The Promise - Done by Lamorak

It was another frigid, unforgiving night. The sky was engulfed in dark clouds, with their downpour being imminent. The fields were desolate of life, now littered with bloodstains, numerous eviscerated corpses and gutted bodies. Bodies of those who have failed on their journey, yet, have been given a warrior's death. Weapons of blades and arrows, of all matters, were also scattered across the ground, most of them lying beside what used to be their wielders.

The Sun behind the clouds had begun to burn away, losing it's former brilliant, decadent rays of golden hope. What was now left of it was something similar to that of a ghastly eclipse, the flames surrounding the black spherical figure were beginning to dwindle, a sign of the world coming to it's demise. What was a symbol of hope, now a reminder of dread. The Sun had a thin line of flame going towards the earthen ground, over the vast horizon, where an accursed warrior is destined to rekindle the flames of the Sun. Yet, the Kiln seems to be fading away into oblivion.

The life of this world was coming to an end, towards an age of darkness, but it would not matter. Nothing ever does.

In her place, an eldritch-looking creature sits upon a pile of brimstone and gore, awaiting her next prey. The creature had numerous gashes and deep slashes, but she did not seem to mind. A few traces of smoke bellow from her gaping split maw as she removes a claymore from her shoulder blade, tearing off dried, crusted blood. The fur of the creature seemed to have worn out too, from the countless centuries she had been here.

The creature was not always like this. She used to walk amongst the men themselves, enjoying and living in their company, thriving with them like a bundle of joy. But, over time after the eventful day, the creature began to take on a more mutated form, altering not just her body, but also her mind. She began to have visions, visions of the future, visions of what must be done, and visions of death. Over and over again, she saw death, endless and absolute. For the second time in her life, far worse than the first, she felt true despair. She began to crave for flesh and gore, and tried to suppress it to the best of her will. As the creature's desires began to grow, so did her size, currently now able to tower over the usual giants that roam these lands.

But, there was hope for her. The creature seemed to always seek a certain promi- no, a certain human, that will fulfill a promise, the promise now long forgotten. That human, as she used to recall, was the first human she ever truly loved and adored. They spent the happiest of moments together, not always the best, but never dreary. This human would be the one that would carry out his promise to her, she had decided.

But, it seems the human was forgotten, too.

As she waits for nothing, sudden steps broke the silence, steps that were heading towards her. The creature turns her attention towards the source of the noise, smoke rising from what used to be her maw again. The steps suddenly come to a halt, then a figure rises over the horizon.

It was a human.

It was the human. At long last.

Max then steps over the tiny crumbles of slate and brimstone, his worn out - but still usable- metal headgear clinking on his head. He looks to his front, towards the horizon, seeing a gigantic sized figure. He breathes in a sudden breath of realization, as he registers what he was looking at.

He can't believe it.

It's her.

It's actually her.

It's finally her, after all this time.

Max then makes a few steps towards the creature, his face forming a smile, a smile filled with both jolly happiness and unspoken sorrow. His face was scarred with numerous cuts and bruises, from the journey that he had embarked on along the way. He then stops, and waits for the creature to respond.

The creature was confused. Why did this human not rush towards her? Why was it smiling at her? Was it willing to die? Although slightly taken aback by surprise, the creature then proceeds to rise from the pile, and starts her heavy steps towards the human, the smoke starting to increase from her maw. Sparks were now starting to come from it's ears, one of which was mutilated by time.

Max then frowned, soon enough realizing he simply must do what he ca- no, what he has sworn to do. There was no other way around this one. With shaky a breath, he then whispers, looking towards the ground, tears threatening to fall from his eyes.

"D-Dusk, old friend. It's been a long time."

He clenches his teeth, his tears finally giving way from his eyes. Eyes filled with regret, but also with determination for what he was about to do.

The creature, still unfazed, continues her slow stride towards the human. Her split jaws now hang even more agape, flames starting to kindle in them, nearly bursting forth. She nearly stumbled on a piece of stray brimstone, but it did not falter her movements.

The creature somehow knew, she had to kill this human.

Max steels his nerves, and adjusts his metallic plate armor, dented through numerous battles, quests, lives, and resurrections. Alas, it seems that his resurrections won't allow him to be able to save face now. Although tragic, he must fulfill his promise to her. He then clenches his eyes shut to clear them of tears, then forces them wide open again, staring into the soulless eyes of what used to be one of his most beloved family, staring with a fiery determination.

"I, Max of Rados, have come to uphold my promise!"

Max then reaches for his side, briefly looking at his shaking, hesitant hand. He clenches it, and reaches his side again with rekindled determination. He grips the handle of his straight sword and draws it, the sword that was given to him a long time ago.

The sword is not any other sword. This sword was special, it was made for a certain purpose. It was made and given to him to fulfill a certain promise.

This sword could kill her.

The creature, although not slowing down, came to a sudden realization. This is why the human seemed weird. This is why the human smiled at her. This is why the human cried. This is why the human set off an unknown feeling inside of her.

This is the human that made the promise, centuries ago.

The creature then picks up her previously slow pace, the flames in her maw now erupting forth, as she raises her morbid claws towards the human, ready to strike, slash, rip and tear.

Max then looks at his blade, the blade he has grown to fondly call "Nokoribi", in tribute of the one that originally gave it to him. And it seems that the blade was given to him, to end the life of the giver itself.

"Let the light shine upon Dusk, the first Delphox."

Max then steadies both of his hands into gripping the handle, then aims the tip of the razor-sharp blade towards the rushing creature, their distance now significantly shorter than earlier. He then releases one final shout, before charging at the creature with unbridled determination. His lengthy journey can finally come to an end.

The final loud sounds heard that night was a loud cry, followed by a resonating slash, and the splatter of blood.

The downpour of the dark clouds overhead persist.