Run! That's what the body always whispered when faced with a death situation. The fear that swallows up a year's built bravery.
What happens when the same human who thought they had overcome it all? We're the highest species on earth. The most powerful. "Tsk!" The gods had assembled together—"Bless or punish"—the lack of their eyes to see all weren't their might.
It all began a hundred years ago.
"Tell me, Lora," Andrew whispered, pinning Lora back against the tree, a gentle smile playing on his lips. As Lora also chuckled, "Wait, Andrew. Father's not going to like us sneaking out like this," she replied, even though every part of her screamed for this moment—to be alone with her lover.
She had waited so long for this. Out in the woods, around sunset, with no ears or eyes. Andrew's hand found its way to Lora's cheek, his thumb slowly tracing her lips... with their breaths mingling. And for a second, Andrew leaned in, his lips pressed on hers for a kiss. A part of Lora never wanted it to stop—the sudden sensations she felt. Her first kiss—she smiled, knowing it was with him.
But just then a sound caught their attention, snapping the two, as their gaze went to the side bushes. "What's that?" Lora asked in a whisper. They could hear a sound. Something was there—rustling in the bushes.
The two had no sight of what it was, but for a moment they felt like they were being watched by a shadow.
Andrew felt a sudden grasp on his hand, one that caused his heart to shoot out. "Ah!" he reacted, only to find out it was Lora. He could feel her ragged breath, her hands that held his trembling. "Lora," he whispered her name. Something was surely out there—Andrew knew.
"I... think... we... should leave, Andrew," Lora stammered, her voice barely audible.
Andrew agreed, with the two hoping to leave the dark forest as fast as they possibly could.
Andrew never stopped checking his back. "Are we being followed?" Those thoughts kept finding their way into his mind. They had to run faster—more, faster—or...
"Andrew!" A scream from Lora caused Andrew to halt in his footing as he almost tripped down.
"What happened, Lora?" he asked. Lora never stopped trembling in the whole situation. "The trees," she pointed. It was just for a second, but Andrew saw—a figure standing on his two feet. But something about him radiated danger. The same aura it emitted only left a bloodlust.
Are they going to die?
"W-what do we do, Andrew..." Lora collapsed to the ground, hands scrunching her head, a sudden cold sweeping through her. Her eyes widened in disbelief. Andrew didn't get a proper look, but she saw—he had claws. They were dripping with blood and his eyes were glowing red. Fangs—sharp ones—on his mouth. A beast. There was no other name, she thought. Andrew was merely acting, trying to play calm, but deep down he was screaming, pleading for someone out there to save them.
"Stay at my back, Lora," Andrew said, grabbing some stones from the ground. Not lethal. He also knew it was a foolish plan of his, but he had no other option—no other weapons, also.
A step he took felt like a blade stabbed in his heart, each one heavier than the last, his whole body trembling—a feeling as though electricity was passing right through him.
"Tsk! Tsk! Humans!" he heard the whispers from the forest. Laughter and chuckles also began echoing, and before he knew it, he found himself in a white fog—one that enveloped the whole place.
"Wait—" he muttered, turning back, trying to trace his footing.
"Lora! Where are you, Lora!" he yelled, but received no response—only a loud scream. It was Lora, screaming for help. "Andrew!" Her voice was distant. He tried running, but was lost as to where exactly. Only to trip from a branch, his head hitting a tree. He felt a liquid trickling down his forehead—no, it was blood. His.
Andrew tried standing back up but only collapsed to the ground, his breath growing heavy as his vision blurred. "Lora..." those were the last whispers he uttered before losing consciousness.
It felt like forever, as though many hours had gone by. "Andrew!" He could hear his name being called. "Wake up, Andrew!"
His eyes slowly opened, a sharp ache exploding in his head as he managed sitting down, resting his back properly on the tree. A figure was standing right there. As he tried placing the shadows together, his face paled. His mouth seized from uttering a single word. It was Lora—standing right in front of him.
"Are you alright, Andrew?" she asked. But he didn't spare a single thought before hugging her tightly.
"Lora... thankfully, you are safe," he whispered, tears almost streaming down his eyes.
"Is everything alright, Andrew?" Lora asked. Andrew withdrew back a bit. Something wasn't right. He could tell that much—especially Lora's expression. "What do you mean, Lora?"
"You mentioned us returning back home since it was already late, but just then you tripped and hit your head on the tree," Lora explained, causing Andrew to exclaim and yet wonder what Lora was saying.
"What are you saying, Lora? We were both..." he was about to finish when he noticed—no wounds. Nothing. He had heard her scream while they were running. Also, she was wounded a bit, her hand covered in her own blood when she scratched her head too hard in fear. They weren't there.
"What happened?" Andrew wondered in his thought. Was it all a nightmare?
"Andrew," Lora called, grabbing Andrew's attention. "Are you sure alright?" she asked.
Andrew took a deep breath, letting it out before he answered, "Yes."
Lora helped Andrew up as they both made their way back to the village. But this time, Lora chose to spend the night in Andrew's room, worried about him. She laid next to him on the bed, eyes shut, while Andrew couldn't take his away from her face.
"Maybe it was all a dream after all," he thought.
He noticed Lora shivering from the cold, as he pulled her closer, hoping to keep her warm. He placed his hands on Lora's cheek as she slowly opened her eyes, a smile playing on her lips. He pressed in for a kiss, second hands trailing down her spine. "That's true. All a dream."
A gasp of air escaping them. "I love you, Andrew," she whispered.
"I love you too, Lora," Andrew said as their mouths touched again.
But one thing wasn't right. He had never stopped thinking about that. Could a dream ever be that vivid? And if he had tripped and fallen, why didn't he recall that part?
"I'm overthinking this," he thought... until he noticed something off about Lora. For a moment her face was paling, he felt something snap in her spine, a stung on his hands placed there. Andrew withdrew his hands, as blood trickled down his palm. It all hit him like a piece of block—a sharp pain exploding right on his face.
"L-Lora," he hummed, unable to utter a single word—with Lora not letting go of his lips. Her eyes glowed red, as she ripped a part of Andrew's lips off.
"Ah!" he screamed, jerking off the bed.
Lora's tongue licking Andrew's blood on her lips. "What's wrong, Andrew? Don't you want to do dirty things with me?" she said. No—that wasn't her voice. It felt like an echo, multiple voices together. Claws emerged slowly from her thumbs. Her voice rough as it grew more ragged.
"Lo..." Andrew couldn't even utter her name.
What he witnessed next was his death, as she lunged herself, claws piercing right into his stomach as she gouged out some of his intestines. She growled, her fangs piercing his neck. Andrew's whole body went numb from all the excruciating pain...
"Wh...y?" he asked, just before he lost his voice—and Lora ripped off his neck, his head dangling at the side.
Many said that was the story of how it started—how a whole village was wiped out in a single night all because of two lovers' mistake. Were they at fault, or was the doom always near to their door?
Bloodshed kept on happening. Many afraid to even step out in the night. Nobody was safe. And so they gave different names—monsters, demons, witches, gods. Fighting these beings only led to more dead.
Kings had a meeting on the case, but nothing—no help, no solution. The balance had to be restored one day, and so fate made it happen.
"Heroes"—a legendary tale of special humans blessed with abilities. They conquered the demons, fighting back.But once awakened—it is said a hero could never get any stronger no matter how much he or she trained. So trust and hope fell on the top rank heroes.
But one question always found its way to humanity in all these years:
"Will they ever be free? And why did the demons appear all of a sudden, wreaking havoc?"