The sky hung low, burdened with the weight of an approaching storm. I stared into the distant tree line, a tangle of dark silhouettes against the fading light. My gut twisted as if something was pulling at it, warning me that danger was closer than I’d hoped. They were out there—the demons. Even without seeing them, I could feel the malevolent presence lurking beyond the woods. It was the same oppressive darkness I remembered from when I was just a kid, only this time, it felt even more suffocating.

"Sam." Isonorai’s voice snapped me back to the present. She was right beside me, her hand casually resting on her sword’s hilt, her gaze locked on the same shadowy expanse. "Do you sense them?"

I nodded, my teeth gritted. "Yeah, they’re here."

We exchanged a look—no words necessary. The demons weren’t just any enemy; they were personal. They were coming for revenge, seeking retribution for what happened years ago. When I was just one, I wiped out thirty of them—slaughtered them without hesitation. It was instinct, pure and raw, something that I didn’t fully understand then. Even now, thinking about that day brought back a wave of nausea. My parents and Isonorai had fought off seven of them, but I was the one who killed the rest, including their commander. The memory of slashing his throat, watching his lifeblood spill across the grass, staining it a deep crimson, still haunted me.

"You can’t let it get to you," Isonorai said, her voice cutting through my thoughts. She always had this way of grounding me, keeping me from spiraling into the past. "We need to stay focused."

I glanced back at her, her steady presence a stark contrast to the turmoil inside me. She was right, of course. I couldn’t let old ghosts distract me now. The village was counting on us—on me—to keep them safe. I took a deep breath, forcing myself to focus on the present, on the battle that was about to unfold.

Lareth’s arrival was swift, his expression grim. He didn’t bother with formalities—there wasn’t time. "They’re closer than we thought."

My stomach dropped. "How many?"

His silence was heavy, his jaw set. That silence told me everything I needed to know. It was bad. Really bad.

"More than we anticipated," Lareth finally said, his voice flat, devoid of hope. "And they’ve got something with them. Bigger, meaner. We’re going to need every bit of strength we’ve got."

My mind raced, trying to piece together a strategy that didn’t end in disaster. We weren’t ready for this. But then again, were we ever? "We’ll take the front line," I said, the words coming out before I could second-guess them. My hand unconsciously tightened around the hilt of my sword. This was my fight—I couldn’t run from it.

"Not alone, you won’t," Isonorai shot back, her tone leaving no room for argument. She stepped closer, her presence a comforting weight against the encroaching darkness. "We stand together."

Lareth gave a curt nod. "We’ll need to be smart about this. If we can funnel them through the narrow passes, we might stand a chance."

I tried to ignore the icy grip of fear tightening around my heart. These demons weren’t just faceless enemies—they were driven, motivated by a thirst for vengeance. And I was their target. I had to focus. I had to push the memories of that bloody battle from my mind and concentrate on the here and now.

"We use the terrain to our advantage," I said, forcing myself to think strategically. "The forest will slow them down. We set traps, create barriers. We can pick them off before they get too close."

Lareth’s eyes met mine, his expression unreadable. "It’s risky. But it might work."

Isonorai gave my shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "Then let’s prepare. We don’t have much time."

As we moved to rally the villagers, my thoughts kept drifting back to the past, to that day when I had killed the demon commander. His lifeless eyes, staring up at me from the blood-soaked ground, were burned into my memory. The fear that I’d buried deep inside all these years was clawing its way back up, but I couldn’t let it consume me. I had to be strong, not just for myself, but for everyone who was counting on me.

The night pressed down on us, thick and suffocating, as if the world itself was holding its breath in anticipation of the chaos to come. I could feel the tension in the air, the weight of the approaching battle, like a storm gathering on the horizon. My pulse pounded in my ears, a relentless drumbeat that matched the pace of my racing thoughts. We were standing on the edge of something far larger than ourselves—something that, despite all our preparation, might swallow us whole.

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Lareth stood ahead of us, his staff raised, the faint glow from its tip casting eerie shadows across his face. He was the calm center of the storm, a silent sentinel facing down the darkness that loomed just beyond the trees. Isonorai was beside me, her twin blades glinting faintly in the dim light. Her eyes were hard, focused—ready to kill, to protect, to do whatever it took to survive this night. My own hands clenched around the hilt of my weapon: the Shadow’s Sword, a blade formed from pure darkness, created by the shadows that were as much a part of me as the blood in my veins.

