Rider stood up from his throne, his empty hall glowing with faint purple light in front of him. He had banished several of his knights from his private hall for a few moments of thought.
However, a young woman with a slit of ivory paper covering her eyes stood beside his throne, she wore a deep frown underneath her long brunette hair.
Rider sighed.
"Lady Ivy, I ask that you inform me of your most recent future sight... Tell me of my future reign..."
Her frown deepened, causing Rider to wait in anticipation, feeling his nerves flair from her lack of answer.
Then she smiled softly, and spoke in her melodic and quiet voice.
"Your futures lies with great conquest my lord... And many will fall at your blade..."
She said the words with obvious lies, but Rider knew that Seers were usually untrustworthy creatures.
"Tell me then... What of the boy?"
She flinched at the mention.
Rider grinned.
"He is a target then?"
She nodded slowly and hesitantly.
"He carries great potential, so much in fact that it passed by sight at first, as if he is hidden by a higher being..."
Rider's grin could only grow more with this knowledge.
"So there are gods at play..."
She nodded.
Rider began to step forward toward the door that stood tall behind his throne, radiant energy echoed through the halls as every step carried immense power.
That was the benefit of being a Paladin, especially one of greater power such as him.
He growled, as he neared the door.
"I love the way people cower before me... My power is so immense that even the strongest of warriors cannot bear but look at me in awe... But alas... It is not enough... And before I begin my grand execution... I must tie up some loose ends..."
He put his hand on the cold surface of the door, inhaling deeply as the room around him quivered.
"My lord... It is not time, you have taken in far too much of it in one day..."
Ivy said, fearful of the mad king.
He turned his eyes toward her, and scowled.
"Forgive my rudeness... I will not speak as such again, you are more than strong enough to take in so much corruption..."
Rider sneered.
"Girl... Do not speak its name... As it is alive as any other form of energy..."
"Forgi-"
"SILENCE!"
She flinched at his scream, as it echoed deep within the darkness of his palace.
"They have forgotten... They have disrespected me... And they will remember who the dark horse of this story truly is..."
Rider gripped the steel handle of the door and swung it open with terrible power, letting the violet light of corruption bathe him in its might.
He screamed at first, but it soon turned to laughter, terrible and monstrous shrieks of laughter as the corruption began to consume his catalyst.
...
Ivy of House Oculus...
Ivy watched as the mad king took on the radiation of the catalyst of corruption that he had forged within his castle.
She knew the odds of it imploding on itself and taking the entire kingdom with it, and yet she could no persuade him to find a way to remove it.
In fact, she knew far too much, but that was the curse of a seer as gifted as her.
She could see multiple futures at once, and knew the choices that would end or start new paths. Yet she did not have the power to uphold her visions and make the best of them.
It was terrible and excruciating, even for someone with a mental aptitude of hers.
In truth she had lied plenty to the king, as it was not her choice to join his side as his court divinator.
When she had first seen the heir of Vallmora at the feast, she had seen a terrible darkness shrouding even her best attempts at seeing his future.
In truth, she could not even get a look at his star output, as it was far beyond her comprehension, it was as if when she tried to look into the darkness covering him as eternal protection... Something within it looked right back at her and shook its head.
She shivered and stepped back, avoiding any of the rays of corruption that could destroy her body in mere seconds after contact.
'What a foolish king...'
She thought, cursing her father for selling her out for the highest bid.
And what were the odds that she was put into such a terrible situation... She wondered if all of Vallmora's nobility and royalty looked down on the world with such distaste.
'Save me...'
She couldn't help but whisper to herself as Rider slammed the doors of corruption shut, leaving the hall in a terrible silence that was only followed shortly after with the manacle laughter of the mad king.