The father was pacing the house impatiently, waiting for his guard leader. The time was approaching too quickly. The war was on its way. And they needed to get bearings.

The man walked through the front doors casually, nodding to the king. He was a tall and skinny man with a small beard. His grey eyes were almost like ice they were so pale. He had very dull brown hair.

And his attitude was enough to drive you insane.

"Don't greet your king with a nod, and don't walk through there like you own the place." The king snapped. The guard nodded.

"Of course. I'm sorry, your majesty." His voice was thin and greedy sounding. The king sighed.

"It's fine. Fetch the mage." He commanded. The guard nodded, and backed out of the room bowing.

That was more like it.

He returned moments later with a young woman. She wore her black hair in a high bun with a flower attached to it. She stood out from the others, as she did not have the grey eyes everyone else had, but red ones that looked like blood spilt on the floor. Her black robe she wore swept across the floor gracefully, like she was gliding. She drew to a halt in front of the king and bowed. He bowed back, ignoring the head of guards.

"It's time?" He asked her. She nodded.

"It's time."

"When?"

She paused, thinking. "Seven years. Seven years to prepare your boy to kill." She told him. He breathed out it relief.

"That's plenty of time." He sighed. The woman shook her head.

"You best beware. I do think he has discovered the path of light. If he strays away..." The woman shivered. "It could be the end for us."

The king laughed as of she had told a joke. "That's a good one..." He told her, wiping a tear from his eye. Then he saw her face. His smile disappeared. "You were being serious?"

The woman nodded.

The head of guards spoke. "If it makes any difference, the boys not here." He told the others. They stared at him.

"Where did he go?" The king demanded. The guard shook.

"H-He went for a w-walk-k..." He stuttered. The king dragged a hand across his face.

"Where to?" He asked. The guard shook.

"H-He said the N-neutral..." That was the last word he stuttered. After a nod from the king, the woman cursed the man. They watched as he slowly decomposed, and became a damned one.

That gave the king a idea.

He turned to the woman. "Do you think..?" He asked. The woman nodded, a smile flickering across her face like a flame about to die out. Without another word they left the castle.

                    *        *        *        *        *        *        *                            

The pair soon arrived at their destination - the damned hole. They could see the white mist that was the souls of those who had died before their time by the hand of another.

They entered the cave.

The more they went down, the darker and gloomier it became. The floor was slippery with blood, and walls painted with them, weird hand-prints everywhere. Some were black and some were red, some just in the middle. The cave narrowed as they descended deeper and deeper into the earth. Finally they stopped as the cave opened to form a clearing.

In the middle sat a small girl on a throne of bones.

Her red dress was tattered and stained with blood. Her brown hair was lank, greasy and tattered. Blood dripped off her face like she'd been drinking it. Knowing her, she probably had been.

A knife was clutched in her hand, also stained with the red liquid. She looked at her visitors like a butcher examining a new piece of meat. Her pale blue eyes narrowed when she saw who they were.

"Hello." She greeted. The king nodded. The mage bowed. The girl smirked. "Why are you here?"

"We need your assistance." The mage explained quickly. The girls smile grew as their proposal became clear to her.

"And why should I help you? You've done nothing for me. Maybe the others have a better proposal then just 'help us'." She taunted. The king paled visably. The mage was able to keep her cool though.

"Because we offer you a deal." She said. The girl narrowed her eyes at the mage. 

"What is it?" She asked, stepping off her throne.

The mage smiled. "I do think you'll like it."

The girl snarled. "WHAT IS IT?!" 

The mage paused. "Once he dies..." She started. "You may have the spirit of darkness. Plus the host."

The girls eyes gleamed. She licked her lips as if eating something. "Deal." She said straight away. The king paled more.

"W-What?" He gasped. The mage clutched her hand. The king grew silent, clutching his throat is if he was being strangled. The girl glanced at him.

"If I offer my assistance aswell as my armies, will you bargin the king in?" Asked the girl. The kings eyes widened. The mage smiled.

"Of course."

Hey, guys. Uh, sorry the chapter is a little shorter than the others, but it was half a filler. Sorry! Also, Sachiko. That is all.