The Legend of Drake

By Say Yang

In the beginning, there was peace in the Kingdom of Gamore. Evil did not exist. Things like monsters, demons, ghouls, and goblins were mere fairy tales told as bedtime stories to keep children from causing trouble at night. Then, things changed. Vampires, werewolves, and demons roamed the earth freely and caused havoc.

According to prophecy, a child would be born under unusual circumstances and restore good to the land while seeking vengeance on evil ones, punishing them for what they had done. Rose is of royal descent, hidden for her own protection. She becomes a nun who gives birth to Drake. Tragically, she is later raped and murdered.

Alone in the world with no one to guide him except the darkness within, Drake seeks vengeance for his mother’s death. Unsure of his own abilities, he grows to become a powerful demon hunter. Finally finding love and romance along the way, Drake could stop to enjoy life as a family man, or will destiny drag him away to fulfill his prophesized duty?

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Sep 25, 2019
• ISBN: 9781532081811

Say Yang

Say Yang went to college for graphic design and visual communications and management. Growing up, he loved art, movies, and the stories his parents told. He won an award for outstanding achievement in “Artistic Discovery,” which resulted in his artwork being hung in the office of Congressman Bill Luther in 1997. He now lives in Minnesota with his family.

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1

The Beginning

"B ring his half-dead carcass over here! This is the scary demon hunter everyone is so frightened of? He doesn’t look scary to me. In fact, he looks like a pile of flesh that has been beaten and torn apart so badly you could hardly recognize what he actually is." The Alpha snarled.

Gripped by two large werewolves, the demon hunter’s beaten body was dragged to the Alpha and dropped at his feet. The Alpha took a moment to gaze at the man on the ground and began to laugh.

So this puny man has killed many of my werewolves and then dares to hunt me down. I am not afraid of you, little man. You have been searching a long time for me, and finally, here we are. You lay at my feet, and now you shall beg me for mercy before I crush you like the rodent scum you are.

The demon hunter lay motionless on the cold, hard floor in his own pool of blood. He then slowly opened his eyes and started to cough and chuckle.

With a dry throat, the demon hunter uttered, Your pups should have put me in chains before they brought me here.

Chains? You can’t even move from your position. I could easily end you with one stomp to your already-bleeding skull, crushing it like a grape, and you think I’m afraid of you without chains?

I’m going to kill all of you when I get up, but I will save you for last because I want to savor it.

You, an insect, dare to threaten me as you lay there choking in your own blood? In your condition, you could not even kill a fly, let alone touch me before I separated your head from your body.

The demon hunter replied, Is that a promise? He then closed his eyes to rest.

Pick that piece of human dung off my floor and stand him before me so I can see the fear in his eyes before I tear his heart out! yelled the Alpha.

The two werewolves each grabbed the demon hunter by an arm and lifted him off the floor so he was face-to-face with the Alpha. Dangling in midair, his head was facedown and resting on his chest.

Look at me, you damned human fool, and I promise to make it fast.

The demon hunter smirked and slowly lifted up his head with his eyes still closed.

Impatient and angry, the Alpha grabbed him by the hair and growled, Open your eyes, fool! So I can show you your heart when I rip it from your chest!

Certainly.

The demon hunter slowly opened his eyes, and to the surprise and horror of the Alpha, they gleamed bloodred like those of a vampire.

In the beginning, it wasn’t always like this. There was peace in the land of Gamore, and evil did not exist as we now know it. Everyone had a kindred spirit and was good to one another. It was a place where neighbors were friends, and in fact, everyone was considered family. There were no locks on doors, and people came and went as they pleased. Monsters, demons, ghosts, goblins, and anything that went creeping in the night were just fairy tales and were told as bedtime stories to keep children entertained at night. As time went by and the population grew, small towns became large, and with more people, conflict naturally arose among families and neighbors. People started to move in and out, and soon, neighbors became strangers.

