Ancient history says: the tale of gods who once descended from the heavens, stretching out their divine hands to save humanity from the abyss of eternal destruction. But what if, they chose to turn their backs, closing the gates of the sky forever? Who would become the savior of this world?
This is the world where I breathe. A world that lost its axis long ago. Every second I spend in it feels like a barefoot step across a field of glittering, broken glass.
"Mama..."
The voice, fragile like the wing-beat of a newly hatched butterfly in the middle of a storm, sliced through the thick, toxic air. A little girl, her knees smeared with gray dust and her face wet with unceasing tears, stared in horror at the ruins. Concrete rubble and twisted steel pressed down upon her mother's figure. Only one of her mother's hands—pale, stiff, and motionless—poked out from the deadly pile. Tears streamed down her cheeks.
All around her, fires danced in a deafening, savage laughter, licking what little remained into charcoal. The vista stretching into the distance was a nightmare: mounds of mutilated human flesh scattered across the scorched earth, a horrific mosaic of death. The coppery scent of fresh blood and the sickening stench of decaying bodies stabbed sharp as a hot dagger, suffocating the lungs. The odor was so choking that the girl gagged on her own sobs, occasionally bending over to empty her hollow stomach.
A cold, piercing pity crept into my heart, overpowering the usual reluctance I maintained. I stepped closer, my shadow falling over a puddle of dry blood. Crouching down slowly to her eye level, I tried to paint a faint smile on my face, though I knew it felt foreign.
"Hi, little girl," I greeted, my tone as gentle as possible, a stark contrast to the surrounding horror. "What's your name?"
My greeting, however, hit her like a sledgehammer. The girl flinched, her body stumbling backward until she landed hard on the dust and gravel. Her chest heaved as fast as a hummingbird's wings. Her wide eyes shone with pure terror, and her hands trembled violently before me.
"Oops, I'm sorry," I said quickly, raising both hands in a gesture of surrender. "I didn't mean to startle you."
"Wh-wh-who are you?! Are you one of them?!" Her voice cracked, a mixture of accusation and tearing fear.
"Easy, I'm human," I replied, reassuringly, though I knew my appearance might not convince her. "My name is Cael."
An unnerving silence hung heavy between us, broken only by the crackling and groaning of the remaining fire consuming the wood. The girl clearly doubted me. I could see it—anger and fear twisted in those pathetic eyes. A gaze that felt like it was slicing me to the bone.
This place is too dangerous, little girl." I held out my right hand to her, an offer of protection in a world that no longer offered anything. "Come on, follow me!"
Seeing my outstretched hand, the child instead backed away, hesitation filling every inch of her expression. It seemed my social skills were indeed questionable.
"Leave me alone!" she insisted, her tone bordering on hysterical. Then her small body bent over again, throwing up the remnants of nothing, a reflection of her drained soul.
"Why?" I asked coldly, ignoring her nausea. "What do you want from this rotten place?"
I myself was used to it. After often traversing scenes of destruction like this, I no longer felt the urge to vomit among the corpses. In fact, my biggest reason for being 'immune' to this horrifying sight was that I was forced to pretend that all this—the blood, the flesh, and the stench—never existed, just to maintain my sanity.
Suddenly, the ground beneath our feet shuddered. The massive tremor caused the remaining standing structures to begin collapsing into dust and a roar of metal. The child instantly fell, hugging her knees to her face, cupping her head with both hands, her body curled up like a shrimp.
My eyes moved quickly, scanning the surroundings, looking for signs of a Demon's arrival. And there, a shadow began to form: a ball of blazing fire, slowly solidifying into a human-like silhouette, like a statue made of lava. In that same instant, I gripped the girl's wrist, then pulled her with all my strength toward a hidden gap shielded by a large boulder—a fragile cave of refuge.
We gasped behind the rocky protection. The girl was panting, nearly choking on her own breath from fear, while I gave her a hard signal to be silent. I peeked out, trying to catch a glimpse of the horrifying creature that had just appeared.
The Demon finally showed its true form, an embodiment of hell on earth. Its body resembled a human's, slightly hunched, but with unmistakable characteristics. Two dark horns jutted from its head, as if scratching the overcast sky. Its finger and toenails were incredibly long and sharp, powerful enough to pierce a normal human chest. Its face was a sight that turned stomachs: dagger-sharp teeth leering in a permanent expression of malice, and its bright yellow eyes radiated hatred. This particular Demon had fiery red skin, as if it itself was made of freshly cooled hellfire.
After a moment of observing the surroundings, the Demon began to move with heavy steps. It walked towards the pile of corpses, then emitted a dense, dark power, spreading like a night fog. Souls, resembling pathetic clumps of blue fire, began to be drawn out of the dead bodies. The Demon then opened its mouth wide, like a bottomless chasm, sucking all those clumps of souls until they vanished.
I was so focused on that gruesome scene that I almost forgot the girl beside me. Now, she covered her mouth with her hand, trembling uncontrollably, her body shaking violently like a leaf in the wind. Worst of all, a dark stain spread on her pants—she had wet herself. Her swollen eyes looked up at me, pleading for help, a mirror of inevitable helplessness.
"It's okay. That Demon is stupid," I whispered, gently squeezing her hand, trying to transmit a little calm. "But he'll realize we're here soon."
