The Young Commander
In the capital, the fog had taken over the place like a curtain of ash, stretching endlessly, swallowing the road, the trees, and the very breath. The trees looked like faint phantoms swaying in heavy silence, as if they were ghosts waiting for someone to awaken their curse. The air was heavy, saturated with suffocating humidity.
Footsteps... A group of thieves tried to take advantage of the silence to commit a theft. They were running at full speed like arrows launched between the shadows, looting everything in front of them.
One of them advanced ahead, running with all his might, but the fog soon turned into a snowstorm that swept through the place. The temperature dropped suddenly, and snow began to surround the area. The first to rush in for the theft tried to escape, but as the snow neared him, terror crept into his heart like a cold serpent.
Fear froze his limbs, and he couldn't move. The snow came closer, ice surrounded his feet, and he started screaming from the pain. His veins froze, his hands stiffened, and with every inch the ice crept forward, it consumed another part of his body, until it reached his head and silenced his final breath.
In a moment, he turned into a statue of ice… a statue that spoke of incomplete death, as if trapped between life and oblivion.
From the storm emerged the shadow of a person, his eyes glowing like embers, his sword in its sheath as if he wasn't taking the matter seriously. The others were terrified, for they had seen their friend turn into a piece of ice in mere seconds, and they couldn't utter a single word.
That person who had created the storm was Roku. Roku smiled coldly: "So, you're the ones who took advantage of the calm in this place."
The others tried to flee, leaving their friend behind. Roku began to yawn: "How ungrateful... you abandon your friend so quickly?"
Roku waved his hand, and the air around him tore apart to form a sharp ice blade from nothingness. It shone under the storm's light like a dagger forged from eternal winter. He grabbed it firmly, then hurled it towards them with force—it launched like a cannon, slicing through the air, leaving behind a cold whistle as if the wind screamed his name.
When it reached them, it pierced through one of them. He twisted in agony, his scream horrifying, until he died. Roku charged forward, throwing his sword at them. The sword reached the hand of one of them, and suddenly, Roku appeared before him from nowhere and grabbed his sword. Blood splattered, and the man's hands fell to the ground. Before he could scream or react, his head fell as well. As for the other, Roku sliced his body in half.
No one escaped from Roku. He was the youngest commander in the capital, only seventeen years old. He was known as the most torturous of leaders to his enemies. He would either freeze them and leave them to suffer endlessly, or kill them in the most horrific ways. He was the nightmare of anyone who dared to rebel or attack the capital, and was considered the most brutal commander.
Above that world… there was another world, a world shrouded in black clouds, a sky that knew no light, and a blood-red moon as if telling the tale of a massacre that once occurred. That world was known as the "Realm of the Rulers."
In the center of this world was a great palace, black and red in color, the size of an entire continent. At the heart of that palace was a throne made of bones and blood, rising in the midst of darkness like a manifestation of ruin itself… it could only be summoned through death, and only one whose heart had been stripped of mercy could sit upon it.
On that throne sat a powerful being, his red eyes representing death, and his long black hair, like the blackness of a heart that had tasted war, shining only with the light of blood. That person held in his hand the skull of one of the strongest warriors. He was the Ruler of the Fourth Realm: Izanagi.
Izanagi smiled with malice. Suddenly, the sound of a door opening was heard, and a person appeared with a terrifying aura, lightning patterns on his clothes, which were gold-yellow and dark blue. That was Ryujin, the Ruler of Lightning and leader of the Four Rulers.
Ryujin bowed respectfully and said: "It seems you summoned me, O Ruler of the Fourth Realm."
Izanagi moved his head slightly and said in a voice full of majesty: "It seems the Samurai Ruler has returned, and I believe you know of his existence. I want you to crush him, Ryujin!"
Ryujin smiled with excitement and said: "Don't worry, I'll make sure to crush him before he regains his full power. But not now."
Izanagi smiled and said: "As you wish… now, go."
A sudden lightning bolt tore through the silence and exploded in the air around Ryujin, surrounding him in an aura of glowing golden light. In the blink of an eye, Ryujin vanished.
Izanagi smiled and said: "I won't allow you, O Samurai Ruler, to ruin everything. Humans, yokai, and monsters must fight… and we, the Rulers, shall watch what they will do… and who among them will prevail."
…
In one of the houses, Takeru was banging on the door hard, shouting: "Roku! Are you in there? Come out now!"
Several minutes passed with no response. Suddenly, a terrifying aura emerged from his body, like a time bomb about to explode.
Inside, Roku was sleeping, like a princess unaware of what was happening around her. Suddenly, Takeru released a powerful lightning aura that destroyed the door.
Roku fell from his bed and drew his sword, shouting in panic: "Are we under attack?! By whom?! When?!"
Takeru responded with a strong blow to his head and shouted: "You bastard! Were you sleeping?!"
Roku replied with confusion: "Yes… so what?"
Takeru punched him hard, slamming him to the ground. Roku said: "Okay, I apologize. I won't do it again."
Takeru, after venting his anger, said: "Good that you know your mistake."
Roku smiled mischievously and said: "So what's the reason for your sudden visit? Did you come to marry me off to your daughter?"
The sentence enraged him, and he punched him again. "Okay! I'm sorry! I won't say it again."
Takeru continued: "I'll tell you your mission before I kill you if you speak another word! The Emperor sent me to inform you of your task: to go to the Old Kingdom that was destroyed without any prior warning."
Roku said: "Alright, I'll go to that place."
…
In the Old Kingdom…
The place was completely destroyed. There was nothing left but the smell of corpses and blood. The air was suffocating, and ruin filled the horizon. A spear covered in blood was stuck between corpses. A hand appeared, pulling the spear from a lifeless body. It was the hand of a powerful and terrifying being, who smiled with malice and terror, and said:
"It seems things are about to get more fun…"
End of Chapter.