Dawn of Darkness

by Kran Sanon

  “I will protect them with my life!” replied Amos.

  Isabela then asks him to return home safely just as he is now.

  “Promise me that you will keep yourself safe and return to me exactly as you are now” she asks.

  Solas assures her that he will before going over to Leliana.

  “Do not trouble your mother too much while I am gone. Keep yourself safe and if you require something then ask your uncle. Noxa will also be here to protect you. Do not try to fly him alone but with your uncle. When I return, I will teach you how to fly dragons all by yourself” Solas tells her.

  “I already know that father, but I promise that I will not fly him until you return” replied Leliana.

  Solas kisses her on the forehead before waving all of them a final goodbye as he departs for the east.

  This may turn out to be a dangerous journey, but he knows that this is his final hopes of finding what happened at Wovia and also, who is responsible for the death of King Solas. There is nothing else for him to pursue after this. He knows that he will find his answers there on what is called the land of darkness. A place where he has not been at since he helped his elder brother Connor destroy it, some three thousand years ago.

  END OF CHAPTER 6.

  CHAPTER 7

  Divide and Conquer

  Cullen and his handful of elves assistances make their way towards the ruins of the Necros Empire, but before they reach there, they will have to go through the forest of horrors. Once they enter, there are already signs that what all the people were saying about the place are true. There is minimal presence of light, strange sounds from the distance and rotten grass on the grounds. They are then moments later confronted by enchanted bears and dogs who are tasked in defending the gates of the Necros Empire. They are put there by the race of Levnaks. This human-like looking race was used to do the bidding of the Necros thousands of years ago, but only a few of them survived after the Arkhen Wars ended and now reside in the ruined kingdom of the Necros. The Arkhenians never saw them as a threat so they left them to live in the shadows of mankind knowing they would also eventually go extinct.

  Cullen and the elves eventually have to engage them in battle, but the bears and dogs have the upper hand. Their numbers are too much to handle for Cullen and the elves. Eventually though, the bears and dogs are of no match as Cullen in frustration takes his dragon form and easily incinerates most of them. The ones that survived ran away in fear. The win has come at a cost though. Almost all of Cullen’s elf backup are now dead as only two of them managed to stay alive.

  Over at Arkhen, Samven has arrived with all of his elf armies. Andreas welcomes him in the throne room and then asks him if he knows what he is holding in his arms.

  “It is the Ark of Arkhen” said Samven.

  “Of course, I know what it is. I had known about it long before you were even born. It is the crown jewel of this kingdom. The most powerful weapon in the world but it is useless in your hands. That crown belongs to the king of Arkhen, and only an Arkhen royalty bloodline can wield its powers. You might belong to an Arkhen royalty bloodline but your brother is still alive. He is the rightful king of this empire so only he can wield its powers” added Samven.

  “I know I cannot wield its powers even though I have every right to. Not yet, but I will. Now I cannot because my brother still breathes. That is why I have to kill him” replied Andreas.

  “Based on the things that you are saying and how things seem to be around here makes me only assume that Volker is either dead or in the dungeons, right?” says Samven.

  “He was given a chance, but he still chose to stand by his father’s foolish beliefs so I had to kill him” replied Andreas.

  “You killed your nephew! What about Daniello? Why can I not see him and the other Arkhenians? Did you killed them too?” Samven asks Andreas.

  No says Andreas as he informs him about where Daniello and the others are gone.

  “Daniello and the others are not dead but they were fools for not listening to me. I told them about Cullen having a human child but they did not believe me so they left to find out about the inevitable truth. When they do, you know it that they will never stand with Cullen ever again for he has betrayed all of us. That gives me the advantage. The only question is that which side will you be standing on? If you stand with him then you will die because I will not spare the life of any person who will stand with my brother” Andreas said.

  Samven confidently tells him that he will not betray his friend and that it is Cullen who would have the upper hand if it is war that Andreas chooses.

  “If it is war that you choose then it is you who should worry and not my friend because he will have the advantage and not you. I will stand with your brother and so will all the armies of men. So it is you who would need to worry” said Samven.

  Andreas remains silent for a while and thinks before responding.

  “What if someone told the people who he really is?” he asks.

  “They will feel betrayed and so they will choose not to stand with him just like Daniello and the rest of the Arkhenians. He will only be left with your army. I will defeat you and him easily” adds Andreas.

  “Do not get too confident about yourself. You do what you want, but I know your brother well. Cullen has always won battles in which the odds were against him and I am counting on him to do the same this time. I will stand and fight for Cullen this time again as I have done all my lifetime” replied Samven.

  Samven then leaves Arkhen with his army as Andreas in anger, throws the Arkhen crown since he was not able to convince neither Daniello nor Samven to fight on his side. Amulius Carver though, assures him that this is still a victory for them.

