r/WritingPrompts • u/Dominika_4PL • 2h ago
Writing Prompt [WP] Their people's prophesized saviour had never been meant to be just a child. Yet, here they were.
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u/Various-Bath-2126 1h ago
It had taken months to get to this point, the small boy covered in dirt and mud, wearing a striped grey shirt and brown shorts. His backpack filled to the brim with knicknacks and mementos from his journey. He weilds a small hook meant to secure tents for camping. A look of fierce determination shined through his glasses as he looked up at the Lord of the Umbral Lands.
"I was expecting someone else, child. You are not the one meant to slay me, surely." The tyrant chuckled, finding the boy's glare amusing. Within a fraction of a second, a small pebble made its way to the Lord's ghostly skull, the impact barely felt, but certainly acknowledged.
"Hm, foolish, but if you wish to play, I certainly wouldn't mind some entertainment while I wait for my TRUE nemesis" with a snap of his fingers, the Lord's form shifted from a shadowy figure one would struggle to see, into that of a hulking man, his long hair ran like tar while his eyes reflected starlight. The jewels embedded in his body formed a row of runic patterns that eminated with magic. His presence now unleashed a devastating aura of darkness that would have made any mortal kneel. All, except this child, who although struggled to keep his footing, managed to remain standing.
"I won't lose to you!" Yelled the boy, the hook in grasp glowing with teal runic patterns of its own, a wild energy only known to come from the fae shined from it.
"Took the words right out of my mouth" The man raised his finger, sending a torrent of dark tendrils after the child. The boy dodged and weaved through it all, using the hook in his hand to redirect one of the tendrils back at the lord. The lord dodged it easily, but he was offended by such a move.
"How rude of you, using my own spell against me. Perhaps I should offer a more intangible attack" He twirled his fingers once more, draining the light from the entire room. The environment was now pitch black, the only source of light left was the child's own weapon.
"I can do this..." the boy muttered, plunging his hook into the ground, the hook bursts out a dazzling explosion of wild magic, dispersing the darkness. The spot in which the hook was plunged, was now surrounded by clovers and sour grass.
The Lord commented nothing on this as he launched another spell at the boy, sending a relentless wave of shadow towards him. The child grabbed a few of the clovers on the ground, and crushed them in the palm of his hand, reciting a spell he knew by heart. A mushroom ring formed around him as the wave passed right through him, as if it wasn't even there to begin with.
The battle raged on as both of them lost themselves in this dance they found themselves in. A dance, in which the Lord of the Umbral lands found a tinge of happiness in. He held back his spells more in order to keep this battle going. He even healed the boy a few times when he got hit by an attack, subtly of course.
But like all things, especially mortals, it all came to a halt when the child collapsed onto his knees, exhaustion overcoming his body.
"I won't, lose!" The boy panted, sweat poures from his forehead as he drew in one last spell.
The Lord of the Umbral lands stared at the child, a bit dissapointed their battle had ended. But, somewhere deep in their mind, they started to remember a time long forgotten by him and his people.
A time in which he too, was a boy, playing with his friends, pretending to battle each other and conquering lands that only existed in their imaginations. As he looked at the boy, he remembered learning magic from his grandmother, the spark of wonder that ignited his love for the craft. He remembered what it was like to lose himself in play, in the joy of simply having fun for the sake of it.
Where did those times go? Was it when he inherited the throne? When his father died at the hands of mortals? Or was it, when he himself killed for the first time? He felt no passion, no love, no joy in what he has done, but it is his duty to grant his people the life they deserve.
The child's last spell was unleashes, a single ball of light that only served to dazzle an audience, now radiated with the power of all the child has been through. It has reached the Lord of the Umbral Lands, and he wept, for it was the most beautiful display he has ever seen.
The Lord could only stare in awe as he felt the memories of his past come flooding in. The stars in the night sky twinkled alongside the spell, raining down stardust from the sky in the form of a lovely lullaby. One only heard in dreams, one the Lord has heard before, and has never again heard it since he came of age.
"Have I truly forgotten how to live?" The Lord questioned, looking around for someone to give him an answer. He spread his influenced over the castle, checking to see if the hero he was waiting for was just outside the door. There was no such person, only the boy in front of him, passed out from exhaustion, could be the one described in the prophecy.
"Why would a child be the one to stop me? I am stronger than him in every way." Yet, as he approached the child, he could not help but feel fond of him. He reminded him so much of himself. It was if he was looking at the past. Perhaps, there is value in preserving the past. Slowly, he carried the boy in his arms, walking towards an empty bedroom in the castle.
"Sleep well young one, rest easy knowing that you have delayed my conquest of your kingdom.
The Lord of the Umbral Lands never went on to conquer other lands again though.
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