Chapter 1 – Shadows of Wrath
"They say those who die in wrath find their way back.
But not as humans."
— From the Scorched Book of the Lands
Prologue – The Whispering Shadows
They whispered his name before he was born.
They dreamed of him when the world was still young.
And when he fell, even the gods went silent.
Courtyard of Elthorne – Three Days Before the Fall
Rain fell heavy on the cold stone of the courtyard. Mist crept between the battlements, while two knights stood under an overhang, hands resting on their swords.
"He's a boy. Barely fifteen," said the first, wearing the Southern crest on his shoulder. "And yet they whisper his name like it's a prophecy."
"Shadow," spat the other. "As if he were the chosen one."
"He fights like one."
"He fights like a demon."
They fell silent as the castle gate creaked open. Two young men emerged — one tall and broad-shouldered, his face weathered by wind and war: Cayden, the king's eldest son.
Beside him: Shadow.
His gaze was calm. Too calm. He didn't look like a child, nor fully like a man. Something in between. Something becoming.
"They're talking again," Cayden muttered.
"Let them," Shadow replied. "Words don't kill.
But I do."
Throne Room – Castle Elthorne
The hall was still. Torches burned in iron brackets. At the end of the long table sat King Halron, lost in thought. Beside him, in a high-backed chair of red velvet, Queen Elira, her eyes fixed on the parchment before them.
"He's coming," Halron said quietly. "Black is advancing. Three villages have fallen."
"Why now?" Elira whispered.
Halron was silent for a long time. Then:
"Because I broke a pact. Fifteen years ago.
One that should never have been made."
Something stirred in the shadows.
A growl.
Cerberax, the three-headed hellhound, raised its heads. The middle skull fixed its gaze on the king. Its eyes burned red.
"What did you do?" asked the queen, her voice cracking.
"I closed a gate.
A gate that was never meant to be opened."
Campaign – The First Battle
"There's something in the air," Shadow said. He and Cayden led a small squad through a ruined village. Everything was scorched. Blood everywhere. The trees seemed dead, though it was summer.
"General Black was here," Cayden murmured.
The men grew uneasy. One began to pray.
Then — arrows.
An ambush.
Shadows moved between the wreckage. Enemies in black armor, faces hidden. No battle cry. No command.
Only death.
Shadow drew his sword. There was no fear in him — only fury.
He stormed into the enemies like a tempest, cutting through them.
His movements weren't graceful — they were wild. Bestial.
A spear grazed his shoulder. Blood splattered. He fell back —
and Cayden was there. Holding him. Shielding him.
"Not yet, little brother," he hissed. "Not yet."
The Fall of Castle Elthorne
The messenger arrived that night. Covered in blood. Half-dead. His lips trembled.
"They… they've fallen. All of them…"
"Who?" Cayden asked, but Shadow already knew.
"The castle. The queen. Your sister. The king… died with a sword in his hand."
Shadow said nothing. He stared into the fire.
There were no tears in his eyes — only something deeper.
Something without a name.
Later, alone, he whispered:
"I wasn't there."
Confrontation at the Edge
A black sky. The edge of a cliff. Wind sharp as blades.
Shadow and Cayden stood side by side.
Before them: General Black — a towering figure in armor of dark steel. Beside him: his warlord, the "Rend Hound" — pale, disfigured, wielding long, crooked blades.
"So this is how royal blood ends?" Black sneered. "Two children at the edge of the world?"
"We're no longer children," said Cayden.
He charged. Angry. Heroic. And hopeless.
A blade thrust — straight through the heart.
Cayden fell.
Shadow screamed. His vision went black. He attacked —
and struck Black in the side. Blood. Pain. A first fracture.
But it wasn't enough.
Black lifted him effortlessly. "You are nothing. Only shadow."
And threw him.
The Fall
He fell. Slowly.
Not like a man — but like a thought.
A drop in the ocean of darkness.
He saw faces in the wind.
His sister. His mother.
Then nothing.
Only darkness.
The Castle of Shadows
He awoke.
Not dead. Not alive.
A hall of bone, walls of blackened flesh.
Flames burned without wood. Shadows crept along the walls.
On a throne of obsidian sat a figure.
Himself. And yet… more.
Darker. Taller. Unfamiliar.
Shädow.
"You have fallen," he said. "But not broken."
Shadow knelt. "Who are you?"
"I am what sleeps within you. I am what they took.
I am power."
"What do you want?"
"Freedom. The demon realm is sealed. Open the gate.
And I will give you what you desire."
"Revenge."
Shädow rose. Flames danced on his skin.
"Then rise."
He placed a hand on Shadow's forehead. Shadows crawled into his veins. His heart beat — no longer alone.
"Arise, Shadow."
