David Bishop and the Legend of the Orb by T.C. Crawford (tools of titans ebook .txt) 📕

and his kingdom was put to ruin and shame, along with his entire family. His name was Gerome Krauss.”

The General looked up at the Master Elder, letting the implication sink in.

The Master Elder slowly sighed, having feared this day would come eventually.

“Just because your surnames are the same, doesn’t mean you are family, Octavian!” he pleaded, trying to conceal the truth.

“Yes, I did consider that at first. But as I looked more into it, I found that the book gave a detailed account of this King and his family. You see, each first-born male had a very specific trait that was passed down from generation to generation. It was said to be a symbol from the Creator God Himself and was what made them worthy to be rulers over the kingdom.

“As I continued to read, I realized there was a part of me that already knew what it was, for I had already become intimately familiar with it. It was the same birthmark that I had on my arm – ‘a small discoloration, in the shape of a spiral’. That is what the text said. Can you believe it? So subtle, yet unique enough that not another soul would have it. And there it was, on my arm the whole time, daring me to find the truth!

“Now it all made sense, why he never told me the truth of my heritage. The King didn’t raise me out of the goodness of his heart! He raised me because I was the heir to the greatest threat his kingdom had ever known!

“My father, the Southern King, must have taken me with him all those years ago on that fateful day in the Battle of the Northern Pass. When he was defeated in battle, I was left, cold and alone in my father’s caravan. A caravan he expected to bring to Eldergate in his march to victory. Instead, there he left me, alone and in the mercy of my enemy.

“King Eldergate kidnapped me and raised me, filling me with lies that I was some nobody, a lost orphan boy who had wandered into his life through the kindness of his dying wife, so that I would never grow up to know who I truly was. He was afraid that if I knew, that one day I would challenge his rule and aim to conquer his kingdom like my ancestors should have done!”

The Elders stood dumbfounded at the rage of the General, a rage that seemingly burst out of nowhere.

“What you say is partly true, but your anger has distorted it into something it is not!” replied the Master Elder calmly. “He could have left you there to die, Octavian. Instead, he had compassion on you, the son of his greatest enemy. He raised you as his own, to give you a life worth living. A life you never would have had without his kindness and mercy. An act you’re now choosing to repay with blood and vengeance!”

“LIAR!” shouted the General, rage distorting his face.

His fury disappeared as quickly as it came, a sign of the man’s clearly unstable mental state.

General Octavian Krauss stood for a moment, apparently collecting himself before continuing.

“Once I knew who I truly was, I made a vow to never let my lineage be forgotten. To one day rise and take my rightful place as leader of the Southern Kingdom once again and to rebuild my nation back to its rightful glory! This fueled my search for answers with such passion, such fury, that I seemed to never tire.

“I looked for a way to overthrow the King. I knew he had no heir, not since his only son was killed in the battle with my father, so it was only a matter of time that his rule would come to an end. So…at first, I waited, plotting the ways in which I would take his place on his death bed.

“I realized, if I could keep his good grace, he might just leave me the Kingdom when he passed. But then, I heard of a rumor. A rumor that he might have a living heir, a daughter from a passing romance with one of the maidservants while his wife, my adopted mother, was on her deathbed. I knew that if this were true and word got out, this girl would rightfully inherit the kingdom when the King passed.

“I was furious, but determined not to be defeated, I searched the royal records for anything that would lead me to find who this woman was. I only just recently discovered a clue that would lead me to that answer, but…in my search through the archives, I found something far more helpful to me at the time – a source of power so magnificent, so intoxicating, that I could hardly believe my luck!

“I found the ancient manuscripts from the leader of the Order of the Abyss – a tomb compiling the thoughts and spells of an ancient organization dedicated to the worship of the Defiant One – the Mystic of Death himself!”

“That is a very dangerous text, Octavian” warned the Master Elder, “It was locked away in the Archives for a reason!”

“Yes, yes that is precisely why I took it and absorbed every little detail that I could!” replied the General, a mad flicker in his eyes.

“And I quickly found that the power that it promised was real.”

He held out his hand and a green light started to flicker in the air, at first small, but then growing with intensity until settling as a large, glowing ball of neon green energy. He put forth his hand and released it, causing the wall of the room to burst into pieces, falling into the cool night air and crashing in large pieces onto the palace grounds far below.

“You see, Elders…you’re no longer needed here. I have a power far greater of my own, and unlike you, I’m not afraid to use it to get what I want!”

The Elder’s looked at one another, a deep fear rising