It was late in the night, and dark clouds covered the half-moon that could have given of its little light
"Where is it?!" berated a man in a dark cloak at the little girl that stood quivering before him. She was scared, she was afraid, and had no idea what to do. Her heart beat wildly against her ribcage, threatening to jump out anytime. She held something to tightly her tiny chest, gripping it strongly. I can't let them have it. She thought. Tears streaked down her face slowly, but it was unseen in the dark alley she stood in. she shifted her foot uncomfortably, and the sand, and grit that had made its way between her left foot, and torn sandal made her wince. She had her hands, and feet scraped from running away, and her red dress was torn. The wind blew through the alley, the cold seeping into her bare arms, and legs. He gave it to me. They want it. I can't-.
"he-lp" the words escaped her mouth before she even knew it.
"What was that?!"The man shouted at her again, and the men behind him shifted forward a little. The voice, sounding in her ears put more fear in her, making her unable to even lift her head.
"Look at me when I'm talking to you, or I'll slap the hell out of you! Where is it!" he gripped her shoulder strongly with one hand, and held her hair, yanking her head up with brute force to face him.
"I don't know!" she screamed, sobbing.
"Now that's not the way to answer now is it?" He shouted at her again lighting flashed, as if on cue, revealing an image that caused her heart to skip a beat. She saw the face of the man threatening her. He was bald and had thick brows. His right eye was replaced by a green, diagonal scar that passed through part of his brow, and gave the impression of rotting skin. His left eye had a green pupil, which looked rather ugly, and was deep-set. More scars covered his face, and his nose looked squashed. He had a bushy beard, and mustache, within which she saw his mouth, dirty and disgusting. His yellow, sharp teeth frightened her more. Her silence didn't anger him as much as her eyes that darted around his face, noting the flaws in his appearance. He frowned more, and when she said nothing, he gave her a loud slap which threw her onto the ground. Her vision was obscured as she scuffled on the floor, and her face burned with immense pain from the slap. "Crying already?" The man sneered.
"I was just getting started. Now tell me something I want to hear before I turn that pretty face of yours into a bloody mess." He moved in great strides, and grabbed her arm, pulling her to her feet. She staggered slightly on wobbly feet, more energy drained from her. He tightened his grip on her frail arm, his fingernails digging into her skin, and causing her more pain, blood seeping out of her skin. She screamed at him, and her breath came out in gasps as she clawed at him, which amused him.
"This is your last chance. Tell me where it is before-"
"LEAVE HER ALONE!" a shout from behind made him stop his advances. He grinned.
"And our guest arrives just in time. That fool "The man said, irritated. He turned to the source, and with his better vision, saw a little boy, about the same age as the girl standing at the end of the alley
"Get away from here, kid. None of your stupid guards are here to keep you safe…"He said to the boy but secretly gave a signal to one of his men. The boy stood there, still unmoving, but unbeknownst to him, someone had made a move on his life. Before he could even move, a figure landed before him. It was a man in a black cloak, black boots, and a sword raised, about to be brought down to end his life. Lightning flashed brightly, followed by a loud rumble of thunder in the darkness. As the thunder subsided, a clang echoed in the alley. The sword of the man fell, and he dropped down with a thump as well, motionless.
"What?' the girl looked up fearfully as she heard the questioning word from her torturer. She saw him with his back to her, frozen in place, and seeming to be focused on something. She looked beyond, but couldn't see anything in the darkness.
"This can't be happening," he said
All she could make out was the faint silhouette of a small figure in the distance, and she wasn't even sure of what she saw, for her vision was obscured due to the throbbing in her head, and drained strength. She wasn't sure why, but looking at the lone figure standing there, something within her heart was stirred, but she didn't get it. Just when she thought her emotions were gnawing at her too much and making her see things, lightning flashed again, dancing dangerously in the air, and her eyes widened in disbelief.
He had dark, flowing hair, and a delicate little face that was pale, paler than his naturally pale skin. His hands had blood dripping from them, and his lips were parted, as he took in long breaths. His red garment had black splotches at the lower part, and his torso had turned pitch black and seemed to release some wisps of black smoke that swirled around him. But what moved the girl's heart was his face when lightning flashed again, "It's him," she thought He had his jaw clenched tightly, and tears flowed silently down his face, dropping like precious beads. He looked straight at her, clenching his bloodied hands, and screamed something, but his words, screams, or whatever he tried to make out were swallowed by the loud rumbling thunder that shook the earth. The man also shouted back, but she couldn't hear him as well. Her heart was racing wildly, and she didn't know how to react. Her emotions were in turmoil. Blood pumped loudly in her ears, and she could hear nothing.
Before she knew it, a number of the men started running towards the boy. Their dark cloaks fluttered as they dashed, but their black boots touched the ground silently. They treaded so silently that it was hard to know their positions in the darkness. The boy just looked forward, his face expressionless, and his purple eyes devoid of emotion.
"Let's see if you'll make it out alive. You may be a prince in this kingdom, but death is not one thing you can control. Hahaha, you're quite dumb for a prince. Coming out here like that, you-"the man was elated initially, but his words got stuck in his throat, and his eyes were wide with disbelief when he saw the boy disappear. A piercing scream that chilled their bones suddenly broke the silence within the darkness. Unlike the girl, all the men could see well in the darkness, and what they saw made their blood run cold. The boy disappeared so suddenly and reappeared behind one of them. His frail-looking, pale little arm pierced the man's heart from behind. The scream they heard earlier came from that man. Blood gushed out of him, and he fell to his knees, the pain unbearable.
He's not dead, the others thought with renewed fear.
Suddenly, dark tendrils came out of his wound behind, causing him much more pain. He screamed in pain, his eyes, almost bulging out with blood coming out of his seven orifices. The numerous tendrils that were as thick as his arm started to wind around him. They spread out quickly all over him from behind, covering him his screaming only stopped when it finally covered his head. All was silent. The tendrils squeezed him and converged into a ball of snaking tendrils around the little boy's arm. The ball dispersed, leaving only a few tendrils around his arm that waved around in the air violently.
A puddle of blood was all that remained of the man. The boy looked at the men around him expressionlessly as if he'd not just turned someone into a puddle of blood
"I-it's a demon!" one of the men shouted as they all subconsciously stepped back. Their leader grit his teeth
"what are you all doing?! Scared of a little boy? If any of you dares to retreat, I'll kill you myself in the worst possible way."He spat at them. They were now in a dilemma. Moving forward, they'd be killed by the hellish demon, whichever pit he crawled out of, and going back, their boss will take their lives. They had no other option but to swallow their fears and put their pride before themselves. Rather die by the enemy, than disappoint their organization. They drew their swords, and concentrated their powers on speed, ready to face the boy. He had his head lowered, tendrils flailing in the air. Just when no one was watching, one of the men leaped into the air, his sword, aimed at the boy. The boy looked calm, unmoving, but then, he raised his head to face the oncoming attack.