Chapter 2

Without warning, the goblin commander raised his staff, and a sinister energy crackled through the air. The trembling men watched in horror as the goblins descended upon them, driven by an insatiable bloodlust. Their blades sliced through flesh and bone, painting the night with a grotesque tapestry of violence and agony.

In the chaos, the forest troll threw the body of the girl towards the group of men and one of the men's heads collided with the girl's lifeless body, triggering a horrifying chain reaction. His head exploded in a shower of gore, leaving behind a gory mess of shattered skulls and shattered dreams. But the torment had only just begun. The remaining men, their bodies pierced and mutilated, struggled to comprehend the abomination before them. The goblin commander, his eyes glinting with sadistic pleasure, revelled in the gruesome spectacle he had orchestrated.

As the men gasped their final breaths, the goblin commander, fuelled by his twisted power, turned his attention to the village elder. In the distance, a mournful wail filled the night, as if the very essence of the village lamented its impending doom. The massacre had ended, but the horror was far from over. The goblin troops, their lust for destruction insatiable, advanced toward the village.

All of a sudden without warning, a bolt of black lightning crackled down from the sky, striking the towering forest troll. The thunderous impact echoed through the trees, shaking the very ground beneath their feet. The troll's flesh sizzled and smoked, its grotesque form contorting in agonizing pain. A gut-wrenching screech of torment filled the air, sending shivers down the spines of all who heard it. The goblin commander, paralyzed with fear, dropped his staff as his eyes widened in disbelief. He stumbled backward, desperately seeking cover behind his trembling troops. But no matter how hard he strained his eyes; the impenetrable darkness of the forest canopy concealed any sign of the mysterious assailant.

As the echoes of the thunderous strike faded into the silence of the forest, a haunting stillness settled over the scene. The goblins, paralyzed by fear, dared not move or make a sound. Their wide eyes darted around, searching for any sign of the malevolent force that had just decimated their fearsome ally. Suddenly, the silence was shattered by a low, haunting laughter that seemed to emanate from every shadowy corner of the forest. It sent chills down their spines, freezing them in place. The goblin commander's heart pounded in his chest, each beat resonating through his ears like a death knell.

A gust of wind swept through the trees, whispering chilling secrets that only the forest could comprehend. The goblins trembled as they felt an unseen presence lurking in the shadows, watching their every move. Their skin prickled with a cold sensation as if invisible fingers traced icy patterns along their spines. In the distance, they caught a glimpse of a pair of piercing, malevolent eyes glowing with a sinister light. It was then that they realized they were not alone.

In a horrifying split moment, the figure lurched forward, its shadowy form looming over the terrified goblin commander. Its black robe writhed and wriggled as if alive, sending shivers down the goblin's spine. The goblin's feeble attempts at resistance were futile as the figure's iron grip closed around its head, squeezing with an unnatural strength. The figure, cloaked in darkness, made a sinister gesture with two bony fingers, and a sudden burst of searing flames erupted from its hand, engulfing the goblin in a torrent of unholy fire. The air filled with the acrid stench of burning flesh, and the goblin's screams pierced the night, a symphony of agonizing torment that sent chills down the spines of anyone unfortunate enough to hear it.

Its eyes, glowing with malevolence, seemed to relish every moment of the goblin's torment, taking perverse pleasure in the creature's anguished cries. The flames danced with an eerie intensity, casting twisted, contorted shadows that seemed to mock the goblin's futile struggle. The goblin's flesh sizzled and charred under the relentless assault of the dark figure's sadistic flames. The sound of crackling bones mixed with the agonized wails, creating a nightmarish symphony that echoed through the surrounding trees.

The figure's presence exuded an aura of dread, an undeniable malevolence that sent shivers down the spines of the onlookers. Its robe with its golden lining, seemingly alive, writhed and slithered, like tendrils of darkness hungry for more victims. As the goblin's screams reached a crescendo of pain, the figure released its grip, letting the lifeless body fall to the ground in a smouldering heap.

The remaining goblins let out blood-curdling screams, their cries echoing through the night, dripping with sheer terror. Their primal instincts sensed the impending doom, but it was already too late. The dark figure, a sinister presence lurking in the shadows, towered over them with an aura of malevolence. Its eyes, gleaming with an otherworldly intensity, pierced through their souls, freezing them in abject horror. In a horrifyingly swift motion, the dark magician extended a hand, unleashing a wave of eldritch energy that enveloped the goblins. The air turned heavy with an unearthly silence as the goblins writhed in agony. Their twisted forms contorted, bones snapping and flesh searing, as if trapped in a torturous nightmare.

The dark magician revelled in their suffering, relishing the torment that oozed from their tortured screams. Their fear became a banquet for the malevolent entity, feeding its insatiable hunger for pain and despair. The goblins, once ruthless killers, were now reduced to pitiful victims of a greater, unspeakable evil. As the life force drained from the goblins, their shrill cries echoed into the night, mixing with the unsettling whispers of the surrounding darkness. The ground beneath them seemed to writhe and tremble as if the very fabric of reality was warped by the dark magician's malefic presence.

