After years of training and preparation, Agatha had finally managed to make her masters see the potential she possessed. Against all odds, she was granted the title of knight under the command of the royal guard.
It goes without saying that Agatha was exultantly happy about it, as she would now share the same space as the kings, breathe the same air as those honorable and generous souls, and witness the legendary knights of the royal guard, the most powerful men in the kingdom.
When she marched to the castle on her first day, it felt like a dream: the sun was shining brightly, the skies were clear with only a few clouds floating lazily, and the chirping of birds along with the pleasant voices of the villagers filled her ears with the symphony of peaceful everyday life.
Taking her post beside the throne guards, she prepared for a long day serving her kings as they heard the petitions of their people.
At that very moment, unknown to anyone in the castle, the impregnable gates of the great stone wall that protected the kingdom had been breached by an unknown outsider cloaked in dark robes. Slowly, he began to approach the castle, and by the time the sun reached its peak, the gates of the castle were crossed.
No one ever knew how he managed to bypass the city's defenses or the castle guards, but slowly, with confidence and certainty in every step, he reached the throne room and stood before the king and queen.
âHand over the kingdom now! Your era is over, and a new age shall rise from your ashes!â bellowed the figure, his face hidden beneath his ominous cloaks.
Upon hearing his words, all the knights of the royal guard drew their swords, including the captain and Agatha, whose face was beaded with sweat, for it had been a long time since she had felt a presence like this. A palpable thirst for blood emanated from every pore of the strangerâs body. Her instincts told her to flee, but her duty was to protect and serve the crown, not herself, that was the oath they had all taken.
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âRun! We cannot guarantee your safety in the castle!â shouted the captain to the royals. âWeâll hold him off as long as we can!â
No sooner had he finished speaking than the queen raised her arms and began strangling the king. The captain couldnât believe what he was seeing, the queen was crying and profusely apologizing to her husband as her fingers dug into his flesh. It was a grotesque scene, and the outsider had to be the cause.
âI donât know what kind of sorcery youâre doing, but it ends here!â roared the captain, gripping his sword tighter. âAttack!â
At the command, all the knights in the throne room charged at the intruder, all except Agatha, whose legs trembled in great fear.
The attack didnât last long. After the first step, the knights froze in place, as if theyâd been turned to stone. An immense force pressed against them, forcing some to their knees, others to cough up their lungs, and others to beg for the torture to stop.
âYou are all weak,â the hooded man declared, raising an open hand toward the sky.With that single motion, the knights began to collapse to the ground, unable to stand. The sound of swords clattering echoed throughout the hall. Agatha watched the faces of her comrades, skin turning gray and wrinkled, bodies withering and weakening before her eyes.
The captain couldnât believe what was happening, his elite force, decimated in mere seconds. With pain in his soul and rage on his face, he fought to stand up, slowly regaining movement in his legs as he adjusted to the new gravity, managing to charge at the deadly enemy.
Just inches away from striking his poisonous flesh, the queen blocked his sword with her bare hand.Stunned, the captain looked into her maniacal smile and the dark eyes staring back at him, and with horror; he understood the gravity of the situation.
âYou bastard!â screamed the captain. âHow dare you do this to our beloved queen!?ââIt wasnât just her.â
Suddenly, he felt a hand clutching his head, and his body weakened, as if his energy were being drained. Agatha could see it clearly, it was the king! From his darkened eyes, a dense shadow was emerging. The captainâs sword fell, and his body collapsed, reduced to nothing more than a pile of bones.
The outsider turned his gaze to Agatha, the only one left alive. That mere glance was enough to make her run away in terror, tears in her eyes.
As she fled through the cavernous castle halls, the maniacal laughter of that demon echoed against the walls. That maddening laughter made Agatha wants to lift her sword and stab it into her own gut, but she quickly dismissed the absurd thought and finally managed to escape the castle, leaving that kingdom behind.