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Vines (Frozen In Carbonite Writing Competition)

Vines

Naqu2o

Well-known member
Author
It was another day.

I wake up with a strange premonition. Immediately, I try to look at myself in the mirror. The reflection is me, but it feels uncomfortable.

I am a soldier, in employed of our great human king. He was the human king, in contrast to the demon king who reside in his terrible castle in the sky. The human king was the only one holding back the might of the demon king, and today, I was summoned by the king, along with three others person. Though when I arrive, the fourth person was nowhere to be seen, it was only the three of us.

A rare female warrior, another solider, though he looks a little under experienced. His hands were beautiful, too beautiful for someone who should be familiar with their sword about now. More than likely, he was one of those noble type. That is not to say a noble cannot be skilled, I personally know a few person who will kick my ass for saying that, however it is unlikely someone who is not familiar with holding a weapon could have achieved certain level of mastery.

I look at him again, suddenly feeling a foreboding feeling. Taking in all of his visage, I finally realize something, though I keep my mouth shut.

I know better than move against my better. I'm just a servant to the king, I know nothing.

The mage was nowhere to be seen, there was only the three of us who approached the king.

Suddenly a fear grips my heart. It was the foreboding feeling from before. It is fear, it was because I know what was coming.

The king resides on his throne, his face weathered with time. It goes to show how horrible the demon king is that our once powerful king is reduced into such a state. Fifty years have passed since their confrontation, and it was said that the king dealt a mortal blow to the demon king.

But the demon king recovered while the human king is still human in the end. He aged horribly.

I know what today was going to be. Call me a coward all you like, I fear.

The king opens his eyes, awaken from his rest. Looking at us, there was strong emotion running through his body.

He looks at the other soldier, his body was shaken. He looks over to the female knight, there was a look of remembrance in his eyes. Finally his eyes settle on me. There was a strange disappointed look when his eyes settle on me.

I know I am nothing, but for the great king himself to look at me like that, it was a blow to my ego. Forget the other soldiers, at least they can invoke something within the king, why do I only invoke disappointment.

It seems that details was caught by the other in the room. They look at me, frowning. Am I even worthy enough to go on this quest?

Suddenly, the king stops looking at me, he addresses the entire room with that powerful voice of his. It is unknown if it is magic or just charisma, but suddenly, the entire room feel like kneeling.

I was caught in his charisma.

"I have summoned you all today, for an important task."

I have known what this was going to be

"The prophecy. 20 years ago, I embarked on my journey to slay the demon king. It was the will of Fate. However, time passed. 20 years have passed, it is time for the Demon King to be vanquished again. This time, you three was chosen by destiny to embark on the mission to slay the demon king."

The other two have a look of disbelief in their eyes, however, I could only bite down the fear.

I have known this, I have dreaded this day. As the strongest soldier, I was privy to some informations that only I know.

We were to go alone, as the prophecy has dictated. We will climb the vine to the sky city where the demon king's castle reside. This is a solo mission with a high chance of death.

But who is to say we won't become heroes? It was the prophecy that sent us there. And yet, I still fear. A premonition grips my heart, something terrible will happen.

The king looks over to see our terrible state. He opens his mouth again

"Before you go, you could ask any question. I will answer it to the best of my ability. Mid, Lone and Emily, from today you are the hero of the human kingdom, you don't have to fear anything from me."

So the others was Lone and Emily.

Lone opens his mouth first,

"Wait. How are we going to defeat the demon king, he is strong and we are weak. It is impossible."

"It is the will of Fate. You are the only one who could defeat the demon king. When the time comes, you will be strong enough. It is an unbreakable fate, not even the demon king can escape it."

I did not pay attention to all other information because at that moment, I was too fearful. Trying to regain composure, I tried to ask something completely unrelated.

"Where is the fourth person? There was supposed to be a fourth person here."

The king, Lone and Emily look at me with a strange look.

Suddenly, the king himself address me personally

"There are no fourth person."

The look Lone and Emily gave me was also the same.

"What do you mean fourth person? Perhaps the stress has gotten to you, Mid, you could go back to your room to rest. I will discuss business with Lone and Emily, they will get you up to speed later."

