Senzard was hunting his latest meal, a massive boar with black fur grazing on the twisted plants and brush of Death Forest. He was hidden within the canopy above, camouflaged with the dark shadows. He was careful, having planned the entire hunt when he found such a solitary meal. On the other hand, the boar stomped around with supreme confidence believing itself untouchable. But, Senzard knew better than to think such mockery of life, it would be an insult to his struggle up the food chain. Though, he always felt giddy when facing such an unprepared opponent. How is one to react to the unexpected when they believe that it would never overcome them?

His snake features began morphing into a frightening smile, fangs and all showing. Tensing his body, he waited for the dumb animal to walk right into his trap and expose its neck in the process. Narrowing its eyes to hide its pupils from alerting its prey, the whites would contrast with the bleak black that was the canopy.

The gigantic boar reached forward, letting out heavy breathes, and extended its head to nibble on the sweet-smelling plants it found in the unusually raised bush. The fragrance too great for it to carefully go through the repercussions and possibilities of a bush growing off the ground. Just as the boar began to nibble on its berries, eyes closed in bliss, Senzard struck with absolute surety, going straight for the neck. Before the boar could react, it sunk its two-foot fangs without a seconds delay. Leaving broken branches, and even blowing the boar of its feet and onto its side with the force it had used.

A spray of blood marked Senzard’s face and the surroundings, hinting at what might have been a battle for those to arrive later. Noticing this, he decided to hurry the kill along, it would be foolish to wait until too many competitors for the food arrived. It would be a shame to kill more than he could possibly feast upon or disturbed the tenuous balance nature has carved into the world. Secreting poison from a hidden gland deep in his skull and through his fangs, the boar he held onto, having wrapped around to secure his kill, shuddered and froze in an awkward pose; head held up, mouth lolled open, and eyes bulging. Seconds later, the beast fell limp on the ground, any prospect of escape completely gone.

Senzard knew that the poison would kill the beast within the next five minutes. Therefore, he untangled himself and began to drag it back to his sunny clearing deeper in the forest. Moving in a relaxed pace, most creatures that hunted in the area would stay clear of the undisputed master of this massive domain. The only situation that would lead them to act so foolhardy and brash would be the occasional bloodlust for some of the powerful beasts he hunted to become stronger.

Farther and farther Senzard pulled the boar until he felt goosebumps run under his scales. Freezing, his head turned towards the right, the prey all but forgotten because of the sudden feeling. For several long seconds, the forest almost seemed to grow alive unlike the deathly silence that reigned supreme just seconds ago.

The very forest itself remembered, he knew that clearly as the birds cawed and insects chittered in excitement. With speeds greater than anything the forest had yet to witness, Senzard tore his way back to his outcropping. He had no more time, every living thing knew it well, but he would be damned if he did not give his all. Breaking past the last brush in a hurry, he entered his sunny meadow. Leaping with his gargantuan body over the river, he landed with an incredible thud on his stony bed. There a system message made clear the feeling’s origin.

System ~

Domain ~

The Olden Kings have arrived, vengeance their goal. Two, each of fifty heads and fifty pairs of arms, walk in shrouded mist towards the center of a once ancient city. The Meadow of Lights and Waters That Flow, their previous home, had bore witness to the absolute silence of Senzard of Seven Centuries’ reign. Darkness, shadows, that was the existence of all those who inhibited Death Forest, the once home of ascendant powers that had the world trembling in fear. Now, only a few survive, masters of the darkness Senzard had claimed to be.

Let the Olden Kings of Deaths Domain battle for the freedom of their people once again.

He had no more time. Looking out into the forest he heard the bellows and roars of beasts hidden from his sight. Creatures he did not notice had already surrounded the clearing in his moment of lapsed perception as he read the system message. Each snarling, grunting, stomping, or beating their chest in mock confidence, showing their displeasure at the unnatural existence they had to survive in.

Feeling a burning flame erupting in the bottom of his pit, Senzard roared to the heavens silencing the weak and cowering those even weaker. They were all pitiful creatures unable to face him, but once noticing his predicament took their chances to express their feelings. There was no space in the world for the weak, they died to strengthen the powerful. Committing the most boisterous of the bunch to memory, they would find themselves in his gullet sooner or later, he just had to survive this, somehow.

