As usual, I was taking a morning stroll through the village. But today, I needed it more than ever. To calm my nerves, to think, and to stop myself from getting consumed by this all too familiar feeling.
Fear
I know that I'm the protector of this village. I'm supposed to be courageous and brave. But how could I not feel fear, if I know that my village is in danger. Maybe I would've doubted those reports that I got, but I could clearly feel just how true those reports were.
The monsters were fleeing from something. That much was clear.
And no, it wasn't some miracle. We'd fought those creatures for years, they wouldn't just give up. It would be delusional to think they suddenly decided to resettle elsewhere. No, this wasn't "good" news.
This was a threat.
Something out there was strong enough to scare those beasts away. Strong enough to make them abandon their hunting grounds like terrified prey. And it wasn't just them.
Even the few children in this village that usually run around causing chaos and problems with their antics while having those innocent smiles etched on their face...
They were hiding in their houses, their cold sweat visible as they peeked out their windows, trying to check if that thing has already arrived.
And that thing, it was near. Close enough that everyone could feel its presence like an invisible pressure pushing down our very skin.
In short, this was a catastrophe. One on the scale of a natural disaster.
And it was lurking just beyond these very walls... silently waiting.
I had to act fast. I had to report this to the King. Because if I faced it alone, I'd die. I didn't need to face it to know that I would die. Then the village would shortly follow. Then the kingdom.
That thought alone drenched me in cold sweat. More than even the children.
I wasn't being paranoid. I'd seen death before. I'd seen the aftermath of arrogance. And this? This wasn't something you handle alone. That would be suicide.... no, worse. It would be selfish.
Once my mind was clear, I went to the stables. I didn't waste time packing anything besides some water. Every second that passed was a gamble. If that monster decided to enter the village, we wouldn't even get to scream before it was over.
The horse was restless. Maybe it sensed it too.
The stable doors opened slowly, so slow to the point that my anxiety reached new heights, but the guard eventually got it and opened them. I galloped out, but first heading one last time to the gates, located near the forest.
In that very forest is that thing located. Sitting there, probably in a cave, completely alone. And even though I wanted to walk towards the forest, I felt that if I would take a single other step, I would faint.
It was an immense pressure, as if thousands of insects are running over your skin. It felt disgusting and terrifying.
In that moment I knew for sure, the King must be informed. And even more than that, he had to understand what we were dealing with. One misstep, one wrong decision… and thousands could die.
I've made mistakes before. I know what they cost.
And reality is, nobody gets second chances, and life rarely ends with a "happy ending".
The only thing you can trust, is death.
Inevitable and sudden. Unwavering in its pursuit to get you and impossible to evade.
Yet, like cockroaches, we humans keep trying. We fight. We crawl. We grit our teeth and bite us through. And at the end we survive.
Foolish?
Maybe. But that's just what we humans are.
And like a cockroach, I will bite, fight and crawl all I can to protect my life and the life of this village. I will kill that thing and make it regret having come near this village.
I was finally ready to depart, and as I turned my horse around my face was filled with killing intent.
Suddenly I heard a noise coming from the forest that was silent up until now.
It almost sounded like a laughter, mocking me.
Thinking that I was merely hallucinating, I started riding towards the palace. After I put some distance behind, Bordertown was finally out of sight
But I still couldn't see anyone or anything.
Everyone knows how isolated and dangerous Bordertown is, so I didn't expect to come across humans, but this was different. Normally, I would be fighting off monsters, goblins, wolves, maybe even some bigger ones like orcs, maybe even one or two of those disgusting bloodsuckers.
But today... nothing.
Not a single beast in sight, even though I'd distanced myself so far from the village.
Does the presence of that thing reach this far?
I know monsters. Gigantic ones, creepy ones, fast ones. But demons?
Well I personally have never seen one, because they're sealed away.
But from the stories that we were told, they were far worse than any beast we could imagine.
So how did this one escape?
And if it got out… what's stopping the rest of them?
And if they all escape…
We would die. Every single human. No, everything. Everything would be wiped out.
The weight of that realization made me tremble, cold sweat running down my face. But it wasn't just me who feared that monster.
Thud
Only after I hit the ground my thoughts start to finally slow down a bit. My horse, terrified beyond reason, sprinted away, following its instincts to escape this demonic threat. It threw me off in the process. My horse. My only way of transportation. And now it was running away in fear.
But I understood. Hell, how could I not?
My whole body screamed at me to run. But unlike my horse, I felt… this. This cursed, unshakable feeling, like chains binding me to my village. To my duty.
I didn't want to leave. I hated it. Leaving my village behind, knowing there was a monstrous disaster just beyond those thin walls.
It was nauseating. Strange.
A monster so powerful that even my instincts screamed to flee, yet there had been not a single attack. No sign of it at all. Something wasn't right, and it won't leave my mind, pulling my thoughts in circles. I couldn't figure out what it was, but it was there, a missing piece in this puzzle.
Something was very off.
But still... I had to keep moving. I couldn't afford to trust just my gut feeling. Just because it hadn't attacked yet didn't mean it wouldn't. Maybe it was resting. Maybe it was waiting. So I had to keep going.
I stood up and started walking toward the palace. If I don't have a horse, my legs can do it instead even if it may take longer.
As the sun began to rise, I could make out the silhouette of the palace, still far off in the distance. The horizon was bathed in a bloody orange glow. It was beautiful and breathtaking but it made me feel something far darker.
The fear of losing it. The fear of never seeing it again.
Am I exaggerating? Maybe.
But once you've stared death in the face, once you've seen how utterly final it is, there's nothing more terrifying than the thought of a being that could take that from you.
The Glory of an Honorable Death?
There's no such thing.
Death brings nothing but despair. There's no honor in dying. Anyone who thinks there is has never been close to it. Those people live in a world of delusion. But maybe that's for the best—there's bliss in ignorance, after all.
For now, I pushed those dark thoughts away and ran back to my horse, climbing onto its back once again.
The palace was finally coming into sight.