We started running. The girl's grip tightened, clinging to me as life depends on a single thread. The dead city was enveloped in an eerie silence, broken only by our frantic gasps. Ruins lay everywhere, and crows feasted on human corpses, singing praises to death. The sky looked dark, thick with clouds, and there were no more trees to be seen—just an endless landscape of destruction.
I thought we had gone far enough. But soon after, a loud thud sounded from behind, making the ground shake again. A man was thrown toward us with incredible speed, shattering small stones into fragments before finally slamming and rolling on the dusty ground. We both instantly stopped, trapped between the danger we were leaving and the danger that was following.
"Arghh... You damn Demon." The man got up, clutching his back. He wore a long, black robe that looked worn and dusty, almost touching the ground. His hair was jet-black, matching his sharp pupils. After dusting off his robe, he looked at us, his expression flat, but his eyes vigilant. "Huh? What are you two doing?"
"We're citizens who didn't make it to the evacuation point in time," I explained, my voice slightly choked.
"What poor luck for you two. Do you know the way to the evacuation point?"
"Why don't you just come with us, and escort us to safety?" I tried.
"No, I can't. My duty is to exterminate the Soul Devourer."
"Soul Devourer?" The little girl finally spoke up, her voice returning, drawn by the horrifying name.
I smiled faintly and explained to her, "As the name suggests, it's the ability to devour souls. Every soul you swallow increases your power, but also slowly diminishes your humanity. And the Demon we just saw? He used to be human too."
"I see..." The girl muttered, digesting the horrible fact that had just crept into her consciousness.
"Good explanation," the man in the black robe interrupted, his eyes still looking behind us. "Now head North, about three kilometers. You will find a group of humans and soldiers assigned to guard them."
Suddenly, a massive burst of fire shot toward us, like a giant, hungry tongue. The fire was devastating and widespread, but we were saved by an invisible wall that appeared from nowhere, vibrating as it withstood the heat.
"Hurry up and go!" the man yelled.
I nodded quickly, pulling the girl and starting to run again, away from the unequal battle. Not long after, the same Demon appeared—as if teleporting—right in front of the man. The Demon swung its sharp claws, scratching the invisible wall with brutal force. The wall cracked, then shattered into pieces with a sharp shingg sound.
The man in the black robe managed to distance himself from the deadly claw attack. Once again, the Demon unleashed a more devastating fireball, a mini-vortex of hell. This time, the man did not evade. He performed a few complex hand movements, then drew out a black sword that flashed with black lightning—a weapon that radiated an aura of darkness and power.
With lightning speed, he sliced the incoming fire, splitting it like a curtain, then leaped forward toward the Demon. He swung his sword at the Demon's neck, but his attack failed to hit the target. The Demon instantly disappeared and reappeared right above him, preparing to smash its fist, capable of leveling the ground. However, the man was faster. With his own lightning speed, he managed to dodge, and the Demon's fist landed on the ground, creating cracks that spread like a spiderweb. The Demon disappeared again and continued to attack the man in a pattern of lightning-fast strikes. The loud clashing of sword and metal claws echoed, and sparks flew whenever the black sword met the Demon's sharp nails.
"Tch, a stubborn demon," the man muttered, a faint smile on his lips, while parrying the brutal attack from the Demon.
He then thrust himself backward and plunged his black sword into the ground. A flash of black lightning erupted and cracked the earth, channeling energy. The man channeled his lightning power into the ground, and it burst out right beneath the Demon.
Noticing this, the Demon easily leaped toward him and unleashed its fire power at the man in the black robe. But it was all planned by him. The man vanished in a blink of an eye and reappeared behind the Demon.
"Goodbye, bastard," he said with an arrogant, deadly smile.
With that, the man stabbed the Demon, piercing its back. The creature screamed very loudly, a deafening roar of agony. Flashes of black lightning and red fire emanated everywhere, exploding in a clash of pure energy. Until finally, the Demon exploded and burned to ash, leaving only dust and a sharp stench of sulfur.
Hearing the loud thud and then the silence, I immediately became curious. Turning back, I found him doing a small stretch. We stopped running, panting, and looked at the man in the black robe.
Not long after, the man saw us from a distance. He waved his hand at us and jumped up and down like a small child, a funny contrast to the battle just now. I sighed with relief before nearly having a heart attack. He was suddenly right in front of us, as if he had just teleported.
"Damn! My heart almost jumped out," I muttered, half-grumbling.
"Haha... My bad, my bad. Why did you stop running?"
"It's because you defeated him. Besides, we're too exhausted to run anymore."
"I see. How about we rest first before continuing the journey tomorrow morning?"
"Sounds good," I replied, relieved.
The man didn't stop smiling at us and held out his hand. "My name is Leon. It's a pleasure to meet you both."
I shook the man's hand and returned his smile. "My name is Cael, and this girl is..."
"My... my name is Rika," the girl said, her voice now a little stronger.
"Nice to meet you, Rika." Leon gently stroked her head.
Suddenly, we heard the sound of dragging footsteps and scraping rocks. We immediately turned around, and Leon quickly stepped in front of us, gripping his sword hilt tightly, his smile gone, replaced by full vigilance.
"Who's there?!" Leon asked firmly, his voice breaking the silence that had just settled.