  “We still have the advantage since Daniello, and the rest of the Arkhen army will not fight for him. To make sure the army of men also do not fight for him, it is important that we tell them the truth and not Cullen” said Amulius.

  Andreas agrees.

  “Cullen has gone to the east, hasn’t he?” asks Andreas.

  “Yes” replied Amulius.

  “Then it is time for us to visit the realms of men again” said Andreas.

  He then also orders to spread the message across all kingdoms in the realms of men before his brother returns from the east as he wants no one to stand with him.

  “If we only have to fight the elves then we will win this war definitely” he said.

  At Selux, Queen Isabela has given birth to her and Cullen’s child. It is a girl. She does not know yet that Arkhen royalty runs in her veins. The entire kingdom is celebrating this joyous occasion as Isabela names her daughter princess Vallery Alistair. That is the name which Solas suggested her to choose if it were a girl before going to the east.

  Over at the Necros ruin lands, Cullen is finding it difficult in locating any signs of life. The two surviving elves that came with him have also died because of illness. He spends months looking for the truth but only finds ghosts of the past who aren’t of any help at all. As he goes further in, he senses the presence of something. Two beings then attack him, but he manages to bring them to the grounds easily. Both of them beg him for their lives as Cullen seems to recognise who they are. It is Renx and Lorz belonging to the race of Levnaks. They fought alongside the Necros during the Arkhen Wars. Both of them though, do not recognise him but do remember the name Cullen Rutherford. Cullen angrily asks them about their part played at Wovia.

  “What are both of you up to? What part did you play for the events of Wovia? Who was behind the attacking of the Vrailan and Selux armies?” Cullen asks them rapidly.

  “We do not understand what you are talking about” they reply.

  Cullen holds both of their necks and asks them again about the appearance of the Necros.

  “If both of you know nothing then what were the Necros doing at Wovia? Who killed King Solas?” he asks again.

  Renx and Lorz still say that they do not know anything about it and asks him to trust them as
they are too weak to pull off something like that. Cullen releases them from his grip as they continue to speak.

  “You know the Necros died thousands of years ago. You were the one who killed them” they say.

  “We have not left these lands ever since” they added.

  Cullen then punches one of the trees in disappointment. He has been trying to find the answers ever since he came to the realms of men but still has no conclusion for what happened at Wovia. He then again angrily looks at Renx and Lorz and asks them about what they are doing at this place all by themselves.

  “How are the both of you still alive? Only a handful of your people survived. You all should have been extinct by now. And what are you doing here?” Cullen asks them.

  “All of our people are dead and we are the only ones left. We hide in the shadows because we are afraid that men will kill us. We stood with the Necros against the armies of men. They will not spare us. So, we try to protect this place and ourselves from the outside world by enchanting the animals that we find here” they replied.

  “If both of you are that good in using magic, then why should I not doubt you for what happened at Wovia? Whoever was responsible for that clearly had the support of magic. How can I believe that both of you are telling me the truth and are innocent?” asks Cullen.

  They tell him that he needs to trust them because they actually do not know magic well and that their brother knew it really well but now he is dead being killed by one of Cullen’s own Arkhenian years ago. Cullen in shock, asks them to explain themselves.

  “I do not understand what you mean by an Arkhenian killing your brother” he says.

  “I was at Arkhen two years ago and no dragon or Arkhenian visited the realms of men or these lands then. I am sure of it” Cullen added.

  “We are telling the truth. It was someone like you. He came riding a dragon” Renx and Lorz replied.

  “Who was it? What did he want?” asked Cullen.

  “We do not know” responds Renx and Lorz.

  “We had never seen him before. He wanted to know everything about the Necros. Our brother was a great sorcerer who could do many things and knew everything about the Necros so that man decided to take him with him. We do not know why. He promised us to return our brother when his work is done, but it has been years now so we have to assume that he is dead” they added.

  They both then again asks him not to kill them since they have told them everything that they knew. Cullen spares their lives then makes his way back from the ruins of the Necros Empire having finally gained some knowledge of who might have been responsible for Wovia. He now confidently knows that someone staged this and that someone belongs to his own kingdom, but who? There is only one name that is repeating in his mind which is of his brother, Andreas. As he thinks about it more while returning, he figures that it all makes perfect sense now. He tells himself that by making it look like the Necros have returned, Andreas knew that his brother would come to investigate. That would give Andreas a lot of time to feed poison in the minds of his people.

  Back at Selux, Andreas’ Arkhen men are letting the people know the truth that their real king is dead and an Arkhenian imposter is claiming to be their king. Isabela and Amos are also aware of the rumours but do not believe in it. They are visited by Andreas and his Arkhen men. The entire Selux kingdom is surprised to see them since they know that Arkhenians have not been in these lands for thousands of years. Andreas tells them that he has brought them a secret about their king but Isabela reacts angrily now knowing that he is responsible for the rumours.

  “You are the one who is responsible for those rumours, aren’t you? What do you want from my husband?” asks an angry Isabela.