“Senzard!”

A familiar voice boomed within the forest, the voice enraged beyond scope. With it came a blowing current that shook the trees and blew lose rocks and plants from the ground. Behind it came in the foggy mist the system had hinted at, limiting Senzard’s ability to see.

In retaliation, he let a ball of darkness float above him for seconds. With an eruption that matched the battle cry of his foes, the ball exploded outwards, fading as it dispersed the fog in a large circle making it impossible to ambush him. Eyes, kept open wide, he stared in the direction where the voice had originated from.

Ducking his head, a sharpened mass of stone, the size of a wagon, flew in from the mist. Growling, Senzard roared once again, calling his foes to step out and face him. But as he did so, he prepared a lance of darkness, solidified and made stronger than steel, that hid behind him. Watching two massive silhouettes finally taking form, he saw what had him surprised. He knew who he faced and their forms, yet the ones walking towards him now were completely different.

Their lumbering oversized bodies were gone. Instead, they walked with perfectly sized vessels of one head on shoulders, four more floating around them. Two hands connected to the body and ten floating around, each carrying swords except the hand connected to their left shoulder. That carried massive tower shields they had to drag on the ground after them.

The closer the two walked until their features were more detailed. Waiting patiently, Senzard wanted them to step out of the fog to send his lance of darkness, a perfect time to use the very mist they had made to entrap him. The first to step out, the fog hugged him, unwilling to part with their master, was Agnitum as he walked in with a black and red aura coating him. Senzard used every muscle in his serpentine body to launch his lance of darkness towards him. Before Agnitum could react, it had buried itself in his shoulder.

Unlike other attacks, this was not made to instantly kill, but to entrap an indomitable foe for a time. Stuck there, the once solid mass began to turn into a black gaseous state. Covering Agnitum as he continued to walk, it began to rise into the air, only stopping a few hundred meters more. Clawing at the darkness, the burning red eyes that stared at Senzard sent shivers down his spine. Agnitum was physically stronger than his brother, but Senzard would rather have him as an opponent than Peteious. Gathering more mana on his tail, he watched carefully.

Just a step behind, Peteious entered ready for battle, his tower shield raised and all swords pointing in Senzard’s general direction. Crouched low, he walked closer slowly, but steadily closing the distance. Snarling, Senzard leapt towards his current foe with great speeds, he became a blur even to the titans. But, instead of fighting Peteious directly, he changed direction last minute. Dodging to the right, a sword slashed the place he had been just a second ago.

Releasing the gathered mana, two spells were released in quick succession. The first was an explosion that pushed Peteious back a couple of steps, but failed to do anything else because of the tower shield. The second was used to create fifteen shadow snakes that raced around the shield. Only to be met with skilled swordsmanship, each floating arm found a target destroying them before they could reach. The last five that made it through didn’t even get a chance to land a bite of poison, dispatched by unparalleled skill with the right hand. Each snake dissipating to the surroundings doing no harm.

No matter what direction Senzard moved, there was always a head staring in his direction. Finding no opening, he returned to his raised stone to at least hold the higher ground. Peteious, on the other hand, continued his quiet advance, completely unfazed by the assault. Coming to a stop only twenty meters between them, Peteious lowered his tower shield just enough for the eyes of his main head to look over.

“We have a proposition Thief,” Peteious said in a level voice. “A new mortal king has risen, one of both our worlds, of celestial heights and infernal depths. We have sworn to him allegiance, and so shall you,”

“Allegiance? The Hecatonchires of Hegdon Mount swore allegiance? Were you two not the ones who slew Kar, The Burning Sun Above, because he desired to enlist you two into his army? What could a mortal have given the both of you to hold such a place?” Senzard asked with disbelief.

“Glorious and complete sanity,” Peteious said almost breathlessly.

With one word, all hopes of survival escaped Senzard. The flame that had burned strongly before had been washed away by a raging river. He groaned as his thoughts returned to the Oracle. How long had he battled and run to reach this very day? Constantly preparing and plotting, yet he was still caught off-guard. Death or life? What could he possibly choose?