[Spring, Year 312]
"HALTTT!!!" A commanding voice roared.
The man bore the crimson griffon emblem of the Sternze Kingdom on his breastplate, a golden star signifying the role of a knight commander. He stopped the dozen knights under his command because he noticed the drastic change in temperature, which dropped abnormally low despite the spring season. It was only a few hours past noon, and the sun hadn't set yet, but the area they were in was strangely covered in a shocking thin layer of ice.
"Get off your horses!! We shall investigate this area by foot." He ordered. He could slightly hear the steady flow of water, indicating that there must be a small river nearby.
The group of knights obeyed, tying their horse to the nearest tree.
After marching for a few minutes, the group came across a half frozen river. The area after a certain point was completely frozen while the nonfrozen area had steadily flowing water.
In the distance, a thin tower of ice could be seen, overshooting the already tall darkwood trees.
"What's happening??"
"Why is there an ice tower?"
"Maybe a strong creature did this…"
"What if—"
"QUIET!" The knight commander yelled, veins bulging from his temple.
…
Immediately, it went silent. The knights obediently followed their knight commander without speaking another word.
The group of knights were sent out by the King of the Sternze Kingdom, Halvor Gunther. Their duty was to patrol this dense, darkwood forest monthly and report to the King any strong creatures they encountered and slay, if deemed possible. The King specifically told them to search carefully for the gems of powerful creatures, which are highly concentrated with power the King desperately seeked.
For hours, the knights found nothing unusual—they patrolled the familiar areas. All they saw were the tall, darkwood trees, overgrown plants, and more nature. If they were lucky, they would occasionally encounter a few animals residing in the forest.
This darkwood forest was humongous; it bordered the Sternze, Lunar, and Sol Kingdom. Military personnel rarely patrolled there because any accidental crossing would be seen as a threat. This forest does not only pose a political problem, but is also extremely dangerous, especially the deeper areas of the forest, because it is home to violent creatures, one of which is the deadly viper with a noticeably large crown scale on its head.
At the beginning, when they first began patrolling this darkwood forest, everyone thought this would be a dangerous job, but they never encountered any deadly creatures, partially because they dared not go too deep within the forest.
The sound of armor clanked, heavy footsteps echoing through the darkwood forest. The air was so cold even the knights shivered as if their armor provided no warmth whatsoever. The closer they got to what caused this strange phenomenon, the colder the air got, and the thicker the layers of ice on the ground was. It was cold enough for clouds to form from their breaths. Multiple times, the knights almost slipped and fell on the hard, icy ground before finally reaching their destination. Nothing they encountered so far was worth reporting, as usual, until they encountered... this.
Multiple gasps were made in unison as they stared in horror at the scene before them. The always feared king viper was frozen entirely—dead. The corpse had a noticeably large wound at its core, pierced by something…clean.
"...Search the area!" The knight commander ordered. He felt a sense of unease as he stared at the overwhelming presence of the dead king viper, killed by something—someone.
Everyone was on high alert; they were wary of this strange phenomenon.
After a while of investigating, the knights gathered and reported their sightings.
"Alright. We need to hurry and report back to the King. This is not the work of a creature or is it the work of nature. Someone did this—the gem is nowhere to be found. We need backup immediately." The commander spoke with authority. In the corner of his eyes, he noticed two children-sized pairs of shoes stuck in the frozen ground. One of the pairs of shoes were larger than the other, but still both a relatively small size.
Why are there children-sized shoes, here of all places?
"Bring these back to the King as well," he added quickly.
"Yes, sir!!!" The knights said in unison, saluting before proceeding with their orders.
— — —
"Is what you reported true?" A loud, but authoritative voice asked as the words echoed throughout the spacious, luxurious, yet almost empty of life throne room.
The King, Halvor Gunther, sat leisurely on his throne, his old age shown through a mix of grey and blond strands of hair and a face full of small wrinkles. His short, grizzled beard made him look much older than his actual age. Cold, tired, dark blue eyes stared at the person before him as if looking at the knight commander beneath him as a mere pawn, not as a human being.
"Yes, your majesty. This subject would never dare lie!" The commander vowed, his unwavering voice echoed. He slammed his right gauntleted fist against the breastplate, above his heart. This gesture, in the Sternze Kingdom, showed one's loyalty to the King.
The King's gaze shifted to the two children-sized shoes.
"...You may take as many carriages and knights as you need to retrieve the corpse of the king viper. Immediately begin the search for the owners of these pairs of shoes. Capture them and kill everyone else." The King said firmly, devoid of mercy.
He needs this gem. Without it, how would he become even more powerful and reach an immortal state? The King is determined. He will use any method, even if it is cruel, to get what he wants. The King always gets what he wants.