(Past) :: The Mist 'N' The Blade

Kael drew his cloak tighter around his shoulders and tightened the straps. He wore layers of armour, yet the air was abnormally cold, spreading all over the area,. He felt like he was standing on the middle of the smog, staring at the grey mist that went on forever.

The Dark Mist. It was considered to be a place where the line between the afterlife and the living was blurred, and it's no place for an mortal to reside. With his breath apparent in the cold air.Kael was aware that there was no other way. Despite all of his instincts telling him to go back. 

With his palm holding his knife, Kael moved carefully. Around him, the silence was strange, and every step felt heavier than the last. He kept feeling like he was being watched. He would occasionally look over his shoulder, but all he saw was the swirling mist that appeared to be closing him.

Entering the mist was like entering an other universe. Every sound except the gentle crunch of his feet on the ground was muffled by the heavy, thick air and the moisture that clung to his skin. It was almost impossible to see. for every ten feet, smog turned to cover everything, making imposible to see. The trees now loomed like dark shadows, their branches twisted like weak outlines. All he could see is the shadows and the mist, The shadows of the trees were glooming darkly above the skies and there is no sign of humans.

Keeping his senses sharp, he continued. Under his feet, the terrain became uneven, alternating between moist, soft soil and sharp stones that might strike him at any moment. The shadows, tricking in the mist, swirled around the corner of his vision. The location was a silent warning to anyone who dared to enter; it display mystery and danger.

As he walked closer into the the mist. His surroundings seemed off. Minutes felt like hours, time appeared to drag on, and the uncanny silence is a burden.

Then his boot struck something hard. He discovered a broken sword with a dull, corroded blade as he looked down. Strange marks covered the hilt. In order to see it, he knelt down, but a sudden sound caused him to look up, and his hand automatically pulled out his small blade.

As he tried to identify the source of the noise. Trying to hide something moving inside, the mist suddenly appeared to move. Despite all his instincts telling him to run, he held his ground and raised the blade.

Kael kept moving ahead, fighting his oppressive environment with every moment. His senses were alert to every movement and sound, and his blade was always ready. He had visions of people in the swirling grey, their mouths open in mute cries, but the mist was playing tricks on his head.

There are legends about this region, he thought, tales of people lost to the mist, their cries echoing in the void. The Mist of Shadows was more than just a place. It served as an edge, a line between worlds that were off limits to the living.

Suddenly a dark form emerged from the fog, a huge beast with amorphous features. Its eyes shone with a predatory desire, and its long, serpentine tendrils reached out, as if it had been formed from the mist itself. The beast was unlike whatever Kael had ever seen; it was a bigger, twisted, nightmare-like wolf, with a body that was never quite solid and was always changing like smoke or shadow.

Kael pulled out the blade, gritting his teeth. His body, stayed motionless as his fingers clenched around the hilt. Death had come to him before, but this was something else. The creature's growls sent shivers down his spine as they echoed deep within the mist and it vibrated through the grounds.

The thing came forward with a snap, its claws tearing through the air at an unnatural speed. Kael stepped back as the creature's enormous claw went by where his head had been, barely having time to react. As the claws rubbed across the ground, sending sharp stones flying, he could smell the stench of burning dirt.

Kael's heart thumping, he immediately got his bearings. He made no hesitation. The creature's shoulder was the target of his knife's, but it was too fast, swerving with a spooky grace. The mist was heavy in the air, making it difficult for Kael to see. As though it were composed of smoke, its form elusive and unclear the creature seemed less affected.

The beast snapped its jaws at Kael. The hot breath from the creature's mouth brushed against his arm as he dodged just in time. He grimaced, ducked a second strike from its claws, and distorted, thrusting at its chest. However, the blade cut through one of its claw.
As it grew and twisted into a more serpentine shape covered with shadows, the creature let out a frustrated cry. As its form rippled through the mist, it moved out, encircling Kael's body with its tentacles formed by the shadows across the mist. He felt the force of the creature's iron hold as his heart pounded into his ribcage.

As Kael struggled to free himself, his muscles couldn't bare and he was grunting with pain, but the creature's strength was too much. His blade sliced through the cords that were formed by the shadows, he slashed at them with the blade he was holding, but made it no affective, beast appears like its scale were a protective barrier. His eyesight became blurry, and he briefly believed he was going to die.

Kael turned sideways and pulled his arms free with a scream of anger, almost escaping the crushing weight of the creature's body. The creature grumbled, obviously enraged, and the shadows swirled more wildly over him, like a wrapping snake. Now it moved more quickly, its shape growing even more fragile as if the mist had swallowed it entirely.

Kael breathed in rough puffs. He was tired,exhausted, felt like he was losing the fight, going to die at any moment. Now, however, he was unable to stop. He was unable to pay for it. He couldn't stop at all, he was being torn apart by the shadows that were wrapped across him, and the beast is ferrous to finish him.

Suddenly the beast rushed its jaws clenched, determined to cut him in two. Kael dove low, his body jerking trying to escape. The thing missed up, but Kael was trying to move away, trying to loose himslef from the grip of the shadows.

At that moment, the ground beneath him began to change.

He began to fall into the air as the ground under him shattered, and then he was falling down into a hole, which was getting deeper and deeper as the air whirled around him more quickly. He reached out, desperate for something to grab hold of, but there was nothing. He was completely engulfed by the rising mist.

