Blade of the Void

@highscribeofaetherium @thearcaneaxiom @rae @savannah_grace2009 @grcr @hanako @acancello @hybridlore @anyone

This is a short story I had to write for my creative writing class. I thought I’d share it here as well. I’m not necessarily looking for feedback–I got plenty already–but if you have any thoughts, feel free to share them.

Blade of the Void

He had been given the power to bring justice. The power to save the world. Once he had only been able to watch as the powerful and corrupt destroyed lives. But no longer. And tonight, he was going to finish what he had started. At last, this land of war and pestilence would be saved.

Adikar materialized in a dark hallway in the palace of the warmonger’s fortress. He started down it, in the direction of the king’s chambers, leaving behind a strange blackness where he had first appeared. In his hand he gripped a sword. It was completely black as though light could not reflect off it. It looked like a hole in reality.

The sword had been given to him so that he could seek justice. Condemnation they called it. He slid it back into its sheath as he peeked around a corner.

Two guards stood on either side of a door farther down the hall. Adikar felt disgust rise within him. How could anyone defend this tyrant, this man who waged unjust war and made his own people starve? He thought he could do whatever he wanted. But he was wrong. Nobody is above the law.

Adikar stepped out and strode towards the guards. Immediately, they leveled their spears at him warningly. Before they could speak, Adikar drew Condemnation and sliced through the spears. The sword left a trail of blackness as it was swung. The spearheads vanished into Unspace as they were severed from their poles. The black rip left by the sword sealed itself. The guards stared in shock as Adikar swung again and cut them down.

As the bodies collapsed, Adikar stepped towards the door and raised Condemnation over his head. He brought it down in an overhead stroke, opening a large black rift. He quickly stepped through it, entering a black void. He sliced again and stepped back out on the other side of the door.

The hallway ahead was lined with guards. They jumped in surprise as he emerged from Unspace. Adikar ripped open another hole and stepped through, reappearing in the midst of them. They cried out as he slashed through them in a swathe. He turned and struck at a guard who was attacking from behind. The guard dodged to the side, barely avoiding the sword. Adikar rammed him with his shoulder, knocking him through the newly created tear in reality. His scream was cut off as the hole sealed.

The remainder of the guards beat a hasty retreat towards the door on the other end of the hall. Adikar slipped through Unspace once more and appeared ahead of them, cutting them down. Adikar impassively sheathed Condemnation as he stepped over them towards the door.

Adikar smashed through the door without his sword and stepped into a dark well-furnished room. A figure in a nightrobe was cowering against the back of a couch. He was cleanshaven and looked to be around twenty. Adikar stalked towards him.

“Where is the king?” he demanded. The figure on the floor looked up at him with terror.

“Who—who are you? What do you want?” he stammered. He glanced past Adikar into the hallway where the corpses lay and retched. Adikar lifted him by the collar of his robes.

“Where is he?” Adikar demanded, laying his hand on the hilt of his sword.

“Wha—I am the king!” blubbered the man.

Adikar threw him over the couch. The king scrambled backwards as Adikar slowly walked around the couch.

“No! Please!” screamed the king, backing up until he was against the wall, “Mercy!”

“Mercy!” scoffed Adikar, “like you showed to the people of Arcirath when you went to war on them? Like you showed to your subjects when you plundered their food to feed your armies?”

“I didn’t want to!” cried the king, weeping, “I didn’t mean to hurt anyone! My advisors! They told me I should! They said my father would have been disappointed!”

Adikar stopped in front of the king, huddled on the ground, whimpering like a child. “I charge you with crimes of the highest order,” he said, “you created war between your country and another, resulting in the deaths of thousands of innocents. You also took supplies from your own people, causing hundreds more. Do you have anything to say for yourself?”

The king looked up in horror. “I just did!” he sputtered, “I didn’t mean to. I—”

“You committed the crime,” said Adikar, “you will now pay the consequence.” He drew Condemnation and raised it above his head. The king’s eyes widened as he stared into the bottomless darkness of the blade.

Adikar pushed down the feeling of pity that had risen inside him. This man had to be destroyed. Adikar rammed the blade through the warmonger’s chest. His scream was cut off as his form melted into darkness and he vanished into Unspace.

Adikar silently sheathed Condemnation. The blade was unstained by blood. He turned to leave. The warmonger had been the last of the tyrants he had to eliminate, but if his words were true, the advisors were guilty too. How long until there is no more injustice?

A voice spoke behind him. “Well done, Blade of the Void,” it said. Adikar whipped around, hand going to his sword. It was him. He appeared as a floating shadow, not resting on any surface. Adikar didn’t respond. He had only seen this being once when it had given him the sword. It had made him who he was—given him the power to bring justice. It still made his skin crawl.

“Why have you come to me…lord?” Adikar asked. He didn’t know how to address this thing—he didn’t even know what it was.

“You have done your work well,” it said.

“My work is not yet done.” Adikar said, “this warmonger’s advisors are guilty as well.”

“They will be dealt with,” it said.

“Why did you come?” Adikar asked again.

“Give me the sword,” said the shadow.

Adikar hesitated. Would he get it back? He didn’t dare disobey this being, so he reluctantly drew Condemnation and held the hilt towards the shadow. Its vaguely translucent hand gripped the sword, and it held it up, appearing to examine it.

“Do you know why I gave this to you?” it asked.

“So that I could bring justice—” Adikar began, but the shadow interrupted him.

“Because you asked to bring justice,” it corrected.

“What is the difference?” Adikar said.

“Do you remember what else I told you?” continued the shadow, ignoring him.

“You said there would be a great cost,” said Adikar, “I believe I have born it. I have had to do…terrible things.”

“You did them in the name of justice,” said the shadow, “and you didn’t seem perturbed by what you did tonight.”

“That is part of the cost,” said Adikar, “I fear I have grown desensitized.”

The shadow chuckled slightly.

“What?” snapped Adikar.

“Oh, Adikar,” the shadow sighed, “you have such a hard time understanding. The cost is really quite simple. What you’ve done to your soul is your own fault. I had nothing to do with it. The cost I speak of is much more…tangible.”

“Money?” said, Adikar, “You want me to pay you for the sword?”

“No,” said the shadow, laughing, “It is your crimes you must pay for.”

Adikar blanched.

“You are surprised?” it said, “surely you must hold yourself to the same laws you held your victims. No one is above the law, remember?”

“I did everything in the name of justice!” spat Adikar.

“You think it is impossible to commit injustices in the name of justice?” asked the shadow.

“You don’t even care about justice, do you!” said Adikar defiantly.

“No,” admitted the shadow, “But I will gladly take your life all the same.”

Condemnation descended upon Adikar’s head.