“This isn’t like last time,” Alex said. “There are too many of them. They might overwhelm us.”

His eyes were scanning the horizon and counting the pairs of crimson eyes. His observation was useful in assessing the danger, but the few words he said weren’t well-chosen; they dampened the spirits of the fighters.

“Numbers don’t matter.” I tried to raise morale. “What matters is that we fight as one. We lost in the fog once, but we won’t lose again.”

The fighters cheered in support.

“You’re right,” Alex said. “There are children and old people in this camp, and they’re counting on us.”

His words served as more motivation, but they also raised a question that I had not considered before: why did the concepts of appearance, age, pain, pleasure, happiness, sadness—the many features of life—exist in this wasteland? The victims who died as children appeared here as children, the old men as old men. Even our clothes and weapons were transported with us to this realm.

I realized that there was much that I didn’t understand. And this realization led me to ask another question, which was more relevant to the upcoming battle. I scratched my cheek and whispered, “By the way, Alex, how do we defeat these demons?”

“So much for the speech you just gave.” Erica, who had been sleeping on the ground, stood up and smirked at me. “Unlike the ones in Ashenbrook, these demons can be killed with your sword.”

“That makes things easier than I thought.” I laughed with embarrassment.

In our world, the demons were nothing but apparitions, but here, they had a tangible presence. As they approached, I saw their red-veined black bodies—twice as tall as an adult human. Their torsos were made of dark grime, which dripped like saliva, leaving a hungry trail wherever they went. And out of this grime extended their limbs and heads. Each limb ended in a silver claw, while each head was equipped with two crimson eyes and a gaping ivory jaw.

“We shouldn’t fight from behind the barricades,” Erica said.

“The queen’s up to boss us around,” Alex scoffed.

“The barricades won’t hold,” she continued with confidence. “We should fight in the open and retreat behind them toward the end of the battle.”

“Are you insane?” Alex shouted. “If we step outside, we won’t hold!”

“Uh, I know you’re busy,” I said. “But…”

Erica and Alex turned to me and said with one voice, “What?”

“They’re here.”

A demon jumped above our heads and landed inside the camp. Before it could turn around and attack us, however, three of my throwing knives pierced its head, and it fell dead on the ground.

“Look what happened because of you, Alex,” Erica said.

“Because of me?”

Before the endless game of tic-tac-toe restarted, I said, “Erica, they’re already here, so it’s too late to change our strategy.” The fighting began, and I added, “Alex, you’ll continue to lead the defensive forces. Erica and I will circle and distract the demons from behind. This way, we’ll make sure they don’t overwhelm you.”

“It sounds like a plan,” he said as he stabbed a demon with his spear.

I turned to Erica and said, “Let’s go.”

She hesitated for a second but then nodded.

As she and I ran along the barricades, the demons began to attack in large numbers. We heard desperate cries for help. Heads were trampled, and necks were crunched. The scene was horrible, but we couldn’t stop to help anyone. We had our mission. We needed to fulfill our role so that the group as a whole would survive.

“I’ll never forgive Faust for this,” I mumbled.

“Why do we have to do the dirty work?” Erica complained.

“You said we shouldn’t depend on the barricades.”

“Yeah, but I didn’t ask for this. It’s too chaotic now.”

“Things will work out in the end. I believe in Reinfried’s men.”

“They’re a bunch of town guards.”

“Looks can be deceiving.”

Before Erica could retort, we heard a loud battle cry. A man who had been ambushed and pinned to the ground threw off the attacking demon. With blood dripping from his wounds, he cried out and chased after the beast.

“I trust them,” I added.

After a short sprint, Erica and I reached our destination: a place from which we could jump across the barricades. Finding our footing on wooden logs, we made a leap and landed on the other side. Our surroundings were empty, but we could see the demons in the distance. They were gathered in one spot, crowding to attack Alex and the other fighters.

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“They go after the first humans they see,” I said, puzzled by the strange behavior. “And they’re not circling the obstacles; they’re just attacking in a straight line.”

“Yeah, they’re straightforward creatures. That’s why we tell the children to stay inside the tents,” Erica said. “How should we go about this?”

“I have no idea.”

“You’ll attack without a plan?” She pointed at the demons. “You’ll walk into that?”

“Don’t fall behind.” I grinned and started for the battlefield.

“Do you think they’re Laikos? Are you going to play hero again?”

I continued running and said, “Maybe!”

She muttered curses under her breath.

I can’t just stand and think of a plan when people are vanishing from existence.

I located a demon that was isolated from the rest. Without a pause, I sneaked up on it until only a step separated us. Although it looked more intimidating up close, it was vulnerable and defenseless because it was busy snatching at the prey beyond the barricades. I raised my sword, took a deep breath, and then swung at my grimy foe. I expected one complication or another, but my sword cut through the demon and inflicted a deadly wound.

So, it’s really that easy.

