Me, Sylphina, Grimga, Thron, Freya, Gideon, Lyranthra, and Malachi all suited up in our gear, preparing for the night's mission.

Sylphina, a spider demon with black hair and demon eyes, led the stealth squad.

Grimga, an orc with red hair and green skin, was in charge of the brutality squad.

Gideon, that lazy bastard with dark brown hair, handled the arms squad.

Malachi, an apostle for the death god with black hair and eyes, oversaw the death squad.

Thron managed the trap squad with his meticulous attention to detail.

Lyranthra, a fearsome chimera, commanded the execution squad.

And lastly, the most dangerous of us all, Freya—a killer and demon in disguise as an innocent woman—commanded the strategy squad.

Our target was clear: Aric, the so-called hero. He needed to be eliminated before he could pose any further threat to our plans. As we moved through the shadows, each of us knew our role.

Sylphina's stealth squad would handle the initial infiltration. Grimga's brutality squad would create diversions, drawing attention away from our true objective. Gideon's arms squad was prepared for any combat we might face. Malachi's death squad would be our last resort, ensuring that any loose ends were dealt with. Thron's trap squad had set up numerous traps to prevent anyone from following us. Lyranthra's execution squad was ready to deliver the final blow. And Freya's strategic guidance would navigate us through the complexities of the mission.

We were ready. Tonight, the hero's journey would come to an abrupt and fatal end.

***

The night was cold, and the hero and his wife slept, blissfully unaware of the fate that awaited them. By the end of the night, our wrath would descend upon them.

Thron and his squad had meticulously set traps within the inn and its surroundings, ensuring no one would escape or interfere with our mission.

Grimga and her squad took their positions as the attackers. They staged a convincing fight with Gideon's squad, creating chaos and diverting attention from our true objective.

Sylphina's squad moved with deadly precision, silently taking out the guards in the inn. No alarms were raised; the way was clear for our approach.

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Inside the inn, the flickering candlelight cast eerie shadows on the walls as we moved swiftly and silently. Sylphina's squad signaled that the perimeter was secure.

"Phase one complete," Sylphina whispered, her demon eyes glinting in the darkness.

Grimga nodded. "Let's move to phase two."

Gideon's squad took their positions, ready to neutralize any resistance we might encounter inside the hero's room. Meanwhile, Freya, with her strategic mind, guided us to our final positions.

We approached the hero's room, the soft creak of the wooden floor the only sound in the silent night. Malachi's squad, the death squad, stood ready, their presence a grim reminder of what was to come.

As we reached the door, I turned to Lyranthra, who gave a nod. Her execution squad was prepared to deliver the final blow.

With a swift motion, Sylphina unlocked the door, and we entered. Aric and his wife lay in peaceful slumber, oblivious to the doom that loomed over them. We moved into position, our breaths held, our movements synchronized.

Freya gave the signal. It was time.

"My, my, Father, how could you,' Seraphina

said. I turned to look at her, startled.

"What are you doing here?" I whispered

urgently.

" just wanted to be useful to my dear father"

she replied with a mischievous glint in her

eyes.

"This is not a place for a child," I said, trying

to keep my voice low and firm.

"Well, Mr. Solomon told me to give you a

note," she said, handing me a small piece of

paper.

As I picked it up, my blood ran cold. The note

read: "Artorian, I know your hesitation on

murder. Considering the only time you killed

was when the curse was active, you never go

your hands dirty by your own will. So l'll give

you some motivation. The hero in the near

future will kill Luna, Fren, and Seraphina."

Rage filled me instantly, quelling any

hesitation I had left. I looked at Seraphina, her

innocent eyes waiting for my response.

"Father, what did it say?" she asked curiously.

So she didn't know what the note said... good.

But now, any hesitation I had was gone.

"Hold his wife," I instructed. Seraphina

nodded and, with surprising strength,

punched the hero's wife, dragging her out of

bed. I did the same to the hero.

Aric struggled, his eyes wide with fear and

confusion. "What is this? Why are you doing

this?" he demanded.

"Look, I need you dead to save the world,' |

hissed, holding a blade to his neck.

"But l'm the hero! I was summoned here to

save the world. She said so herself!" he

panicked, desperation in his eyes.

"Who, the goddess? Who's she?" I demanded.

"Eva, she's an apostle of the goddess. She

said I was summoned to save the world."

Shit. So Eva's got him wrapped around her

finger? Damn, I almost feel bad for him.

"You fail. You fail at your job, and my job is to

find the true hero. So do me a favor and just

accept death."

He stayed silent for a bit, then spoke with a

defeated voice. "Okay, just let my wife go..

please, she's pregnant and-"

Before he could finish, Seraphina stabbed his

wife's stomach and slid the blade open. The

baby slipped out, and the room stayed eerily

quiet. Seraphina's face was twisted in rage.

"You bastard!" The hero roared, hitting me in

the stomach. He lunged for his weapon, but

before he could grab it, he disappeared. It

was obvious Eva was behind this. Seraphina

let go of the corpse, her hands trembling.

"The hell's wrong with you?!" I yelled, unable

to contain my anger. She flinched, tears

forming in her eyes.

"I... I'm sorry.." she whispered, her voice

breaking.

"AIl of you, leave! Freya, take Seraphina back

to the castle." Freya nodded, and everyone

quickly left the room, leaving me alone with

my thoughts.

The night had turned into a bloodbath, and

the weight of our actions hung heavy in the

air. I had set out to eliminate a threat, but the

cost had been higher than I had anticipated.

As I stood there, the enormity of what had

transpired began to sink in. The hero was

gone, but the consequences of our actions

would ripple far and wide.

"The hell!?" I cursed, clutching my stomach as

a sudden, agonizing pain ripped through me.

It felt like my insides were eating themselves.

Why now, of all times?

As I doubled over, my gaze locked onto the

corpse. Something in me shifted. No, no, no,

this isn't me!

I fell to my knees beside the body. Despite

knowing it was wrong, an overwhelming,

primal hunger consumed me. I couldn't stop

myself. I began to eat the corpse and the

unborn baby.

I devoured everything, unable to control the

ravenous urge.

I. Am. Hungry.