Dawn of Night Chapter Eight: Royal Rise

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Fast as the wind, Valiant and Vishy flew through the End in order to get to the capital. Worry ate at Valiant’s core as his mind ran through a thousand scenarios, all of which ended poorly. *I must save her! I can’t let her die!* Valiant began to tap his dragon’s side in anxiety. *We need to hurry!* In response, Vishy huffed, as though to tell his rider that he was going as fast as he could. After several tense minutes, Valiant sighed with relief as the End Fortress came into view. *Finally!* With a roar, Vishy set himself down on the nearest island ledge. Valiant quickly disembarked from his dragon’s back. Once he was down, he turned to his worried Ender Dragon. Valiant spoke reassuringly as he patted Vishy’s snout. “Don’t worry Vishy, everything will be alright.” But deep within, Valiant couldn’t help but feel chills himself. Unease racked him as he moved towards the Capital City and on towards an assassination attempt. *I mustn't fail!* Mustering all his courage, Valiant marched into the obsidian walls of the Capital City and prepared to face his worst fear.

Valiant continued to walk through the city, but soon realized how silly it was. *I’m not going to find them simply by walking around. Who knows what room they are in? By the time I spot them, they’ll have already killed her!* Valiant stopped and took a deep, calming breath. *Well, it’s a good thing I’ve mastered the ancient skills.* In total, there were six skills. The one he would need now was telepathy. This skill had taken him forever. At first, he hadn’t quite understood how it could possibly work. However, an Enderman had come into the library, and had watched as Valiant read about the ancient skills. Just when he had been about to give up, the Enderman had reached out telepathically to Valiant. It’s thought had been quiet, but also explanatory. *Son of ends, you must push your mind out with power to send your thoughts to others. Do not limit it to your body. And when you push out, contract in with your willpower and concentration, so that you might snag the minds of others who keep their thoughts trapped in one place where they are easy to take.* From then on, Valiant would try to find Endermen to train with. They would always gladly comply. Slowly, he began to train with the skill. Now, he could transmit his thoughts to others and he could even read other people’s minds. The mind reading was hard and tiring, but Valiant had slowly built up his endurance as he practiced. He had even become so powerful that he could spread his consciousness out across a vast distance in order to hone in on and locate one particular mind while keeping his too elusive for others to glean. Using his telepathic skill, Valiant searched the city for Vector’s mind. When that failed, he rallied his concentration again and searched for the baron. Horror overcame him when he located the baron. *If my knowledge of the city schematics is correct, that means that the baron is outside the Queen’s chambers, either entering or leaving.* Now Valiant utilized another of the skills he had learned.

In truth, Valiant wasn’t very good with this skill. He had tried his hardest, but it never had turned out right. As Valiant closed his eyes, he summoned the ender energies running through him. Channeling the power of the souls within, he projected the ender energy outside of his body. Swirling it, he opened his eyes to the spectacle in front of him. *It’s so awesome!* The swirling portal of void energy allowed those who used it to go anywhere their minds could picture. It was more draining and difficult than teleporting, but it didn’t have the same limitations as teleporting, as you could only teleport so far and couldn’t teleport through solid objects. *Or water.* Valiant had tried, but he couldn’t teleport through water for some weird reason.

Valiant took a deep, calming breath as he strode towards the void portal in front of him. *It seems that, these days, I have to eat danger for breakfast, lunch, and dinner!* He snorted at his mind’s grim humor. *I really wish the menu would change to something more mild.* Once he went through the portal, he realized the mistake he had made. *Well, I did make it to the Queen’s chamber like I planned, but I didn’t plan to fall into the lava bath! I really need to get more control over where the portals lead.* Valiant was expecting that he would be deep fried then, but adrenaline gave him a hand, allowing him to clear his head and teleport to the other side of the room.

Valiant was surprised by what he saw. Abbigail was in full armor and facing off with three other Enderknights. However, things weren’t looking good for her. Determination was written on her face, but she was doubled over, clutching her stomach. *She’s injured!* The lights on her armor were flickering, which meant the wound had to be fatal. Abbigail and the other knights didn’t spare him a glance as they struggled with one another. In a move of shocking grace for one so wounded, the Ender Queen kicked the sword from one knight's hand before stabbing her opponent through the skull. The third Enderknight swung at her midsection, but Abbigail performed a backflip, landing with her back to the second Enderknight. With a backward stab, she finished off the opponent behind her. However, she wasn’t prepared for the last Enderknight who lunged at her. With a kick, Abbigail was knocked to the floor. Then, without any hesitation, the enemy Enderknight plunged his sword through her midriff.

Angry and fury pounded in Valiant’s ears as he watched helplessly. Rage overcame him as his vision turned red. The souls in his blade roared with him, filling the room with their shrieks or horror at seeing such innocence slain, howling in a cyclone of energy that struck out at the murderer. The last remaining Enderknight looked on with terror as he struggled to withstand the tempest of soul power radiating from Valiant. Calling all his power from within and aided by the souls of the fallen in his scythe, Valiant felt supernatural power course through his very being. In his hand a form of fire made of void material grew into a raging fireball, releasing an inferno of dark heat. With a scream of primitive hatred, Valiant sent the projectile at the last remaining Enderknight. The result was pure devastation as the fireball exploded with the force of ten charged creepers, vaporizing his unfortunate target.

