The Fall of Shadows

"Lord Caelum, please explain the situation to me," Kalen said, his eyes lost in the void, a shadow on his face as deep furrows formed between his brows. The calmness in his voice was a harbinger of the storm approaching.

"Majesty," Caelum began, pausing for a moment, as if the words were choking him in his throat. "Your father, the late King Leonidas, had decided four years ago to increase the inspections of the southern mines. The reason for this was the dark cult known as The Harbingers of Mal'zhakar. Where they came from or exactly what their goal was remains unclear, but your father feared their spread within our kingdom and their potential for terrorist activities. And, unfortunately, the fear came true. The mine overseer, Kragnar... According to the reports, he is no longer human. He has transformed into something akin to a wraith. As a result... fifteen of our miners tragically lost their lives."

As Caelum uttered the final words, his voice lowered, the weight of the bitter truth seeping into each syllable. Kalen stood still, his gaze fixed on a point, sinking into a deep silence. Then, suddenly, that silence was shattered:

"How could this happen, Lord Caelum?! The southern mines were one of the safest places in our kingdom!"

"Majesty, I—"

"Enough!" Kalen interrupted, his voice cutting through the air like a sharp command. After a moment of fury, his words turned cold as ice. "I want my horse prepared immediately. Also, gather a unit of ten of your strongest warriors."

"Understood, Majesty," Caelum said, bowing before leaving the room. His steps were hurried, yet there was a trace of hesitation in his gait as he rushed to deliver the message.

Two Weeks Ago: The Southern Mines

This was a place meant to symbolize peace and wealth. But now, the land seemed cloaked in a curse, the cold breath of death felt at every corner. Between the scent of dust and stone, the trembling prayers of the workers echoed. But Kragnar's transformation had silenced those desperate souls completely. The blood of fifteen men had seeped into both the earth and their memories, leaving only silence and fear behind.

The dark tunnels of the mines seemed to have vowed to devour every soul that descended into them. The metallic smell in the air merged with the deep silence resonating from the stone walls, feeding the fear that gripped the workers. That night, the earth trembled in a different way. Before Kragnar's transformation, a figure had appeared deep within the tunnels, a figure none could fully describe.

A group of miners had gathered near Kragnar's chamber, praying in silence. Among them, the boldest, a burly man named Torvek, his fear written plainly on his face, recoiled involuntarily as he noticed a silhouette emerge from the shadows.

"Who... who are you?" he asked, his voice echoing against the stone walls. But the echo of his question seemed to surpass his own courage.

The figure moved within the shadows. It wasn't quite the silhouette of a man, yet it wasn't entirely foreign either. Its eyes, if they existed, could not be seen, but one could feel the coldness of its gaze. Silence was broken by a whispering voice that reverberated through the tunnel:

"Me? I am a messenger."

Torvek's hand instinctively went to the miner's medallion around his neck. His fingers trembled, yet he couldn't take his eyes off the darkened figure. "Wh... what are you the messenger of?" he stammered, his voice catching in his throat.

"Of what's coming," the figure replied. Its voice was not quite human, more like the crack of stone or the bending of metal. "Kragnar is only the beginning. While your king deals with him, a deeper darkness will spread. Kragnar is the key to the door; but he will not be the one to open it."

Torvek tried to step back, but his feet refused to move. It felt like a dream; he wanted to escape but found himself unable to act. The figure took one more step toward him, but its face remained hidden in shadow.

"These lands are not sacred," the figure continued. "These lands carry the darkness of Mal'zhakar. Your kings could not see it. They closed their eyes. But now nothing will stop it."

"No!" Torvek shouted, swinging the torch in his hand. As the flame's light was cast upon the figure, it extinguished instantly. In that moment, darkness once again claimed the tunnel, and the figure disappeared without a sound.

That night, Kragnar's screams filled the tunnels. People saw his body change, his eyes becoming bottomless pits of darkness. And the whispers that echoed through the mine's corridors carried only one name: Ardyn.

