Chaos is where I thrive.
Chaos is my strength.
My freedom.
One hundred soldiers stand in front of me as I walk through their ranks, my eyes surveying them with precision.
These soldiers are wary, missing their purpose — one I must give them, the purpose that will cloak Celentra in the darkness it deserves. Their eyes dart anxiously, as if they fear they may freeze at any moment.
“Give me your attention,” I command, my shadow pulling at my strength.
A shadow that once stood as my power now tugs at my heart like a weakness.
“Empress Kathera has frozen this land. She destroyed my shadow monster, left it cowering and unable to absorb this world.”
Boos fill the crowd.
“Down with the crown!” a soldier yells.
“There are rumors that a group of rogues is trying to bring her back, to unfreeze time. We will allow them to.”
Silence follows. Confusion.
“Because when Kathera wakes, we will be there. We will destroy her and finally allow the darkness to take over the land.”
My voice rings throughout the courtyard.
My words are met with cheers.
“Death to light!” one shouts.
“Kathera will never rule again!” cries another.
The words ring in my ears — truth.
How badly I want Kathera to die by my hand.
The woman who was not strong enough to rule an empire.
The woman who left her people frozen in an attempt to stop me.
What Kathera does not understand is that it is my destiny to cloak this world in shadow, to render it empty and silent. The prophecy was clear. Celentra is meant to change.
Even with her changing the laws around women seers, allowing them to live freely, to not be killed simply for existing, it was not enough to soothe my damaged soul.
Through the cheers, I command a single word. It slips off my tongue as if it has always been there.
“Silence.”
They quiet immediately, voices falling still.
“There will be tests you must endure. We are going to train you to be my new shadow. My army that will bring Celentra down. My army that will move mountains, that will smother light into shadow. Your mission is to prepare for the war we will raise. You will forever be called Soldiers of the Dark Awakening.”
As I finish, Kini begins handing out the uniforms — black, with a single silver border around the edges.
“You will wear my colors, and you must follow this creed.
May shadow cloak me,
May dark protect me,
When time stops,
May the light never glow again.”
My voice rings across the courtyard.
As they cheer, a disastrously beautiful sound, my soul weighs heavily with one thought:
I am the monster they wanted me to become — cloaked in shadow and moving through darkness even when light is trapped.
I turn and walk back into my keep, a crumbling tower made of black onyx. It is hot under the too-bright sun, and I recoil from the ever-growing heat.
I wish for my shadow to bring a coldness that holds me.