The Road to Survival

Outside the tent, Matt could hear the gentle patter of light rain, and the sounds of rushed boots sloshing through wet mud. It was only the day after the storm had passed and already they were preparing themselves for the next storm to come.

The entrance to the tent gently flapped aside as a short, delicate figure walked into the room, adding to the atmosphere that had drenched the room. Little Opi looked forlornly around the room when all eyes turned her direction, the one girl in this room without horns or stama but also the one girl in this room short of one arm.

The short length of arm that remained of her right arm ended in reddened bandages, still dripping with watered down blood. She was clutching at the end of her flesh with her remaining hand, seeming to try and stop the flow with her willpower alone.

Water drenched her head to toe, her long hair clung to her scalp, and her ragged clothes clung to her frail young body. Even soaked in the rains, red stains still remained in what was left of her clothes. Bruises and cuts scattered her body, and her small feet were bleeding into the wooden floorboards underneath.

She looked around the room like a lost child, barely even making eye contact with anyone as her gaze wandered the large tent as if searching for a ghost. Eventually her eyes made their way to a familiar face, freezing in place as she spotted the one Knight with which she was so well acquainted.

Myra quickly made her way to the girl that had wondered into their tent, “Are you feeling okay, this… this’ll be fine.” She said her face turning a little pale at the sight of the bloody wound.

All the while Lilith tried her hardest to look away from the poor girl, focusing instead on the helmet resting in her hands. Purple stama running across her skin as she fixated her attention on her task purposefully ignoring the girl.

Opi smiled weakly at Myra as she spoke gentle words, “I don’t think I’m going to last long,” Tears swelled within her large eyes as she fought against the tide, “The surgeon told me to leave after I came back to get fixed up.” She had her fist wrapped tightly so that her knuckles were white it seemed as though the surgeon had said more with the words left unspoken.

Myra, while grumbling with concern, took out her medical gear and unwrapped the girls wound. Her haste only slowed by her equal measure of care and delicacy to the savage wound that had ended the poor girls arm.

Matt was shocked at what lie underneath the dressing, her flesh was blackened in some places and a slight tinge of a familiar purple worked its way through her deadened flesh. A few insects seemed to be eating their way through what was left of her arm, crawling and scattering as the light unveiled them.

He hadn’t seen anything decay nearly so quickly, let alone such a rot being a part of a living human body. Matt felt the vomit in his stomach rising to his throat as he stared at the diseased flesh knowing that it would not recover.

Myra let out a small hiss through her teeth at the sight of it. “Lilith, get Cassielle, tell her we need to perform the ritual now!” She hadn’t let go of her medical gear as she talked, her voice forceful and determined. She let not a hint of hesitation show as she cleaned the wound of the rot that contaminated it.

“But with how things are at the moment…” Lilith gently placed down the helmet as she replied, her voice slow and deliberate. It was obvious to Matt that she didn’t want to be involved in this death that was about to arrive at their doorstep.

“Tell her!” Myra roared, not taking her eyes off of the wound as she spoke. Within her voice was a certainty of obedience, she spoke as if knowing that no one could disobey such a command.

Lilith inspired by such a powerful voice leapt to her feet leaving the helmet she’d been fixated on abandoned on the floor.

“This wound is lethal,” She told the girl sharply. “I have seen this kind of rot only rarely before. If you continue to live as you are, you will soon suffer a painful death as your soul is torn asunder within you.”

“But then…” Opi seemed ready to cry, her once empty face finally filling with emotion as she was forced to realize her own mortality. The tide of tears had broken through the floodgates and mindlessly flowed down her mud stained cheeks.

Myra spoke feverishly, seeming to pay her suffering no mind, “You had to die to become one of us anyway, right?” She had a slightly crazed smile on her lips as she spoke. “Don’t use human logic here, it does not belong.” Opi didn’t seem to feel any pain as Myra mercilessly hacked off blackened sections of flesh.

Opi who had taken a number of emotional 180s already was now smiling in relief, the tears rolling down her cheeks no longer those of sadness. “So, I can become a Knight?” She smiled with a slight twitch to her mouth as she began to lose control of her own face.

