Echoes of Cain- The other side.
I stood there on this hell of a battlefield surrounded by screams and shouts for help.
The air was thick with the metallic tang of sweat, and the ground beneath my boots was churned into a muddy field colored by the darkness of death. Knights around me in gleaming armor clashed with the unmistakable sound of steel meeting steel, as swords danced in deadly duels.
The clash of blades echoed through the air, and screams pierced through the sky, creating a distinctive melody of war now burnt in the back of my head haunting me forever.
The battlefield was a whirlwind of motion, with armored figures locked in mortal combat, their movements a blend of skill, strength, and strategy. The metallic resonance of swords meeting shields added a percussive element to the symphony of battle. The shouts of knights, the clinking of armor, and the thud of boots on the muddied ground combined to create a visceral and immersive auditory experience.
The meeting of sword against steel gleamed in the night, casting meteoric lights that illuminated the surrounding darkness. It held a captivating beauty, transforming the battlefield into a mesmerizing spectacle of stellar explosion.
The knights, in polished armor adorned with family crests, engaged in close combat, their swords singing through the air. Everything around reverberated across the field, punctuated by the occasional shout of a battle cry. The battlefield echoed with the timeless sounds of swords meeting in a dance of death and honor.
Amidst the chaotic battlefield, a soldier, wielding a gleaming sword, lunged towards me with unexpected swiftness.
With a lightning-quick reflex, I sidestepped the oncoming assault, evading the lethal arc of the attacker's sword. In the split second that followed, a surge of instinct guided my hand to draw my own weapon—a well-worn blade that reflected the harsh realities of the battlefield.
I parried the adversary's strike effortlessly, the clash of steel ringing out like a brief symphony amidst the ongoing chaos. Capitalizing on the momentum, I countered with precision, swiftly disarming the surprised at him. The foe, momentarily dazed by the unexpected turn of events, stumbled backward, giving me a strategic advantage.
One of us had to die, that was an unwritten rule of the battlefield. It always has been kill or be killed. The dance of blades played out against the backdrop of conflict; I redirect my focus on the relentless rhythm of war.
With a final strike to his unguarded neck, I watch as life slipped through his eyes.
Rumors has it that a demon in a black armor appeared on the field fighting against us, many stated than even if you killed it, he came back to haunt you until your last breath. You may not remember it, but your soul was doomed from the beginning if you crossed path with him in another life, he'll always find you in the next.
Maybe he could end it all. Maybe he could stop the madness I was trapped in. I never wanted any of it.
I was not here by choice, none of us were.
After we came back to the camp, I looked around my eyes stopping only when I found both of them relatively safe. I felt some sort of relief before heading to my tent. I drifted away in old memories before someone called upon me.
"Cain! Cain!"
I looked back at the young man calling me, he was a few inches shorter, his dark hair was neatly gathered in a lengthy ponytail, the cascade reaching down to his shoulders. Hazel eyes sparkled with unabated joy. The stark contrast between his demeanor and the surrounding circumstances always bewildered me. In the midst of our challenging situation, I couldn't fathom where he unearthed his joy. Perplexed, I consistently regarded him as an enigma, an indescribable presence before me.
"You have to show me that skill you used against those two soldiers, it was incredible, I want to try it! Cain...Cain! You're not listening to me again, are you?" Roshan frowned while waiting for me to respond.
"I am exhausted, I don't have time to play with you Roshan."
"But…"
"Come on Roshan stop bothering the prince, you know that he must report to the capital." Kais ordered calmly. "And stop calling him so casually."
Kais was always by his side reprimanding Roshan like an older brother. They looked alike and one might mistake them for real brothers, Kais was much taller even taller and muscular than me. He was the type to look out for other and analyze everything before acting or talking. The two of them were the ones that stood the longest by my side. For as far as I could remember they always been by my side.
"But Kais!" Roshan protest like a child who was denied candy. A smile almost broke free from my mouth as I watched him stomp on the ground with frustration before going away with Kais few steps behind waving at me before following him.
I thanked him silently with a nod before continuing my walk through the camp analyzing our loss and the number of injured soldiers around me. It wasn't looking good, I had to act quickly.
My men counted on me, and I couldn't let them down. I had to find a way to stop the war that I started.
Most of them came with me once I was sent to prove my worth as the crown prince, they put their life on the line for me and were ready to die with me. They were all admirable mans that I grew up along with. Once I was sentenced with my destiny, my troops followed me without hesitation.
I was sent away from the kingdom to meet my demise at a young age. The king was my father, sent me to start a war. "To fight for the kingdom and prove my worth".
We had no other choice but to invade the country boarding us in the south. On my hands I had the blood of countless innocents, that though weighted on my heart shattering it every time I was faced with nightmares. I couldn't fathom to forget any of them and made sure to look at them in the eyes at their last breath not allowing myself to turn back from the reality even if that meant breaking my soul every time, it was the least I could do for them.
I am tired. I really tried but the burden on my shoulders weighted more and more on me every day. I was the villain of this story. I killed to satisfy a hunger that wasn't mine in the sake of proving my worth to someone that never valued my life. At first, I thought that it was something easy, follow orders like always, do as I'm told to do and suppress any emotions, a king must be strong, that what he taught me.
I didn't refute any of it, until I took life with my own hands followed by countless others.
In the desolate expanse of the battlefield, I bore a heavy burden, one that weighed not only on my shoulders but on my soul. I was forced into the heart of conflict, became a reluctant participant in the dance of death, a puppet in the hands of fate.
Destiny.
Once, I might have dreamed of a different path, one free from the merciless grip of warfare. Yet, destiny had other plans for me, for us, leading us to a place where the choice was reduced to the stark reality of our fate.
Each step on the battlefield carried my burden, a soul haunted by the involuntary shedding of blood. I didn't have a choice if I came back, I would have been killed immediately and all of them too, I didn't care about my life, but they didn't deserve it. The king orders were ultimate even for me, he didn't value me as a son only a tool of war, I always had been a pawn in his kingdom.
It was a heart-wrenching circumstances, a poignant reminder that, in the theater of war, some are chosen not by desire but by the merciless hand of destiny.
Once my report was done, we had to prepare to move out for the southern plain, at least a week from where we were. I gave the orders to few soldiers sure that my commands will be rapidly sprayed all over the camp. We had to meet with the other troops in 10 days to prepare the final attack. I was supposed to lead them all to their death. I couldn't bear that though at all.
I came back on my step contemplating mayhem we brought to the land. We annihilated everything. No one could ever imagine that life once existed here. Everything was silent again. The once-pristine landscape now bore the scars of war.
When the sun rose high in the sky we set off, further on a land that wasn't ours, shadows of death on our steps.