On the South-west, far away from the territory of the Artidus Empire.
The lands forsaken by the light.
It was daytime. Yet, the dark mist loomed around the thousand square kilometer land like death around a mortal.
The darkness was stubborn and crept around every edge of the land, and even the sunlight could not penetrate through kilometers of thick mist. Only darkness grew there, layer by layer, forming a thick blanket on the barren land.
Even the rain fell in ashes there. Darkfall they called it. The race which was baptized by the dark element for centuries. Their veins ran hot with dark blood, showing perfect amalgam with the most destructive and berserk known element in the Siara Continent.
They looked similar to humans. The only peculiar feature was their green eyes without any pupils, which could cut through the darkness. Moreover, their skin was very pale which did not touch light their entire life.
They were called Umbras.
Umbras were strange creatures. They liked to live in caves with only darkness to accompany them. Since the Dark Land did not grow edible fruits, they only survived while hunting the demonic beast around the vicinity.
Across the narrow mountain far from their stronghold, thousands of Umbras were gathered. Despite the huge numbers, there was desolate silence that echoed in the entire surroundings.
The wind buffeted strongly, threatening to unroot the thousand of years old standing trees. It added unusual gloominess to the already eerie atmosphere.
The thousands of silhouettes did not even budge under the heavy winds, and their legs were tightly pinned to the ground. Each and every one of them seemed to have merged with the darkness.
The myriads of green eyes shone brightly under the thick dark mist. All of their gazes were locked above the mountain, and their hands were clenched tightly in a strong grip.
There was a head hung on the wooden bar which was staring at the sky with a nostalgic expression. It seemed to be reminiscing about some beautiful memories, and if one looked closely, there was a trace of guilt along the lines of old wrinkles.
It had the same green eyes as theirs-green as an emerald gem. However, they were darker and had lost the former brightness. There was no fear in his face, just a bitter nostalgia and regret.
Those long dark strands of hair cascaded down below his sliced neck, giving him a sinister look.
Despite that, no one found it disgusting or terrible. They all had a look of respect and trepidation when they looked at the bodiless head. Beneath that, there was a terrible anger like a raging storm.
Suddenly, they felt a firm footstep reverberate beneath their feet. The source was definitely far away, however, the ground started trembling, and the currents coursed through their bodies, making their scalp tingle.
It was as if a meteor had fallen not far away from them. The footsteps seemed to be getting closer and closer, compelling everyone to look up at the obscure east.
Growl!
A roar filled with immense pain thundered throughout the surroundings. The sound waves were so powerful that even from kilometers away, a storm of dark mist rushed towards them at a horrifying speed.
The mist which hovered around them like a stubborn child was pushed away for a fleeting second.
Everyone raised their hands to cover their eyes from the ashes that flew along the storm.
When they opened it once again, they were thoroughly shocked.
A gigantic shadow stood in the midst of the storm. It had eight sharp pincers-like legs which seemed to have been made of metal. They constantly wriggled in protest and pain, as if the creature was suffering from a hellish torture.
It was a hundred meter tall spider-like creature. A Grade 6 beast which was called as one of the most dangerous beasts in the entire Dark Land.
Even its blood was corrupted with a lethal poison which had corroding properties. A mortal would be degraded in seconds upon contact with it.
Not only that, it could control the dark element within hundreds of meters of radius. The web secreted by it could even restrict a Great Mage, and suffocate any mage below that level to death.
With its strong demonic core, and almost infinite amount of mana supply, its level of control on the dark element was strong. There were many skills in its arsenal which could prove to be catastrophic in a battle.
However, it lay on the shoulders of a small silhouette with no ability to set itself free. The silhouette was minuscule compared to the majestic spider.
The footsteps continued, strong and effortless.
The mist finally gave way to reveal two pale and giant feet, which were burrowed deep beneath the ground due to the weight they carried. A huge sickle hung around his waist, drunk with blood and souls.