During that time of great growth, people developed unquenchable holes in their hearts only to be filled with greed. They began lusting after the human flesh and everything their evil hearts desired. They stayed up past sundown and lived in the night. They lost all sense of time between day and night, and the sun and the moon soon became one to them. They started to crave wealth and power and anything that would make them feel dominance over their neighbors. This caused them to scheme and steal from one another until it got to the point that they were killing each other just to satisfy their desires and hide their evil deeds. Humans had turned into an evil race and started to practice witchcraft by offering sacrifices to demons in exchange for favors. They eventually started selling their own souls for money, power, and vengeance. They were such fools. Little did they know it was they themselves who had violated the laws of dark and light. It had been stated in the ancient scriptures that the humans shall rule the day and the demons shall rule the night, and that was how it was supposed to be. The humans crossed that line by inviting darkness into their once pure hearts and homes. They had turned themselves into the very same monsters they feared as children, and the fairy tales they’d once heard soon became more a reality with each passing day. Demons soon walked in the daylight disguised as humans and animals. They were no longer afraid of the daylight that had kept them away since the beginning of time.

In this dark time, there did rule a powerful king, and his name was Drake Verdoom. He was merciless and destroyed his enemies with such power and vengeance that they often fled upon sight. He would be away at war for years on end trying to keep his kingdom safe from his enemies. After vanquishing most of his enemies and restoring peace to his kingdom, he could finally return home. During this time of peace, his only joy and true love, the queen, gave birth to a beautiful baby girl they named Rose after his wife’s favorite flower. After a successful birth, the queen had unforeseen complications and soon passed away. Her death caused the king to go into a great depression and become ill. A week after the death of his wife, the king decided with a heavy heart he could no longer raise his daughter, and it would be in her best interest if she was sent away to live in a convent. For the baby’s own safety, this was done in secret. The only one outside who was made aware of the baby’s true identity was Mother Eve, a short, sixty-year-old woman with white hair who ran the monastery.

It was looked at as a sign of weakness if the king’s firstborn was a girl. Enemies would not recognize a girl as the next heir to the throne. With no heir to his throne and no queen by his side, his safety and reign was now in jeopardy. To protect his daughter’s safety, he had announced to his kingdom that both his queen and their child had died in labor, making sure to not reveal the baby’s gender so his enemies would assume it was a boy. Rose being the only blessing from his late wife, he wanted nothing more for her than to grow up and be safe. He had set aside money and land for her future, so when she was old enough, she would be well taken care of. This was all he could do other than love her from afar.

Twenty-one long years would pass since the time the king gave up Rose to the convent. Wars would come and go in the Kingdom of Gamore, and evil continued to show its head on many occasions. Even though demons were real, most people still chose to deny their existence so they could sleep well at night. Demons had become hired assassins, and witchcraft was used to curse their foes in secret. Since that time, the king had remarried a new queen that gave him six sons. The king had grown old, and the time had come to pass his kingdom on to one of his sons. He understood that the strong shall survive and the weak shall perish, so he choose his eldest son, Richard. He was the spitting image of his father. He was tall and muscular with broad shoulders and trained in war most of his life alongside his father. His shoulder-length hair was thick and black and matched his deep black eyes. He was a born leader, very strong-willed and very demanding. He had a way of getting things done, even if it wasn’t the most appealing. He had a dark side just like everyone else and often used evil as a source of power to gain fear over his friends and enemies. It was not wise to cross this dark prince because one way or another he always managed to get what he wanted. He loved and adored his father very much, but he loved having power even more. He knew that with each passing day his father grew older and weaker and the time would soon come when his father’s reign would end and his would begin.

Sadly, this happened on a beautiful summer day. The king passed away peacefully in his sleep. The whole kingdom mourned for their king, and in his honor the church bells would toll twelve times every hour for the whole day. Legend had it that a white ghost entered his room the night he passed away; some believes it was his late queen coming back to take her king home. With the king’s passing, it was time to crown a new king. Prince Richard’s time has come, and the house of Verdoom would continue under his rule.

