The Beginning Of The End

Black smoke filled my lungs. Ash dusted my chestnut brown hair. My boots pounded against the ground as I ran. I jumped over a fallen tree, landing on the other side with a thud. My vision blurred as my head pounded against my skull. Buildings were being swallowed by orange flames. My breathing was ragged and harsh. My throat was dry with the lack of water. My eyes stung with tears as I looked at my surroundings. I spotted a horrifying sight. My family. Trapped in a burning building. Their horrified expressions made me sick to my stomach. There was a loud crack.

No.

I screamed like I'd never screamed before as the roof came crashing down. Tears threatened to spill down my face as I stared at the now-collapsed building. Something felt wrong. Horribly wrong. I just couldn't place it. Suddenly I was swallowed into darkness. The whole world turned black before my eyes. I didn't understand. A mere second ago I was surrounded by fire, my village in ashes. Now I felt nothing, seeing only black.

"W...K ..P" a voice cried out. I looked around, trying to find the source of the voice. "WAK...P" the voice cried again. I whipped my head around but was met with darkness. "WAKE UP!"

I jolted upright in my bed. Sweat was dripping down my forehead as hot tears trailed down my cheeks. I took a deep breath. In and out, in and out. My breath became even as I sat there. My white bed sheets were damp with sweat. I looked out the window and found it was still dark. Bright stars twinkled in the dark blue sky. The moon was full and round, shining as bright as ever. I took in a shaky breath and pulled myself out of bed. The wood floor of my small room was freezing beneath my feet. I tiptoed out of my room as quietly as I could as to not wake up my family and made my way downstairs. I thought about going back to bed but dismissed that thought immediately. I sighed as I made my way into the kitchen.

"Why can't I just have a peaceful night?" I mumbled to myself.

I haven't had a peaceful night's sleep in one hundred and thirty-four nights. And I've kept count. I walked over to one of the wooden cupboards and took out my sword. It was long and delicate. The moonlight reflected off the silver blade and the raven-black hilt. I had been training with a blade since the moment I could walk. As well as bows, daggers, whips, throwing knives, and a bunch of other weaponry. Not only that but I've been trained to fight. I sauntered over to the training room and took a fighting position, sword in hand. I took a swing at the training dummy and it hit me square in the chest. The dummy was good for aiming at but not much more as it couldn't fight back, being a wooden dummy. After hitting and swinging my sword for a few minutes, I hit a hard blow. The dummy spun around at the impact and hit me square in the face.

"Ack!" I cried as I fell onto the hard ground. I let out a string of curses as I sat up, annoyed that I wasn't able to block it.

"That's no way to speak my child." I whirled around and came face to face with my grandmother. Her blue eyes held years of knowledge. Her eyes were soft and caring, as well as hard and strict.

"Sorry," I mumbled as I heaved myself up and walked over to her.

She's been living with my family for years now. After my grandfather passes away she was heartbroken, but she still somehow kept smiling. She would always say he was in a better place while smiling up at the sky. She's been there to help me through all my tough times, no matter how hard they were. My mother was a spitting image of her, just younger. Though my grandma's hair is now grey it used to be a light hazelnut colour and curly.

My mom's just as kind as my grandma though she can be strict at times. My father... left long ago. I no longer try to think of him for this exact reason. He left a few weeks after Aggie was born. Aggie is my little sister and she is the sweetest thing in the world. Yes, she can be a little bit of a brat at times but that doesn't change the fact that she's adorable. Her short bushy hair is a replica of our mothers while her eyes huge round eyes replace our fathers. Though the colour itself is a mix between emerald green and bright blue, making it look turquoise. She's currently eight while I'm turning sixteen in a couple of months.

I, on the other hand, look a lot like my father. My hair is darker than my mother and my skin is a bit more tan whereas my mother and sister are more pale. My eyes are dark blue and I'm much taller than an average fifteen-year-old girl. My hair is chin length and curly, not as thick and fuzzy as my sisters but still wild.

"Anna, darling, why are you up at this time?" My grandmother asked. Her long gray hair was in a neat bun and she wore a beautiful blue night gown that flowed around her feet. She may be old but she sure didn't look that old.

"I couldn't sleep," I mumbled, looking at the ground.

My grandmother knew about the nightmares as I often came to her when they were unbearable. I didn't want to burden my mother since she already had so many problems she had to face. Not to mention the recent commotion between her and the boss at her work. The village chief helped out our family the best way she could and seemed to favour us. It could be because she and my mom have been friends for years but others found it unfair. I was ripped out of my thoughts as I heard Gran sigh in disapproval. I gulped.

"Child," she sighed as she walked over to me. "You can't keep doing this to yourself. You need your sleep."

I held back an eye roll as I bit my tongue in frustration. We've had this discussion more times than I can count.

"No. I don't. I need training," I huffed in protest. Gran frowned.

I knew she was worried about me but I was fine. Besides, you never know when they could attack. They... The vicious creatures of the night. I shake just thinking about them. Whether it was in fear or furry I wouldn't know. Yes, they were terrifying. I've heard many stories of how they rip people apart limb from limb and even some stories of how they drink a human's blood. I've been lucky enough to never have seen one but apparently, they are the most hideous creatures to ever live. Though this is only a rumour, as many have said that they can seduce someone with their beauty.

"Why do kids have to be so stubborn these days?" Gran muttered under her breath. I wasn't supposed to hear but I did anyways.

"Gran!" I wined at my grandmother. "I'm fine." I tried to sound as demanding and sure as I can but I failed. My grandmother went over to me and wrapped me up in a big hug. My stubbornness instantly melted away as I melted into the hug, my tiredness finally catching up to me.

