Eliad could not believe what the tracking device indicated as he headed to Catlon. According to the runic radar, numerous demons of various levels had appeared at a nearby runieléctrica plant. The appearance of two demons so close to each other within two consecutive days would have been strange enough, but so many in just one day and in the same area? That was impossible. As far as he knew, something like that hadn’t happened since the purge in Sakiston, and that was over fifty years ago. But the strangest thing of all was that the location marked by the runic device was only about thirty kilometers from where his friend and brother Sebastián had disappeared. Was it just a coincidence? Or could it be related to his disappearance?

For a moment, he hesitated to contact the Midra base to report the situation, but it was likely just a radar malfunction and his own absurd speculations caused by pain and loss, so he finally decided to take a look without informing the main Dalenor base.

However, upon arriving at the entrance of the runieléctrica plant, he had a feeling that perhaps the radar had been correct, and his paranoias might not be so unfounded. The access to the plant was filled with the corpses of Ibelir soldiers, corrupted ones, and savages. And worst of all, he could feel an enormous amount of corrupt magic slowly spreading throughout the area.

Eliad slowly entered on his motorcycle and saw a versatile 4x4 vehicle that the Ibelir army typically used for explorations and skirmishes. It was split into three pieces, with the organic remains of a soldier in two of them. He got off the motorcycle, touched the cut metal, and observed the scene. Bullet casings were scattered, a decapitated soldier had claw marks on his face, another had a huge hole in his chest, and another had dissected arms. A bit farther away, there were a couple of human bodies with numerous bullet holes. He closed his eyes and imagined the combat scene. The soldiers, surprised by the sudden transformation of humans into demons, had hastily fired and killed two of them. However, a third, larger one had cut off one soldier’s arms with a single slash, decapitated another with a swipe, then shredded the V4 and its occupant with its blade weapon, finally impaling the third soldier who had tried to run away.

Eliad looked around. The Ibelir army convoys always traveled with at least two vehicles due to the dangers of the roads. So, if there was one at the entrance, it meant there should be at least one more somewhere. The question was whether they had survived the attack or not.

About twenty meters ahead was a dilapidated three-story building with broken windows and corpses at the entrance. To the left, near the end, several vehicles could be seen in what was likely the parking area of the rune electric auxiliary power plant.". To the right, the path continued straight before splitting into one that led inside the plant and another that continued to a small building in the distance. The Hunter returned to his motorcycle, and just as he was about to get on to continue, he thought he saw the face of a person hiding behind one of the windows of the building across the way.

Eliad drew his pistols from their holsters and walked resolutely toward the building.

***

"Shit, I think he saw me, sir," André said after stepping away from the window of the administrative room on the third floor, which overlooked the entrance to the rune electric power plant.

"You idiot!" Dragen snapped, arms open, leaning against the opposite wall.

"I'm sorry... Do you think it's one of them?" André asked, his hands on his head.

"Who the hell else would venture into this fucking plant alone?!" the corporal shouted. Even drauos, famous for their leadership, had moments of weakness. "It’s definitely one of those bastards!"

"He's not there anymore..." Neisa said, having discreetly peeked through the same window. In the center of the room was a shattered table with a couple of corpses on it. The last one, they had killed silently when they entered the room.

"Oh no..." André said. "Is he coming for us?"

"What do you think, human?" Dragen replied.

"And what do we do now?" Bargu asked. His face looked more worried than his companion's.

"Even if it is, he's alone; I don't think he stands a chance, sir," Neisa answered, trying to defend her friend. But the truth was, she didn't know if they could really take down one of those things. At least they had managed to grab some ammunition from the armory on the first floor.

"At this point, we have no other option," the combat mage said as if trying to solve a math problem. There seemed to be a spark of hidden excitement in his eyes. "Let’s find out who or what it is, and if it's one of them, I'll take care of it myself."

The squad members left the room in formation, ready to confront the possible monster. Gunshots were heard, followed by the sound of footsteps climbing stairs, and more gunshots.

A hooded figure with pistols in hand appeared on the stairs.

***

"Stop right there, or we'll shoot!" a female voice commanded authoritatively.

Eliad stopped and looked at the armed men waiting for him. They wore the uniforms of the Ibelir army, full of cuts, dried blood, and grime. The one who had spoken was likely a human woman. Her skin was almond-colored, and her eyes were emerald green. To her left was another of her kind with fair skin and dark brown eyes that almost seemed black. To her right was a more fragile, pale-skinned person, whose beauty suggested he was an aehul. His eyes were blue and cold as ice.

