Rain
I hope this rain will soon stop
Because every raindrop always reminds me of sadness
The coldness of longing
The wetness of tears
The warmth of someone
Perhaps the rain has stopped
But, the rain in the young man's heart
Still continues
***
Saint Village, a small settlement located in a rural area, far from the bustling and modern city center. This village usually has a peaceful and calm atmosphere, with traditional wooden houses lined up neatly along the narrow streets.
The village is surrounded by fertile fields and small plantations managed by the locals. Around the village, there are also dense forests and a calm-flowing river, giving a refreshing natural and green impression for its inhabitants.
The villagers consist of diverse races and social groups. Some of them are farmers, fishermen, carpenters, blacksmiths, and small traders who sell goods such as vegetables, fruits, fabrics, and household equipment. There are also some priests who are responsible for maintaining the balance of nature and providing spiritual advice to the villagers.
In the middle of the village, there is a square used for various social activities such as folk festivals and weekly markets. The square is surrounded by several small shops and cafes, which become gathering places for villagers to chat and play.
Although this village is located far from the big city, there are some modern technologies used by its inhabitants, such as oil lamps and sewing machines. However, these technologies do not change the peaceful and calm atmosphere of the village, which is still well maintained by its residents.
***
The Prosperous Era, Aquae, 14th Ignitia, 1412.
The wind blows strongly, the water flows calmly, and the leaves fly floatingly.
A grandmother and her granddaughter, Yuna, went to the river to wash clothes. When they arrived there, Yuna saw a young man lying on the riverbank. "Grandma, look at that!" she exclaimed, pointing towards the young man.
The grandmother quickly approached the young man. His body was submerged in water, and his breath was very weak. The grandmother and Yuna immediately pulled the young man onto a large rock on the riverbank and tried to wake him up. However, the young man remained unconscious.
The grandmother felt very worried. She didn't know who the young man was or what had happened to him. She decided to bring him home and take care of him.
***
At the grandmother's house.
The young man slowly opened his eyes. The sight that he saw was a wooden roof and an old lantern hanging right in the middle of it.
The young man was none other than Kamishiro Zen, who was still alive after jumping off the cliff, and somehow he managed to survive after doing so.
And sitting next to Kamishiro was his granddaughter, Yuna. She was a 16-year-old girl with long, fragrant and smooth black hair.
"Are you okay?" Yuna asked, seeing that Kamishiro had regained consciousness.
"Am I... still alive?" Kamishiro asked.
"Yes, you're still alive," came Yuna's quick reply.
Kamishiro slowly began to rise from his bed, although he still felt an incredible amount of pain in his body.
"W-Wait, you still need to rest," said Yuna, stopping Kamishiro.
"Let me go! If not, you'll regret it!"
"What do you mean?"
"I can't say. All I know is that I'm being hunted."
"Hunted? By whom?"
"That's none of your business! I thank you for saving me, but I can't involve you."
Suddenly, the grandmother entered the room and said, "Don't worry, this village is on the outskirts of the Herbertus kingdom, so no one will chase you this far."
"Not just there, they're everywhere."
"They? Everywhere? Are you being chased by non-human entities?"
"Yes, this may sound unbelievable, but I am always chased by demon forces."
"Why are you being chased by demons?" asked the Grandmother.
Kamishiro shook his head and replied, "I don't know."
"Can you tell me about it?"
"Yes..."
Kamishiro began to recount all the experiences he had gone through, starting from when he woke up in an unfamiliar place. There, he found a pocket watch that might be a clue to his true identity.
After that, he was chased by demons and then rescued by Sherlly and her mother in the wilderness. And not long after, the village where Sherlly and her mother lived was immediately attacked by demons.
He couldn't do anything and could only run to the forest. After he was cornered, he decided to jump off a cliff and ended up in this place.
The grandmother and Yuna felt sorry for Kamishiro. He had gone through a lot and couldn't ask for help from anyone.
"So, because you have lost your memory, you don't know why the demons are after you?" the grandmother asked.
"Yes..." Kamishiro quickly replied.
"And the only clue you have is the pocket watch you found where you woke up?"
Kamishiro just nodded and answered with a sour face, "Yes, and it may not even be related to me."
