Everyone stood tense, weapons drawn and eyes locked on the swirling mass of shadows that formed the body of the dark entity. The sky had darkened above the ruined village, thick clouds blotting out the stars, casting an eerie silence that settled over the land like a funeral shroud.
Then the entity laughed.
A cold, echoing, unnatural sound that reverberated through their bones.
"So," it sneered, its voice both everywhere and nowhere, "you still think you can fight me. Still believe your fragile weapons and mortal strength can stand against what I have become. You want to throw away your lives for nothing. Make your pitiful existences even more worthless than they already were."
Raphael stepped forward, his eyes hard with conviction. "I won't let it happen again," he shouted, his voice ringing clear. "You've taken enough people from me. Every time you came, I was alone. Weak. Not ready to fight. But things have changed. I'm not alone anymore. I have comrades who are ready to stand beside me. This time, we won't let you leave alive."
A surge of courage rippled through the group at Raphael's declaration. Rees, Akin, Isan, the council members, even the younger fighters like Kazen and Izaki readied themselves. Their faces were grim but determined.
Hellesa stood among them, her face pale, hands trembling slightly. A thousand thoughts whirled in her mind. The entity had singled her out. Demanded her as a price for peace. She didn't know why—only that something inside her, something she barely understood, had caught its attention. Now, the fate of her companions and perhaps the entire world seemed to rest on a choice she didn't know how to make.
The entity seemed to sense her hesitation. Its swirling form pulsed with cruel amusement. "This stubbornness," it said darkly, "this refusal to accept reality... it makes my hatred of you humans grow deeper."
A moment passed. Then the shadows around the entity began to shift.
From its inky depths, shapes began to emerge—humanoid forms cloaked in darkness. The dead. Reanimated soldiers. People they had once known. Faces twisted by corruption, eyes glowing faintly with the entity's will.
They lunged at Raphael first. He moved like lightning, slashing through the first wave with fluid precision. Bodies crumbled to ash at his feet. But more came.
Faster.
Stronger.
Soon, the others joined the fray. Isan struck with deadly efficiency, his blade carving paths through enemy lines. The council members unleashed their unique abilities all coordinated in rhythm, a display of refined teamwork honed through years of experience.
For a time, the battle seemed manageable. Each enemy was cut down as swiftly as they came. But they didn't stop.
More kept emerging.
Ten. Twenty. Hundreds.
It was like a river of the dead, flowing endlessly from the entity's core.
Rees fought with grim determination, his movements sharp but restrained. He still couldn't bring himself to strike fatal blows. The faces of the puppets haunted him—his old comrades, people he had fought beside. And there, among them, was Avern. His blade faltered every time she stepped forward, and the hesitation cost him precious moments.
Akin noticed. With a cry of frustration, he leapt forward and cut down three shadows at once. He turned to Rees. "You need to fight them!" he shouted. "They're already gone. Stop holding back, or you'll be the next one they take!"
Across the battlefield, Kazen and Izaki fought side by side, back to back. Their movements were unrefined but fueled by desperation and raw willpower. Hellesa, still struggling with her dilemma, found herself being protected by Merin and Senzuko, who moved like twin guardians, deflecting attacks meant for her.
Suddenly, a screech rang out, louder and sharper than before. A new group of puppets emerged—these moved differently. They were faster, more intelligent, coordinated. They were not just corpses. These were elite warriors consumed by the entity, and their skill remained intact.
One of them rushed Raphael. Another went for Rees.
Raphael parried and countered, but even he staggered under the ferocity of the attacks. Isan rushed to his aid, and together they brought the puppet down. But it rose again. The shadow healed it before their eyes.
"They're regenerating!" Raphael shouted. "We need to hit them with more power!"
Rees ducked under a swipe and kicked his opponent back. As he prepared to strike, Avern's puppet blocked his path.
"Avern..." he whispered.
Her eyes glowed faintly. She moved with eerie grace, just like she had in life. But this wasn't her. He knew it. Still, he couldn't swing his blade.