The dark magician moved through the forest like a spectre, his body flickering with an otherworldly aura. With every step he took it seems as if the very trees recoiled in fear. The golden lining on his robe pulsated with an unholy radiance, casting an eerie glow that pierced through the dense darkness of the forest. His blood-red eyes gleamed malevolently from beneath the depths of his hooded cloak, filled with a sinister knowledge that surpassed mortal comprehension.

As he pressed on, the forest seemed to twist and contort in his presence, the branches reaching out like skeletal hands grasping at his flowing robe. The once peaceful sounds of nature transformed into a symphony of haunting whispers and agonized moans. Shadows danced along the forest floor, elongating into grotesque shapes that seemed to follow his every move. Finally, the path led him to a river—a seemingly tranquil body of water that concealed ancient secrets within its depths. The surface of the river reflected a distorted image of the dark magician, his features warped and twisted into a monstrous visage. The air grew heavy with an unsettling stillness as if nature itself held its breath in anticipation of his next move.

The dark magician extended his hand towards the river, and as he did, the water began to churn and swirl, forming grotesque shapes that writhed with a life of their own. Whispers filled the air, carrying the echoes of tormented souls trapped within the river's murky depths. A foreboding presence emanated from the water, but the dark magician was undeterred by the haunting aura surrounding him. With a voice that resonated with ancient power, he spoke words of forbidden incantations that echoed through the night. The river trembled in response, its dark waters parting to reveal a hidden path—a gateway to a realm where nightmares took shape and nightmares became reality. As the dark magician crossed the threshold, the very fabric of reality seemed to divide.

Although he possessed the strength as an ancient demon, his physical body could not bear the burden of the spell he had cast. Awakened from a long slumber, his mind was still clouded, and his body writhed in excruciating pain. The extended period of dormancy had drained him of his vitality, leaving him weak and desperate for respite. Seeking solace and seclusion, he retreated deep into a foreboding cave hidden within the murky depths of the river.

As he stepped into the pitch-black chamber, a chilling draft engulfed him. The air itself seemed to whisper sinister secrets, the echoes of forgotten incantations haunting the ancient walls. With a trembling voice, he muttered yet another incantation, its words dripping with unholy power. Unexpectedly the cave came alive with an eerie glow as if the very darkness itself responded to his invocation. The shadows danced and twisted, morphing into grotesque shapes that writhed and contorted with malevolent intent. Whispers echoed through the chamber, an unsettling chorus of disembodied voices that reverberated in his ears.

As his incantation reached its climax, a surge of dark energy coursed through his veins, amplifying his power but also amplifying the agony. His body convulsed, contorting in unnatural ways as if possessed by unseen forces. His screams of torment merged with the cacophony of whispers, creating a symphony of terror that reverberated through the desolate cave.

The torment continued unabated, tormenting his mind and rending his body. Shadows clawed at his flesh, leaving gashes that oozed with malevolent darkness. Unearthly moans filled the air, chilling him to his very core.

After what felt like an eternity, the excruciating pain began to subside, but the dark magician's ordeal was far from over. He leaned back against the damp, chilling wall of the cave, his body mutilated beyond recognition. The sight was a grotesque nightmare that would haunt anyone who dared to witness it. His robe fell away, revealing a chest that had caved in, exposing shattered ribs and organs missing from their rightful place. His stomach and intestines had been cruelly dug out, leaving a gaping void. The spine, stripped of flesh, protruded like a macabre display of his torment. The remnants of his right leg were nothing but a skeletal structure, the white bone extending from toe to pelvis. And his left foot, severed from the ankle down, was a ghastly sight of raw, exposed flesh and shattered bone.

The dark magician's appearance defied all laws of nature, yet he found perverse amusement in his grotesque state. His laughter echoed through the cavern, a chilling sound that sent shivers down the spines of any who heard it. The man responsible for inflicting such horrors upon him could never have fathomed that he would be revived after countless millennia of torment.

The magician's laughter, devoid of humanity, filled the air, mingling with the dampness and darkness of the cave. It was a maddening sound, a symphony of deranged triumph that echoed off the walls, reaching far beyond the confines of the chamber. It was as if the very essence of evil had taken residence within the magician's broken body. As he laughed, the wounds on his mutilated form oozed with a dark, otherworldly substance, a vile mixture of blood and something far more sinister. The walls of the cave seemed to tremble in response, as if the ancient evil that had resurrected the magician stirred in its slumber, sensing its malevolent creation.

A dreadful presence permeated the air, suffocating any glimmer of hope. It was the weight of centuries, the accumulated darkness that clung to the magician's being. And as his laughter subsided, a chilling silence settled upon the cave, broken only by the whisper of unseen whispers, the voice of ancient horrors conspiring in the shadows.

The magician's eyes, devoid of light, gazed into the abyss. He was a vessel of pain, an embodiment of the horrors that lurked beyond human comprehension. With each passing moment, the anticipation of the unimaginable grew, as if the world itself held its breath, waiting for the inevitable terror that would follow. The resurrection of this ancient evil would unleash a wave of darkness upon the world, leaving naught but despair and unending horror in its wake.