The night was never meant to fall this fast.
"Ava—oh gracious Lord, what happened to you?" Asher's voice trembled as he dropped to his knees beside her, hands instantly pressing down against the blood gushing from her side.
Ava winced, struggling to maintain consciousness. Her skin glistened with sweat, her golden aura dimming, fading. She tried to lift herself but failed—her strength draining like water from a cracked glass.
"I don't know…" she gasped, her voice hoarse. "The creature—some kind of poison—it injected me."
Her words were laced with shame. She was a goddess. She wasn't supposed to bleed. She wasn't supposed to lose. And yet, something from the skies above had pierced her divine defenses.
Asher's jaw clenched. He looked toward the chaos ahead—Emily, with her arms stretched high, holding off the invisible force in the air. Cracks had begun to form around her shimmering barrier.
"Jeremy," Asher called with urgency. The boy ran toward them, sword strapped to his back, boots thudding on the trembling earth.
Asher grabbed his collar and whispered into his ear. "Whatever you do, Jimmy—don't let that thing touch you."
A shriek exploded above them, sharp enough to slice air. The lizard-like beast that had attacked Ava hovered in the sky, its wings like molten blades, eyes gleaming like volcanic rubies.
And then it roared—a bone-chilling, guttural sound that ripped through the wind. With a sudden swoop, it belched a massive flame down toward the group. The fire licked across the field, scorching trees, melting stone.
But Emily stood firm.
"Shield of the Ancients…" she chanted again, pushing everything she had left into her barrier.
The fire crashed into her protection—but the shield buckled. Her knees wobbled, her vision blurred, and then—
CRACK.
Her shield shattered, fragments of magical light exploding into the air like broken glass.
Emily fell to her knees, breathless, disoriented.
And then the ground began to vibrate.
From deep below, a low, monstrous groan echoed. Then came the rumble. And before they could even draw breath—
The earth split open.
From its cavernous depths crawled them.
Hundreds.
Twisted, nightmarish figures unlike anything they'd ever seen. Skin like decaying obsidian. Bone-white claws dragging through the dirt. Faces—if they could be called that—split down the middle, opening to reveal endless rows of teeth and black, bottomless eyes.
Some slithered with elongated necks, others flew with wings made of stretched skin and veins. Others crawled, shrieking, their bodies stitched with mouths and tongues that hissed and laughed.
They didn't walk. They swarmed.
Emily, her magic sputtering, screamed, "RUN!"
But it was too late.
Asher was still holding Ava, desperately trying to close the wound with healing light—but a dozen of the creatures pounced on him, clawing, biting.
"NOT TODAY!" Jeremy yelled, unsheathing his divine sword. The blade glowed with blinding blue light as he swung with brutal grace, slicing through the first wave. Blood, black and foul-smelling, sprayed through the air.
He whirled, danced, stabbed—a storm of silver energy bursting from his blade, each movement cleaving through the horrors like fire through parchment.
Emily staggered back, trying to summon anything—just a spark, a wisp of power. But the moon above them was dying. Its light dimmed, then flickered.
And then—
The moon vanished.
Gone.
Darkness flooded the sky. No stars. No light. Just the eerie crimson glow of the monsters' eyes, and the cold breath of death itself whispering through the battlefield.
Emily's hands trembled. Her lips were pale. She muttered, "Come on, come on..."
But her magic was fading, smothered by some unseen force. Her fingertips sparked once, then nothing.
From the shadows, another beast lunged toward her, mouth split open like a flower of fangs. She braced for the impact—
A whip of lightning sliced across the field, obliterating it.
Asher was up again, eyes glowing golden, fury on his face. Ava lay behind him, unconscious, shielded by a glowing dome.
"You want a war?" he spat. "Then come get it."
The creatures shrieked and dove at him from every direction. He spun, unleashed waves of divine fire, every punch sending explosive shockwaves through the air. He fought like a tempest, a man possessed.
But they were so many.
"Jeremy!" he called. "We need a circle—NOW!"
Jeremy nodded, stabbing his sword into the ground. Runes flared to life beneath them, ancient glyphs glowing with celestial energy.
"Emily—into the circle!" he yelled.
She limped toward it, barely dodging a swipe from a four-armed creature whose body oozed ash and worms.
They gathered—Asher, Emily, Jeremy—and the fallen goddess between them.
Jeremy raised his hand. "Divine Retribution—SEAL OF THE HEAVENS!"
The glyph beneath them exploded with holy light, pushing the monsters back—but it wouldn't hold for long.
From the horizon came a roar louder than thunder.
A new creature emerged.
It stood ten stories tall, its body stitched from thousands of corpses. Six arms, each ending in curved blades. A spine exposed, leaking black venom. Eyes covered its chest, and each blink echoed with psychic screams.
"This…" Emily whispered, shivering. "This is a death beast. A creature of apocalyptic rank…"
Asher stepped forward, his face grim. "We hold here. No running. No surrender. If we fall—we fall blazing."
The beast opened its mouth, and from it spilled a chorus of voices screaming in agony.
And then, it charged.
Jeremy raised his sword, screaming. Emily pulled every last thread of magic from her veins. Asher summoned a blade of light.
And together, in the heart of darkness, with the moon gone and death surrounding them—they fought.
Their screams echoed. Their lights clashed against the abyss. And somewhere in the chaos, hope flickered.
But only time would tell if it would survive the night.