Far to the west in the kingdom of Etherea, the night guards reported something unusual. They saw shadowy figures roaming the streets. When the guards pursued the figures, the shapes suddenly vanished into the night wind. Rumors began to spread across Etherea. Some said the shadows were assassins sent from a distant nation to kill the prince; others whispered they might be ghosts emerging from the Well of Ancients.
King Haruto sensed something was amiss when he returned to the capital the next morning. Near the city lay a village of demihumans, whose elder had come to meet him personally. The elder bowed deeply. "Your Majesty, these past days have been strange," he said. "The air feels tainted, and the forest has fallen unnaturally silent. We fear a great evil is at work." Haruto exchanged a grave look with his son, Prince Kanzaki. "We will send aid," the king promised. "I will dispatch our scouts immediately. Please return to your village and stay safe."
Kanzaki left the following dawn with his personal guards. He rode along the edge of the forest, where sunlight only barely pierced the thick canopy. The air grew colder and the trees fell unnaturally silent. Soon they found a heavy, choking miasma hanging between the trunks. Its foul stench forced them to wave a hand in front of their faces as they searched for its source. Finally, the riders arrived at the mouth of a cave hidden among the roots of an ancient oak.
The prince dismounted and examined the darkness beyond. "This place is dangerous," one guard whispered. "Perhaps we should wait for reinforcements." Kanzaki shook his head, resolve in his eyes. "No," he said firmly. "If this evil has taken root here, we cannot delay. Stay behind me, and be ready."
The tunnel beyond twisted like a labyrinth, branching in many directions. Holding a torch, Kanzaki led the way, stepping carefully over slick rocks and through pools of stagnant water. The guards followed, tense and alert. After a long march, the tunnel opened into a vast underground chamber. At its center stood stone tablets covered in strange runes, their faces carved with ancient symbols that glowed faintly in the torchlight. Kanzaki approached one tablet and traced the markings with his fingertip.
"What is this place?" he murmured. The others came forward to look, but before anyone could answer, a scream like the howl of a wild beast echoed through the cavern. The shout was so pure and filled with rage that it froze the prince and his guards in place.
From the shadows strode a monstrous figure—the stuff of legends. Before them stood Helcurt, a demon entity thought extinct long ago. The creature's black hooded armor was etched with infernal runes, and two razor-sharp claws extended from its gauntlets. Its eyes glowed a terrible red behind the visor, and a faint black mist swirled at its feet.
At the sight of it, the guards froze with fear. Kanzaki did not hesitate. "Charge!" he roared, leaping forward. Brandishing the Ares Sword—an ancient blade said to have been plucked from a sacred well and capable of cutting through any barrier the prince swung at the demon.
Helcurt moved with inhuman speed. With a whispered incantation, the demon performed a Shadow Step, vanishing into the darkness and reappearing behind Kanzaki. It struck with a furious slash aimed at the prince's waist. In that instant, Sir Renhart, one of Kanzaki's stalwart guards, threw himself at the demon's side. The demon's massive blade struck Sir Renhart instead, and the guard was cleaved in two before Kanzaki's eyes. Renhart collapsed, lifeless.
Rage surged through Kanzaki. He unleashed his sword technique, Nightfall a heavy slash of inky blackness that roared like a storm. The air around them blackened, and the darkness crashed into Helcurt's right side. The demon hissed as the cursed energy peeled away a chunk of its armor and flesh. Helcurt staggered, one of its eyes erupting with blood.
One arm missing, the wounded demon vanished into shadow again. The chamber fell eerily silent. Then, before anyone could react, Helcurt struck again. It appeared in a swirl of darkness and slashed through another guard's chest. The man crumpled to the stone floor without a sound, blood pooling beneath him.
The demon's claws raked through the remaining guards as if they were mere paper. In the chaos, Helcurt's fist caught Kanzaki in the chest and sent him crashing into the wall. Stars exploded in the prince's vision and pain flared across his body. Before Kanzaki could recover, Helcurt seized the fallen body of Sir Renhart and hurled it like a spear. The dead man's limp form smashed into Kanzaki's left arm. With a sickening crack, Kanzaki felt his arm break and go numb.
Pain and darkness swirled around Kanzaki's mind. His arm hung useless by his side, and he tasted blood in his mouth. Despite the agony, the prince refused to give in. With iron will, he forced himself to his knees.
