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The edges of our world seem endless in scope, with our grand civilizations seeming meager in comparison. Within a vast realm, us humans and Kin have managed to continue expanding ever outwards, testing the boundaries of reality. We tell ourselves that not a single star hanging in the sky above is truly beyond our reach, and no hidden cavern is too deeply buried beneath the earth.

But the borders of the world are still so undefined. The maps of our great cartographers do not show the full scope of the second layer of the world.

Several continents, each housing endless histories of their various peoples, may extend past the edges of the maps that we have painted for ourselves. What is beyond those borders?

Countless explorers may go out into the lands beyond what is known by the various scholars across our world- but only the most well-prepared, the bravest, and the strongest ever come back with their minds intact. The borders of our reality have been too cruel, and their reports only let us know of the endless, storm-filled oceans and the infinite cloud-piercing mountain peaks that block the horizon.

Alien monsters that even the greatest of warriors could only run from seemingly fill the lands beyond our own, and only the stalwart soldiers of Edelgrand can continue to expand the walls of their city into the unknown. All other countries have continued to stagnate, the borders of our world contested by the creatures beyond.

The second layer of Ithir, called the second world by some, has a scale still clouded from our knowledge, and may hold countless numbers of those monsters, yet they still hide from the might of our armies, not daring to strike against us unless we venture into their inhospitable territories.

As our magic sustains us, and our swords remain sharp, our civilizations will only continue to shine brightly. Within the borders of our world, the wind, the sun, and the earth will protect us.

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Wind screamed in Alvo’s ears.

The thrashing of the black trees around him could barely be made out. Sharp shards of rain tore into any exposed skin around his body. With arms held close to his chest, and muscles tense, his teeth grit violently.

Yet even though the elements mercilessly attacked him without a single sign of remorse, his back was straight, his eyes wide open, almost ignoring the rain flying into them.

Each hand held a lantern, and though his body was sore, he could acutely feel the weight of the various pouches hanging from his waist, the rope keeping them together flying wildly in the wind. His hair had come free from the string keeping it folded back in a rat tail, flying unrestrained over his vision. A small steel cage hung from beneath his cloak, not a hint of wear or dirt on it, a small spark of light floating within.

His gaze was set.

A figure stood before him, nearly eight feet tall, the thick, wispy hair covering its body a deep, oily shade of black, noticeable even through the darkness of the storm surrounding them. Though it vaguely resembled the form of the human, not even the most fool of men could mistake it for any real mortal.

An aura surrounded the creature, one that broke chills over the man’s body, even after facing such fear so many times over again.

Four long tails extended from its waist, all lashing wildly in different directions almost as if each held a mind of its own, and four horns curled upwards from the head of the monster. Its eyes glinted with inner sparks of light, reflecting off the two caged lanterns held by the man, each one less affected by the wind than their surroundings.

The creature was just as ignored by the violent winds, standing in its hunched-back posture, gangling arms jarringly out of proportion with the rest of its body, each one long enough to brush against the ground.

Even though the man could feel the winds like physical forces, struggling to right his posture and face the creature before him, he could see the monster was completely unaffected, without even its layers of fur swaying in the wind. It stood as if it was on a perfectly still day.

“...A wind spirit, huh? -Makes sense.”

His voice was ripped away by the roaring forest, not even reaching his own ears before disappearing into the cacophony, but the man swore he could see the creature’s face, still mostly hidden in shadow, contort at his words.

His scowl deepened, his grip on the two lanterns tightening.

The creature burst into motion in a fraction of a second.

The man swung the lantern in his right hand forward, throwing it in front of himself with an almost desperate motion, his face twisted in the exertion of the moment.

The creature ran forward on all fours with a loping motion, long, thick claws digging into the dirt beneath its feet, those black eyes unerringly focused on the man, unmoving and emotionless.

It jumped out of the way of the flying lantern, letting out a bone-rattling screech, but continued to move forward.

The man moved quickly, throwing his now-free hand beneath his cloak and grabbing the small cage kept beneath his clothing. The ball of light within the steel metal gleamed in the darkness as it hung beneath his hand.

The creature reached him at the same moment, and the man could do nothing but throw himself back, desperately jumping away from the slicing claws of the creature flying through his previous position.

It was closer now, in clearer focus beneath the flaring light of the remaining lantern, and the man could make out the full breadth of its body, it’s wispy fur, matted and flowing in almost ethereal patterns across it’s thin and boney form.

The man was gasping now, lungs nearly empty of air. He had forgotten to breathe for those brief moments, but with the small opening in the action he quickly pushed away all the common fog that had filled his mind. If he was going to live- no, if he was going to buy enough time, then he couldn’t be complacent.

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It was clear, at this point. He had gotten rusty.

Holding the lantern in front of his body, placing it directly between the creature and him, his laborious breathing slowed, and he raised the cage filled with light to his face.

It was almost a birdcage- a small steel construction, it's interior completely empty save for the small star floating within.

“Qulthy, help me now and I’ll free you if I live.”

As the wind picked up his voice, the creature let out a second screech, crawling closer, though more carefully than before, it’s eyes now fixated on the cage in the man’s hand.

The cage shone bright, now more closely resembling a miniature star than anything else, before dimming. The man smiled slightly, a desperate thing filled with weariness, but a smile nonetheless.

There was nothing else to be done. He would either live through the battle and continue to experience his cursed life, or he would die at the hands of this spirit.

