The first transformation happened so fast that nobody understood what they were seeing.
Garron the blacksmith stood outside his forge. He was staring at the sky like everyone else. Confused. Scared. The cold wrapped around him like a blanket made of ice.
Then he gasped.
His hand went to his chest. His eyes went wide.
"Garron?" His apprentice Jory stepped toward him. "Master, are you okay?"
Garron didn't answer. He couldn't. His mouth opened, but no words came out. Only a choking sound. Like he was drowning in air.
Black veins appeared on his neck.
They spread like cracks in glass. Racing across his skin. Up his jaw. Across his face. Down into his shirt.
Jory saw it. His face went white. "Master! What's, what's happening to you?!"
Garron fell to his knees. His whole body was shaking. The black veins covered his arms now. His hands. His fingers.
And his eyes.
His eyes changed.
The brown turned red. Deep crimson red. Like fresh blood.
"No," Jory whispered. He started backing away. "No, no, no"
Garron's body twisted. His back arched. Bones cracked inside him. POP. CRACK. POP. The sounds were wet and horrible.
His fingers stretched. Longer. Longer. The nails turned black and sharp. Like claws.
His mouth opened wider than a mouth should open. His teeth grew pointed.
And then he screamed.
It wasn't a human scream anymore. It was something else. Something animal. Something hungry.
Garron, or what used to be Garron, looked at his apprentice.
And lunged.
"MASTER, NO!" Jory tried to run.
He was too slow.
Garron's claws tore into the boy's shoulder. Blood sprayed across the dirt. Jory screamed and fell. He crawled backward, leaving a trail of red behind him.
"HELP! SOMEBODY HELP ME!"
But nobody came to help.
Because it was happening everywhere.
All across the village, people started gasping. Clutching their chests. Falling to their knees.
The baker is two houses down from Anna's shop. The merchant by the well. The woman who sold flowers. The man who fixed roofs. The children who had been playing tag.
The children.
Anna pressed her face against the window and felt her heart stop.
Little Mika, the girl who always waved at Lily, was on the ground. Black veins covered her small face. Her eyes turned red. Her mother was holding her, crying, begging her to fight it.
But Mika's small hands reached up.
And grabbed her mother's throat.
"Oh gods," Anna whispered. "Oh gods, no."
"Mama?" Lily tugged at her dress. "Mama, what's wrong with everyone?"
Anna grabbed Lily and pulled her away from the window. She held her daughter's face against her chest so she couldn't see.
"Don't look, baby. Don't look."
Outside, Captain Rhen's voice cut through the chaos.
"FORMATION! DEFENSIVE CIRCLE! PROTECT THE UNINFECTED!"
His knights moved like water. Fast. Smooth. No hesitation. They formed a circle in the center of the square. Blue light glowed around their weapons.
Serra's sword burst into violet wind. It whipped around her blade like a storm.
A young knight named Kev had golden light around his fists.
Captain Rhen's entire blade shone with authority. Bright and commanding.
The transformed villagers, the things they had become, charged at the knights from all directions.
What happened next was brutal.
Serra's wind blade cut through the first attacker. The creature that used to be Old Marten, the vegetable seller. His head came off clean. His body fell.
But Serra's face twisted with pain. Tears ran down her cheeks even as she killed him.
"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I'm so sorry."
More came. Ten. Twenty. Thirty.
The knights cut them down. One after another after another. Bodies piled up. Blood soaked the dirt.
But for every one they killed, two more transformed.
"They're not stopping!" Kev shouted. His golden fists smashed through a creature's chest. "Captain, there are too many!"
"Hold the line!" Rhen's voice was iron. "We protect the survivors! That's an order!"
A knight on the far side screamed. A creature had gotten past his guard. Claws tore into his leg. He fell.
Three more creatures jumped on him.
"DERON!" Serra started to run toward him.
"Stay in formation!" Rhen commanded.
But it was too late. Serra saw what happened. They all saw.
The fallen knight, Deron, convulsed on the ground. Black veins spread across his face. His eyes turned red.
