2 A New Day

Rikkard was somewhere cold and damp. He was unable to see anything in front of him except for brief flashes that were coming from the sky. Each of the limbs felt like they were made of cement, resisting the commands of his mind. Furthermore, his legs were submerged in a thick liquid. Struggling, he tilted his gaze down.

When it flashed again, he could see that he was standing in black liquid. He could see his reflection in the lake. His black hair and light-toned skin stared back at him. It flashed again. He blinked. He blinked again. It flashed once more. He couldn't see his reflection. Chills traveled down his spine. Rikkard squinted to look into the reflection.

It began to rain, a light drizzle that slowly ran down his neck. And then there was another instance of light. Rikkard's heart almost leaped out of his chest. What he saw wasn't his reflection. It was a dark figure with glowing red eyes. Even when the light had faded, he its crimson glow remained.

They stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity. Suddenly, it seemed to silently roar from the liquid. Its eyes glowed brighter and brighter, almost blinding him. He was engulfed in the light, losing all the feeling that was his limbs. Just before his mind went blank, a blood-curling voice whispered into his ear.

"The time for rest is over. We have so many people to kill... wouldn't you agree, Rikkard?"

==

Gasping for air, Rikkard snapped out of his bed, clenching his chest. An orange light shined from the window, dimming the room. He patted himself down before letting out a sigh of relief. He was in one piece. Rubbing a hand through his hair, he pondered what had just happened. A nightmare? Haven't had one of those in a while. Does Graves have any more of that tea?

As he got up, the orange light coming into his room flickered. He froze. Did… did the sun just flicker? Confused, he walked towards his window and peeked outside.

What he saw made his heart drop. The sky was still dark and the moon was still shining. The orange light that he had mistaken for sunlight was coming from the village.

It was burning, like a great inferno that reached the heavens. The forests burned, the houses burned, the grass burned. Nothing could escape its reach. He'd never seen anything like it in his life.

Rikkard raced out of his room and was running down the dirt road in minutes. What had caused such a big fire to happen? Were the villagers alright? Was Graves alright? These questions didn't help to calm him. If anything, it had made him more anxious.

He arrived at the village in minutes. The fire was much bigger up close. Homes crumbled to the ground as screams filled his ears. People tripped and rushed past Rikkard, eager to leave the village at the first chance they got. Rikkard grabbed the arm of one of the fleeing villagers.

"Hey! What the hell is going on? What the hell happened?" He questioned the man, who struggled against his grip. The man only gave a look of pure horror before he yanked himself free. He fled without so much as a look back.

Rikkard focused back on the village. Cupping his hands, he screamed at the top of his lungs.

"GRAVES! ARE YOU IN THERE?"

No response. He repeated it. Nothing. Other than the cries of the villagers, he wasn't getting anything. When he looked at the crowd of people, he spotted the serving girl from earlier knelt toward the ground. He jogged over towards her.

"Hey, have you-" Rikkard started but stopped when she faced him. She had the eyes of someone who's been to hell and didn't take the experience very well. Blood caked her face as she repeated the same words over again.

"Oh god… please… don't eat me… Oh god.." she muttered. Rikkard grabbed her shoulders and gave her a small shake.

"Focus! When you were at the tavern, did you see Graves? Did he get out?" Rikkard yelled. The girl paused her muttering to think for a second.

"...Y-yes. I believe he was still there, when-" she began but as soon as she remembered something, she wrapped herself in a ball and continued muttering. Rikkard rose and started to consider the odds. There was a chance he got out early but there was also a chance he didn't. Rikkard frowned. Well, there's only one way to be certain.

Covering his mouth with his shirt, he headed into the belly of the beast.

==

There was smoke and fire everywhere. Ash-covered houses lined up the streets as he walked. Stores that were fine a few hours ago had been smashed to pieces. And the heat? It was like walking through a furnace covered in oil.

Despite the danger, Rikkard pushed on until he reached the edge of the village where the tavern was and, hopefully, Graves. He was so focused on his goal that he tripped over something and fell to the ground with a grunting sound. Lifting himself, he turned to see what he had tripped on and froze.

It was Mr. Blackberry who sold bakery treats early in the day. He was laying on his back with his lifeless eyes staring into the starless night sky. The fact that he was now dead isn't what shocked Rikkard. No, what was the most shocking thing about the body was the fact that he was missing 2/3 of it.

Rikkard instantly vomited at the sight of the body. His eyes began to blur from the tears that filled his eyes. Looking around, he could see vague outlines of more bodies as they riddled the surrounding area.

What the hell? What the fuck is going on?

Feeling more terrified than had ever been in his entire life, Rikkard wiped his face, slowly rose to his feet, and went deeper into the village. Fear of getting killed made him resist moving forward. Fear for Graves' safety kept him moving forward anyway. All he could do was pray that he never had to meet whatever tore those men apart.

Trudging along, he had finally made it towards the tavern. It was a total mess. The windows were shattered and the entrance had completely caved in on itself. He was about to call for Graves before he heard movement from inside. Hope was building up inside him as he peered into the hazy flames.

All of that hope was for nothing in the end, because as the figure got closer to the entrance, it quickly became clear that it was not human. It got bigger and bulkier with every step. Soon, the figure stepped out of the tavern in full view of Rikkard.

It was the strangest creature that Rikkard ever laid eyes on. It was almost as big as the tavern itself but was slim like a dog. Long hooked claws stuck out of its paw and black fur akin to the night sky clung to its body. Saliva dripped down its mouth, mixing with the red liquid that was on its teeth.

Rikkard felt the air leave his lungs. This thing couldn't be what he thought it was, right? He knew that they existed but he never saw one since the south region doesn't get many of them. Even the ones they do get are pretty weak, at best.

A part of the 4 Unknowns of this world: A Corrupter. And one of them was standing right in front of him. There was only one option. He did what any man with guts and half a mind would've done in his situation: He turned around and hulled ass.