The man was muscular and shredded despite being huge. Every inch of his body was filled with power. The dark mist swirled around him as if it was waiting for his order to fly out and ravage the world.
He had the same green eyes but a shade darker, hiding extreme aggression and dominance. There were even weird tattoos all over his chest and legs which seemed almost alive. Countless gems like cores were instilled in his necklace, and his bracelet. Every core was dark in color, and seemed to have a huge mana reserve.
They were definitely not some ordinary beast cores.
The knees which refused to bend for any man in the world, mortal or immortal, bent and lost their pride in front of their Umbra King.
Thousands of Umbras knelt there without caring about the incoming storm. For they knew, the dark would never harm them.
Moreover, their king was there. They were already under the shelter of his Dark Domain. Nothing could move there without his will.
No one spoke. They just kept their heads down and continued to kneel.
Umbra King did not even glance at them, and continued to carry the huge body. Step by Step, he appeared closer, revealing the face of a middle-aged man with a strong and sharp jawline.
The imposing power of the Grade 6 beast was almost suffocating now that it stood not far away from them. But, he effortlessly threw it down the ground.
The earth trembled and gave way to a pit beneath the gigantic beast. The dark chains around it firmly suppressed its revolt.
Umbra King swept a glance at the huge crowd, and ruthlessness flashed past his eyes. "Stand up."
Everyone stood up at the sound of his command.
He slowly clenched his hands around the sickle, and unbind it from his waist. "Hear me, the children of darkness, our old chief was killed by the humans with another one of their treacherous plots. However, he fought for the honor of Umbras till his last breath. He never lowered his head in front of the humans."
The sickle around his hands shone with a dark light as if something warm was burning inside of it. He slowly raised it above his head. "Even his face never showed fear under the horror of death. Since the Song of Darkness has been sung, we shall no longer hide in the shadows. Humans treat all of us as evil beasts. They attack the moment they see one of us."
The dark mist around him became more and more chaotic as he spoke. The sickle trembled strongly as if it was being rocked by a flood.
Its sharp edge flared dark, giving an illusion that anything under the blade would be sliced to fragments.
"Let this day haunt us like a nightmare, for we shall take the darkest revenge. Feel the pain degrading you second by second. This pain must not be forgotten. This grudge must stain our soul, and it shall stay with us till we not bleed every Aeron to the last drop. Until we do not destroy them to the last of existence."
With that, the sickle fell like a death decree, followed by a loud roar that shook the entire mountain.
The momentum of the sickle did not slow down as it sliced through the thick defense of the demonic beast. The tsunami of green blood poured out of its neck, rushing along below the mountains.
Everything in its way was corroded to the core. Even the stones were not spared. The strong smell of corrosion overwhelmed the mountain range.
Seeing the poisonous blood coming their way, the Umbras did not even budge, and stood still.
Soon, the river of blood became a small stream till it reached them. It brushed past, squirming and screeching around their naked feet. However, no one even let out a whimper of cry, and stood there while their feet made terrifying sounds of burning flesh.
The weak ones were trembling from the pain of poison corroding their bones, and started singing to divide their attention.
Thousands of people sang in unison, and their voices held hate, pain, and many other emotions.
"When the darkness undresses around the sky,
It rains despair,
Naked and cold;
It slips through every corner,
Like a tide came undone,
There's only destruction that follows,
And ruins that stay."
As if hearing their calls, the ashes started falling in the sky, trying to comfort their pained soul.
At that moment, a sweet immature voice cut through the murky silence, giving another life to the already dead song.
"So let the darkfall,
Let it drown us,
Brink to the strands
Of our soul,
Till it shrieks of purity,
And reeks of bloody light."
The one who sang was a thin girl who looked no more than ten year old. She was trembling from the extreme pain, and the bones were already visible in her feet.
There were tears in her emerald eyes. However, they were not for the infinite pain radiating from her feet, instead they fell for the lonely head up above the mountain.
"Farewell Grandpa. I will wreck the world of those who did this to you."