He stood up.
And looked at his fellow knights with hunger.
"No." Serra's voice broke. "Deron, please. Fight it. FIGHT IT!"
Deron charged at her.
She hesitated. Just for one second. One heartbeat.
That's all it took.
Deron's claws slashed across her arm. Deep. Blood poured out.
Captain Rhen moved like lightning. His glowing blade cut through Deron's neck. The body dropped.
Rhen had just killed one of his own men.
His face showed nothing. But his hands shook on his sword.
"Serra, fall back!" he ordered. "Get that wound wrapped NOW!"
Serra stumbled backward. Another knight grabbed her and started tying a cloth around the bleeding arm.
But everyone saw the black veins starting to appear at the edge of the wound.
"No," Serra whispered. She looked at her arm in horror. "No, no, no—"
"We can stop it!" the knight, wrapping her arm, said. His name was Thom. He was crying. "We can burn it out, we can—"
"There's no time." Serra's voice was steady now. Accepting. She looked at Captain Rhen. "Sir. You know what you have to do."
Rhen's jaw clenched. His whole body went rigid.
"That's an order, Captain," Serra said softly. "Don't let me become one of them. Please."
The black veins were spreading up her arm now. Reaching toward her shoulder.
Rhen walked toward her. His sword was still glowing. Every step looked like it hurt him.
"You were the best of us, Serra," he said quietly. "The light we need in dark times. I'm so sorry I can't save you."
She smiled. Tears on her cheeks. "It's okay, sir. You gave me a good life. Tell my sister I—"
The black veins reached her neck.
Rhen's blade moved.
Serra's body fell.
Silence.
For three heartbeats, nobody moved. Nobody spoke.
Then Kev vomited. He turned to the side and threw up everything in his stomach.
Another knight sat down hard on the ground. Staring at nothing.
Thom was crying openly now. Big, ugly sobs.
But Captain Rhen just stood there. Sword dripping red. Face like stone.
"On your feet," he said. His voice was hollow. "We still have people to protect. Grieve later. Move NOW."
His knights obeyed. Because that's what soldiers do.
They kept fighting.
Anna watched it all from her window. Her hand pressed over her mouth to stop from screaming.
Lily had her eyes closed. Her small body is shaking.
"Is it over yet, Mama?" she whispered.
"Not yet, baby. Not yet."
Through the window, Anna counted. Counted the people still standing. Still human.
There were maybe forty villagers left untransformed. They were huddled in their homes. Hiding. Praying.
The knights had killed over fifty creatures now. Fifty people Anna had known. Had talked to. Had shared meals with.
All dead.
And still, more transformed.
Then Anna saw him.
Her husband.
Thomas stood in front of their house. Three houses down from the bakery. He was looking around wildly. Confused. Scared.
Black veins hadn't touched him yet.
"Thomas!" Anna screamed through the window. "THOMAS, RUN!"
He heard her. His head turned toward the bakery. His eyes found hers.
He smiled. That same warm smile from their wedding day. From every morning when he kissed her goodbye. Every evening when he came home.
He started running toward the bakery.
He was going to make it. Twenty steps. Fifteen. Ten.
Then he gasped.
His hand went to his chest.
"No," Anna breathed. "No, Thomas, no"
Black veins erupted across his skin. His eyes turned red. His fingers stretched into claws.
He looked at Anna one last time. For just a moment, she thought she saw recognition. Saw Thomas fighting. Trying to hold on.
Then it was gone.
The creature that used to be her husband turned and ran the other way.
Anna slid down the wall. She sat on the floor. Couldn't breathe. Couldn't think.
Thomas was gone.
"Mama?" Lily's small voice was so scared. "Where's Papa?"
"He's... he's not coming home, baby."
Outside, Captain Rhen was shouting orders.
"EVERYONE IS STILL HUMAN! GET TO THE TOWN HALL! IT'S THE MOST DEFENSIBLE BUILDING! MOVE NOW!"
Doors started opening. People ran out of their houses. Sprinting toward the town hall at the north end of the square.
