The Lord of Veins | Shadow Slave

Zerin's heart thundered in his chest as he watched the Leviathan vanish into the crimson-stained waters below. His hand trembles against the railing, attempting to silence the deafening rush of blood in his ears.

"I will not go through that again..."

Zerin exhales heavily, his breath fleeting as he steps away from the railing eventually evening himself out.

A cold gust of wind would blow through, and that metallic scented tang of iron would surely follow as it should in this god forsaken realm. His gaze fixed on the dark castle, it seemed undisturbed to the environment around it.

Did he truly believe it would be a simple task, just plucking fruits from a tree?

"What a joke…"

But today served as a reminder; brief moments of respite never quell the horrors that plague one's mind. He was foolish to believe his torment would never return to attempt to seize him.

[You have been granted a new attribute]

As soon as the faint voice reached his ears, a droplet of crimson splashed onto his head. The cursed blood rain was returning. He sensed the ominous approach of the deep red clouds, yet he remained ensnared in his thoughts.

He needed explanations, what the hell is actually going on? And how would he return?

Taking determined steps forward, he pondered,

'Return?'

Where would he return? This forsaken land, seeped in blood, was all he knew. His beginning and his end seemed to be entwined with the very lands he dwelt in now.

Glancing up to the sky, he noticed the deep red clouds began to hang overhead, casting a great shadow upon him. Not wishing to be drenched in its downpour, he hastened back into the safety of the castle.

Remembering the faint voice before, he decided to delve into the runes. Delving into the runes, a couple attributes drew his attention specifically.

'When did I get this one?'

[Blood Ties]

Attribute Description: [The blood of the fallen may hold untold tales to be told]

'Useless…'

As Zerin read it aloud, he couldn't quite understand if this was literal or figurative, maybe both? He couldn't care to ponder these things as of now, so he cast it aside, reading the next set of runes.

[Been There, Done That]

Attribute Description: [Having undergone the process of your mind being shattered and pieced back together, you now have greater resistance to memory-altering attacks.]

'Memory - Altering attacks? When have I?'

The more he dwelled on it, the more it seemed to undermine its own purpose. If he were to undergo a memory-altering attack, assuming he could recall when it happened would be foolish. Nonetheless, he persisted in his theorizing.

Was it when he awoke in that circular clearing, surrounded by the dense, blood-soaked forest, the air thick with the metallic scent of iron? The more he contemplated, that seemed to be the last clear memory etched in his mind. It occurred when the rain poured down. It was then that he encountered that damned Serpent, its sinister voice echoing through the trees, shredding his mind with its voice tearing apart his consciousness.

To confirm his suspicions, Zerin needed to replicate the experience, yet this time, the serpent remained ominously silent. Dismissing his runes with a sigh of frustration, he couldn't shake the feeling of stagnation, as if he had made no progress in placing his origins. Why, of all moments, did he begin questioning his origins now? Just yesterday, he lived his life without a care, never considering the loss of his memory. Perhaps it was the [Been There, Done That] Attribute, that seemed to snap him out of his trance.

Trying to dredge up memories he probably would never gain access to did more than just confuse him; his head was starting to hurt. Perhaps the best solution was to ask someone else, so that's what he set off to do.

Walking into the castle, he ascended the massive winding stone staircase, which brought him to the familiar hallway leading to those double doors that he seemed to know all too well. Pushing the double doors open, he stepped into the expansive room. Within, an ongoing conversation was taking place between the Entity and one of the elders of the human group.

The Entity spoke, in his slimmer form, he definitely seemed to be able to articulate himself better.

"You are to leave tomorrow. I have already arranged places for all of you in the guest homes just south of the castle."

The old man's face seemed to contort as he placed a hand on his own heart.

"Thank you so much, Honored Priest. May the goddess bless you."

The Entity stood in a statuesque pose, suspended in the air, commanding the attention of those around it. With a solemn nod to the old man, it began to glide away before turning abruptly towards Zerin, coming to a sudden stop.

"You wouldn't mind explaining why the hell there's a damn serpent lurking around?"

Zerin said with a hint of anger in his voice as he fished a fruit out of his pocket.

"I thought I dealt with him..."

Zerin swiftly cut the Entity off with a sharp look as his eyes widened in anger.

"Well, you didn't, your damn pet called him over!"

"He did what?"

The Entity's rage was palpable as it turned its gaze towards the Lizard, looking down upon it.

The Lizard seemed unfazed, its calm demeanor contrasting sharply with the Entity's rage. Zerin, sensing the tension, intervened by creating a barrier between them, his hand outstretched in a protective gesture.

"It wasn't as if it was for no reason; the serpent helped,"

Zerin explained, his tone attempting to diffuse the rising tension.

The Entity, still seething, redirected its gaze towards Zerin, noting the crimson fruit filling his pockets.

"Fascinating…" It muttered, a hint of curiosity lacing its words, despite the underlying anger.

