The shrieks and shouts of pain could be heard across the valley as the heavens were set ablaze. The tiny village that acted as a crossroad across the lands of Minevour and Rameria was the current scenario of hell's new play. The smoke and flames danced with fervent joy as they threatened to consume it all. Buildings crumbled and sunk into the ground while their walls were covered in dry and wet blood alike. The massacre had been going for what felt like an eternity. Still, in the middle of all the dreadful sounds, the laughter of thirsting creatures broke the monotony of pain. Throughout the place, broken carcasses of humans laid all around; those whose heads still resembled one had an expression of pain and horror eternally engraved into them.
In the village centre, the church still stood, the last bastion and the final hope for all the people trapped inside. Women and children were on the floor. While the kids cried, the mothers held them with one hand and with the other, they held on to their holy items as they prayed for the evil to be vanquished. "Attack!" All around the church, the men that could still move had formed a barrier and whenever the creatures got too close, they used their farming tools, their only weapons, to push them back. They were the last line; they were all that's left, and if they fell, it was all over.
The creatures that charged them were something out of this world. It was impossible to get used to seeing them no matter how common their attacks had become. They were hideous incarnations of their worst nightmares, and while their shape resembled that of humans, there was nothing humane in them, not anymore. On the contrary, their malignant presence was enough to make people vomit while sending shivers down their bodies. One should be wary to not stare too long into their fiery eyes, for they will go mad. Their appearance is deceiving. While thin and paltry, one shouldn't let themselves be deceived, for if they get their hands on you, you will be ripped to shreds, and after some time, you will join their ranks as well. Bloodthirsty and vile, they indeed were demons.
As the cries of the males desperately trying to hold the line filled his ears, he couldn't take it anymore, and so, the young boy grabbed a lance from one of the fallen brave souls and stood up. But, as the kid ran towards the entrance to aid in the defence, he was caught by a nun.
"Klester!" The nun shouted the boy's name while he struggled to break free from her hold. "You can't go there; it's too dangerous!" The boy was scrawny and frail-looking. He was unable to break free from her grasp.
"I must help!" The boy shouted back. "I can fight! I can fight too!" The kid screamed back, but he was interrupted when he slapped across the face by the nun. He dropped the spear as he fell back, hitting the floor while rubbing his cheek with his hand. The teen looked up to see the stern face of the nun, her glare piercing his soul.
"You are not your grandfather!" The nun screamed. "You are not even your father! So stop trying to be something you can't be! You are not a warrior, so quit it! It's not your destiny!" The nun's outburst resonated all over the church.
Klester glared back at his guardian. "Then what is my destiny?!" He burst back. "Tell me!"
The nun stared down at Klester for a few seconds before she regained her composure. "For now, it seems like it will be that of the rest of us, killed in this village," The nun said in such a calm way that it sent shivers down Klester's spine. Then, the nun turned around to walk towards the altar.
"Are you just going to accept it?!" Klester called out the nun. "How can you?!"
The nun stopped walking and looked at him from the corner of her eyes. "Such is the fate that was bestowed upon us according to the ancient scriptures. There is no point in denying it. We may resist, but it's only delaying the inevitable," The nun looked back at the altar. "Still, it at least gives us time to make peace with ourselves. Come let's join the others in our prayers,"
Klester stared at the retreating nun with disdain. His teeth gritted so hard they almost broke, while his nails pierced through his skin, his hands were being clenched too tightly. "Why?" The child said softly to himself. "Why does it have to be this way?" His eyes started to rain. "Just why?!"
"Look!" One of the males outside the church shouted. "Help has arrived!" He cheered. This drove Klester out of his thoughts, causing him to run towards the church's entrance. There, from a distance, the gallop of a horse could be heard. The demons halted their attack and looked back, being drawn by the sound. "It's a knight!"
Klester widened his mouth as he saw a knight for the first time. The knight's golden armour reflected the light of the flames, making him seem like a golden beacon of hope. He drew out his sword, and he slew all the demons that were in his way from his horse. The ethereal entities screeched in pain as they were cut down. The monsters fell to the ground and disintegrated after a few seconds of twitching. The knight then took out a small flask from a bag he was carrying. He threw it at the demons that had gathered around the church. "Return to the twisted realm that spawned you, filth!" When the flask broke, it released blue dust that engulfed the area.
