In the dimly lit and dusty attic where light didn't come as often as one would think to be comfortable, the young girl smashed her head against the hard, wet stone floor over and over until her body came to a stop, her vision blurring uncontrollably along with her consciousness fading to black. Her head hurt, dying slowly with a pain that seemed to exist within her brain and not on the surface of her skin.
The young girl was startled awake by an unknown force on her face. She opened her watery eyes quickly, only to look into a pair of very familiar, pitch black, hollow eyes. Darkness, she thought, yet again. Her eyes though, her other senses told her something else that seemed to make no sense. She slowly sat up, the pain in her head immediately causing her to almost fall face first back down.
Looking around the dark attic for some sort of light source she saw nothing, except for a candle―a lone, small candle―staring at her. The candle was old, its flame dim, yet it was almost glowing from the amount of strength it had. Its candlelit light seemed like an invite, inviting her to go find the light, but she knew better.
"Where are my parents?" She asked no one, in lack of anyone to answer her. "He wiped the tears from her eye, but the question remained unanswered. "Why do you need the light?" She asked with a slight waver to her voice.
The waver of fear was very evident in her voice, gently bouncing off of the walls of the attic. The small candle farthest away from her had become drooped over, and slowly became drained. As it fell, it lit itself on the floor, and in that little snap, the pain in her head was gone. Surprisingly, the light didn't seem to come from the same place as the candle.
Looking up the ceiling, she saw it, the skin around her eyes slowly following the course of the light. Soon, she saw a smile, and began to run at the image of herself, that seemed to be molded out of fire. As she ran through the small space she squinted her eyes, and was instantly blinded with the fire that seemed to be surrounding her. The fire disappeared, and she was standing in the courtyard with howling wind blowing through her.
Now she saw it, almost felt it. The head butchered soldiers and everyone around the courtyard turning into shadows. She could feel the blood washing over her face and ears with the howling wind that she knew wasn't there before. She looked to her side, and saw the evilness that wouldn't let her see clearly like she needed to.
She walked into the shadows, and there, something was still there, she could feel it. A few more steps, and she reached out her hand. It was then that she saw the skin of the shadow peel off. The skin was blue, and seemed as though it had been rotting for many years. Following along the skin, she saw that the teeth were there, but there were no eyes.
"Take my hand!" She heard its voice command. She looked around and questioned who it was talking to, but soon realized that it was her. She reached out her hand, as if the spirit had no control over her, and the hand took hers. The air around her became cold. It was then that she felt the spirit pull her away.
"No!" She yelled. "I can't leave her!" It seemed to understand. Together they both looked at the girl, who looked frozen in time, scared to death, crying, and covered in blood.
"We have to hurry," the voice told her. "We can't let him catch us!" He handed her a sword, and then pulled out another one himself.
"He'll kill us," she told him, looking at the sword. "He killed so many to get what he wants."
"We have to," he told her as he walked behind her, and put the sword in her right hand. "Don't be afraid."
"I don't know what to do," she told him, afraid that with only one small sword they would never be able to defeat him.
"You'll see."
She closed her eyes and waited for the blow, but by opening them she saw no gargoyle. She then opened her eyes to the very familiar place. She saw the shadows around her move in an intense way. From the inside she heard sounds, and she knew that death was closer now than it ever had been. She dove to under the chair, which was her best bet at hiding. Yet, she was being followed.
She turned quickly, and the shadow was standing on the chair right behind her. She could hear the blood dripping from the body, which seemed to be in a block of wood.
Her leg fell out from under her weight. It had been the only time she had ever lost. She tried sliding under the bed, but had to balance herself completely on the other side of the bed and still it wasn't enough. The man walked up to the bed and threw the block of wood. The wood smacked into the other side of the bed head first, and then hit her square in the face. It was then that the wall began to crumble, and the block of wood came down on top of her.
"Noooo!" He yelled as he rushed over to the wall. "Leave her alone! You don't understand what I need!" The wall crumbled more as the words continued. "Like the rest, you will not take it, until you are given the chance. Just as I took it."
The block pushed them through the wall, and into the living room. He knew that this was the final battle. Still, he continued to plead for his life.
"You aren't taking this, because it is all mine. I didn't go through all of this for a girl who doesn't have what it takes to kill you. But, if that's what you want." He backed up until he was out of the room. "Then I will do it myself!"
He turned to face her, only to find himself face to face with the face of her. He wasn't able to make the distinction before, but the face was there, like the blue skinned man. She lunged forward with the sword, and pointed it right at his heart.
He fell to the ground, and it was then that she realized that she had won. She was breathing hard, and trying hard to make sense of what was right in front of her. Even though she had tried to kill him, she couldn't make herself do it. She could fight and hurt him, but she realized that she couldn't kill him.
The man appeared again, but this time he was wearing different armor… he was wearing the crown on his head… he was very much alive...
She walked off, and her legs felt heavy. She looked back in the direction of her home, the house, the one that she had been scared enough to abandon. It took a couple of steps, before she realized that the ground was shaking. Rocks were falling out of the sky. Smoke was rising from behind her house. She turned around and looked at the town one last time.
As she turned to walk away, she suddenly stopped in the middle of the road. Her parents came running up to her, and hugged her with the greatest pride. She looked back at the house again, and the man's words echoed in her head, Give them the chance, and we'll rule them all. Myself and you. She turned again, and slowly walked away.
