Chapter 27

Draco quivered as his mind churned to find answers that he just couldn't find answers to.

'Why is the One Eyed Black Dragon here? Shouldn't it be fighting with the Zeus and Hera familia, or have they not fought it yet?' Draco questioned.

'Why is this happening to us? What did we do wrong to deserve this? Am I going to die here? Why did I feel like I should fight it? What gave me the courage to do so?' he questioned some more.

His thoughts were becoming a mess, gravitating towards the worst-case scenarios.

'Is it here for me?' a sudden thought popped into his head.

He didn't know why he thought so, but the scene of it glancing at him flashed through his mind.

He knew too well just how strong and dangerous the black dragon was; two of the strongest familia's in Orario that had a level 8, 9, and a lot of level 7's couldn't beat it, much less survive it.

They all died; then, what were the chances that he and his family survived this, he questioned.

The sounds of monsters running above echoed within the cellar.

The adults tried their best to keep the children as quiet as possible, while also trying to hide their fear.

They could only worry about the safety of their own family, while the town had fallen into utter chaos.

Thud!!

A loud thud suddenly resonated from above, the ground shook.

Dirt and debris flew around the cellar, but everyone held their breath.

They couldn't afford to cough, make a sound, or even breathe.

Everyone in the cellar had come to realize that the colossal creature had landed on the farm.

Meaning that it wasn't just passing; it was here for a reason, but for what they didn't know.

All they knew was that they had to keep quiet and pray that the reason doesn't lie with them and it just leaves.

..............................…

The sun had reached its peak over the peaceful town, casting its shiny yellow glow across the fields and half-finished town walls.

The villagers went about their noon chores, unaware of the impending terror about to descend upon them.

Without warning, the sky darkened, a massive shadow blotted out the sky.

Heads snapped upwards as a colossal black creature plummeted from the heavens, its obsidian scales glinting in the shining light that peeked from above the dark clouds.

Gale-force winds buffeted the town as the beast let out an earth-shaking roar, its jaws gaping wide to reveal rows of serrated teeth.

"Monster!" a farmer's wife screamed, dropping her basket of freshly-gathered vegetables.

"Everyone, take cover!" Chaos erupted as the villagers frantically scrambled for safety.

Parents scooped up their children, elderly residents were roughly shoved aside, and livestock stampeded in all directions.

Emerging from the forest beyond the walls, a horde of monstrous creatures surged towards the town - goblins, orcs, dire wolves, and other fell beasts drawn by the dragon's presence.

The sound of shattering wood and anguished cries filled the air as the half-finished wall didn't stop anything.

"The walls, they're no use!" a young man shouted, his face pale with terror.

"We have to get away from here!" The terrified villagers found themselves trapped between the unstoppable juggernaut of the monster stampede and the looming shadow of the creature overhead.

"Gods save us!" an old woman wailed, clutching her prayer beads.

"We're all going to die!" Another screamed. The first wave of monsters crashed into the town, trampling everything in their path.

Screams of pain and horror echoed through the streets as the villagers were mercilessly slaughtered.

A young mother desperately shielded her two small children, praying that the end would be swift.

Her pleas were abruptly silenced as a hulking orc smashed through the flimsy wall of their home, roaring in triumph as it snatched up the family in its gnarled fists.

Across town, a group of retired adventurers who had settled in the town rushed to arm themselves, determined to defend their adopted home.

A young girl, no more than eight years old, stumbled through the carnage, her dress torn, and her face streaked with tears.

"Mama! Papa!" she cried, her voice hoarse from screaming. She ran, desperate to find her family, only to come face-to-face with a hulking orc.

The creature, its eyes gleaming with malice, raised its fist, ready to deliver the killing blow.

The girl squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the end. But the blow never came.

She opened her eyes to see the orc's lifeless body crumpled at her feet, an arrow protruding from its head.

"Run, child!" a gruff voice called out, and the girl turned to see one of the retired adventurers, his bow still raised.

"Get to safety!" he commanded, before turning to face the horde of monsters once more.

The girl ran, her small legs carrying her as fast as they could.

She weaved through the chaos, dodging the swinging blades and the crushing feet of the monsters.

Finally, she reached the relative safety of a cellar, where a group of terrified villagers had taken refuge.

"Oh, thank the gods you're safe!" a woman cried, enveloping the girl in a tight embrace, it wasn't even her mother.

The girl just trembled, her mind unable to process the horrors she had witnessed.

Outside, the battle raged on. The retired adventurers, their swords and magic no match for the relentless onslaught, fell one by one.

Their bodies littered the streets, their blood mingling with that of the villagers.

The villagers in the cellar huddled together, their sobs echoing in the darkness.

The girl, her eyes wide with terror, clutched a tattered doll to her chest, the only remnant of the life she had known.

One by one, the veterans were overwhelmed, their heroic last stands brutally cut short.

"No, stay back!" an old man shouted, shielding a young boy with his body as a pack of goblins swarmed him.

His agonized cries were drowned out by the boy's terrified sobs. The carnage seemed endless.

Broken bodies littered the streets, blood and gore mingling with the dirt.

Children wailed for their parents, parents wailed for their children, and all the while the black dragon observed the destruction from above, like it wasn't its concern.

Its gleaming eyes gazing upon a particular farm homestead at the outskirts of the town.