The Crown of Ashes and Blood

Part XXIV Kavi's Perspective

With Crasess unconscious and Cavren dead, it was just my weakened father Kaspar and I against a room of foes. I looked at my father desperately. I knew we could not win this, but neither of us could back down, it was not the Ka’narian way.

Kreplar focused on me now, and I ducked beneath his swing, rolling again, but this time, I didn’t wait to recover. My body was already in motion, my sword in hand, a dark blur of sharpened steel.

Kreplar’s eyes widened in surprise.

I thrust my blade forward with everything I had, the hilt slamming into his exposed belly deep in his ribs. The impact reverberated through my body, the sheer force of it stealing my breath.

Kreplar’s roar was deafening, his claws raking the air, but my sword was deep inside him. I twisted the blade for Cavren, the screech of metal grinding against his bones sending a sickening thrill of vengeance through me.

He bellowed, stumbling back, but I didn’t stop. I pressed forward, dragging the sword higher, carving through flesh and scales as though they were paper. His blood poured over me thick, and unrelenting.

Kreplar’s mouth opened, a hoarse scream echoing through the room as he staggered backward, his knees buckling beneath him. But he didn’t fall. Not yet.

With a snarl, I pulled the blade free, the wound gaping and jagged. He looked at me, his eyes burning with a fierce hatred. His huge form wavered, but he wasn’t done.

His mouth, slick with blood, twisted into a grotesque sneer. His chest heaved with each breath, but the fury in his gaze did not waver, fueled by a venom. How had he not fallen?

His massive, clawed hand shot out, faster than I could react. His fingers wrapped around my throat, the pressure was immediate, cold, suffocating, like an iron vice around my windpipe. I gasped for breath, my feet kicking against the air as I dangled from his grip. I looked down at Crasess motionless who had failed against this attack.

“You will die with your friend,” Kreplar snarled, his voice thick with hate, each word punctuated by the violence in his grip.

I fought to pry his fingers away, but the strength in his hands were like stone. I couldn't breathe, I couldn’t think, and the world around me started to spin. For a moment, there was nothing but blood, pain, and impending darkness.

My fingers found the hilt of my sword, I fumbled to grip it. The pain from my ribs flared with each struggling breath, but I forced my hand to move. It was all I had left. I swung my legs backward and used the momentum to pierce my blade inside his chest. It was not a good strike, but it was enough to get his grip loosened, and I fell to the floor gasping for air.

Specter's presence, a dark cloud, his form a twisted silhouette at the edge of the room, had my father to his knees. His blade had been struck from his hand and was now out of his reach across the room.

I could feel death in the room, pressing against my skin, the blood pounding in my ears as I forced myself to my feet. My legs trembled beneath me.

Specter’s eyes gleamed in the dim light, and the hint of a smile twisted at his lips. He could see my weakness. He could feel it.

“You’re still standing,” Specter said, his voice venomous, “Impressive. But not enough to save you.”

I didn't respond.

Specter’s whip snapped once, twice, his wrist flicking like a snake, its three tails lashing through the air with unnatural speed. I dodged, barely. The first tail scorched the air beside my ear, the second raked across my ribs, tearing through flesh and leaving a burning line of pain.

I gasped, stumbling backward.

Specter was laughing now, a predator toying with its prey. “You think you can win against me? How pathetic.”

I spit blood on the floor, my pride carrying me to my grave, “You’ll have to do better than that, Specter.”

The third tail of his holo-whip sliced through the air like a flash of lightning, aiming for my throat. This time, I didn’t move fast enough. The tail wrapped around my neck with brutal force, pulling me off my feet in a single, violent motion.

I gasped for air, my fingers clawing at the glowing energy that constricted my throat. The heat was suffocating, choking the life out of me as my vision blurred and darkened at the edges. Specter’s laugh rang in my ears.

“You really thought you could take me on?” he laughed with cruel pleasure. “Pathetic little Ka’narian.”

I could feel my heartbeat in my throat, a desperate, frantic thrum that seemed to slow with each passing second as the holo-whip constricted tighter, its heat burning through my skin. My vision was slipping into darkness, my body weak and heavy as if every ounce of blood had drained from me.

Specter’s laughter echoed, as my fingers scraped against the glowing threads of the whip, each pulse of energy sending a jolt of agony through my chest. My lungs burned, the oxygen gone from my body, and panic clawed at my insides as I fought to survive.

I am going to die here.

I turned to see my father’s face, the last image I would ever see.

He rose to his feet. “I will surrender the Ruby Crown if you release him.”

Kreplar nodded.

Surrendering was not the Ka’narian way, but my father swallowed his pride for my life. Specter’s whip was still around my neck. His cold, merciless eyes locked onto mine, a dark grin stretching across his face. “All your pathetic struggling. It’s over for now.” He recoiled his whip and I dropped to the floor. My father rushed to my side, his face a mixture of guilt and desperation. "I’m sorry, son. I couldn’t bear to lose you. When your mother died, I became weak. Please, forgive me for robbing you of an honorable death."

I gasped for breath, unable to speak, but I nodded in response. What else could I do?

"The Ruby Crown. Now." Kreplar’s voice cold and commanding.

My father didn’t hesitate. He staggered toward the corner of the room and carefully pried up a stone tile from the floor. Beneath it lay a black velvet bag, which he handed to Kreplar, who stood over him, eyes gleaming with greed.

Kreplar unwrapped the cloth with an almost feverish urgency. The Ruby Crown was revealed in all its golden beauty, it was a precious artifact. It was made of solid gold, intricately woven into a design that resembled thorned vines twisting up toward the base. The crown itself was studded with large, blood-red rubies that glowed faintly, casting an eerie light.

With a twisted smile, Kreplar placed it on his head, and the transformation was immediate. The moment the gold settled into place, his posture straightened, and a new, darker energy seemed to radiate from him.

My fathers heart sank. He watched in horror, his throat tight with an overwhelming sense of defeat. This was the moment we had all feared, the moment the crown was claimed, and everything we had fought for, had crumbled into dust. We had failed. All that was left was a feeling of being utterly powerless.

Kreplar’s eyes burned with a malevolent gleam, and Kaspar knew that our world had just changed forever.

He snapped his fingers instructing them all to leave the citadel back to Seraphim with their prize. Specter hissed at me, “I still have a bounty on your head, you only get mercy today.”

I barely registered the threat. My mind was consumed by the crushing weight of failure, and the destruction of everything we had fought for. As Specter’s and Kreplar’s footsteps had faded, I turned toward my fallen friend, grief choking me.

I rushed to him, sorrow clenching at my throat, and knelt beside Cavren. The sight of his battered body nearly stopped my heart. I could not believe my eyes, it seemed as though his chest rose and fell in shallow, labored breaths, as blood was pooling beneath him in dark, stagnant patches. My hands shook as I pressed two fingers to his neck. A pulse weak, but still there.

“He’s alive! Cavren’s alive!” I shook him gently, my voice breaking, desperate for him to hear me. “You’re still with us. Hold on.”

Cavren’s lips twitched, a thin line of blood seeping from the corner of his mouth. His eyelids flickered, struggling to open fully, but he was too far gone. I cursed under my breath. If he had any chance of surviving, I had to get him to Kae.

My heart pounded as I scooped Cavren into my arms. I winced as his weight pressed against me. My father picked up Crasess, still unconscious, and together we ran out of the citadel.

When we reached the outer gate, I screamed for help. My world had already shattered, but I wouldn’t let Cavren die, not like this.