Anna grabbed Lily's hand. "We have to go. Now."
She opened the bakery door. The cold air hit her like a punch. She could smell blood now. Thick and coppery.
"Don't look down," she told Lily. "Just look at Mama. Only Mama. Okay?"
Lily nodded. Her little hand squeezed Anna's so hard it hurt.
They ran.
Past bodies. Past blood. Past things that used to be people.
A creature lunged at them from the side.
A knight's wind blade cut it in half before it got close.
"KEEP MOVING!" the knight shouted.
Anna ran faster. Her lungs burned. Her legs screamed. But she didn't stop.
Ten steps from the town hall.
Five.
They burst through the doors. Strong hands pulled them inside. The doors slammed shut behind them. A heavy wooden beam dropped across them.
Anna fell to her knees. Gasping. Holding Lily.
Around her, maybe thirty other villagers huddled together. Crying. Shaking. Some were hurt. Blood on their clothes.
Outside, the fighting continued. Metal clashing. Screams. The wet sound of bodies being torn apart.
Anna looked around at the survivors. Faces she knew. Faces she'd seen every day for years.
Where was everyone else?
Where were the other two hundred people who lived in Ashvale?
Dead. Gone. Transformed.
In less than an hour, the village had been destroyed.
"Mama, I'm scared," Lily whispered.
"I know, baby. Me too."
Then a new sound cut through everything else.
Clapping.
Slow. Steady. Mocking.
Everyone in the town hall went quiet.
Through the cracks in the door, Anna could see a figure walking through the carnage. A man in elegant robes. Dark purple and silver. He moved like he was taking a stroll through a garden.
In his hands, he carried glass vials. They glowed with crimson light.
He was clapping as he walked. Looking around at the chaos. At the bodies. The transformed creatures eat the dead.
And he was smiling.
Not a cruel smile. Not an evil grin.
Just... pleased. Like an artist looking at a painting.
Captain Rhen stood in the square. His armor was covered in blood. Three of his knights were dead. The remaining eight surrounded him, exhausted.
The man in purple robes stopped ten feet away.
"Magnificent," he said. His voice was soft. Educated. Almost kind. "Canvas Number Forty-Seven. A complete success."
"Who are you?" Rhen demanded. His sword was pointed at the man's throat.
"Oh, forgive my manners." The man gave a small bow. "I am Morne. Chief Alchemist in Lord Vorath's service. And you, Captain, have just witnessed the future of evolution."
"You did this." Rhen's voice was shaking. Not with fear. With rage. "You turned these people into monsters."
"Monsters?" Morne looked genuinely confused. "No, no, Captain. I freed them. From weakness. From mortality. From the limitations of flesh."
He held up one of his vials. The liquid inside swirled like blood mixed with light.
"Refined Corruption Serum. Seventh-generation formula. I poisoned your well last night. While you all slept so peacefully. It took approximately eleven hours to fully integrate with your systems. Then, when I activated the catalyst..." He gestured at the sky. At the cold. In the darkness. "Transformation. Beautiful, instant, irreversible transformation."
"You're insane," Kev spat.
"Insane?" Morne pulled out a journal from his robes. He flipped through pages covered in notes. Diagrams. Formulas. "I am a scientist, young man. I test. I observe. I refine. This village was a perfect sample size. Two hundred and thirty-seven individuals. Various ages, health conditions, and bloodlines. The data I've gathered today will advance our work by months."
He wrote something in his journal. Still smiling.
Anna watched through the crack in the door. Her whole body was shaking.
This man. This monster in human skin. He talked about her neighbors like they were experiments. Like they were nothing.
Captain Rhen raised his sword. "I'm going to kill you."
"You're welcome to try." Morne closed his journal. He didn't look worried. "But I wonder, Captain. Do you really think you can defeat what's coming?"
Rhen's eyes narrowed. "What are you talking about?"
Morne pointed toward the horizon. Toward the south.
"She's here."
Anna followed his finger. At first, she saw nothing. Just trees. Just forest.