A smirk appeared on my face as black blood dripped from my sword. I sneaked behind the next demon, and oblivious of my presence, it died like the first. Felling this second enemy, however, I attracted unwanted attention.

They finally know I’m here.

I prepared myself for combat, taking up a defensive stance. Before long, another demon was clawing at me. I could feel its insatiable bloodthirst. I avoided its attacks with quick side steps, but it followed me as a crash of thunder does lightning. It continued its relentless chase until I found a chance and slashed its grimy core. Only then did it tumble down with uncoordinated movements.

From behind the corpse, however, appeared yet another demon, which pounced at me like a mountain lion. Its claws threatened to rip my face apart, but I dropped to the ground and let them pass above me. You’re more vicious than the Laikos. I smiled and got up. Still, I can handle you. The demon turned to attack me again, but this time, I blocked its claw with my blade. It tried to bite my neck, but I retreated a step and created a chance for a counter-attack. In a flash, my sword cut through its grimy core, and it fell with a sharp shriek.

“And that’s my fourth kill!” I grinned.

“You really like to show off, don’t you?” Erica dashed past me.

She was faster than I expected. Her steps were light, and her daggers moved like stingers. In a matter of seconds, she made her way through a group of six demons. They saw her stop a few steps away, but before they could move a claw toward her, blood gushed out of their heads, and they dropped dead.

“Your daggers are almost as sharp as your tongue,” I said as I removed a throwing knife from my belt.

“What are you doing?” Erica said.

I threw the knife, and it almost scratched her cheek, passing right under her blue earring. Then I said, “Look behind you.”

When she turned around, she saw that the knife had stabbed a demon. The fiend had crept close without her noticing, but it was no longer a threat. As it wriggled on the ground, she raised a dagger and delivered the final stab.

“I’ve saved you twice up till now.” I sprinted for my next target.

“When was the first time?” Erica followed.

“The Laikos, remember?” I slashed the core of another demon.

“That one doesn’t count,” she said as she delivered two stabs. Then she avoided a pouncing demon and landed on its head. While it squirmed under her boots, she warned, “Behind you.”

I turned around and defeated another enemy. “I knew we’d make a good team. If only you weren’t selfish and self-centered.”

“Who’d want to team up with you? You’re a whiny brat.” She kicked a demon twice before she stabbed it in the head. “My acting deceived you so easily, loser.”

“Well, excuse me for saving your life!”

“I said it doesn’t count!”

At that moment, battle cries echoed loud. We turned to look at the barricades and saw Alex and the others rushing to join us. They had pushed the demons back and launched a counteroffensive.

“You were right about one thing,” Erica said. “They’re not cowards.”

Fighting erupted everywhere around us. Wherever I looked, I found a small skirmish or a desperate struggle. The clamor lasted for a while, but the outcome of the battle seemed clear. The crimson eyes lost their shine as the prey hunted the predator. The ranks of the demons thinned and thinned until only a few remained. And it was Alex who had the honor of killing the last. Gallantly standing above it, he thrust his spear down and ended the battle.

“Is it over?” he said.

“Yes.” I put away my sword. “I told you we’d make it.”

My words brought loud cheers and triumphant shouts, but the celebration was out of place. The will-o’-the-wisps disappeared from the horizon, and the red cracks began to shine in the sky. When the soft light illuminated the battlefield, the real outcome became visible. The scene was as gory as its foggy precursor. There were many corpses around us, and both the victims and the demons were slowly turning into dust. Silence returned, heavier than ever before. Only now did we realize the weight of the loss.

“These people are gone forever…” Alex said. He bent down and grabbed a handful of dust before he let it trickle down between his fingers. “They will never return. We can’t even wish them peace. They’re nothing now.”

Showing no respect for the lost souls, Erica walked past me and hurried back to the camp. She was cold and indifferent, or perhaps she was only pretending to be so, because I caught a glimpse of sadness on her face.

Before she could leave, however, Alex turned his attention to her and shouted with a voice that everyone heard, “Don’t walk away, Erica! You saw this. You saw the sacrifices, the losses. Are you still planning on keeping secrets? You and Wilhelm!”

“What are you saying?” She turned around and was about to mock him with her usual comments, but the look on his face made her freeze.

Alex was second to Reinfried in skill and leadership, but he didn’t lose in his care for his men. Clasping the dust in his fist, he said, “I planned to keep my mouth shut; I wanted to wait for you to come clean. But after what happened, I can’t wait a second longer. I can’t let more people disappear like this.”

“Wilhelm and I have no secrets,” Erica said, a bit nervous.

“I overheard your arguments,” Alex said. “I know you’ve been talking to an outsider. Someone who’s not from Ashenbrook, not from our world. The flutist.”

“Who?” Erica laughed.

“Everyone heard the flutist before they died.”

“I didn’t. And I don’t understand what you’re saying. Come talk to me when you’ve cooled down a little.”

“The flutist told you how to leave this place, but you’re keeping it a secret.” Alex pointed his spear at her. “If you won’t come clean, I’ll make you confess.”