Helcurt advanced, its remaining claw poised to strike the final blow. "Nightfall!" Kanzaki cried out, gathering the last of his energy. He slashed his sword upward as Helcurt brought its claw down. There was a wrenching sound as the demon's claw was severed from its gauntlet. Helcurt screamed in fury and stumbled back, one arm uselessly hanging at its side.
Seeing his chance, Kanzaki lunged forward. He drove his sword deep into the demon's chest and twisted. The undead creature shrieked in agony, black blood hissing as it gushed around Kanzaki's blade. Before it could recover, Kanzaki unleashed Fleshwind, a spinning blade attack of incredible speed. The whirlwind of steel carved a deep gash across Helcurt's chest, bisecting its armor and flesh as though they were paper.
Helcurt let out one final, unholy scream and collapsed. The dark mist that had clung to it dissipated like smoke in the air. The long-dormant demon was dead.
Every muscle in Kanzaki's body trembled. Pain lanced through his broken arm and wounds, but the battle was over. Summoning the last of his strength, the prince dragged himself away from Helcurt's corpse and toward the cave entrance.
Outside, the night sky was silent and still. Kanzaki's ears strained, and then he heard it again the piercing, blood-chilling scream that had echoed through the cave. It came from deep within the forest, as terrifying as ever. Fear shot through his heart.
With a final cry of defiance, Kanzaki roared Nightfall down the tunnel. The black slash tore at the rock above the cave, sending a shower of stone and debris crashing down. The entrance collapsed behind him, sealing the monster's lair with earth and stone. The blow was so powerful that it knocked Kanzaki off his feet.
He fell into darkness, blood trickling from his ears... and then nothing.
When Kanzaki awoke, dawn light fell through the wooden shutters of the demihuman elder's hut. He lay in a simple bed, bandages around his chest and arm. The elder sat in a chair beside him, gently checking his dressings. Concern marked the elder's face.
"You are awake," the elder said softly. Kanzaki tried to speak, but his mouth was dry. He coughed.
"You gave us quite a scare," the elder continued. "Last night we heard a terrifying scream from the forest. Several villagers ran to investigate and found you lying unconscious at the mouth of the cave, badly injured. We managed to carry you here and heal you as best we could."
Kanzaki winced as he touched the bandages on his broken arm. "What happened?" he croaked. "Please, tell me everything."
The elder nodded gravely. "You fought a demon, Prince," he said quietly. "Now tell me everything."
Taking a deep breath, Kanzaki recounted every detail he could remember. He told of the shadowy figures, the cave and the runes, and then Helcurt's appearance. He described the fierce battle: Sir Renhart's sacrifice, unleashing Nightfall, and the demon's savage attacks. His voice wavered when he described how his own arm was broken. When he finished, silence fell over the hut.
"A Helcurt… in this day and age?" the elder whispered, stunned. "I never imagined this… This changes everything. We must send word to the king at once."
In the distant kingdom of Luminath, King Satoshi stood on the marble steps of his palace, surveying the dawn sky. He had been on a pilgrimage to the Ice Temple, but now he had returned to grim news. The atmosphere in the court was cold and tense. His wife, Queen Emma, and his eldest daughter, Princess Rin, stood nearby. Rin clutched his sleeve.
"Father, you're home," Rin said, relief coloring her voice.
Satoshi mustered a tired smile. "Yes, my dear. But there is little time to celebrate. Gather the council and the Circle Mages in the war chamber at once."
Rin's brow furrowed. "Father, is something wrong?"
He shook his head. "We have urgent matters to attend to."
Within an hour, Luminath's war chamber was filled. Generals in heavy armor stood at attention, and robed mages took seats around a long obsidian table. At the head of the table, King Satoshi revealed the reason for his summons.
"I apologize for summoning you so suddenly," he began. "But I have faced something that defies explanation. At the Well, there was a cataclysm. Our sentries fell silent—no wind, no birdsong, nothing. It was as if sound itself had died. Then we heard a horrific scream from the Well, and within moments, our finest warriors were dead. The ground was scorched, their bodies emptied of blood, and both kings died. And now… now it seems our own men were struck down by an unseen force."
A hush descended over the chamber. The generals exchanged fearful glances. One of the royal mages, an elderly man named Sho, rose slowly to speak.
"Your Majesty," Sho said, voice trembling slightly. "If what you describe truly devours sound until there is only silence, and if no blade can harm it… then you have encountered the Stillness. In our oldest texts, the Stillness is a creature of pure void. It devours sound and life alike, leaving only an endless silence. I always believed it to be a myth. If it is real… then we face a terror beyond our knowledge."