“Maybe, you’re weak, so that much at least isn’t in your favour,” Myra frowned as she worked looking over the girl entire, “We might not be able to get things together for the ritual either.”

Her frown turning to Matt as she spoke with force and clarity, “Did I hear correctly that there were demon’s birthed in the city?” Within her voice was a hint of hope, that there might be some salvation hidden within the answer he gave.

Matt nodded his head, “They were all killed though, I don’t think any escaped.” His words were alien to her ears and she looked at him with questioning eyes, desperate to understand the answer that he’d given.

Taking a deep breath Matt borrowed some language skills from Lilith, and repeated what he was saying in her own tongue. The words coming to him as if from afar, his nose bled and head hurt far more than it ever had before. After the words flowed from his tongue, no longer familiar to his weary mind, he dropped to a knee seeking strength so that he might fight against the fading pain in his mind.

Myra didn’t take the time to question his newly found linguistic capabilities. “That’s bad, if Lilith was with him then it’s pretty sure that they’re all gone… that leaves…it’s dangerous but… it might work… would they go for it…?” She spoke the words with breaks in between as she considered her options and forced her way to a miracle.

She let out a deep breath, communicating a sense of stress that needed no words. “Come with me,” gripped Opi by her only hand, Matt following on the other side. “We’re doing something dangerous, you remember how this is supposed to go?” She asked Opi

“Yeah.” The girl said a magnificent amount of force in her voice. Matt felt a strength of will within that frail young body that didn’t mesh with the battered and bruised, quiet young girl that he’d known her to be up until now.

“Well, if things go according to my plan it’s going to be ten times as difficult to survive this. Don’t give a breath’s weakness to that thing.” She murmured as she dragged both, Opi and himself into a side room. She was filled with a fevered determination, not pausing even at the stares that followed after them or the sight of blood falling from the young girls body.

Inside the room was a small chest, it was intricately constructed with steel inlay which flowed with the same life of the stama. It looked as if small serpents swam along its outside, protecting the contents within with a thousand layers of flesh made steel.

Myra without pause, knelt by the side of the box working her hands over the moving stama which subsequently unravelled peeling free.

Once she was finished opening the chest, she slammed open the chest revealing the contents within. Nestled within were a pile of black chains, glowing with a darkness that seemed to consume the light that reached into the depths of the chest.

It was obvious at a glance that they were afflicted with the same substance as their swords and armour. Myra quickly snatched the chains from the box within barely a moment of having opened the box. It was as she lifted them up that he finally noticed that the chains were attached to shackles and cuffs.

They were without a doubt designed to restrain something similar to a human, but with those colours he had a few ideas of what they might be made for.

“Take care of this!” Myra forcefully called out to a nearby Knight, who, at command, quickly made to lock the chest with her stama. Immediately she ran off leaving the room behind in a flash, uncaring whether anyone did reseal the container or not.

She gathered the attention of the other Knights that they passed, looks of concern aimed their direction from everyone around them. Particularly they stared at the chains and shackles in her hands, as if looking up on something cursed, though perhaps that was true. Many of them seemed outright shocked at the sight as if she were doing something outright ridiculous.

“Is she headed to-!”

“She can’t be-!”

The voices trailed after them as they gained a whispering entourage of followers cautious about Myra’s intentions. All of them were uncertain, and even hostile at her intention yet none had the gall to speak up against her.

Cassielle’s voice called out from behind them, “What are you doing?” She quickly tried to catch up but Myra didn’t stop for her, leaving her trailing behind.

“I’m giving this girl a chance!” she replied firmly as she gripped Opi’s hand forcefully.

“No, you’re not, you’re condemning her and putting everyone’s lives at risk!” She finally caught up to them, immediately snatching Opi by the shoulder.

Myra turned to her as she was pulled to a halt, through the young girl, “You have no right to stop us.” Her eyes were filled with venom, there was a force to her presence that threatened to drown out even Cassielle.

“You have no right to decide this on your own!” Cassielle returned.