I drew in a deep breath, steadying myself as I focused on the feel of the shadows wrapping around me, drawing out a portion of my mana—10 to summon the blade and 1 mana per second to keep it steady, strong. It wasn’t much, but I could feel it in the core of me, like a slow drain that would only increase the longer this battle wore on. I had 334 out of 355 mana left, and every second counted.

A low, guttural growl rumbled from the forest, the sound reverberating through the night air. The darkness at the edge of the trees seemed to deepen, to pulse with malevolent energy as the first of the demons broke through the underbrush. My heart leapt into my throat as I caught sight of them—twisted, grotesque shapes with glowing red eyes, claws extended, fangs bared. They moved with a jerky, unnatural grace, their bodies contorted in ways that no living thing should be able to move. But they were not alive. They were here for one purpose: to kill.

And they were coming straight for me.

The first demon lunged, its claws reaching out to tear into my flesh. I twisted sharply, bringing the Shadow’s Sword up in a swift arc. The blade met the demon’s claws with a hiss, cutting through them as if they were nothing but smoke. The creature shrieked—a high, keening sound that sent a shiver down my spine—before dissolving into a wisp of shadow. 500 experience points flashed in my mind, a brief, cold comfort. But there was no time to dwell on it. Another demon was already on me, its eyes glowing with a rage that was almost palpable.

I dodged, the shadows swirling around me as I moved, making me faster, sharper. My reaction speed—47—was enough to keep up with their erratic, vicious attacks, but just barely. The next demon slashed at me, its claws grazing my arm before I could bring my blade down, cutting through its chest. It dissolved into nothingness, and I felt another surge of energy—another 500 points, bringing me closer to the next level. But I couldn’t focus on that now.

My health was still holding at 317 out of 317, but I could feel the strain in my muscles, the toll the constant movement was taking on me. I was at level 17, and every demon I killed brought me closer to the next—5,000 experience to level up, but it felt like miles away with the sheer number of demons pouring out of the forest.

I gritted my teeth as two more demons lunged at me simultaneously, their movements almost coordinated. I slashed with the Shadow’s Sword, taking one down, but the other managed to claw at my side before I could react. Pain flared up, hot and sharp, but I forced it down, spinning to bring my blade down on the second demon. It disintegrated like the others, leaving only a faint, lingering trace of its dark energy in the air.

“Sam, fall back!” Isonorai’s voice cut through the chaos, sharp and commanding. She was fending off three demons at once, her blades a blur of motion as she parried and struck, never letting any of them get too close. Despite the urgency in her voice, she looked calm, composed—every move calculated, efficient.

“I’m fine!” I shouted back, though the burn in my side told me otherwise. I could feel my mana draining slowly—down to 320 out of 355—and the toll of maintaining the Shadow’s Sword was starting to weigh on me. But I wasn’t about to give up. I couldn’t. Not when we were fighting for our lives.

The next wave hit hard—five demons at once, their eyes blazing with fury, their claws glinting in the dim light. I barely had time to think before they were on me. I ducked under a swipe aimed at my head, driving the Shadow’s Sword into the closest demon’s chest. It shrieked as it disintegrated, but the others were already too close. I felt claws rake across my back, tearing through my shirt, the pain lancing through me. My health dipped, but I forced myself to move, to keep fighting.

Lareth’s voice rang out over the din, his staff raised high as he unleashed a torrent of energy, blasting back a group of demons that had gotten too close. “Fall back to the square! We can’t hold them here!”

The order was clear, but executing it was another matter. I swung my blade in a wide arc, trying to clear a path as the demons closed in from all sides. My strength—50—was enough to cut through their twisted forms, but there were so many of them, more than I could take on alone. I moved back, step by step, fighting every inch of the way as we retreated toward the village square.

My health was still holding at 317 out of 317, but I could feel the weariness creeping in. The constant movement, the unrelenting attacks, the drain on my mana—it was all starting to take its toll. I was down to 310 out of 355 mana, and the battle was far from over. We reached the square, where the villagers had set up their last line of defense—barricades, traps, anything that might slow the demons down. But I knew it wouldn’t be enough. The demons were too many, too strong, and their commander was almost upon us.

I stood in the center of the square, the Shadow’s Sword held at the ready, my eyes locked on the demon commander as he emerged from the shadows. He was massive, towering over the others, his eyes glowing with a malevolent light that sent a chill down my spine. He was here for revenge, and I knew that this battle would be unlike any I had fought before.

The first wave had been brutal, but this... this was going to be a bloodbath.