Maledictus

My mind was empty, and I was alone. There was nothing, nothing, nothing. Who am I, what am I? I could not remember. It was as if I had just been brought into existence, crafted by the swirling winds and icy touch of winter. Yet I was not alone. There was a strange presence within, part of me and yet not. In my heart was an ocean of sorrow, as if I had lost something great. Behind me was flame and destruction, from what I did not know. Why, why do I not know?

There was something, something golden. Something twisted, a great beast that should never exist. Many heads, far too many legs, mangled wings. The dark secret of the imperials, risen after death and destined to become one. I wanted to help someone…my family? Surely I had a family. But they were gone. I had been weak, so weak.

There was a voice, a presence. It whispered in the dark of night and watched me with unseen eyes. At first I thought it was my imagination, but at last I had to accept that my senses would not lie. I had heard stories of things that should not exist, things that spread destruction and should never be allowed to take root. I ran, across land and water and sky. I could not leave it behind – it was everywhere, everything. It was always present, but always just beyond reach.

Alone. So alone. When one has no company, they may grow desperate. Such was the case with me, and I began listening to the voice. To my surprise, the voice did not whisper about death and things in the dark. It was calming, peaceful, tranquil. And it knew things. After all this time lost without an identity, I could find out what had really happened that fateful night.

There had been something unnatural that had caused the emperor to rise. There had been a battle, family and clan clashing in a sea of tooth and claw. The golden one had targeted and slain particular dragons for the sole purpose of creating an emperor. In fear for the lives of their children, my parents had sent me and my siblings away. Alas, it did no good, for the rage of our enemies could not be escaped. Yet here I am, still alive…

Only Icewarden knows why. Perhaps it was by his intervention that I was saved. Only a deity could have saved me from turning into a monstrosity, a twisted emperor just like the ones I feared. Instead I had gained an ally, a voice that guided me though the darkness and revealed the terrors of my past. And with my companion, I would wreak havoc on those who had destroyed my family. I would find the golden one, find the being who used my loved ones for his own disturbing motives.

And when I do find him, he will wish he had never dared to cross my path.