The dawn broke over the land in a muted, sorrowful hue, casting long shadows over the battlefield where Saamu had stood victorious just hours before. The bodies of the fallen soldiers lay scattered across the clearing, their once-proud uniforms now stained with blood. The river had returned to its calm, its surface untouched by the chaos that had erupted the night before. Yet, the stillness felt unnatural to Saamu, as if the world itself was holding its breath.
He stood at the edge of the battlefield, his mind heavy with the weight of his actions. His breath came slowly, deliberately, as if each exhale was a small surrender. He had won? yes, that much was undeniable but the victory tasted bitter. His hands, still trembling from the power he had unleashed, felt as though they were stained with more than just the blood of his enemies. They were stained with something darker that would never wash away.
Behind him, the man who had guided him through these dark days watched in silence, his eyes lingering on the carnage. His expression was unreadable, but Saamu could feel the weight of his gaze, like a silent judgment.
"I thought you said I could control this," Saamu said, his voice rough with a mixture of exhaustion and anger. "I thought you said I could be more than this."
The man stepped forward, his face lined with sorrow. "You still can, Saamu," he said quietly, his voice steady despite the horrors they had just witnessed. "But every choice you make brings you closer to the darkness. The beast inside you is a part of you now, but it doesn't have to be all of you."
Saamu turned to face him, his eyes burning with frustration. "How much more of myself will I have to give? How much more until I become the monster you warned me about?" He clenched his fists, his knuckles white with the strain. "I did what I had to do. I killed to survive. And I'll do it again if it means claiming my throne."
The man's eyes softened, but his words were firm. "Survival is not the same as domination, Saamu. You were meant for more than this. Your father had fought for a cause, for honor. What will you fight for? The power to destroy, or the strength to rebuild?"
Saamu's jaw tightened. His father's memory was still fresh in his mind, the image of the soldier who had fought so valiantly for the village, a man who had protected those he loved at all costs. Saamu had wanted to be like him, to carry on his legacy. But now, all he had inherited was the river goddess's dark gift. Power that corrupted, power that consumed.
"I can't rebuild a kingdom of ashes," Saamu muttered, his voice cold. "Everything I've touched has turned to ruin. I can only build a kingdom of shadows that will be ruled by power and fear."
The man didn't speak for a moment, and Saamu felt the weight of the silence press down on him. Finally, the man sighed. "It's not too late, Saamu. The kingdom you seek to build doesn't have to be one of shadows. You can choose to be the king of something greater. You can lead with strength and wisdom, not fear and bloodshed."
Saamu turned away from him, his gaze fixed on the horizon. The power inside him, the river goddess's power, called to him again, urging him to embrace the beast, to let it guide him toward victory. The more he listened to it, the more the hunger inside him grew. But a small, distant part of him still remembered what it had felt like to be human and to be a boy with dreams of honor and love, not a monster with the world at his feet.
"Where do I go from here?" Saamu asked, his voice quieter now, almost as if speaking to himself.
The man stepped up beside him, his presence solid and unyielding. "You go forward, Saamu. But you must decide what kind of king you will be. You can continue down this path, conquering and destroying, or you can learn to wield the power you have with wisdom. It is not the power that makes a king, but the heart that guides it."
Saamu didn't respond. Instead, he turned his gaze toward the smoke rising in the distance, toward the remains of the village he had once called home. The journey he had begun is driven by vengeance and the desire for power had led him to this moment, but he felt no satisfaction in his victory. His kingdom was built on fear and destruction, and the emptiness inside him only deepened.
As he stood there, torn between the man's words and the beast's whispers, Saamu realized something. The path he was walking would not be easy. He had chosen to take up the mantle of king, but the real battle lay ahead within himself.
Suddenly, the quiet sound of footsteps interrupted his thoughts. Saamu turned to find the girl, the one he had spared in the clearing approaching him cautiously, her eyes wide with awe and fear.
"I… I wanted to thank you," she said, her voice trembling. "I never thought I'd make it out alive. You… you saved me."
Saamu studied her, his expression hardening. "I didn't save anyone," he said, his voice cold. "I destroyed them. I killed them."
The girl flinched, but then she stood straighter, her voice gaining strength. "No, Saamu. You stopped them. You saved me. And you can still save others."
Her words hit Saamu harder than he expected. The girl was right, he had saved her. He had stopped the invaders from taking more lives. But at what cost?
"What do you want from me?" Saamu asked, his voice soft, almost lost in the weight of his own thoughts.
"I want you to understand," the girl said, stepping closer. "You are more than just power. You have the chance to change things, to be a leader, not a tyrant. People will follow you, Saamu, but you have to decide who you want to be. A king of shadows, or a king of light."
Saamu stared at her, her words echoing in his mind. The power of the river goddess surged within him, and for a moment, he wondered if he could still choose a different path. But the beast inside him growled, demanding more, wanting control, wanting destruction.
The girl's words lingered in his thoughts as he turned away from her, back toward the horizon. The world was his to claim, but it was also his to lose. He could choose to build something greater than what he had, something beyond power and fear. But first, he would have to fight the beast inside him.
The kingdom of shadows was just the beginning. Saamu knew that the true test of his rule was yet to come.
And only he could decide which path he would walk.