Satoshi clenched the arm of his throne. "So it is true, then… We thought we had banished those old demons, but no. We face a silence that kills. We cannot do this alone. We must inform the other kingdoms of this danger at once."
Elder Sho nodded. "Spread word to Etherea, Jade Reach, and Emberfall. They may have legends of their own that can help."
Satoshi added, "Sho, send messengers with our findings. We have no time to waste."
Sho bowed and hurried from the room.
Queen Emma, who had been silent, spoke softly. "We have tales in our village too. In Riverland there's a prophecy: 'When cruelty rises like a black tide, and children are born to ache… Beneath cracked earth the wells will wake, not with gems but with the hunger of graves.' Something about skeletons in the well and long-toothed things waiting."
Princess Rin shivered, recalling her grandmother's bedtime stories. "And the one who put him there was no hero after all," Rin added quietly. "My grandmother said, 'the savior betrayed will return with wrath… The silence you chose cannot hold a world.
Satoshi's jaw clenched. "We sealed something in silence, you say? A protector forgotten, and now he is wrath." He turned to his daughter. "We must learn exactly what this means, Rin. Perhaps some of those old scrolls mention who was buried."
Back in Etherea, King Haruto had received Kanzaki's message. Later that morning he called his son to his private chamber. Kanzaki sat by the hearth, ribs aching but grateful to be home. Haruto helped the prince drink a cup of herbal broth, then stared intently at him. "Tell me, Kanzaki, what did you face in that cave?" he asked gently.
Kanzaki took a breath and described the demon and the battle. When he mentioned Helcurt's name, Haruto's eyes widened. "A Helcurt… That is impossible. These creatures were driven from our world centuries ago. And yet… here one is wounded by you." He paused, choosing his words carefully. "First the giants, and now this. Something is very wrong. You have done well, son."
Kanzaki winced as he shifted. "I'm hurt, Father. My arm…"
Haruto pulled back the curtains a little to let more light in. "Rest here, Kanzaki. I will send a trusted messenger to Luminath. We will convene our wisest elders and scholars. Thank you for telling me everything."
That afternoon, a palace scribe delivered Haruto's sealed letter to Luminath. It described the demon attack and urged a conference of all the kingdoms. By nightfall, every kingdom had agreed to send representatives to Luminath to discuss this new threat. The world's problems were now a shared concern.
In the capital of Emberfall, Queen Anya rode through the streets to address her people. News had arrived that two distant kings had been killed and monstrous shadows roamed in Etherea. Noble factions in the capital began to squabble for power. Anya tried to keep her court calm. From a balcony overlooking the city square she called out, "People of Emberfall, do not give in to terror! We do not yet have the facts. Panic will only serve our enemies. Stay vigilant and faithful. We will face whatever comes together."
Some in the crowd cheered her words; others still looked uneasy. Inside the palace, her sons Makoto and Shinji met her afterward.
Makoto, the elder prince, pounded the table. "Our father's death leaves the throne vacant! We should declare martial law and take control."
Shinji smiled thinly. "Let them be eager, brother. In their confusion, we shall maneuver ourselves into power without shedding blood."
That night, Queen Anya and her council studied ancient texts in the great library. Anya unfurled a worn tapestry that had been part of Emberfall's lore. "Listen to this prophecy," she said. "It speaks of the wells awakening with monsters. Could this be related?"
The court scholar, Emera of Luminath, read from the tapestry:
"When cruelness rises like a black tide,
and children are minted for grief born to ache,
the world will hush its bargaining voice.
Lanterns gutter; the old prayers choke on dust.
Beneath cracked earth the wells will wake,
not with gems but with the hunger of graves:
they will dwell in the throat of the world,
spitting up marrow like verdicts,
feeding the long-toothed things that have waited.
Monsters will come not from shadow only,
but from law and ledger, from hunger made law,
their ribs lined with the bones of promises,
their bellies full of names forgotten at birth.
They will stride cities and count the quiet faces,
and every cough will be a coin in their keeping.
Yet listen—myth is thin as a thread,
and myth remembers how things turn.
A child with soot on her palms will press a palm to the well,
and the well will answer with a whisper, not a bone.
It will remember the old names of mercy;
stones will learn to remember the weight of rain.
So when cruelty peaks and the world forgets the old kind acts,
mark this: even wells that give bone can be taught to give gems.
Raise hands, raise voices, break the ledger of hunger,
for monsters are made of what we refuse to share,
and legends change when we refuse to let them."
Queen Anya's voice trembled as Emera finished reading. "We heard this as children," she whispered. "It speaks of the wells giving bones, not gems—terrible."