"Rees!" Akin shouted.
Too late.
Avern struck. Rees stumbled back, a shallow wound across his chest.
Before she could follow up, Akin tackled her and with a tearful roar, cut her down.
Rees fell to his knees, clutching his chest, more in emotional agony than physical pain. "Why... why are they all gone... why am I the only one still alive..."
"Stand up!" shouted one of the council members. "We can't afford your grief right now! Fight!"
The battlefield was devolving into chaos. Hellesa, still torn between her survival and the safety of others, looked at the death and pain around her. And finally, she stepped forward.
"Enough!" she cried.
Everyone turned.
She looked straight at the entity. "You want me? Is that what this is all about? Then come get me. But leave them alone!"
Raphael turned to her, his face twisted in horror. "No! Don't listen to it! That's exactly what it wants!"
The entity's form pulsed again, amused. "Ah… brave little human. Perhaps you're not as fragile as I thought."
And then it unleashed another wave. This time, even more terrifying creatures emerged—giants of shadow, corrupted beasts, things with too many limbs and too few eyes.
The ground trembled as they advanced.
"Form a circle!" Raphael barked. "Protect the center!"
Everyone regrouped, shoulder to shoulder, a wall of defiance against the oncoming storm. Their weapons glowed. Their faces were marked with blood, sweat, and tears.
The entity laughed.
But this time, there was something different in the air.
Not just fear.
Hope.
They were tired. Wounded. Outnumbered. But not broken.
"This ends tonight," Raphael said, raising his blade.
"We fight," Rees muttered, getting back to his feet.
"Together," Isan added.
And as the enemy charged, so did they.
Into darkness.
Into war.
Into the last stand for humanity.
Hellesa stepped forward, her eyes brimming with tears as she looked at Raphael. "Dad, stop this," she said, her voice trembling. "L-Let me go. I don't want any more of you to get hurt because of me. If my sacrifice is what it takes to stop this entity, then… so be it. Please."
Raphael's face darkened as he took a step toward her. "Hellesa, no," he said firmly. "Don't listen to it. Don't let its words poison your mind. It's deceiving you. It feeds on fear and sacrifice—it's lying."
The dark entity let out a wicked, echoing laugh that rang through the ruined air. "Ah, how touching," it hissed. "The daughter so ready to give herself. The father so desperate to protect her. How human of you." Its voice grew sharper. "So, you begin to argue among yourselves now, unsure of what to do. Splendid. I'll give you some time to decide."
The air grew heavier as the entity's presence seemed to thicken, its shadow looming over the fractured group. A silent pressure began building, as if time itself was running thin.
Hellesa looked around at the people ready to fight, all of them wounded, exhausted, yet still standing. Her hands clenched at her sides. "This isn't right," she whispered. "I never wanted anyone to die for me."
Raphael placed a hand on her shoulder. "And no one will. Not today. We won't trade a life for false peace. We stand together."
The others silently nodded, weapons ready, resolve hardening.
The entity's voice slithered through the air once more. "Decide quickly… before I decide for you."
And with that, the moment hung between silence and chaos, a single choice separating survival from devastation.
Izaki stepped forward, his voice shaking but firm. "Hellesa, please… don't do this. We promise—we won't let anything happen to you. No matter what, we'll protect you. You don't have to go."
Kazen turned to her, eyes filled with urgency. "You can't trust that thing. It lies, manipulates—feeds off fear. We can't risk your life on its word. Please, don't go with it. We need you here."
Hellesa looked at them, torn between her fear and their faith. The weight of their words pressed against the guilt swelling in her chest.
Merin took a step closer, his voice calm but resolute. "Hellesa, believe in us. We've come this far together. We won't let that thing harm you—not while we still stand. We'll protect you with everything we have."
Senzuko clenched his fists. "I won't stand by and let my friend sacrifice herself. That's not how this ends. You're not alone."
