After Vengeance Destroyed Him, His Loyal Knight Turned Dark
“I want the truth, or I want everyone's lives.”
Seventeen-year-old Ash knelt before his sister Maria's grave. Rain beaded on the beauty mark beneath his left eye like blood, and beneath his platinum-blond hair, his glass-colored eyes unleashed a storm of destruction.
“...Including my own.”
The exiled Second Prince returned to the royal court under the assumed name Allen, stepping into the treacherous purgatory of revenge. The sharpest and most loyal blade in his hand was the black-haired, green-eyed knight, Loran.
Born into the lower classes, Loran had breathtakingly handsome features and a heart of matching coldness. His sister Daisy had died alongside Maria, making revenge the shackle and bond they shared.
He was taciturn, with little sense of right and wrong. The rules of the world were nothing but dull background noise to him, but when it came to Allen, he was different.
When nobles gave Allen a hard time, Loran stepped in front of him, his green eyes glinting coldly. “You have no right to meddle in His Highness's affairs!”
When the trail went cold, he moved through the shadows and murmured, “Leave the dirty work to me.”
When nightmares tormented Allen late at night, he kept watch nearby, silently offering him the only anchor of safety he had.
Loran's loyalty carried the stench of the abyss, and his protection concealed a possessive edge. He was willing to become the weapon of Allen's revenge, offering absolute obedience. More than anyone else, he could see how Allen was changing inside.
But that clarity brought its own torment.
Under the crushing weight of revenge, Allen offered him cold, desireless intimacy. Loran couldn't resist, yet after every touch he sank deeper into self-loathing and uncontrollable longing. His love was destined to be a lonely sacrifice, lost in a maze Allen had built without even realizing it.
The sacred magic of light, a symbol of salvation, became a weapon of revenge, growing so powerful that even the Church feared it. But as Allen's face grew paler, Loran sensed that something terrible was being consumed.
When the irreversible price came due, Loran's voice broke into a hoarse rasp. In the depths of his green eyes, reason collapsed into utter madness.
“You taught me right from wrong... yet you turned yourself into kindling for the flames of wrongdoing!”
The love, pain, and fear he'd suppressed for so long erupted all at once. The loyal knight turned dark in an instant. He was no longer merely Allen's sword. He became the keeper of Allen's life.
Even if he had to use force, even if Allen hated him, he would keep the flame of that life from going out, no matter the cost!
Note:
1. An alternate Western-style setting with magic and the Church, in a low-magic world. Characters are shaped by the class limitations of their era and social standing.
2. Because of his personal experiences, his mother was accused of infidelity, he was confined for seven years, his father exiled him, and his sister died tragically, the protagonist's emotions have become warped, and he feels confused and repelled by affection. The romance develops later in the story and includes coercive elements. Happy ending.
Theme: Don't give up. Wait patiently for the world to answer you.
