Guards clad in black armor of a strange, shining material walked on their patrol as usual on the mountain slopes as the thunder and lightning raged war in the skies far above them. While these humans take guard of the entrance, creatures of another kind, a much darker kind guarded the inside of the mountain fortress. Beasts of shadow, of the cold glooming dark, gigantic beasts moving slowly to match the energy waves flowing around them as if mimicking the flow. Dark eyeless hounds wander around the corridors and the stony halls of the inner fortress and their very fumes bring a foul stench to the air.
Deep in the caverns of black gems, diamonds, and Mithril, the Lord General paces himself back and forth in light of recent events. And kneeling on the dark stone floor on one knee is a Dakrie coming to report a failed attempt to capture his prize yet again.
“You have failed again, Varian. This nuisance of a habit must end or you will be replaced.” the general said as he continued his pace. As Varian looked down to the floor without saying a word save prayers in his thoughts that he would not be smitten on the spot, he could see his Lord General’s garments as he wore a much more thickened armor compared to the rest of the Darkai regiments and it covers his body whole unlike the other generals and a cloak that covered all save a few plates on the chest. The Lord General had long hair until his shoulders appeared lanky and greased while bearing a thick mustache and a rather thin beard.
“Lord General, it wasn’t my fault. Duke arrived just when I--” But Varian was silenced immediately.
“SILENCE! Do not use that traitor as a reason for your failure. Do not forget, your brother was deemed to be Dakrie until he escaped the dungeons and you are the only replacement,” the Lord General said as he raised his right hand and Varian levitated off the floor as if strangling from the neck, “do you understand, Varian?! As you stand useless in front of me, you are simply a substitute that I can have erased as easily as a mouse! Remember your place!” the Lord General bellowed and Varian was thrown backward until he smashed open the door and slid on the cold stone floors.
“Do not dare return until you bring me his head!” the Lord General roared. Varian, with as much hate as he could muster, stood up and recollected himself and he dusted his cloak and turned around and left with vengeance deep in his heart.
“This time, brother or not,” Varian thought, “he’s dead! I’ll kill him with my own hands!”
As the doors closed by themselves, the Lord General slowed his pace and breathed more easily and slowly. He sat down on the nearest armchair and fell into his thoughts, the sight of Duke being sliced down by his own elder brother was one thing but to be humiliated repeatedly is another. He doesn’t know what to do with these brothers as they have both shunned their father’s name in more ways than one.
“Why do you bother hiding, my dear Lithia? There is no shadow in these halls that you can hide in.” The Lord General said as he rested his head on one hand.
“My apologies, Lord General, but I could not help overhearing,” said a girl with long brown hair as she stepped out of the shadow of the corner of the chamber, “request permission to speak freely, sir?”
“Permitted.”
“Must we kill Duke to make amends for his past crimes? Why not just capture him and drain him of all his power, that way he is as harmless as a lab rat.” Lithia said. She took a few steps lightly and bowed and kneeled on one knee just as Varian did. She wore the same clad of armor as her Dakrie counterparts only she had additional spikes to her armor as that is her mark of seniority in the elite ranks.
“Duke is now Psyon as we have feared, my sweet. There is no imprisonment for something such as that. We may try to capture his power but it cannot be harnessed nor mastered. You should know this well better than anyone.” the Lord General replied as he gestured his new guest to stand.
“I do understand, my Lord General, and that is why it must be someone such as myself to capture him. After all, he isn’t the key to new power but it’s what he holds. I request permission to lead the chase this time, Lord General. After all, he would fall heads over heels for me as you should know.” Lithia said with a secret grin. She removed her hood to reveal her face and only a Darkai could see in the darkness such as this. Her skin was clear even in the dark with her shining brown hair tied in a single ponytail and eyes that glimmered like rainbows in the blank abyss. Here stood Captain Lithia Opals, the third member of the Dakrie and head of the Darkai Hunting Squad. Capture and lethal hunts are her specialty and the spikes of her armor prove it.
“Can you assure me that you can capture him and return him here unharmed?” The Lord General asked. Although Lithia’s skills are unquestionable, his faith in this young captain is a little shaken ever since Duke, of all his soldiers, committed treason.
“Yes, I can, Lord General. I swear on my life as Dakrie, I will bring him home,” she said with her right hand placed her left breast and slightly bowing.
“What is your plan, my dear?” The Lord General asked.
“I will make random skirmishes on small towns and villages across the Mountain Wall. With the military and police mostly held up against Xenocia’s armies, the locals will eventually call for the aid of the Psyons. Once they arrive, I know a certain someone will flaunt his mistakes and will strike disaster for himself. And after those Psyon roaches have fallen for the trap, I will use full force to capture them. Duke is my prize; the rest can be added to our collection.” Lithia said with a smile. Although the plan sounds very simple, in her brain there is already a labyrinth of ideas one after another. And the Lord General knows it.
“Yes... I can see your scheme. When will you be prepared to leave?” The Lord General asked with a grin.
“I just need fifteen days to gather my unit enough to mount such an assault. And three divisions for the trap,” she said with her chest swelling.
“Hmm... A little farfetched for a simple trap, wouldn’t you say?” The Lord General asked as he scratched his beard in thought.
“It would be if I were to capture one Psyon. But eventually, I will be facing five if not more. I need these numbers to my advantage if I am to retain dominance.” She answered.