“Opi has given consent, I have given consent, so long as one of the wounded is willing to give consent, this is entirely proper and you cannot interfere!” Myra tore her elders hand free of the girl and marched forwards, chains rattling in her clenched fist. Sunlight barely touched at the darkness that consumed the chains and shackles, and reason would have as much luck making it through to Myra.

“Don’t forget you need officiators, for something like this no less than four would do.” Cassielle’s voice was strict, but subdued as she glanced down to the dying girl’s hopeful eyes. Finally facing the reason for Myra’s force, the reason Myra would no longer listen to reason or back down.

“I will find them.” Myra returned, her voice so certain that Matt was sure that she’d threaten violence to make it happen if she had to.

“Three more,” Lilith spoke up, “I’ll take part in this, I can’t trust anybody else if this goes to hell.” There was an uncertainty filling her eyes even though her voice was firm. Matt could sense the conflict in her as she spoke.

Cassielle had a serious look of concern in her eyes turning back to Myra after glaring at Lilith, “Are you sure about this?” She stared down Lilith forcefully, challenging her with the force of her gaze.

“The longer we take the worse her chances get.” She replied not slowing down, not even reacting to the challenge that she was offered.

“Fine, if we do this, we do it properly. I’ll get together the strongest Knights who are willing to officiate this.” She looked down into the girl’s eyes, “Be strong. Don’t make this effort for nothing or we’ll all suffer for it.” She added meaning to her words by resting her hand on the grip of her sword.

So quickly that Matt assumed she had to be using her stama, Cassielle raced away. From her words he could only assume that she was making preparations for Opi’s sake, something that would be incredibly dangerous. The crowd that had gathered around them grew silent for a moment, as they stared in disbelief after the disappearing Cassielle.

In the silence, Myra turned to Opi, “Is there anything you need to eat or drink? Maybe relieve yourself?” She knelt down to speak with the girl at eye level, still holding her hand gently.

“I might feel like something to eat…” She whispered hesitantly, her stomach growling to highlight her words. She instinctively tried to move her missing arm and looked down a little stunned as she remembered that it was no longer there.

Lilith took her hand off of Myra, “I’ll take you along, then.” She seemed to know something about what was coming, and Myra didn’t mind sending the girl off with her for now. Lilith didn’t smile when she took Opi’s hand, her face grim as she walked off with the wounded girl both of them wearing a weary facial expression.

“Stay with her.” The thought translating into his mind without need for words from the ocean that he recognised as Lilith.

Matt did as Lilith told him to, following along after Myra as she hastily walked away. Mind slave, the term happened to rise to his mind as he walked, giving him a brief moment of pause. Was this his choice or was he just following along orders that he’d been given?

Watching Myra’s forceful steps pushing her forwards alone, Matt decided that he needed to give her some support. If she was trying to save someone, then he would help orders or no. He chased after her, feet moving at an increased pace to catch up to the sound of rattling chains and shackles.

Their steps were soon followed by others as the entourage followed along curiously, none felt game to step in the way or to chatter too much since Cassielle had accepted the conditions.

Confirming that his rifle was ready to fire, he added Myra to the safety check on his rifle while they walked. He had a bad feeling that they might be about to walk into a battlefield, and he didn’t want to be concerned over hitting an ally if it did turn into a fight.

She had a very serious pace as she moved forwards, her armour swaying forcefully letting out plenty of loud clatters and knocks as she walked. Ahead he could hear the groans of the dying and whispers from those who watched over them.

Ahead was a small gathering of Knights, they occasionally peaked into the tent which held the wounded. It seemed they hadn’t gotten any better, still dying if what Cassielle had said was true. They turned to them as they arrived noticing the sounds of others arriving.

Myra gained a number of stares from them as they stared at the chains in her hands, looks of distain and surprise in their eyes as they gazed upon her. She walked past them as they opened a path into the tent, still whispering but forced aside by Myra’s sheer force of will.

She quickly walked into the room, looking over the dying as they were attended by their executioners. All around Matt could see the faces of despair filled with as much strength as they could muster. They fought their last battles here in bed, not willing to allow the demons within the briefest of openings.

