The play "Moonlight" is one of the most famous stories in this world, to the point that Sami knew it even before entering the ordeal. It was an integral part of the culture, told by grandmothers to their grandchildren, mentioned in school books, and immortalized on walls as a symbol of human heroism and demonic evil. This type of story was always beloved for some reason, but Sami was not a fan. He had always felt it was just fabricated, repetitive propaganda.
The story tells the legend of a beautiful city in the desert whose people lived in peace under the moonlight since time immemorial. But one day, the sun suddenly rose upon them, and it was a terrible event. The bright sunlight tampered with their minds, destroyed their crops, and killed their children. The humans took refuge in the Temple of the Moon, the only place the sunlight couldn't reach, and hid there, hungry and exhausted, waiting for salvation.
Then, a Demon appeared and offered them a deal: he could make the Eternal Sun set, but they had to obey his commands without question. The humans, on the brink of destruction, had no choice but to accept. The Demon ruled them and ordered them to offer their children as sacrifices to him. After taking the first offering, the sun indeed set, but it didn't take long for it to return quickly. The Demon told them they had to continue making sacrifices for the night to return as it was.
And so, they continued to offer sacrifices, and over sixty years, it only made the sun set four times. In return, the humans lost many of their children and lived as servants under his mercy. But at the end of the fourth night, the Knight of the Moon came from nowhere. The cursed sun didn't affect him, and he was different from everyone else. He reached the trapped and tortured humans, drew the "Eclipse Sword" from the temple, then killed the Demon and freed the humans. And so, the moon returned to shine forever... The End.
After processing this story, Sami began to realize its similarities with his current situation. But he also knew that reality and truth never fully aligned. Humans loved to embellish ugly truths, and the ordeal was never as it seemed.
Now, he had two choices:
1. Follow the ridiculous legend, try to reach the temple, obtain the mysterious sword, and face the Demon, hoping for victory.
2. Completely defy the original narrative and follow another path, which he hadn't determined yet.
Demons had always been terrifying and mysterious entities to Sami, even before entering the ordeal. Although he had never faced one, and even though they shared half the world with humans, his world portrayed them as the absolute origin of evil. They were cruel, merciless creatures, exactly as depicted in "Moonlight." Yet, Sami wasn't one to believe everything he was told. He always had a way of thinking that made him question everything, but even he couldn't deny his horror of them. True fear was always of the unknown, and demons perfectly represented this unknown.
After tearing part of his clothing to stop the bleeding from both sides...
Sami sighed and forced himself to stand. The Lunar-Light Armor he wore gleamed within the tunnel's darkness. He balanced his body with difficulty, then decided to continue. Leaning on his crimson sickle, he began walking in the dark.
He couldn't determine how much time had passed since arriving in this world. The darkness, pain, and thoughts flooding his mind... all made focusing on time impossible.
He stopped suddenly, pressing himself against the wall. He heard a sound nearby. He advanced cautiously until he found a turn, then crawled on the ground in complete silence despite the pain gnawing at his body. He removed the Lunar-Light Armor so its friction wouldn't make a sound that might reveal him. The floor was cold and rough, uncomfortable, but he managed thanks to his skill.
Once settled in the darkness, things became clearer. He had entered a storage room. He touched some sacks beside him, and a short distance away, there was a burning fire. Two armed men sat around it, talking and drinking something.
One of them said: "Do you really think he was the Knight of the Moon? What a farce! To be killed by Senn... she really is an unlucky girl... I remember the days she believed her grandfather's words? She thought he would save the city... Well, it doesn't matter anymore. Thanks to Kaf and the others, we can meet the requirements now."
Sami recognized one of the men. It was Lam. As soon as he saw him, a cold anger began rising in Sami's veins. Sami wasn't the type to forget a grudge easily.
He crawled slowly, trying to reduce the distance between himself and them without being noticed. When he was close enough, he stood silently, ignoring the pain and blood, and summoned the Sylvan Sickle.
While Lam was sipping his drink, he said: "Well, I think it's time we go and retrieve his corpse... He must be dead by now."
He heard no response.
He raised his eyes towards his friend, but found only a shattered skull and a waterfall of blood flowing from its center. Behind him stood a shadowy figure.
Lam jumped back quickly, but his reaction was too late. He raised his sword in a defensive stance, but realized too late that the strike wasn't aimed at his upper body.
He fell to the ground, looking in horror at the fire, then at his friend's torn head. When he lowered his eyes, he realized the terrifying truth: his legs... they were no longer there.
The cut was perfectly clean.
Complete terror filled his eyes, while Sami stood in the darkness, holding his sickle, his own eyes closed.
He didn't want to see the scene.
He had already made up his mind, made his decision, and determined his steps.
But he wasn't ready to see himself kill, even if the victims were just illusions made by the ordeal.
"Am I feeling pity for those who tried to kill me? No... He actually did kill me."
He hesitated for a moment.
"Damn... I hate this part of myself."
He fell silent, feeling something warm flowing down his cheeks.
"Are these... tears?"
He gripped his sickle tightly and swore in a faint voice.
"Damn... I hate doing these things..."
To be continued...