The Jeondong Chronicles:
Chapter Two:
The staircase to the secret lair was old, to say the least. It was designed in the form of a spiral, but now all that remained were a few stones in each step, so that the steps blended into one another and the stairs no longer retained their spiral glory. As my father had promised, there lay the Fountain of Youth in the middle of the room. The Fountain itself was huge and circular, with a huge spring in the middle. The Fountain took up most of the cavern and was bordered by a smooth layer of rocks sculpted together. However, some of the rocks were out of harmony due to the wear and tear that came with age. I looked around the place. It was otherwise clean, but showed the same signs of wear and tear as the Fountain did. Surrounding the Fountain of Youth on all sides was another library in itself. However, the books on these shelf had a different air to them. They were worn out, as if their pages had been turned endless times. I took one in my hand. The title read 'The Ancient Enemies of Jeondong'.
I turned around to see my father go around the cavern, lighting up the flame torches so that there was enough light around the room. "Father, why are these books here along with the fountain?"
"Take a guess, son," he replied as he turned around to face me after he had lit the last torch.
"The information in these books must be private, bound to only the king, just like the fountain. Then, this book right here, shouldn't everyone know about the enemies of the land if we are to defend against them?" I said, waving the book slightly in order for him to see.
My father let out a laugh. "Well, that was the first book that I picked when I first came down here. In your lessons till this day, you have mastered the detailed information about the reigns of every ruler from the first King. These books right here contain information on what happened in these very lands before the first King sat on the throne."
"You mean that the four kingdoms had a predecessor. They haven't been around for eternity?" I asked, exasperated. If the four kingdoms did have a predecessor, and that information has never been made known to the public, and all these books down here held the entire history of the enemies of Jeondong that no one ever talked about in public, then there was so much information I was oblivious to until this day.
"I can see the wheels of your head turning, son. You'll get a lot of that information in the book you're holding. Unfortunately, you won't have that much time before the coronation ceremony. So take a seat, and let me tell you the story in brief. And fetch me a glass of water will you?"
I walked over to a small basin that held water, grabbed a glass and sat down beside my father on a long worn out bench by the Fountain. He took a sip and then began.
" Before the four kingdoms existed on the continent of Wiozokan, There existed only one kingdom. One so powerful and evil that no one ever dared to rise in opposition against them. They were known as the Obsidian Order. They ruled the lands for thousands of years, their cruelty and oppressive ruling subduing any revolts to their rule. However, over the years, the revolts grew more powerful, more intense. The people revolting grew in number and revolts began all over the land. The Order dealt them with Swift blows to end the revolts but for the first time, signs of weakness seemed to show up in the power of the royal family. People rose up in revolt to their merciless and oppressive rule without any fear of their lives. Soldiers began deserting their ranks, claiming freedom from their hypocrite generals. Tax collectors were beaten up in town squares for the huge amount of taxes that they demanded from the people, slaves killed their masters in their beds. Every where they went the Obsidian Order was faced with struggle to deliver their ruling. These things slowly began weakening their rule from the inside. The end seemed near for them, perhaps further compounded by the passing away of the king, leaving behind his son of eighteen years to rule an empire that was on the verge of revolution. Everyone thought that the rule of the Obsidian Order was finally nearing an end. By this time about more than half the army had deserted the Order. The revolutionists had around twenty thousand infantry, eight thousand heavy cavalry, ten thousand light cavalry and five thousand archers in total. They were led by none other than the most trusted body guard of the dead king, Lee Min Woo. The rebels had set up camp outside the capital city, and were set to attack the following day after the king's passing."
"Where was the Obsidian Order's Capital city?" I asked.
"This very city of Tokseong" he replied.
"Oh god," was the only thing I could say. To realise that I was sitting where one of the biggest battles in the history of Wiozokan took place, the feeling inside was just surreal.
"This is just the beginning. Things got only worse from here."
"Tell me more," and I was, once again that small child who loved to listen to his father's stories before going to bed. A long time had passed, it seemed that little had changed in me. It was a quirk that I was comfortable with.
" Lee Min Woo was confident of victory. With all the soldiers deserting, all the new king was left with was a measly force of ten thousand infantry, five thousand or so cavalry and around two thousand archers. They were vastly outnumbered. Min Woo did send out an envoy demanding for surrender, but he was sent back in pieces. War was the only option left. The rebels arrived outside the city gates a few days later and set up their base in the fields outside the city. They were assured of victory and were preparing to attack the next day, but that day never came. That night the new king strode out with his infantry outside the city walls and launched a direct frontal assault on the rebels. The rebels, not expecting an attack in the night, did manage to get their forces together but by that time it was too late. That night, everyone present on the battlefield realised just how much they had underestimated the Obsidian Order's new king. The records in the book state that the forces that the king mustered were all not human. Almost no one in living memory had seen the Obsidian Order fight a full blown war till then. But that night they did. Records state that besides infantry, swarms of undead soldiers, beasts spawned for war in the Night Keep, along with human infantry, induced with the magic from undead sorcerers took the field against the rebels that night. And at their helm was, none other than the new king, his black helmet, doused in dark fumes, his horse flaming red, as if it had been spawned from the Underworld. The rebels stood no chance that night. The more soldiers they killed, the more appeared to fight for the new king. The king would gain the title of the Night Prince that night in the battlefield. Even without his army, he was a demon in himself, charging through entire ranks, demolishing entire divisions on his own. Seeing no other option, Lee Min Woo charged up to the Night Prince to kill him."