Valiant’s anger soon faded and was replaced by a deep sorrow as tears began to flow from his eyes. Quickly, he ran to his sister’s side and bent down to his knees. She was barely alive, her light barely visible. “Sister, you can’t leave! I’ll get the medics, I’ll get somebody!” Her eyes seemed unable to focus, but she reached a shaking hand to his face. Valiant clutched the hand as his body trembled with fear. “Valiant,” She croaked, “There is no healing. You wouldn’t be able to fix this. After all, the only other End Crystals are controlled by Vector now. Didn’t you recognize these knights as his?” Valiant hadn’t noticed until Abbigail pointed it out. Fury once again bubbled underneath his sadness. I will kill you for this, Vector. The Queen coughed weakly before continuing to speak. “You would be unable to get me help in time. Vector is taking over, just like he planned.” Her voice became bitter. “I should have listened to you a long time ago. I didn’t want to see betrayal because of the trust I put into him. You alone saw what was coming and you tried to warn me. But like a fool, I refused to listen and now the throne has fallen.” Abbigail’s eyes focused for one second. “But I did prepare. Within the chest by my bed you will find the Ender Crown and the EnderBlade. It will only open for you now. You must stop Vector and succeed where I have failed. Make me proud, brother.” And with that, the lights on her armor went out.

Sobbs now racked Valiant’s body as reality sank into his mind. His mind clouded with grief, he collapsed fully to the ground, hugging his sister’s body as he cried. *It was the first time she called me brother, or spoke to me so warmly!* He sniffled. *And I failed her. It was my duty to keep her safe, and I couldn’t do it. Some Enderknight I am.* Valiant remembered how he had met his sister. When he had been young, he had always wondered who his mother was, but his father wouldn’t say. Until one day, when an Illager raid took out their village. Then, hoping to keep his son safe, he gave Valiant the papers stating who his relatives were. Valiant followed them through country after country for five years before he figured out what had become of his mother. When he found her, she had been dying. Valiant had stayed with her till the end, comforting her and keeping her safe. During that time, she revealed where Valiant’s sister was. After another year, Valiant finally got an audience with his sister, the Queen of the End. In the presence of her, Nina, and Vector, he had revealed who he was. To prove it to a doubtful Abbigail, he showed the papers his father had given him. Abbigail had accepted him, though reluctantly, and allowed him to become an Enderknight. Days later, he had attended his father’s funeral. *I’ve lost my mother, my father, my home, and now my sister! The only thing I had left!*

Valiant sat there in a stricken daze for hours, time passing him by without his knowledge. He was snapped out of his stupor when he heard footsteps and knew he had to leave. Valiant summoned the last skill in his arsenal. Inflicting levitation on the chest, he opened its lid and used his powers to levitate the contents to himself. Stashing them in his inventory, Valiant summoned a void portal, which deposited him face first into the floor of the courtyard. As Valiant picked himself up, he shook himself to get rid of the dust on him. *I really need to work on these landings. First it was the lava, now it was a snapshot with the ground.* Valiant was surprised to see that all the knights were gathering in front of the podium where the throne was. Scanning the crowd, Valiant found Nina and teleported to her. She jumped, startled, as he appeared by her side. Once she stopped having a heart attack, she punched him in the arm. “Don’t ever scare me like that again!” He laughed at her scowl, which only caused the scowl to deepen.

Before they could bicker more, Vector walked up to the End Throne and gazed across the audience. “We have assembled here under the greatest of tragedies. Our Queen has been slain.” Shock rippled across the mob, and many gasped. Vector’s expression turned to lament, something that made Valiant’s blood boil. *You traitor, how twisted are you, to be pretending to be sad about what you did! You're just faking all this!* Soon the crowd began to press towards the throne and became loud as they demanded explanations. Vector raised his hand for silence. “This has come unexpectedly to me as well. Just a few minutes ago, I was informed by Baron Toran about what happened. From what we can tell, Amcour went into the Queen’s chamber and killed her with the help of a few rogue knights.” Valiant had hoped more would speak up, and some did, but most nodded. *It’s because of all the shady things Amcour did for you, Vector! Well, that and the fact you’re so popular. No one would believe you did it, but they would believe that Amcour did.* Immediately, Amcour’s soul, which was one of many in the scythe, began to rage at this announcement until Valiant cut him off. Vector continued. “Because Queen Abbigail never did choose a successor for the throne, it has been decided by the barons that there shall be a vote. I and a few others will be the possibilities for the crown.”

