Age of Darkness: The Awakening (Chapter 4)

It had been no lie when Artelix spoke of a dragon in Bastildgard. The beast tore the skies

with huge scaly wings, casting a large shadow over everything below it. And how right

Artelix had been when he mentioned that this was no ordinary dragon. Its scale was pitch

black like the darkest hour of the night. It’s shimmering crimson red eyes could probably

break the spirit of even the most courageous hero, with a simple glimpse into its eyes.

Its huge claws and razor sharp fangs were clearly designed to spread carnage and mayhem

amongst every innocent victim. And last but not least; it’s aura. It felt hateful and

dark, almost soulless, as if the dragon had ascended directly from the coldest of

darkness. Jarl had never before in his entire life felt an aura of such intense evil…

The winged beast circled the skies around Castle Bastildgard, scouting the area for

intruders who dared to approach the castle.

Intruders like Jarl.

Disguised beneath a brown hooded robe, the ex-champion had sneaked inside the great city,

claiming to be a simple traveler seeking shelter for the night. So far no one seemed to

suspect or recognize him as Jarl, making the road to the castle enjoyably easy. On the

other hand, the whole city had been awfully deserted. Only a fragment amount of the

citizens dared to roam the streets, while the rest were either hiding inside their homes,

or had completely left the ghost town that was now Bastildgard. Clearly they feared what

the dark dragon could do to them.

As Artelix informed, security had been fatal since the dragon appeared, providing little

challenge for Jarl when he snuck inside the outer castle walls. A strong sense of dread

had hit him when he laid eyes on the royal garden again after five years. The lush, green

grass had rotted into a brown mass of dry pins, the bushes had turned into dark, dry curls

of ash and the once beautiful, blooming plants and flowers had disappeared deep beneath

the ground, leaving only black spots on the rotten grass. This did not at all resemble the

beautiful area that he and Aldion had played on, during their youth. Clearly the staff had

paid no attention to the garden in a long time. Then again, why should they? If they went

out, the dragon would probably consider them as escapees, and would surely slay them.

Though Jarl frowned at the wasteland in front of him, he knew that he had no time to grief

over lost nostalgia. If he was to save Aldion and the rest of Bastildgard, he would have

to focus on the objectives at all costs.

The ex-champion was currently hiding behind some of the rotten bushes, doing his best not

to get noticed by the scaly monster that flew above him. This was the first time since he

left Bastildgard five years ago that Jarl had equipped his weapons and armor, and he had

still not readapted to the feeling yet. He was well aware that he would be no match for

the dragon if it attacked him. What he needed to do was merely waiting.

According to plan, Artelix would provide a distraction to lure the dragon away, granting

Jarl time to sneak in through the castle underground. From there he would search the

castle to find Aldion, and hear his side of the story. Honestly, the ex-champion held

mixed emotions at the thought of reuniting with his childhood best friend. He wanted to

delude himself into thinking that Aldion would be overjoyed to see him again, but what if

he would react contrariwise towards Jarl? What if the king had been so consumed by anger

and grief during the years of Jarl’s absence that he would strike the ex-champion, the

moment he laid eyes on him? Jarl could not bear the thought of fighting his life-long

friend, much less slaying him if necessary.


‘BOOOOM!!!!’


The ex-champion’s chain of thoughts broke when he heard the sound of an explosion. He

turned his head to witness a purple flash that glanzed brightly in the night sky. Jarl

knew that this was the distraction that he had been waiting for. The pitch black dragon

roared fiercely at the sight, and flew towards the bright light to examine what was

happening. Jarl let no precious time go to waste. He rushed towards the underground

entrance and slashed the door open with his blade, before descending down the stairways

into the dungeon tunnels.

The first thing the ex-champion did when he entered was sprinting, as fast as his strong

legs could move him, not entirely sure what he was running from. After a few minutes of

intense sprinting through dark halls and stairs, Jarl began to lose his energy, and he

stopped to catch his breath. He knew not how far inside the underground he had ventured,

but as long as Aldion was not found, it was not enough! Jarl began to move on with

cautious steps, but he did not make it far before a deep, familiar voice spoke behind him.

“Losing endurance already?! Child, we haven’t even STARTED the search yet!”

The ex-champion turned around in shock to witness his tall, masked ally standing a few

feet away from him, arms crossed in an arrogant manner.

