"We live to die."
- Verse 8:14, The Aethric Tenet.
***
"For some reason... Ever since I was a kid, I never believed in the reality of death.
Most people say life is transient, and death is inevitable. However, I have always thought that death only happened to a particular set of people: either the rich. The fulfilled. The important. Those that matter. Or even those that wanted it.
I'm not rich. I'm not important. I haven't fulfilled anything...or maybe just failure at being a sorcerer. And I never for once asked for death.
So there was no reason for death to come to me.
I never mattered to anyone, not even myself.
I was raised in an orphanage from when I could remember.
Whenever I asked the guardians for my parents, they most times snubbed me.
I kept asking, and yet, I received the same response over and over again.
And finally...I realized the truth one day.
"I didn't matter..."
That must've been the reason my parents ditched me. The reason the guardians always snubbed me. The reason no one wanted to adopt me.
It was all because I didn't matter.
I wasn't important. I was just liability. A burden. An absence.
So... there was no reason for death to come after me.
"..."
But yet... why?"
"Why is death coming to me?" Code's eyes widened, as his gaze locked on the massive demon thudding towards them.
Elara stood behind him, shivering and sobbing profusely.
"I don't wanna die," She wailed.
THUD!!
"Shit!" Code bit his lip, blood trickling out. "There's no place to run."
Behind them were trees, after which there was a deep large canal that meant instant death if anyone jumped inside.
The demon drew closer, thudding and grinning. It was already salivating, its thick translucent saliva dripping to the ground.
'Is this the end?' Code asked himself.
His eyes rolled to his left arm. Elara was clutching it intently.
Then suddenly, a thought seeped into his head.
'If I ditch her, I should be able to escape on my own. She's being a burden.'
THUD!!!
"Eeeek!!" Elara jumped, tightening her grip on Code's arm.
Then, Code snapped.
"Oi!" He yelled, turning to face her.
"Do you mind not clutching my arm? It hurts, ah!" Code exclaimed.
Elara froze, blinking awkwardly.
A weird silence passed for a few seconds which felt like forever.
At that point in time, she looked far more beautiful than afraid.
'An angel?' Code asked himself.
"Ahem." He cleared his throat loudly, coming back from his imaginations.
"For now, we should be thinking about how we can escape," Code said, occasionally looking backwards.
"Isn't there anything you can do?" He asked, eyes narrowing.
The demon was already very close.
"Uh?" Elara muttered, as she raised her hand onto her chin.
'If only I were strong, or even good at basic sorcery, escaping wouldn't be an hassle...' Code shook his head grimly.
'And that's why at this point, I'd do anything and everything to survive!' A flicker of determination shined in his eyes.
"Um..." Elara whispered, her eyes fidgeting.
"Any idea? Pipe up!" Code cut in.
"Um...I think I know a way we can escape," Elara started.
"Yeah? Out with it, quickly," Code's voice raised.
"I can cast a spell that will place divine protection upon us," she explained.
"Divine protection?" Code repeated.
'Something about calling upon a god's presence to form a barrier that shields from negative energy. Does that mean she's a priestess?' Code pondered, raising his brow.
"But that comes with a lot of disadvantages, doesn't it?" Code asked.
"Y-yes, it on-only lasts for about two minutes, me-meaning..." Elara replied.
"...we have to get out of this forest in that time," Code completed her statement.
Code brought his hand to his chin to think.
'Given how far we have gone into this forest, it's practically impossible to escape in just two minutes.'
'However...' He raised his head.
The demon was already few steps away, felling trees.
"At this point, anything would do.
"Cast the spell!" Code commanded to Elara, as the demon took another step towards them.
Elara nodded in affirmation, as she raised her shivering hands over her face.
"How long?" Code asked, eyes fixed on the demon, as his hand went to where his dagger was sheathed.
"I have to cast my prayers first. It'll take about twenty seconds," Elara replied, as she closed her eyes.
Shiuuuun!!
Code unsheathed his dagger, as his gaze narrowed, determination surged into his eyes.
'I might be too weak to do anything...' Code stretched his left foot backwards.
