"No... no... no! This can't be happening?!"Azrael gasped, his heart racing as he sprinted toward the village.
The air was thick with smoke, and the horrifying sounds of roars and screams echoed from within Wind Moon Village.
As he crossed the threshold into chaos, a sight etched itself into his memory, a nightmare that would haunt him forever.
Gruesome bodies lay strewn across the ground, blood pooling like dark puddles beneath them.
As Azrael stood frozen, his eyes widened in horror at the scene unfolding before him. The entire village was engulfed in flames, a hellish inferno consuming homes and lives alike.
Villagers were being killed one after another, their cries echoing through the air like a haunting melody of despair.
Blood and gore painted the ground, with internal organs scattered like grotesque confetti.
Azrael's heart raced wildly in his chest as he took in the chaos around him.
This was a nightmare he had never imagined, a brutal massacre that shattered his innocence and left him grappling with disbelief.
The acrid scent of death hung heavy in the air, wrapping around him like a suffocating blanket.
He had never witnessed anything so horrific; it felt as though his young heart was breaking into a million pieces right there amidst the destruction.
Flames licked hungrily at every building, illuminating the horror unfolding around him.
ROARRRRRRRR!
Monstrous creatures with grotesque black scales rampaged through the village, their forms twisted and terrifying.
They hunted down villagers mercilessly; if they spotted even a flicker of movement, they pounced, killing, devouring, and discarding their victims like refuse.
Blood and gore splattered everywhere, transforming the once-thriving village into a hellish landscape.
The lifeless eyes of those who had perished reflected sheer terror; none remained whole.
"What... what is going on?! What are these creatures?!" Azrael's voice trembled as confusion and dread washed over him.
Rooted to the spot at the entrance, he could only watch in horror as his home was torn apart before his eyes.
His body felt heavy; he couldn't move an inch, his mind blank as he witnessed unimaginable atrocities unfold.
Suddenly
AHHHHHHHHHHHH!
A piercing scream jolted him from his stupor.
Turning mechanically, Azrael's gaze fell upon something that shattered his very soul: Galen and Lykon were ensnared in the claws of a massive beast with a long red tongue and razor-sharp teeth.
"Ahhhhhhhhh!"
In an instant, they were ripped apart, gore spilling everywhere while their blood sprayed onto the monster's hideous form.
It reveled in its gruesome feast with a roar that sent chills down Azrael's spine.
Then everything went eerily silent. The cacophony faded away; all that remained was Azrael's frantic heartbeat pounding in his ears as he stared at Galen and Lykon's mangled bodies, eyes wide open in eternal fear.
"Uncle Galen… Lykon… They're dead! They're… dead!" Disbelief flooded Azrael's mind as he struggled to comprehend this horrific reality.
He locked eyes with Lykon one last time, the lifeless gaze seemed to reach out to him from beyond death.
"No… no… NO!" Azrael shook his head violently as if denying what lay before him could somehow change it.
But reality set in like ice in his veins when he saw Lykon's corpse again.
"No… Nooooooooooo! Lykonnnnnn!" His anguished scream pierced through the silence like glass shattering under pressure; panic surged through him as despair clawed at his heart.
"Huh!"
The massive monster that had brutally slain Galen and Lykon recoiled at the sound, its attention snapping to Azrael, who stood a few meters away, shaking his head in disbelief.
A grotesque smile spread across the creature's enormous mouth as its long tongue flicked out, greedily lapping up the blood smeared across its face.
"ROARRRRRRRR!" It let out an exhilarating roar before charging toward Azrael with terrifying speed.
Its gleaming claws glinted menacingly as they aimed directly for Azrael's heart.
In that moment of impending doom, Azrael remained frozen, still caught in his whirlwind of shock.
He didn't notice the peril racing towards him.
"Azrael! Watch out!" Suddenly, a bloodied figure lunged in front of him, shoving him aside just in time.
Azrael tumbled to the ground, rolling several meters before he turned back to see what had just transpired.
What he saw next would haunt him forever for as long as he lives in this world.
Ughh! Cough! Cough! Ahem!
Snow stood frozen in place, a haunting smile etched across her face as she gazed at Azrael just a few meters away.
Her body was a canvas of wounds, blood pouring from her mouth in torrents, yet she smiled at him with an eerie calmness.
Azrael's eyes brimmed with tears, tears that were anything but ordinary; they were crimson streams flowing down his cheeks.
It felt as if his heart was being crushed and pulled apart, leaving him breathless.
As he glanced down at Snow's chest, despair washed over him when he saw the gaping hole where her heart should have been.
"Snow... Snow... Snow!" he muttered frantically, his voice trembling with disbelief as he took in the horrific scene before him.
"No... No... No!" He shook his head vigorously, desperation clawing at his throat.
"Please, Snow! Don't die! Please!" His gaze remained fixated on the dreadful wound in her chest.
"Azrael, do you know I… I… always l..." Snow struggled to form her words, each syllable draining her remaining strength.
She slowly slumped to the ground, her eyes locked onto Azrael's as if urging him to finish what she couldn't say.
Suddenly, the monster figure emerged from the shadows, clutching a beating heart in its claws before crushing it into bloody mist. The creature turned its gaze toward Azrael and lunged forward.
But Azrael remained oblivious to the impending danger; his focus was solely on Snow as blood continued to stream down his face.
With heavy breaths and blurred vision, he finally raised his head to confront the monster rushing toward him.
Panic gripped his heart as it tightened painfully within his chest; each breath grew more ragged and irregular.
Just as the creature's claws were inches away from squashing his head, an intense light flashed before Azrael's eyes, and then everything faded to black.
In those final moments of consciousness, all he could hear was the horrifying scream of the monster echoing in the void.