War

[Gryphon_King]

Prologue:

Darkness. Pitch-Black Nothingness which would have torn her soul to shreds had she still possessed one. This was her domain. Her prison, now home. These were the unseen walls which crushed her long ago. The smothering breathless force driving her to find shelter within or be rent apart at the very seams of her fragile mind. What small part was still left of her wept and screamed in a blind frenzy to be rid of this terror-stricken place, pleading for light of any kind that it may grow once more. But still it dies. Bit by bit it's eaten by the darkness, in large gory chunks or polite nibbles; either is dripping acid gnawing at her core, sizzling its satisfaction. War silenced the screams, which plead for the peaceful light death brings, with a fierce snarl. Her soul quieted itself in fear to the hollow whine of a gored animal, still clinging to breath, but wishing for death to end the pain.

Legend speaks of a mighty force. One that once took the form of a joy-filled young girl, always smiling, always running with the unlimited energy more than common in youth. Once. But no more. In time, They came. The nameless army that slaughtered her family, her life, and her joy. They saw promise in her eyes. Potential buried deep in the mines of her soul, her destiny. So They delved into those dark mines, intending to release the potential they sought. Through torture and training they fashioned her into the perfect soldier, the perfect weapon. But their perfection had a flaw. She would not kill. No matter their threats and abuse. So they gave up. They cast her aside into the dungeon she now called home to be forgotten. Then the answer came. Their holy grail came in the form of a circlet which drilled straight into the brain to remove their masterpiece's flaw. It worked. Though still a child, she was now the most feared warrior the world had ever known. Warrior. That's what she was and that's what they called her. Soon this well-deserved title was shortened to the equally fear-inspiring War. That's what she was called, that was her element, and that was the name of the demon now possessing her, torturing what was left of her soul. Soon, the blood will cease to flow; no one will be left to oppose the unnamed army. Then whom will she kill? A monster bred to kill knows nothing but the taste of blood. Will a worthy opponent stop the massacre, or will she turn on her captors when there's nothing left to satisfy her rage?  

[Gryphon_King]

Chapter 1:

Flames brushed the stars, drowning them out with their fierce light. Coughs and screams filled the air as acrid smoke filled pleading lungs and burned weeping eyes with its acidic fingers, but no one tried to stop the deadly tendrils that raged on. It was the master of the flames who shook the village’s souls with fear. Nothing existed beyond the searing walls of flame. Nothing stirred outside the massacre. The earth held silent vigil as screams bathed the forest in boiling blood.
Face dripping icy sweat, her whole frame shaking, Saara awoke. She couldn’t move, a heavy weight sat on her chest and kept her breath from coming. A fortnight. It had been only a fortnight since the depths of Hell poured out their wrath on her once peaceful village. Her breath pushed through and she gasped with each shaky breath. Hearing her struggle, Darren rose from his post by their small campfire. “It was only a dream, Sister.” He ran his fingers through her soft hair to comfort her, “Shhh. I am here.”
Her wide eyes stared at the small fire before her, “P-put it out.” She fought to find her voice, but won. “P-put it out!”
With a nod of understanding, Darren doused the small flame with a bucket of water they had collected from the nearby river. With a sizzle, their world vanished into a pit of darkness. He carefully made his way back to where she lay and resumed comforting her. “There, there. The fire’s gone.” She couldn’t speak, sorrow tore at her heart and she continued to tremble. Darren continued to utter soothing sounds, and in time the tears pouring down her face eased to a mere trickle. The dreadful memories retreated back to their realm, just below the surface of her thoughts, where their crimson eyes shone in the shadows of her mind. “Brother, I…” She felt the tears returning and took a moment to push them back, “I-I’m sorry… I-” She looked up where his eyes glowed faintly in the moonlight, his finger on her lips.
“Shh, Little Sister. The fire was too bright anyway. Try to go back to sleep. You’ll need your rest on the morrow.” She nodded and he ran his hand through her hair once more.
“H-how do you do it, Ren?” Her teary eyes reflected the moonlight as she looked up at him, pleading for something that could help her cope.
He smiled softly at her innocence and wiped a tear from her cheek. Ignoring her question, he started humming a lullaby their mother used to sing over her after she had awoken from nightmares. He couldn’t get as high as her voice could, but he did his best to replicate a deeper version of the tune. He let the melody fill the small clearing where their camp lay and held back his own tears. As the lullaby approached its final refrain, he felt her fade back into a dreamless slumber.