“Artelix?! What are you doing here??” The ex-champion asked, not knowing what else to say,

“I thought you were supposed to distract the dragon, while I found Aldion!”

The necromancer chuckled slightly. “I did distract the dragon! But, since I am also able

to teleport, I figured that I could as well lend you a hand when I was done. You don’t

mind, do you?”

Jarl was at a complete loss for words, which Artelix could clearly tell.

“What, should I leave then? Are you being distracted by ‘widdle ol’ me’?” The necromancer

said in a somewhat mocking tone.                  

“Not at all,” Jarl responded, “But please, let us not waste anymore time. Come!” The ex-

champion turned around and moved on in a brisk pace. Artelix stood still for a few

seconds, before he slowly followed.

“Yeah, I was just about to say the same thing!”


__________________________________________________________________________



Jarl and Artelix had searched for ten minutes through the castle underground, yet they had

found no clues of Aldion, nor any other worker at the castle, which slightly troubled

Jarl. The duo currently searched through a small, dusty room, one that had clearly not

been visited in many, many years. A small table and a chair stood in the furthest corner

of the room, right next to an empty, dust coated bookshelf, wherein all books had been

scattered around on the floor. Jarl could not remember that he had ever been inside this

room, despite him being born and raised inside the castle. It felt a little strange how

Artelix had just guided the ex-champion through the underground halls, leading him to this

room without any forms of explanations why he did it.

Jarl picked up one of the books to read it. Someone had clearly ripped out a couple of

pages, which he could tell from the many rifts in the book. He picked up another book from

the floor. The text in this one was so blurred that Jarl could not make out one single

word in it. The ex-champion noticed how Artelix scavenged each book from the floor,

quickly analyzing them before throwing them over his shoulder to collect a new one, which

he treated no differently.

“What are you doing?” Jarl asked, slightly annoyed at the thought of how much time they

had wasted.

“… You have no idea how important this room is, do you?” The necromancer simply replied as

he kept digging around the books, not even bothering to turn his head towards Jarl. “This

room is one of the most sacred places in the whole castle! All books you see around here

all hold great secrets about the evil forces of Midgard, and the keys to stop most of

them. The great founders of Bastildgard gathered all these books from around the world, in

case dark forces should ever return to plague Midgard. These books are probably the

greatest means of defense this city wields!”

“Well if these books are of such importance, then how come I, nor anyone else I know, have

ever heard of this room?” Jarl asked with clear skepticism in his tone.

Artelix chuckled once again at his remark, a sound which had begun to annoy Jarl.

“Actually, that goes back to the reign of King Borgas, the great grandfather of our ‘great

King Aldion’.”

Jarl felt his hand shaking into a fist at that remark. How dare he insult his friend in

such a sarcastic tone! Aldion may not have been a great king, but he was a good man

nonetheless, and Jarl’s friend! The ex-champion was about to state this, until he heard

the necromancer explain further about the history of the books.

“King Borgas was a confident man, to say the least. He wanted to set an example that he

did not fear any dark forces, which could ever threat him. He therefore ordered the books

to be locked away inside this room. No one was allowed to enter, no matter the reason, and

over time people simply forgot that this room ever existed.”

“Then how come you know about this room?”

“Hello-o, over threehundred years old, remember? I’ve seen a thing or two during my

lifetime!”

Jarl simply shock his head. “That still doesn’t explain why every page inside these books

have been ruined or removed. Care to explain?”

Artelix sighed. “My guess is that someone destroyed them. Whoever did this must have

feared that they might be used against them. I just hope the book I’m looking for is not

too messed up.”

The necromancer wiped away a pile of books, until he found a tiny one with a bright orange

cover. “Ah, speak of the devil!” He exclaimed, as he picked the book up and opened it. On

the cover was a drawing of a red, firebreathing dragon with an angered expression on its

face. The necromancer scrolled through a few pages, until he stopped in the middle, and

sighed in relief.

“Oh thank the gods! The book is pretty messed up, but the most important is still there!”

Jarl looked up at the necromancer with a slightly confused look. “What exactly do we need

it for?” Though he trusted Artelix when he told that they needed it, he felt it would be

best if he, too, knew what was at stake.

The necromancer turned his head to look at the ex-champion. Though he wore a mask that

covered his face, Jarl had a feeling that he was smiling behind it.

