Light After Darkness

Encircled in massive intimidating boulders, Aeptian Town stands proud, with nothing to fear from the dangers lurking in the desert. From the outside, everything seems serene. Nothing looks out of place, thanks to the barrier that surrounds them.

The guards who stand out from the barrier feel consecutive tremors. Dust drips off the walls each time they vibrate. Not understanding what's causing them, the guards look at each other and nod, agreeing to go inside and check out what's happening.

Once they go through the barrier, a force pushes them down like the rest of the townsfolk. They struggle to look up, only to see a creature with sharp teeth and purple eyes floating amidst a black smoke over the young man's head.

Glistening dark scales that seem impenetrable, and a roar that strikes fear to whoever hears it. The two guards who transformed into Lizardmen inside the barrier tremble on their knees. With one voice, they shout. "Forgive us Master for doubting you!"

People inside the town want to run away, but their knees are weak and the constant force pressuring them into submission makes them unable to do so. They want to scream their lungs out, but their voices refuse to leave their mouths.

Malia, who's in the same situation, with every inch of strength left in her body, she tries to crawl to him. She closes the gap between them to some extent, but the raw force of the leaking magic bombards her constantly, causing bleeding from her ears and mouth. When she doesn't give up and tries to get even closer, her bones break.

Nox, who seems out of it, notices the girl in pain grunting on the ground. He feels the struggle of the creature inside him that wants to rip him apart and break out. "What the hell is that thing?!"

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['It is the absolute authentic form of the Demon Lord! The Obsidian Dragon!']

Nox realizes he can't keep it under control. He senses that it's taking over his body, as he's unable to move as he wants. The young man is grasping whatever will he has left in his being and screams from the top of his lungs. "Grimmy… I need your help!"

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['Initiating sealing sequence!']

From the black smoke, emerge bones that soon transform into hands that get covered with veins, muscle and dark skin covered with scales. The fingers grow nails that can tear the world apart. The young man groans as his flesh peels off his body and gets sucked into the creature. "Grimmy!"

Nox floats several meters high. His consciousness fades away as the darkness sucks his soul. His arms and legs stretch to a certain point where a tearing sound sends goosebumps to those who are close enough to hear it.

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['Sealing sequence successful']

Nox drops to the ground, panting. His arms are bleeding and pieces of flesh and blood float around him. He vomits a mouthful of blood as he tries to catch his breath.

Before the creature vanishes into nothingness, it lets out one last roar that echoes throughout the entire town, making the walls shake and the closest houses to collapse. It even created a crack in the barrier.

The darkness engulfing the town gradually returns to the young man's body. Like a vacuum, it gets sucked in, leaving no trace behind. His wounds heal and his breathing slows down.

Looking around at the destruction caused by that thing inside him, he can't help but feel the guilt weighing on his shoulders. He can't be certain, but nobody got killed, which helped to ease his pain. Many got wounded from the blasting debris, whereas the town itself is almost in ruins.

When she sees that it's over, Malia smiles before losing consciousness. The townsfolk, who were further away, are in better condition and can stand up. The two guards run to Nox's side and help him up. Worried about Malia's condition, he shoves them off. "I'm fine. Check her out instead!"

"Y-Yes Master!"

As soon as he finishes his sentence, the guards salute him and run to the girl. Nox goes along and checks her condition, pulse, and temperature. They help him pick the girl up, since his body has some trembling after effects. He finds his balance and turns towards the ruined plaza, looking for a place they can rest.

With his head down, he goes through the citizens with the help of the guards that seem to escort him now, but that quickly ends when the people form a mob rendering them immobile, not only that but they have him stand in a daze when those around him one after the other bow before him. 'What's happening?'

['The people of this town worship the Demon Lord and his descendants!']

'S-Such a thing…'

The young man stands still, waiting for them to get up and go about their business, but it doesn't look like it'll happen soon. Even though he's thankful, he can't really accept or appreciate it enough, since the ruined picture of their town vividly stands in front of him.

He lets out a sigh and tries his best to acknowledge the townsfolk's feelings. 'Grimmy! Thanks for your help earlier!'

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['It is my job to assist you!']

'Maybe, but until my questions have answers, I don't trust you!'

His conversation with Grimmy gets interrupted when Malia opens her eyes. He has her in his arms, carrying her around, which makes her blush. A blinding light envelope and heals her. When it dissipates and she's able to move on her own, she swings her tails and smacks him in the face.

After she gets off him and lands on the ground, in an instant, before she could make another move, the guards pointed their spears at her. "How dare you…!"

Nox's eyebrows narrow, and his voice is domineering. "Back off!"

The guards froze in place and, with their trembling hands, retrieved their weapons. They looked down as they pleaded. "F-Forgive us!"

The young man approaches Malia with concern painted all over his face and extends his hand to help her up, which she gratefully accepts. "How are you feeling...?"

The girl groans when she reaches her hand. Even though her wounds have healed, the fatigue is still there, making moving around quite painful. "I've been better…"

Nox shows a subtle smile. "I can imagine...!"

The young man then let out a long sigh, looking at the destruction he unwillingly caused. His attention turns towards the streams of people flooding the streets and gathering around him, dropping to their knees as soon as they see him. The regret and ache in his heart grows stronger. "Yes, yes, thank you. Please get up!"

Amidst the sea of people, an old man gets carried to the plaza in a carriage which several servants of the Ogre race hold. "Make way!"

The Lizardman guard standing next to Nox, are growling and hissing. "Impudent!!"

The old man arrives. He gets down from his carriage and walks in front of the young man. "My name is Gor and I'm the King of Aeptian Town!"

He finishes his sentence and bows, which makes them all gasp. "My throne is yours. We pledge our allegiance to the Demon Lord!"

Nox immediately puts his hand on the old man, not allowing him to bow. "Keep your throne, King Gor, and continue the good work you are doing with the place!"

"But…"

The young man shakes his head, not allowing the old man to finish his thoughts. "I'm just a visitor and in a hurry…"

As soon as he finished his sentence, he turned to the girl standing next to him. "We better get going!"

The girl nods with an expressionless face as to not offend the king, who he simply smiles at her. He then turns to Nox and respectfully asks. "What is it that the Young Lord requires?"

Nox explains the situation to the king, why they want to buy camels and head out to the middle of the desert, hoping to find the Sand Flower for the antidote.

The king and the townsfolk alike gasped as soon as they heard about an antidote. "Does the Young Lord know how to make it?"

The young man nodded to the King's question, which made the old man jump with joy. "You see… My daughter is struggling as we speak and the doctors didn't give her much more time… If the Young Lord…!"

Nox ponders for a few minutes, but then he remembers gaining two tails from the scorpions and he only needs one per antidote. He looks at Malia, waiting for her approval, which he gets with a nod on her behalf. "I have extra materials, but what about the Sand Flower?"

Excited, the old king utters. "Not to worry, we have a garden full of them. My daughter loves them!"

Malia rejoices at the news and tears flow endlessly on her cheeks. With determination beaming off of him, Nox extends for a handshake. "Deal!"