An uneasy feeling loomed over the people of Rebirth. It had been a month's time since anyone had last seen the King outside of the castle and most were afraid he may have passed on. The Order of Rebirth, a circle of knights that had vowed to protect the kingdom, was among the few who ever saw the King these days. But none of them had been allowed to see him for the past few days. The head knight of the Order of Rebirth could only assume the worst and ran off riding on his horse the first chance he got. The sun had barely set over in the distance, he knew he still had time to make things better!
The head knight had managed to make it west of the kingdom, reaching the great forest that surrounded the kingdom and protected it from the outside world. Not many dared to live outside the kingdom, let alone venture far out into the forest. Although his horse walked at it's own pace, the head knight did not stop venturing out along one of the few paths he knew to exist. If he was right, he would find the cause that had started all of this trouble they tried so hard to bury. If he could get his hands on it, he would certainly find a cure. All seemed to be going well until his horse stopped moving and refused to go any further.
Dismounting from his horse, the head knight looked forward to try to see clearly what had stopped the horse from advancing. But all he could see were trees. Moving forward a few steps, he is stopped when a bright light emerges on one of the trees nearby and transforms itself into the shape of a young man. When the light was gone, the head knight could get a clear look at the boy and his unusual white hair. The boy had a creepy look within his eyes, holding an intimidating smile that showed no signs of changing anytime soon. Anyone else may have become intimidating by the boy, but the head knight did not back down.
"Welcome, Sir Brian." The boy spoke to him, causing the head knight to take a step back from the boy.
"What sorcery do you possess?" The head knight responds. "I have no time for tricks. I must move on to save my Kingdom from a tragic fate." The boy gives a chuckle before speaking.
"Yes, I know why you have come here. But I must tell you to not go any further." The boy points to the knight's horse. "Ride back home and send everyone north. Do not worry about His Majesty, you must protect those you still can." The head knight looks back to his horse before turning back to the white haired boy with a sharp glare.
"I know where I am going, and I will not endanger everyone by moving them out of home!" The head knight could not hold back his emotions. What the boy spoke to him was utter madness! "I do not care what warnings you have to give. I don't believe in stories! I know the risks of coming here alone, and should it take my life to save my King's, so be it!" The white haired boy stared at the knight before slowly shrugging.
"You have a wife and child to think about. You have an entire kingdom to consider over one man's life. You already know what has infected him, did you really think he would survive for long?" The boy stepped closer to the knight. "Going any further is futile. You cannot go south, east or west. It must be north! North is the only path to safety from what is to come! What has happened already will be an omen compared to that which is coming!"
"ENOUGH!" The head knight pushed the boy back and resumed along the path. "I will not be swayed by any trickery you possess! BEGONE! Do not disturb me again!" As the head knight continud to move forward, the white haired boy could only shake his head before quickly fading away. The knight soon discovered what he had come here to get. The corpse laid upon the ground in a hideous fashion, it's cracked and very white skin quickly gave off the signs of the disease's presence.
The head knight slowly walked over to the corpse and knelt down by it, observing it for just a few minutes before reaching down to grab hold of it. He stops as he is about to touch it when he sees the body begin to shake. The head knight quickly gets back up to his feet as he observes the shaking body to see if anything would happen. But the shaking quickly stops and the knight does not notice anything else occuring from the body. The knight makes his way back over to the body and observes it for a moment before reaching down and taking hold of the head.
A sharp pain emits from the knight's right side, his body having been pierced by two sickly looking spikes that had extended from the body. His instincts kicking in, the head knight draws out his sword and stabs the blade down into the decaying chest! A symbol shines brightly on the blade as the mouth of the corpse opens up and lets out a hallowing screech of pain. The knight did not relent, keeping a tight hold with both hands as the corpse's hands rise up and grab hold of the blade! Smoke quickly emits off the hands as the corpse violently shakes and moves about on the spot before ultimately becoming dust. Though his prize was lost, the knight intended to go home and force himself to see the truth with his own two eyes.
Though he shed no blood, he could feel the pain growing throughout his body as he forced himself to walk back towards his horse. His sword now barely held in his left hand, he kept his right hand over the unnerving sight now growing on his body as he could see his vision begin to waver. When he begins to approach the horse, it suddenly whines out and turns around, fleeing from him without a moment's thought! He stops moving while watching the horse flee along the back path home, knowing somewhere deep down that he should of seen this coming. His hand becomes too weak to keep a hold of his sword and soon, it falls to the ground. His body collapses shortly after this, he could feel the change already taking hold as his mind began to lose focus.
His entire life flashed before his eyes with all of the good and the bad he had done washing over him. The truth of everything he had done hit him all at once with no way for him to react to it. His home, his family, his friends. He had abandoned them all and now he was paying the price for his stupidity. As his sight began to leave him, his last thoughts finally spoke the truth he never could admit to himself. The King is dead.