Brighter Light

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Warning

The following novel contains material that may be harmful or traumatic to some readers.

It contains graphic descriptions of murder, violence, and other unpleasant texts.

-Omnis

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-The Year 1250-

-City of Waatia, Kingdom of Arlian-

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"So many responsibilities today..." Says the work-weary man behind the desk. With one hand he drops his pen, and with his fingers he wipes his nose. 

He leans back against the back of the chair, rubbing his back slowly, and relaxing. He begins to stretch his arms as well, and then grabs the back of his neck with one hand, which he begins to gently massage.

He starts looking around his office. A beautiful decorated room with lots of beautiful decorated furniture. The walls are painted with the faces of famous Kings and warriors of a former time. In the middle of the room are two beautiful wooden sofas with golden accessories, a beautiful glass and white wooden desk sets the boundary between them.

To the left and right of the room, instead of walls, there are windows reaching up to the ceiling. 

And everything is topped off with a huge, beautiful, gold-diamond chandelier that adds an extravagant touch to the room.

A man who takes a whiff feels not only the comfort of home, but also the beautiful scent of his sweet home.

The man stands up, and walks a few steps behind the chair, where he opens the huge wooden door to the balcony. Immediately upon opening, he feels a strong gust of cold wind stir his neck-length black hair. 

A stone balcony that has not been blessed with light is left by a man from light into darkness, and the only source of light becomes his very striking and blue turquoise eyes, which glow in the darkness like the eyes of a wild cat when it sees its prey.

A man looking at the view of the entire city, blessed with light, sees the vast extent of the city almost over the horizon. 

A truly huge city, adorned at first sight by a huge tower, visible even to the most blind person. 

The man focuses his attention on the tower, which is not very visible in the darkness except for a few lights, which do not give the tower its attention to detail, but to its enormous size.

You can't see the man's face in the dark, but you can see a subtle grin and a closing of the eyes, like a man smiling. He leans lightly against the stone fence of the balcony.

He has an easy joy that gives him a certain amount of confidence.

"14 years..."

"For 14 years, this tower has been built to represent the strength of our lineage..."

The man slowly shifts his gaze to the top of the tower, which reaches to the very visible stars. 

  "A strength that reaches to the heavens." The man says confidently as he straightens up and walks back into his office. 

As soon as he walked back inside, the door immediately closed behind him he grabs a chair which he pushes back slightly and sits down. He slides back to the table.

He looks at the pile of papers to his left, and is immediately struck with a feeling of anxiety and boredom. He sighs softly and slowly reaches for the pen he has set down on his desk.

~DOOR KNOCKING~

There is a loud knock on the door. The interval was short, only 3 knocks. But loud enough to wake a person in a deep sleep.

The man glances at the door, and puts his hand, from which he had been reaching for his pen, to rest on the table.

"Come in!" The man says loudly.

~Door Opening~

The door opens suddenly and aggressively, and out come two old ladies covered in blood.

The man immediately gets up from his chair.

"What happened?!" The man immediately asks.

The breathless old ladies do not hesitate, and even though they are catching their breath, they decide not to delay their answer.

"My... King... Your wife... is in labor!" The old lady replies in bits and pieces, but her words surprise the man.

The man's chin drops, his eyes widen and he says in a surprised voice :

"R- Really?" 

He immediately rounds the table, and with each step towards the exit to the hallway, the candles that give the room plenty of light begin to go out gradually.

The man walks furiously past the old ladies, who look at each other and immediately start chasing him. The man walks out into the hallway, and takes an immediate left. The old ladies follow him.

The door closes by itself, and right after that, the massive chandelier lights out.

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4 Minutes Later

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The man frantically opens the door to another room, which he immediately enters. There, he immediately sees a large group of women and men. 

Doctors, midwives, nurses. 

However, with such a large group, a huge silence spread through the room.

~BABY CRYING~

A huge silence, which will be accompanied by a baby crying.

A slight smile appears on the man's face. This old lady comes out of the group, and slumbering in her arms is a small child who is crying.

~BABY CRYING~

The man just petrified, looking at his newborn son. The old lady just gently pushes the child towards the father, who immediately takes him in.

The baby immediately calms down, stops crying and falls asleep.

The man cautiously walks over to the sweaty and bloody bed, and looks at his sleeping wife with a smile. 

He looks at his child again.

"How long has she been in labor?" The man asks.

"I guess... Two hours, my King." Says one of the men.

But the father holding his child did not notice the sad and dejected faces of the group. 

With a gentle smile, he tells :

"She's... sleeping isn't she?" The King asks.

A lot of them look down in pity. Some even shed a tear. One of the doctors walks gently over to the King.

"My King..."

"I'm sorry."

"But the birth was-"

"Enough." The King interrupts the doctor.

The king gently hands his son over to the lady who gave him to him. He walks over to his wife and sits down beside her.

He gently begins to stroke her hair, and with his thumb he wipes the blood from the corner of her mouth. The man lowers his head, sighing until a tear falls. 

He gets up, walks over to the lady napping his son and looks at him.

"A light that shines too brightly never lasts very long. But the power of a brighter light will give strength and joy to others."

"Your mother was the bright light that gave me strength, my son."

"But she gave you something much more precious."

"She gave you her life to carry her light to a better tomorrow."

A tall black-haired man with turquoise-blue eyes bursts into the room.

"Michael!" The man immediately says to the King, who stops and looks at his brother, who is napping the baby.

"General Zeen..."

"Unfortunately, Queen Margareth Zeen died in childbirth." One of the doctors tells to General Gerdard Zeen.

General Zeen immediately looks at his brother in surprise. 

"Brother-"

"That's life Gerdard." Michael Zeen interrupts his brother.

"Margareth would not want us to shed tears for her."

"She just wants us to help our son through what will be a trying life for him."

Michael looks at his son.

"My son will become powerful."

"He will become strong."

"And he will become the rightful Zeen who will take the scepter of heaven...!"

"And he will be crowned as the rightful and first ever successor..."

"Of The Black Crown!" Michael Zeen says confidently, and everyone around him just kneels in disbelief and goosebumps before the new heir to the Arlian throne.

"My firstborn son..."

"Damien Zeen."

To Be Continued...