"Kill the witch and her Demon Spawn!"
"Throw her in the river!"
"Let the holy light purge her presence from this realm!"
Running through the tall wheat fields in the dark, Lilith could almost feel the heat radiating off the torches of the angry mob chasing her. Stumbling as another contraction made her vision swim with pain, Lilith gritted her teeth as she placed a hand on her swollen stomach.
Somehow Lilith managed not to trip in her hasty flight, and her hopes soared as the endless wheat field stopped just before the forest's edge that stretched infinitely in both directions. A flicker of hope ignited in Lilith's mind as she held nothing back, pumping her legs, knowing she would be safe if she could just make it to the forest. Breaking out of the wheat field in a sprint, Lilith smiled, knowing she would make it.
"Aevac Xul!"
A wall of blinding white light erupted from the ground blocking Lilith's way and forcing her to come to a grinding halt. Staring at the barrier of holy magic, a pit formed in Lilith's stomach as she spun around to face the mob, their faces contorted with righteous anger and fury.
With torches blazing and pitchforks gleaming as their sharp points reflected the light, it would have already been a terrifying visage. But as the mob split, letting a figure garbed in resplendent white armor gilded with gold accents step forward, Lilith's blood threatened to boil over with rage.
"Darius!" Lilith spat the word like a curse, glaring at the holy knight who stalked forward menacingly.
"Hello, sister," Darius said with a warm smile, but his stark blue eyes were cold, and his perfectly white teeth seemed to grind against each other to form carnivorous fangs.
Stopping a few feet away from Lilith, Darius' smile slipped off his face, "I have spent some time tracking you down, you know. But at long last, I've found you."
Opening her mouth to speak, Lilith's words came out in a gasp of pain as she was almost brought to her knees, 'Please just a bit longer, my son.'
Snarling at her, Darius stalked forward as his hand drifted up to the leather grip sticking out over his shoulder, "Look what has become of you, Lilith. You were always a cursed child, but now the spawn of a demon festers in your womb, waiting to be unleashed on the world."
With the sound of metal scraping against hardened leather, Darius unsheathed his greatsword, which glowed faintly with the innate magic the blade had been forged with.
"While you may not believe me, I am sorry, Lilith," Darius whispered softly as he lowered his sword to point directly at Lilith's stomach, "But as a Paladin of Tyr, I can not allow such a being to freely walk in the mortal realm."
B O O M ! !
Without any further warning, Darius launched himself at Lilith, leaving a creator in the ground as dust shot up into the air and gale-force winds buffeted the surrounding wheat.
Reacting just as fast, however, Lilith thrust out her hand as she spat out a string of guttural words in an unknown language.
'Prota Ul Spūtra!'
A dome of bright purple energy sprung into existence around Lilith, but still, Darius didn't stop as he leaped into the air. The sword in his hand began to glow a blinding white light as Darius slashed at the air sending out an arc of energy with each strike.
B O O M ! !
B O O M ! !
B O O M ! !
The earth shook as each project struck Lilith's dome with the force of a point-blank cannon blast. But still, the magical structure held firm, giving Lilith enough time to complete one last spell.
Reaching into her pocket, Lilith pulled out an ornate silver dagger nearly a foot in length. Holding the blade with both hands Lilith flipped the dagger around so the point was aimed at her heart. Then without a pause, Lilith drove the blade into her flesh.
"NO!!!" Darius screamed as he held up his hand to the sky and pulled on every mote of magic around him.
"ZULFAR ZU LUX !"
Looking up, Lilith stared at the giant javelin of light forming in her brother's hand, and a sad smile spread across her lips, "Farewell, Dar."
"SANGUINE Locus DE NOSTROTUM!"
Blood erupted from the wound in Lilith's chest flowing through the air in scarlet rivers as it surrounded her body obscuring her from view. Cocking back his arm Darius let out a scream filled with fury as he hurled the javelin of light down at the earth.
B O O M ! !
The air exploded as a shockwave ripped through the surrounding area, scattering the very few remaining members of the mob who hadn't fled already. Flapping his wings to stay aloft Darius waited for the dust to clear his heart pounding in his chest with anticipation.
When the sky cleared Darius stared down at the empty crater with no sign of his sister in sight. Stifling the sea of anger that threatened to flood his mind Darius floated to the ground on his golden wings.
Walking over to where his sister was supposed to be laying in death's embrace Darius let out a long exhausted sigh, "Where have you gone now, dear sister?"
—
Looking out through lidded eyes Lilith ignored the frost spreading through her body as she stumbled through the forest. Parts of her skin turned a dark purple with stark white veins standing out, a sign that her efforts to expend her life were quickly taking their toll.
