*THUD* *CRASH*
I crashed in the grassy lawn. My mind was blank and for the next couple of minutes. All I knew was how even a shockwave of the kick activated the magical shield engraved into my robes. Then my thoughts went to Mia.
The little girl…
The shock of seeing her burning in the black flames and being kicked brought me back to my senses. It was like something forcefully yanked my soul back into my body.
I struggled to get up and took a look around.
"GOD… HELP ME…"
"SAVE ME… ARGH….AHHH…"
All I could see was pained screams of people running around while being bathed in black flames. The ones that are most eyecatching were the Knights of the Duke Anta. They were supposed to be the finest of the Duchy.
They were supposed to be the guards of the Estate and even the final defense.
I watched as their aquatic blue armors made of Aqua Steel, one of the most rarest alloy metals created in history melt off of their bodies while their flesh burned and fell off along with it. They ran around trying to tear off their own skin to get those black flames off of them.
*SWOOSH*
One of them ran towards me and I hurriedly cast a mana barrier around me.
*BAM* *BAM* *BAM*
The Knight pounded on the barrier as he looked at me in the eyes. I could literally see the black flames burn his eyelids and slowly creep into his eyeballs and covered his pupils and the pounding soon stopped as his body lifelessly fell on the barrier.
The flesh was burned off and in the next two minutes, he was nothing but a brittle skeleton that still carried the embers of those black flames.
I finally stood up and took deep breaths. The lawn was on fire, the tables were overturned, the guests were panicking trying to leave through the front gate.
However, the horse that accompanied the man in black was standing there and to my shock, it was breathing the same black flames making the guests panic and run around.
I finally gathered my thoughts and started chanting a spell.
A magic circle appeared on my palm.
"Ice Spirit of Simurgh, I Beseech Thee.
Descend up on this world from your sacred space
Grant me thy strength with your Frozen Grace.
Summoning, Ice Spirit of Simurgh."
The magic circle expanded in an instant and it turned from natural pale blue color of mana to the Icy blue. The center of the magic circle took the shape of a Simurgh. A mythical ancient spirit and from within emerged the spirit.
A huge bird with expansive wings, head that had a slight canine visage, neck of a peacock and the body of an eagle. All of its body covered with vibrant icy blue feathers.
*ROAR*
The spirit roared and shot an frost beam into the sky.
*BOOM*
The frost beam exploded and rained down snow on the estate's law. The black flames that were running rampant all over started getting down. The Black horse looked at this and I could have sworn that the horse was a bit irritated with the icy snow falling on it.
The people that were running around finally calmed down.
"Simurgh, deal with that beast."
I commanded and I started looking around for Noah. However, he was nowhere to be seen and up on asking someone, they mentioned that he went inside, so I followed.
Meanwhile, the Simurgh spread waved its wings diverting an icy wind to the black horse that just shook of the snow.
The Black horse looked irritated and breathed out black flames shooting them out at the spirit. And the Ancient spirit replied in kind as it shot out a frost beam.
The last thing I saw before I went was both the beam of black flames and beam of blue ice clashing with each other and making it rain.
I walked into the building and I was greeted by a cloud of smoke and the smell of burning flesh. I thought I was out only for two minutes and if I was, I don't know how this much destruction was possible in such a short time.
*SWOOSH*
In that smoke, I sensed something flying towards me and I hurriedly erected my mana barrier.
*BAM*
A burning body hit the barrier. The barrier broke, however the body was stopped. The smoke cleared a bit and I watched in horror as Noah, the Young master of the Anta Duchy lay there lifeless as he bled from his eyes, nose and ears.
"NOAH"
A soul curdling cry of sorrow and grief came from a woman who came running towards the dead young master. She looked plump and full of vitality, courtesy to the baby bump she was carrying.
"NOAH… NOAH… NO…."
She wept in grief as she held her husband's (Noah's) body, her black hair updo turned into a messy bird's nest.
I stood rooted on the spot, not knowing what to do. For a second, I was afraid to step forward and see what was hidden behind that cloud of smoke.
*Growl*
A menacing growl brought me back to life and I saw a huge wolf coming forward. It has a black mane that's darker than the darkest night and those eyes were bluer than the polar ice.
It carried a majesty that I only witnessed on the proud kings. It walked slowly, step by step as if it owned the place and the lives within. The wolf stopped at the dead body and the wife who was frozen in shock.
It started sniffing the wife as if trying to confirm something, the genuine confusion was apparent.
I gulped as fear gripped my heart, I gritted my teeth and was about to chant a spell, but the next moment…
"Argh… *cough*"
I felt my soul freeze and I coughed up blood. My soul was attacked and there was only one explanation for it. The Ice spirit Simurgh…"
I closed my eyes and hurriedly tapped into the connection I shared with the spirit. My vision changed and I could see from the perspective of the spirit and sense its feelings.