All eyes turned to Myra as she walked into the room, wielding blackened chains in hand. They noisily rocked back and forth in her hands as she shook them in a firm grip.

“Is anyone here, about to turn, willing to be a participant in Opi’s ritual?” She asked pointedly, “Without it she’s going to die.” She didn’t desire to waste the least amount of time.

The reactions of the executioners came first as they were more aware of their surroundings. Their faces twisting as they heard her words, and looked at their victims with concern. There were light utterings from them as they disputed the idea.

One of the dying women, her face pale and stama shifting unstably around her face, sat up. “You want to use one of our demons?” She asked struggling to talk between moans.

“It’s the only way to find one in time.”

“Are you sure about doing this?” she asked her words filled with dying strength, a force reserved for those strong of will as they passed from the known world.

“She can handle it.” Myra replied with harsh words.

“Can you?” The woman retorted.

“I will.” Myra was adamant as she spoke, her voice firm, her will unbroken.

The wounded woman looked thoughtful for a time, “Do it. Just don’t mess this up.” She finally spoke, “I probably have a couple hours but I can let go if you need me to.”

“Thank you, sister,” Myra spoke, walking up to the dying woman her haste chastened by her hesitance. The chains lightly making noise in her hands as she walked closer binding her own movements as she grew closer.

“Best to put the chains on now, you mightn’t be able to handle this monster otherwise.” She smirked “He’s fuming, especially since he knows what we’re planning.” With some effort, she sat up so that her arms could be chained properly, it was strange to see someone so eager to be chained.

“Will do, we won’t let that monster win. Not now and not later.” She locked the chains in place tightening them so that it dug into the woman’s flesh. “Sorry about that, but I want to be sure.”

“Don’t worry about it, I can barely feel it at the moment.” She rattled the chains with some strength to test whether they were properly attached, “In fact, tighten them a little further.”

Myra replied by following her advice, tightening the shackles further before assisting the woman to her feet. They both grunted under the strain as they stumbled forth, the woman’s executioner stepped in carefully, hesitantly.

“Retil, are you sure about this? You won’t get a release, you’ll still be stuck with that demon but this time…” The executioner still held her blade to the ready, as she talked to her as a friend.

“I’m sure, besides, it’d feel a little wrong to leave him behind like that after we’ve spent so much time together.” She stumbled from the bed, using Myra as a crutch, “I’d prefer to keep fighting anyway. I don’t want to give up just yet.”

For some time, the woman stared into her blade, thinking carefully as she closed her eyes. “If that is what you wish… but I’ll be watching over you… until the end.” She sheathed the blade patting her friend on the shoulder.

Myra sighed with relief as the burden was lifted from her shoulders and she was finally allowed to stand without the burden of the dying woman on her shoulders. The executioner quickly swept her friend off of her feet, carrying her weight with the least amount of effort.

Myra turned towards Matt waving him away, “Matt, stay away, if she turns, I don’t need you turning as well.”

Rather than following her instructions Matt followed after her, Lilith’s command stuck in his mind, but it was his own determination that led him forwards.

Focusing his strength, he managed a few words, “I can handle it, I already stabbed one of them. They can’t take me over easily.”

Myra gave him a firm look, but he refused to back down. If things went to hell, his rifle might make the difference between living and dying, and not just of himself. He carried the power to save their lives as well as his own but only if he was in the right place at the right time. He didn’t want to fail by lack of presence and timing.

Eventually Myra gave in, striding forwards careful not to leave behind the sacrifice that she had gathered. Matt rode on the switch for his booster, watching the chained woman with careful eyes, as she was carried in the arms of her friend.

They quickly moved forwards, the executioner not struggling in the least to keep up with Myra, who moved at a pace that could barely be considered walking. “Yell if you’re about to give in,” She told the woman behind her as she dragged everyone along behind her.

“Ha, you think this demon is getting the better of me like that. Don’t give it the respect.” She laughed while coughing lightly, yet still giving off the illusion of strength.

Matt followed along with an entourage of Sasahara Knights, a mixture of chatter amongst them. Their reactions as varied as their numbers.