A bit further ahead, there were two shorter and much broader figures with visors hiding their foreheads and eyes. One had black skin with red and white mineral scales on his tough cheeks. Next to him was another with soft blue skin and bright, multicolored mineral inlays mixed with almost transparent white. Eliad immediately recognized them as drauos.

"Survivors?" he thought.

"Drop your weapons and put your damn hands where we can see them!" said the obsidian-skinned drauo. His voice was deep.

"Alright, calm down," Eliad said in a conciliatory tone, then placed his weapons on the ground.

"Who are you?" the more fragile one asked with an imposing tone but without raising his voice. His blue eyes briefly glowed, and a small whirlwind of air began to dance in his hand. He was undoubtedly a magic user. "And I wouldn't lie if I were you."

"My name is Eliad," he replied, lowering the hood of his trench coat.

"And what the hell are you doing here?" the drauo asked again, moving his weapon slightly forward. "Are you one of them?"

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

"One of who?" Eliad asked, his brow slightly furrowed.

"Those monsters that turn into us!" shouted the dark-eyed human soldier. His hands were trembling.

Eliad immediately knew they were referring to the demons. As he suspected, this was a group of survivors.

"Because my job is to hunt them," he said with a cynical smile. "And they are not monsters; they are demons."

Suddenly, the soldiers' faces changed as if they had remembered something terrifying, and without realizing it, they all lowered their weapons.

"What are you saying, human?! Demons don't exist!" the obsidian-skinned drauo snapped again, though he didn't seem confident.

"Shit, damn it!" the human shouted.

"You're kidding, those things really exist?!" the pastel-blue drauo with bright scales commented.

"This must be a joke…" the emerald-eyed soldier said.

"Demons? So those things are really… demons?" the mage asked with some interest. The others looked at him, confused.

"Yes," Eliad said, looking each of the soldiers in the eye. "And they have existed since the beginnings of the old world."

"Does that mean the ancient writings about demons are… true?" the mage asked.

Eliad shrugged.

"Some are real chronicles, and others are just legends or embellished stories. It's hard to distinguish truth from myth." His face turned serious, and his gaze hardened. "But what is true is that they were the ones who ended what we know as the old world."

"Holy shit!" said the drauo with bright scales.

"Do you mean it wasn't the arruks and savages who destroyed the crippled kingdoms of the old world in the War of the End of the World?"

"Every story has a grain of truth," Eliad replied. "But there's no time for that now, so if you don't mind, I'd like to know more about the demons you've seen."

"Those damned bastards…" began the dark-skinned drauo, who had lifted his opaque visor. His eyes were reddish-orange, and he had a scar on his eyebrow and another on his nose. His voice was filled with anger and sadness. "They massacred all our comrades!"

Eliad noticed the human woman was also struggling to contain her rage.

"I'm sorry, I know how it feels…"

"That's bullshit, human," the drauo shouted. "We…" The soldier clenched his fist tightly and then smashed it into the wall, punching through it. "We abandoned our comrades to their fate! And all for some fucking videos!"

"Videos?"

"Soldier André, show them," the mage said. "He'd better see them for himself."

"Yes, sir."

The dark-haired human soldier pulled a cyberboard from one of his pockets and handed it to Eliad

Eliad watched the videos one by one and couldn't help but show some surprise and concern. He was used to seeing demons unleashing the ecstasy they felt when possessing mortal bodies, but this was the first time he had seen a demon speak so convincingly. He didn't know what kind of demon it was or its level, but from what it had said about "rising again," it had to be ancient.

According to some accounts from his order written during the early years of the new world, the Ibelir Peninsula had been the last shield of mortals against the demons and, in turn, the spearhead of the counterattack. Tens of thousands of demons had been defeated in the last years of the old world and the first years of the new. But the truth was that not all of them had truly died, as the weapons capable of destroying them were scarce. Over the years, some Hunters discovered demons that had camouflaged their existence by turning into large solidified corrupt magic minerals. Therefore, it was believed that in the most inhospitable corners of the world, there could be hundreds or even thousands of ancient demons waiting for someone to awaken them from their slumber.

And if this was really the beginning of the awakening of such atrocious and powerful beings? If that were the case, most of the current world's governments didn't even know demons existed, let alone were prepared to face them. Even his order would not be able to stop them in their current state.

Eliad checked the date and time of the recording. The video had been taken just a few hours ago. If the demon in the video was indeed such an ancient being, it must still be very weak. Which meant he still had a chance. He had to find it and kill it before everything began.

