Night fell quickly over Windfell, and with it, a thick, oppressive darkness overtook the village. The improvised barricades were up, and the villagers huddled around small fires, their expressions a mixture of fear and determination. Tharion stood beside Ceyla, his eyes fixed on the tree line in the distance. He could feel the imminent danger like a growing pressure in his chest.
'The wind has stopped,' murmured Ceyla, her voice as low as a whisper.
Tharion nodded. The silence was absolute, broken only by the occasional sound of wood crackling in the fires. And then, as if the world itself were holding its breath, came the first sound: a low, guttural growl that seemed to echo from all sides.
'They're here,' said Tharion, his voice firm but charged with intensity.
The red eyes began to appear in the darkness of the forest, one by one, until dozens of them were hovering at the edge of the wood. The shadow creatures, similar to the one they had faced earlier, came out of hiding. They were even more grotesque in the flickering light of the campfires, with deformed bodies and gleaming claws.
There were many of them.
The Defence of the Village
'Hold your positions!' shouted Edran, the elder, as he held up an improvised spear with trembling hands.
The villagers spread out along the barricades, holding spears, bows and even farming tools. Tharion climbed onto one of the barricades, assessing the terrain. He knew that this battle wouldn't be won by brute force - they needed strategy.
'Ceyla, focus on the archers,' he said, pointing at the villagers with bows. 'They should aim for the creatures that are isolated. The others, protect the flanks. Don't let them spread!'
She nodded, immediately taking up position. 'You heard him, do as he says!'
The creatures began to advance, first in a slow, menacing trot, then in a frenzied attack. The initial impact was brutal. The barricades shook under the weight of the monsters as the villagers struggled to hold them up.
Tharion threw himself into the front line, wielding a spear he had taken from one of the villagers. He moved with almost superhuman precision, dodging blows and piercing the creatures with a skill that seemed instinctive. But it wasn't enough.
'We're losing ground!' shouted Edran, as a creature knocked him to the ground.
Tharion rushed to his aid, striking the creature before it could attack. He reached out to the elder and pulled him back to the others. 'Don't give up now! We can win!'
The Awakening of Power
As he fought, Tharion felt something change inside him. That energy he had felt before - the pulsing heat in his veins - was growing. He closed his eyes for a moment, letting himself be carried away by the sensation. When he opened them again, his vision seemed clearer and his hands glowed with a golden light.
A creature leapt towards him, but before it could attack him, Tharion instinctively raised his hand. A beam of light shot from his palm, piercing the creature's chest and reducing it to ash.
Everyone around stopped for a moment, shocked. Even Ceyla looked at him in disbelief.
'Was that... you?' she asked, without looking away from him.
Tharion didn't answer. He wasn't sure how he had done it, but he knew it was his only chance of winning.
Turning the Tide
'Stay behind me!' he shouted, advancing towards the thick of the battle.
He began to channel the energy in his hands, firing bursts of light at the creatures. Each blow was precise, and the creatures began to retreat, howling in pain and rage. The villagers, seeing the opportunity, redoubled their efforts, attacking with renewed vigour.
'They're retreating!' shouted Ceyla, firing a sharp arrow that hit one of the creatures in the neck.
Combining Tharion's light and the villagers' resistance, the battle turned in the village's favour. One by one, the creatures were defeated or fled back into the forest. When the last monster disappeared into the darkness, a heavy silence overtook the camp.
After the Battle
The villagers began to gather in the square, their expressions oscillating between relief and shock. Many were injured, but all were alive - a miracle, given the circumstances.
Tharion sat on the steps of one of the houses, exhausted. Ceyla approached, holding a canteen of water.
'You saved us,' she said, handing him the canteen.
He took a sip before replying. 'It was everyone's effort. You fought well.'
She studied him for a moment, as if trying to decipher him. 'But what you did... that light. I've never seen anything like it before.'
'Neither have I,' he admitted, looking down at his hands. 'But I feel like it's only the beginning. There's something going on with me, something that's connected to this world.'
'So what do we do now?'
Tharion looked to the horizon, where the woods still loomed like an ominous shadow. 'We'll find out what's behind it. And we'll make sure it doesn't happen again.'
As the first rays of sunlight broke through the sky, Tharion felt a strange sense of purpose. That battle wasn't just to protect the village - it was a calling. The start of something much bigger.