Kael slammed his body against something huge and heard as he hit the ground. His sword was gone, ripped from his hand during the fall. He tried to sit up as his body hurt and pain due to the wounded body. He was covered by mist, and the mist was heavier than before, wrapping him. He was blind. The only sound he could hear was his own heart beats.

Kael managed to bring himself to his knees, gasping heavily. Even though his hands were shaking, he made himself stay steady. His weapon had been taken away from him. He was totally exposed in the weird area filled with the smog.

He felt like he is going to die at any moment, no power, no balance, the blood continuously dripping out from the wound.

The creature’s growls reached his ears, louder now, like a hungry beast circling its prey. The air was getting colder by the second, and he could sense its presence approaching. Kael have no idea about what's going to happen, not even a sign, couldn't see a thing as the total area is filled with the mist. He needed to live. He had no choice.

His hands were out in the mist, looking for something, and he stumbled to his feet. Something cool and smooth, something buried in the ground, touched his fingers. When Kael realised what it was, his heart skipped a beat and he grabbed it, his fingers clenching around its hilt.

A sword.

Its blade was covered in mysterious symbols, and it was gloomy and black as darkness. Kael didn't think twice. When he swung it experimentally, the blade's weight and balance seemed ideal in his hands. There was no light shining on the dark metal, but it glittered. The symbols carved into the blade flickered faintly.

The beast roared, sensing Kael’s shift in stance, and Kael flet like the beast rushing at him with terrifying speed. However, Kael was prepared. Slashing through the air, he swiftly raised the dark blade.

The creature screeched as the sword made contact, its body torso and screaming in pain. As if consumed by the blade's own darkness, the creature's tentacles vanished into oblivion as Kael's blade sliced through its smoky form. With every strike, the creature's body broke apart, turning into a cloud of ash that shattered into the sky.

The creature let out one last, defiant cry before exploding into a violent gust of wind, its form disappearing like smoke in a fire, leaving behind just a faint trace of burning ash.

With the blade still in his grasp, Kael stood by himself in the mist. The beast has vanished.

"So, you're Kael..."

His hold on the black blade tightened as Kael's body clenched, as he heard the voice. Each word of the voice was dripping with a mixture of mocking and evil purpose.

"I can see your pain," the voice continued, carefully and slowly. "The moments you repeatedly recall... Your mother half-burned, lying there. Her screams, carved into your memory, never letting you rest."

The images of his mother's dead body, the stench of burnt flesh, and the emptiness of his despair suddenly came back to him.

The voice whispered, almost sympathetically, "You’ve carried this pain for so long," after the tone slightly changed into something darker.However, it doesn't have to be a burden any longer. I'll assist you. I will give you the power to avenge her pain. All you have to do... is say yes, obey me."

Around him, the mist started to change, writhing and curling like living shadows. Kael stumbled back, the world around him dissolving and overwhelming his senses. A blood-red sky with ominous moving clouds replaced the mist. The earth beneath his feet glowed and changed into something hideous—a limitless sea of blood, its surface warm and flowing. Kael could sense the warmth of the blood benearth his feet.

Kael looked down, his reflection influenced in the blood floating beneath him. Suddenly, in the distance, shapes began to materialize.

Figures; Men in old, frayed armor, their faces appear hollow. Malice and hatred flashed dimly in their eyes. These were troops, troops Kael had known since that awful day. They were the ones who had killed his mother, destroyed his village, and set fire to his house.

Their swords glowed with an unusual brightness, and the blood streaming from their blades appeared fresh, but initially they stayed still, motionless, as if they were holding back.

The speaker growled, "There they are," its tone rising with cruel joy. "They took everything away from you. Kael, look at them. They walk again so you can do what you couldn’t back then. Do you feel it? The rage bubbling in your chest? The thirst for their blood? This is your opportunity. Your revenge, served for you, only for you....."

Kael clenched over the grip of the blade.

"What are you waiting for?" The voice demanded, becoming louder and more commanding. "Do you think they deserve mercy? Kael, mercy is for the weak. Your mother was not spared by these men. They didn’t spare anyone. They laughed as your world burned. And you—"

The tone of the voice changed, full of mockery. "You did nothing."

Kael's jaw tightened and his knuckles turned out as he clenched the hilt of the blade.

The voice said, "This is your moment to make it right," with a seductve edge creeping into its tone. "Take them out. Hear their screams as they fall to their knees. Tenfold the amount of blood they spilt. Kael, they should suffer as much as you have. Grab the blade. Take the power. Allow it to consume you."

The soldiers started to move as the ground shook. They lifted their weapons and fixed Kael with their dead eyes.

"They’re coming for you," the voice whispered, now with intent. "Will you let them take you, just as they took her? Or will you rise? Will you be the monster they created? Will you instill a fear in them?"

Kael's eyes became blurry with anger, and his breath seized in his throat. The black blade processed in his fingers, its symbols shining faintly, feeding on his misery and rage.

"Good," the voice sighed, satisfied. "Give in, Kael. Allow the pain to motivate you. Let the blade guide you. Together, we will make them suffer. Together, we will carve your vengeance into their flesh. And when it’s done... you will be free from the guilt that haunted you."

As the troops approached, their footsteps splattering over the blood below, Kael's hold on the blade grew tighter. His body shook with a mixture of anger and pain, and his eyes blazed with hate. The evil laughter resonated in his head as the voice laughed.

"Make your choice, Kael. Will you be the prey? Or will you become the predator?"