Stranger

Cyrus slogged forward, his feet sinking into the mud with each step as the howling wind slammed into him. The thunderous noise of the storm deafened him, and he could barely hear his own labored breathing.

His eyes stung from the relentless rain that lashed at him, blurring his vision. As he got closer to the village, the full force of the tempest bore down upon him.

He saw three colossal funnel clouds start to spiral down from the heavens, knowing that there was no way to avoid them, and that his entire village could be devastated. The only smithy in the small village was ripped apart as yet another lightning blast hit the open aired building and exploded.

The sheer power of the storm was awe-inspiring and terrifying all at once. Despite the danger, Cyrus pressed on, determined to reach his mother's side and ensure her safety.

The three funnel clouds smashed into the ground with an earth-shattering boom, their swirling vortexes tearing up everything in their path. The winds howled and screamed, bending trees like reeds and ripping roofs off houses as if they were mere scraps of paper.

Cyrus' heart raced as he watched in horror as the storm obliterated everything in its path. He ran past the once-bustling smithy, now nothing more than a pile of twisted metal and burning debris. It was as if the very fabric of reality was unraveling, and all he could do was cling to the hope that he would reach his mother in time.

Cyrus stumbled towards his humble home, his heart pounding in his chest as he saw the door flung open and the roof being peeled off like a layer of skin by the relentless wind.

His mind raced as he thought of his mother's safety, and he braced himself for the worst. He pushed through the howling wind, his clothes whipping around him like torn sails, and his hair plastered to his face by the rain.

He reached the threshold of the home, and the sight before him made him gasp. Cyrus blinked in disbelief as he saw a dark-cloaked figure kneeling at his mother's bedside. He took a step forward, his heart pounding with fear and confusion. Who was this stranger, and what did he want with his mother?

The storm raged on outside, but inside the house, a strange stillness hung in the air. The figure slowly turned his head to face Cyrus, and he saw two insect-like eyes glowing with an eerie blue light staring back at him from the depths of the hood.

Cyrus shuddered, feeling as if he was staring directly into a nightmare. He wanted to scream, to demand answers, but the words wouldn't come. He felt frozen, paralyzed by fear and uncertainty.

The storm outside raged on, reaching a fever pitch as it ripped the roof from Cyrus' home with a deafening roar.

Despite the chaos around him, Cyrus found his voice, and he yelled out to the stranger, "What are you doing! Get away from my mother!"

The figure rose slowly, his cloak billowing around him like a dark cloud, and Cyrus could see the cold glimmer of a crescent moon blade in his hand. He took a step back, his heart racing with fear and uncertainty, but he refused to back down.

The stranger spoke, his voice deep and gravelly, Cyrus could feel his blood turn to ice as he listened. "Your mother is safe, for now."

Cyrus could hear a hint of laughter in the words. He knew that he had to act fast to protect his family, but he wasn't sure he had the strength to face this dark, mysterious demon alone.

The hellish creature raised a hand, his fingers curling into a claw-like shape, and suddenly, time seemed to stop. The raging storm outside was silenced, the raindrops hung in the air, nothing moved except the man in his mother's room.

The world around him seemed to fade away, leaving only the cloaked stranger and himself in this frozen moment.

Cyrus stared in awe and terror, unsure of what was happening, but he knew that something profound and terrifying was unfolding. He felt the weight of the blue stone in his hand, its energy pulsing through him.

He knew that he had to use it to protect his mother and his home. He clenched his fist around the stone. All he could think of was that he should have been here sooner, he needed more time.

As Cyrus watched in horror, the cloaked stranger picked up his mother, his other hand still raised, and the air around them began to shimmer and distort. A sense of unreality washed over Cyrus as he saw his mother vanish into thin air, leaving him alone with this shadowy figure.

He felt a scream building in his throat, but no sound escaped his lips. He was still frozen, unable to move or speak, his mind reeling with confusion and terror.

The stranger turned his cold, piercing gaze on Cyrus and saw the stone in his hand. Cyrus could not see into the man's dark cowl, but he felt as if he was being dissected by those glowing alien eyes.

The stranger slowly walked over to Cyrus, looked down at him and the stone in his hand. Cyrus could almost feel the evil smile that he could not see on the demons monstrous face.

The stranger spoke, his voice carrying a hint of mockery. "You are not yet ready to face the truth, but you will be."

Then he too vanished, leaving Cyrus alone in the ruins of his home. He felt a sense of emptiness wash over him. He thought the gods had blessed him, but it was obviously demons that had gripped his village.

If he had to fight demons to get his mother safe, then he would fight demons.

The blue stone in Cyrus' hand had begun to vibrate, and he felt a powerful energy radiating from it. Suddenly, time started to move slowly forward once again.

Despite Cyrus seeing everything in extreme slow motion, he could feel a familiar charge in the air as a bolt of lightning slowly arced towards him.

The air around him crackled with electricity, and for the second time that day, felt the hair on his arms standing on end. The blue stone in his hand had seemed to glow brighter as the lightning got closer, its energy pulsing through him.

He had tried to move, to dodge the bolt, but he was still stuck in this demonic trap watching the rain in front of him fall at a snails pace.

The lightning struck him with a deafening crack, and Cyrus was thrown forcefully but slowly across the room.

He felt a surge of electricity shoot through his body, causing his muscles to contract involuntarily. His limbs flailed wildly as he had been hurled backwards, his body twisting and contorting in unnatural ways.

His mind had raced with terror as he had felt the power of the lightning coursing through him, time moving slow enough for him to feel every nerve in his body explode, acutely aware of every sensation, every movement, every thought.

He felt a searing heat wash over him as his clothes and skin had ignited from the intense heat. His senses had been overwhelmed by the deafening roar of the storm and the blinding flash of light.

He felt as if he had been suspended in a moment that would last forever, caught in a timeless realm of pain and terror.

For an instant, he had felt as if his body had been torn apart by the force of the lightning. He was slammed to the ground with bone-crushing force, sending shockwaves through his body.

He had felt a sense of numbness wash over him as he had struggled to catch his breath, his body wracked with pain. His vision blurred, and he felt his consciousness slipping away.

Time began to move normally around him as the rain pelted his face and the cold wind blew against his broken and burned form. He willed his hand to raise so that he could look at the stone he had been holding but it was no longer there.

The soft blue light however had melted into his palm and it was slowly spreading up his arm. He didn't have the energy to fight it, and he was quite sure that the demon had come back to get him.

Right before he lost consciousness, he heard a steady female voice that seemed to come from all around him, "Control system activated, analyzing new user request."