The Last Sovereign: Rise of the Forgotten King

Kael stirred from unconsciousness, the cold seeping into his bones. His eyelids fluttered as a sharp, bitter chill clung to his skin. Darkness hung heavy, thicker than the deepest night, suffocating and unnatural. When his eyes finally adjusted, twisted stone pillars loomed around him like skeletal arms reaching toward the abyss above. The air was stagnant, filled with the scent of something ancient—damp and decaying. This place was wrong. He could feel it in the marrow of his bones, a gnawing dread that coiled tighter with every breath.

Where… where am I?" he whispered.

His voice, thin and broken, echoed into the emptiness. A sudden flame sparked into existence before him—small, flickering, and cruel. It illuminated a figure cloaked in shadow, the light casting long, sharp shadows across his face. His eyes burned with a crimson fire, unnatural and unyielding.

"You awaken at last." The voice was dark silk, smooth but edged with a malice that made Kael's heart race. He scrambled back, his hands slipping on the cold, slick stone. His chest heaved as fear clawed at his throat.

"Who are you?" Kael's voice cracked as he demanded. "What are you looking for?"

The man with the ember eyes moved forward. A crimson symbol pulsed on his chest like a heartbeat, and the weak light caught his midnight-black armor. Kael's ears seemed to throb in time with every beat.

The man remarked, "I am a whisper in the dark." "A shadow that lurks where the light is afraid to go." "You're not just a boy. Do you realize what stirs inside you, Kael?"

Kael stumbled, "I have no idea what you're talking about." "I am nothing. Only a rat from the streets".

A smile twisted the man's lip, but it was cold. "A rat from the streets? Did they tell you that? To keep you blind, a falsehood. You are much more. The ancient fire that burns inside of you is uncontrolled and wild". Kael balled his hands into fists.

"Take away my power if I have it. I'm not interested in it! Power doesn't wait for your wishes, though. You are claimed by it. Kael, it's hungry. Your soul is connected to the Sovereign Core. If you can't master it, it will consume you. The words came down hard.

With quick, short gasps of breath, Kael stumbled backward. The force that flared beneath his flesh was overwhelming and scary, and he had felt it.

"No," he muttered.

The man with the ember eyes grew gloomy." It would be torn from you by certain powers. Forces much more ruthless than me. Do you sense it?"

With all of his instincts telling him to run, Kael swallowed hard. His legs, however, felt like lead. His ears rang with the thunder of his heartbeat. The silence was broken by a low, guttural growl that chilled his veins. His gaze flitted to the shadows outside the guy, where a pair of crimson eyes opened, then another, and then another.

In the darkness, shapes shifted, creatures of evil and darkness. Their bodies were part flesh, half smoke, with fangs that glittered like obsidian and claws that resembled blades. The biggest of them entered the fading light, a twisted beast that resembled a wolf. Like black fog, its breath billowed.Fear seized Kael, and his throat constricted.

The man said, "They are attracted to power." "They long for it." With broad teeth, the wolf-like creature snarled and attacked. Kael followed his intuition. A roar of flame erupted from his fingertips as he threw his hands skyward. The heat was tremendous and blinding as a raging river of flames rushed forward.

With a cry, the Shadowborn writhed and twisted before dissolving into ash.

Kael stood shaking as the flames died down, smoke curling from his palms. His chest heaved with effort, and his heart pounded. The man with the ember eyes studied him, his face unreadable.

"You are powerful," he whispered. "But a blade without a handle is strength without control."

Kael became enraged. "Your lessons are unnecessary for me!". The man pointed to the dark embers. They only represented a taste. The real darkness continues to rise. Beyond the frost of the surrounding air, Kael felt a chill. "What are you looking for from me?"

The dude had burning eyes. "Join me. The planet will be shaped by us together. We'll manipulate the darkness to suit our purposes.

"Never!" Kael's disobedience was blazing hot. The man with the ember eyes stopped smiling. "So you've made your decision." Around him, a tempest of dark energy raged as the shadows surged and swirled. The cavern shook as Kael was pushed toward the abyss by a power he had never experienced before.

"You'll remember this," the man's icy, aloof voice resounded. "Darkness finds its own way." ---

Sweat-soaked, Kael woke up with a gasp. He rested in Ryndor, in a deteriorating alley, in the silent, lengthy shadows. His heart pounded frantically, the only sound. Feeling the wild, merciless strength that surged inside him, he put a quivering hand to his chest. He was in danger. He would never be secure. And the man with the ember eyes waited someplace in the dark.

The image of the ember-eyed man and the flames burned into Kael's consciousness as he bounded to his feet, his heart pounding. His fingers shook as though the fire was still burning through them, and his breath came in hard gasps. In an attempt to stop the shaking, he balled his fists.

Around him, the alley was silent, with Ryndor's deteriorating walls encroaching. A light fog hovered in the air, casting a gray haze over the night. Below him, the cobblestones were icy and slippery from the upcoming morning's dew.

But the chill that crawled up his spine wasn't from the damp. It was the memory of the man's words. "Darkness always finds its own." Kael shivered. His body felt heavy with exhaustion, but his mind was a storm of fear and confusion. What had just happened? Was it a dream? A warning? His pulse thundered as he touched his chest, where a faint warmth still lingered—the Sovereign Core.

"Kael!" He was startled out of his reverie by the piercing whisper. A well-known figure hurried in his direction, moving with the quickness and fluidity of a shadow piercing the mist. Joren. The older boy fell on his knees next to Kael, his eyes burning with concern. His ancient, black hands clamped down on Kael's shoulders. "Where have you been?" Joren's voice was low yet strong as he snarled. "All night long, I have been searching for you!"

Kael started to respond, but the words would not come. He was at a loss for words to describe what had just happened to him. How could he describe to Joren the fire that resided within him, the man with the ember eyes? His voice was no more than a whisper as he murmured,

"I… I got lost." "Misplaced?"

Joren's eyes narrowed. "In your own city?" He glanced at Kael, observing the garments splattered with soot, the bruises on his arms, and the eerie expression in his eyes. He clenched his fingers. "You appear to have seen a ghost." Kael winced. "I'm all right," he muttered hastily as he withdrew. As though he could erase the recollection of the flames, he stroked his arms. "I simply need to get some sleep."

Joren's face darkened as he silently studied Kael, the worry in his eyes giving way to something deeper—something Kael couldn't quite place. "Fine," Joren finally muttered, "But you're hiding something." His voice was quiet but full of meaning. "You always do."

Kael avoided his eyes. "Let's just get back to the shelter." Joren didn't press the issue, but as they moved through the darkened streets of Ryndor, the fog hung over the city like a shroud, drowning out the sounds of distant footsteps and the creak of a wooden sign swaying in the wind.