All Alone

January 1st, 2025

The remnants of a war rages on between the Aceuir kingdom and a group of destructionist called the Darkeners.

“DIE!” A terrible force of nature wreaks havoc on the battlefield.

This war is brutal and dim, And the one that started it, a pure embodiment of darkness itself, the ruler and god of the estranged cult, Dezzerel.

“I WILL DESTROY YOU ALL! YOUR MAGIC WILL BE MINE TO CONTROL!”

Leading the battle against this evil force is one of the 13 major kings of Ceraesia, King Aceuir, renowned as the king of fire.

“My king! What should we do? They have numbers!” A soldier cries with fear. King Aceuir stands tall, not a hint of fear in his gaze. His eyes burn with determination as he surveys the battlefield. The air is thick with smoke and the sound of clashing swords, but even in the midst of chaos, his voice remains steady and commanding. “Steel yourselves, soldiers!” “Do not fear! We will launch a frontal attack. My queen, do you have enough magic left for a sync?”

“Yes husband I should.”

“Ok then let us go and make an opening!”

The king and queen charge ahead to weaken their enemies defenses and power as to create an opening for their soldiers.

Together they fuse their magic to create a devastating display of power. “SOVEREIGN VORTEX!” they yell out together.

The soldiers watch in awe as the king and queens sync attack demolishes through the darkeners numbers. Considering that the darkeners powers are feared all across the world, seeing them able to be taken down is a massive moral boost for the kings army. They charge in without hesitation, ready to finish this fight that Dezzerel has started. With raging passion they tear through the enemy’s numbers, dwindling their hopes of winning. Frustrated, Dezzerel let’s out an ear piercing screech and darts towards the soldiers, picking them off one by one. Each passing inch the evil wraith travels, a soldier is impaled and ripped apart from the inside out. Men and women’s screams are heard and the ground puddles with spilt blood.

“NO!” The king screams from a distance away as he turns to run to his comrades. “HUSBAND WAIT! I CAN’T!” The queen calls out as she is locked in a fates end clash with a band of darkeners.

“MARY! HOLD ON!” He screams as he rushes in with remarkable speed, slaying each foe surrounding his wife.

In the distance, a nasty screech is heard, “DIE!” The wraith screams as the rest of the kings men are wiped out with a large explosion. “NOOOOOOO!!!” The king let’s out a stomach churning scream. His blood boils, his face goes crimson red, eyes are ablaze shrouded in red tint. He dead stares Dezzerel as the wraith starts making its way towards them.

“MASSIVE-” The king starts and a bright flame begins to form in his hand, raising it high above his head, it grows bigger, bigger, and bigger, massive, larger than a house.

His wife wastes no time fleeing to safety, “oh my lord!” She yells.

“-IMPERIAL FLAME!” The large ball comes crashing down on the wraith, causing a satisfying scream. The ground burning, the spilt blood boiling, searing, completely scorched. All of the darkeners... dead. Dezzerel... charred black as the night, wheezing, struggling to breath.

Dezzerel lifts it’s head and tries to speak, “YOU! I- WILL-” through a raspy voice, “HAVE MY REVENGE!” with those final claims the wraith crumbles into ash, blowing away in the wind.

The king heaves through hard breaths, eyes darting across the open plain where he stands. Now looking at the destruction, the king falls to his knees, tears in his eyes, silent weeping.

“Husband!” his wife comes up behind him. “My people! My comrades!” He weeps.

“Quite yourself, I am here.” His wife hugs him. “They did not die in vein! Do you hear me?” tears now form in her eyes as they kneel there, war over, but spirits utterly broken.

With this conclusion, the dreadful war is now over. The evil wraith is defeated and the king has prevailed. The news spreads around town like a wild fire. New order was established and precautionary actions were taken.

New law was brashly put in place, any and all darkeners will be executed upon sight. If whereabouts of darkeners are hidden, it will be considered treason and you will be taken into custody for questioning or even exiled. In the case that secrecy is kept, perpetrators will suffer a year in an isolated prison.

September 18th, 2030, King’s palace

The king and queen have a daughter, a bit over 5 years old, born 2024, October 4th. She is very intelligent for her age, joyous, and full of life. She and her mother sit in her room having an important conversation about Darkeners.

