Dense fog lay over the hills of Eldoria. The small village slept soundly and peacefully, but in one of the huts a young girl struggled with a nightmare. Elara tossed restlessly in her bed. Beads of sweat were on her forehead while her body twitched as if he was fighting an invisible force.
In her dream, she was surrounded by endless darkness. Shadows swirled around her like living creatures, whispering voices whispering incomprehensible words in her ear. A feeling of cold crept up her spine. In the distance she saw a figure with shining eyes, slowly approaching.
"Elara... you can't escape."
With a panting breath, she startled up. Her heart was pounding wildly against her chest, and it took a few seconds before she could orient herself in the darkness of her room. The light of the moon shone through the small window and cast ghostly shadows on the walls.
"A dream... just a dream..." she murmured, rubbing her arms to get rid of the goosebumps. But deep down, she knew it was more than just an imagination.
She swung her legs out of bed and stepped on the window. Everything was quiet outside. The fields lay quietly under the night sky, and the lights of the few lanterns cast a gentle glow on the cobbled street. But then a tremor ran through the earth.
Elara frozen.
The sound had barely been audible, more of a deep rumble than an actual earthquake. She listened strainedly. The wind carried the distant howl of a wolf to her, but something about it was... wrong.
Another tremor. Then one more.
And then she heard it.
A scream.
Not far away.
Elara tore open the door and ran out. The cold night air stabbed on her skin, but she ignored it. Her eyes flew through the village, while her heart beat faster.
Then she saw it.
Flames burned on the outskirts of the village. The wooden posts of a house cracked under the heat, while dark figures moved into the shadows. An unnatural presence was in the air. The villagers stumbled out of their huts, some with torches in their hands, others wandering in panic.
Elara felt her throat tighten.
Dark creatures. Shadow Creatures.
She had heard of them, in the old stories. Demons of the night, the
They were nourished by pain and fear. But they were just legends... right?
A scream made her go around. One of the creatures had pounced on an older man and wrapped his gnarled arms with claws. His screams echoed through the night.
Elara's body reacted instinctively. Without thinking, she started running. Her legs felt slightly as if she was being driven by an invisible force. She felt something vibrate in her—a strange warmth flowing through her veins.
"Let him go!" She screamed, and before she understood what she was doing, she stretched out a hand.
A bright, silver light broke out of her fingertips.
The creature screamed. Her shadow body twisted when the light hit her, and with a last twitch she dissolved into smoke.
Silence.
Everyone stared at her.
"What... was that?" Someone whispered.
Elara's breathing was heavy. Her hands trembled. She didn't know herself.
But before she could think about it, the chaos broke out again. More shadow creatures appeared, and this time they moved specifically towards them.
They had noticed them.
They knew what she was.
But then, in the midst of fire and darkness, a figure appeared.
A man, wrapped in a black coat, with a hood that hid his face. But his eyes... his eyes shone like liquid gold.
With calm steps he stepped out of the smoke and pulled a silver sword from his sheath.
He looked directly in Elara's direction.
"I've finally found you."