"Is there any action more justified than the one you are taking to restore the honor and autonomy of your people? Is there any path one could take that would be considered unfathomable? I do not believe so. Any action taken to restore the prominence and resurgence of my people is an act of justice itself.
That is why the necessary spilling of these humans' blood is justified and will be remembered as such. For centuries, human and elves alike have forced their immoral will upon our people and even devastated our populations with their barbarism. They intended to wipe our people from existence three centuries ago, but they have failed.
Their intent to eradicate us forced whatever remnants of our remaining people to flee and recover in unsavory conditions. Meanwhile, the descendants of those wicked races unjustly inherited the upper world. A world that was once ruled and guided by the Great Kings of Old has been infested by our oppressors. Which is why we should-"
"That is enough, Nadivo. You have made your point."
Nadivo de Monrozal
Elder Azorth grimaced at my presentation and let out a sigh accompanied by his annoyance and disappointment. His deep blue gaze emitted incredible pressure, but there was no fight left within the weakened frame of the older primordial. His gray skin paled, and even the charcoal horns flaked from age. Elder Azorth was of noble lineage within the fallen kingdom of our ancestors, which made him qualified to lead our clan for well before my conception.
Several decades ago, the elder primordial found his way to our domain and battled the Great Beast of the dungeon for control. Their encounter shook the dungeon, but ultimately, the Great Beast proved more fearsome. Elder Azorth's actions doomed my people to live in the lower levels of the dungeon as the Great Beast was one wth unforgiving memory.
Any primordial who ventured to the higher levels was met with a gruesome end. It was the presence of the Great Beast that allowed Elder Azorth's cowardice to guide his wisdom. His noble lineage kept him in charge of our clan, but once I had come of age, I grew to resent his decisions. While usually questioning your betters would be an easy way to have your horns placed on display, I was granted a special position considering Elder Azorth's blood flowed through my veins.
"I know the history of our people, and I've seen the injustice our people had to endure firsthand. I fought for our people in that war and experienced the loss of your great-grandparents. Our King was an ambitious man, and in the end, his ambition didn't allow him to fulfill his ambition," Azorth stated coldly.
The Elder primordial leaned back in his throne and waited for me to rise from my kneeling. He wore his ceremonial crimson robes as he pointed his finger drunkenly in my direction. Within his throne room, there were only four people: Azorth, I, and his sole retainers, Zokin and Akir.
Zokin was a powerful primordial, with short, silver hair and pale gray skin, similar to Azorth. He was a few decades younger than the elder, but he stood by his side for as long. Zokin had shadowed green eyes and a groomed silver beard. His armor was made from steel with a crimson spiral ornament dangling from his pointy ears.
Akir, on the other hand, was much younger than I was, but his admiration for our elder was rivaled only by mine and Zokin's. The young man was shorter than everyone present, but he possessed a warrior's build. His black hair was braided into two tails that interlocked with the assistance of a crimson ribbon. His green eyes were more youthful than his father's, and they hardened with Azorth's words.
"I can read your heart, Nadivo, and thus I know your intentions. However, having me killed will not achieve the goal you wish to attain. You are an exemplary member of our clan, and your ambitions are impressive. However, I forbid you from pressing forward along the path. Here is our domain now, and this is where we will remain. We will not seek revenge for a dead empire."
Azorth spoke with finality, but I was not going to stand by. I matched gazes with my grandfather and bowed before the man once again.
"The Great Beast is out of commission. If that is what you are-"
"I am aware, but this is not the path your parents would have wanted for you. You have the potential to be a good leader for our people, but you are not stable, Nadivo. A man who wants too much is bound to lose everything. That is why Dalk'tov will be the next successor."
"Dalk'tov?!" I snapped, disregarding the formality. "Dalk'tov is an incompetent fool! He is too complacent with his noble blood. We need a man of action to usher in a return to form for our people, grandfather! The population of our people has reached an all-time low, and food has become scarcer! If we continue to stay here, then it is inevitable that our clan will collapse. That remains the same for the vampires as well!"
"So, you have been speaking with the vampires?" Azorth questioned, frowning deeply. "After all of your talks of the barbarism of the upworlders, I wouldn't think you would cosign the barbarism of the vampires."
"They act for the continuation of their people. What you consider barbarism, I call dedication to their duty. Dedication we seem to lack," I said, tempering my anger.
"It is not wise to look the other way when it is convenient. We have had our hardships, and those days may not be ending soon, but our domain will always be the safest for our people. It is naive to believe otherwise," Azorth says.