Hellesa looked at each of them—Izaki, Kazen, Merin, Senzuko—faces full of determination, fear, and love. She opened her mouth to speak, but her voice caught in her throat.
The dark entity loomed in the distance, waiting like a storm on the edge of breaking. Its promise of "mercy" hung in the air like a curse.
Hellesa lowered her gaze. "But what if it's the only way? What if I'm the reason it's here?"
Izaki shook his head. "No. You're not the reason. It chose you because you're important. But that doesn't mean you're alone."
Raphael stepped beside her. "You're our daughter, our comrade, our friend. We fight for each other. And we won't trade one life for a lie."
The group stood together, weapons in hand, hearts aligned. Their message was clear: Hellesa would not stand alone. Not now. Not ever
Hellesa stood in silence, the voices of her friends echoing around her, begging her to stay. Her hands trembled, her eyes glassy with tears as her heart battled her mind. The chaos of the battlefield blurred into the background, muffled by the thudding of her heartbeat.
"I can't…" she whispered.
Izaki turned to her quickly, his face filled with dread. "What are you saying?"
"I can't stay here," Hellesa repeated, louder now, her voice cracking. "I'm sorry, everyone… but I have to go."
"No! Hellesa, wait!" Kazen shouted, stepping toward her, but before he could reach her, Hellesa broke into a sprint.
She ran toward the dark entity.
The world seemed to slow around them. The wind howled, and the dark sky cracked with thunder as the entity began to laugh—a horrible, guttural sound that echoed across the battlefield.
Raphael's eyes widened in horror. "No—Hellesa!" he roared, lunging forward, but before he could take two steps, the entity's puppets swarmed in from all sides. They clashed with him, blocking his path.
"Izaki! Kazen! Stop her!" he cried.
Izaki was already running after her. "Hellesa! Please stop! Don't do this!"
Kazen sprinted beside him, shouting, "You don't have to do this! Come back!"
But the puppets were faster. They emerged from the shadows like a flood, surrounding Hellesa's path and forming a wall of corrupted souls between her and the ones trying to save her.
Isan, watching from the side with trembling hands, shouted from the depths of his chest, "Hellesa! Please, don't go! You don't understand what you're giving yourself to!"
But she didn't listen.
She didn't look back.
Her feet pounded against the cracked earth as she rushed into the swirling darkness where the entity waited like a looming god. Its grin stretched wider, its monstrous presence towering above her, devouring all light.
The dark entity's voice hissed through the air like a venomous fog. "You would never let her go, would you?" It chuckled darkly. "But look at her now. Your precious Hellesa, running to me willingly. What devotion. What despair."
Izaki struggled against the puppets, rage and desperation overtaking him. "Hellesa! No! Please come back! You don't have to do this!"
Kazen gritted his teeth, slicing down one puppet, then another, trying to reach her—but more kept coming. They overwhelmed him, dragging him back, their soulless eyes blank and haunting.
"Hellesa!" he cried again, blood streaming from a cut on his cheek. "Please don't leave us!"
Still, she didn't turn around.
Raphael stood frozen for a moment, his sword dripping with blackened shadow blood. His chest heaved as he looked ahead—past the wall of enemies, past the shadows—to the silhouette of his daughter, so small against the darkness. His knees weakened, his sword lowered. For the first time in years, the fire in his eyes dimmed.
He looked to the ground, grief overtaking him like a wave.
Isan walked up beside him, pushing away a puppet with his blade. "We… we couldn't stop her," he whispered.
The battlefield fell into a strange hush, the fighting slowing, as if even the enemy recognized the gravity of what had happened.
The dark entity stood tall, its claws extended, its voice triumphant.
"She surrendered to me," it declared, "not because I forced her, but because you all are too weak to protect her. Your unity is fragile, your hearts too soft. You speak of strength, of hope—but in the end, fear always wins. Despair always wins."
Hellesa stood just in front of the entity now, looking up at it, her body tense, her fists clenched at her sides.
"You promised you would stop if I came," she said.
