The sky, darkened and bruised, stretched infinitely above, its once vibrant blue engulfed by clouds of thick smoke.
The air was heavy with the scent of blood, suffocating the very earth itself.
The ground beneath was cracked and scarred, where lush greenery once swayed in the breeze, now only scorched soil remained.
A chilling wind cut through the air, stirring the remains of singed rags that had once stood as proud banners.
Corpses of fallen soldiers litter the ground, faces scorched beyond recognition, their armour melding to their bodies.
In the distance, a crumbling silhouette of a once grand kingdom stood against the horizon, devoured in flames, its walls nothing more than hollowed ruins. Faint echoes of distant screams lingered in the air, carried in the wind for miles.
Amidst the sea of chaos, a lone figure, a young man, knelt on all fours, hands pressed into the ashen earth, quivering in fear, tears stream down his face as he cries out in anguish, his heart pounding with despair as he can do nothing but listen as the blood-curdling screams of the innocent start to diminish.
Eventually, the only sound that remained was the crackling of flames. The figure, who had now become a broken shell. No hope left to cling to, and no choice but to face the devastation that lays before him. He pushed himself to his feet, every muscle protesting, but nevertheless he pressed forward towards the destruction.
As he stumbled through ruins, the true massacre was revealed, no one was spared, children, women, and men of all species, there was no discrimination, it was an act of pure malice.
Succumbing to exhaustion, he keels over. With no energy remaining, he is unable to dodge the falling debris, which crashes down around him, sending up clouds of dust and ash, the sound of the crash dwindles into a distant hum. Within moments, a sharp pain shoots through his body, he looks down to find himself trapped under the rubble that has crushed his leg, causing him to let out a pained yell.
"So someone is still breathing huh?"
He looks up to see a silhouette approaching through the dust. The figure steps closer, revealing a short, yet imposing presence cloaked in dark, tattered robes. The stranger appeared young, but the glint of their cold, calculating eyes that pierced whatever it gazed at and sharp, ebony horns curling devilishly from her head, unveiling a malevolence concealed behind that youthful facade.
"Are you the one behind this?" the boy stammered, the words barely escaping his lips.
The cloaked stranger paused, a deliberate, sinister smile swept across their face.
"Does that matter at this point? What happened can not be altered" they replied, their voice laced with dark amusement.
The boy's heart pounded in his chest, still struggling with the pain from his imprisoned leg, he met the stranger's gaze with absolute hatred.
"WHY?!? So many innocent people… WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS!?!" he growled, his voice trembling with anger and despair.
The stranger's smile widened, forming into a beaming grin, a flicker of genuine amusement dancing in their eyes.
"You humans deserve nothing but the feeling of true despair!" she exclaimed, her voice dripping with glee, her eyes gleaming with twisted delight.
"Your screams are a symphony, a masterpiece crafted just for me. Every tear you shed, every cry for mercy, it nourishes my soul and fills me with unadulterated ecstasy!"
She tossed her head back and laughed, a sound so cold, so maniacal, that it sent shivers down his spine.
"Oh, how I relish the chaos and pain that has befallen you insects. The sight of you being broken, unable to carry yourself any further, the smell of your fear, it brings me unparalleled joy."
Yet through the insanity before him, he senses something wrong… there was something off about their demeanour…
"You talk so confidently about the thrill of causing us pain and misery, you laugh so easily… so why… why do your eyes look so sad?"
The stranger's mocking smile faltered, their eyes widened in surprise from this unpredicted comment. For a moment, the cold, calculating appearance that they have been holding slipped, revealing a hint of vulnerability.
"What did you say…" they replied, with a shaky voice, their body trembled with fury.
"YOU THINK A HUMAN LIKE YOU COULD EVER UNDERSTAND ME?!?" the stranger hissed, their voice trembling with anger and something else - sorrow.
Overwhelmed with emotions, the demonic being raised their hand, dark energy crackling at their fingertips. Seemingly out of nowhere, a dark orb synthesizes between their fingers, pulsating with an ominous aura. The very air around it seemed to warp and distort as if reality itself recoiled from the malefic power. With a single flick of a finger the orb was sent flying at a speed so fast it was practically invisible to the naked eye, piercing through the shoulder of the incapacitated human, who let out a gut-wrenching scream.
"All of you humans… nothing but a plague upon this world, spreading your filth and corruption wherever you go. Your selfishness, your greed, your endless wars - it's all so… pathetic. You destroy everything you touch, leaving nothing but devastation in your wake. And now, finally you will face the consequences of your actions, I will cleanse your very existence off the face of this world" the demon intoned, their voice carrying a more cold, emotionless certainty. Each word was delivered with such a calm tone making the threat even more chilling.
They paused, their eyes narrowing with a cruel satisfaction.
"I will not give you the satisfaction of a swift death, you will rot here, left to a slow and agonising death. Your cries for mercy will go unheard, your pain unnoticed, your name will be forgotten, only then will you understand the true meaning of despair. Consider this a final parting gift from me."
With that, the heartless creature turned, their dark robe billowing in the wind, and began to walk away.
"Don't walk away from me you monster! I will not let you carry out your plans!" exclaimed the immobile young man with what words he could muster.
With the faintest spark of determination left within him, he grabbed a nearby broken sword, his fingers trembling as he wrapped them around the bloodied hilt, the jagged blade glinted in the light of the flames. He raised it up and in one swift motion, struck the blade down on his trapped leg, a scream tore from his throat as searing pain exploded through his body, every nerve ablaze with agony, the sword had only passed through a few layers of skin. In a macabre display, he began to desperately saw at the leg. His vision hazed as he felt the geyser of blood soaking his clothes. Soldiering through the drowsiness, he liberates himself for the imprisoned appendage, and with vengeance as his fuel he lunged at the enemy.
Suddenly, with mere feet separating the two, a rocky spire erupted from below, impaling him through the stomach. He lay suspended, gasping for air, blood pouring from his wounds and pooling around him. The pain was excruciating, yet his eyes remained fixed on the demon, burning with defiance.
The demon approached slowly, a crude smile planted on their lips.
"I have underestimated you. You certainly are persistent, you are at your wits end, yet you push forward. I have never met such a thing as you before. You are a truly dangerous foe."
The young man's vision blurred, as the sliver of life he had remaining was slipping out of his grasp. With a final, desperate effort, he reached out his trembling hand, still clutching the sword in an attempt to land his mark. Unfortunately it was in vain.
The demon looked down at him with contempt.
"Depart from this life in anguish, knowing that all your efforts were futile."
The boy's strength gave out, his hand fell limply.
As the demon turned to leave once more, they muttered something under their breath.
"Now… perish." they contemptuously commanded
Once those words left the lips of the demon, everything surrounding the boy instantly turned to black. The world around him had vanished, replaced by an impenetrable darkness.