The many-eyed beasts. That is what stories called them. It was a tribe of them. They were creatures that lived deep under the earth as a prison created by creatures of the night. They devoted their lives to getting back up to the surface. Usually, they would dig up during the morning, but as the world turned, they slept as the moon came up. Whenever the moon came out, their progress and tunnels collapse immediately by an unnatural force.

The world kept spinning. Every day, they would dig. Every night, their progress destroyed. It was so long ago that no one remembered them - not even the creatures that put them down there, and not even the many-eyed beasts themselves remembered why or how. All they knew was that the world above them was better than living in the burning and dark mantle.

But after the earth stopped in place and the moon never came back up, it was easy for them to escape. It was even easier as a worm helped them dig a part of their journey. They dug and dug until they reached the earth. And the first thing they saw was the black sun. All of them were taken aback at first. But as one began to praise it as a God, the others followed.

Now, Syren and Tyra were fighting them. They came in droves. There was no end. They were unforgiving and relentless at their new source of food and land. It was so very pleasant out there than living under the dirt eating hardened bugs.

Their tools were simple and easy to break, but their numbers were the problem. They just kept coming out from the forest.

Tyra was quick and agile. With a single blade, she was able to cut them down with ease. Syren's ability to adapt to the situation was impressive. He flipped through the pages of the black tome with one hand while defending himself with his shadow blade in the other. He chanted many spells, conjured lightning and fire from his fingertips, and spilled the blood of so many of the many-eyed beasts.

The creatures had no remorse for anybody else. They didn't even care much for their own. The dead were food. As one fell, another ate its flesh before going back into the battle.

Whisper suggested, "Syren, let me help. I can give you the strength to kill them all."

Syren paused for a moment, but ignored Whisper and continued fighting.

Whisper continued, "Listen to me. They'll just keep coming. They're not afraid of you. If we join together, we'll be able to scare them off. They are not mindless creatures. They are mad, yes, but not mindless. I can see it in their eyes. These many-eyed creatures are like primitive humans. All they see right now are two vulnerable meals. If they see you as a monster, they may think twice about attacking."

Syren hesitated. He remembered that snake in his dreams. After Whisper suggested that he should kill Tyra, his trust in him dwindled. He felt that if he gave himself up to Whisper's power, he may very well turn into that serpent. That dream felt real and intense. He could still feel Tyra's neck already in his hands.

"No. I won't use your power. I can't risk it," Syren said as he continued fighting alongside Tyra. Whisper was disappointed, but was sure that once the tide turned, he would listen. The fear of death would eventually make Syren choose the power. The many-eyed beasts were still closing in on them without giving an inch. There was nowhere to run. Whisper knew that their only hope was him. He just hoped that it wouldn't be too late.

As Syren and Tyra fought the oncoming waves, an arrow came flying out from one of the trees. Tyra barely managed to dodge it, but as she did, one of the creatures was able to strike her in the back with a club. Her armor protected her, but she still felt a sudden shock. She coughed out some blood just before she sliced up the many-eyed beast that struck her.

They went up in the trees and fired more arrows. As Syren fought, he noticed that Tyra was weakening. She got hit pretty hard, but she still stood up and fought. She was slower, but killed plenty more of them.

"She won't last very long," Whisper said, "You may want to reconsider. You'll be in complete control."

"I know, but..." Syren replied thinking that he wouldn't be able to control himself, but as soon as he saw Tyra get shot by an arrow, his whole demeanor changed. The arrow pierced her shoulder. Syren couldn't help himself. He didn't want anyone else to die because of him. He never saw Gula consume all of those people, but he knew it happened. He felt wholly responsible for all of it. He wouldn't let another die because of him.

"Whisper, you have permission," he said quickly. And as soon as he did, Whisper entered his body like a ghost. He felt his whole body convulsing and twisting. It was so hot. But the power felt so good. His teeth sharpened into fangs. His muscles grew.

A barrage of arrows were going towards Tyra without a care towards their own. She prepared to either shield herself with a dead body, but another monster came out from behind. She noticed it at the last moment and sliced its head before it could do anything, but the arrows were still coming. She tried to quickly deflect it away, but her stance was uneven. The wound on her shoulder gave a painful shock. She tripped and slid on the mud. She gasped as the barrage of arrows came. She planned to defend her vital organs with her arms. However, there were so many of them that she doubted that she would survive. But something came out between herself and the arrows.

She laid there on one knee as she tried to pick herself up. The other monsters stood their ground confused by the beast they were seeing. At first, she thought it was some kind of demon. It growled and hissed as it stared down on Tyra. The arrows pierced his back, but he didn't care. Steaming blood streamed out. He felt the arrows on his back. The pain of it would usually be unbearable. It would have killed him. The pain was there, but he just didn't care. His whole body felt like it was on fire. But he just didn't care. He breathed heavily, but collected himself as he looked at Tyra's surprise.

"Get up," Syren said calmly as they locked eyes. They were still human, even if the rest of him was twisted. He stared back at the creatures and roared with all of his might. All of the arrows in his back shot out towards other creatures. They were all stunned by the creature. He was human, but not exactly human. Some of the skin was peeled off of him revealing a second layer of skin. A second layer of gray scales. He still held his black tome in one hand with the shadow blade in the other.

As she got herself up, she looked up at him with a nostalgic feeling in her body. She was surprised that he would jump in front of the arrows for her. He was frightening, monstrous, and human.