I woke up with a feeling of discomfort. My head was still clouded from the alcohol from the previous night. I reached for the bucket of water next to the bed, soaked a cloth, and wiped my body. I didn’t have a tub, but the cold water helped clear my head. After one last pass, I got dressed quickly. Today was the day of my meeting with Grimmor, and I couldn’t afford to be late.

I walked through the village towards the tower. Although I hadn’t been there before, its height made it visible from almost anywhere. The village wasn’t very big, with its alleys and squares, but not big enough to get lost.

When I reached the outskirts, I saw the long staircase I had to climb. For a moment, I wished elevators existed in this world. I sighed and began to climb, feeling the weariness from the previous night with each step.

When I finally reached the top, the room had a huge window that offered a view of almost the entire village. The sun shone brightly, giving the place a solemn air. A lizard stood outside, keeping watch. I couldn’t help but feel a sense of disgust toward those beasts.

Grimmor was already there, standing by the window, gazing out at the scenery. When he noticed my presence, he slowly turned around, silently. Then, without beating around the bush, he said:

"They told me you managed to see that Being from the mountains. You must feel quite special, considering not just anyone gets to meet him." His ironic tone didn’t go unnoticed.

I stepped into the room, ready for whatever was to come. I took a deep breath and replied:

“That old man… was cryptic, as expected. He spoke of important events approaching, things that could change the course of this era. Although he didn’t reveal details, he made it clear that I, somehow, would be involved. But, to be honest, I couldn’t quite grasp his words.”

I felt a slight pressure in my chest. Had I said too much? I didn’t know how long I could maintain this lie. Grimmor looked at me, his eyes narrowing, pensive. The silence stretched, and my thoughts swirled, trying to read his expression.

“I see…,” he muttered, turning back to look out the window. “I suppose you’re not hiding anything from me… it wouldn’t be smart of you to do so.” After a brief pause, he added:

"This village needs someone like me, you know? Someone who understands what’s necessary to maintain order. I do business with the merchants to protect them from thieves. Yes, sometimes I lend them money and pressure them to return the favor. It’s simple: I keep the problems away, and they keep thriving."

He spoke with such conviction that he almost seemed to believe his own words. But I knew what really lay behind his actions: violence, fear, and terror. I nodded, feigning empathy.

"I understand," I replied, carefully measuring my words. "Sometimes it’s necessary to take difficult measures to keep those who depend on you safe."

Grimmor offered a faint smile, seemingly satisfied. But his expression quickly changed when his eyes fixed on something outside the window. All traces of calm vanished.

“Damn… those damned gargoyles!” he muttered, with a frustration I had never seen in him before.

My heart skipped a beat. I quickly approached the window. From the village entrance, the stone creatures were slowly advancing, but with unwavering determination. They were enormous, their stone wings beating against the air as they descended, and their eyes gleamed menacingly. This wasn’t a random attack. Something in Grimmor’s reaction confirmed it for me.

Grimmor started issuing orders rapidly. “Get everything ready!” he shouted to the lizards. "Gather my men and defend the village."

He turned to me. "You, Darius, stay away from those things. You still need to finish telling me what happened there. Let my men handle it."

I nodded, but as soon as he left the room, I saw my chance. I couldn’t just stand by while those creatures attacked. I quickly descended the stairs, blending into the chaos.

As I went down, I heard the first cries of distress. I exited the tower, and from there, at a distance, I saw how the gargoyles were attacking the villagers.

Some of them swooped down, grabbing their victims with stone claws and hurling them to the ground with brutal force. Other villagers ran, trying to escape, but the gargoyles intercepted them, crushing anyone in their path. A woman was trapped under the rubble, screaming as a gargoyle mercilessly crushed her.

The ground turned red as the creatures continued their massacre. In the midst of the chaos, some lizards, along with other village warriors, tried to organize a defense.

I saw one of the lizards brandishing a spear, shouting orders to the others as he faced a gargoyle advancing toward him. His attack was quick, precise, but the creature dodged it with unexpected speed and hit him with its wings, throwing him against a house wall that crumbled upon impact.

Other warriors gathered around a gargoyle swooping down, stabbing their spears into its stone body, trying to stop it. But for every gargoyle they managed to damage, two more took its place, destroying everything in their path.

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I stood still for a moment, watching the scene, feeling the despair growing within me. There was death everywhere. The sound of the gargoyles’ wings, the noise of stones breaking, the screams… everything blended into a deafening chaos.

Suddenly, I saw Nayris. She was helping some children escape down a side street, but one of the gargoyles spotted her. Before I could shout a warning, the creature dove down. With a brutal blow, it hurled her to the ground, burying her under rubble. Nayris didn’t have time to react.

The gargoyle rose, its cold, unyielding eyes fixed. It seemed to observe its handiwork for a moment before flapping its wings and flying off to continue its destruction elsewhere in the village, as if the life it had just taken was nothing more than another stone to crush on its path.

I ran to her, my heart pounding furiously. When I reached her, she was already unresponsive. Her eyes, once bright, were now dim. Blood ran down her lips, and her skin grew cold to the touch. I felt a mix of disbelief and despair that choked me.