“If it gets loose, how many more will die?”

“Maybe she’ll be strong enough to face the monsters?”

“Shouldn’t we stop this?”

“Didn’t the girl lose an arm?”

“She can’t handle this.”

“Do you think we can trust this man? Especially now.”

“Maybe they should stop and think about this.”

“This isn’t the time for something this ridiculous.”

“She should have a proper death, not used like this.”

“Would Cassielle go along with this?”

“What about Lilith, surely she’d draw her sword before she let this happen.”

Myra quickly left behind the crowd as well as the sacrifice and her executioner, speaking a few words as she left, “Go ahead and set up, Cassielle will be there with some others.” Her feet were leading her towards where Lilith had taken Opi.

Matt was going to ask her about where they were headed but thought better of it when he wiped away the remaining blood from his face. She had a determination to her step as she walked, she was not ready to back down or to talk anything out right now.

Soon they arrived at the tables where a small assortment of food was set up. Opi was attempting to eat from the table with her remaining hand but the food kept on slipping from her grip. Lilith stared at her own lap, as if meditating, ignoring the young girl sitting across from her as she struggled to nibble at what food was there.

“We’re almost ready.” Myra said forcefully as she walked within hearing range of the two who sat so quietly at the table. Opi let the food she’d been holding fall to her plate and stared quietly into the depths unseen.

“Are you feeling okay?” Myra asked the girl as she approached, holding Opi’s shoulder as she spoke for reassurance.

“Am I really going to die?” she asked shaking slightly as she spoke, her hand tightly knotting into a ball.

“Yes, it is the only way.” Myra didn’t speak the words gently, her voice firm. She didn’t want to give the girl a false hope that didn’t exist. “Today you die, and either become a Knight of Sasahara or leave this world behind.”

The girl continued to stare at the plate that was before her, opening her mouth as she thought carefully. “I…” The words caught in her mouth as she spoke them, “I… love you.” She said, turning to Myra and embracing her closely.

Myra was struck wordless, hugging the girl tightly in return.

“Whatever happens today, I love you, and thank you for being there for me.” Opi sniffled between words, “I know you’re doing this all for me, so thank you.”

For some time, they remained frozen like that, unable to move or to shift from their positions. He could sense the fear in them as they let go, that this might be the last time they held each other like this. “Don’t worry. It’ll all be fine.” Myra whispered the words forcefully, as if she could rewrite the nature of the world itself if that was what it took to make her words true.

“I… think I’m ready.” Opi spoke carefully, slowly. Her eyes revealed that she was preparing for death, or for a fate even worse.

Myra nodded in reply, a few tears locked behind her eyes as she stood, taking the girl by the hand. Together they walked with their hands held tightly, their strides filled with a delicate confidence as they faced the cause of their concern.

Matt waited for Lilith to stand up before joining her to follow along behind them. She didn’t reveal a single emotion on her face as she cautiously followed along, already she was ready to draw her sword as she walked.

Their voices leaking from the tent ahead warned him of their arrival at the scene of the ritual. The wooden floorboards resounding with the thumps of boots as the gathered Knights took positions on the outside of the ring.

Myra led Opi towards a shallow tub in the centre of the room, meanwhile the sacrifice was sharing a few words with her executioner. Opi began stripping off her rages with Myra’s help while Lilith and Cassielle spoke with each other, gathering around the tub with swords ready to be drawn.

“How powerful do you think it’ll be?” Lilith asked facing towards the woman who was growing more pale by the moment.

“Very, if it manages to bond with her, I’m not even sure of it’s potential.” Cassielle held her sword with a tight grip as she spoke, revealing her true anxiety.

“Why are you willing to go along with this?” Lilith asked her elder watching the ritual being set up, the two pairs of women sharing last words to each other before facing their deaths.

“We are facing an evil capable of doing so much to us, if we don’t take some risks now, we will face an even worse evil later. Even so we can’t risk too much, so for now I’ll have faith in Opi and Myra.” She turned from Lilith drawing her sword waving the others into position.