“The law around darkeners is a strict one. They are beings of pure evil, born into hatred, grown to know only destruction. The law may be strict but it stands for good reason.” The queen explains.

“But why mommy? Why are they evil?” The innocent child asks. Her name is Robin. By birth, she is the princess of the Aceuir kingdom.

“We don’t really know sweetheart. It doesn’t really matter though. They are an extinct species. The law only stands in order now to weed out those of them who hide. We must stay vigilant, for they are still the strongest and most dangerous beings of this world. Their deadly magic can destroy us all. Promise me if you ever see one... run, and Keep running. Call for me and I will come for you.” Robin hugs her mother and smiles warmly.

“Alright little one, time for bed.”

“Ok mommy.”

The queen tucks her daughter into bed giving her a kiss on the head.

“Goodnight sweetheart.” the queen say solemnly.

“Goodnight mommy.”

Her mother walks out of the room turning off the light and shutting the door gently. she then starts down the corridor towards she and her husbands room.

From inside Robins room, an ominous energy leaks. “h̶e̶y̷” a shadowed voice is heard in the room. Robin opens her eyes, startled.

“Hello? Is someone there?” Robin calls out.

“Y̶o̶u a̶r̶e s̶o p̶r̶e̶t̶t̶y” The voice says, its tone lingering.

Robin stares around the room puzzled. “Umm...thank you.” Robin still looking around the room. “Who are you?” Suddenly...a high pitched scream echoes throughout the room. A large shadowy figure appears from the walls charging at the little girl. Robin screams as the figure wraps a hand around her throat and lifts her in the air.

“MOMMY!” Robin screams before the wraith slams her down against her bed.

“I̶ w̶i̶l̶l̶ g̶i̶v̶e̶ y̶o̶u̶ s̶o̶m̶e̶t̶h̶i̶n̶g̶ t̶o̶ r̶e̶m̶e̶m̶b̶e̶r̶ m̶e̶ b̶y̶. B̶e̶ d̶a̶m̶n̶e̶d̶ f̶o̶r̶ e̶t̶e̶r̶n̶i̶t̶y̶ y̶o̶u̶ b̶r̶a̶t̶!” With those words the wraith let’s out a screech and Robins eyes roll into the back of her head, leaving her limp and lifeless.

The wraith retreats back into the walls with a sinister grin spread cheek to cheek. “G̶o̶o̶d̶n̶i̶g̶h̶t̶ l̶i̶t̶t̶l̶e̶ o̶n̶e̶” it fully vanishes with an evil chuckle.

The halls of the palace rest silent, yet terror shrieks across the world as something truly malevolent is brought to life. A parting scene of life, closing a door and opening a keyhole. It’s safe to say that on this night a curse is born.

After the dreadful attack of the presumed dead wraith, Robin is left passed out in her bed. 5 years have passed, why does it reappear now? Regardless, a dangerous threat is once again alive in the world.

Next day, early morning

Robin’s eyes open to reveal her big room. The sun shines through her pink drapes signaling it’s morning time.

Robin groans softly, rubbing her throbbing head. She glances around the room, taking in the familiar sights and sounds that surround her. Suddenly, she remembers the terrifying encounter from last night. Her eyes widen with fear as she tries to process what had happened. She starts panicking and wildly scan the room, looking for the evil wraith.

She climbs out of bed slowly as if trying not to wake a sleeping demon.

“Hello?” She calls out meekly. Nothing...nothing happens, nothing appears, no wraith, no big scary monster, it’s just her.

Was I just dreaming, Robin thinks to herself. Then she feels around her neck where she remembers the wraith grabbing her. Quickly, she runs to the mirror to look and in shock, she sees deep red markings resembling a hand print. She starts hyperventilating, the fear knowing that a demon came and visited her, but even so, what did it mean?

“Something to remember it by?” She asks to herself puzzled. “What could that mean?”

She looks around the room once more just to be sure there’s nothing there. Soon she gives up her search and looks over at the clock.

“Oh no! I’m gonna be late for school... but does it matter? What about that thing?” She hunkers down and wraps her arms around her knees, thinking, “should I go to school? Should I even tell anyone what happened? I don’t know what to do.”

