Shadows

Part 1

At world's end it starts,
Running dark and true,
Life's end of heart,
Hate's life born anew.

Enter the darkness,
And shadows reach out,
Run if heartless,
Seeds plant endless doubt.

From shadows within,
Rises the Kreya,
The dark seven,
Start of the dark fray.

The first of seven,
Niloki steals joy,
Falls from Heaven,
His life, but a ploy.

Kreya number two,
Minon, Death's jester,
Pain of the few,
Dark disease festers.

And the third and fourth,
Missa, lifeless one,
And Nall brought forth
Life's dark closing fun.

The deadliest fifth,
Kep, the Reaper King,
Creates dark rifts,
Half die to his ring.

Rise, the insane sixth,
Nameless, shadows fall,
Spoken in myth,
Dead come to his call.

Enter the final,
Callion, the birth,
Mankind's trial,
Beginning with Earth.

Upon one man rests
The fate of all life,
Darkest of tests,
To take his own life.

But, Shadows can die,
For two others lived,
Shadows will die,
For two mortals lived.

Israfel did ride,
And with him Aaraaf,
Rode far and wide,
Two mortals set off.

Riding to find myth,
To find weapon dark,
Dark as abyss,
Under mountains stark.

Through forest and field,
And through darkest night,
Death if they yield,
On to find the fight.

Part 2

After many days
They found what they sought
Without sun’s rays,
Weapon, evil wrought.

Unholy saber,
With dark blade of night,
Devil’s favor,
To get blade of might.

To seek life in Hell,
‘Twas the evil test,
Devil could tell,
None lived where he rest.

But wise young Aaraaf,
Had the answer found,
For were they not
Live and underground?

And scream the Devil did,
He had lost his blade,
“Leave now,” he bid,
“And damn that dark blade.”

And the Shadow sword
Gained a new wielder,
Not a dark lord,
But two mortal hunters.

Into sun, the two rode,
Now toward evil,
To slay Laed’s Load.
Far, still to travel.

Through a rift of Kep
They ride, bodies piled
Where man won’t step,
Dead bodies piled high.

After many days
Riding past dead walls
Two reached wide fields,
Find blood waterfalls.

And onwards they ride;
Under blood red sun,
And pitch black sky,
Final bell yet rung.

In world’s dark castle
The Kreya await,
Life’s dark hassle.
Kep’s lust unsated.

Callion’s duty
Yet to be fulfilled,
World of beauty
Made of last man’s blood.


Israfel rides fast,
Aaraaf at his side.
The price paid last
Will be Kreya’s pride.

Part 3

Shadows await death
To fall on trial.
New world of death
Made if man should die.

But a shard of hope
Remains, for two ride
Across Maeltrope’s
Endless desert sands.

Bloody sun gives way
To dark, sightless moon.
Heat turns to chill,
And twin riders move.

A worldwide silence
Fills the midnight air,
The only thing heard,
Horses moving hooves.

At desert’s far end,
Great beast lies in wait,
Challenge to pass
All who seek dark gate.

Twin riders enter
Valley of the beast,
“Riddle to pass,
Pass to live,” says beast.

“What riddle have you?”
Israfel challenged.
Drawing his blade,
“Alone we’ve managed.”

“Shadows rise in lands
Far off to the east.
Answer me now!
What name castle holds?”

“Simple,” Aaraaf said
With great confidence,
“’Tis a nameless
Place of darkened stone.”

“Wrong,” the beast exclaimed.
“Hadren’s Keep, the name!”
Down beast’s maw came,
Devour two men.

Up came darkened blade,
Nihilus by name,
Into beast’s skull,
And out the far side.

Down fell the great beast,
Into Death’s embrace
Never to rise,
Never to challenge.

Part 4

Riding on again,
Israfel leading,
Traveling fast,
Nihilus on back.

Through cavern, and wood,
Over mountains tall,
Past sheer cliff face.
Under moon’s shadow.

In Hadren’s dark Keep,
Kreya are restless.
Last man, Treya,
Hasn’t breathed his last.

“Lift the blade, mortal!”
Callion shouted,
“Plunge it into
Your unholy heart.”

“Unholy to whom?”
Treya asked the shade,
“To man, life’s gift
‘Tis to be cherished.”

“Then let us end it,”
Kep said to brothers.
“Mortals have died,
What is another?”

“’Tis not our duty,
Nor is it our test,”
Callion said,
“To end last man’s life,”

“Our role ends only
With last suicide.
If we end him,
We will be trapped here.”

“Damn the Fates to Hell,”
Nall yelled aloud,
“Why did they choose
This troublesome man?”

“We can not rely
On mortal gods!”
Niloki said,
“Yes! They exiled us!”

“Then we must await
Mortal’s destined choice.
Will life be born?
Or will Man gain voice?”

Part 5

Distant, dark trees rise,
As twin riders move,
Traveling east;
Grass flat under hoof.

Riding fast toward
Lathaniel’s Forest.
Blood covered wood,
Trees, body coated.

