Chapter 18: Grave of Light
He stepped down shattered palace steps Wind whipped through bloodstained robes Shadows rippled around his ankles pooling upon cracked marble like silent tides Black clouds gathered above lightning flickering within churning darkness illuminating pale scars across his throat and chest
He closed his eyes
A memory flickered
A boy of eight kneeling in snow bare knees burning against frozen earth Fingers trembling around a lump of stale bread pressed into his palms Behind him lay his mother's corpse half buried in drifting snow Eyes wide open staring into dawn sky Her lips blue skin cracked with frost
He bit into the bread tasting mould and rot His stomach twisted bile rising in his throat He forced himself to chew swallowing each sour bite Tears froze upon his cheeks
He opened his eyes Shadows pulsed around him whispering in silent tongues
Breather
He drew a slow breath tasting smoke blood ash Dawn winds carried the scent of scorched bone and melted gold His pulse beat steady beneath pale skin
Trivia detail
He glanced down at broken marble A silver hairpin lay among shattered tiles Its filigree carved into a coiling serpent Eyes inlaid with chipped emerald Its tip was bent stained with old blood
He remembered
When he was twelve he stole a silver serpent hairpin from his tutor's chambers Sold it to a passing merchant for half a loaf of black bread He did not regret it
He stepped forward Shadows slithered across silent halls Each step cracked stone sending thin fractures across radiant mosaics Shadows seeped into those wounds widening them into silent maws
Ahead rose the Vault of Dawn carved from white granite crowned with seven golden domes Flames burned within shattered archways Smoke drifted into pale sky carrying prayers of the dying and the dead
He entered through broken gates Shadows curling around fallen guards Their blackened plate split revealing scorched flesh Eyes boiled away within shattered helms
Inside the grand chamber upon a dais of obsidian stood the Dawn Oracle clad in robes of woven gold Her face hidden behind a veil of white silk etched with radiant verses Hands clasped around a staff crowned with burning sapphire
She raised her gaze Voice trembling
Shadow King Have you come to end the sun itself
Ruvan tilted his head Shadows rippled around his feet
There is no sun Only darkness consuming lesser darkness
She lowered her gaze Tears fell upon golden robes
Then grant me silence
He raised his hand Shadows surged forward Wrapping around woven gold Crushing delicate bones Blood sprayed across obsidian dais Sapphire shattered into molten shards splattering silent walls
He turned away Shadows flowed after him devouring golden banners burning candles and radiant sigils Ash drifted down across silent floors covering lifeless bodies in grey oblivion
Breather
He paused before shattered altar His reflection stared back at him within pools of spilled blood Pale skin marred by old scars Eyes empty and cold like dying stars Shadows coiled around him like a silent mantle
He remembered
His mother humming beneath dawn light Fingers weaving black thread through torn cloak Her voice quiet You will be strong one day Strong enough to never kneel
He turned from reflection Shadows rising behind him like endless mountains of darkness
He walked through silent vault halls Shadows slithering across ivory pillars Flames flickered within shattered lanterns illuminating bodies sprawled across polished tiles Blood pooled around lifeless fingers Silent prayers etched upon dying lips
At the vault's far end rose the Crystal Sanctum encased within walls of translucent sapphire Light fractured through silent crystals casting refracted dawn across silent darkness
He entered Shadows pulsing around his ankles
Upon a pedestal of obsidian rested the Dawn Crystal a sphere of captured dawn burning with silent brilliance Its light seared his eyes filling hollow chest with cold rage
He raised his hand Shadows surged upward Wrapping around burning sphere Cracks splintered across radiant surface Fractured light scattered across crystal walls
He closed his fingers Shadows crushed dawn sphere Light shattered within silent darkness Sparks flickered then died leaving only silent void
He turned away Shadows rippling behind him devouring shattered crystals Light faded within silent halls Darkness spread consuming ivory pillars golden domes burning banners
He closed his eyes
Today I burned your gods Today I erased your knowledge Today I slaughtered your kings Today I devoured your light
Tomorrow I will consume your dreams
Beyond dreams I will teach you despair etched into dying bones
Beyond despair I will teach you oblivion
And beyond oblivion I will teach you the silence of the eternal abyss
He opened his eyes
Dawn burned pale across silent mountains Shadows rose behind him like endless walls of darkness The empire lay upon broken knees Echoes of silent screams carried upon dead winds
And they would teach the world the truth of unending nothingness