I couldn't allow my grandfather to utter nonsense without a proper challenge. I couldn't understand how he could just be content sitting on his throne, presiding over a dying clan.
'Our brethren should see the stars, no, they should rule under the stars like our ancestors. Why can't he see that?!'
"It is naive to believe that our people could flourish here for much longer. Even if it is the next generation or the generation after that, the fact remains the same. Our people will fall further from where we should be standing. Now is when we should take action!"
Azorth frowned at the sudden rise in volume, but I could no longer afford to temper my passion. With my hand on my chest, I continued my imploring in hopes my words would finally penetrate his stubbornness and reawaken the hero of the past that he told me about.
"There is no knowing when the next opportunity to escape this pit will come! I implore you, as your grandson, to change your mind. Do not put your stubbornness over the future of our people. Become the hero that you once were for a new generation!"
"Enough!" Azorth snapped. "I will not be questioned any longer! My word is final, and so is my decision! Oppose me, grandson or not, and your existence will be in danger!"
The elder primordial rose only in volume, but his tone radiated his immense power. The hall vibrated, mirroring the glow of his pupils. There have only been a few times I have witnessed the fury of my grandfather on display, and this was one of them. I had pushed him when I shouldn't have, but only a coward would back down now.
"As you wish. I will obey."
An elder primordial's strength is not to be underestimated, no matter what the situation entails. If I were to bring glory back to my people, then I must bow my head to my better. That is why I kneeled in subservience, allowing my grandfather to enjoy his victory over me in this battle of wills. The man exhaled sharply before the sound of his boot steps echoed around the room. I dared not look up at him until I felt the warmth of his hand against the side of my face.
"Dalk'tov shall rule, Nadivo. I expect you to fall in line. Support your brother, and keep our people going beyond that next generation. I can rely on you for that, yes?"
"You can, my lord. I shall support Dalk'tov with my every being, on my pride as a member of this noble bloodline. I, Nadivo de Monrozal, shall pledge my heart in servitude for the betterment of our people, even if my brother Dalk'tov de Monrozal shall pick up the throne! This is my promise to you, my lord."
"Then rise, my boy," Azorth said tenderly.
The power of the elder primordial flickered away as he offered me a hand. I gratefully took it and we stood face to face. Despite our disagreements and his favoritism towards my brother, I still found it in my heart to embrace the man. A man who was once a hero of our people, a hero to me. He encouraged us to gain strength to protect ourselves, and protected us from the dangers within this pit.
It was his existence that deterred the Great Beast from reaping the rest of our lives. He was once a protector, but as I stare into his cold blue eyes, I realize something. That Azorth was no longer with us. The man, whom I embraced, was an impostor, and I was certain. The Azorth from the tales of old was fearless and a provider of courage. He showcased his strength when needed and sought an escape for our kin. He would not lead us into ruin.
The elder's face hardened once we separated from our embrace. He stepped back and stared in my direction. His breathing quickened suddenly, and the elder primordial placed his hand onto his chest. His mind began to race, and when he pieced the clues together, he once again peered in my direction.
"Or is that what you would have liked to hear?" I asked him spitefully.
"You chose rebellion in the end?"
"I'll do what is necessary," I said calmly. "I wish things could be different. That you could see reason, but your glory days are over. If I am to save our people, then I'll have to start by saving them from you."
This was the moment I had been waiting for; I couldn't let my emotions distract me now. A flare ignited in the elder's eyes as he backpedaled away from me and folded his arms behind his back. There was not an ounce of fear in the man's face, and I did what I could to match his courage. With a calculated whistle, Azorth spoke without restraint,
"This is farewell, child. As you pass on into your next life, know this: you will be remembered as a stain to our lineage."
He turned and began walking toward his throne. His steps became more defined with each step as if his words alone weren't enough of a disrespect. Once he arrived, his gaze shifted to Zokin, his entrusted right-hand man, and esteemed executioner. Without a response, Zokin stepped forward and glared in my direction. The man moved in steady steps, making a minute drag that was longer than necessary. I did not resist nor flinch at his approach. I chose to hold my ground, and as such, I spoke my mind.
"Any lineage that would allow the fall of our people is no lineage I want my name a part of."
Zokin reached for his sword and unsheathed it. There was not a hint of hesitation when he brought it down. What greeted me next was darkness, and oddly, it felt familiar. My body felt weightless as if I were coasting through the barrier between worlds. I had done what I could to warn about the upcoming demise of our people, and yet my grandfather sent his executioner. Azorth has always been a coward, and he wouldn't dare get his own hands dirty to deal with his flesh and blood. This is not how events were supposed to transpire.
