General Jack's Rebirth

God of war

You are such a waste, Ryker."

The words cracked across the marble hall like a whip. King George rose from his obsidian throne, every inch of him radiating the fury of a deity long forgotten by mercy. The torches trembled from the pressure of his aura. The God of War disguised in mortal flesh, now letting fragments of divinity leak through.

Ryker knelt on the cold floor, arms trembling, chin bleeding from the blow he'd already taken. He tried to lift his head, but the weight of the king's wrath pressed him down like a hand to a dying flame.

"Jack wasn't supposed to know you have any connection with me," the king spat. "He should have died ignorant, blind, and useless."

Ryker swallowed hard. "My king... I don't know how he learned anything about me or you, I swear it." Ryker bowed his head, his eyes etched with regrets. "I'll correct everything; just give me one more chance."

Another blow cut him short; blood splattered across the glossy floor, dark and thick. King George stepped closer, shadows pulsing at his heels.

"My daughter is married to him. I refuse to let her suffer because of your stupidity; if not, I'll bring the whole place down on you all." His voice was low yet serious, his eyes red with rage.

Ryker's stomach twisted. "Lady Elena wasn't helpful, my king; she stood by General Jack, defending him at all costs." Ryker swallowed slowly while trying every chance to wave the God of War's anger from him. "Hadn't she helped the course, General Jack's would've been an easy pussy."

King George stepped forward, drew a knife from his commandant, and struck him with precision by his shoulder; blood escaped to the floor like a loose tap.

"Ahg!" He screamed in pain; he wishes his torture would end any time soon, but he's dealing with the God of War himself.

"I think General Jack awoke from the past!" Ryker's words sank to his brain.

The kingdom whispered many things about the royal family, but this... This was forbidden knowledge, knowledge that should have been locked behind divine walls.

He opened his mouth to speak but froze because he saw him approaching him with the knife stained with his own blood, then he stopped. "What did you just say?"

Ryker's words couldn't come out again; he fidgeted, his heart nearly popped out of his chest. "I believe General Jack had a rebirth and..." His words were cut short.

"Father!" A soft gel voice echoed from behind.

At the end of the hall, partially hidden behind the giant stone pillar, was Princess Aravis, the king's second child, pale, trembling, eyes red as if she had been crying for hours. She shouldn't have been here. She shouldn't have heard any of this, especially not the order that followed.

King George snapped his hand. "Donnie."

From the far right side of the hall, the king's commandant stepped out of the shadows. Donnie was silent, a cold executioner who never needed more than a nod to deliver death.

"Sort him out," the king said, voice low as a death knell. "Make sure he does not live to see sunlight."

"No, wait, my king, listen! There's something you don't know! "Something, Jack," Donnie's foot slammed into his chest, knocking air from his lungs.

The commandant didn't drag prisoners, and he didn't bind them. He simply escorted them to their graves.

But Princess Aravis moved. "Father, stop!" She shouted, and both the King and Donnie froze.

Ryker's eyes widened in shock, his feet wet from fear. "Death!" He whispered to himself, "After all the things I've done for him, death is all I deserve."

Aravis never stopped walking; she wasn't just coming closer, she was shaking, desperate. King George turned slowly.

"You should not be here." "God of War," he said, and held her by the arm.

Aravis raised her chin, tears glistering. "You can't kill him; he didn't betray you, he..." She stammered to utter a word at that moment. "He was protecting you."

Aravis was born with a facial disability that made part of her face black and the other light in complexion; she had faced so many rejections from men. King George had wanted her to get married to General Jack instead of Elena, her elder sister.

"Silence," the king warned, his voice deep in rage. "You know nothing about him. Do you even think he loves you?"

She didn't step backward; instead, she stepped between Ryker and Donnie. Donnie's expression broke for the first time, a flicker of uncertainty.

Ryker's heart pounded so hard, his face was fixed with sorrow, and he waved in the little way he could.

Why? Yes, why is she protecting him?

"Father," Aravis whispered, "Ryker isn't the threat; someone else is leaking information, someone inside this castle."

A whisper rippled through the torches, a windless flicker.

King George narrowed his eyes. "And you know who?"

Aravis hesitated too long; the king's voice dropped to a dangerous, chilling murmur. She's being careful of what to utter; she knows the man King George is. Playing with his emotions is a very risky and dangerous game.

"My daughter, be very careful with your next words."

She opened her lips, and a massive BOOM shook the entire castle; stone dust rained from the ceiling. The floor cracked, and the torches blew out, plunging the hall into half darkness.

Donnie drew his blade instantly. Ryker crawled backward; the king's eyes glowed with divine fire from the shattered stained glass window above. A hooded shadow dropped into the hall, fast and not belonging to any soldier of the kingdom.

And a voice, distorted and echoing, whispered, "King George, she lies to you." Aravis gasped, and Ryker froze; he wasn't expecting such a stunt from her.

Donnie shifted into a killing stance, the shadow pointed straight at Aravis, "Your daughter is the real traitor." The king's expression twisted with rage, shock, and betrayal all at once.

"Explain yourself," he thundered, but the intruder didn't answer; instead, they tossed something onto the floor—a severed hand, a woman's hand. Wearing the signet ring of the king's personal oracle,

Ryker stared in horror; after a few minutes, he finally found an escape route, and Aravis is the key. His mind was at peace at that moment.

"Who could've thought the scar-faced princess could help me out?" Ryker whispered to himself.

Many will question what they have in common. Why does he refer to her like that? Why's Aravis assisting him in this course? Is there any cordial relationship between the two? Many questions remained unanswered at that spot.

Donnie charged towards the shadow, but the intruder vanished in a whirl of dark smoke. King George turned, staring at the severed hand, jaw tight, breath shaking with fury. When he finally spoke, the hall froze solid.

"Aravis! Leave." King George uttered, his voice low yet audible to her ears, "Aravis, I want you to leave right now." He commanded.

"Father, no... No, please." She said,

"Now!" King George signaled to Donnie, who immediately faced Ryker and snapped for the other two lieutenants to follow him.

Ryker pushed himself upright, voice cracking. "Your majesty, please pardon your humble servant; I love your daughter!" Ryker dropped the bombshell, but I was too late.

"Move him now; I've gotten tired of seeing his face."

Without hesitation Donnie drew him closer with his blade pressed on his neck; he tried to free himself from their grip, but it wasn't successful. Aravis thought of everything she could do to save him; nothing seemed to come up for a few seconds, and when all hope seemed lost, she spoke aloud.

"I AM PREGNANT FOR HIM!"