The entity's grin widened, its eyes glinting with cruel amusement. "Did I? I promised to consider letting them live. That's not the same as sparing them."
She blinked, startled. "You lied?"
"I always lie," it said simply, then laughed again.
Behind them, the others fought with desperation, cutting down puppet after puppet to no end, screaming her name over and over.
Izaki's voice cracked as he shouted, "Don't trust it, Hellesa! It never tells the truth!"
Merin fell beside him, panting, his sword arm shaking. "We're losing her…"
Raphael slowly raised his head. He saw his daughter—brave, scared, but resolute—standing at the edge of sacrifice.
His fists clenched.
"No," he whispered to himself. "I won't let her die for this monster."
He roared, his voice shaking the earth. "I'M COMING, HELLESA!"
With that, he launched forward, slicing through the waves of puppets with a fury that had not been seen before. The ground trembled beneath his steps, and fire seemed to erupt around him as he forced his way through the shadows.
Hellesa turned around at the sound of his voice. For the first time since she had begun her sprint, she looked back.
Tears ran down her face.
"Dad…"
The entity growled, furious. "You humans never learn."
It raised its clawed hand, but before it could strike Hellesa, a bright flash erupted between them.
Raphael was there, standing in front of her, arms outstretched, shielding her with his own body.
"You'll have to go through me first," he said, voice low and thunderous.
Hellesa gasped, stumbling back behind him.
The entity snarled. "Then you will die first."
But Raphael didn't waver. He stood tall, ready.
And behind him, one by one, the others arrived. Izaki, bloodied but fierce. Kazen, limping but determined. Isan. Merin. Senzuko. The council members.
They all stood behind Raphael and Hellesa, weapons in hand, eyes filled with fire.
The entity glared at them, seething with rage.
And Hellesa, now protected by the people she loved, whispered, "I'm sorry. I won't run again."
Raphael nodded. "Good. Because we're not done fighting yet.
The dark entity loomed above them all, its voice echoing through the shattered air.
"You may not be done fighting," it hissed, "but I am. I got what I wanted."
Before anyone could react, its shadowy tendrils lashed forward and wrapped around Hellesa. Her eyes widened in terror as the darkness began to consume her, dragging her inch by inch into the void.
"No! No!" she screamed, struggling against the overwhelming pull. "Let me go!"
"Hellesa!" Raphael roared, rushing forward.
Izaki and Kazen followed, their blades slashing desperately at the shadows. The others joined in, launching every attack they had—magic, steel, fire—but nothing could tear the darkness away. It was like trying to fight smoke with bare hands.
"Hold on!" Kazen cried, tears spilling down his cheeks as he reached for her.
Hellesa stretched her arm toward them, fingertips just inches away.
"Izaki! Dad! Please!" she sobbed, her voice trembling with fear.
But it was too late.
With one final surge, the dark entity pulled her fully into itself. And then—like a cruel whisper in the wind—it vanished. The sky stilled. The shadows dissipated. Silence blanketed the battlefield.
She was gone.
"No…" Raphael fell to his knees, his sword slipping from his hand and clattering to the ground beside him. His body shook, and his voice cracked as he whispered, "Not again… please, not again…"
Izaki stood frozen, breathless, trying to process what just happened.
Kazen dropped to the ground beside Raphael, burying his face in his arms, his shoulders trembling as sobs tore through him. "We… we couldn't save her… she was right there…"
Izaki slowly walked to Raphael, his voice quiet and uncertain. "Dad… this… this has happened before?"
Raphael didn't look at him. His eyes were locked on the spot where Hellesa had disappeared, empty and hollow. He nodded.
"Yes," he whispered, his voice hoarse. "Too many times. Every time I try to protect someone I love… they get taken. I fight, I scream, I give everything I have… and still… they vanish."
Izaki clenched his fists. "Then we end it here, once and for all. For Hellesa."
Raphael finally looked up, his eyes burning with grief and fury. "Yes. No more running. No more losses. We bring her back… and we destroy that monster.