She sits there silently and rocks herself. She’ll look up at the clock every so often. After a while she decides to get up, “I’ll go to school, and I’ll be quit for now.” She sounds unsure of herself but proceeds. She gets up and quickly dresses herself just like her mother taught her. She then rushes out of her room and down the corridor. The walls are a lovely smooth stone with patterns engraved on each one, it is indeed a palace worthy of a king. Robin soon runs into the throne room where she finds her mother and father sitting, high upon their pristine seats. Robin will now face and come to see the terrible curse the wraith cast upon her. The curse that makes the whole world and everyone in it hate her. Leaving her to feel no love.

As Robin approaches her parents, she can feel their eyes on her, their expressions unreadable. She smiles brightly, “Good morning, mommy, daddy.” she says, her voice bright and energetic. Her father, the king, averts his gaze, ignoring her presence. Robin stands there, waiting. “Father?” she asks, more formally this time. “Is something wrong? Mom?” The queen averts her gaze as well. “Hey... What’s going on? did I do something?” more silence fills the space between them for a moment. “Stop ignoring me!” she pouts, clearly confused. “If I did something then-” The king interrupts her, “Quite!” his voice rings out, singeing the air. Robin swallows fearfully, not expecting such a harsh tone. he turns his head to her with an expression that almost looks sad, but is quickly replaced by one of noticeable anger. “Leave us at once!” he barks. Robin trembles with a mixture of fear and confusion, “Father what’s wrong? What did I do?” Her eyes are beginning to water. The king stands, his presence menacing. “Don’t make me repeat myself! Leave!” Robin steps back cautiously, “M-Mother?” she looks at her with pleading eyes. “Do as your father says... just leave.” she says with a calmer tone than her husband, but still never looking at her daughter. “please...” tears fall openly now. Her parents don’t say anything else, they just wait. After a moment, Robin runs away, tears streaming from her eyes.

She runs out of the palace, passing guards that guard the front gates as she goes. she stops after a while, trying to collect herself. She’s so confused. What did she do? After a moment, she wipes away the tears as she notices all the people on the street around her. Regardless, she needs to get to school. she’ll figure this out later.

As she makes her way down the street towards school, she notices a number people stopping and pointing from distances. People whisper and eyeball her ferociously. It makes her incredibly uncomfortable. On top of that, she’s even more confused now. What in the world is going on?

Once she arrives at the school, she ascends the steps up to the large building. Students flood the school grounds like ants. As she walks through the school, even the students stare and whisper amongst each each other. It’s as if all eyes are on her, like she did some horrible act and everybody is talking about it. Her stomach clenches as she walks through the halls, feeling like she wants to run away from everyone. She wastes no time making to her classroom.

When she gets there, the room is already filled with other kids and a teacher who sits at the front of the class. Everyone turns to look at her and she swallows audibly. She moves to take a seat, but is quickly shooed away by another student sitting there. Her eyes widen as she tries seat after seat. Everyone turns her away, some being more rude than others. Finally Robin finds a seat alone somewhere. The tears have started again. She’s so lost. What is wrong with everyone? she didn’t do anything. There’s no reason for everyone to be acting like this.

It doesn’t get any better as the day goes on. Each class is the same. She’s left to feel completely alone and outcasted by everyone around her. By the end of the day, Robin is exhausted and emotionally drained. She makes her way home after the school day finally ends, head bowed, trying to ignore the stares and whispers that follow her. When she finally gets home, she heads straight for her room and immediately collapses on her bed, too tired to even cry.

The next morning, Robin wakes up feeling even more confused and alone than ever before. She dresses quickly, grabs her bag, and heads out the door, her steps slow and hesitant. She doesn’t bother going to see her parents, too afraid of what might happen. As she walks to school, she can’t shake the feeling that everyone is watching her still. This day feels no different than the one before. As Robin nears the school, she sees a group of students gathered in a corner, whispering and pointing at her. It’s like one big repeat of the day before.

Robin feels a wave of nausea wash over her as she realizes the full extent of their animosity. She tries to walk faster, to ignore them, but their whispers continue to ring in her ears. Suddenly, a strong hand grips her shoulder, spinning her around to face a larger boy with cold eyes. “What do you want?” Robin asks, her voice trembling. The boy smirks, revealing crooked teeth.

“You’re Robin right? Another one of those high and mighty royal bastards.” The kids around him all gasp at the naughty word he said. Being children, they’re surprised to hear another kid use that language. “You know nobody here likes you right?” he claims coldly.

