Shu
Antlers
wintersoldier
Mixtape Ghost N
TrippyNightmare
Charley
Marik
Shoopuf
Lime
Archazen
It’s the same nightmare every night.
The impressions change but the thread is woven the same.
A castle in ruin. A bloodied blade in my hand.
A kingdom on fire. A knight lost to time.
SHINING KNIGHT: FRAGMENT I
PIETY 1.2
The air is cold enough that he can see his breath coagulating in the frigid wind. Puffs of pale white issue from his mouth with each exhale. He’s faced more merciless winters but those are with the assistance of hearths the size of hallways. He has nothing except the warmth of his own blood as his arms circle around his torso in a deathly grip. It’s only an hour before the shelter opens back up and already, his skin is numb and his fingers feel like thick boiled leather.
Justin sighs and looks up from under the shadow of the Thames to his fellow companions. Flanagan was busy stroking the back of one of his rats. The rodent was arching its spine with every affectionate poke that his friend gave. Another one was taking a long drag of his pipe, fiddling with the end to stuff more tobacco in . The rest were in various states of languid napping and restless sightseeing, awaiting the moment for when the homeless shelter would open their gates and let them in.
A soft bark rang out to the air and Justin turned his head to see a dog imp towards him. One of his paws is hung up, twitching, as he moves on his three legs. His long, matted fur glistens with damp rain as a trail of water drips behind his wagging tail. Justin tries to ignore it until he feels the brush of a wet nose against his arms.
“Go away,” Justin murmurs in annoyance, pushing away the dog’s jaw. The dog whined in complaint before continuing to prod him incessantly as if it had mistook him for its master. Justin stood up, his shadow looming over the mutt. “ I said, go away - “
“ I will not, ser knight,” The dog said.
Justin stumbled onto the ground in shock, his back landing onto the slick concrete hard. The absurdity of seeing a talking dog overwhelmed any sense of pain that he had to a dull ache in the back of his mind. The dog was no longer limping and it had seemed to grow three sizes in full. Its eyes glowed with sinister green hues and the fur seemed to writhe in the shadows as if it was a second living skin.
“ I charge thee upon the laws of the Pentecost.” The dog spoke again in a commanding tone. “ You have forgotten your oaths. Finish it or risk damnation, ser. ”
Breathing fast, Justin narrowed his eyes and summoned the strength to look at the dog’s eyes. Damned Gurt dogs. He thought them all extinct and domesticated by the Age of the Gunpowder. Justin snorted before shrugging his shoulders and looking away from the supernatural creature who could rip his throat out in an instance.
“ No.”
“ That was not an offer - “
“ And so?” Justin’s head whipped back as he spat out his next words sarcastically. “ Do you see any court here? Any king to arbitrate my punishment if I don’t abide? There is no oath to honor in this age. They are dead and so will you and I, foul spirit. Go back to the netherrealms from whence your master dwells and tell him to go fuck himself.”
The Gurt hound tilted its head down, considering Justin’s words, before speaking once more.
“ Perhaps what you say is true, but what matters is that your knightley oaths remain unfulfilled.”
“ What if I choose not to obey them?”
“ Then, -” The dog paused for effect. “ you invite a punishment on your soul of your own will.”
“ What would you have me do?,” Justin replied, the ebbing tide of the Thames echoing off the underside of the bridge.
“ Start by listening more carefully, ser knight, and the path will be made clear.”
The Gurt hound then walked into the shadows and melded with it, sinking into the darkness until its shape was no longer visible. The sound of rabid howling was left in its wake, haunting Justin’s memory until he would return back to the shelter.
The impressions change but the thread is woven the same.
A castle in ruin. A bloodied blade in my hand.
A kingdom on fire. A knight lost to time.
SHINING KNIGHT: FRAGMENT I
PIETY 1.2
The air is cold enough that he can see his breath coagulating in the frigid wind. Puffs of pale white issue from his mouth with each exhale. He’s faced more merciless winters but those are with the assistance of hearths the size of hallways. He has nothing except the warmth of his own blood as his arms circle around his torso in a deathly grip. It’s only an hour before the shelter opens back up and already, his skin is numb and his fingers feel like thick boiled leather.
Justin sighs and looks up from under the shadow of the Thames to his fellow companions. Flanagan was busy stroking the back of one of his rats. The rodent was arching its spine with every affectionate poke that his friend gave. Another one was taking a long drag of his pipe, fiddling with the end to stuff more tobacco in . The rest were in various states of languid napping and restless sightseeing, awaiting the moment for when the homeless shelter would open their gates and let them in.
A soft bark rang out to the air and Justin turned his head to see a dog imp towards him. One of his paws is hung up, twitching, as he moves on his three legs. His long, matted fur glistens with damp rain as a trail of water drips behind his wagging tail. Justin tries to ignore it until he feels the brush of a wet nose against his arms.
“Go away,” Justin murmurs in annoyance, pushing away the dog’s jaw. The dog whined in complaint before continuing to prod him incessantly as if it had mistook him for its master. Justin stood up, his shadow looming over the mutt. “ I said, go away - “
“ I will not, ser knight,” The dog said.
Justin stumbled onto the ground in shock, his back landing onto the slick concrete hard. The absurdity of seeing a talking dog overwhelmed any sense of pain that he had to a dull ache in the back of his mind. The dog was no longer limping and it had seemed to grow three sizes in full. Its eyes glowed with sinister green hues and the fur seemed to writhe in the shadows as if it was a second living skin.
“ I charge thee upon the laws of the Pentecost.” The dog spoke again in a commanding tone. “ You have forgotten your oaths. Finish it or risk damnation, ser. ”
Breathing fast, Justin narrowed his eyes and summoned the strength to look at the dog’s eyes. Damned Gurt dogs. He thought them all extinct and domesticated by the Age of the Gunpowder. Justin snorted before shrugging his shoulders and looking away from the supernatural creature who could rip his throat out in an instance.
“ No.”
“ That was not an offer - “
“ And so?” Justin’s head whipped back as he spat out his next words sarcastically. “ Do you see any court here? Any king to arbitrate my punishment if I don’t abide? There is no oath to honor in this age. They are dead and so will you and I, foul spirit. Go back to the netherrealms from whence your master dwells and tell him to go fuck himself.”
The Gurt hound tilted its head down, considering Justin’s words, before speaking once more.
“ Perhaps what you say is true, but what matters is that your knightley oaths remain unfulfilled.”
“ What if I choose not to obey them?”
“ Then, -” The dog paused for effect. “ you invite a punishment on your soul of your own will.”
“ What would you have me do?,” Justin replied, the ebbing tide of the Thames echoing off the underside of the bridge.
“ Start by listening more carefully, ser knight, and the path will be made clear.”
The Gurt hound then walked into the shadows and melded with it, sinking into the darkness until its shape was no longer visible. The sound of rabid howling was left in its wake, haunting Justin’s memory until he would return back to the shelter.
