He sat upon the obsidian throne, bare feet resting upon cracked marble slick with drying blood. Shadows coiled around his ankles like silent sentinels. Sunlight spilled through fractured stained glass, catching drifting dust and drifting petals torn from crimson banners. The hall was silent except for the quiet drip of blood from toppled bodies
He looked down at the corpses. Guards clad in silver plate lay twisted against columns. Nobles dressed in velvet sprawled upon bloodied marble, their golden rings scattered like broken teeth. A young boy crawled toward the dais, clutching the hem of his tattered robe. Tears streaked his face
Please… spare me…
Ruvan tilted his head. Shadows rippled across the throne steps. He leaned forward, elbows upon his knees, eyes locked upon the trembling boy
What do you fear more child. Death or life
The boy whimpered, unable to speak. Shadows crept around his feet but did not touch him. Ruvan watched the hope flicker behind terror in tear-glazed eyes. He sat back against cold stone
Live then
He flicked his fingers. Shadows withdrew. The boy stumbled to his feet and fled across the ruined hall, barefoot upon blood-slick marble, sobs echoing between fallen banners and shattered pillars
Ruvan watched him disappear into morning light
Mercy is the cruelest gift
He rose. Shadows gathered around his shoulders, draping down his back like living black velvet. Each step down the dais echoed across silent stone. He walked past fallen nobles, crushed guards, snapped spears and splintered thrones
Beyond the throne hall lay the grand courtyard. Iron gates lay twisted upon cracked stone. Towers crumbled beneath morning sun. Servants lay curled in corners, arms over heads, praying to gods who no longer listened. Shadows slithered around them but left them alive
He walked into the city. Streets parted before him. Merchants crouched behind toppled stalls. Children huddled beneath carts. Dogs snarled before shadows devoured their growls into silence. Dawn burned across rooftops as he passed
At the plaza center stood a great fountain carved in the shape of a goddess pouring water from an urn. Pigeons circled above her silent eyes. Priests in crimson robes knelt upon marble steps leading to her basin, praying in whispers
Ruvan approached. Shadows rippled behind him like a living tide. The priests lifted their gazes, eyes wide with horror. One raised his trembling hand
Demon… this is sacred ground
He placed his hand upon the marble basin. Shadows pulsed down his arm into white stone. Cracks spread across the fountain. The goddess's eyes shattered. Her carved urn split in two. Water poured across marble, mixing with blood into pink rivulets snaking down stone steps
The priests screamed prayers to silent gods. Shadows coiled around their bodies. Bones cracked beneath silent black coils. Blood sprayed across shattered goddess feet
Ruvan stepped over them. Shadows slithered after him, licking blood from marble as they moved. He walked through alleys lined with slum houses built from rotting wood and blackened stone. Mothers clutched children to sunken breasts. Old men pressed trembling lips to cracked holy pendants
He paused before a group of starving children huddled around a broken incense brazier. Shadows rippled behind him
One boy lifted tearful eyes
Will you kill us too
Ruvan looked at him. Shadows curled around his ankles
No
He turned away. Mercy burned colder than death. He continued walking until the slums gave way to temple towers
The Temple of Dawn rose before him, blackened from collapsed idols. Priests fled as he approached. Shadows rippled over shattered columns. Burnt incense drifted in acrid curls around his bare feet
Inside lay the grand sanctuary. Stained glass windows shattered across mosaic floors. Candles flickered upon fallen altars. A young priestess clutched a prayer book to her chest, whispering to herself
Please wake me. Please wake me. This is only a dream
Ruvan knelt before her. Shadows curled around her trembling knees
No child. This is the first dawn of your truth
He stood. Shadows swallowed her scream into silence. He walked to the altar, placing bloodstained fingers upon sacred scripture. Darkness pulsed down his arm. The book blackened to drifting ash. The golden altar cracked down the middle
He left the temple. Shadows trailed after him like silent hounds. Morning burned hotter across the city. Merchants gathered what wares remained. Nobles fled into mountain keeps. Armies gathered beyond city walls. Banners snapped beneath rising sun. Drums beat war calls across stone valleys
He walked through palace gates into the outer courtyards. Soldiers in blackened iron stood ranked before him, spears bristling beneath dawn light. Captains shouted orders. Horses reared and pawed at stone
Ruvan stopped. Shadows pooled around his feet, spreading across cracked marble
An old general stepped forward, scarred hands gripping his sword
Monster. You will fall today. We will bury your corpse in ash
Ruvan lifted his gaze. Shadows surged behind him, rising into silent towers of roiling darkness
You cannot bury shadow
The general raised his sword. Thousands of soldiers screamed and charged. Spears lowered. Horses thundered forward
Ruvan raised his hand. Shadows exploded outward, black tide swallowing metal and flesh alike. Screams echoed across marble. Spears snapped like reeds. Horses toppled, their skulls crushed by silent coils. Soldiers flailed before darkness crushed ribcages and snapped spines. Blood sprayed into rising dawn
He walked forward through fallen bodies. Shadows flowed ahead of him, parting iron armor and flesh with equal indifference. The general swung his sword, blade slicing through black tendrils. Shadows wrapped around his arms, ripping them from his shoulders. His scream cut through battle noise before shadows crushed his skull against cracked stone
Within minutes silence fell. The entire army lay broken upon sunlit marble. Shadows slithered between bodies, pulling them into silent heaps. Blood pooled around fallen standards. War drums lay split in splinters. Horses twitched their last beneath shattered gates
Ruvan continued forward. Shadows rippled behind him, rising into silent mountains
He walked beyond palace walls into fields of golden wheat bending beneath dawn breeze. In the distance city towers burned. Smoke curled into pale sky. Birds circled in silent black spirals
He stood upon a rise overlooking the empire he had shattered. Shadows coiled around his bare feet, warm with drying blood
He closed his eyes
Today I burned your gods
Today I erased your knowledge
Today I slaughtered your kings
Tomorrow I become your silence
He opened his eyes. Dawn burned bright across silent plains. Shadows rose behind him like endless mountains
And he would teach them despair