"No... no... no! This can't be happening?!"Ashren 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.
Ashren stood frozen in place, 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.
The 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.
Ashren'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.
ROAR!
Monstrous grotesque creatures,their bodies in preternatural forms,a mass black and red living creatures,they were the epitome of horror and nightmare.
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?!" Ashren'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 like lead; he couldn't move an inch, his mind blank as he witnessed the unimaginable atrocities unfold.
Suddenly...
AHHHHHHHHHHHH!
A bone chilling,piercing scream jolted him from his reverie.
Turning mechanically, Ashren's gaze fell upon something that shattered his very soul: Galen and Lykon were ensnared in the claws of one these nightmares with a long red tongue with elongated teeths jutting out of the tongue.
"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 Ashren's spine.
Then everything went eerily silent. The cacophony faded away; all that remained was Ashren'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 Ashren'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!" Ashren 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.
"Growl...!"
The massive grotesque horror that had brutally slain Galen and Lykon recoiled at the sound, its attention snapping to Ashren, who stood a few meters away, shaking his head in disbelief.
A grotesque nightmarish smile spread across the creature's enormous mouth as its long tongue flicked out, greedily lapping up the blood smeared across its face.
"ROARR!" It let out an exhilarating roar before charging toward Ashren with terrifying speed.
Its gleaming claws glinted menacingly as they aimed directly for Azrael's heart.In that moment of impending doom, Ashren remained frozen, still caught in his whirlwind of shock.
He didn't notice the peril racing towards him.
"Ashren! Watch out!" Suddenly, a bloodied figure lunged in front of him, shoving him aside just in time.
Ashren 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 features as she gazed at Ashren 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.
Ashren 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.
"Ashren, 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 Ashren'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 Ashren and lunged forward.
But Ashren 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 horror lunging toward him.
Panic gripped his heart as it tightened painfully within his chest; each breath grew more ragged and irregular.
The creature's roar the inferno like a thunderclap, shaking ash from the burning rooftops. Its claws crushed the burning embers beneath it as it lunged forward, a blur of teeth and sinew.
Ashren barely move. The world around him slowed, flames bending in the air,the smoke warping as if the world itself held its breath.
His eyes were still on Snow. Her fingers twitched once...then fell still.
A hollow sound escaped from him,something between a sob and a snarl. His fingers trembling violently as his knees buckled. His vision swam red,eyes were streaming down tears of blood,pure red crimson blood.
The creature crashed into him,its claws impaling him from his side. The impact hurled him backward,sending him skidding across the dirt. Pain shot through him, hot and white, blinding him. He coughed, and blood sprayed across the burning ground.
He tried to stand up but his legs won't budge.
He tried to scream but his voice broke.
Raising his head with difficulty and then through the haze, he saw them – all the faces.
His friends, his people. Lykon, Snow,Galen. Their faces flickered in the firelight,twisted between life and death.
The creature towered over him,its tongue writhing,its thousands of teeth clicking with sick hunger. Then it leaned closer its countless mouths dripping with blood like thick tar,licked all over him.
Then it struck....a single claw tore through the chest,slicing through flesh and bones lkke parchment.
Ashren gasped,his mouth flooding with blood. His body convulsed once, twice...thrice... and then went still. The creature lifted him by the chest,studying thr dying light in his eyes like a curious god.
The flames painted his silhouette in gold and red as the world around him dimmed. The last thing he saw was Snow's face through the smoke,soft,still smiling.
Then the pain faded.The world folded inward.And he fell....endlessly.Down into the darkness,down through the darkness.
-------
Dark clouds loomed ominously overhead, their heavy presence casting a shadow over the world below. Thunder rumbled angrily, echoing through the desolation as rain began to pour in torrents.
In Wind Moon Valley, the once vibrant Wind Moon Village that was once filled with laughter and life, now only ruins remained, gruesome remnants of destruction lay scattered everywhere.
Blood splattered across the ground painted a hellish landscape that seemed to mourn its own demise.The relentless downpour washed away pools of crimson, transforming the scene into a grotesque blood river flowing into the distance.
A short distance from this tragedy stood a tall cliff, atop which rested a freshly dug grave.Before it stood a solitary figure cloaked entirely in black, motionless as the rain continued its relentless assault.
Time seemed to stand still as this figure silently honored what was lost.After an hour of stillness, the figure finally stirred.
"Rest well, old friend," came a hoarse voice that broke through the storm's fury as he turned and walked away from the grave.