Past giant spiders
They roam, through what was
Once holy land,
And further to ride.

And onward toward
The dark Shadow Lands
Near the world’s end,
Between unknown lands.

Silence travels with,
No man with to speak,
Save each other.
Laed’s fate nears its peak.

In Hell’s dark corner,
Lies a single man,
Shunned from the light,
Banished from surface.

Drall is the man’s name,
Banished for giving
Kreya the key
To demolish Laed.

The end of the world
Blamed upon a man,
A single man.
Mankind’s corruption.

Thus their destruction,
Drall knew this problem.
Knew his trouble,
Eternal torment.

For he gave away
Humanity’s last
God given days
Inhumanly fast.

Part 6

Life passing quickly
For those with nothing
Treya, Aaraaf,
Israfel, and Drall.

Drall living in Hell,
Foolishly weeping
At what he caused.
Humanity’s dark plight.

Israfel on horse,
Aaraaf not far,
Traveling long
To prevent Laed’s end.

Treya in east lands.
Holding world’s fate
Upon his life.
Kreya watch and wait.

Animals aside,
World is void of life,
Save these four,
And immortals.

Twin riders, with blade,
Seek to end shadows
That bring world’s end.
And recreate man.

Through Hell and desert,
Through forest and field,
They ride onward.
Under moon and sun.

Kreya’s evil test
Placed on Treya’s chest
End his own life
And end mankind’s world

In Hell, Drall despairs
His torment begins.
Bringing world’s end
Before Judgment Day

Part 7

Darkness is rising
On the horizon.
Forest to west
Hadren’s Keep awaits.

Twin riders draw near
After many years.
Shadows waiting
For Treya’s long fall,

Knowing not of fear,
Kreya unaware,
That death draws near,
Life’s dark strands lay bare.

Scorched fields to the west,
Blackened long ago,
Hadren’s Keep rests
Deep in those foul planes.

Treya deep in thought,
Senses more mortals,
Does not speak though,
Does not tell Kreya.

Treya grabs dagger.
“What a wondrous blade,”
He says, eyes wide,
“Dyed a bloody shade.”

“Where, may I inquire,
Did you obtain it?”
Showing desire
Unlike any seen.

“We found it, mortal,
On the Moon’s shadow.”
Kreya replied,
“Where no man may go.”

Part 8

On the Shadowed Planes,
Israfel rides fast,
Aaraaf nearby.
.Viewing things long past.

Phantoms rise from death.
Showing things that are
Impossible
To any mortal man.

Showing those who died
And were dear to hearts
Still live and well.
And how those hearts wept.

Cherished souls held here
In this wretched place
Where nothing sleeps
And Time seems to freeze.

Thus the Shadow Lands
Claim all its victims
With dark phantoms
That play on man’s heart.

But not all lures trap,
As Aaraaf found out
When a phantom
Rose with a large shield.

Aaraaf grabbed the shield
As he past the ghost.
Viewing his prize
With mounting interest

Part 9

Shield and sword unite
After countless years.
And past rewrites
As it did before.

Forged to fight darkness,
Forged in dark blood,
Shadow’s dark blood,
Black instruments forged.

Nihilus the sword
And Rafil the shield,
Gleam in moonlight.
Ready for their goal.

Destined for this act,
Destined for murder.
Created for
A shadow slaughter.

In ancient kingdom
Hammer hit anvil
Molding hot steel
Creating cold death.

Steam rose from shadows,
Steel hit shadow blood
Blade dyed pitch black.
Left to rest and wait.

Part 10

Twin riders reach gate
To finish fate’s choice.
Aaraaf with shield,
Israfel with sword.

Kreya sense life’s pulse
As mortals enter
Their dark domain.
The shadow battle.

Mortals feel death near
As they walk the halls.
Sorrow fills hearts
As Niloki nears.

Shadow of Sorrow
Recognizes sword
And shadow shield.
Knows his life is gone.

Nihilus revels
As Shadow blood runs
Down its dark blade
And Niloki falls

Part 11

And four more did fall
To the deadly bite
Of Nihilus,
Its blade shining black.

Through Minon, Missa
Nall, and the Nameless,
Nihilus went,
As Rafil protects,

Treya knows again
The sweet taste of joy
As Aaraaf steps
Into the throne room.

Israfel with blade
Looks upon the last
Two dark shadows
And then at Treya.

Part 12

Kep rose from his seat
Flaming blade in hand,
Moving toward
Mortal men, eyes aflame.

Dark battle ensued
As Callion moved
Towards Treya,
But halts suddenly.

Dagger made for death,
Made for man’s trial,
Sinks into chest
Then Callion falls.

Part 13

Nihilus slides through
Kep’s chest easily,
But Kep’s ring falls
Onto Israfel’s flesh.

With his final breath
Callion saw light,
And replenished
Laed’s tainted beauty.

Part 14

Thus Kreya’s tale told,
Passed from me to you,
And thus unfolds,
Past’s dark story true.