Galen Demons

I shivered as I plunged into the dark wooden burrow, my ears still ringing from the explosion that shook the forest. The dim light filtering through the weathered boards guided me on my descent, and my heart echoed with the chaos raging outside.

The subway tunnels stretched like veins in the earth, and I ventured deeper into the darkness, following the echo of my own footsteps. I was not alone; a pair of amber eyes, like the sunset, watched me from the gloom. They were the foxes, creatures of the forest that shared this hiding place with me.

"What's going on outside?" I asked in a barely audible whisper.

The foxes exchanged worried glances before one of them, silver furred, approached.

"The forest is in danger, Galen. The explosion comes from those who seek to destroy what we love. You must hide and remain silent; the fury of men does not distinguish between friend and foe."

I nodded, understanding the gravity of the situation. The foxes pointed toward the entrance of a nearby well.

"Go there, it's your best hope for now," the silver fox suggested.

I slipped close to the well, descending into the darkness in the hope that my own breathing would not give away my hiding place. From the gloom, I listened to the din of the outside world and the whisper of the foxes exchanging thoughts in a language only they understood.

The hours passed like shadows, and I remained silent, trapped in the melancholy of a threatened forest. The complicity between man and beast grew stronger in the gloom of the well, while outside, the battle between nature and human destruction continued.

Suddenly, without fully understanding the situation, I was thrown into the well by the foxes. The fall was swift and disorienting, but soon my hands clung to the rocky edge of the well. I looked up, confused, and saw the worried eyes of the foxes before the entrance was closed, leaving me in darkness.

From the bottom of the pit, my senses sharpened. The rumbling intensified, and the ground shook with each explosion. In fear, I peeked my head over the edge and watched in terror as flames lit up the night sky. The forest, my home, burned in hellish chaos.

The flames danced voraciously, devouring the trees that had witnessed my life. The orange glow flashed in my eyes, and smoke seeped into the pit, mingling with the rarefied air. My lungs filled with the heaviness of sadness as reality sank into my chest like a slab.

"Why, why is this happening?" I whispered in the darkness, though I knew there were no answers.

From my subway shelter, I was helplessly witnessing the destruction of all I knew. The fragrance of the forest, now replaced by the acrid smell of smoke, reminded me of the fragility of nature in the face of human fury. The connection I had with the earth and its creatures deepened as I watched in silence, feeling my home fade away in the chaos of the flames.

The hours stretched on like endless shadows at the bottom of the pit, where I lay drenched and shivering. In the darkness, I listened to every crackle and crackle of the flames that mercilessly devoured everything around me. Each sound echoed like a wail in the destructive symphony that had taken the place of my home. My eyes strained to adjust, desperately searching for a glimmer of hope among the dancing shadows.

It was then that, amidst the sonorous chaos of the catastrophe, a dark, guttural murmur emerged. My senses alert, my eyes watched in disbelief as indistinct figures advanced through the flames and debris. My heart pounded as the demonic shadows took shape before me.

Soaked to the bone, I stood before beings with flashing eyes and grotesque forms. Their presence emanated a strange mixture of fear and curiosity. They observed my trembling figure among the smoldering wreckage and, in an instant, moved toward the well.

"Who are you, little mortal?" growled one of them, his voice echoing like the deep echo of an abyss.

"I am Galen," I replied, my trembling voice lacing with the crackle of flames. "What's going on here, why are you destroying my home?"

"Chaos is our realm," another demonic being muttered. "We have come to find what is left among the ashes."

With hands that seemed to rise from the darkness itself, I was lifted from the pit. I looked back one last time, contemplating the desolation that was once my home. The light rain that fell was not enough to quell the fire that still roared in the heart of the forest.

I was met with indescribable desolation. Fallen trees and scorched earth made up a landscape that was once my home. The acrid aroma of smoke still permeated the air, while the bodies of loved ones lay strewn on the ground, mute witnesses to the tragedy. My throat closed at the overwhelming sadness that flooded the place.

It was then that five imposing demons approached me, emerging from the shadows like guardians of darkness. Their eyes flashed with an intensity that eclipsed the light of the dying flames.

"Galen, son of misfortune," one of them growled, his voice resonating with a tone that mingled compassion and power. "We have witnessed the epic battle that took place between demon hunters and your parents. They fought valiantly to protect you."

My heart raced as I heard those words. I looked at the demons, a mixture of confusion and awe reflected in my eyes.

"The fate of your home was sealed in the conflict of forces beyond your comprehension," explained another demon, whose voice was soft as a night breeze. "Your parents sacrificed everything to shelter you from the threat that loomed over you."

As the demons narrated the epic battle that had taken place, my mind filled with fragmented images of bravery and sacrifice. A war between demon hunters and my own parents, who were beings of darkness, fighting to protect me. Tears mingled with the rain that was still falling, as I absorbed the magnitude of what had happened.

"We offer you a different fate, Galen," the head demon said, his voice ringing with solemnity. "Come with us, son of tragedy, and avenge what has been taken from you."

Between the devastation and the demons' dark proposal, my life stretched out onto an uncertain path, shrouded in the mystery of a destiny neither I nor my parents could avoid.

With tears in my eyes, I swore vengeance against those who had taken my parents' lives, feeling an overwhelming mixture of pain and rage in my young heart. The demons, witnessing my determination, remained silent, their eyes twinkling with dark understanding.

"Your desire for vengeance is understandable, Galen," the head demon murmured, his voice echoing like a whisper of shadows. "We accept your oath and offer you our aid in this quest."

The demons, in their imposing presence, surrounded me like loyal shadows. With ceremonious gestures, they guided me through the smoldering wreckage of the forest to an uncertain destination. The persistent rain washed my face clean, but could not erase the torment I harbored within.

The forest, though devastated, was transformed into a gloomy classroom where I cultivated my new skills. Darkness became my ally, and rage my driving force. At every step, the promise of revenge echoed in my mind like a relentless echo.

On my journey, I encountered harrowing scenes of battle, a grim testament to the tragedy that had engulfed the forest. Corpses of fallen hunters and demons lay on the ground, their limp bodies mute witnesses to the fierce contest that had been waged.

Among the fallen, my eyes fell especially on the foxes, my adoptive parents, whose motionless forms revealed that they had not survived the chaos. A lump formed in my throat at the sight of those who not only shared their shelter with me, but raised and guided me in this forest.

I approached them with slow, heavy steps, and the foxes, with sad looks and expressions that reflected their own grief, approached me. Their eyes, which used to radiate warmth and love, were now dulled by the shadow of loss.

"I'm sorry, Galen," they seemed to whisper in their melancholy gazes.

I knelt among them, sharing a moment of silence with those who had given me not only shelter but love. The war had torn from me the security and home they had so carefully built.

Sadness weighed on my chest, like a ballast that threatened to drown me. My adoptive parents lay before me, and the reality of their absence became even more painful. The war had not only taken the lives of my biological parents, but also the lives of those who chose to love and care for me in this forest.

With sadness marked in my eyes, the foxes surrounded me, creating a circle of camaraderie in the midst of desolation. We understood each other without words, sharing the burden of loss we now carried.

Thus, amidst corpses and sadness, I continued on my way, carrying with me the weight of vengeance and the memory of those who fell in battle. The forest, once full of life and light, was now engulfed in the shadow of war, and my heart beat with the resolve to change the fate that had been woven in the darkness of that epic conflict.