The sounds of cheering and merriment thundered from the tavern of a small village tucked far out in the boonies, the kind of place where laughter echoed off the walls as if celebrating was an instinct rather than an occasion. Lanternlight spilled through the windows, warm and honey-gold, while the villagers pressed together in close, joyful chaos for Alec's coming-of-age ceremony.
Alver, the local blacksmith and easily the broadest man in three counties, slammed a hand onto Alec's back hard enough to rattle his spine.
"So! Finally a man!" the blacksmith boomed, sloshing mead everywhere—most of it onto himself.
Alec winced, then laughed, his smile awkward but grateful. He barely had time to recover before Erner, the farmers' headman, wrapped an arm around him and shoved a mug of honeyed mead into his hand.
"First batch o' the year," Erner grinned. "Don't gulp it unless you wanna see double."
Alec took a generous swig anyway, warmth spreading through his chest. Halfway through the mug, Zoe appeared—bright-eyed, wild-haired, and only a few weeks younger than he was—and grabbed him by the wrist.
"Come on!" she beamed, dragging him toward the bar. Her smile hit him like sunrise over fresh snow, dazzling, warm, and completely overwhelming. Thankfully, he could blame the heat in his cheeks on the mead.
Once they reached the bar, the tavern shifted. Every head turned his way. Silence rippled. Then—
"Speech!" Roderik hollered, already halfway onto a table.
Alec groaned. Roderik, eldest son of the village chief and well-known menace, grinned like he'd personally invented trouble. The chant spread—Zoe joined, Alec's mother joined, then the whole tavern roared along until Alec had no choice but to lift his mug.
"Alright! Alright, fine!" He laughed. "Thank you—really, thank you all for coming. Tonight we celebrate our harvest, my birthday, and, apparently, my terror at public speaking."
The crowd barked with laughter. Alec named those closest to him—Roderik, Zoe, Alver, Hamming, Delvin, and the "terrible twins," Farkas and Vilkas, who promptly turned the colour of tomatoes.
"May their deeds go down in history!" Alec declared, raising his mug.
The tavern drank with him.
Music surged back to life, drums thumping like a second heartbeat. Zoe and Roderik raced over to Alec, both shoving and teasing him in their usual chaotic rhythm. Roderik's slap nearly knocked the mug out of Alec's hand.
"Relax!" Roderik laughed. "One spilled drink won't—OW!"
Zoe stomped on his foot.
"Ignore him," she said sweetly.
Alec just grinned. This was home. Warm. Loud and slightly chaotic, but it was home
But then—The world exploded. A deafening blast ripped through the tavern. Wood shattered. The ceiling collapsed. Alec and Zoe were hurled into a wall as the warm glow of lanterns was swallowed by smoke and dust. Splinters rained down like deadly hail.
Alec's ears rang. Vision smeared. He pushed up, coughing. Zoe lay unconscious beside him.
And standing in the wreckage...
A demon; Massive, Hulking, Muscles twisting over dark armour-like skin, eyes burning like coals in a furnace.
Alec froze and the demon turned. Saw movement. Began to advance.
Heart pounding, Alec grabbed a dagger from under the shattered bar and forced himself upright. He planted his feet between Zoe and the creature, blade shaking in his hand.
The demon laughed—low, cruel—and swung its sword. Alec dove aside, dust exploding where the strike landed.
He had no plan. No strength. No chance.
But he stood anyway.
Gritting his teeth, Alec charged—only to be kicked in the ribs, a searing shock tearing through him. He hit the floor hard, breath gone. The demon loomed, sword lifting for the killing blow—
A roar.
A blur.
Roderik slammed his blade into the demon's side.
The monster retaliated instantly, cleaving off Roderik's arm, but the boy held his ground long enough to shout, "Run! Alec—take Zoe—get to the capital! Warn them!"
Alec refused to leave him. He launched himself onto the demon's back, driving the dagger again and again until it finally plunged into its throat. With a choking rumble, the creature collapsed in a heap.
Zoe stirred awake just in time to see Alec covered in blood—mostly not his own.
They turned to Roderik. He nodded once, weak but determined, and staggered toward the tavern door.
Another demon appeared—faster than breath.
One strike.
Roderik fell.
Alec screamed. Zoe grabbed him, shaking, as Alver intercepted the beast and yelled for them to run.
Outside, the village burned. Demons hunted through the smoke, cutting villagers down like cattle. Alver, Erner, Hamming—they fought, screaming defiance, and were overwhelmed. Erner saw the teens and shouted for them to flee to the woods.
A hellhound lunged at Alec, jaws wide—
His mother threw herself between them.
"GO!" she screamed.
They ran. Survivors stumbled after them. The tree line rose ahead like salvation.
Just before they vanished into the forest, Alec looked back.
A demon impaled his mother.
His scream tore through the night. Zoe seized his wrist, tears streaking her face, and pulled him into the shadows as their home burned behind them—leaving them orphaned, alone, and running with nothing left but each other.
An hour of running and hiding and Alec was sick of it, he wanted to wake up from this terrible nightmare already, to close his eyes and wake up the next morning in his bed after his mother found him asleep at his desk from working on some project or reading a book he loved for the hundredth time.
Alec wanted to go back to his house and see everyone waiting for him, his mother, Roderik, Alver, Hamming, the twins. He wanted to taste his mother's cooking again and fall into his bed as if nothing had happened at all.
He wanted so badly to wake from this nightmare and tell them all about it, but he couldn't wake up. Not as the thorns and branches cut and scraped his flesh and tore his clothes, not as the pain in his bones ached and ebbed. Not as the adrenaline began to subside and fatigue ware at his muscles and mind.
This was no nightmare, no mere bad dream.
This was real life and no amount of regret or longing would change that.
Looking at Zoe running to his side, he swore to himself that he would do everything he could to protect the both of them, to keep them alive no matter the cost, because they were the only ones left now, and it was up to them to make sure what happened to them wouldn't happen to anyone they could save.