"Hush, child," Gran murmured in a soothing tone, just like when I was little.

I sighed in contentment as I snuggled into the hug, wrapping my arms around her and resting my head on top of her shoulders.

"You want me to tell you a story?" Gran asked me while gently combing her fingers through my hair. I buried my face in the crook of her neck.

"I'm not a child anymore Gran," I mumbled but I could feel a smile creep up my face as I smushed my face farther into her neck in an attempt to hide it.

Gran's stories were always the best. She chuckled and led me to the bench on the side of the room. A smile was plastered on her lips as she settled down with me right next to her.

"Which one do you wanna hear??" Gran asked.

I shrugged and told her if fine. She smiled at me before beginning her story.

"Okay-"

Long, long ago, there was land. A land named Etherian. And on that land there was a human. At first, said human looked for more humans. And it found them. A lot of them. From there they started building a community. After years of building, they got curious about what was beyond their city. But you know what they say, curiosity kills the cat. And that's exactly what happens. They first sent out a singular scouting group to investigate. After days with no news people started getting worried. They sent out another scout group to find the first. Two days later they came back running, crying, bleeding, and looking traumatized. They spoke of vicious demon-like creatures and the disfigured bodies of the previous scout group. The humans were terrified and started to make weapons to defend themselves from these monsters.

They were preparing for war. Not long after, at exactly midnight, the watch guard spotted something. Demons. The humans defended while the demons attacked. Lots died on both sides that night. And from that very night, a war broke out. The land was divided into two parts. Etherian, the land of humans, and Agrathos, the land of demons.

"…but one day this will all be over," my grandmother finished. I saw her smile at me, but her eyes held sadness. "However, a fifteen-year-old shouldn't be worrying about war. You still have your life to live. Don't frown at me like that, you know I'm right."

My frown deepened. Gran chuckled while bringing me into a hug. We sat in silence for a few seconds. My eyes were already beginning to droop as sleepiness overtook me. Maye, she was right. Maybe I could relax a little and focus more on my studies and not be so worried about the war. Not yet at least. Maybe in a year or two when I can become a hunter or warrior. But for now, I should just live my life...

BAM!

I sprang up into a fighting stance, looking for the cause of the crash. I heard screaming from outside. I froze. It was just like my dream. I silently pray for it just to be someone dropping a box of something. I picked up my sword and ran to the kitchen with Gran right on my heels. I froze at what I saw outside. Houses were on fire as people were running around. I burst through the front door without thinking twice. I heard foot stomps and saw them.

Demons.

A whole army of them. My eyes landed on the two in front. They were terrifyingly beautiful Both deathly pale. If I didn't know any better I would say they looked dead. My eyesight was going blurry as I tried focusing. I was about to turn back around and run to my family but before I could take even a step the demons started talking.

"People of this village. This is Akira and Ravana speaking. We're here under orders of the demon king Ambros. Surrender and we will have mercy and not kill you." The demon that spoke had shoulder-length red hair. Half her face was covered with hair and a strip of black hair. My eyes met hers before I could look away. Her piercing gaze made me freeze. Her whole pupil was pitch black yet I could tell she had the intent to kill. She smirked, a playful look in the demon's eyes.

She's challenging me. I realized. The demon next to her was also a girl. Long black hair and sky-blue eyes. She didn't even look evil yet the longer I looked the scarier she became. Her face had a deathly calm expression as she gazed at all the people. She looked a lot calmer than the one next to her who was growling, showing off her fangs to the already frightened children. I watched as she put a hand on the shoulder of the red-haired one. She whispered something to her, making the red-haired one frown. They argued back and forth before the black-haired one stepped forward.

"Humans, my name is Ravana, one of the top generals. This is Akira. Will you surrender in peace, or will we have to force you?" The demon, Ravana if I remember correctly, declared.

Mrs. Margret, the town leader, stepped forward. I could tell she was nervous but she hid it well.

"No. We will not surrender to you demons," Mrs. Margret spoke in a commanding voice.

Her long golden robe signalled that she was the leader of this village. There were nine villages/towns in total, each being a different colour. Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, pink, gold, and silver. The capital's colour was white. So there were ten places in total. Not many of the villages had been lost, only blue and yellow so far. They couldn't afford to lose a third. I heard Ravana sigh in disappointment, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"I was hoping you were smarter than the other two," Akira chuckled as she turned around with a smirk. "All this means is more fun for us. Maybe we'll even keep some to bring back to Monica? Eh? What do you think Ravana?"

Monica… That name sent shivers down my spine. I don't know much about her only that she was the demon king's daughter and that she was extremely powerful and intimidating. I heard that she's almost as cruel as her father. The demon king was a mystery. Nobody has ever encountered him and lived to tell her tale. There have only been a few sightings of Monica but rarely. And it's said those people are haunted by her in their dreams for the rest of their lives.

I glanced at Mrs. Margret. She was holding her elegant posture and keeping a straight face. But in her eyes, I saw fear. Her hands clenched into angry fists. Akira smirked as she signalled to the rest of the demon soldiers to start. Without any more warnings, they lunged forward. I looked around frantically. I wanted to go back into the house and help my family but I knew I had to fight. Especially since most of the warriors were still on their way. I turned towards the house to yell at my grandmother.

"GRAN! Get sissy and mom and get out of here! Please, I'll find you after," I cried as I clenched my hands around my sword harder. I didn't wait for a response as I took off into the battle.

Sorry, Gran looks like I will be worrying about the war after all...