His eyes had begun to adjust to the moonlight and he could make out her silhouette against the soft grass. ‘If only you knew, Little One. I miss them too. I only wish I had been able to stop it…’ He clenched his eyes shut against the pain of his own memories. He could see those eyes even now. The icy cold gaze of the monster responsible for their pain. He stared into those eyes as he made a promise to his sister's sleeping form, "Never again will I allow anyone to cause you pain." Eyes clenched shut, focused on the image of those eyes, he clenched his fists, digging his nails into his palms until he drew blood. "That monster will die by my hand, I swear it."  

[Gryphon_King]

The pulse of heavy boots and chains echoed through the stone passageway. The glowing aura of torchlight flowed over the damp walls, scattering screeching rats who complained at these interlopers to their dark existence. As the torch passed, their eyes glowed through the darkness. The bearer of the torch and his companion fought against every instinct in their bones to continue on and not flee back up the damp staircase to the realm of light and air. But their master would know they had failed him and their deaths would be slow and torturous. If their master granted them the mercy of death. Fear kept them silent, and fear kept them plodding on deeper into the suffocating darkness.
Their breath was strained, piercing ice in their lungs. Even the torch seemed to struggle as its flame grew dimmer. The prowling darkness absorbed every ounce of light it found, feeding on it and growing darker still. Their pulsing metallic steps slowed as they approached the door, two expert killers trembling uncontrollably. These were men who had slain countless more, struck fear into the souls of thousands, but could hardly breathe from fear.
The torchbearer fumbled out an iron key and struggled to shove it in the heavy lock. The heavy door bore countless scratches from years of similar attempts. Passing the barely glowing torch to his companion, he propped himself against the wooden door frame and used both hands to guide the worn key in place. The click of the tumblers thundered through the darkness and the door shrieked a haunting warning as it swung open and the torch was consumed completely.  

[Gryphon_King]

A pair of steel-blue lights glowed from the shadows of the cell. Every other drop of light absorbed by the darkness. The guards dared not enter the small stone room. Icy drops of condensation dripped from the walls, ticking out every second they stood there, speechless from fear. "Enter." They found themselves unable to refuse the raspy voice and with trembling steps they crossed the threshold. Behind them, the door slammed shut, leaving them trapped in the small room with no escape, struggling to breathe from fear and the pressure of the darkness that reigned in this cell, this demon's domain. Their eyes fought to adjust to the darkness, to find even a hint of light to see by, but to no avail. The darkness was complete here. "Why have you come?" The question seemed to come from all around them; from inside their heads and echoing off the walls. They couldn't speak, but the voice continued as though it had entered their minds and read every thought they had ever had. "What does our master wish of me?" The voice spat out the word "master" as though it were a piece of rotting flesh. Still unable to utter even a whimper, they stood frozen in place as she wove her way through their minds. She snorted in disdain at the orders she found there and turned away from the pair, plunging them in even deeper darkness.
"That is all." Those words echoed off the walls of their skulls and the cell, followed closely by an unearthly scream. The guard's final scream echoed throughout the whole of the great stone building, stabbing through each vein like ice. The heavy door swung open on its hinges and the voice commanded the remaining man to leave. "Your task is complete." Those words echoed through his head with even step as he ran from the cell, not stopping until he had found his way to the courtyard where he collapsed to his knees, emptying the contents of his stomach in the red dirt. Those eyes haunted his vision; he could see nothing else. That voice echoed through his skull, accompanied by the haunting scream of his companion.