“Very well, your plan is approved. Go now and bring me, Duke Tyrell.” The Lord General said finally as he stood up and headed towards the door. He wants to retire for the day as he still has much to worry about besides capturing a band of freshly converted Psyons. His master’s plan is starting to be in motion and very soon, the Darkai shall rise again and this time in more numbers and strength than the world has ever seen. The predecessors would be proud if they could see the accomplishments they have achieved now.
“Thank you, my Lord, I promise I will not fail,” Lithia said and bowed as he left the chamber.
“But it must feel weird, doesn’t it, Lord General? To hear your name being hunted and caged while you sit next to in line to rule…” Lithia added while still bowing. The general stopped in his tracks and simply turned his head a little to have the young captain in his sights, he scuffed and continued to walk until he left the chamber.
Lithia stood up and took deep breaths of relief. She never did like acting in front of her Lord General but seeing that she is being watched, she didn’t have much choice. Especially since the spy is just around the corner. She played with the tip of her hair a little until she disappeared into the dark, appearing a blink later just outside the chamber and slammed Varian against the wall.
“What do you think you’re doing, Varian? You know that it’s forbidden to spy on fellow Dakrie.” Lithia said as she held her right hand in a choking position and yet just a foot away from him as he is stuck on the stone walls.
“It’s not spying if I’m here to speak with the Lord General,” Varian said with difficulty as he tried to escape her grasp but her power is too great even for him, after all, she is a third seat in the Dakrie Order while he is merely a tenth.
“Not very good at lying, are you? The Lord General left and passed right in front of you, you lying maggot. Ah well, not that it matters. Eventually, you’ll hear about all this so I might as well. Good luck getting your ass kicked again.” she said with a sneer and disappeared into the dark and her grip on Varian freed. As he breathed hard for air, he screamed his lungs out with all his rage and punched the wall again and again until half the mountain shook. The walls shattered as Varian punched again and again as he roared with each roar, all around the fortress, creatures of the dark, giants of the shadows, and the guards along the outside of the mountains held on to something to avoid falling off the edge.
“I swear I will destroy them! All of them! You cannot stop me!” Varian bellowed in the dark and continued with his rampage until three members of the Dakrie appeared and stopped him. As Varian’s rage echoed throughout the dark halls of the inner mountain, Lithia giggled as her plan is already taking shape especially with that moron of a Dakrie is losing his self-control. His selfishness and stupidity are all that she needs to complete her plan perfectly and all she has to do is fan the flames already flickering deep inside Varian.
She used the Hole and warped to her private room, far beyond the reach of the Darkai guard and hidden from sight as she built this private haven with her own hands. Inside wasn’t much, a queen-sized bed with marooned satin sheets and blanket, a chair on the left side of the room next to a reading table and dim lights for a sleepy occasion, and of course, the scent she left behind for a more romantic ideal.
As she removed her cloak, her armor, her garments until her bare essentials, her thoughts were hell-bent on capturing the traitor Tyrell whom she had trusted everything to, who crushed it all for his own stupid ‘selfless’ reasons. Her secrets, her life, her heart, and even her soul, she had given it all to Duke and yet he pulls off the greatest blunder in his life. And for what? A ‘justified cause’? A higher calling?
“Bullshit! No man leaves a girl right in a middle of a crucial event! And for what, a bunch of other idiots who can’t protect themselves? Why are men such morons?!” she bellowed to herself. She looked on the reading table with the table lamp turned on; a single frame stood with a picture of her arm in arm with the one man her heart is given to. As much as she loved him, she wanted to slap him stupidly and strangle him to death if it would awaken his senses. But with even such tormenting thoughts, she constantly wished Duke was right here with her one more time. After all, she joined the Darkai because of him, she trained incessantly to strengthen her power and skill to stand beside him, and she rose through the ranks quickly so she could make him proud to have her in his heart and not fear losing her. And there was no way in this entire world that she would fail him, not now, not ever.
She lay on her bed took the picture from the reading table and stared at it as she made herself comfortable. She remembered everything she had to go through from the first time of basic training, her first hunt, her first live battles and combat, her first kill, her first kiss... All of it was always by his side, he showed her everything there is to see in this world and she couldn’t be grateful enough. Maybe it’s because of his worldly views that he was chosen to be Psyon and maybe it was the right choice for him to leave the organization.
“Please come back to me, baby...” she said quietly and held the frame to her chest and cried a single tear, not tears of sadness, but of fear that neither Duke nor herself would not survive against the rising darkness of the Darkai. In truth, she would have joined him too in his escape but if she had followed him; she will have faced the death penalty, lose all of her power and influence within the Darkai military, and probably been ripped off all life from her. Lithia cared very little about life in this world, much less her own but her resolve to love Duke has never wavered, and if anything, she is prepared to sacrifice everything she has to keep him alive. She closed her eyes and tried to sleep with the hopes she will see her love in her dreams.
***
Upon arriving in his private quarters, the Lord General removed his cloak and armor and breathed in as much as possible. He always hated the air around here and the stench it leaves behind despite him having been used to it. It’s fortunate enough that he is Darkai by blade and not by blood otherwise he would not be able to exist in the physical form that he is in now. The only real problem with being like this is that his human form suffers the same malady as any human would save for immunity from certain elements.