END OF CHAPTER 1
Chapter 1 – Shadows of Wrath
"They say those who die in wrath find their way back.
But not as humans."
— From the Scorched Book of the Lands
Prologue – The Whispering Shadows
They whispered his name before he was born.
They dreamed of him when the world was still young.
And when he fell, even the gods went silent.
Courtyard of Elthorne – Three Days Before the Fall
Rain fell heavy on the cold stone of the courtyard. Mist crept between the battlements, while two knights stood under an overhang, hands resting on their swords.
"He's a boy. Barely fifteen," said the first, wearing the Southern crest on his shoulder. "And yet they whisper his name like it's a prophecy."
"Shadow," spat the other. "As if he were the chosen one."
"He fights like one."
"He fights like a demon."
They fell silent as the castle gate creaked open. Two young men emerged — one tall and broad-shouldered, his face weathered by wind and war: Cayden, the king's eldest son.
Beside him: Shadow.
His gaze was calm. Too calm. He didn't look like a child, nor fully like a man. Something in between. Something becoming.
"They're talking again," Cayden muttered.
"Let them," Shadow replied. "Words don't kill.
But I do."
Throne Room – Castle Elthorne
The hall was still. Torches burned in iron brackets. At the end of the long table sat King Halron, lost in thought. Beside him, in a high-backed chair of red velvet, Queen Elira, her eyes fixed on the parchment before them.
"He's coming," Halron said quietly. "Black is advancing. Three villages have fallen."
"Why now?" Elira whispered.
Halron was silent for a long time. Then:
"Because I broke a pact. Fifteen years ago.
One that should never have been made."
Something stirred in the shadows.
A growl.
Cerberax, the three-headed hellhound, raised its heads. The middle skull fixed its gaze on the king. Its eyes burned red.
"What did you do?" asked the queen, her voice cracking.
"I closed a gate.
A gate that was never meant to be opened."
Campaign – The First Battle
"There's something in the air," Shadow said. He and Cayden led a small squad through a ruined village. Everything was scorched. Blood everywhere. The trees seemed dead, though it was summer.
"General Black was here," Cayden murmured.
The men grew uneasy. One began to pray.
Then — arrows.
An ambush.
Shadows moved between the wreckage. Enemies in black armor, faces hidden. No battle cry. No command.
Only death.
Shadow drew his sword. There was no fear in him — only fury.
He stormed into the enemies like a tempest, cutting through them.
His movements weren't graceful — they were wild. Bestial.
A spear grazed his shoulder. Blood splattered. He fell back —
and Cayden was there. Holding him. Shielding him.
"Not yet, little brother," he hissed. "Not yet."
The Fall of Castle Elthorne
The messenger arrived that night. Covered in blood. Half-dead. His lips trembled.
"They… they've fallen. All of them…"
"Who?" Cayden asked, but Shadow already knew.
"The castle. The queen. Your sister. The king… died with a sword in his hand."
Shadow said nothing. He stared into the fire.
There were no tears in his eyes — only something deeper.
Something without a name.
Later, alone, he whispered:
"I wasn't there."
Confrontation at the Edge
A black sky. The edge of a cliff. Wind sharp as blades.
Shadow and Cayden stood side by side.
Before them: General Black — a towering figure in armor of dark steel. Beside him: his warlord, the "Rend Hound" — pale, disfigured, wielding long, crooked blades.
"So this is how royal blood ends?" Black sneered. "Two children at the edge of the world?"
"We're no longer children," said Cayden.
He charged. Angry. Heroic. And hopeless.
A blade thrust — straight through the heart.
Cayden fell.
Shadow screamed. His vision went black. He attacked —
and struck Black in the side. Blood. Pain. A first fracture.
But it wasn't enough.
Black lifted him effortlessly. "You are nothing. Only shadow."
And threw him.
The Fall
He fell. Slowly.
Not like a man — but like a thought.
A drop in the ocean of darkness.
He saw faces in the wind.
His sister. His mother.
Then nothing.
Only darkness.
The Castle of Shadows
He awoke.
Not dead. Not alive.
A hall of bone, walls of blackened flesh.
Flames burned without wood. Shadows crept along the walls.
On a throne of obsidian sat a figure.
Himself. And yet… more.
Darker. Taller. Unfamiliar.
Shädow.
"You have fallen," he said. "But not broken."
Shadow knelt. "Who are you?"
"I am what sleeps within you. I am what they took.
I am power."
"What do you want?"
"Freedom. The demon realm is sealed. Open the gate.
And I will give you what you desire."
"Revenge."
Shädow rose. Flames danced on his skin.
"Then rise."
He placed a hand on Shadow's forehead. Shadows crawled into his veins. His heart beat — no longer alone.
"Arise, Shadow."
END OF CHAPTER 1