Disgracing myself in front of the king, I left to my room. Just what is wrong with me today? Is fear so great that it strains my mind entirely?

...

We went on a journey. We climb the sky vine, which grow from the demon king's palace. The more we climb, the more kingdoms we discovered. Various kingdom that rested upon the tree's vine. They provide great accommodation. Even though we have never known that they existed before, it seems they all recognize the feats of the human king.

As the journey continue, we gain more experience and equip ourselves with more powerful equipment. Lone, Emily and me all learn more magic. It was surprising how fast we learn. Is this what it means to be guided by fate?

And yet, I still have doubts about whether we could defeat the demon king. Our record of the world only go back 150 years, but it was said that the demon king could destroy the world, all of space and time. I do not understand what it means, however, such great power could we really defeat him?

On the journey, we discover various hero's resting places.

All of it only place more doubts into my mind.

Before the king, there was other heroes who challenge the demon king. They all come close, but still fail to kill him in the end. And the graves are where they rest after the fact, after establishing kingdoms of their own on the sky vine.

It only places fear in my heart.

And perhaps it was that fear that...

I was not blessed by the fallen heroes.

When they touched the grave of hero, Lone and Emily, I withdraw from it because of my fear. And yet, when they come out, they have earned an inheritance.

They have gained the fallen heroes' power.

Quickly they become stronger, faster and more intelligent. After seeing that miracle, I tried to touch the graves we found on the way too, but none of it works.

Because I missed my chance, I have now missed all of my chances.

The fear made me unable to inherit the heroes' powers and abilities. Quickly, I become obsolete, increasing my fears even further. But Lone and Emily have to take me with them to accomplish the prophecy.

I just don't understand, why can't I inherit the heroes' power. And if I couldn't inherit the heroes' power, why do they need me?

But Lone and Emily always gave me understanding smile and so I follow them.

...

When we were at the demon king's castle, it was a massacre. No, it is wrong to say it is a massacre because he couldn't be bother to kill us.

When we arrive to challenge the king, he only walks toward us with out even raising a hand to attack us. Whatever we throw at him fail, it only stops in mid air as if controlled by a greater force. Suddenly, Emily whispers to Lone

"All projectiles do not work, our only hope is using a melee weapon."

However, there was one flaw with that plan

"How are we even going to approach him?"

Suddenly, at that moment, I understood, a distraction. I was supposed to be the distraction. Understanding my role, I finally manage to abandon my fear, and walk toward. Before Lone and Emily could stop me, I am already in front of him, the demon king.

And yet, instead of pasting me into many smaller pieces, the king stops too. Suddenly, he says, from behind that blood red armor of his

"Feel terrible doesn't it?" Lone was already in position to thrust his supreme weapon in a single stroke with his fastest attack, but even he was also surprised. He almost misses his chance to attack. However, it was only only almost. Because the demon king was standing motionlessly, I manage to get his attack off. The demon king didn't even bother to block it, even though from standing near him, I could tell that he know what was about to happen.

The supreme weapon goes straight through his heart, and yet he was still standing normally.

Suddenly, he took off his helmet. And this time, all three of us was frozen on our spot.

"My son."

Brown hair with hazel eyes. My face is staring back at me, however he was older, and marred with time. And still, I could still recognize, it is my face, like looking through a mirror.

I suddenly realize, that is why I was here. He wouldn't hurt his son, but just how-

However, when the demon king falls down on the floor, a terrible premonition struck me. I try to plead

"Wait- Emily, Lone, I am still your friend. I have never met that guy before in my life, this change nothing."

And yet, at that moment, they were like me. They were extremely scared, scared by the demon king power. They could feel it clearly, from start to beginning, he could have crushed them easily. And, in a life or death situation like that, they made a mistake,

Lone stabbed me straight through the heart too with his supreme weapon. Emily looks at my direction before turning away in fear.

Lone too, runs away as soon as he defeats the demon king because he was fearful. Both father and son, reunited in death. My blood pools with my strange father.

However, after a while, I stand up. It does not hurt anymore, I don't even know what I was so worry about.

I suddenly realize what this was about.