If a normal human or any mortal creature to say the least was to step foot in this fortress, they would die within minutes due to the poisonous fumes constantly brewing in here. Even if any creature is immune to the poisons of the world, they are no different than morbid fragile creatures vying desperately for fresh air. The only other existence in this world that could withstand the Darkai would be the Psyons but as transcendent as they are, their power is limited to what they have around them whereby the Darkai can excel.

As the Lord General sat on his armchair, worry began to indulge his face as he thinks back on the recent treachery of Duke Tyrell. It’s bad enough Duke betrayed the Darkai but it’s even worse that he dragged the sweet Lithia with him. Lithia, a captain of his Dakrie unit, is still forgivable should she choose to follow in Duke’s footsteps but the most worrisome factor would be his brother.

Varian, with all of his might and power, is not one of emotional stability and considering his temper, not one of much intelligence as well. He has become far too delved with hunting his bounty and it’s starting to become a nuisance especially with his brother now part of the hoarded prize.

“You fools… why can’t you just listen to orders…” he said to himself. He stood up and went into his study, he searched for a book, any book that would entice some interest, and picked it up. This book entitled Sword upon Swords: The First Psyon Wars Explained written by a Radiyadok was the choice for tonight’s read. This man, Radiyadok, has always intrigued the Lord General as his knowledge was vast, experienced, and extremely old. Having survived the first and second Psyon Wars, his explanation on the Catalyst, the Psyon anatomy, the science and math of all Psyon power and energetic prowess far exceeded any book written in this age, and if anything, the world has lost this great knowledge by ignorance or by force when his books were ousted from noble society.

Much of warfare the Lord General has learned came strictly from the collected books from Radiyadok and experienced it once applied in combat. Since this world is constantly riddled with wars both international and civil, using the human kingdoms as (the term favored by Lithia) lab rats was the perfect way to experiment with the theories written by Radiyadok.

Within mountain passes, one must always maintain a moderate level of the ground. Too high and reinforcements cannot reach the position in time and too low will lead to a self-massacre. On high ground, archers or mages would benefit greatly by using Earthen Artes as the magic compound of the Arte will expedite the blow by five or ten times a fold. The book wrote as he continued reading. This part was amongst his personal favorite because it made too much sense for an ordinary soldier to see a reason to. He read on:

The weakest part of the sword is always the hilt. The hilt in between the blade and the handle is considerably thin and if cut properly, can lead the opponent to his defeat instantly without spilling blood. It is admirable should he continue to fight without his weapon but a proud warrior will surrender immediately as he is too dependent on his weapon.

Again, another part of genius is both honorable and true and he intends to use this method to cut down his enemies. From a simple view, this man is talking about nothing but swords and battle tactics but from a deeper mind such as the Lord General, this is a method to defeat your enemy whilst keeping face and a much less destructive outcome. The same method he intends to use on Duke, Lithia, and Varian. Lithia is the handle, Duke is the blade and Varian is the weak guard in between. All he needs now is a foreign blade to cut this one down. He closed his book and placed it back on the shelf with a smile on his face.

“Darius Reign… how interesting…” he said and left the study.