I feel my staff touching me. This golem may have been smart enough to create a plan like this, but not smart enough to know my staff also has corruption on it. Which means it’s also a part of me and I can use it more effectively when it touches me. The demonic energy builds and leads up to the top of the staff where the eye is. It glows red and a beam of light trails to the golems head,

“If I destroy it like I have been, it’ll just form more smaller ones.” These golems have one too many ways of reproduction, “So… I’ll just have to obliterate you, huh?” The hand is closing in on me. It’s getting harder to hold it off. I let out the energy that has been building in the staff and aim directly at the head. 

“Heh!”

The head is completely destroyed and the hand lets go of me. The golem still moves but its focus is no longer on me. It raises its hands to where its head once was and looks as if it’s searching for it. A strange odor hits my nose as I feel the smaller hands loosening its grip on me. I break free and grab onto my staff. I follow the scent.

“Is this Human?”

I run towards the headless golem. The scent is getting stronger and everything is slowly starting to make sense to me. I’m understanding why the golems continue to move even though my father isn’t around to support their life force, and the reason why the heads of the bigger golems were empty. I reach the body,

“...”

Between the ground and the golem’s body, barely noticeable at first glance, I see the top half of a man’s body. Mimicking the formation of the golem itself. Once again, I was wrong to assume what I thought was what these golems were capable of doing. It wasn’t their size that limited them, it was the caster being stuck himself. I get closer and see how this strange old man had become one with the rocks. His flesh in the color of the sands and stone protruding out from the features of his body. His eyes open. Eyes as cold and as white as the first snowfall during the winter time. He struggles, but I could tell he was sniffing the air.

“Have you… Finally come to finish me, Demon Lord?”

It was faint, but I could make out his words.

“Who are you?” I ask.

“Ah, not the same… Demon…”

His words continue to be close as whispers, I press my hands against the golem’s body and go in closer with my head to hear his words better. I ask again,

“Who are you?”

“A mage who needs salvation… From this torture.”

I step back and look at him once again. I can see his magic siphoning from his body to power the bigger golem. I also see that the bigger golem gives power to the smaller golems who then create more of their kind to continue to power the mage. It’s a vicious cycle that keeps him living but also drains his power. It’s no wonder he’s in pain. I mutter,

“Salvation…”

I knew my plan as a priestess was to be the greatest healer in the world, but… This man is only alive because of these golems. Would it be right to free him from all this and have his life—

“It’s the only way…”

He interrupts my thought.

“This torture… From centuries ago… I’ve had enough…”

I stare at him. I know what he’s asking for, but… I want to heal. I don’t want to kill.

“Child… Please…”

“Isn’t there another way?!”

“Come closer…”

I get closer to him, his words become clearer to me,

“I will show you… Place your head on mine…”

I do as he says. His memories fill my mind. I see the world through his eyes and I hear his voice becoming stronger and more vibrant, as if he were centuries younger.

♦

“The Demon Lord has risen. You, my three Great Mages, may be the only ones capable of stopping him.” The king’s voice had always been demanding yet respectful towards us. It had been myself and my comrades. Blaze the Great Mage of Fire and Alice the Great Mage of Ice. Then of course there’s me, Terrance, the Great mage of Earth. Most spells we used didn’t need incantations, a spell book or a magic item. This is what garnered the title of “Great Mage”. Magic was second nature to us, no. Magic was simply us.

“How much longer.” Blaze was always the impatient one, but I guess there’s always that type around, he kept our spirits up nonetheless.

“You need to chill.” Alice was graceful and of few words, yet always found the time to be silly and tell little jokes that only she’d laugh at. She kept our anxieties and fears down with her light humor.

“It will be a while. There is no time frame to when he will appear…” I wasn’t sure of my role in the party, but they accepted me and I always felt like they were my true friends. 

“... I just know that the missive sent to the king from the Cathedral, that said, ‘The Demon Lord is on his way.’ And that we’re supposed to take care of it.”

“I think it’s pretty badass of the king to just send us three.” Blaze rubs the bottom of his nose with his finger.

“We’re just so cool.” Alice giggles.

“Are you making fun of me?!”

“Now, now, we’re supposed to be fighting the Demon Lord, not each other.” I laughed as well. 

Before the hours went by, Blaze’s comment gave me an idea, “The king did send the three of us but. I could start my army as support. Well… fodder.”

“That stupid demon is going to get his work cut out for him thanks to you Terry.” Blaze’s arm had gone around my neck and used to pull me in closer, with his other hand he ruffled my hair.

“A-ah!” He was very friendly with me.

The hours went by and I was able to create my army of golems with magic and also using the resources of the desert. I had made sure they could form new life if destroyed just to increase our numbers. The only problem with this kind of spell is that it requires a lot of magic from me to use and each time the pieces are destroyed, their revival isn’t guaranteed. In simple terms, they have a life of two tries.

