Standing with his gaze fixed on the vast horizon before him, countless buildings lay within Augustus's sight. Each burned with a dazzling silver flame, flickering sparks flying into the air. "I can feel it in the air, his tightening grasp…"
A hundred years ago, Augustus had died in a car accident with his wife and child and was summoned by the "Void" to this world to become their messiah.
"It's the same even now." Augustus glanced from left to right, then walked forward in silence until he arrived at a stone building. He lowered his gaze to the man who sat with his head bowed and back to the wall. "What happened here?"
"Al' Rak's minions forced through the gates…" The man coughed, heaved, and wheezed, raising his head to meet Augustus's gaze. Blood flowed from the corner of his eyes. "…and it is all lost. This village is destroyed, traveler."
Augustus stared down at the man, his gaze burning with determined fury. He was going to make sure not to fail a second time. "I saw you. The demons fought hard, but you protected your family. They are inside that building, aren't they?"
Just like him, the man had a wife and daughter. But the man could protect his family from harm when he had failed. Augustus sighed, casting his glance to the side. 'It still haunts me, even now. I've never amounted to anything more since then.'
"I am glad…" The man shifted his glance to the bloodied stick lying near him, then chuckled. "Fighting those raks with a stick is foolish, but my sword was stored away in the city armory."
'I saw some demons sneaking around, preparing to invade the house…' Augustus cast a glance, staring straight into one's eyes. As they caught his gaze, they jumped out of hiding, fast shadows moving into the faint light. '…and there they are.'
The demons—raks—were a menace. They stood on two scythe-like feet and waved their silver daggers. Their heads were small, the upper part filled with blinking eyes and the lower part covered by a massive mouth filled with gleaming black teeth.
"Tell me, would you like to fight the demons?" Augustus drew his blade and turned to Aaron, his back to the demons. He offered Aaron the sword, a cold gleam in his eyes. "Will you take this and fight, or wait here for a messiah, Aaron?"
Aaron turned to the demons, watching as they approached the building, then returned his gaze to Augustus. His breath grew ragged, and his arms shook as he raised his hand to accept the sword. Augustus stepped back, watching as Aaron stood to his feet.
His golden locks waved in the wind as Aaron heaved, his eyes wide as power surged in his body. When he lifted his gaze to meet the raks', Aaron saw red. He dashed forward and, in an instant, following vicious bursts of light, blood rained on the earth.
He panted heavily, turning to Augustus, then collapsed to his knees. Augustus stepped forward, sparing Aaron a glance before shifting his gaze to the burning village. "I'd like you to take me there. Can you do that, Aaron?"
"How do you know my name, traveler?" Aaron asked in a calm tone as he lifted his gaze, frowning with knitted brows. "And why do you want me to lead you there? Did you not hear when I said that— No, I will do it."
"Intelligent choice." Augustus stared at the blade in Aaron's grasp, then at the building beside them. He stretched out a hand and helped Aaron to his feet, his eyes gleaming as he observed. 'He must have guessed what I came here to do from those eyes.'
"I have heard news of weird sightseers visiting distant lands," Aaron explained, taking a few steps toward the building he defended, then pausing. He tightened his left hand into a fist. "I know I am just grabbing straws at the moment, but… we're hoping for a miracle."
——
"So, this is the village?" Augustus stood with his blade strapped to his waist, glaring at the dazzling silver flames consuming the village. Many were roasted or ripped apart by the raks. "It is smaller than I expected…"
"We weren't able to work on growth due to the raks' increasing presence," a feminine voice explained. Augustus turned to the woman standing beside Aaron. Fair, golden streaks framed her face, with a ghastly tear running along her left eye. "We got picked off one by one."
A young boy—half Aaron's height—kept his small arms wrapped around the man's waist, his face pressed into Aaron's stomach. Augustus voiced his thoughts. "Where are the raks hiding? This place looks awfully quiet."
"We canvassed the area, from the tower to the market, but found no raks," Arlene said, turning to Aaron as a faint gleam flashed past her single emerald eye. "But I think a few villagers must have led them deeper into the town. Maybe the town square?"
"The market at the outer rim is much weaker than that in the inner court." Augustus's gaze swept across the area, the burning buildings, and unrecognizable items until it rested on the path leading further into the village. "The raks must've left a trail of blood."
"But there's no trail of blood leading into the village," Aaron argued. But as the words left his mouth, a choking feeling struck his heart. His eyes widened, and he spun around to meet a roaring rak jumping at him—its piercing shriek nearly shredding his ears.
Augustus turned around, his gaze tranquil as he met the monster. Aaron drew his blade, pushing his child out of harm's way and hacking at the rak mid-air. Blood rained down on the ground as Aaron heaved, and more raks emerged from the shadows.
"They sealed up the villagers and laid an ambush for backup?" Augustus, who had given Aaron the blade before walking into the market, shrugged. He turned to Aaron's frightened child. "Trust me, Felix. That's classic rak behavior. I've hunted them for years."
Aaron drew a deep breath, then dashed forward. In a burst of light flashing across the shadows, blood sprayed across the walls and spilled on the earth. He stood meters away, a cold gleam in his eyes as he turned around and sheathed his sword, silent