When I think about it now, I realize that I never really stood a chance against her.
But it wasn’t because she was stronger than .
She was the Queen of Shadows, the Crimson Catastrophe, the Terrifying Nightmare of the Realm, and all that.
And I was... Well, I was the All-powerful Ascendant.
Grand Mage Dreyfus Belford.
But the one thing I hated most, was fighting.
And that’s what made us different.
The Shadow Queen was said to be a cold-blooded warrior whose na was dreaded throughout the entire continent of Westumberland.
Tales of her many horrors spread all over the continent and soon, she beca a scary figure used to scare troubleso children to behave.
These tales reached my ears... Grueso stories of bloodshed, chaos and genocide.
She was powerful. Yet, I knew I could defeat her.
If only I had been a little more serious. More decisive.
Thinking about it now, I realize how lazy I was.
When I finally took a stand against her, it wasn’t because I wanted to... But because I was the only one who actually could.
After she murdered the ruling nobles of the eight great houses of Westumberland a.k.a. the Tesseract Council, the Shadow Queen decided to enforce her own rule on the great city of Viridale.
They refused, of course, and in turn, she destroyed the entire city. With a single breath.
Fifteen million people died on that day. n, won, children.
After that, no hero in the entire continent dared to face her.
The Shadow Queen moved on to the city of Brannersport. Out of fear for their lives, the new king surrendered, and the people reluctantly submitted to her wicked rule.
But most of the citizens escaped the city in secret and, together with the survivors of the Viridale Catastrophe, ca seeking the grand mage to save their city.
I was their last hope.
Or so I was told.
*****
"What did you say her na was?" I asked the weary group of travellers who arrived at my manor. I didn’t receive visitors often, and their presence mildly irritated .
They all kept silent, afraid to even utter a single syllable of her na.
But one of them, a weary-looking Virilian survivor who seed to be the leader of the group, walked up to and spoke.
"No one knows her real na, but she is a descendant of House Daevalia."
Daevalia - That was a na I had not heard in a very long ti.
I imdiately recalled the stories of House Daevalia, the most powerful house that once walked upon this earth.
Bold as I was, I began to shudder in my seat. A wave of tiny goosebumps covered both my arms.
"The noble House of Deavalia was destroyed decades ago," I recalled.
The old man shook his head. "She wields their power, Grand Mage. I saw it with my own eyes."
"No... it can’t be. Dark Affinity has long been extinct."
"She used it to destroy my city, Grand Mage. Only a noble of House Daevalia can wield Dark Magic."
He was right about that. Only a noble of House Daevalia could wield the Dark Affinity spells.
When I was a young mage, I had sought to acquire the knowledge and skills of the eight great houses. I mastered seven of them, but I knew almost nothing about the Dark Affinity of House Daevalia.
It was said that they wielded strange powers... Powers that could control even death. But all of them had been killed in the last great noble war, and all their knowledge had died with them.
I had no idea what I was going up against, but out of concern for the safety of the world, I accepted their offer.
I accepted to face the Shadow Queen.
*****
It was a two-day ride to Brannersport from my manor, so after a good night’s rest, we set off at dawn.
I could have teleported right to the city, but I chose not to, deciding instead to use the ti on our journey to think up a strategy — a strategy to neutralize the Shadow Queen.
Without fighting, of course.
After a day’s ride, we arrived at the central grassy plains, filled with small shires and huts. We stopped at an open field, and there we set up tent for the night. Dusk had fallen upon us, accompanied by the cold winds of winter.
After we made a campfire, I called on the leader of the Viridale party and the young leader of the Brannersport party to finalise my strategy.
Together, the three of us took a walk on the hills surrounding the plains.
"Are there any magic wielders among you?" I asked the party leaders.
The young Branner replied, in a thick Southern accent. "There are three among us, Grand Mage. Two from Brannersport."
I expected less. With all my sensory powers, I could barely detect any aura from the mbers of the party. If there were any magic wielders, they were surely E-rank or lower.
"What about manpower?"
"We sent letters to the nobles, Grand Mage... "
"Wait..." I cut him off, shaking my head. "Could you stop calling Grand Mage?"
"But... you are the Grand Mage."
"I know, I know, but just call Drey, or Belford."
"Understood, Lord Belford."
"No... Not Lord. I’m not a noble."
"But, the legends say your powers..."
"Just call Belford."
"Yes, Sir Belford."
"No... I’m not a knight either."
"But, the legends say your sword skills are..."
"Forget the legends. Just call Belford."
"Understood, Master Belford."
I slapped my forehead in disappointnt.
"So, you sent letters to the remaining nobles?"
"Yes, Master."
"And?"
"Their replies were the sa. They need their armies to defend their cities."
Of course. The nobles of the great houses of Westumberland were never really known for their selflessness.
"None of that matters if the Shadow Queen decides to take them out one by one," I murmured in disappointnt.
My original plan was to launch a surprise attack and neutralize the Shadow Queen. It would have worked if I had the numbers for a distraction. But in absence, I made up my mind to take on the Shadow Queen alone.
"What about the people of Brannersport?" I asked. "Surely they’d want to help us. It is their city that needs saving."
The young Branner nodded affirmatively.
"The king of Brannersport agreed to rise against the Shadow Queen. On the condition that you agreed to help us."
"Alright then. We’ll send a ssage to him when we arrive."
"No need, Master. I already sent a raven to Brannersport..."
That was the exact mont I knew sothing was wrong.
From the ti we made camp in the plains, I could sense it – a cold, unwavering presence, hidden sowhere in the plains.
I knew how cold the winter winds could be, but that night I sensed the temperature was much, much colder.
At that mont, I finally realized what it was.
A cloaking spell!
One powerful enough to fool .
I turned to the young Branner. "When did you send the Raven?"
"The very mont we left, Master."
That was more than enough ti to reach Brannersport.
More than enough ti to reach the Shadow Queen!
"Both of you, head back to the camp now!" I ordered.
They ran back, and I followed behind them at a distance. I assud the Shadow Queen would co for alone, but I underestimated how evil she was.
Seconds later, I heard them... the painful screams of dying humans.
We picked up the pace, but long before we reached the camp, I could already scent the putrid stench of blood in the air.
It was a horrible sight.
Every single tent and every blade of grass in the area had been covered in blood.
There were no survivors.
I turned to the leaders of the party – both n were frozen with terror written all over their faces.
"The Shadow Queen has found us," I said, rather nonchalantly. "You need to run."
Without hesitation, they took to their heels, not looking back for a second.
When they left, I decided to focus on finding the source of the cloaking spell.
That’s when I heard her voice.
"Those two will never get far enough. No one runs away from ."
It was the coldest, most diabolical sound I had ever heard in my life.
I froze for a mont, but slowly, I turned to face the woman whose entire reputation was born and bathed in blood.
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