"Well, then you can rest easy in this place," said the grandmother, calming Kamishiro.
"What?!" Kamishiro was surprised to hear the grandmother say that so casually.
"Did the demons that attacked you burn up in sunlight?" asked the grandmother.
"Yes, even when they attacked the village, they only attacked at night."
"Well, then you can rest easy in this village. This village has a protector from a saint in ancient times."
"Saint? Protector?" Kamishiro was a little confused by the grandmother's words.
"I will tell you a story from the past. A story about a hero and his companions who defeated the Demon King. In ancient times, the world was still united. There were no continents or countries. At that time, the demons still ruled this world."
The grandmother spoke seriously and continued her story.
"But, not long after, a human rose up and began to be called the savior. The savior began to gather people who had great fighting abilities to fight against the demons. However, the savior and his companions could not defeat their leader, the Demon King. So, finally the savior created a barrier that separated the world and divided it into two."
The Grandmother took a deep breath and continued,
"After the hero and his comrades fought against the demons, they began to separate and walk their own paths. And one of them was the saint who came and provided protection in this village."
"But, why are the demons still in this world? Didn't the hero already divide the world into two parts?" Kamishiro asked.
"Yes, the demons are no longer in this world, they have been sealed in the demon world. But that doesn't mean the demons lost their power. The creature that is chasing you may be a corpse controlled by a demon," replied the grandmother.
"A corpse? What do you mean?" Kamishiro asked confused.
"So, as the grandma has told you, the demons are in the demon world. But the demons have the power to possess other creatures' bodies or the corpses of monsters in this world," answered the grandma.
"So, even if we kill their bodies in this world, they won't really die?" Kamishiro asked.
"Yes, because their real bodies are in the demon world, while the bodies in this world are just living corpses (undead), in other words, the bodies in this world are just puppets controlled by demons from the demon world. So, it's impossible to kill them from here, unless you have a certain power that can kill demons completely," replied the grandma.
"That's it, huh. But does the protector in this village really work?"
"Ah, when it comes to that, you can relax. The barrier in this village can easily burn the demons."
"Burn them?"
"Yes, basically the body controlled by the demons is the same as the undead. In other words, it is the same as Undead. Meanwhile, the great Saint created a barrier in this village using holy magic. So, the demons are not a big problem for this village," explained the grandmother.
"Yes, I believe your words, but I still can't calm down just like that."
"Wait a minute."
The grandmother then left the room where Kamishiro was staying. After a while, the grandmother returned carrying a ring with a red gem in the middle like a ruby.
"Then, use this." said the grandmother as she handed the ring to Kamishiro.
"What is this?"
"This is a ring created from the tears of a saint."
"Tears of a saint?" asked Kamishiro.
"The gem in the middle of this ring is created from the tears of a saint that have holy power to kill demons. This ring is also an inheritance given to our family from the Great Saint." answered the grandmother.
"In that case, I can't accept this. It's better for you to keep this precious item."
"It's okay, besides we don't need it because this village is already protected by the saint's barrier. And if you marry my granddaughter, you will also become a part of this family."
"W-Wait! What did you say, Grandma?" Yuna asked her grandmother with a blushing face.
Kamishiro, who saw it, could only be silent and feel embarrassed.
"Hahaha, Grandma was just kidding. Just so you know, even though Grandma is old, I can still joke around, hahaha. Ahh, but if you really want to, Grandma doesn't mind," said the grandmother.
"Grandma, that's enough joking!"
"Well then, I will gladly accept this."
***
At night, at the village security post.
There was a man who was on guard duty at the security post. He got his turn to guard tonight.
The man looked around the area, and when he directed his gaze towards the forest, he saw a light. He squinted his eyes to clarify his vision.
And he was very surprised to see that the light he saw was actually coming from a demon wolf whose entire body was glowing like fire. Not only the demon wolf, but other demons also came in groups like a parade.
And at the back of the demons' formation, there were two giant blue-skinned demons standing about ten meters tall. Each of them was holding a huge mace in their hands.
The horde of demons was walking towards the village. The security guard immediately ran to inform the other villagers.
"The demons are attacking! They're heading this way!"