Still, in a feat of extraordinary strength and willpower, Lilith walked on dead feet for the next hour until the trees surrounding her gave way to a clearing dominated by an enormous tree with a circular door built into the base.
As Lilith shambled through the soft green grass surrounding the tree the door opened and two figures stepped out. The first was of a giant stature nearly seven feet tall with tawny brown hair braided in long dreads, and a muscular frame. Standing in the shadow of the first, a petite figure with a bewitching face raised their hands that glowed with a deep verdant magic.
"Who goes there?" The tall man bellowed his voice brassy and deep, shaking the air with its power.
Stepping forward into the light spilling out from the tree, Lilith smiled up at the pair with her blood-stained lips, "Hello, Kerran, Yulan. Forgive me for showing up uninvited, but I am in dire need of your help."
Trying to take another step forward, Lilith's legs faltered, but before she could hit the floor, a slab of earth rose up from the ground that sprouted a blanket of bright green moss. Falling onto the bed, Lilith rolled onto her back to stare up at the dark sky above, shining with countless stars.
"Lilith, what did you do?" Yulan asked, her voice shaking as she stared at the miasma corrupting Lilith's body.
"We need to get you to a healer!" Kerran exclaimed as he reached out to pick up Lilith's barely conscious form.
Reaching out, Lilith stopped Kerran by placing a hand on his chest, "It's too late for me, my body is already dead, and the magic keeping my soul in this realm is mere minutes away from dispelling itself."
Kerran's large eyes watered as Lilith's hand fell limply off his chest, "T-then how have you made it this far?"
Smiling sadly, Lilith's hand reached down and placed both hands on her stomach, "For the future, for the life I carry within my dying body."
"Lilith?!" Yulan gasped in horror, noticing the visible swell of her stomach, "Even a level ten adventure would die if they were exposed to this much necrotic miasma. How could you expect an unborn child to survive."
"Because he is my son, and he carries his father's essence," Lilith responded sternly as a bit of strength returned to her voice, "I don't have enough time to go into further detail, but I did it! What we set out to accomplish all those years ago!"
Terran and Yulan shared a shocked look as Lilith's words struck them like a physical blow, "You mean.."
Terran's words trailed off as Lilith nodded emphatically, "I made contact with the other side, and now the key to opening the gates is ready to emerge into this world."
Yulan reached out and placed a gentle hand on Lilith's stomach, "What is his name?"
Looking back up at the stars, a tear escaped from the corner of Lilith's eye and streaked down her cheek, "His name is Fenrir, Fenrir Grayblood."
Lilith's face contorted in pain as her hands balled into fists on her stomach, "He comes!"
Moving Terran out of the way, Yulan lifted up Lilith's dress as she screamed, "He's already crowning one more push, Lilith! You can do this!"
What Terran and Yulan didn't know was that Lilith wasn't screaming from giving birth. Her body had stopped feeling anything several hours ago. The pain Lilith was feeling came from something far worse.
It should have been impossible for Lilith to remain in the realm of the living for this long, but her desire to lay eyes on her newborn son defied all logic and reason.
"WAAAAAAH, WAAAAAAH!"
In an instant, Lilith's pain faded as she heard the vulnerable cry of a newborn babe. Reaching out with both hands, Lilith's heart fluttered as she watched Yulan place Fenrir in her arms.
Embracing her son Lilith pressed him against her bosom as his cries began to still, "My dear Fenrir, life has taken me away from you far too soon. But never forget I watch your every step from beyond the veil."
With those last words, Lilith's soul finally found peace, and it slipped from the grasp of the mortal plane and passed on to the great beyond. Still embraced within his mother's dying grasp, Fenrir began to cry into the night under the countless stars.
Watching the scene with a heavy heart, Yulan moved to take Fenrir from his mother's cold embrace. But before she could lay hands on the child, Lilith's body began to glow with a sickly purple aura as the milky white fog began to pour from her skin.
"NOOOO!" Yulan screamed as the miasma poured onto the ground making the vibrant green grass wither away to dust instantly. But before the miasma could spread further, Fenrir let out an unearthly howl, and the fog, like water down a drain, funneled into his open mouth.
Not even the concentrated miasma radiating from Lilith's body was spared as it was ripped from her skin by whatever innate magic Fenrir had cast. But still, the miasma was vile magic in its purest form, and as Fenrir absorbed the creeping fog, the few wispy strands of hair on his hair slowly turned a stark white.
In a matter of a few seconds, every shred of magic in the area had been consumed by Fenrir, who closed his mouth and proceeded to fall asleep. Terran and Yulan both stared in a mix of horror and shock, wondering how the child had devoured pure death essence