“This book was written by Volkaretz the Dragonbane, who lived during the ‘Era of

Incineration’, assuming you know what that is. He worked on inventing this particular

spell, which he eventually completed and wrote down in this book for any other sorcerer’s,

including me of course, to use. You see, it-“

“Who is this?!!”

Artelix was cut short by a hoarse, male voice that echoed through the hallway outside the

room. Jarl recognized the voice, though he could not quite decipher who it was. He lifted

his sword and shield, ready to face the possible adversary. Artelix hid the newfound book

behind his cape, as he summoned a green flame in his left hand.


Quick steps could be heard outside, approaching the room with great speed. A male human

suddenly rushed inside the already open door, wielding a raised silver-coated long-sword

in his hands. The man was about the same height as Jarl, though a little shorter, and wore

shinning silver-armor that covered most of his body, and a purple cape touched the ground

behind him. On his forehead he wore the crown of Bastildgard. Jarl was shocked as he

recognized who this man was. The man clearly recognized him as well. Both men looked at

each other with wide open eyes, both completely lost for words.

The intruder dropped his weapon, and slowly made his way towards Jarl, stuttering a few

words as he approached.

“Jarl… Is that… Really… You?”

When the man stood but a few feet away from Jarl, he immediately dropped to his knees, and

grabbed the shocked ex-champion’s right hand with both of his own. Tears swelled up in the

man’s eyes, as he looked up at his lifelong friend’s face for the first time in many

years.

“Jarl, my dear, dear friend, I though you would never return! I am so, so sorry, I should

have questioned Iadas’s claims when he told me that you poisoned my parents! I am such a

fool, I wish everything could just go back the way they were! Can you ever find it in your

heart to forgive me?”

Aldion, now clearly crying, was shaking uncontrollably. Many feelings swirled up inside

Jarl, but strongest of them all was joy. He smiled down at Aldion. “Stand your ground, my

friend! It is not respectable for a king to bow down to his subjects.”

Aldion embraced Jarl in a tight hug, obviously thrilled that he had not lost the love of

the one who trusted him the most. Jarl returned the hug, relieved that he still meant a

lot to Aldion.

“Aldion, is everything allright?” A soft, female voice spoke from the hall. A young,

beautiful woman with long auburn hair entered the room. She wore a scarlet and pink

sapphire-coated dress, the exact same one as Aldion’s deceased mother had worn, and on her

forehead she wore the queen of Bastildgard’s crown. Aldion wiped his tears away as he

returned from the embrace, and moved over towards the woman, whom he placed a gentle peck

on the cheek.

“It is quite alright, my love…” He whispered in a loving tone. He turned around to look at

Jarl again, sending a warm and bright smile towards him as he did so. Jarl could not

remember him smiling like that; at least not since they were both young.

“Jarl, I want to introduce you to a very special person to me…” Aldion gestured towards

the woman, who smiled lovingly towards Jarl. The ex-champion could not help but blush as

he sent a somewhat awkward smirk back at her.

“Her name is Siw. She is the queen of Bastildgard, and my beloved wife!” Pride filled

Aldion’s voice as he said that. Siw stepped closer to Jarl. She raised a hand towards him,

which the ex-champion received in a handshake.

“Aldion have told me much about you,” Siw calmly spoke, “It is an honor to finally make

your acquaintance.”

“The honor is all mine, your majesty!” Jarl responded. Aldion stepped forward towards the

ex-champion.

“Siw and I met two years ago, when I traveled to the city of Urens to negotiate. I knew,

from the moment I laid my eyes on her, that I loved her. And so did she. With the king and

queen’s permission, I took her home with me to Bastildgard, to become my queen. She is the

one who has kept me going through these tough times.”

“It was the best decision of my life,” Siw continued. There was a brief period of silence,

before she tilted her head downwards. A light blush took color on her face. “We… Are

expecting children… Twins!”

Jarl figuratively dropped his jaw at that information. Not only had Aldion also met a

wife, but he was expecting children too? And all of these past five years, Jarl had

thought that he was the only one! The ex-champion felt a mixed emotion of shock, and

complete joy towards his friend.

“That is… absolutely wonderful!” Jarl said as he changed his facial expression to a wide

grin.