Valiant listened to the speeches without paying attention. Other than Vector, the candidates were Lytie and Cronetak. Both of them wanted to stay neutral towards the squabbling Overworld kingdoms. When it came time, Valiant voted for Lytie, hoping against fate as he waited for the results. But it was in vain as Vector was too popular to lose the vote. When Vector was chosen, he sat on the throne and began his speech. Which, of course, was all about how the Enderknights needed to control the Overworld with an iron fist. Valiant didn’t listen to it much. At the end, Vector stood and demanded that all bow to him. This pushed Valiant over the edge. *No way am I going to bow! You, Vector, are not the rightful king!* Valiant quickly teleported out of the courtroom before Vector could see that he wasn’t bowing.

The next day, Valiant saddled up Vishy and together they flew to a nearby end island. Once they landed, Valiant swung down from this dragon and surveyed the area. *The nether virus is out of control! How is it going to be stopped?* The endstone that acted as the landmass all contained veins of red fungi in them, while the chorus fruit had turned a sickly yellow. In the distance, Valiant watched a few of the resident Endermen. All of them had bloodshot, crimson eyes. All across their torso, many of their veins had turned blue, a sign that they were beyond healing. *It's sad what the End has come to.* Valiant shook his head sadly. *The mighty Enderknights of legend, protectors of the Overworld, no longer able to protect themselves. Riddled with the strife and greed of the ordinary man.* As he waited for his client to come, he thought about the fireball the had summoned during the battle in the queen's chambers. He didn't understand how he did that, and had failed to do it again no matter how hard he tried afterwards. Valiant shook his head. *I'll figure out how I did that sometime later.* Turning his attention to his inventory, Valiant pulled the Ender Crown from his inventory and studied it. *Wait…What?!* Stunned, Valiant watched as the crown glowed purple in his hand. *Something it does only for the rightful ruler of the End! But it can’t mean me, I failed at being an Enderkight! How could I possibly be worthy of being king?!*

Before he could think over it more, an Ardoni stepped in front of him. He’d been so lost in thought he hadn’t noticed the new arrival. The Ardoni in front of him was from the Mendoris clan, with her light gray skin being checkered with lit runes. When Vector had finished his speech the other day, Valiant had been concerned. *If he brings war against even a part of the Overworld, the devastation will be unfathomable. Plus, the tyranny he is proposing is unthinkable and goes against our mandate to protect the Overworld!* Because of this, he had sent a messenger bird through the end portal and to a trusted friend from Ardonia.

“Hello, Akatie. I take it that, since you showed up, you want my news?” When she nodded, he began to tell what had happened, starting with the assassination. When he had finished, she shook her head sadly. “Any news on what this Vector person plans to do?” Valiant nodded. “Unfortunately, yes. He has made a deal with Cydonia. They have agreed to his terms in order to get the war with K’arthen finished. Ardonia needs to prepare. If we get involved, all of it will escalate into a full blown continental war. All of the kingdoms need to be ready to defend themselves.” Akatie nodded and patted his shoulder in sympathy. “I’m sorry.” Those two words were all she said, the softness in her voice making Valiant want to cry. “I hope that Vector doesn’t ruin the End.” As Akatie spoke, Valiant thought back to the glowing crown. *It only glows for the rightful ruler. But me? Who am I to deserve this? I’m not a great warrior,* Valiant thought bitterly. *I’m nobody.* But an old legend came to mind. He remembered what his Enderknight teacher had told him about the old kings. *The crown didn’t light for them because of their skills, instead it lit for those whose hearts were pure and that of a true leader.* Valiant thought about what his sister had said. *You are the only one who can stop him.* Valiant had fused his sister’s soul with his blade after she had died. Now, she whispered in his mind. *Yes, brother. This is why I left you the throne and not Vector. I could have told his men where the crown was. They wanted to know. But I knew who the throne was truly for. It had stopped lighting for me years earlier, and when I saw you master the ancient skills in your determination to protect me, I knew I had found the next Ender King. Your heart is the most pure I’ve ever known. Plus, you’re more powerful than you know. Who was it, after all, who relearned the ancient skills?* New confidence flowed through Valiant as he realized the truth. *I may not be the best fighter, but I am the best of heart. My father always told me I had a skill like no other, but I never had realized it was this.* Valiant let his grim determination show on his face. Akatie watched him with one brow raised. “Vector won’t get the throne, Akatie.” Valiant pulled out the glowing Ender Crown from his inventory and placed it on his head. “I won’t let him stay ruler for long. I will right his wrongs and put the End where it should be.” Putting the crown back in his inventory, Valiant got on Vishy’s back. The two of them launched into the air and began their journey home.

As they headed back towards the Capital City, Valiant made a silent vow. *I failed the End once, but I won’t do so again. I will stop Vector and fix this nightmare he has created. I’ll make you proud sister.* He could feel Abbigail's soul smile as it whispered back to him. *You already have, my valiant brother.* Valiant became overcome by gratitude and courage. If she believed he could do it, then he was ready. Just like his sister before him, he would undergo a trail of his own sort. As he looked across the vid, he couldn’t help but grin. *It's time to get to work. We’ve got a kingdom to fix!*

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