Then she saw them.
Shapes moving through the trees. Dozens of them. Hundreds.
Not transformed villagers.
Something else. Something organized. Moving in formation.
Demons.
Real demons. From the stories. From the nightmares.
And at the front of that army, a single figure walked. Even from this distance, Anna could feel the weight of her presence.
Silver hair that shone like moonlight. Crimson armor that looked like it was made from blood. Two swords on her back that were taller than a grown man.
She walked into the village square. Every step cracked the ground beneath her feet.
The remaining transformed villagers, the creatures, all stopped moving. They turned toward her. And they bowed.
She was their queen. Their goddess. Their master.
Morne bowed too. Deep and respectful. "Lady Scylla. Perfect timing, as always."
The woman, Scylla, looked around the village. At the bodies. At the blood. In the chaos.
She smiled.
"Good work, Morne. This will do nicely."
Her voice was beautiful. Strong and clear. Like music made of steel.
She looked at Captain Rhen and his remaining knights. Her smile grew wider.
"Oh, excellent. Some of them survived." She drew one of her massive swords. It scraped against its sheath. The sound made Anna's teeth hurt. "I was hoping for a warm-up."
Captain Rhen's face went white.
Because even from here, even through the door, even without being a warrior herself, Anna could feel it.
The pressure is coming off this woman.
The pure, overwhelming power.
Captain Rhen was strong. His knights were the best Ironhold had to offer.
But this woman, Scylla, was on a different level entirely.
A level that mortals weren't meant to reach.
Rhen looked at his knights. At their exhausted faces. Their injuries. Their fear.
He looked at the town hall. At the survivors inside.
He made a decision.
"All of you," he said quietly to his knights. "Take the survivors. Go out the back. Run for the forest. Don't stop. Don't look back."
"Sir?" Kev's voice cracked. "What about you?"
Captain Rhen smiled. It was sad. Resigned. Brave.
"I'm going to buy you time."
"No." Thom grabbed his arm. "We fight together. That's what—"
"That's an ORDER!" Rhen's voice cracked like a whip. "Those people need you. Get them to safety. Tell Ironhold what happened here. Warn them. This is bigger than one village. Bigger than us."
He looked at Scylla again. She was walking toward them slowly. Taking her time. Enjoying this.
"Go," Rhen said. "NOW."
His knights ran to the town hall. They burst through the door.
"Everyone up!" Thom shouted. "We're evacuating through the back! Move, move, MOVE!"
The survivors scrambled to their feet. Anna grabbed Lily and joined the rush toward the back door.
As she ran, she looked over her shoulder.
Through the front door, she could see Captain Rhen standing alone in the square.
His sword was raised. His body glowed with golden light. Authority Essence. The power of command.
He looked like a hero from the old stories.
But even heroes die.
Scylla stopped twenty feet away from him. She rested her massive sword on her shoulder.
"You're brave," she said. "I respect that. What's your name, Captain?"
"Rhen Moss. Captain of the Ironhold Third Regiment."
"Rhen Moss." She nodded slowly. "I'll remember you. That's more than most get."
"I don't want your respect, demon." Rhen's voice was pure steel. "I want your head."
Scylla laughed. It was genuine. Delighted.
"Oh, I like you. It's been too long since someone spoke to me like that." She drew her second sword. Both blades were now in her hands. "Come then, Captain Rhen Moss. Show me what human courage looks like."
Rhen charged.
Anna was pushed through the back door. Into the forest. Running.
But she heard it.
The clash of steel on steel.
The explosion of Essence.
The sound of a man screaming defiance against impossible odds.
And then.
Silence.
Anna ran faster. Tears were streaming down her face. Lily is crying in her arms.
Behind them, the village of Ashvale burned.
Ahead of them, only darkness.
And somewhere in that darkness, something else was waiting.
Something with silver eyes and chains of light.
But Anna didn't know that yet.
All she knew was fear.
And loss.
And the terrible certainty that her life had just ended.
Even if her heart was still beating.