The Entity then drifted, its form appearing as if it were held up by strings, its flesh looking almost stitched together, with evident differentiation in shades. As it swayed, facing Zerin, it continued, "He has been acting strange as of late, I apologize. I thought it was temporary, but it seems I have lost complete control of this one."

Zerin averted his gaze from the Lizard to the Entity, intrigued.

"It seems he has made up his mind."

'Made up its mind?'

The Entity spoke again, interrupting Zerin's brief train of thought.

"I believe it's not a coincidence… He was with me from the beginning, or at least as far back as I can remember, and now that you've arrived, he has changed..."

"Tell me what you know."

The Entity then assured in a more somber tone.

"We can discuss this further in a more private place, away from prying eyes, if you don't mind…"

With that, Zerin followed the Entity down the winding stone stairs to its lowest floor. The dampness of the stone hallways emitted humidity, and a dim torch illuminated the long, stony hallway where he followed the entity, arriving at metal doors with visible condensation.

As Zerin entered the cellar, he centered himself. Barrels lined the walls, while empty shelves ascended above. Despite the generous spread of torchlight, long shadows still danced across the room. Zerin settled at a table, surprised to see the Entity taking a seat across from him.

"I am certain you have questions… here would be the best place to ask."

"Why did we have to come all the way down here?"

Zerin inquired.

"The people of these lands are very... zealous about our goddess, even more than me. So, it wouldn't be very smart to even speak her name around them, as they would not spare your naïve words."

"Who is this goddess?"

"The goddess of the cycle of birth and death."

'The cycle of life and death?'

Zerin began to question the Entity further.

"Why do you look like this?"

"It's a curse from the Shadow god."

'The Shadow god? Well, if there's a Sun god, it would only follow that there is a Shadow god,'

"Good explanation as any, I guess…"

"Why don't I remember anything after being caught in the forest?"

"I'm not too sure either, as I suffer from memory loss as well,"

The Entity admitted its lack of memory.

Zerin sighed, scratching the side of his head.

"And how are you so certain about any of this?"

"I have seen it myself, or at least fragments of it in my shattered mind."

'Memory - Alteration…'

That's all he needed to hear, and it seemed to line up similarly with his attribute [Be There, Done That], if the priest of flesh could have its own very memory altered then who's to say that the people themselves couldn't suffer the same?

"Those born of that blood are particularly favored… What does this mean?"

The Entity arises from its chair.

"Where did you hear that?!"

Its tone seemed almost ambiguous, as if carrying a blend of surprise and anger.

"In a vision!"

The Entity halted, before resting back into the chair.

"A vision? My suspicions were true… That's why he didn't attack… That's why you are able to wield the staff…"

Zerin looked at the Entity after several moments of lingering silence, feeling the weight of its dark, hollow eyes piercing into his soul.

'What the hell is he even talking about?'

The Entity responded almost as if it were reading his mind.

"You are the rightful heir to the throne…"

A smile of disbelief spread across Zerin's face.

"So, because I survived the serpent and can hold a staff, I'm suddenly the heir to a throne I know nothing about?"

"It's not just about carrying the staff... Anyone can do that. But to wield it, you must be highly favored by the goddess. It's in your blood," the Entity explained.

"Sure... I might be favored by the goddess, but that doesn't necessarily make me a rightful heir. Rightful heirs are typically determined by bloodlines, aren't they?"

"You are my offspring… As I am the only surviving relative of the royal bloodline."

Who would have thought that such a line of words could hit someone so hard? Zerin felt as if just from those words alone, he was being submerged underwater, forced to withstand its currents.

"Ridiculous…"

Was Zerin truly the offspring of this flesh monster? Just from the sound of that sentence alone, it rang with a lie; it was definitely something he should have remembered. After all, he was capable of remembering his own name, so why would anything else of similar significance be any different?

The Entity arose from the chair and began to drift in the air with what Zerin would assume was authority.

"That would be the only explanation, since I am the current lord of the kingdom. I was entrusted with that staff long ago, though my memories are fleeting. But you, donning that staff with that power is evidence in itself."

The Entity continued,

"I'm not asking you to be my son. In my current state, I couldn't even fulfill the role of a father to you. I don't recall your name, nor my own, as I've become a shadow of my former self. But I at least ask you to assist us in contacting our goddess as you are the only one with that capability."

There it was laid out, Zerin got all the questions he seemed to desire from this Entity and more. He felt relieved in a way, he felt as if he wasn't alone in this blood forsaken world as someone has seemed to have gone a similar path as him, though it was not a path that Zerin would want to venture, he would rather keep his own skin.

"My name is Zerin…"

The entity seemed to float with great elegance, which before Zerin seemed to have confused it with dominion or authority.

"Zerin?... I'll remember that."

And with that, a form of silence replaced words. It didn't bother Zerin too much; in fact, it was quite the opposite. He felt as if he had found something lost in another lifetime.