Upon the king’s death, a secret package was sent to Mother Eve for Rose’s inheritance with everything the late king wanted to pass on to his daughter. Upon receiving the letter and instructions left by the late king, Mother Eve summoned Sister Rose to her office to speak with her privately. Rose was a beautiful girl with blue eyes and light brown hair. She was tall and slender with a quiet voice just like her mother.

What is it that you wish to speak to me about Mother Eve? Rose asked.

I have a package here for you, Sister Rose. It’s from your father.

My father? How can this be, for I thought I was an orphan abandoned on your doorstep when I was just a baby?

You were, Sister Rose, but hopefully there is something in this package that will help you find the answers you have always sought.

Mother Eve handed her the package, and she sat down and clutched it to her chest. She stared at the package for a few minutes before she opened it, and her heart started to race with feelings she tried to bury from long ago. Her hands suddenly started shaking, and her palms began sweating with excitement and fear. Not knowing what would be inside the package, Rose hoped there would be something that would finally give her answers to all her questions. With a deep breath, she took the package and opened it. Looking inside the package, she saw it contained a red envelope fastened shut with a wax seal that had the mark of a king’s ring. Reaching inside and taking it out, she saw the letter was addressed, To Rose Uh La Verdoom, my beautiful daughter, from your loving father. She covered her mouth in shock with one hand and began to cry, finally seeing her real full name for the first time.

Rose then opened the letter and read as follows:

To Rose Uh La Verdoom,

My beautiful daughter and the most precious thing in this world to me. If you are reading this letter, then I am no longer in this world and have passed on to the next with your beautiful mother. I am sure that you have many unanswered questions. Who you are, where you came from, and, of course, why we gave you away.

I am your father, King Drake Verdoom. Your mother was Queen Mary Uh La. You are Princess Rose Uh La Verdoom. You were named after your mother’s favorite flower, the red Rose. You are my only daughter and the only thing I have left in this world from your loving mother. Your mother passed away after giving birth to you, and for your own protection, you were given to Mother Eve to raise, so you can live a safe life outside of the walls of the kingdom. You were declared dead at birth so my enemies would not hunt you down or use you as leverage against me to gain control of my kingdom. I have left you with more gold, money, and land than you will ever need. I have set aside a private land of six hundred acres for you with cattle, horses, pigs, and chicken. There is a beautiful private cottage on this land with many rivers and streams, along with thirty faithful servants who have been taking care of it for you and have been awaiting your arrival.

I am deeply sorry that you had to grow up without your mother or I, but it was necessary for your survival. Do not tell anyone that you are of royal blood, or they will try to hunt you down for revenge, money, or personal gain. I am sorry I could not protect you more and do more for you, but please take these things I have given you and live your life to the fullest, my daughter.

Always and forever,

Your Loving Father

King Drake Verdoom

As she finished reading the letter, Rose wept at the loss of her father. A calmness came over her body because for the first time in her life she finally knew who she was. Even if she never knew her father or mother, the weight of always wondering who she was or where she came from haunted her no more. She was finally at peace, and she continued to sob in her chair as Mother Eve looked on.

Are you okay, my dear Sister Rose? Mother Eve asked, looking worried.

I’m okay, Mother Eve. Sometimes the truth can be so fulfilling, yet so sad, Rose replied, wiping away her tears. I will be leaving here shortly, Mother Eve. My father has given me a cottage with some land and money. Thank you for everything you have done for me. You have been a wonderful mother to me, and I shall miss you dearly. She looked up at Mother Eve with love.

My dear Sister Rose, you have been a wonderful daughter to me, and I’m sure you will be fine by yourself outside the monastery. You are always welcome back anytime, she said, smiling at Rose.

Thank you, Mother Eve. I shall go pack my belongings now and be out by the end of this week. Rose then got up and left Mother Eve’s office to go back to her room and pack.

The new king had many eyes and ears. News traveled back to King Richard that a secret package had been sent to the monastery soon after his father’s death. Knowing that this was not something normal, King Richard ordered his spies to find out what the package was and why it was sent there. Was it money? Was it a will? Was it something that could affect his reign? What was so special about this package that it was done with such secrecy? he thought to himself.