Opi was soon lying down in a small tub, which was just deep enough for her to soak in when filled. Cassielle and Lilith were standing nearby with two others, their swords were drawn and glowing with a dark miasma, their stama glowing and focused on their arms and legs.

Myra quickly rushed the sacrifice into position, waving her forwards. The executioner that carried the woman resting her down at the head of the tub, “We already said goodbye… but remember, I’m going to keep fighting for you. Don’t forget that.”

“Don’t worry about it, I’ll still be around, just a little more difficult to talk to.” She managed a smile, which was the first smile Matt had seen in days that didn’t look forced. She turned back to Opi who was lying in the tub where her neck was rested against.

With one arm, and a scattering of bruises and cuts littering her body, the young girl watched them, say their goodbyes for her sake. She’d already been stripped of all her clothes, and was now unravelling the bandaging on her arm so that nothing was left but herself within the confines of the tub.

“I’m ready.” Whispered the sacrifice, “I’ll be turning now like it or not. Make sure you wait for it to finish taking over before you hit, don’t waste this.” She highlighted her words to Myra who nodded in reply.

The woman spoke to Opi, her head leant over so that it was level. “Stay strong, things will get tough but I’ll be right there with you to help you through it. Don’t let it beat you, don’t let it win. He is yours from here, and he will give you strength beyond what you can imagine.”

Opi was only able to give a nervous nod in reply to the tense words that she was offered from the dying woman.

“Myra,” the sacrifice whispered, “Hold on tight.” She lowered her head, body becoming limp as she leant against the edge of the tub. Matt was standing a little further back ready with the rifle, not yet lifted to sight the sacrifice.

He couldn’t clearly see everything that was happening in front of him but he could notice hints of purple light flowing through her stama even as her body numbed. The horns on her head glowed with life, as the limp body shifted gently as if reanimating from the dead.

Suddenly the body jumped, with amazing force she threw herself back and forth within the confines of the chains. Her crazed eyes turned red gradually, as her hair started to change shades, red to purple, purple to black and back to dark purple. The sight of such a transformation before his eyes left him feeling queasy but none of the Knights reacted with hesitation at the sight.

Most of them, in fact only reacted with barely veiled disgust. Some even averted their eyes to the hideous sight of one of their own becoming corrupted by the demon within.

Her face thrashed around, hissing and spitting words that he couldn’t make sense of, even as he borrowed knowledge from Lilith. The stama on the body of the quickly transforming creature turned sharp purple before colouring even the skin around it.

Rapidly a purple mist filled the room, filling his lungs, and misting his eyes.

“Protect me~!” The force behind the words far stronger than he’d heard from the demon in town, it threatened to take away his free will with every moment that passed. As quickly as the poison filled his lungs and mind, the green gem on his forehead filled with light and his body was flushed clean of the poison that affected his mind.

The creature was still changing, limbs lengthening and thinning, very soon the woman she’d once been was long gone. The reflection of her lost within the new body that had taken her place. The chains seemed to tighten around the newly skinny arms and legs which fought hard against the strength of the chains.

The changes in her body were slowing, as she was now completely possessed by a creature other than herself. Head sitting at the edge of the tub staring and spitting at the frightened young Opi. The girl sat frozen in place staring into the eyes of a demon that had recently lost all humanity and compassion.

Myra leaned forwards, kicking hard against the creatures back, sword ready to slice the creatures head off.

“Go to hell demon.” The voice coming from the purple mists was strangely human for that briefest of moments.

Myra swung, the sword splitting the air and cutting the creatures head off so that if fell neatly into the tub with Opi. The young girl not showing the least signs of squeamishness, snatched up the head with her remaining hand. The shock that had previously possessed her as good as gone now that the head was sitting in her hands.

She gripped the writhing head strongly with her remaining hand, shoving her thumb deep into its eye socket, until the creatures eye burst from the pressure. Even so the face didn’t reveal the slightest hint of pain, still biting savagely at the air with what looked like fangs.

Myra held the body in place with her foot so that the blood flowed out into the tub with Opi, the strange purple liquid quickly coating the young girl. Filling at a tremendous pace, the blood seemed to stay in this world without dissipating, as Opi held the decapitated head to her stomach from where it had been detached. A constant flow of blood still flowing from the head, adding to the contents even further.

