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I hated the seer.
No. That didn’t quite cut it. I loathed her with the power of a thousand dying suns. What the fuck was she doing here?
Her long white hair cascaded well past her shoulders, shimmering with an ethereal glow that matched the ambient light of the full moon high in the sky. Her eyes were dark voids, black orbs of shadow that revealed nothing about what was going on in her mind. She cocked her head, an all-knowing smile playing on her lips, and I gritted my teeth, staring back at her.
This was the last thing I needed today.
“What do you want? Why are you here?” I spoke, my vitriol clear in every syllable that bled off my lips.
The seer had visited me once before and it brought nothing but trouble. Back then, she’d spoken in riddles and sent me on a wild goose chase that had taken more than a millennium to figureout, but right now I was well on my way to achieving the ultimate power over the five kingdoms and I had no use for her games.
I knew that the key to the final piece of the prophecy was somewhere in Sungard, and I didn’t need her interference right now. I didn’t need to be set back another thousand years. I didn’t need her help, or better yet, her constant diabolical meddling.
She didn’t answer, her lips still twisted up in an amused smirk, which only made me hate her all the more.
I wished she would just go back to where she came from and never come back.
I took a step closer to her. She didn’t seem frightened. Not that I had expected her to be. She was one of the only beings in all of the kingdoms that held more power than me and I detested that. My fingers twitched at my sides. If she had been a mere mortal, I would have ended her life right there and then. But I knew the seer wasn’t one to be trifled with, at least not until I fulfilled the prophecy and gained the crown over all five kingdoms and the world delved into darkness under my reign.
“What do you want?” I tried again.
“I’ve come to warn you,” she said, her voice resonating throughout my throne room. I took a seat on my throne and gazed over my dominion, paying her little mind.
I didn’t need her warning or her threats, whatever this may be. Maybe I would just let her say her piece and be done. Then I could ignore whatever meddling advice she would give and go on my way. I sighed, my gaze drifting over her for a moment before looking off over the expanse of my throne room. It was seated at the peak of my castle and if I ventured off the balcony at the very edge of it, I could see all of Helheim. It was a beautiful cold place,one of desolation and constant storms of lightning that pierced the sky and lit up the darkness.
My throne room was magnificent. Towering walls of cold ebony stone soared upward, adorned with sinister runes etched in blood red, their twisted designs hinting at the malevolent power that pulsed through my dark domain. In the dim corners of the massive hall, shadows writhed and whispered their secrets of damnation, their voices those of lost souls condemned to exist without physical form for all time.
And then there was my throne.
Dominating the center of the massive chamber, it stood as a grim symbol of my power. Forged from sharp, glistening obsidian, it loomed tall and imposing, its dark surface catching the light from the flames that flickered along the walls. The backrest, inspired by the ruthless ironwork of the ancient kings who ruled before me, twisted and spiraled like the horns of demonic beasts. The skeletal motif embedded in the design stood as a grim reminder of the inevitable demise that awaited anyone who dared to challenge me.
There were few who did.
Infernal purple flames danced at my throne’s edges. Tendrils of dark smoke wove through the air, mingling with the murmurs of the damned souls that haunted the chamber.
Their screams were like the perfect lullaby late at night.
As I settled into the throne, its icy touch seeped into my core. Helheim was hell on earth, and I reigned over it all.
I was the Dark King. The shepherd of souls. Some called me the devil. Others spoke of me like a god. To the people of the fiverealms, I was the embodiment of darkness, the manifestation of all things evil and vile. But none of that mattered to me. They would all bow to me when the time came.
Because itwouldcome.
And it was comingsoon.
I would see to it myself. In the past, I’d relied on others, mainly my changeling Mais, but she had failed me and if I wanted things done right, the only person I could rely on was myself.
I stared at the seer. I was in no mood for her games today. I just wanted her gone, sooner rather than later.
Better yet…right now.
“If you have a point to make, I suggest you make it and go,” I pressed, and her all-knowing smile grew even wider. My eyes narrowed.
With a heavy sigh, I lifted my chin and stared her down, wishing I could use my power to engulf her ethereal form in dark flames like I did the rest of the wretched souls that ended up in my domain. My gaze slid over her shoulder to see Mais standing by the entryway.
She had been pretty once, before she’d disappointed me one too many times and I’d needed to punish her. She still bore the marks of my discipline, the burned flesh of her right cheek a cruel reminder of her treachery, but it had served its purpose.
But she’d needed to be punished again. No one failed me and remained untouched by my cruel hand.