"But I'll make sure I use this twenty seconds to stop you!!" Code yelled, as he dashed forward, dagger drawn.
Elara's white hair began to glow brighter, as it floated. Her lips parted...
And the prayer began.
Code connected with the demon in less than a second.
"Life is a whisper in the dark..."
The demon swung its massive left hand towards him.
"Death, a silence beyond form..."
But Code had seen it. He bent backwards as the arm connected, watching as the arm passed over his face.
"Between them lies the spiral of return..."
Shwaaamm!!!
The sheer impact of the demon's arm sent a ripple of air that instantly exploded numerous trees.
"Infinity begins where both dissolve..."
"Woah!" Code's mouth opened wide.
'That could've been me,' he shook, before realizing.
Another arm was coming, headed towards him from above.
"Shit!" Code hissed, as he jumped away, just in time for him to dodge a massive smash that shattered the ground.
The demon threw another arm in a massive punch.
The air tore apart, but as it connected, Code jumped over it, landing on its arm.
"Gotcha!" Code grinned, as he stabbed his dagger deep into the demon's flesh.
"Shrieeeekkk!!!" The demon screamed.
Then, he started running forward, dragging the dagger through the demon's flesh.
"The one who rules and lives forever in infinity..."
A white bright light began to glow from Elara's hands.
"Ahhhhh!!!" Code yelled, as he dashed through the demon's arm, tearing its flesh apart, a trail of blood following him.
But in that instant, the demon raised its head, and opened its mouth wide.
A dark shadow loomed over Code, and as he turned to look at it, it was the demon's mouth.
"No you don't!" Code exclaimed, as he jumped off the demon's arm, the demon's teeth closing shut mere centimeters from him.
He barely avoided getting grinded.
"That was close..." Code wheezed, grinning, as he flew midair.
Code landed hard on the ground, far in front of Elara.
His gaze flickered backwards at Elara. 'She should be done by...'
"The god of fate and sorcery..."
Code was about to finish his statement, but as he heard those words, he froze. His eyes widened.
"Wait...is that?" But before he could process his thoughts, he suddenly felt a gust of wind blow intensely against him.
The white light glowed brighter.
Code turned his face back forward, and his heart skipped a beat.
The demon's fist was incoming.
Code instinctively raised his hands, dagger drawn in defence.
And the fist connected.
Bannnggg!!!
As the punch connected, time seemed to slow.
Code's dagger caved inwards, after which it shattered into pieces.
In the remaining milliseconds before the demon's fist would connect to his face...
Maybe it was fate, or luck, but Code instantly tilted his head.
Boom!!
Time locked back into motion.
The demon's fist released a massive burst of explosive air behind Code, leveling the terrain.
But that wasn't all.
The sheer pressure tore Code's right arm, and the right side of his face apart, as blood instantly gushed out.
His arm flew off his body, smashing onto a random tree with a wet thud.
"Uh?" Code exclaimed. He didn't want to believe it. He couldn't feel it. He could only watch as blood trickled from it like a fountain.
He couldn't even scream, all he did was watch, as the demon drew closer.
The demon wasn't even done at all, instead, its grin was saying: "we're just getting started".
Elara's eyes were shut, as she kept praying.
"Lord Aethrauzon..."
The demon loomed closer to Code, as it raised its right arm to smash Code away.
But Code only stared. His eyes were filled with darkness.
"Grant us your divine protection..." Elara completed her prayers...
The demon's arm loomed closer, already few inches from Code.
"Divine shield!!" Elara scream, and in that instant, the white light spread out, forming a wide large circular translucent barrier.
"I should have known."
"Why did I even believe? Why did I hope?"
"Did I forget?"
"That divine protection doesn't work on me..."
"We did it..." Elara raised her head, a smile on her face, but as she looked up, her gaze darkened.
The demon's fist connected with Code in a massive impact, as blood sprayed out.
"I'm an atheist!" Code whispered, and his body was instantly flung away, ramming into a boulder with a sickening crunch.
"Code!!!" Elara's scream rent the air.
***
To Be Continued...