It took several hours, but by nightfall we arrived at a crimson desert. Even under the faint moonlight, the red sand beneath our feet remained visible while darkness dominated the horizon. A suffocating landscape, even for the strongest warrior.

   The full moon illuminated the entire region, proving the accuracy of our choice. There, clearly visible... stood the symbol of death.

   A creature that would bring nightmares to anyone who saw it. The literal image of a demon, with a massive body over three meters tall. Black skin, large and dark horns pointing upward, claws that looked capable of tearing apart any beast, and eyes that remained closed, waiting for something worthy enough to make them open.

   Everyone fixed their gaze on its face. His appearance itself didn’t disturb me; this wasn’t my first time seeing such a thing, but something shined in its right hand, as if he were holding something... bright... silver.

   My eyes widened, seeing Catherine being held by that monster, grabbed by the hair like an animal.

Without caring about the consequences, and while everyone else remained paralyzed, I took the first step.

   “Hey...", I shouted, trying to draw its attention. Yet, the creature remained motionless.

   I cursed mid-run for forgetting to ask the generals for a weapon. Out of ideas, I threw a stone at its head, only for it to turn into dust before even reaching him.

   The generals, having recovered from their shock, launched a long-range assault. The creature reacted in the same way.

   I saw waves and blasts of brilliant mysterious energy, something I had never imagined could exist.

   Even witnessing the overwhelming power of the generals, I could still tell it made no difference. The monster didn’t even react to the countless explosions striking its body. It remained completely still, taking every attack head-on.

   “Our attacks aren’t working... we’re out of options", Kira shouted.

   “There’s still one left...", William completed.

   “One final direct assault. We give it everything we have, but Anne... stay behind. You’ll still be important for the new Empire". This was the first time William had called her by name... perhaps that meant something to him.

   “In the end... you’re still an outsider. We appreciate your efforts, but we need to avenge what we lost", Kira said.

   “Stay alive, and bring glory back to our Empire", finished the robust general.

   William led them toward the frontline, like the hero and leader he had become, transforming the desert’s silence into the pure announcement of war.

   “Generals, this land is our home. The Empire ignited the flames within your hearts, and our blood boils to protect it. Remember the citizens... remember the families crying out our names. This day will be remembered as the end of the darkness that swallowed us and the beginning of a new era... NOW ADVANCE…”.

   “... FOR THE EMPIRE!”, he concluded.

   “FOR THE EMPIRE!”, the other two shouted in unison.

   The three generals charged forward carrying the hope of victory and the opportunity they had never been given before. Beneath the darkness that had consumed their nation, and for the light they might still reclaim, they raised their blades in perfect synchronization, aiming for three vital points at once.

   Anne and I remained behind, watching the flames lit by those heroes. And finally... the beast opened its eyes.

   The moment we had all been waiting for had arrived. The warriors’ blades touched the creature, and in that same instant… they turned into dust scattered by the wind… The three strongest beings known in this world... reduced to ashes without even wounding the enemy.

   I turned toward Anne in shock and saw... the deepest expression of sorrow.

   The girl had lost her allies... her friends... and her chance at victory.

   The beast opened the hand it used to hold Catherine and raised her toward the sky.

   Anne widened her eyes and almost instinctively activated her energy, forming an aura around her body that, in the blink of an eye, carried the three of us far away from the demon.

   “Damn it... was this really all we were capable of?..." - she whispered - "Kyros, I teleported us far away, but I can’t use that ability again...", she said..

   “I’m sorry, Kyros... I lied when I said you were a God", Anne confessed, as if trying to free herself from guilt.

   Shocked by information that no longer made any difference, I shouted:

   “Then why did you come looking for me?”.

   She remained silent for a few moments. Her expression made it obvious she was still hiding something... something she refused to reveal even now.

   “Ad... Kyros... there’s no more time... Take my sister somewhere safe. I’ll try to hold the monster back…”.

   She looked at me one last time, before saying:

   “There’s nothing we can do anymore to protect this world... We... lost”.

   Without any alternatives, I didn’t argue and quickly picked Fyie up in my arms, running in the opposite direction while leaving Anne behind and hoping we might, somehow, escape from him.

   Only a few seconds passed before a deafening explosion echoed in the distance.

   The reason was obvious… The monster’s feared ability had just been unleashed.

   “Looks like we were lucky Anne sent us far enough away... I’m glad I could at least see you one more time... Fyie", I whispered to her beautiful and unconscious face.

   That small feeling of relief quickly vanished. In an instant, the creature appeared before us, grinding its teeth in rage.

   Realizing I had no other choice, I slowed down and ran in the opposite direction one more time, using everything within my reach to protect her. Suddenly, my feet no longer touched the ground, and then, I realized I was floating.

   The monster, with its left hand extended toward us, was responsible for it, pulling us closer to him through its power.

   With his other free hand, he grabbed Fyie once more, separating us.

   Now face to face with it, I stared at the creature with the deepest desire for revenge.

   The monster, with its black and lifeless eyes, showed complete indifference as it punched my torso and launched me several meters away.

   I remained on the ground for a moment, after hitting some stones in the way, feeling multiple bones broken and blood spilling from my mouth.

   Ignoring the pain, I forced myself up onto one knee and stood again, cursing my own weakness.

   “Hey... horned bastard... I won’t... lose her again", I declared, my sharp gaze fixed on him.

   The demon formed a small proud smile, looking at me like I was nothing more than an arrogant insect.

   He released Fyie, letting her crash onto the sand, and raised its palm toward the heavens, accepting my challenge.

   Fyie, finally awake, lifted her head and looked to the side, finding only the monstrous figure before her, something that naturally forced her to relive her trauma She entered a state of panic, unable to look away and trembling while staring at him.

   Because of that, she didn’t notice me nearby, and desperately tried to flee, only to trip and fall a few steps from him. The monster became distracted, turning toward the terrified girl.

   “Are you ignoring me?”, I whispered.

   My eyes widened once more, when I saw the demon approaching Fyie again.

   “RUN!” I shouted toward her back, while circling around the monster and throwing stones at it, each one disintegrating before making contact.

   Once I managed to stand before them, I finally saw the face of the woman I loved… she had the deepest expression of surrender.

   Fyie had already accepted her fate, staring at the ground while waiting for the beast to finish what it came to do.

   “Hey", I shouted, hoping her attention would turn toward me.

   The creature, once again staring at me with disgust, created a mysterious dark energy in its hand.

   Sensing the worst possible outcome, I sprinted toward her as fast as I could. That was when I felt something hot splash across my face, and then saw something pouring onto the sand… blood.

   My arm had been enveloped by shadow-like claws that slowly and brutally tried to tear it apart. Knowing it would be impossible to stop the process, I roared:

   “DON’T FUCK WITH ME…".

   I used every ounce of strength I had to finish it as quickly as possible, ignoring the exposed bone already visible from my arm and violently ripping it away from the rest of my body while the sound of cracking bones echoed through the desert.

   My eyes locked onto the creature with nothing but vengeance as I kept running toward it.

   ‘No matter how much I have to fight... no matter how much I must sacrifice... YOU have to die', I thought.

   I was only a few steps away from them, believing that this time… at least once... I would finally be able to protect her.

   Time itself seemed frozen and finally… I saw the power capable of destroying nations being unleashed…

  Darkness consumed my world.