2022-06-03 20:46:31
Vexana's heart skipped a beat, and then pounded against her chest so loud it drowned out the cheers that had erupted on the streets. For two long years she'd waited for this day, except, upon seeing Atticus' face for the first time, she felt only a cold shiver run down her spine.
In his letters, the Duke sounded lively and spirited, but the man that stood before her was anything but. His gaze was hollow and empty, his face a picture of resignation…
The wedding was soon set up again, and nobles and commoners alike in Pentaga all gathered in Ridgeburg to watch this long-awaited union join in holy matrimony. With a bouquet in hand, the gorgeous bride had her eyes set on no one but her groom, as he opened the box that held their wedding ring.
However, instead of a ring, a pair of magic wings spun out of the box, followed by a wicked voice resonating through the holy walls:
Embrace the world of death!
Everyone in the hall gasped in horror as Duke Atticus and his men writhed and twisted, their bodies slowly resembling those of the demons of the Abyss. The sworn protectors of the city became its ruin, as they set off to ravage everything within their sight.
Vexana froze as a raging Atticus lunged at her, his sword raised high—
"STOP!"
The lumbering beast stopped in his tracks, as if Vexana's voice rekindled a flame within it that had long died out. The bride reached out, to his heart and whatever was left of him inside. "Atticus, please… this isn't you."
And with a touch, Atticus seemingly managed to regain a trace of consciousness and froze. Battling the demon he'd become, for the sake of his people and his own, Atticus ordered Ser Leomord to pierce his heart.
With his dying breath, Atticus entrusted Ridgeburg to Vexana and unveiled the dark secret hidden to all but the royal family of Ridgeburg…
Eons ago, during the Endless War, the agony and resentment of the hundreds of thousands of dying warriors condensed into a frightful curse. It could lay waste to anything with the stench of the Abyss magic, but those without would also suffer a fate worse than death.
"The Mist… if there is no other choice—"
Atticus stared deeply into his fiancé's eyes; his demon hands reached out to her gentle face. A mix of emotions flashed in his eyes. Regret, gratitude, and serenity. Until the inevitable claws of death snatched him from her arms.
Inside the city, the demon knights attacked everyone in sight; outside, more demon forces were on their way.
In desperation, Vexana lifted Atticus's scepter; the magic power that ran deep in her blood exploded—she chose to forever guard this city!
A dark fog surged into the sky and swallowed the whole of Ridgeburg. Every city folk who came into contact with the fog wailed in agony, their skin losing color in an instant. The demon knights withered into ashes, while those outside the gates turned and scurried back into the Abyss.
Vexana could almost feel her spirit escape her body. Amidst the chaos unfolding before her, she fell to her knees, her heart heavy with guilt. The residents, however, came and surrounded their young duchess, not with blame or hatred but to thank her for saving them from the Abyss's grasp…
The black fog had since shrouded Ridgeburg for a hundred years. As the once formidable fortress gradually fell into rot, its name was forgotten, and people came to know it as Necrokeep, the land of the undead and home of the restless souls.
In the early morning, the children would push open the crumbling door to the school; and when night fell, the whole family would sit around a half-collapsed dining table, the food on the plate long turned into dust. It was all pointless, but only in this way could they feel a semblance of life.
Not even once had Vexana thought of leaving again.
She had since fully embraced her role as the ruler of the city, yet to the dwellers of Necrokeep, she was also the gentle mother who loved and cared for them all.
Vexana firmly believed that one day, she would find a way to revert the curse…and her people would have a taste of life once again.
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