The head hit the marble floor with a hollow thud
Golden strands spread like paint across stone. Crimson seeped outward, staining the pristine white underfoot the queen didn't move at first
She simply stood there, one hand trembling over her mouth, the other clenched so tightly her nails drew blood from her own palm her lips started to part, but no sound left her mouth
The king, dressed in black and crimson robes of mourning, didn't speak either
It was the silence that cracked first
Not by the queen's voice, but by her actions the crash of a jeweled goblet against the far wall, the wine within it indistinguishable from blood
"Nooooo!" she finally screamed, her voice raw and shaking
"No ! " the king replied, his voice like steel dragging over stone. "Don't cry ! "
She turned to him, fury burning in her eyes. "Bring him back..... bring him back alive ? I don't care what it costs. I'll tear his flesh from his bones myself and I'll hollow his skull and make him scream until his soul flees his body."
The king's eyes did not soften as he turned to the royal commander and said
"Send them all."
---
## RUDRA'S POV
"Jaipa... Jaipa, look!"
"What is it?"
I held my hand up to the sky for a clearer view over my hand
Jaipa's eyes widened as he stared at my wrist "How?" he muttered "How did it happen... no... when did it?"
The circle on my wrist the mark of proof of how many keys I'd owned, but my first keys mark was never complete to begin with Even now, it still wasn't whole… but it had grown close....Before Jaipa could say anything
I felt it before I saw them
The ground trembled beneath their march. Countless horses and clanking armor and Shouts of knights the wind carried their presence like a warning long before the forest parted to make room for their blades
I rose from where I'd sat beside the well
"Knights," I said, my voice oddly calm even before them "They have come for us"
Jaipa stood beside me, wordless his usual sarcasm had vanished from his voice and now he was watching the treeline intently
He nodded once
Then they came through the broken and dead trees knights poured into the clearing like a wave of steel. First a dozen, then fifty, then hundred rows upon rows of them
Shields gleaming with the crest of the royal house and horses pawing at the ground Spears leveled forward, and slowly, bows drawn and aimed at us
I let the head roll to the base of the well
"Announce yourself, kid!" the commander barked from the front a tall man in silver armor, eyes red from grief, voice wrapped in rage he appeared healthy too healthy
" He must he eating well... worthless piece of shit i couldn't even eat properly for days " getting my teeth i muttered to myself
I moved forward and spoke in a simple, flat tone "You already know who I am."
I allowed a laugh to escape my lips, a laugh that was both derisive and mocking
"Bringing an entire army just to capture a kid? Ha! You're either desperate or incompetent "
The commander's face twisted in a snarl, his rage boiling over like a pot left unattended. "Surrender yourself, kid. The queen wants your body intact, so she can rip it apart herself."
I felt the wind at my back, the well a steady presence behind me, and Jaipa's quiet resolve beside me. I turned to him, my voice low. "Ready?"
He nodded, his face a mask of calm and determination i couldn't help but doubt him, wondering if he was truly prepared for the battle that was about to unfold i had my hands full, and the odds were stacked against us. There was no way we could possibly win
Jaipa cracked his neck, his expression a dull, emotionless mask. Then, the first wave of knights surged forward, a relentless tide of steel and fury
I stepped forward, letting my tai energy spiraling around me like a red hurricane, coalescing into my limbs. My hand closed around the hilt of my iron blade, and the three beads above my head trembled for a second
" Read to my.." i asked to the beads above my head
The moment the lead rider entered my range of my squad, I vanished
Reappeared directly in front of him, my blade flashing in the sunlight, ready to strike
My blade swung in a clean, horizontal arc, its edge glowing with the fiery energy of tai. The rider's head separated from his body, which continued to ride his horse for three steps before collapsing to the ground.
Behind me, Jaipa remained frozen, his gaze fixed on the head I had just beheaded. I couldn't spare a thought for him, however, as the knights erupted into a frenzy of screams and rage. It didn't take long for me to become surrounded by the enemy, their steel and fury closing in on me from all sides
I released the three beads, allowing them to move of their own accord. They were far more powerful than I, and I knew I could trust them to watch my back. I pressed forward, my iron blade clashing with the knights' swords. It was a suicidal endeavor, but I had no choice
if I didn't kill, I would be killed it was the simple thing to understand
The thought fueled my movements, and I fought on, my blade slicing through the enemy ranks. Killing monsters was one thing, but killing humans was a different matter altogether. They were intelligent, cunning, and unpredictable, making them a far more formidable foe
As I fought, my three beads protected me from the knights I couldn't handle, their power and speed proving invaluable in the heat of battle
I couldn't help but think that
"Killing holds a different meaning for me as anyone can kill me, just as I can kill anyone
In this world, life and death are but fleeting shadows, easily snuffed out by the will of another. To kill or be killed such is the law that governs all beings. Only the naive and superficial cling to notions of morality and humanity, using them as veils to mask their own weakness. True strength recognizes no such constraints; it is neither praised nor condemned, only acknowledged by those who understand the nature of reality
When death arrives, even the mightiest fall, for there is always a greater force waiting in the shadows. This unending cycle of predation and demise is the very spark that ignites existence, fueling ambition and burning away all illusions in the end, it is not morality that determines survival, but strength and the unwavering will to persist, regardless of the world's empty judgments
Even knowing I couldn't win, I refused to back down i couldn't live if I couldn't kill,
Not when faced with the sheer number of enemies before me. Thousands of people, all bent on taking my life i kept going, killing, getting hurt, but everything had a meaning i was determined to let them know that I wouldn't be diminished myself by my age
The severed bodies lay before me, a grim testament to my resolve. Hundreds of knights surrounded me, their swords and shields at the ready i took a glance at the sky, amidst the screams and blood, and then looked down at my blood-painted hands atanding there, I announced
"Here I stand, unyielding and unbroken! Let the world remember the day I stained my blade with your blood ! "
With a scream I rushed forward....