The army travelled through the empire like a tidal wave

every knight among them feeling confident and brave

their numbers were impossible for most to comprehend

the emperor had drafted every soldier he could send

Countless kingdoms’ populations taken overnight

he summoned every able bodied hunter, slave, and knight

it took at least a day for orders made from the front lines

to reach the rearmost units using messengers and signs

The towns they passed were drained of their resources in a day

every subject brought into the ranks along the way

their mission was to colonize the north within the year

the empire’s size would double and their foes would run in fear

In little time they reached the empire’s border in the north

the hero reassured his army as he led them forth

the hunters who inhabited the forest were surprised

but celebrated that their fight would be revitalized

The prince requested information from the hunters’ chief

and what the hunter told him was a tale beyond belief

“in all my years I’ve never seen the monsters act this way

They organize attacks and grow in number every day

If you were one week later, you’d have found no hunters here

half of us already died or ran away in fear

thank the gods your empire’s army finally arrived

any longer and the empire might not have survived”

The hero didn’t listen, but the prince had grown concerned

monsters didn’t fight in armies, or so he had learned

could the monsters be considered mere coincidence

was the hero’s intervention simply providence

Either way, the obligations given him were clear

the prince would serve his empire should a single foe appear

whether his great hero told him everything or not

his duty bound him to whatever battle might be fought

The army followed bravely as their hero took the lead

and every monster hunted down filled every man with greed

the creatures were in chaos and the monsters moved as one

but still the army’s numbers made the monster hunting fun

Every soldier revelled in their constant victory

claiming for the empire every mountain, pond, and tree

soon they’d find a land of riches they had never known

only at the cost of many monsters’ flesh and bone

Several weeks had passed and still the army hadn’t tired

pushing farther north to lands the emperor desired

the hero at the lead was often fighting in a trance

the way he moved his sword and magic seemed more like a dance

Effortlessly walking through an endless monster hoard

nothing posed a threat to him and nothing slowed his sword

he may as well have been alone, just dancing in the trees

many wondered if he even saw his enemies

Every day the hero’s flames were violent and bright

it wasn’t rare for them to keep on burning through the night

he ran toward his foes as though he feared he might be late

even though they’d come to him, the hero couldn’t wait

Sometimes even after he’d burned all of them away

he’d stand there in the fires he made without a word to say

his strength became a legend to the army that he led

who sang the songs of everything the hero did and said

They passed through icy mountains and the endless forest green

until they started seeing monsters they had never seen

they dreamt of what might lay beyond this long forbidden land

getting lost in all the great adventures they had planned

After several months upon his long and bloody quest

the hero finally sat down one night to get some rest

the monsters had been thinning in the woods in recent days

and he’d grown bored of killing them a thousand different ways

He found a place away from all the camps to settle down

the camps were often noisier than any busy town

beneath a tree he sat beside a campfire for a while

thinking of the girl he married and her pretty smile

A somber air descended on him as he fell asleep

dwelling on the promises that he had yet to keep

but just before he closed his eyes, he noticed something there

something magical was watching him, hidden somewhere

He shouted out in fear as cold sweat formed upon his brow

“I’ll burn down this whole forest if you don’t show yourself now”

he summoned fire to light the woods and slowly looked around

and in the distance he could see a shadow on the ground

The warmth he felt beside the fire was traded for a chill

recalling such a shadow that he couldn’t name or kill

haunting him in battle and inhabiting his dreams

its laughter echoing in battle cries and dying screams

The shadow slowly moved toward him as he raised his sword

with a blade in hand, his concentration was restored

but once the hero calmed, he noticed something wasn’t right

not unlike himself the shadow seemed to shake in fright

He lowered his intimidating sword of magic fire

trying to discern the quivering shadow’s desire

“are you here to torment me or do you have a name

you’ll get the fight you want if that’s the reason why you came”

He knew that this was not a shadow worthy to be feared

and after just a moment, in its place a boy appeared

his teary eyes were red and he looked somewhat like an elf

soon the timid lad began to introduce himself

“I am just a messenger who serves the northern lord

if you’ll heed my words, there’ll be no cause to draw a sword”

the hero hesitated but agreed to hear him speak

he hadn’t seen a monster in his life who looked so weak

“I bring a message from my lord who speaks for one and all

listen to my warning so that neither side should fall

the ancient mountain guardian is nowhere to be found

we fear that fate has brought it to depart its sacred ground

Without the dragon guarding both our kingdoms from a war

we won’t be able to fulfill our duties anymore

we beg of you to go in peace and leave us to our ways

death and pain will only hasten forth the end of days”

The hero was alarmed to hear the demon’s solemn speech

to know that many demons waited slightly out of reach

but how could he agree to leave his mission incomplete

a hero didn’t run away, or calmly face defeat

“Demons are the enemy of man and all things good

if we showed our backs to you, you’d stab them if you could

here’s a message you can bring back to your demon lord

if he means to stop us, death will be your just reward”

The little demon stumbled backward, just about to cry

he tried to raise his voice but he was too afraid to die

his figure started fading as he slowly backed away

but just before he vanished he risked his own life to say

“I’m sorry that I failed to reinforce the will of fate

but if you do attack us, then we will retaliate”

he sank into the shadows and the hero softly smiled

luck had blessed him with the news delivered by the child

When morning came he gathered up his comrades and declared

“soon we’ll face the epic battle for which I’ve prepared

a final fight to cleanse the world of demons and their kind

a moment in our history that fate itself designed”

~