And all I sensed was dread, helplessness, despair and defeat.
The black horse was looking at the spirit proudly. But not into the sky, but on the ground. The spirit was crashed into the ground
*Neigh* It neighed with its front legs up and shot out a breath of fire.
*BOOM*
The spirit that was supposed to be ethereal in its form was set on fire.
I tried to undo the summoning, but I wasn't able to. A power that I couldn't fathom trapped the spirit and the spell as it burned both of them down.
"ARGHH…."
I writhed in pain. My vision came back to normal and I saw the wolf and the wife of Noah in front of me, the wolf was still sniffing her. A bad feeling crept inside me and I wanted to drag her and run, but I wasn't able.
My body and soul were in pain as some unknown force ravaged the later. Blood leaked out of my mouth and nose.
I couldn't even move my head away or even close my eyes to watch what happened next.
The wolf sniffed for a couple of seconds and more its eyes seemed to have brightened up.
*GROWL* *GROWL*
It growled twice and the horse that was outside until now, came in. The two beasts seemed to be communicating and the wolf finally turned away.
I wanted to heave a sigh, but realized that I should, because the next moment, the horse closed in on the woman. The woman fell back and started crawling backward while aiming her hand at the horse's head.
"Get away from me. Leave me alone. Get away."
*BOOM* *BOOM*
Explosive fire balls were shot at the horse's head, but it just shook them off. They didn't even burn a single hair on it.
The next moment, the horse opened its maw and bit on the stomach of the woman. I widened my eyes in horror as I saw the horse bite through the woman and yank the fetus out along with its guts.
"AARGHHHHHHHHH...….."
The woman screamed as she fell down lifeless.
I had to watch as the fetus hit the ground and the horse burn it with the black flames.
The horse turned to me, making me feel chills even in that burning palace, but it ignored me as if I wasn't worth its time and walked inside crossing over the deadwoman.
I finally regained some of my body functions, and tried by best to stand up, only to hit the ground. My legs turned to jelly.
I just laid there as I looked ahead, nothing and no one else to see.
For the next ten minutes, I saw several people burning or torn apart by the two beasts. Finally the smoke cleared out and I saw the man in black standing in the middle of the hall and a man with golden blonde hair was crawling out.
It was Duke Anta.
When I first met him, the man was the symbol of pride and elegance. Every single movement of his body, even so much as passing over a spoon or writing with a pen, boasted about his nobility and his status as an upper-class man.
But now, he looked like a beggar.
A part of his robes burned, his hair disheveled, his legs crushed and arm broken, he looked like epitome of a destroyed man.
The man in black took drew his blade. A scimitar, which I previously mistook for a sword. Just like him and his nature, it was completely black. Blade and hilt both.
He pointed that curved blade tip at the neck of the Duke.
At that moment, I knew what was going to happen and several thoughts ran through my mind.
'Who is this guy? Why is he doing this? Is he a demon? Just how powerful is he? Is everyone else dead? Why is he so cruel? What should I do?'
When the last thought came to my head, I finally got an answer.
'Capture it.'
Of course, not the person or the beasts. I wasn't strong enough, even if I got to use my strongest of spells, I doubt I can do what the guy was doing to the Duke. There was no way in hell I could do anything to him in my injured state.
I was thinking of capturing them with my camera.
I commanded with a lot of difficulty to bring that camera out of my storage. I couldn't even hold it properly. I let it rest of my body and just held the clicker that captured the image while I changed the angles in between making sure that I captured everything.
"Ho… How are you even here? Y… You were sealed."
The Duke spoke and I felt a huge thunderclap hit inside my head. The Duke knew who this menace was.
The man just poked the skin of the duke with the blade and a searing sound could be heard.
His skin was burning just from the contact.
"You were blinded by the courage given to you by the ones who claim to be the rulers of fire and descendants of light.
You accompanied them into the Devil's lair and laid menace when he wasn't there. You thought you sealed Satan away, thinking you were safe and sound.
Now, Satan has come to your paradise to set everything ablaze. You and your Estate shall act as the embers for it."
*SWISH*
With that, he stabbed the Duke through the neck.
*PUFF*
Black flames spread from the stab and set the Duke's body alight and for some reason, these flames seemed more intense than the ones before.
The man watched as the Duke's body slowly burned down bit by bit and once again, nothing but the brittle bones that carried the embers of the black flames were left behind.
"Fang"
The man commanded and the wolf howled to the sky.
*HOWL*
The whole palace shook and I watched as the souls conjured in thin air. I saw the soul of Noah conjured right above his body before it flew towards the wolf and was devoured by it along with the numerous other souls.
"Ember"
The man spoke once again and the Horse ran to him. With a single jump, he climbed onto the horse and slowly walked away as the menacing wolf once again turned into a dog and followed the man.
That's the last thing I saw as I lost consciousness.