Inheritance.

This is what a hero's inheritance feel like. But because I was not descended from the hero, I did not inherit their power. I can only inherit from the demon king. And when he died, I inherit all of that horrible power.

Slowly, I look over the corpse. He could have stopped the attack at any moment, he didn't, he planned this.

Suddenly, my strange premonition returns. I finally see why it was like that. Finally, his suffering ended, it was my turn to suffer. Slowly, I strip him of his armor and put it on. Then I walk slowly down from the sky castle.

When Emily and Lone returns to the kingdom to report their victory, I follow them there, and, waiting for the most opportune moment, when everyone think they have won, I float into the castle in front of everyone, for all to see that the demon king is still alive.

I look over the crowd, to the allies who have abandoned and the king who was disappointed in me. At this moment, the human king was extremely frighten, his eyes almost pop inside that old skull of his.

And yet, no matter, how old he is, I recognize who he is. Suddenly, without even waiting for prompts, he shouted

"Wait! Mid-"

He has known it from the start. Knowing that, I did not show him any mercy and explode his entire torso, showering everyone in "the human king, the strongest human to have ever lived". At the final moment, I didn't even miss the chance to say

"Goodbye Lone." to the lonely human king who has died.

The young Lone at the moment still doesn't understand anything. However, he tried to raise his sword. I disregard him just as the demon king has previously done. No surprise attack now, the fate will it.

I walk over to Emily, who was caught in the shower. Slowly, I speak to her

"How is our child, Emily?"

Her face froze at that moment, as in the distance, Lone was extremely angry.

"What- That is my child!"

He tried to move, but I froze the time surrounding him.

"It is twin. It seems we both manage to impregnate Emily at the same time. Only one of them is your."

""Wha-"" Both Emily and Lone asks, I could only say

"It is Fate's will."

After that, without even moving a single finger, Emily disintegrate on the spot. And just as my words, a pair of twin falls out.

"It feels great, doesn't it?" Suddenly my own voice was in my head. However, it was not my voice but the demon king's voice.

The rest of the kingdom was still in disgust over what happens. Two twins fall out. One of them is going to grow up with brown hair and hazel eyes, and that will be my child. The other will grow up with blond hair and green eyes, it is going to be Lone's son.

Before Lone could react, I took both the children away.

"Be sure to grow a kingdom."

With scream of rage he tried to follow me, but I have flown away with the children who are still alive.

It is Fate's will. I fly toward a certain noble household and left one child there. With a note, I left a powerful suggestion beside the child "Be sure to name him Lone". Then, I fly out into a backward country, and, with as much care as possible, drop the child on its head.

It will ensure that his fate will remain unchanged. In his entire life, he will be plagued with mental diseases, never being able to remember something for more than three hours. There will be no other fate for him than to be a soldier.

That is my son. Than I left a note next to him "Be sure to name him Mid"

Than I fly back to the demon king castle. With a flick of my hand, I clean the castle.

Also, all the vine that grow from the castle disappear. All the kingdoms on the sky vine start their free fall, except for the kingdoms where Lone, his son and my son are on.

This is a world that only exist on the vines from the demon king's castle. Without the vine, there would be nothing except for the demon king castle.

That is why it is said that the demon king has the power to destroy the world. This is the end of the cycle, so some of the vine has to be trimmed. The vines Lone and the children are on are still young, so it is not time yet.

In time, the vines would grow back, human would inhabit them again, without any other place to live.

In time, Lone will move to another kingdom to escape from the memory. There he will be build the kingdom. The kingdom will be built on a young vine, and the old vine will be prime for trimming.

It has happened all before, it will happen again.

So saying, I went back to my castle, sitting on my throne, I wait for the day my son come to kill me.

In my head, all the premonition and fear have disappeared. There is only the voice of the demon king.

'It feels good doesn't it?'

And then I sit in the darkness to wait for 20 more years.


AN: Of course it is the "The Cycle will begin again" and "There will always be a Lich King" trope

Edit: And the fourth member was left over memory from a previous cycle that Mid somehow retain. It was the wizard who get the fuck out of the world immediately after realizing just what is happening
 
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