The sun burned hot across palace walls, casting long golden rays that painted cracked cobblestones in crimson and amber. Merchants gathered their wares with trembling fingers, eyes flicking toward the barefoot boy walking through the city's heart. Guards stationed along marble towers lowered spears, their faces pale with terror as shadows slithered around Ruvan's ankles
He paused at a wide plaza lined with statues of past emperors. Marble kings stood upon obsidian plinths, eyes carved to gaze eternally down upon their people. Their robes were etched in stone folds, weapons and scrolls clutched in lifeless hands. Morning wind whispered between them, carrying the scent of incense from temple towers
Ruvan raised his gaze. Shadows rippled across polished stone as he walked forward. He reached the largest statue, a towering emperor draped in sculpted velvet, one arm raised in silent decree. Children once played at its base. Priests once knelt before it at dawn to pray for the empire's glory
He placed his palm upon its cold marble foot. Darkness pulsed from his hand, seeping into white stone. Cracks spread up the statue's leg, fracturing imperial robes, splintering chiseled muscle and carved banners. With a low groan the entire statue collapsed. Stone shattered upon stone. Dust billowed outward in choking clouds
He stepped back as shadows curled around the rubble. Merchants screamed and fled. Guards stumbled away, dropping spears and swords as shadows slithered after them. Horses reared and tore free of market wagons, hooves clattering upon cobblestone before galloping into alleys
He continued walking. Shadows parted before him. At the plaza's edge stood the Grand Library, a massive structure of polished granite columns and endless stained-glass windows depicting gods bestowing knowledge upon kneeling kings. Its bronze doors were engraved with sacred verses praising wisdom's divine origin
He ascended marble steps barefoot. Each step echoed across silent streets. At the top he pressed both palms against the bronze doors. Shadows rippled down his arms and sank into metal. Etched verses warped and blackened. The doors creaked before exploding inward with a roar of splintering hinges
Inside spread a vast hall lined with towering shelves. Tens of thousands of manuscripts, scrolls, and tomes filled every space. Scribes froze mid-step, quills falling from trembling fingers. Masters in embroidered robes turned from lecterns, their voices catching in silent horror as they beheld him
Ruvan stepped onto polished marble. Shadows surged forward, spreading along aisles of ancient knowledge. Books rotted to dust within seconds. Scrolls blackened and crumbled in drifting ash. Shelves split down the middle, raining fragments of wood and charred parchment across screaming scholars
A master scribe stumbled forward, arms outstretched
Please these are centuries of wisdom do not destroy them I beg you
Ruvan tilted his head. Shadows curled around his ankles
Knowledge taught by lies is poison
He raised his hand. Darkness shot forward, wrapping around the scribe's throat. The man convulsed as veins blackened beneath thin skin. Shadows sank into his mouth and nose. His eyes rolled back before his body dropped lifeless to marble, quill still clutched between stiff fingers
Ruvan continued walking. Shadows swirled around him, shredding shelves to splinters. Bookshelves toppled in cascading ruin, their contents swallowed by roiling blackness. Dust rose to the vaulted ceilings painted with angels and radiant gods
He reached the center of the library where an altar of crystal and gold displayed the empire's founding tome. Its cover was inlaid with jewels that caught dawn's light through shattered windows, glowing in defiance
He placed his hand upon the sacred tome. Darkness pulsed through leather and gold. Jewels cracked and fell away. Pages blackened to ash. In seconds nothing remained but drifting flakes swirling down like dead petals
He turned away from the ruin. Shadows flowed after him, parting around fallen scribes and broken lecterns. At the bronze doors he paused. Dawn burned brighter outside, gilding the devastated plaza
He walked down the marble steps. Merchants watched from alleys. Guards huddled behind toppled carts. No one dared move
He turned his gaze toward the palace spires glittering beyond crumbling towers. Shadows coiled around his feet in silent hunger
Today I erase your gods
Today I burn your knowledge
Tomorrow I will slaughter your kings
He continued forward. Streets parted before him in trembling silence. Shadows trailed his steps like an endless funeral procession
He reached the palace gates. Iron towers loomed above blackened stone. Guards lined the battlements, helmets gleaming beneath dawn sun. As Ruvan approached, they raised bows and nocked arrows, their faces pale with terror
He stopped before the gates. Shadows writhed around his ankles, coiling up his legs like living chains. For a moment silence reigned across the battlements. Then a captain raised his hand and shouted
Loose
A volley of arrows screamed down. Shadows surged upward. Each arrow vanished into roiling blackness before it reached him. The guards froze, staring in horror as their finest shafts dissolved into dust
Ruvan raised his hand. Shadows exploded outward. Towers crumbled as darkness swallowed stone and iron alike. Guards screamed as battlements folded inward. Their bodies tumbled down walls, slamming into shattered cobblestones below. The massive gates buckled and collapsed with a thunderous roar
He stepped over twisted iron. Inside lay the palace courtyard. Columns carved with royal decrees rose into dawn light. Gardens of silver-leafed trees lined marble paths leading to the obsidian throne hall
Servants and slaves fled at his approach. Shadows followed, dragging bodies into silent darkness. Blood streaked across flowering vines and scattered petals. He walked forward until he reached the throne hall doors
They stood ajar. Inside flickered dim brazier light. Shadows curled around his feet as he stepped through
The throne room spread vast and silent. Columns soared into darkness. Crimson banners fluttered along walls slick with dried blood. At the far end upon an obsidian dais sat the last prince. Golden hair fell across silver pauldrons. A longsword lay across his knees. His blue eyes burned with defiance
He rose as Ruvan approached
You are a plague upon this empire
His voice trembled but he stood firm
Ruvan tilted his head. Shadows rippled around him
This empire birthed me
The prince raised his sword. Its blade caught dawn light spilling through fractured stained glass
Then die with it
He charged. Shadows surged forward. The blade swung, carving through darkness, its steel inscribed with sacred verses that flickered with pale fire. Ruvan stepped aside. Shadows coiled around the prince's ankles, pulling him off balance. He stumbled, sword scraping sparks across marble. Ruvan reached out, gripping his throat
The prince gasped, sword falling from limp fingers. Shadows pulsed up his neck, sinking beneath flesh. Veins blackened. His blue eyes glazed before rolling back into his skull. Ruvan released him. The corpse collapsed upon marble with a hollow thud
He stepped over the fallen sword. Shadows slithered up the obsidian dais, curling around his legs as he ascended. He stood before the empty throne. Dried blood crusted its black stone, pooled upon cracked steps
He sat
Cold stone pressed against his skin. Shadows gathered around his shoulders, weaving into a silent mantle trailing down the throne's steps
He gazed upon the ruined hall. Columns cracked. Banners torn. Corpses strewn across crimson-slick marble
He closed his eyes
Today I burned your gods
Today I erased your knowledge
Today I slaughtered your kings
Tomorrow I become your sin
He opened his eyes. Dawn burned hot beyond shattered windows. Shadows rose behind him like silent mountains. The empire lay before him, trembling upon broken knees
And he would teach them fear