'Is this all? Is this the end of my purpose? Maybe I should have done more. I should have fought, but I-'
"Having regrets? That is quite childish."
My departure was interrupted by the calm, alluring voice of a woman. Her voice shook me to my core, and a beam of bright light pierced the dark veil. It traveled to me, slamming my pupils with its immense might. Even if I closed my eyelids, the light still made itself known.
My senses lit up as if an incredible presence had descended on this realm. The power that it possessed shook me to my core, allowing their mocking tone to go unchallenged. Their voice bounced around the realm, daring me to locate the source, but I couldn't do so. The light that shielded it was impenetrable, but I dared to do so anyway.
My regrets of not doing all that I could burned brighter than any light, and I used it to fuel my search. I attempted to move my limbs and found the act an impossibility. Whether it was punishment for trying to locate the voice or not, it made no difference. My body burned as if every fiber of my being was inflicted with a searing flame.
There was no withstanding the flames without despair, but no matter how painful, not a sound escaped into the void. Only the inside of my mind witnessed my damnation.
"The world that you idolized is gone, young primordial, but there is a chance that you could right those infractions against your people. That is, if you have the will to act on it. A man who would do anything for his people would fight for them, so why didn't you?" the voice said.
What a ridiculous question. I attempted to move my mouth, but the damnable curse engulfed my tongue. My words were seared before they could reach it, forcing my comment to reside within the confines of my mind.
'I did! I fought for years. I raised the alarm! Day in and day out, I approached my grandfather and pleaded my case! Each time, he turned me away, yet I fought until the end!'
"You are complicit," the voice responded.
The voice drew closer, and the power behind it threatened to devour my existence. The intense flames on my form sprouted a second wind, engulfing more of the darkness around me. Bright waves of orange rippled through the beam of pure white and slammed into my body. I expected that vital collision to be the one to eradicate my existence within the strange realm, but instead of pain, I felt an overbearing dread wash over my body.
'What is this? How is this happening?'
"I thought I sensed a smoldering flame within your soul, and yet I must have imagined that it called to me. Any man too weak to defend himself is unworthy of power. He would be unworthy of my power."
'I do not need your power! I do not need your judgment! I am not complicit! I am the one who cared the most for our people!'
My words triggered another flash of intense heat, but I couldn't allow myself to be burned away without resistance. Thus, I did the only thing I could do, and matched the heat with my passion. I pulled within myself, channeling any semblance of mana in my possession to push out the engulfing flames. With each act of defiance, even more flames were brought to bear. Orange nipped at my vision, threatening to seize dominance over the piercing white.
The white slowly warped around my body, giving way to the void which greeted me first. My mind pounded by the second as I continued to hold my mana together. I could not allow myself to be swallowed here, and I realized that. The raging inferno raged war against the white, and I mustered whatever power I could to weather the blinding bombardment.
"So, you do fight for your survival, but not for your people?" the voice taunted, and my mana exploded in protest. My tongue lashed from my lips, and despite the flames licking at it, I broke my forced silence,
"I will always fight for myself, because... because if I survive, then the future of my people survives too! I will not be toyed with and belittled! I will stand by and allow you to assign blame to me when it is the fault of that coward that our people will meet their demise! I am not complicit! I am not complicit! I am the answer to the problem! The solution to the question!"
"And what is that question, Primordial?!"
"Is there anyone who could save my people?! Yes! I can-no, I will! I will save my people from their destruction! I will save my people from the devastation that awaits them in the future! I will not allow the demise of my clan, and I will do what it takes to ensure their survival!"
My declaration shook the void, and the orange flames erupted into great walls. They encircled me with ever-increasing temperature that I felt even my soul begin to simmer. My mana core reverberated as gravity took hold of my body. Much like a marionette without its string, I tumbled from the deadly illumination into the greedy darkness.
It gripped me, pulling my existence in every direction simultaneously. The agony I felt from the flames paled in comparison, but I withstood the heavy brunt of the pain. My eyes flew open as the wall of fire expanded and then chased me through the void. It caught me in seconds and began burning itself around my chest. I wanted to scream in anguish, but something within me held back that indication of weakness. My eyes burned harshly momentarily, but the agony was over as soon as it began. I couldn't remember much after that moment, but I did recall a shift within my chest.