The screeching of demons was like music to the villagers' ears, who cheered as the devils disintegrated one by one from inside the dust. When the dust dispersed, the people saw the figure of the knight walking through the dust. When he stepped in front of the church, the villagers could see his shiny armour up close, which fascinated Klester. The insignia of the golden eagle was in the chest of the knight, the symbol of the Mindevourian Empire. The warrior removed his helmet, revealing golden hair and sky-blue eyes.
"Fear not, faithful!" The knight exclaimed. "Salvation has come!" The knight then raised his sword to the sky. "Praise the Lord!" The villagers erupted into cheers, and then they fell down to their knees to start praying.
"You fools!" An old man shouted from behind. "There is no salvation!" He burst.
"Mayor!" One of the peasants exclaimed. "What is such blasphemy?"
"It's written down in the scriptures!" The mayor exclaimed. "Our ancestors have been predicting it for centuries! This is our day of judgement! This is the day of our deaths! Such is our fate, and there is nothing anyone can do to change it!" The mayor raged out.
The ground shook as loud steps could be heard in the distance. Then across, the sky, a house was launched. It flew across the village until it landed near the church. The knight turned around and looked at three demons the size of a house; looking at them with their vile eyes, the fire that filled them were the flames of hell itself. The demons resembled giant bulls standing straight, and every time they walked, the earth trembled. They walked through the buildings of the village, destroying them as if they were paper.
"See?" The old mayor said in a calm voice, causing everyone to look at him. "There is no escape…." But then, the roar of one of those monsters drew everyone's attention back to the front.
The knight gritted his teeth and put on his helmet. "No demon will defeat a faithful in battle! To slay all monsters in this world, that is what I was born to do!" The knight charged towards one of the giant demons, and he threw another one of his flasks at it. When the demon was engulfed by the blue dust, he charged at the hellspawn and struck his sword towards it. The sound of metal shattering was heard, and the knight's sword was split in half. As he looked in astonishment at his sword, the dust that engulfed the creature dissipated. The knight stepped back with his horse as the demon looked down upon him, unharmed.
The demon rallied his arm back and then threw a punch at the knight, who blocked his shield, which shattered into pieces. Still, he was thrown around off his horse. He rolled through the ground until he landed near the church. The monster slowly walked towards the knight. The horse tried to run away, but it was grabbed by the devil before it could. The demon brought it to his mouth, and with a single bite, the horse's head was chopped off. It only took the creature a few more tidbits to completely eat the poor animal.
"No…" The knight said. "No! I don't want to go like this! Not like this!" The knight began to crawl his way towards the church. "Please help me! Someone help me! God! Please!" As the knight crawled, the demon walked towards him. The monster stepped on the knight's legs, preventing him from going away. The knight screamed as his legs were broken. "No! No!" The demon leaned in and grabbed the knight by his torso and began to pull him up while it was still stepping on his legs. The sound of vertebrae snapping and ribs breaking horrified the onlookers who were frozen in place. "Help! Please! I don't want to die!"
The mayor chuckled lightly from the back. "I told you…." The demon began to pull harder. "This is our fate…." The knight was split in half as the devil finally separated the torso from the legs. The knight fell into unconsciousness immediately, so he was unaware when the demon decapitated him with his teeth.
When the demon finalized the body's consumption, it turned towards the villagers, blood dripping from its mouth and walked towards them. Some fell to their knees while many tried to run away. But before the demon could reach them, an enormous sword passed through the monster's head from behind, splitting it in two. The sword that was much bigger than the average man landed in the steps of the village, impaling itself on the ground. The demon fell to the ground as it disintegrated.
The villagers looked at the front, and by the burnt village entrance, they saw a man standing with his left arm extended. The man, no the giant, was wearing pitch-black armour, and it looked like he had claws for hands. His cape was moving along the wind, and while his face couldn't be distinguished, a single hateful eye that seemingly glowed red could be spotted. The man retracted his arm, and then with his other hand, he pulled out another giant, almost equal to him in size, from his back.
The sword was seemingly glowing with small flames around it, and when it was drawn, an intense light blinded the villagers for a split second. They then heard the screeching of demons as they started to disintegrate; the mere presence of the man had vanished all low-level monsters from the village. And now, it was time for the devils to meet their own devil…