The morning air carried the crisp promise of a new day as I slung my school bag over one shoulder. "Alright, Mom, I'm off to school," I called back, stepping out into the quiet street. The walk was short, but I savored every second of it. Golden sunlight filtered through the leaves, and the breeze brushed against my face like a gentle wake-up call from the world itself. Hey, it seemed to whisper, wake up. It's a new life. A new start.I smiled, letting the warmth sink into my bones.Then the world shattered.
My eyes snapped open to a sky the color of spilled blood and aged wine. A massive crimson moon hung low overhead, its pale edges bleeding into the red like ink on wet paper. The air tasted of iron and smoke. This wasn't my street. This wasn't even my world."Captain!"A desperate shout cut through the chaos. I turned my head and saw him—Kael, mid-twenties, blood-streaked and grinning like a madman—fighting for his life against a horde of nightmarish creatures. Each monster stood twice his height, all fangs, claws, and rippling obsidian muscle.Kael drove his sword straight through one's gaping maw, twisting the blade with a grunt of effort. Black ichor sprayed across the barren ground."Captain! You finally awake?" he laughed breathlessly between strikes. "You look tired, old man!"The weight of heavy plate armor pressed against my body. My fingers closed around the familiar hilt of my sword. A surge of raw adrenaline flooded my veins, burning away the last haze of confusion. I pushed myself up, muscles screaming, and flashed Kael a fierce, bloody smile."Tired?" I barked a laugh. "Me? Ha! If you drop dead on me, I'll march into Hell myself and drag your sorry ass back just to kill you again."Kael's laughter rang out over the battlefield. "Hell? Captain, I've already got a palace reserved in Heaven. Front row seats!""Enough talk!" I roared, raising my blood-rusted sword high. "Let's give these bastards a taste of steel!""Yeah?" Kael shouted."YEAH!" the entire cavalry answered in one thunderous voice, their battle cry shaking the crimson sky.I gripped my sword tighter. "Let's paint the ground with their blood."I pointed left and right. "I'll take the right flank. You hold the left.""Got it!"The final wave of monsters charged. The largest one locked eyes with me—twice my size, fangs like rusted daggers, gaze full of primal contempt. It saw me as nothing. Prey.I bared my teeth in a savage grin.Wrong.I exploded forward, boots pounding across the cracked earth. As the beast reared its massive head to strike, I twisted at the last second, slipping beneath its jaws. My sword sang through the air in a wide, brutal arc.Schlick.The creature's head tumbled to the ground with a heavy thud. Hot blood sprayed across my face and armor. I stood there, chest heaving, half my features painted crimson, staring down at the lifeless eyes that had underestimated me.Silence fell across the battlefield, broken only by the heavy breathing of my men."Alright, soldiers," I called, voice steady. "Gather up. We're going home."I jerked my chin toward the fallen beast. "Rayan, haul that wolf back. It'll feed the whole company tonight.""Yes, sir!"The men converged around me, exhausted but alive. Their eyes shone with that familiar mix of relief and reverence."Captain… that thing was twice your size," one of them whispered in awe. "You cut it down like it was nothing.""That's our captain," another laughed. "The strongest, most reliable bastard in this cursed world."I snorted, wiping blood from my cheek. "World? Don't make me laugh. I'm no savior.""To us, you are," Kael said quietly, clapping a hand on my armored shoulder. "You're our world, Captain. We'd follow you into the abyss itself.""Shut up, you idiots," I muttered, but a small smile tugged at my lips. "Let's move."Before leaving, we gathered the remains of our fallen. There wasn't much left—shredded armor, scattered limbs, broken bodies claimed by the monsters. The sight carved a fresh wound in my chest.We formed a circle, hands clasped tightly, then raised them to our foreheads in solemn prayer."Gods above… grant them the peace in their next life that was stolen in this one," I murmured. The others echoed the words, voices thick with grief and exhaustion.The march back was quiet. The land around us lay dead and barren, stripped bare by endless invasions. No trees. No grass. Only cracked earth and the distant silhouette of our fortress rising like a defiant scar against the blood-red horizon.By the time we reached the ancient castle gates, the crimson moon had climbed higher, watching us like a silent, unblinking eye.I tightened my grip on my sword and stepped through the gates, my men following close behind.Another day survived.Another night to prepare for the next slaughter.Welcome to my new life.