Robin backs away, her heart racing. “What are you talking about?! I haven’t done anything!” She cries, utterly confused.

“Really?! Of course you have! You should just go away and never come back!” He says cracking his knuckles. Robin feels a chill run down her spine as she realizes the boy isn’t joking. She tries to push past him, but he grabs her wrist, stopping her. “Let me go!” she cries, struggling against his grip. The boy tightens his hold on her wrist, causing her to wince in pain. As the two stand there, caught in a standoff, a crowd of students around them grows larger, their whispers and hushed comments turning into a low roar. Robin feels like she’s at the center of a storm, surrounded by enemies on all sides. Robin tries to break free from the boy’s grip, but he’s stronger than he looks. His cold eyes bore into hers, and she can see the anger and hatred simmering beneath the surface. Suddenly, he laughs and pushes her to the ground. The impact knocks the wind out of Robin, and she gasps for breath. The boy towers over her, his fists clenched. “You’re pathetic,” he spits out. “You don’t belong here.” Robin feels tears prick at the corners of her eyes.

She gets up and makes a break for the exit, running all the way home. As Robin runs, she can feel the stares and whispers of her classmates burning into her back. She knows she should stop and face them, but she’s too scared and humiliated. She doesn’t understand why they hate her so much. She hasn’t done anything. As Robin nears her home, she busts inside and locks herself in her room. She collapses onto her bed, her heart racing and her mind reeling from the events of the day. She tries to distract herself by flipping through her textbooks, but the words blur together and she can’t concentrate. She just sits there and sobs for hours. Robin eventually falls asleep, exhausted from the emotional turmoil of the day. She dreams of a dark place full of ominous aura.

Suddenly Dezzerel, the wraith appears in front of her. She screams and nearly jumps out of her skin. “What are you?!” she screams, her voice trembling with fear and curiosity. Dezzerel’s ethereal form shimmers in the dim light, it’s eyes burning. “I̶ a̶m̶ a̶ r̶e̶m̶n̶a̶n̶t̶ o̶f̶ t̶h̶i̶s̶ w̶o̶r̶l̶d̶s̶ p̶a̶s̶t̶. N̶o̶w̶ y̶o̶u̶r̶ w̶o̶r̶s̶t̶ n̶i̶g̶h̶t̶m̶a̶r̶e̶. E̶n̶j̶o̶y̶ m̶y̶ c̶u̶r̶s̶e̶ b̶r̶a̶t̶, I̶ c̶a̶n̶’̶t̶ w̶a̶i̶t̶ t̶o̶ t̶a̶k̶e̶ t̶h̶a̶t̶ b̶o̶d̶y̶ a̶s̶ m̶y̶ o̶w̶n̶. I̶’̶l̶l̶ f̶i̶n̶a̶l̶l̶y̶ b̶e̶ r̶o̶b̶o̶r̶n̶.” The wraith laughs menacingly. Robin cowers in fear while listen to this entities confusing words. “Leave me alone! Leave me alone! You’re not real!” Robin screams”O̶h̶ I̶’̶m̶ d̶e̶f̶i̶n̶i̶t̶e̶l̶y̶ r̶e̶a̶l̶. I̶’̶m̶ t̶h̶e̶ r̶e̶a̶l̶e̶s̶t̶ t̶h̶i̶n̶g̶ y̶o̶u̶ k̶n̶o̶w̶. H̶a̶v̶e̶ y̶o̶u̶ n̶o̶t̶ n̶o̶t̶i̶c̶e̶d̶? Y̶o̶u̶ b̶e̶a̶r̶ m̶y̶ c̶u̶r̶s̶e̶ a̶n̶d̶ y̶o̶u̶ w̶i̶l̶l̶ f̶o̶r̶ t̶h̶e̶ r̶e̶s̶t̶ o̶f̶ y̶o̶u̶r̶ l̶i̶f̶e̶.” The wraith laughs again. Robins eyes go wide with realization. “No...no! It can’t be! You? I...why? It’s you!” Robin stammers trying to understand. She feels sick.

she feels the world spinning as she wakes up, her heart racing and her mind reeling from the dream. The events of the day come rushing back, and she can’t help but feel like she’s at the center of some kind of nightmare. Robin sits up in bed, her breathing heavy and her mind racing. She tries to shake off the feeling of dread that lingers from the dream, but it’s impossible to ignore the sense that something dark and ominous is lurking just beyond the edges of her reality. As Robin tries to regain her composure, she realizes that she can’t shake off the feeling of being watched. She looks around her room, half-expecting to see the wraith from her dream standing in the corner. But all she sees is the empty space, the silence broken only by her own heavy breathing.

