Aria
The wind shifted, carrying with it a strange metallic taste I had never noticed before. It was subtle, almost imperceptible if I hadn't known how to listen to the world. But I did. I always did. A pulse beneath the earth, a quiver in the air, the natural rhythm of mana in the land had faltered.
For days, I had sensed it. Unease, like a heavy fog pressing against my chest, a silent warning whispered on the edge of my thoughts. The gardens no longer thrived as they once had. The birds sang less. Even the ancient oaks that stood sentinel around our estate seemed to shudder with apprehension.
Jonathan noticed it too. His emerald eyes, so sharp, so fierce, had darkened with concern. We spoke little, sharing only glances heavy with unspoken dread. The mana that danced around us, the very essence of life and creation, was twisting, warping. Something ancient, something terrible and horrid was stirring.
It started as a tremor beneath the earth. First, just a subtle vibration, like the heartbeat of the world quickening. Then the air grew thick, heavy, charged with a wild, erratic pulse that set my skin crawling. The sun's light dimmed, as if filtered through smoke, but no smoke rose. A shadow fell over the land, distant but large and spreading.
That was when I heard it.
A low, guttural rumble that seemed to come from the very bones of the world. The Devouring.
Fables whispered in old tomes and bedtime stories, dismissed by many as myth, were coming alive. The rift between worlds was tearing wide open, and from it spilled a hunger..., a force that devoured not just flesh and stone, but reality itself.
I felt my breath catch as the first spatial distortions appeared near the edge of our land. The air twisted, folding in impossible angles. The sky cracked like glass, revealing glimpses of an empty void beyond..., a place cold and lifeless, devoid of hope or light.
My heart hammered, and I fought the rising panic. For Noah. For Jonathan. For this home we had built with love and dreams.
I moved to the training grounds, where our son was steadily practicing his meditation, he chest moved with a humble ryhtm. He was unaware of the darkness closing in. And I vowed, silently, fiercely, to protect him at all costs.
The estate was alive with magic. The ancient wards and barriers we had inherited from Jonathan's ancestors glowed faintly, struggling to hold the encroaching shadows at bay. I knelt by the window and extended my senses, reaching out with magic to strengthen the defenses.
But even our combined power was a candle flickering in a storm.
The Devouring was no natural disaster. It was a beast born of chaos, a hungry void tearing through existence. It moved with purpose, leaving nothing untouched. Trees collapsed into ash; rivers dried and cracked; animals fled or vanished without a trace.
Jonathan joined me, his hand resting on my shoulder. His scales shimmered faintly in the dim light, a reminder of the dragon blood coursing through his veins. He was calm on the surface, but I saw the storm raging behind his eyes.
"We must prepare," he said quietly. "The barriers won't hold long. We need to get Noah to the mana training room. We need to prepare for what's coming."
I nodded, swallowing the lump in my throat. Preparing felt impossible. How could we prepare for the end of everything?
Still, I did the only thing I could.
I gathered my strength, calling upon the healing and protective magic of Aethon, weaving intricate sigils of light and warmth around the estate's heart. I channeled Nomos to stabilize the walls and the land itself, attempting to impose order on the chaos. But the Entropy beneath the Devouring fought back, tearing at the threads of magic with wild unpredictability.
Each pulse of the Devouring was like a blow to my soul.
Yet, amid the terror, my thoughts never left Noah.
My boy who would changed everything. The fragile light in this darkening world.
I remembered holding him for the first time, his small fingers curling around mine, his silver eyes bright with innocent wonder. I thought of the countless nights I had spent singing to him, telling him stories of stars and ancient dragons, of hope and courage.
Would those stories matter now?
Would he even remember?
The estate shook violently as the rift widened. A tear in the sky split open above the forest, and from it spilled a cold darkness that bled into the world like ink on water.
Jonathan took my hand in his, squeezing it with quiet desperation. "We have to go now! Wake Noah up. We can't wait."
I hesitated for a moment, looking back to where Noah sat, in a tranquil manner yet so vulnerable. The fierce mother in me screamed to shield him, to carry him away from this nightmare.
But where could we go?
"Together," I whispered, voice trembling. "No matter what, we face this as a family."
His nod was firm. "Always."
The ground quaked beneath us as the Devouring's hunger edged closer. As shook Noah awake, just as the first creatures born from the rift, the Rift Walkers, slithered through the woods, spectral shadows hungry for the echoes of magic.
I gathered my thoughts and tried to steady my heart as Noah finally awoke. His eyes fluttered open, sensing the fear in my heartbeat.
"It's okay, we're both here," I soothed, pressing a gentle kiss to his forehead. "We will be safe."
But inside, I knew the danger was far from over.
"What's going on!?"
Noah asked while running for his sword.
A distant roar shattered through the air, the arrival of the mana beast, a creature of pure chaos born from the Abyss ofEternity. It towered like a living mountain, scales glowing with the corruption of Entropy, eyes burning with ancient malice.
It marched toward us, crushing everything beneath its colossal feet.
My heart shattered.
"Father... What is that..?" Noah's voice trembled upon gazing at the beast.
Jonathan didn't say a words, instead he drew his sword, the blade etched with dragon runes that glowed faintly against the darkening sky.
"Stay close," he commanded.
We stood at the edge of the estate, a fragile bastion surrounded by ruin.
As the beast advanced, I clenched Noah's wrist tighter, tears burning in my eyes.
No words could capture the storm of grief, fear, and fierce love that tore through me.
But I vowed, if I fell, if Jonathan fell, if the world itself crumbled, I would send our son away. Away from the Devouring. Away from the darkness.
Because the only thing I feared more than the Devouring was losing him.
And with that, the battle for our home, and our family began.
End of Chapter.