"It's worse than I thought," Eliad said with a worried expression. "This man has been possessed by a demon that could even date back to the old world. And worst of all, he likely intends to awaken the demons lying in the depths of all Ibelir. If he succeeds, Catlon will only be the beginning of the end."

"Possessed? What do you mean by that?" asked the drauo with brown eyes. "Those things get into our bodies?"

"Wait," the human soldier put his hands to his head. "Are you saying there are more of those buried all over Ibelir?"

"Fascinating…" the mage commented, surprising everyone.

"As I said, there's no time to lose," Eliad said, handing back the cyberboard. "I need to know where the videos were recorded."

"In the control room," the mage replied. "But when we arrived, all that was left was the carnage it had caused."

"Could it be with the demons that attacked your comrades?"

"We don't think so."

"Then it might already be on its way to Catlon," Eliad said.

"We came from there, and the only thing we found along the way were the remains of the savages who attacked the plant thinking it was occupied by our troops," said the drauo with orange eyes.

Eliad looked at the hole the drauo had left in the wall and remembered the hole mentioned in the video.

"Have you seen the hole in the basement?"

"Yes, it seemed to connect to a room or something like that," the mage said. "Do you think it could have gone down there?"

"Not just gone down," his green-gray eyes locked onto the aehul mage. "But it probably used it to head to Catlon and look for more of its kind."

"But how?" the mage asked curiously. "There are no tunnels from the underground network passing through here." He paused for a few seconds and looked at the drauos as if he had remembered something. "Unless it used the ancient tunnels," he said with a hint of admiration.

"Exactly. The ancient tunnels of the Drauo Kingdoms of Ibelir ran practically across the entire peninsula, so they probably connect to some path in the current underground network," Eliad said. "Where is the basement you're talking about? I need to hurry if I want even a chance to catch up with it."

"I'll take you myself."

"Sir?" the soldiers asked.

"If there's a chance to stop that demon before it attacks Catlon, it is my duty as a combat mage to try," the mage said, looking at the scarred drauo with reddish-orange eyes. "Corporal Dragen, you are now in command. Return to the city and inform your commander of what has happened here and the potential danger looming over Catlon," he said, handing him the cyberboard. "It would be advisable for the guardian of Linalta Tower to be present as well when you do. It will be easier for her to grasp the situation."

The drauo corporal turned, fury on his face, and his minerals glimmered.

"But sir, I…" he began to say after a few seconds. He was undoubtedly struggling with his own feelings.

"That’s an order, Corporal."

The drauo named Dragen squeezed his eyes shut, shook his head from side to side, then sighed.

"Yes, sir," he finally replied.

"But how are we supposed to get back?" the human asked. "The keys to the National Defense Corps transport vehicles weren't in their place. And we also don't know where the keys to the vehicles for getting around the auxiliary plant are."

"You can take my motorcycle," Eliad replied. "I won’t be able to use it anyway, and it would be useful if you left it in Catlon just in case."

"But even so, only two of us can ride."

"Sir, let me accompany you," the emerald-eyed human woman said.

"What are you saying, Neisa?" the other human retorted before the mage could even respond.

"André, the combat mage is right. If there’s a chance that this… monster," the human seemed unwilling to say "demon," "is heading to Catlon to destroy it, it’s better that we finish it off before it even has the chance."

"Then let the others go! Why do you have to face that demon?"

"We don't know what dangers might be down there," replied the human named Neisa. "The more of us that go, the better our chances of success. Besides, even if I didn’t go with them, we'd still have the same problem. There are four of us and only one motorcycle."

"Three and one motorcycle," corrected the brown-eyed drauo. "I'm not going to miss the chance to explore the ancient paths."

"I…" The soldier hesitated for a moment before continuing. "Let me go in your place," he finished, saying with little conviction and a worried face.

Neisa shook her head. Neither of them seemed to have paid attention to the young drauo.

"We both know you don't want to, André. Don’t worry, nothing will happen to me. Trust me."

"Alright," Isen intervened. "Corporal Dragen and Soldier André will use Eliad’s motorcycle to return to the city." The mage looked at them coldly. "Leave the motorcycle at your regiment's base and inform the commander as I have instructed. Soldiers Bargu, Neisa, and I will go into the tunnel with him."

"You heard the combat mage, soldier," said the drauo corporal, grabbing the soldier by the arm. "We’re heading back to Catlon!"