“Thank you, but…” Aldion said, with a sad frown on his face. “I cannot raise my children

in this hellish city. We must find a way to escape, somehow…”

“But Aldion, you are the king! It is your duty to protect the citizens!” Jarl exclaimed in

a shocked and mildly irritaded tone.

“My reign has caused Bastildgard nothing but trouble!” Glittering tears began to form in

Aldion’s eyes once again. “So many people have left because of my rule! The castle has

never seen darker days than when I claimed the throne! Right now Iadas is negotiating with

the dragon, which I have so foolishly allowed into our city, to somehow make it leave!

Clearly Bastildgard would be better suited without me!”

Siw sent a pitiful frown at Aldion, who breathed heavily after his outburst. Artelix

simply shook his head, though Jarl could not tell if he was pitying or loathing the fallen

king in front of him. The ex-champion opened his mouth to speak, hectically looking for

some words that could soothe his friend. It was then that he heard a raspy voice from the

door. A raspy voice which he instantly recognized.

And how he hated that voice…

“Your majesties, what are you doing amongst these traitorous rats?!”

In the doorway stood a tall, thin middle-aged man, with pale white skin and dark hair, who

wore a red hooded robe that covered nearly his entire body. It was the same man who had

accused Jarl for poisoning the former king and queen, the same man who ruined Jarl and

Aldion’s friendship many years ago, the one face that Jarl hated more than anything in the

whole world; Iadas!

The royal advisor sent a toxic, hateful gaze towards Aldion and Siw, who both frowned in

his direction.

“Have you forgotten what this man did to your parents, my king?” Iadas pointed his

skeletal forefinger towards the ex-champion. “Do not believe his words, for he is merely a

despicable traitor who wishes to corrupt your already beaten mind! “

Aldion stood his ground. He had lost his friend once like this, and he was not willing to

let it happen twice!

“He is innocent, Iadas! I realize now how wrong we were to shun him like we did! Also, if

anyone can defeat the dragon that threats us all, I truly believe it to be him!”

Iadas shook his head. He showed a loathing expression on his face. “You have been

corrupted by sadness and longing…”

“He has been corrupted by your influence!” Everyone turned their attention towards Jarl,

who could not hold his anger back any longer.

“Ever since he was young, you used him as a discrete tool to reign over Bastildgard, is

that not right? Your poor judgmental skills has caused the downfall of the greatest city

in Midgard. And now, when the darkest hour is upon you, you blame me for weakening

Aldion’s spirit, RIGHT?!!! All of this is your doing, Iadas, You have singlehandedly

destroyed an entire kingdom!

But here is your chance for redemption. Let us slay the dragon, so that Bastildgard can

become the city it once was, and Aldion MAY forgive you for what you have done!”

Silence filled the room, except for Jarl’s heavy breathing. He was shaking furiously.

Iadas, however, did not say anything; neither did he change his expression towards Jarl. A

few seconds later, he merely turned his head towards Aldion again.

“My king, if you do not comply with your duties, I will have no choice but to declare both

you and the the queen as traitors of Bastildgard!”

Both Aldion and Siw gasped as the advisor’s threat. The royal pair looked at each other,

then at Jarl and Artelix, and finally at each other again. They nodded.

“I’m afraid I cannot comply!” Aldion said firmly, while looking at his ‘loyal’ advisor.

Iadas looked back at him with that hateful stare. A few seconds later however, he changed

his dark stare into a sinister smirk. He chuckled.

“Very well, the-“

Iadas was cut short by a loud ‘boom’, and a flare of purple light that engulfed Iadas.

Everyone shockingly turned their heads towards Artelix, who had fired a blast of dark

energy at the advisor. The necromancer turned his own head towards them. He had a serious

expression in his glowing, yellow eyes.

“Be careful mortals! That ‘man’ is NOT what you think he is!”

The humans looked at the necromancer, each with a questioning look in their eyes. Jarl was

about to ask Artelix what he meant by that, but he was interrupted.

A sinister cackle could be heard from the smoke of Artelix’s blast. As the smoke slowly

cleared, a humanoid shadow could be seen in Iadas’s place.

“Bravo Artelix, you’ve improved your Void Blast… Slightly…”

This voice was not Iadas’s. This one was far more toxic, more sinister and even raspier.

Jarl had never heard a human speak in such a tone.

Artelix stared at the character. He had a determined look in his eyes.

“So we meet again,” the necromancer said, “I never thought that I should see you again…


Saiad!"