Chapter Seven
"We have been ambushed," Sorial said, his voice barely above a whisper.
The rest of his family had not even processed the words when every light in the city went out at once.
Bladyso City, once filled with life and noise, dropped into something eerie. Too quiet. The kind of silence that pressed against the ears.
Jarren swallowed as he stared ahead.
"What the hell is that…" he blurted out.
No one answered.
Everyone was lost in their own thoughts.
Jarren was shaken. Since the day he was born, up to his current age, he had never seen anything like this.
A city that had been alive just moments ago now felt like a ghost town. As if reality itself had been pulled away.
In front of him lay mangled bodies, torn beyond anything normal.
And that was not even the worst part.
They were not killed by humans.
Jarren had never killed a person, but he had hunted animals.
He knew the difference. If this were bandits, he would have seen it. But this… this level of savagery, this raw destruction, was far beyond what bandits were capable of.
If he had to describe it, then only one thing came to mind.
Monstrous animals.
Titanic ones.
He was not the only one thinking it.
The others were just as shaken.
Sorial clenched his fist, his grip on his odachi tightening.
They have found me.
He was certain now.
They were surrounded by demons.
And with the darkness pressing in, with the oppressive, unnatural aura crawling through the air, he knew the numbers were high.
Tens? No.
Hundreds.
At least a couple hundred.
Gazel's mind spiraled.
His thoughts collided, overlapping, breaking apart before they could form.
Death…
Death will consume all…
That cursed rant flashed back into his mind.
He looked around.
Only a few people were left.
Him. His family.
Death…
His heart slammed against his chest.
It's going to consume them.
"No!" Gazel shouted, shaking his head wildly.
"No, no, no! Death mustn't consume them! It can't!"
In his panic, he missed it.
Something flashed through the air.
From a dark corner, a figure lunged.
Obsidian skin. Four fingers on each hand. Every finger sharp, pointed, deadly.
The demon closed the distance in seconds.
Gazel froze.
He could not react in time. He could only watch as the claws descended, aiming to end his life.
Before they could reach him…
The wind howled.
It screamed through the space between them.
The demon in front of Gazel was shredded into pieces before it even hit the ground. What remained began to disintegrate into nothing.
"Olivia. Now," Sorial called.
His wife moved instantly.
She placed little Trent into Karren's hands and reached back, pulling free the guqin strapped to her back. She sat down, calm and focused, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath.
Then she plucked three strings at once.
The air trembled.
A massive dome of pure white energy formed, enveloping the family.
Sorial stepped out of the dome and looked around.
At first, it seemed as if they were alone.
Then the darkness shifted.
Shapes emerged.
Within moments, they were surrounded.
Around three hundred demons.
Most of them were monsters.
That fact brought no comfort.
Sorial knew better than to be arrogant.
Not when his family stood behind him.
Not when a single mistake would cost them everything.
The demons watched Sorial warily at first.
He stood there without flinching, confident, ready to strike down anyone who dared step forward.
Their hesitation did not last long.
There was only one Shural down there.
An ex Shural.
Even if he was dangerous, there were hundreds of them. With numbers like that, they could overwhelm him. Tear him apart.
The demons exchanged glances.
Then they moved.
All at once, they charged.
Their speed was insane. Their movements wild and relentless.
Sorial did not waver.
His eyes glowed faintly.
The wind around him stirred, then surged violently, exploding outward in every direction. Not all of them fell.
But most did.
Karren turned to Gazel and placed little Trent in his arms. The baby slept peacefully, unaware of the chaos.
"Take care of him for a while," she said. "I'll help Dad."
With that, she pulled out what looked like a simple metallic stick and stepped out of the white energy dome their mother had created.
Gazel looked at her, worry flashing through his eyes.
Karren smiled.
It was calm. Reassuring.
It steadied him.
Karren was strong.
Monstrously so.
She would be fine.
She vanished from the dome in a blur.
In the blink of an eye, she crossed several distances and threw a punch.
The unlucky demon she hit did not even register what happened before his head exploded in a wet, bloody pop.
Gazel and Jarren gulped at the same time.
For the first time, they felt truly grateful that they were not on the receiving end of their sister's punch.
Several demons saw an opening and rushed her, hoping to tear her apart limb from limb.
Karren lashed out.
The metallic stick in her grip snapped forward, unfolding as if answering her will. It extended, transforming into a long, bladed metallic whip.
The strike was too fast to follow.
The impact was swift and merciless.
Limbs were severed before the demons could even process what was happening. Most died instantly.
Those who survived the first strike were stunned, frozen in shock, unable to react before the second strike tore through them.
They collapsed lifelessly.
Then began to disintegrate.
Karren moved with precision and fluidity. Her fighting style was nothing like their father's. Not rough. Not purely strength driven.
It was adaptable.
Flowing.
Deadly.
She moved with insane power, and within moments more demons fell to her bladed whip.
She pressed forward without hesitation, her assault wild and relentless.
The demons answered in kind, charging in a demented frenzy.
High above, atop a towering structure nearby, two humans stood watching.
One had a cold, unreadable gaze.
The other wore an amused smile, as if he were enjoying a show.
"You don't seem very pleased, Scar," the amused one said casually.
The man he addressed turned his cold eyes toward him.
"I didn't expect the Trystan to be this monstrous," Scar said. "No wonder two of my elites have already fallen."
He paused.
"If this does not go in our favor, we will have to intervene."
His gaze sharpened.
"The Trystan must not escape tonight. That is the Lord's order."
Below them, the battle raged.
Sorial and Karren fought at the front lines, cutting down demons without restraint. Their minds were clear. Free of doubt. Free of fear.
Only one goal remained.
Kill.
Kill the enemies standing before them.
And that was exactly what they were doing.
To be continued.....