Either way, he hoped it would end quickly. He was too old for this sort of thing.

He put down his hand, holding it close against his chest and beneath his cloak as best he could, somewhat shielding the cage from the wind while placing it next to his heart.

The creature’s eyes might have widened at the movement, although he could have just imagined it.

It burst into motion quickly, leaving from where it had stopped to stare at the man as it ran in between the trees, attempting to find a way to flank him.

He continued to turn, still facing the creature head on, the lantern still held directly between him and the enemy.

Eventually, its bloodlust seemed to overcome any caution within its mind, running straight towards the man as the wind shrieked; claws digging deep rivets through the earth, a great, fang-filled maw opening vertically across its face.

“Burn you to the pit!”

A white flame burst into existence, exploding from the base of the man’s boots and surrounding him in a shield before flying towards the approaching monster in a wall of force.

The flames overtook the beast without granting it even an instant to react. In that moment, a scream tore through the forest louder than any before, overtaking even the roaring winds, and filling the man’s ears until something inside them burst, the left side of his hearing blurring in pain.

But even through the pain in his head, and the sudden emptiness inside his chest, the man stared at the great blaze of fire filling his vision, the dark silhouette within shaking and distorting with agony.

The wispy black hairs covering the creature’s body flared up with countless sparks inside of the blaze, blood pouring out of the skin beneath before evaporating nearly instantly. Its scream continued, the maw between its eyes opening to its fullest radius, which only allowed the raging fire to greedily climb down and burn its throat and insides.

The monster was cooked from the interior of its stomach outwards, even as its outer skin crackled like paper beneath the heat.

But even as it burned within the ferocious heat, the man could make out movement- the silhouette continued to painfully force itself towards him, struggling to move through the deluge.

“Burn it! Qulthy! If not for me, for the kid!! Please!!”

The man coughed as he screamed outwards, desperation bubbling through his mind. In response, the wall of fire began to spike in volume, exploding in all directions with violent white light, consuming the monster entirely.

Minutes must have passed, though the man had lost them as he had stared at the fire, all of his soul continually exhausted, the light within the cage on his hip growing dimmer and dimmer until barely a single point floated within the steel.

Eventually the fire burned out, leaving the monster in the center of the suddenly quiet forest.

It was on its knees, the long, disproportionate arms lay burnt like used matchsticks, its fur completely gone, leaving only skin charred black. Those four tails laying still on the ground, draped out like black smears staining the dirt.

The wind had disappeared, taking the violent rain with it; nothing but quiet air in its wake. The forest felt empty, the presence of evil kept inside its air mostly gone, replaced with an almost warm breeze.

But the creature’s eyes were open.

Those black things, more resembling the shiny shells of beetles, never wavered as they stared at the old man.

Soon enough the creature began to move again.

Its arms shifted; skinless palms pressed hard against the ground before grabbing large handfuls of dirt.

Its feet dug underneath the rest of its body, slowly rising from the ground.

And throughout the entirety of the strenuous movement, its eyes stayed pressed against the man.

The man’s vision, still hazy from exhaustion, hardened.. He grasped the lantern still clutched within his hand and held it forwards.

His mind wasn’t more than mist at that point, a hazy kind of mist that might coat one’s thoughts after hours of grueling work. It might have been hours at that point, the old man didn’t know, and he wasn’t thinking about the time this effort might take. All his thoughts were directed towards the monster before him, the monster struggling to crawl towards him, limping on broken limbs.

A presence made itself known in the old man’s mind. A foreign presence emanating from the cage hanging by a short chain clutched in his hand. The star within the cage blazing a dim but vibrant light, a passion that may have been fueled by rage or desperation.

Either way, it was enough to clear the mist away from the old man’s thoughts. A razor focus, sharp as wire, entered his mind, holding at bay the exhaustion that might have overtaken his body just moments before.

The remaining lantern was still clutched in his other hand, held forwards. If that last lantern wasn't enough, he would have nothing left.

The man stepped forward, unflinching even in the face of the living nightmare crawling towards him. His cracked lips opening barely wide enough to speak hoarse words.

“Just a little more, alright? ...Just a little more. Then you’ll be free.”

The light within the cage brightened slightly in response, although that might have been his imagination.

A claw came speeding through the still air.

The man’s arm, lantern in hand, swung like lightning, smashing the small, candled light into the creature's arm.

Through shattered glass and thin metal shards, the fire burst outwards in a directed cone, engulfing the monster's arm. The man was untouched by the flame.

The creature howled with inhuman pain, but its arm was not slowed by the fire. The man jumped backwards, once more trying to fall away from that flying death. However, he could not avoid his fate completely.

As the hooked claw sliced deep through his shoulder, the man screamed in pain. Tears came to his eyes as he blurrily saw a victorious light enter those beady black eyes. Although it was just for a fraction of a moment, the man could clearly view such a terrible kind of revelry swirl through the monster’s frame.

He scowled through the pain.

While the man’s blood still flew through the air, the caged light hanging from his good hand began to flare up into what could only be compared to a supernova.

The second presence- a second set of emotions filled with anger and pain eclipsing even the man’s- filled his mind.

They both let out a cry directed towards the monster, a cry that boiled with everything each mind felt, their desire for life, their rage at the creature before them, and the blind fear that overpowered everything else; the fear that the boy, still attempting to light the torches a mere hundred feet away, would not finish in time to survive.

Light flooded the forest, washing out any inkling of the darkness still remaining.

When it faded, nothing was left.

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