“It...it can’t be real.” She sobs. Her heart races as she tries to push the fear away, but it lingers like a dark cloud, casting a shadow over her thoughts. She needs to distract herself from the unease that has taken hold of her, but she can’t help but think about the way people are treating her. She gets lost in thought, “I’m cursed?” She asks herself trying to grasp what the wraith said. Robins mind begins to race and soon she starts getting overwhelmed. She gets up and paces the floor, tears welling up in her eyes. “No!” She yells at herself, stopping her pacing. “I won’t do this! I can’t! If it is true, then I’ll fight it! I’ll find a way! I won’t let this thing beat me! I promise, here and now, I will never give up.” With renewed determination, Robin takes a deep breath and wipes away her tears. She resolves to face whatever challenges may come with courage and resilience.

October 4th, 2038

Years have passed and Robin is becoming a teenager. She has collected various data over the years through history books about the great battle with the darkeners. She has learned about Dezzerel and who, or rather, what it was. She’s come to a conclusion that it must have never actually died in that war. It’s back somehow and it wants to torment her for some reason. But, that means there has to be a way to get rid of this curse, even if it means having to kill that thing herself. Sadly, she knows that it’s pretty much impossible to kill something if she has no idea where to find it. She has to find a way or wait for the perfect opportunity. Until then the only thing she can do is endure the suffering.

Robin stands upon a bridge ledge, looking down at the bottom. It’s far, far enough to kill someone if they fell. Robin feels the wind on her face as she leans over the edge of the bridge, her heart filled with both fear and pain. Tears form in her eyes but she quickly wipes them away. She takes a deep breath and steps down away from the ledge. As Robin steps away from the ledge, she feels a mixture of relief and self-loathing wash over her. She had been standing there, contemplating the idea of taking her own life, in order to finally be free from the torment of the wraith’s curse. But she couldn’t do it. Never. She won’t let herself lose. She sighs, “cheer up Robin. It’s your birthday.” She smiles vaguely. “Maybe I’ll go buy myself a cake.”

As she walks down the street towards the bakery, the sun begins to set, casting long shadows across the cobbled path. The cool evening air brushes against her skin, a welcome relief from the heat of the day. She enters the bakery, the aroma of freshly baked bread and pastries filling her nostrils. The bell above the door jingles as she steps inside, announcing her presence. The owner, a friendly old man, glares at her not saying a word.

She approaches the counter, eyeing the various treats on display. The old man clears his throat, “What do you want?” His voice is gruff, with a hint of annoyance. She decides to order a small vanilla cake, feeling a sense of excitement at the perfectly baked treat. He turns away, muttering something under his breath. She hands him a few coins and he grudgingly hands her the cake box. As she steps out of the bakery, she can’t help but ignore the stares all around her. She’s learned to ignore it easily over the years. soon she makes her way back home, the moon begins to rise in the sky, casting a soft glow over the city. The streets are quiet now, with most people tucked away in their beds. she takes a bite of the cake, savoring the sweetness of the vanilla frosting.

The cake is delicious and she finds herself lost in the taste, momentarily forgetting about all her troubles. As she finishes her cake, she feels a sudden chill run down her spine. She looks up and sees that her window is cracked. The cold night air starts to seep into the room, causing goosebumps to form on her skin. she quickly gets up to close it, then returns to her bed. Robin let’s out a deep sigh, “happy birthday me.” She smiles weakly. She looks at her hand as she opens it, palm up. A yellowish light begins to form. A true smile forming now as she inspects her magic. “It’s so rare for someone to wield light magic and yet I’m outcasted.” She laughs painfully. The light in her hand begins to pulse more brightly, illuminating the room with a soft golden glow. she closes her fist, and the light disappears. As she lays back down on her bed, she can’t help but feel a sense of longing for something more.

While the night wears on, she finds herself drifting in and out of fitful sleep, haunted by nightmares that she’s come to get accustomed to. Despite her best efforts to ignore them, these nightmares leave her feeling unsettled and anxious. Thankfully, she does eventually get to sleep for good.