Emera sighed. "We've seen strange things at our wells. If this prophecy is true, a child could be the key. But legends are vague. We must prepare for anything."
In Luminath the hall door burst open. Two royal guards stumbled in, horror-stricken. "Your Majesty, Aethyra scouts are attacking the city!" they panted. "They demand to speak with you!"
Satoshi grabbed his sword from a servant. "Who? How many?" he said.
As he spoke, the massive hall windows shattered. A frigid wind blasted through. A man clad in armor of ice stepped inside—Zen, an Aethyra noble, his blade glowing with freezing mist. Behind him charged nine heavily armed warriors with pale blue eyes like ice shards.
Zen's voice was calm and furious at once. "Insects of the surface," he hissed. "Human hands have broken the treaty. One of ours was taken. You cry for peace, but you played with fire."
"We do not have any of your people," Satoshi replied. "You can search for yourself."
They roamed freely while searching the throne room. One of them shouted, "I found something!" and presented a frost spear. Zen raged, "Where did you get this? So you are the ones who interfered with our territory." King Satoshi told him their men had found it near the new well. He told the truth to save his kingdom. Then Satoshi asked, "Are your forces the ones who killed the giants?"
Zen looked at the spear and realized it was indeed made by Aethyra craft but not entirely theirs—the markings on the spear did not belong to their faction. Zen took the spear for now to look into it himself. After a thorough search, the Aethyra left. News of Aethyra's presence flooded the four great nations.
Upon hearing the news, Shinji remembered something: they had abducted Rika near their territory. Could it be? He sent his associates to investigate the areas where she had been taken. After a few days they returned with an old man who claimed he had tried to warn them. Shinji, after hearing this, crafted a poisonous plan and had the old man executed so no one would use that news; then he leaked false information to Zen by his means. When his elder brother was going to collect his new "toys" people to amuse himself in arenas — he kept Rika with him in a cage like an animal.
Some days later, Makoto led a procession through a narrow canyon—his prisoners chained and his men confident. Suddenly, Zen and his warriors struck like storm-ravens. The Aethyra came silently, arrows of enchanted ice and swords of death. In minutes, Emberfall's guards were overwhelmed and slain. Makoto's escort fell in bloody heaps around him.
Zen marched to the lead wagon. They opened the cage inside. Rika, bruised but alive, recoiled. Zen's heart ached at the sight of his cousin treated like cargo. "This pitiful worm!" he snarled. In fury, he raised his blade and—with a single, cold stroke—ended Prince Makoto's tyranny. Makoto's scream was cut short before it even began.
After a few days the missing prince was nowhere to be found. Shinji knew what would have happened, but whether he was clever or a fool, he had doomed his entire nation, signing warrants of destruction with his actions. He had no idea what he had done; it was the calm before the storm.
At Luminath, a council was held. King Haruto and the gathered elders listened as Kanzaki described the cave, the strange tablets, and the carved symbol he had sketched: a divine hand and broken chains.
Elder Sho and the scholars leaned in, eyes wide. Carefully, they translated the archaic symbols. Their voices were grim as they read the lines: "A divine touch restores; cruelty births monsters; wells cough bones."
A hush fell. Queen Anya shivered as those words echoed through the great library. "It cannot be…" she murmured. Queen Emma squeezed Rin's hand and whispered, recalling a prophecy she knew well. "It says that even if we have awoken monsters, the Divines can teach the wells to give gems again."
Satoshi met Haruto's eyes. "The Well that was empty," he said, "now we see: it is waking. If cruelty births monsters, then we have summoned them. But perhaps mercy can stop them." He paused. "Yet do we even know how to fight such horrors?"
Silence answered him—until a tremendous explosion shook the throne hall. Guards screamed as red emergency flares lit the sky. Zen burst through the charred entrance, his face set in cold anger. "It is over! Your lies have sealed your fate," his voice boomed through the hall. "We declare war on all humanity. Within a week, the Aethyra will march upon your pitiful kingdoms."
As he spoke, Zen's men fell back and the shaken representatives of the world looked at each other in despair. Princess Rin clutched her sword. Queen Emma pressed her palm to her daughter's back. Kanzaki stood beside King Haruto, shaken from his nightmares. Across the table sat Queen Anya, her eyes burning with rage. In that moment, every heart in the war room knew a terrible truth: a darkness older than memory had been unleashed, and the world stood on the brink of a new age of war, with monsters born of both magic and man's own cruelty.
The old world had awakened something. Now all feared what would come next.