The creatures head still attempted to form words, mouth moving furiously in an attempt to either speak or bite, but it wasn’t capable of either. The purple mist throughout the room faded away clearing his vision of the ancient ritual taking place before him.

Something horrifying, yet he had no place to interfere, no place to judge them. He hardly even knew whether or not this was right for the girl, but it made it no easier to watch. The four women standing around the tub with swords held high seemed to grow tense, their numbers now buffed by the executioner that had brought the sacrifice along. Tears flowed down her cheeks, as she watched the scene play out.

The tub quickly filled with blood, Opi pulled herself under the surface so that only the demons head was above the surface. Bubbles rose to the surface where she’d submerged her head as the young girl let out her breath. Drowning herself in the blood of a demon.

Matt felt himself stepping forwards to pull the girl from the tub, to interfere and save that girl, but before he could shift there was a movement from the water. The demons head completely melted away into the tub and Matt activated his booster immediately at full power, so thoroughly that he could feel his heart beating at an impossibly slow pace. His mind rejected the sensation filling with a splitting pain.

Even so, as time slowed for him, he couldn’t see clearly as the creature rose out of the demon blood. Standing at the same height as Opi had, it was still covered in blood, having moved too quickly for the blood to flow off of its skin yet.

Around it five midnight black swords fell, the overconsuming darkness at their cores threatening to carve reality into pieces as they moved. The creature was faster that the enhanced movements.

Matt could barely track it’s movements as he pushed himself harder than he ever had before.

One foot kicked out so quickly that it sent the first Knight flying. Before she’d even started to fall, the creature snatched Cassielle’s sword by its blade with a clawed hand pulling it down in the path of Lilith’s own dark sword.

The fourth sword fell towards the creature but at the last moment changed course, as bright purple eyes gazed into her. The black sword clutched in trembling hands eventually caught the fifth and last sword, preventing it from striking.

In less time than it takes for a heart to beat the creature had managed to ward off five separate attacks from superhuman Knights.

Lilith was already abandoning her sword reaching for her pistol, Matt had been lifting his rifle the entire time but his human muscles moved so slowly compared to the creatures in this room that it was only halfway lifted and moving painfully slowly. The other Knights in the room were drawing their swords, he could practically smell the fear spilling from them as they stared into the eyes of a truly powerful demon.

“Stop!” The voice moved out from the creature, instantly filling the room with a dense purple fog that fought to make his mind tremble. The green light in his hair glowed stronger, creating a small void around him against the fog that tried to force its way down his throat and into his mind.

Lilith was still reaching for her pistol, a shade of the same green light glinting in her eyes, and Matt still lifting his rifle, his head hurting to the point of splitting. All others fell to their knees, their weapons falling from loose hands.

Before his eyes, as he trained his weapon on the monster, it had already moved to another place. Holding Lilith’s head in a light grasp filled with incredibly power as it glowed brightly in purple.

Lilith fell to the ground her pistol dropping, unused, to the wooden floorboards.

The demon then focused on him, racing at him so quickly that it seemed it was sprinting faster than human speed even in this slowed world that he was drowning in.

Standing to his side, Matt didn’t even have the time to turn and face it. He could see the eyes glowing with power, flesh radiating with such incredible authority that he felt like he might have just met with a god.

The clawed hand moved towards his head, but stopped short as if repelled by something. The green light emitted from his hair glowed brighter as the demon’s hand turned purple, blacking out half of the world in its colours while the other half filled with the emerald that protected him.

The creature pulled back its hand staring at him curiously.

“I mean this man no harm, there is no need to protect him.”

The emerald light died down slightly but still glowed gently in warning.

The creature stood quietly in front of him, by the time he turned to face it, it’d already disappeared and reappeared fully dressed. Looking into the eyes of the creature Matt saw sanity.

“Opi?”

“Ophiella now.” She smiled quite unlike the young girl he’d known, “Sorry about that.” Her voice brought an aching to his mind as he took a moment to make sense of the words spoken to him.