“Are you alright Terry?”

“Yes. I didn’t think the Demon Lord would take this long, so I made as many as I could.”

“They… Look like us.” Alice was fascinated.

“Yes. I want to be able to confuse the Demon Lord so our attacks can land better.”

“Wait! Can they use our spells too?!”

“I’m not that good. They’re decoys.”

“It would have been awesome if they could…” 

I knew Blaze meant well, but that kind of stung.

I could no longer feel the light wind touching my face. The sounds of ambience were gone. Only the sound of our breath touched our ears. My mouth had dried and I couldn’t help but lick my lips. He was here, approaching casually.

“You’re late.” Without Hesitation, Blaze scolds the Demon Lord. It was brave but also stupid.

We all assumed there would be a grand entrance for someone of his title. An army of demons and a darkness that loomed over him. Instead, we got a single man and the silence of the world. When he spoke in response to Blaze, there was no way we could understand him. He appeared to be observing us the more he spoke.

“Hm. Just like the Priests… It seems the old language in this world is long gone.”

My body shivered as I heard the words in our language pierce my ears.

“Old language?! Please! You—” The Demon Lord had appeared in front of Blaze within an instant, his hand firmly placed on Blaze’s face. All I could do was watch.

“You’re too obnoxious for me to have fun with.” The Demon Lord had cracked Blaze’s skull open with his hand. My friend’s body dropped.

“B...” I couldn’t speak, his power was overwhelming.

“These are well made golems. It would have been great against any other demon.” He stared at Alice, “Was it you who made these?”

She also had been paralyzed with fear.

“Alice! Run! I’ll handle him!” I snapped out of it and had my army attack. Since they were golems, they have no fear. They could fight, wear him down and eventually I could deliver the finishing blow! I had it all planned out. But like Blaze, the Demon Lord had appeared in front of me within an instant.

“So you’re the creator. I want these things, but with more power. How would you like eternal life?”

“Wh-what…”

“In exchange you create more of them with your magic and in a few centuries I’ll return to collect.”

“What…” I heard him, but I couldn’t understand a thing he was saying. He was speaking my language but the words he spoke were so foreign to me he may as well have been speaking in his own tongue.

“I guess I’ll have to do it forcefully.” I could feel my life slipping away. With a thrust of his fist into my stomach, I could feel his magic flowing through me. He was using Corruption. My body became the host for him and all my magic became his. I could also feel his intentions, as if our minds were one. He wanted an army to destroy the world and have his realm take over ours. His goal was… Simple. But. I wasn’t going to let it end this way! The world would be in danger if he’s able to use my golems the way he intends to. On top of that, I still need Alice to make her escape too! I grab his arm with the remaining energy I have,

“I am… A Great Mage of Earth. All of the Earth’s soil and dirt are under my control…” I begin my incantation. When a great mage starts a spell with words, you can guarantee the enemy has lost the battle.

“A Great Mage you say. My apologies.”

What is he saying now… It doesn’t matter. I say the final words of my spell, “Earth break apart and reform, trap this creature along with me!” The ground below us cracks open, and we drop into the caverns along with the army of golems I had created. I look at Alice one last time and smile. She finally moves. I could hear my golems crashing onto the ground below us,

“You’ll… Be trapped for an eternity with me… Demon Lord.”

“I’ve decided,”

These were the last words I’ve heard from him.

“This power that you hold so dear… Will be the very thing you’ll learn to hate.” His Corruption had engulfed my body, all I could do was watch as his arm exited my stomach. I plummet along with my golems to the ground. He stayed in the air, and just as he was about to leave, “Enjoy your new life of immortality.”

I woke up after an unknown amount of time, I couldn’t feel anything. I wasn’t sure if I was dead or alive. Perhaps purgatory? My vision was blurred, but I could kind of see my friends, Alice and Blaze. They were across from me. Did we beat the Demon Lord after all? As my vision became clearer, I saw these weren’t my friends. These were the golems I had created. These golems that were infected by the Demon Lord’s power. The ones I saw were the remains of the old golems. Newly formed golems with no faces and claw-like hands surrounded me. With my eyes now opened I see my lower half gone, eaten by the first generations of these corrupted golems. It was their way of keeping their existence in check but also knowing that if I had died, they’d all be gone as well. I didn’t want to die. With my own selfishness of self preservation I had used my magic to reform my body and continue on living and supporting these parasitic creatures.

♦

“Please…”

Terrance’s memory has ended. If I wanted to save him. I had to be the one to kill him. Otherwise these golems would continue to torture him, and the organisms down here would constantly be threatened. What choice did I have?

“O.k.” I place my staff on his head, and drain my father’s Corruption. Then with my own magic I cause Terrance’s head to burst. All the golems begin to crumble and fade into dust.

“I…”

Maria’s empathy made me feel like I could have done more. Perhaps quick prayer.