Back to the Present: Lord Caelum and King Kalen

Kalen walked slowly toward the throne room, each step bringing a growing tightness in his chest. The echo of his footsteps was swallowed in the depths of the dark corridor, as if the walls around him were closing in. Behind him, as always, was Lord Caelum. Despite the weight on his shoulders, he walked with steadfast composure. The papyrus scroll in his hand was gripped tightly, as if it was the only thing holding him together. His eyes, fixed on the written words, saw nothing else.

"Majesty," Caelum began, carefully choosing his words as though navigating a labyrinth. "These events are not merely a catastrophe... They may be a sign that something has begun. We must not ignore it. It could herald a greater threat, who knows."

Kalen paused. The words deepened the silence that had fallen over the room, and all that could be heard was the faint creaking of his hand tightening around the sword's hilt. "I know," Kalen replied with a deep sigh. His voice, though quiet, was as firm as stone, unmovable. "It's clear that Kragnar's transformation was no mere coincidence. But..." He took a deep breath, his eyes wandering to a distant point. "I have questions, Caelum. There are too many questions that need answers."

Caelum looked at him carefully, a deep hesitation in his gaze. "Majesty," he whispered, "there is something I haven't told you."

Kalen paused for a moment, the tension in Caelum's voice sending a shiver through his spine. He turned quickly to face him. "What?"

Caelum inhaled deeply. "The miners speak of a figure, before Kragnar's transformation. A shadow, appearing in the dark, whose identity no one could fathom... And this figure introduced itself as a messenger."

Kalen's eyes, hearing those words, darkened. His brows furrowed, and though his face remained expressionless, every emotion inside him seemed to vanish in an instant. "A messenger?" he repeated, his voice tinged with a dark echo. "What do the miners say? Did they mention a name?"

Caelum slowly shook his head. "Yes, Majesty. Ardyn."

The name echoed in Kalen's mind like a scream, a weight forming in his chest. For a moment, it felt as though a gust of wind from the past had filled the room. Ardyn. The name lingered in his mind, a resonance he had never heard before, yet somehow seemed familiar, as though it had been known to him from somewhere.

"Ardyn..." he whispered, as if reminding himself of the name. "Is this figure the cause of Kragnar's transformation? Or is this just a coincidence, Caelum?"

Caelum answered without losing his resolve: "Majesty, I do not believe that coincidences lead to such great destruction. The miners' accounts suggest that this figure was more than just an observer. Kragnar was only a tool. That figure may represent a much deeper darkness."

Kalen remained silent for a long moment, staring at Caelum. With a deep breath, he finally spoke, "We will have to confront this figure. But first, we must stop Kragnar and this curse."

Caelum nodded. "Yes, Majesty. However, this issue goes far beyond a mere rebellion. The fall of the southern mines to darkness could be just the beginning. That figure, as it said, Kragnar may be the key to the door... But it will not be the one to open it."

Another echo stirred in Kalen's mind, one he had never heard before. It felt as though he were falling into a deep well, and everything around him was pulling him deeper. His own doubts, his own fears... none of it could be cast aside. Kalen turned to Caelum, his resolve growing, his voice sharper and clearer. "Caelum," he said, his words firm. "Speak to the miners again. Learn every detail. Everything. But tell no one. The spread of this information would only cause panic. I will prepare. I will personally deal with this matter."

"Understood, Majesty," Caelum replied, bowing deeply before withdrawing.

Kalen stopped and looked at the cold stone walls of the hall. Each stone in this kingdom held a history. But now, those stones seemed like harbingers of curses. He took a deep breath and murmured to himself:

"Ardyn... We cannot win this war until we learn who you are."

And in that moment, Kalen became aware that carrying the weight of a king was only the beginning. He was stepping into a deeper darkness. This was not just a struggle, but the beginning of a tale etched into destiny itself.