“Nayris!... No, what the hell is happening…!” I shouted, gritting my teeth, hugging her body tightly. I wanted to scream, do something… but it was useless.

I brought my hand to my chest, seeking the pendant I always carried with me. A fleeting memory crossed my mind: the pain of when I lost Selene. The same helplessness, the same despair.

Something shifted inside me. A strange, dark, and overwhelming energy unleashed. I felt the world distort around me, as if everything was beginning to fade into a whirlpool of darkness, not knowing how to stop it.

And then, without knowing how, everything changed.

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Suddenly, I was standing again. Nayris was no longer in my arms. I looked around and understood: I had gone back a few minutes before she died. The attack hadn’t started yet. I could prevent it.

The magic that had brought me back was eating me up inside, but the adrenaline pushed me to keep going. I saw Nayris running toward the children. Somehow, I had turned back time. I didn’t know how, but I didn’t care. I had to save her.

“Nayris, watch out!” I shouted, running toward her before the gargoyle could attack her. I rushed forward and pushed her aside just as the creature struck the ground where she had been. Nayris looked at me, surprised, but there was no time to explain.

“Run!” I shouted, and this time she didn’t hesitate. She quickly fled, while I stood there, not understanding how I had managed the impossible. The chaotic mana beat strongly inside me. Something dark had been unleashed, and I knew it didn’t belong to the natural order.

In front of me, the gargoyle that had killed Nayris stared at me, its eyes glowing. There was no time to think. The creature moved toward me, slow but determined. The screams of the villagers echoed around, other gargoyles descended from the rooftops, wreaking havoc. Houses collapsed, the air filled with dust.

Rage and fear mixed within me. I couldn’t afford to hesitate. I tensed, preparing for the attack. The gargoyle roared and lunged, closing the distance between us. My muscles reacted instinctively, dodging the blow just in time. I couldn’t fall here.

The creature turned, raising its claws to attack again, but this time I was ready. I deflected a blow with my arm, feeling the impact reverberate through my bones, and countered, striking the stone face of the gargoyle. My knuckles burned upon hitting the hard surface, but I saw a small crack form on its jaw. The pain didn’t matter. This was real. I could fight.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the lizards and other warriors continue fighting, overwhelmed by the number and strength of the gargoyles. One of them threw a spear that lodged in a creature’s wing, causing it to lose balance for a moment, but soon another gargoyle pounced on him, knocking him to the ground and crushing him mercilessly. The chaos was absolute.

The gargoyles didn’t stop, and I couldn’t afford to either. The creature in front of me stepped back, its jaw cracking with a strange sound, then charged again, faster this time. I lunged to the side, twisting to dodge its attack. I felt its claws graze my shoulder, leaving a line of hot blood running down my skin.

“Damn it!” I muttered through clenched teeth, but I couldn’t stop. The mana inside me vibrated strongly, as if it resonated with my despair, as if it was trying to find a way out. The gargoyle attacked me again, but this time I saw its movement, and before it could hit me, I raised my hand, feeling a dark current surround my fingers.

A burst of energy shot out from my palms, striking the gargoyle in the chest and sending it flying backward. It crashed into a stone wall, and part of its body cracked. It was as if the chaotic mana had reacted, as if it had become an extension of my will. I didn’t know what it was or how it worked, but at that moment, it didn’t matter. I had won a brief respite.

From above, I suddenly heard Loran’s voice. He was watching me with wide, excited eyes. His voice echoed in the distance, filled with enthusiasm. “That’s it, Darius! Don’t stop now!”

But the gargoyle wasn’t finished. It got up, staggering, its eyes still burning with rage. I knew it wouldn’t be enough to bring it down once. I prepared for the next round, feeling the mana flowing through my veins.

The entire village seemed to be on the brink of collapse. The villagers’ cries echoed like a desperate chorus, and every corner of the central plaza was bathed in a red chaos. But I couldn’t afford to be dragged down by despair. I had done the impossible once, and I had to do it again.

The gargoyle in front of me roared, its wings beating forcefully, lunging at me with renewed speed. This time, I didn’t move. My hand closed around a piece of rock on the ground, and when the creature was about to reach me, I ducked and struck with all the strength I could muster, right in the crack I had made before. The stone splintered under the impact, and the gargoyle screamed, stumbling backward.

I didn’t miss the moment. I leapt toward it, grabbing it by the neck, feeling the cold of the stone against my fingers. The dark energy I had felt before reactivated, and this time, it didn’t hold back. It flowed through my body, charging my hands with a power I didn’t understand, but couldn’t ignore.

A burst of mana shot through the gargoyle, and for a moment, its eyes seemed to fade. Its body stiffened, as if frozen in time, then slowly began to crumble, falling to pieces that hit the ground at my feet.

I stood there, panting, watching the ruins of the creature I had just defeated. It had been pure fury, pure despair... and a power that wasn’t mine, that I didn’t understand. But for now, it had worked.

Loran clapped from his high position, shouting with enthusiasm. “Amazing, Darius! You did it!”

I didn’t turn to him. My eyes quickly scanned the battlefield, searching for more threats. The gargoyles were still there, their dark shadows flying over the chaos, attacking those who tried to resist. I knew I couldn’t stop them all, but if I could do something, anything, I had to try.