Let This Fire Within You Consume The World

Before Eryndor could protest, Keli waved her hand, and a crimson light shot into the dark, swirling waters below. The river churned violently, sending ripples of smoke into the air. Slowly, the surface transformed, becoming a screen that glowed with a haunting clarity.

Eryndor's heart pounded as the image came into focus. His breath caught in his throat as he saw his mother, Elyria, lying weakly on a cold, stone floor, surrounded by a pool of her own blood. Her face was pale, her eyes dimmed with exhaustion and pain.

"Please, my King," Elyria's voice broke through the tense silence, weak yet defiant. "No… My son…"

The image shifted, and there stood King Alden, towering over her with a cruel smirk on his face. His eyes gleamed with malice, his hands aglow with dark magic.

"Your son?" Alden mocked, his voice dripping with venom. "You mean the fraud you dared to pass off as our savior? He will be dealt with in due time. But first…" His smile widened, his voice turning colder. "I will ensure you suffer a death so agonizing that even your soul will vanish from existence."

Elyria's body trembled as she tried to crawl away, her bloodied hands leaving streaks on the floor. But Alden raised a hand, and a wave of dark energy slammed her back into place.

"No!" Eryndor shouted from the bridge, his voice echoing in the void. But the image continued, oblivious to his anguish.

Alden stepped closer, drawing a blade with jagged edges. Its surface glimmered with an unholy light, as if it were alive. He knelt beside Elyria, tracing the tip of the blade along her skin, leaving a shallow cut that oozed blood.

"Your defiance," Alden said with a sinister chuckle, "has cost you dearly." He plunged the blade into her side, twisting it slowly. Elyria screamed, her voice filled with unbearable pain.

"No… please…" she sobbed, her hands clutching at the blade. But Alden only laughed, withdrawing the knife and slashing again, this time across her arm. Blood splattered onto the cold stone, mingling with her tears.

Dark magic swirled around Alden's hands as he began to chant, his deep, guttural voice resonating like a dreadful hymn. Purple and black tendrils of energy lashed out, wrapping around Elyria's fragile body like chains, dragging her back to the cold stone floor.

"No!" she cried, her voice cracking with desperation. "Please, spare me! Spare my son!"

Her pleas were met with cruel laughter. The magic burned into her skin, searing her flesh and leaving glowing, jagged marks that pulsed with unholy light.

"Alden!" Elyria screamed, writhing in agony. "Please! You don't have to do this!"

Her body convulsed as the tendrils tightened, pulling her limbs taut. Every muscle in her body strained against the magical chains, but it was futile.

Eryndor's knees buckled, his fists trembling at his sides. The sound of her screams pierced his heart like a blade.

"Mom…" he whispered, tears streaming down his face. His nails dug so deeply into his palms that blood dripped to the ground. The coppery scent mingled with the acrid stench of burning flesh from the vision below.

Alden knelt beside Elyria, tracing the edge of his blade along her cheek. She winced, her breath hitching, but her defiant gaze never wavered.

"You have no idea," Alden hissed, his voice venomous, "how long I've waited for this moment."

The blade plunged into her side with sickening precision. Elyria's scream tore through the chamber, raw and guttural.

"Stop!" Eryndor roared, his voice trembling with helpless rage.

Alden twisted the blade, and another scream ripped from Elyria's throat, her voice breaking as it echoed in the chamber. "No! Please... my son….."

Dark energy erupted from Alden's hands, coursing through the chains and into her body. Her back arched as the magic wracked her with excruciating pain. "Ahhh!" Her scream was no longer a cry for mercy but a primal sound of unbearable torment.

Eryndor fell to his knees, his chest heaving as the hatred, anger, and pain surged within him. The vision blurred as tears clouded his eyes, but he couldn't look away.

"Mom!" he cried again, his voice breaking.

Keli stood beside him, her crimson eyes gleaming with satisfaction. She watched the growing storm within Eryndor, a serene smile gracing her lips. 'Perfect'.

The vision shifted. Alden stood tall now, raising both hands above Elyria's trembling form. A surge of energy erupted from his palms, striking her chest with a blinding light. Her final scream echoed, piercing and agonized, a sound that seemed to shatter the very air around her.

Then, silence. Elyria collapsed, her body still, her once-bright eyes dull and lifeless.

Eryndor's breath came in ragged gasps as he stared at the scene, his fists trembling. His soul burned with fury, his body trembling with the weight of his anguish.

"I'll make him pay," he whispered, his voice low and trembling with conviction. "I'll make all of them pay."

Keli smirked, folding her fan with a snap. "Now you understand, Great One," she said, her voice filled with dark satisfaction. "Let this fire within you consume the world. Use it! Harness it!! Let them tremble before your wrath."

Keli's smirk deepened, her crimson eyes gleaming with dark delight. "But that's not all, Great One. Do you know what happened to your mother's clan? The people who escaped the sea with her?"

Eryndor's frown deepened. "No," he said, his voice steady but laced with apprehension.

Keli waved her hand again, the river below rippling and coming alive once more. "Then see for yourself."

The vision shifted to a cold, moonlit night. His father, King Alden, stood tall in his gilded armor, his expression a mask of cruelty. A group of guards knelt before him, their weapons sharp and their faces grim.

"Go to her village," Alden commanded, his voice icy and devoid of emotion. "Kill every living thing. Spare no one, not even the animals. Burn it to the ground. I want no trace of her wretched clan to remain."

The guards rose, saluting sharply. "Yes, my King!"

The scene shifted as the guards marched under the moonlight, their boots pounding against the ground in unison. The faint glow of the village appeared in the distance, nestled in a serene valley. The guards' laughter broke the night's quiet.

"Finally, some action," one sneered, spinning his sword in his hand. "It's been too long since I've spilled some blood."

Another chuckled darkly. "I heard the women in her clan are beauties. Maybe I'll take one for myself before we're done."

The vision grew closer, showing the guards bursting into the village with the force of a storm. The first cries of alarm were quickly silenced by the clash of steel.

"AHHHHHH!" a woman screamed as a blade struck her, her body crumpling to the ground.

"Run!" someone shouted, their voice filled with terror. Villagers scrambled in every direction, their faces pale with fear.

One guard grabbed a young man trying to flee. "Where do you think you're going?" he sneered, slashing the man's throat in one swift motion. Blood sprayed across the dirt as the man collapsed, his eyes wide with horror.

"AHHHHHH!" another scream echoed, this time from a child, clutching their mother's skirts.

The guards showed no mercy. They set huts ablaze, the flames licking hungrily at the night sky. The cries of the villagers filled the air, mingling with the guards' jeering laughter.

"Leave no one alive!" one of the guards barked.

Some women were dragged from their homes, their screams piercing the chaos.

"Please, no!" a young woman cried, struggling against the hands of a guard.

"Oh, don't worry," he sneered, forcing her to the ground. "I'll make this quick. Maybe."

Eryndor clenched his fists, his nails biting into his palms again as he watched helplessly.

"AHHHHHH! AHHHHHHHH!" The agonizing screams of the villagers grew louder, their pain and terror searing into his soul. Heads rolled as swords swung mercilessly, the lifeless bodies falling to the blood-soaked ground.

"Burn it all!" another guard shouted, tossing a torch onto a wooden structure. The fire roared to life, consuming everything in its path.

The vision blurred, the flames and cries fading into the background as Eryndor's tears fell freely. His chest heaved, his heart pounding with a mix of sorrow and rage.

"That," Keli said softly, folding her fan with a snap, "is the truth your mother never told you."