The Blood of Kings (Rewrite)

((Author’s Note: Now I know what you might be thinking, “hey, haven’t you written this already?” If you aren’t thinking that because you never saw the previous version or don’t care, skip this author’s note and get right to the meat; otherwise, let me explain. I started Blood of Kings quite a long time ago and I’ve learned a lot since then. While the promised Twine project didn’t really go anywhere it helped me understand what I truly wanted from this story. I made more than a few key mistakes when writing the original version that I want to fix, but in order to truly embrace the direction I want the story to go in, a rewrite is necessary. Rest assured I wouldn’t take measures this drastic if I didn’t feel like it were absolutely necessary. I hope you enjoy the new vision for this story and continue to support it in spite of its changes. You will find that the spirit of the story is still the same, and you can think of the previous version as a glimpse of what’s to come in many ways. In any case, sit back, enjoy the ride, and I apologize for any inconvenience or confusion.))

“Silus, no matter who you become or what happens to me, I will always love you. This isn’t the end for us, it is simply the start of a new chapter, we will be together again in time.”

A gentle breeze brushed my face as my eyes crept open. For only a moment I knew everything, but then it slipped away as if the knowledge were being blown away with the soft wind around me. I stood amongst the trees of a forest at twilight surrounded by the sounds of chirping insects and leaves rustling in the wind. It was a familiar sight, and my instincts told me something was important about this spot, but I could not remember anymore. The knowledge drifted away, and I was left in the orange-golden glow, alone, with only the distant sun to keep me company.

The only memory that managed to cling to me as the rest was being washed away in the tide of nothingness was just a single quote. The words held no significance to me, as they existed without context in my mind. I knew not who spoke them, nor do I know to whom they were spoken. The voice that said them, however, stirred something in me. It brought a warmth to my body that I could scarcely describe.

When the warmth faded, I was reminded of my surroundings. I became increasingly aware that something was wrong about this place as my gaze wandered. It certainly looked like an ordinary woodland scene, with all of the sounds and sights; and the sky certainly looked like a sky covered with the violets and oranges of a coming dusk. Or perhaps it was dawn? But something about it all felt strange. False, almost.

As I peered about, I realized very quickly that I was naked, and the only thing that lay on the grass in front of me was a book. An old tome wrapped in red leather with a lining of some sort of metal. On the cover of the book was a seven-pointed star surrounded by a circle. Something in the back of my mind told me it was a common symbol used in malcantment magic, but I wasn’t sure how I knew that, or even what malcantment magic was.

I was drawn to the book, and I knelt down to pick it up, thumbing it open and flipping through its pages only to find they were blank. There was only something written on the first page, which was in a blood-red runic language I did not recognize, but somehow knew exactly how to read.

Your mind is lost, your destiny is forgotten. Keep me at your side and on the day you remember your blood, my power you may wield and my knowledge you may keep. Until that day, you shall see only emptiness.

I snapped the tome closed in my hand and permitted myself to sigh. I was naked and alone in an unknown forest with the only clue to my identity being as empty as my memories. Deciding that I had no reason to distrust the strange book, I tucked it under my shoulder and began to walk. I was certain that standing in one place would do little to jog my memory, after all.

Though I had spent a considerable time here already, I noted that the sunlight did not dim, which at first made me believe it was dawn, until I likewise realized as I was making my way through the forest that my path was not becoming more illuminated either. As far as the sun was concerned, time seemed to be standing still, though the trees and the woods were moving unimpeded as though time marched on.

This had the unfortunate effect of throwing off my own sense of time and its progression, so I had no idea how long I had been walking through the woods before I came upon a pond. It was only in that moment that I realized I had no clue what I looked like. I had caught glimpses of my body, but not my face, and the water’s surface created a rather clear reflection for me to observe.