A damaged blade scrapes across a worn landscape, a tattered cape trailing behind it, the sound of clashing armor echoes along with the scraping of the blade. "Keep...going…”, a solitary voice echoes in the silence, youthful yet rough and weary. The clinking of armor fills the air once more as a knight falls to his knees, remaining silent in utter darkness. He is unaware of his location, unfamiliar with the realm he sits upon. The air is cold and stagnant, with only his muted coughs providing him company. His gauntlets rise to press against what remains of his helm, now just merely shattered steel. He lifts it and tosses it aside, watching it roll and roll until it falls into the void beneath him. He begins to cough repeatedly and tries to stand, only to collapse again. He looks to his side and sees blood—too much blood. He wobbles his head as he hears a loud crash nearby, and there, he finally sees it, the creature that had been chasing him relentlessly since his arrival. It had no true shape, merely a dark silhouette with piercing white eyes and a pearl floating where its heart should be. Its size was enormous, growing even larger as it spread its wings across the dark sky. It spoke in a harsh tone, “Son of the Emerald betrayers!" Its voice pierced the ears of the disheveled knight, who quickly covered them as the unnatural formation beneath him shifted and turned. “I have found you once more, and I will find you forevermore. Halt and succumb to your wounds! Grant me the privilege of witnessing the life of a green thief being extinguished before me!" The knight swayed his head, his patience wearing thin. "I don’t know what you’re talking about! Let me leave this realm!” The creature’s white eyes shifted upward, and a loud droning sound began to emanate from it, followed by the blaring of a horn. It was laughing... The knight once again covered his ears as his eyes became bloodshot, the blood on his side oozing more profusely. “SILENCE! I—SHUT UP!" the knight shouted at the creature, which glared back at him. “You’re right, silence is needed...if you refuse to fall before me, then I will simply force you to do so." The creature flapped its dark wings across the sky and latched onto his shoulders, applying immense pressure, it stared at the knight while lifting him off the ground. "As you bleed! I will ensure your final thoughts are nothing but pure darkness! You will witness the endless realm that our lord was condemned to see! Your death will not be quick, and peace will never find you! Emerald thief!" The knight swayed back and forth, attempting to jam his broken blade into the creature's leg, but it passed right through. He looked over as he was slowly being pulled toward the edge of the landmass. Thinking quickly, he shot his gauntlet upward, grabbing the pearl located on the beast's chest. The creature writhed and screamed as the pearl cracked under the pressure, and the knight shouted back, "I’ve had enough of you! Return to your vile lord! Tell him you have failed, beast!" Lightning crackled softly as he crushed the pearl, screams reverberated through the realm as dark powder gently settled on the bloodied knight, who now had begun falling…He quickly turned around, grasped the nearest edge, and pulled himself up with a groan. He crawled back onto solid ground and sat motionless, staring at his bloodied and darkened gauntlets. The moment was abruptly interrupted as two eyes emerged from the shadows, followed by another pair, and then another, and yet another. He jolted up, taking his chipped blade, turning his head to every set of eyes that watched him intently, and began breathing heavily as he adjusted his posture and grip. He spoke with nothing but pure hatred, “You pathetic fools are surrounding a Lion…I hope you know this.”