  “What you heard are not rumours” said Andreas.

  “Your real husband died well over two years ago. The person living with you is one of our own who is only here to solve a mystery of his own. He is not one of you. He has only betrayed your fee and the trust of every man here. I am here because I only wanted to tell you and everyone the truth” he added.

  Isabela says that she has had enough and asks him to leave but Andreas continues to speak.

  “I know deep down you know that the man living with you has been different to what your king really was because he is someone else” said Andreas.

  Isabela and the people present try to ignore him but inside they know that King Solas has been different ever since he returned after the events of Wovia. Isabela knows that this might be correct as this could be the secret which Solas was talking about, but she still refuses to believe it.

  “I trust my husband and will only believe what he says” she said.

  “Then ask him yourself once he returns” replied Andreas.

  Andreas then leaves as Isabela angrily goes into her room contemplating the possibilities of Andreas’ claims. The seeds have been planted as people start to talk about what the Arkhenians have said and it will not take long for every other kingdom of men to know about it as well.

  At the ruins of the Necros Empire, Renx and Lorz enter a dark cave where one entity standing beside a corpse is awaiting them in the shadows. They refer to him as lord and tell him about Cullen’s arrival.

  “My lord, the Arkhen King himself was here this time asking about our brother. He also said that someone was trying to make it look as if the Necros are back. He did not even know that one of his kind took our brother. You were right. There seems to be a major conflict in their realms” said Renx.

  “Yes, there is. Our time is near” replied their lord.

  “What do we do now, my lord” asked Lorz.

  “We do what we have been doing for all these years, we wait!” replied their lord.

  As Cullen exits the forest of horrors, he is met by Samven and Daniello who is with the Arkhen army. Cullen gives a strange confused looked.

  “Something is wrong, isn’t it?” he asks.

  “A lot has gone wrong since you left” replied Samven.

  Daniello then talks first.

  “We have trusted you from the beginning. We have stood with you in every step that you have taken. We had also respected every decision which you had taken including when you said it is time for our race to go extinct but now what you are doing is against everything that we believe in” said Daniello.

  “I do not understand what you mean so explain more, Daniello” replied a confused Cullen.

  Daniello says that he is talking about his human child with Isabela.

  “You said you wanted us not to let our race live on anymore, but you yourself did not stand for your word. You now have a child with a human. How can you explain that to the all of us” he said.

  “I am sorry, but this is not how it seems” replied Cullen.

  “My child will never know who he or she is” he added.

  “She will know” said Daniello.

  “She is a dragon. Once we are all gone, she will remain here and be the one most powerful being in this world. She can become a danger to humanity and none of us will be here to stop her if she chooses the dark side” he continues to say.

  Cullen now realises that it is a girl by hearing the word she. He now tries to convince Daniello that what Andreas told him is a lie.

  “None of that will happen. She is my daughter. She will never turn evil. You listen to me. Andreas has filled your and everyone else’s minds with poison. He has orchestrated this from the beginning. He is responsible for everything. He was the mastermind behind the attack at Wovia, which led to King Solas’ death. You should not have left Arkhen. You have left Volker alone at Arkhen with Andreas. His life can be in danger” said Cullen.

  “Volker is dead. Andreas killed him. I am sorry that I could not be there for him at that moment” Daniello informs him.

  Cullen stays silent for a moment being in shock before screaming at him.

  “Wha……………How………….How can you let it happen? He was your caretaker king. You were supposed to protect him” shouts C
ullen in shock and anger.

  Daniello apologises to him and says that he was not there when it happened. Cullen still shouting at him asks why he not arrested him then.

  “He had most of the Arkhen army believing in him. Amulius Carver is also on his side together with his army. I do not condone his methods, but I also do not entirely condemn what he believes in” replied Daniello.

  Cullen gets close and angrily looks in his eyes.

  “I am your king and all of this is regarded as treason. There is only one punishment for treason. Death” said Cullen.

  “That is why we are here and not standing with Andreas. You are our king. We promised to always stand with you but this time we cannot do that. We accept whatever punishment you will give us. If it is death then so be it” replied Daniello.

  Cullen tells them that he will not give them death.

  “All of you saved my life so many times in the past but that does not mean all of this will go unnoticed. You do not want to stand with me. Fine. That is your decision but I will deal with your act of treason once I am done with Andreas” Cullen tells them.

  Daniello and everyone who stands with him are banished to the mysterious Arkhenian island of Arav while some of them choose to stand with King Cullen. Cullen silently stands there for a moment before asking Samven whether Isabela and the Selux kingdom know the truth. Samven just slowly nods his head up and down. Cullen turns around and closes his fists hard while his face turns reddish in anger.

  “At least there is one good news” says Samven.

  “Isabela has given birth to your child. A girl whom she has named Vallery” he adds.

  Cullen tells him that she will not let him see her.