Later on that day one of his spies returned with some news.

My king, news has traveled back to me that the secret package is said to have contained information about your father’s first child, the spy said while bowing down on one knee and looking down.

My father’s first child died at birth along with his first wife. Everyone knows that, so what’s the secret?! he hollered, standing up from his throne in frustration.

It is just a rumor, my king, but it is said that the child survived. He looked down in fear.

Survived?! How could that be? And why would my father lie that his first child was dead?

It is unclear, my king. As I said, it was just a rumor. He now closed his eyes, hoping the king did not kill him.

I don’t want to hear about rumors! Rumors are what little girls do when they gossip! I want facts! Get me facts, or the only fact will be your head being detached from your body by nightfall!

Yes, my king. Understood. The messenger quickly got up from his knees and ran out before the king could say anything more.

Back at the convent, Rose had finally finished packing and decided to go into town for a few more supplies.

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2

Six Strange Men

L ater that evening there was a knocking at the monastery’s front door. A little old nun walked up to the door and opened it to see six dark figures in front of her.

Hello? May I help you gentlemen? the little nun asked, looking up at the dark figures.

Yes, we have come to speak with Mother Eve about a certain important life-and-death matter. May we please see her? the tall, dark man asked in his deep, calm voice.

It is getting late, gentlemen, and we do not usually get visitors at this time of night. Can it wait until tomorrow? the nun asked, a little irritated.

No, I’m afraid it cannot. It is of extreme importance and must be taken care of by tonight, the tall, dark man insisted.

If that is so, then please make it quick. Follow me. The nun invited them in and shut the door behind them.

The nun led them through the monastery and then down a long hallway that finally led to the door of Mother Eve. She knocked and spoke through the closed door. Mother Eve, I apologize for disturbing you at this hour. I know it is late, but you have visitors.

Visitors? At this hour? Mother Eve answered back in surprise.

Yes, Mother Eve. They said it was of grave importance and cannot wait until tomorrow, the nun replied.

Oh all right, you can send them in, Mother Eve replied from behind the wooden door of her office.

The intimidating group of men walked in and slowly spread themselves around the room. They were all in dark robes with hoods that hid their faces.

What can I help you with today? Mother Eve asked nervously from behind her desk.

We were told that you have information about the late king’s first child and that he may still be alive, the middle one said.

Everyone knows that the king’s first child died along with the queen in childbirth. Beyond that, I don’t know what you are talking about, but I’m going to have to ask you men to leave, as it is getting late. She then gently stood up from her desk as a gesture that they were done talking.

We are not leaving until we get answers, Mother Eve, the man replied in a calm, stern voice.

When Mother Eve refused to answer any more of their questions, the largest man grabbed her arm and tugged her toward him. He forced her to her knees and then let her go. She noticed that one of the men could not look at her with her cross around her neck, and his head was tilted down so it would seem as though he was looking at the ground. The largest man then grabbed her again with his enormous hand, and his long, dirty, clawlike fingernails pierced her skin when he tightened his grip. Suddenly, the large man took hold of the silver cross from around her neck and quickly threw it against the wall as if it were burning his hand so it was out of sight. Once her cross was removed from around her neck, the man who could not look at her gradually lifted his head, and his eyes glowed red as blood from inside his dark hood. His stare was so piercing that it brought chills to every bone in her body, and as he approached her, she froze in fear.

What … What are you? she asked with a frightful look on her face. Please don’t hurt me. I’ve done nothing to you, she begged while shaking in place.

Oh, but you have. You have kept your dirty little secrets from us and have not told us anything we wanted to know. He stared deep into her eyes.

Please just leave us in peace and go. I’m begging you, she pleaded as tears started to roll down her face.

Begging will not save you tonight, Mother, if you do not give us the answers we seek, he said as his voice grew a little angrier. As he spoke, his fangs began to creep out from his gums, and his skin started turning even more pale than before, making his face even more frightening to look at.

I told you. I do not know what you men are asking about. Oh, please just go, and God will have mercy on you all, she cried as she