The town square was utter chaos. The air was thick with dust and smoke, and the sound of the gargoyles moving echoed like distant thunder. I could barely stay on my feet, my legs trembling as I pushed forward. I had defeated the gargoyle that killed Nayris, but there was no time to stop. The creatures kept circling, relentless, their shadows prowling around their prey like predators.

The desperate cries of the villagers filled the air, while shards of stone crunched beneath my feet. Grimmor's warriors fought fiercely, but the gargoyles kept multiplying, searching for vulnerable targets.

I saw Kael in the middle of the market, surrounded by two of those creatures. His sword gleamed with flashes of magic as he tried to hold them off, but it was clear he wouldn’t last much longer. The gargoyles attacked with precision, synchronized, closing in on him step by step. He kept stepping back, guarding his flank, but he was already exhausted.

“Kael!” I shouted, but my voice was drowned out by the noise of the battle. I couldn’t stay still. Without thinking, I ran toward him, ignoring the pain coursing through my body. The adrenaline I felt earlier was fading, replaced by a dark sensation, an energy that surged through my veins, pressing to be released.

As I advanced, I watched Kael block one of the gargoyles’ attacks, but the other took the opportunity to strike him, knocking him back against a market stall. Without stopping, I lunged at the nearest gargoyle, letting the dark magic slide down my arms. It had worked before, but now I felt like I was losing control.

“Damn it!” I growled, striking the creature with all my strength. The gargoyle staggered back but didn’t fall. Its eyes glowed with rage, and I knew it wouldn’t be enough. Kael got up, unsteady, his sword raised defensively. “Darius!” he shouted. “Stay back, that magic is consuming you!”

“Shut up and keep fighting!” I replied, my voice strained with effort. “I’m not letting them kill you!”

The gargoyles seemed to sense my weakness. Three of them approached slowly, surrounding us. Their shadows stretched under the fallen torches' light, creating a sinister atmosphere. Every move they made was calculated, as if they enjoyed the slow torture of watching us struggle. I knew I couldn’t afford to fall here.

As we kept fighting, I heard distant cries echoing. I looked up and saw Loran, in Grimmor’s tower, frantically waving his arms. He was trying to close one of the windows, but a gargoyle was circling the tower, attempting to get in. “Help!” Loran shouted, his voice rising above the din of the battle. “It’s trying to get in!”

I glanced at Kael, who exchanged a look with me. We both knew we couldn’t reach him without abandoning the fight against the gargoyles in front of us. “Loran, hold on!” I tried to shout back, but my voice was lost. At that moment, several villagers started throwing stones at the gargoyle from below, trying to scare it off. They positioned themselves around the tower, aiming whatever they had in their hands at the creature.

“Come on, don’t let it get in!” shouted one of the villagers, hurling a rock that whizzed past the gargoyle’s head. Other villagers, armed with improvised tools, followed suit. The stones hit the creature’s wings, forcing it to back off momentarily. But its rage grew, and its wings flapped more intensely.

“Over here!” shouted a burly man, brandishing an improvised spear at an approaching gargoyle. Beside him, other villagers wielded hammers, shovels, and even kitchen utensils, striking at the creatures that dared to attack. I felt a spark of hope seeing them fight together, but also a growing pressure inside me, as if the dark magic was about to explode in a way I didn’t understand.

The coordinated attack from the villagers worked for a few moments. I watched as stones struck the gargoyle’s head, making its flight erratic.

Then, the creature turned, clearly enraged, and stopped trying to get into the window, choosing instead to dive at the villagers. It descended in a sharp dive, claws extended, and swept through the group that had been throwing the stones, knocking several down with its wings.

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A cry of despair erupted from the villagers, but they didn’t retreat. More of them joined in, emerging from side streets with anything they could use as a weapon. There were more of them now, but the gargoyles were still dangerous. The creatures knew how to use the heights to their advantage, launching themselves from rooftops to attack, then quickly lifting off before the villagers could counter. Sometimes, they would grab someone, lift them into the air, and then let them fall from high above, leaving them to crash down like a lifeless puppet.

