species. Since he's a researcher, he recognized the Darkenshade's DNA."
Zevril raised a brow. "Research?"
"Yes, a project about ancient dragons. Prince Drazhael organized it himself."
Aelric folded his arms. "All right, fine," he said with a grumble.
The carriage rattled as they sped along.
BOOM!
A massive lightning bolt split the sky behind them. Aelric gasped.
Rynor shouted, "What's with these horses?! Keep moving!"
But Aelric pointed at the distant Crownspire. "Rynor… something isn't right. Look."
Zevril had already frozen.
Rynor turned. "Oh no... this isn't right."
Black smoke poured into the sky.
On Silverbranch Road, Elaris stared in horror. "What's happening there?!" she said and began rushing toward the Crownspire.
Inside the Crownspire:
Velmira stood bleeding, gripping her shoulder. Her sword—one of two—was lost. The Royal Knights lay unconscious. The once-pristine hall now lay in ruins. Rubble scattered. Bloodied flags drooped. The air was thick with ash.
People watched in terror from the shadows.
"Mom, who is that man?" a little girl asked.
"Shh! Be quiet," her mother whispered.
The King still sat on his throne.
The Darkenshade surveyed the unconscious knights. "These mimics are better than I expected." His gaze fell on Velmira. "You still have strength... mm? Your wounds healed quickly."
SHHHINK!
He drew his sword for the first time.
A crowd member gasped. "He defeated the knights... without using his sword?!"
Another cried, "He's a monster!"
The Darkenshade charged. SWOOSH!
Velmira rushed in return—CLANG!! Their blades collided.
He struck her abdomen—THUD!
Velmira smirked. "I've been waiting for this." Her manipulation magic activated. She absorbed his sword into hers.
She tried to absorb his armor too—but he vanished.
WHOOSH—REAPPEAR!
The crowd roared.
"Defeat him, Velmira! Kill the monster!"
The Darkenshade chuckled. "A nice move—but not enough."
Velmira's mind raced. He's fast. Strong. Clever... She glanced at the King. Why is he just sitting there? Then she noticed.
Drazhael...! Where is he?!
Suddenly—WHOOSH!—Drazhael appeared behind the Darkenshade, an injection in hand.
The King surged forward, flames wrapping around his fists. "VELMIRA, NOW! STRIKE HIS HEART!"
Velmira reacted instantly, forming a powerful bow. ZING! She loosed an arrow straight at the Darkenshade.
But— the Darkenshade grabbed Drazhael and THREW him toward the arrow.
Velmira gasped. She altered her magic mid-air—ZSHHH!—splitting the arrow into six and forming a metal net that caught Drazhael.
The King struck—BOOOOM!
Drazhael's eyes glowed crimson. "His blood flow... is changing." He tossed Velmira the injection. "Take this! Inject it into him!"
Velmira nodded.
BOOM! More explosions rocked the hall. Rain poured.
The King's flames grew hotter—SSSHHHHH—vaporizing raindrops.
But the Darkenshade stood, unscathed.
"Pitiful," he said.
The King hurled a massive fireball. FOOOOSH!
The Darkenshade countered with a wave of water—SSHHHH—colliding into a massive vapor cloud.
From within the fog, the King appeared—eyes blazing, flames pushing him at blinding speed.
The Darkenshade watched calmly. "Using water on the ground… increasing heat to create pressure… vapor as a launch pad. Clever."
Velmira used the fog—WHOOSH!—lunging in for a close strike.
SMACK! Her punch was blocked. He grabbed her arm, pulled her in, and KICKED—sending her flying.
"How foolish," he muttered.
The King attacked again, creating a blazing magical sword. FWOOSH!
"That's not fair," the Darkenshade quipped.
He looked at Velmira—her sword began shaking. It detached, flying back to his hand. SHWIIING! It glowed light blue.
Drazhael shouted, "I CAN'T LET IT END LIKE THIS!"
His eyes turned completely crimson. The Royal Knights awoke—each forming a wide circle around the Darkenshade.
Each knight began casting a unique elemental spell: Water. Fire. Dark. Earth. Thunder. Light. Mist. Wind.
The King charged with his blazing sword.
Velmira fired a massive arrow that split into a hundred smaller ones.
All magic converged.
The Darkenshade let out a sigh. "This isn't fair..."
He snapped.
Time froze.
Arrows stopped mid-air. Raindrops hovered, unmoving. Everything still.
He walked calmly toward the King. "You have a beautiful family, Thalorion. Live happily."
He paused. "Your flame… it's fading."
He turned to Velmira. "Haa... there's someone I need to deal with."
Another snap—only Velmira unfroze.
"Huh?! What happened?!" she gasped.
The Darkenshade appeared behind her.
Instinctively, she turned her bow into a katana—SWIPE!—but he vanished again.
He reappeared a few feet away.
"Calm down, little demon girl."
Her heart stopped.
"How do you know...?!"
He laughed. "No one else heals from my blade wounds that fast. Only a demon."
He looked toward the King.
"What puzzles me is—why serve humans? You haven't even used your true demonic power. What's your plan in this kingdom?"
Velmira snapped coldly. "None of your business."
"Fair enough. It was fun playing with you all. See you later, little demon girl."
POOF. He vanished.
Velmira stood frozen in fear.
SNAP!
Time resumed.
The spells, arrows, and magic now rushed toward the King.
"Where is he?!" Thalorion cried.
Drazhael screamed, "NO—STOP!"
Velmira reacted—SHHHHHK!—using her magic to fuse the arrows with metal, forming a shield to protect the King.
KAAAABOOOOOM!!
Smoke swallowed the entire Crownspire.
Outside the gate:
Aelric sighed. "Thank the gods we weren't inside. That hoody guy would've roasted us."
A calm, sweet voice replied behind him:
"Who, me?"
They turned.
Rynor's hands shook. Zevril's eyes widened in horror.
Sitting behind them, calm and relaxed—
The Darkenshade.
Ocean-colored eyes. Ragged light-blue hair.
Aelric's voice cracked.
"...Darkenshade?"
BOOM!
Thunder echoed across the night.