Chapter 4

Garen stood alone in the unending darkness, feeling neither warm nor cold as if all emotions dissipated from his mind and body. “Do you want to live?” A voice echoes into Garen’s mind. Unable to comprehend the situation, Garen couldn’t make out a reply as he continued looking into the unknown. “Answer me mortal, do you want to live! The voice this time was louder and dominating. Feeling a forceful energy compelling him to answer, Garen could only utter a murmur of agreement. Seemingly pleased by Garen’s answer, the voice no longer returned, leaving him alone in the void.

Memories of all types played out in Garen’s mind, his time with his loving mother, periods of sadness mixed with hate for his father, and the longing for those close to him in his times of need. Such scenes continued to show itself repeatedly as the passage of time moved forward. Back in reality, his tattered and broken body laid limp on the cold damp ground without motion, as if devoid of life in its unmoving state. Pools of blood formed around, staining the dirt and debris littering nearby in a crimson red. Swirls of energy floated in midair around his crippled body, slowly increasing in volume as the seasons changed.

Years came and went; soon five years have passed since Garen’s disappearance in the eyes of those that knew him.

Deep below the Grand Ravine of the northern region, a bright light glistened in the darkness as if a star had descended from the sky. No one could explain the reasoning behind this strange phenomenon nor could they investigate it. Rumors spread over the years as travelers and merchant passed the word on in social gatherings. Each time growing in exaggeration as it crosses a new mouth.

“Have you ever heard of the fallen star in the north?” A merchant whispered to his companions sitting near him in the tavern.

“Yes, they say it’s because the demons trapped the star there with foul magic.” Another person answered back as he ate his food.

“I concur; the demon army from the north is so powerful that I wouldn’t be surprised if they could do it.” An older woman murmured in another corner of the table, reluctant to say anymore from the fear she held of the north region.

“Blast those demons, what is the empire doing? We’ve been fighting them for the past five years and losing ground with each passing day.” A dwarf shouted in anger as he slammed his cup on the table, clearly drunk from the alcohols.

“Shhh, you mustn’t speak so loud, what if someone from the army hears you and report you to the empire…” The old women warned his friend as she readied herself to leave.

“So what if they hear, everyone is already talking about it. Those demons just shows up one day up in the north, then invaded the empire in mass and destroying everything in its path. And the empire has done nothing useful but let one kingdom fall after another,” screamed the dwarf, startling everyone currently in the pub with them.

“But how can you blame only the empire, the dwarves and elves are just as helpless in these dark times. Don’t forget the church is keeping their mouth shut too,” A young man shouted toward the dwarf from the other end of the room.

What followed soon after was what you would expect in a typical tavern full of individuals drunk on alcohol. Chairs went flying, tables got turned, and men fought each other with their fists to relieve their anger and their stress. Such conversations played out constantly across the lands as the empire and its allies continued waging war against a unknown force. Many commoners believed these beings were demons called forth by the dark arts but only a select few in the higher hierarchy knew the truth.

Everything started five years in the past, just after Garen went missing. In the northern outskirts of the empires domain, an invasion of never before seen in size and brutality took place. “This world belongs to us now, we the abyss kind will conquer everything!” These were the first words spoken by some of the leaders in the first wave of attacks. Led by powerful forces in the shadow, hordes after hordes of otherworldly creatures rampaged through the lands, destroying cities and slaughtering any that crossed their path.

“Someone please save us! My child is dying, please someone help!” These were just a few of the many screams and pleas for help of those left behind, some unable to flee in time or due to certain circumstances and many were simply too weak to escape.

Those that somehow did manage to flee the northern regions in time, brought words of terror to the rest of the world. In quick succession, multiple vassal kingdoms of the empire were conquered in record breaking time. In retaliation to the threat, the emperor and his council sent word to every controlling power in the continent, and conscripted every able body men and women for war. Within a months’ worth of time, the empire has amassed a force ten thousand strong. Leading the frontal assault was a seasoned group comprising of the strongest elite knights and magicians within the empires land. It would be no exaggeration to call this special platoon the core of humanities strength as each member of this frontal assault force was famed and seasoned warriors, capable of holding their grounds no matter the situation.

Battle after battle, warriors and magicians alike fought valiantly in the forefront, pushing the invaders back through the north and into the uninhabited glacial ice lands. Supported by volleys of projectiles released by siege weapons, bodies continued to pile high in the dirt and ice as the invading army took enormous loses from the empires might.

Victory was within the grasp of the empire as the fleeing invaders scatter in all direction back into the mountainous ice lands. Yet the unthinkable happened, just before the final battle could take place, a unknown gigantic sized beast descended from the sky - this beast was later recorded as a disaster class abyss creature by scholars.

Confused by the sudden appearance of the dangerous unknown entity, orders were sent out to all platoons at the command of the coalition General. But this was the biggest strategic mistake they could have done…

Fully aware of the enemy’s movements, the leviathan class creature with bee like appendages let loose rays of destruction from its mouth and single handedly decimated the brave warriors of the empires army. Bodies and smoke littered the terrain but even the unmoving dead bodies were not left to rot. Fleshes were ripped apart to feed the creatures from the abyss and the still living survivors unlucky enough to be captured were brought further into the north, never to be seen by their friends and family.

Night after night, the survivors took heavy loses as they retreated back to the nearest fortress for safety, losing more men and women as they struggled for their lives. In no time, the abysmal creatures of all shapes and sizes pressed their invasion back into the heart of the empires territory, reaching as far as the city of Larkal - one of the biggest settlements and trading hub in the central region. If the city walls were to be breached, the empire would have lost around forty percent of its land and strength. Leaving one of its most important strategic locations in enemy hands and opening up the way to the rest of the continent.

Feeling the threat has reached their own borders, Elves and Dwarves alike gathered for the first time in history to aid the humans. Marching an army so great and diversified, they were able to halt the enemy from conquering the city of Larkal. From this point onward, every battle was a fight of attrition in the coming months as each side fought to gain even the smallest amount of territory. It wasn’t until the arch mage Falus of the human empire, Silver arrow of the elven race, and Thunder hammer of the dwarven race joining the battlefield, were the tides changed. In a combined effort of these three individuals, they single handedly destroyed the gigantic disaster class creature in the sky but only at the cost of their very lives. Forever remembered as the strongest of their generation, they were honored by every witness in the battlefield. Though some argued they were cowards for not being there in the initial defense against the abyss legion, none can deny what they had accomplished.

In the aftermath following the death of both sides main fighting strength, small skirmishes erupted across the landscape. No longer a organized army, the invading creatures scattered like the wind into the continent on all direction, only retaining a quarter of its original number as it retreated back into hiding.

Word of the enormous defeat and decimation of the empires army spread like wild fire. Civil unrest by the citizens erupted in great numbers and fear hanged in the air, polluting the morals of the people of the empire. Not only humanity was affected as they hide behind their walls, the Elves became even more isolated as they shut themselves in their forests, and the dwarves locked their gates to all outsiders, limiting trade routes into their mountains citadel. The strength of the mortals continued to drain away with each passing day, yet the abyss creatures continued to wait, biding their time in the north as their strength grew with each passing day.

End Chapter 4