“Hold the line!” yelled a young villager with a rusty axe, trying to coordinate those around him. “We can’t let them corner us!”

The gargoyles kept attacking, but now it was a more open fight, almost chaotic. Every time a villager managed to strike one, another would appear from an unexpected angle, drawing the battle to another part of the square. It was as if the gargoyles were trying to scatter them, fragmenting their resistance to defeat them one by one.

I saw one of the creatures pounce on a group trying to lift a wounded villager. Without thinking, I rushed over, ignoring the throbbing pain in my head. I felt the dark energy gather in my arms, but this time I let it flow. My punch hit the gargoyle mid-flight, forcing it back just enough for the villagers to carry the wounded man away from danger.

Kael came up to me, panting. “Darius, if you keep using that magic, I don’t know if you’ll...” I didn’t let him finish.

“There’s no other way!” I shouted at him. “You have to trust me!”

I wasn’t sure how much longer I could sustain that energy, but I couldn’t stop. I looked around and saw the gargoyles regrouping, preparing for another attack. The pain in my chest was constant, like something inside me was about to break.

I saw a group of villagers surround a gargoyle that had descended too low. With shovels, rocks, and even simple sticks, they tried to strike it and keep it grounded, but the creature shook them off, sending several of them flying.

There was no other choice: I ran toward them and used what little strength I had left to join the fight, releasing one final burst of energy. The impact was enough to make the gargoyle collapse to the ground, gasping, and the villagers took the chance to attack it until it stopped moving.

The relief was brief. I had barely managed to stand when another gargoyle fell from the sky, like a bolt of lightning, crashing down on me and Kael. It slammed us to the ground with such force that I felt my head smash against the stones. My thoughts became a whirlwind of confusing images and sounds, while my body simply gave up.

“Darius!” I heard Kael’s voice, but it was a distant echo, like he was calling out to me from across an abyss. My eyes closed, unable to stay open, and my breathing grew shallow and weak.

I could feel the chaos magic swirling inside me, trying to escape, trying to consume everything. It was like a fire burning uncontrollably within me, and I was too weak to contain it.

The noise of the battle around me grew distant, as if everything was happening on the other side of a veil. I tried to focus, to get up, but my legs wouldn’t respond. I knew the villagers were still fighting; I could hear their shouts and the sound of improvised weapons striking the gargoyles' stone bodies.

Suddenly, I felt a crushing weight on my torso. A gargoyle had dropped down on me, pinning me to the ground with its stony body. “Agh!” I gasped, as I felt the impact in my chest. All the air was forced out of my lungs, leaving me unable to breathe.

The creature planted its massive foot on my chest, pinning me down. I tried to move, but the pain was unbearable, as if my ribs were about to snap. My arms trembled, trying to push the weight off, but I had no strength. The pressure was brutal, crushing me against the stones.

The sound of another gargoyle's wings echoed above me. I glanced up with difficulty and saw it rising into the air, its claws ready to strike. The wind from its wings whipped against my face, and its shadow grew larger as it prepared to dive.

“No... can’t... move...” I croaked, struggling to free myself from the weight of the gargoyle pinning me down. The pain clouded my mind, and my body wouldn’t respond. I knew there was no escape.

“Kael, now!” I heard a voice, and suddenly, a group of villagers threw themselves at the gargoyle that had me trapped. They struck it with whatever they had, trying to lift it. I felt the weight lighten slightly, but it wasn’t enough.

The sound of the descending gargoyle grew louder. It was so close that I could feel the hot rush of air on my skin, but my body remained immobile under the other creature’s weight. My hands trembled, unable to do anything but watch as it came closer.

The world began to blur. My breathing grew weaker. The sound of the battle faded into the distance, and then... I felt like I was about to lose consciousness.