The villagers who heard this rushed out of their respective homes and gathered in the middle of the village.
The village chief came and asked the security guard, "How many demons are coming here?"
"About seventy of them, sir!" the guard replied.
The villagers started to panic a little. They had never experienced anything like this before. Because so far, no demons had ever attacked the village in such large numbers.
"Everyone please calm down! This village has a protector created by the great Saint. So, the demons will not be able to enter this village," said the village chief, trying to calm his people.
The villagers began to feel a little more at ease after hearing the village chief's words.
"How about we prepare for the worst-case scenario and go to the main gate?" suggested the village chief.
"But what about the children?" asked one of the women.
"Then, the women and the elderly will stay here to look after the children, and the men and young men will go to the main gate," said the village chief.
"Zen, are you going to join us?" Yuna asked.
"Yes, they came here to target me. So, at least I will help fight them," Kamishiro replied.
"Zen, what happened to your hand?" Yuna asked, noticing Kamishiro's right hand wrapped in bandages.
"Ah, it's okay. My hand got injured when I was using a knife. In that case, I'll go with the others," Kamishiro replied.
"Okay, be careful," Yuna said.
But as Kamishiro was about to leave, Yuna suddenly stopped him.
"W-Wait, Zen!"
Kamishiro turned around and looked at Yuna, who had a flushed face.
"Make sure... you come back, okay?"
"Don't worry, I won't do anything reckless."
"O-Okay then, be safe, Zen."
"I'm going now."
Not long after, the adult men and young men in the village walked towards the main gate. They were equipped with various weapons such as garden forks, torches, axes, and swords.
Then, Kamishiro stood in the back row without holding any weapons, because he already had a ring given by the old woman.
The total number of men and young men from the village was only around forty people including Kamishiro, while the number of demons was around seventy. Judging by the number, it was clear that the villagers would lose.
Meanwhile, the demons had arrived at the entrance gate of the village. However, they just stood there and couldn't enter the village.
The demons who tried to enter immediately turned into ashes and disappeared in the wind when attempting to enter the village.
"Hahaha, look at them! They turn into ash like burned corpses!" exclaimed one of the adult men.
But suddenly, a figure appeared, an demon whose whole body was only skeletal remains. The demon was wearing a black robe while holding a black orb with a purple aura in its right hand.
"T-That's... a Necromancer!" shouted another man.
"[Corrosion]."
With just one word, the barrier that protected the village suddenly faded away.
"This is not possible!" shouted another man.
The demons immediately rushed into the village in droves. Meanwhile, the villagers ran away in fear, pushing and tripping each other. They were only thinking about their own safety.
Some people remained motionless, either because they had given up or were too frightened to move.
"Arrgghh! Help me!"
"N-No!"
However, no matter how fast they ran, they were still chased by the demons. They could only scream in pain and cry for help. But, who could they turn to for help?
Their bodies were trampled, torn apart, and crushed like an insect. Body parts scattered, the screams of the villagers echoed, and the atmosphere in the village turned into horror in an instant.
It was a scene of total slaughter, the demons continued to kill, kill, and kill. The village area immediately turned into a sea of blood.
The demon horde that attacked the village had successfully defeated the villagers. They had mercilessly slaughtered the villagers. The village that was once lively and full of life had now turned into silence.
In the middle of the village, there were many scattered corpses of the villagers everywhere. Fresh and dirty blood soaked the ground, emitting a pungent smell. The horde of demons still roamed around the village. They shouted and laughed, celebrating their victory.
Some of them enjoyed the bodies of the villagers they had killed, eating their hearts, livers, and other internal organs.
The horrifying atmosphere became even more eerie when one demon approached the body of a mother still embracing her baby. With a hoarse and melodious voice, he began to sing a soul-stirring song that stirred the souls of the other demons.
As he sang, he began to chop up the bodies of the mother and baby. The other demons did not stop to watch the show. They also tried to show their own creativity in slaughtering the villagers.
Some demons began to slice human bodies into small pieces, while others crushed the corpses with their hands.
Meanwhile, outside the village, Kamishiro just stood still while grinning and saying, "Deja vu..., in the end, everything went as it was predetermined from the beginning..."