Flames of Desolation

Year 2248

The world around him burned, consumed by relentless flames.

The acrid smell of charred flesh stung his nostrils as he stood amidst the ashes and soot. Eight-year-old Argus, a solitary figure in an infernal sea, struggled to comprehend the devastation surrounding him.

"Why? Why is this happening?" Argus wondered, his voice barely a whisper.

The sight of the burning landscape filled him with dread, and he desperately tried to make sense of the chaos unfolding before him.

"Where is everyone? I can't hear their voices anymore."

Above, the sky transformed into a tapestry of swirling black smoke and roaring flames, casting an ominous glow over the charred landscape.

It played tricks on Argus's mind, blurring the line between reality and a nightmarish realm.

"Is this a dream? Please let it be a dream," he pleaded silently, his heart yearning for the safety of his bed. But deep down, he knew the truth—it was all too real.

The anguished screams of his family echoed in the distance, their desperate pleas for help ringing in his ears.

"Mom! Dad!" Argus cried out, his voice cracking with fear and sorrow. He strained to hear any response, but all he received was the crackling of the flames around him.

Every fiber of his being trembled with fear and disbelief as his world crumbled before his eyes.

"This can't be happening. It can't," he repeated like a mantra, desperately seeking an escape from this nightmare.

Just moments ago, he had been sharing a peaceful dinner with his mother and father, laughter and conversation filling the air. The memory felt like a distant echo, a fragment of a life that had been violently shattered.

"But why? Why did everything change so suddenly?" Argus wondered, his mind racing with questions that had no immediate answers.

In an instant, chaos had descended upon them. A torrent of incorporeal, electric-blue spears rained down on his family's estate with the intensity of a divine act, igniting everything they touched and shattering the tranquility.

Driven by desperation, his father performed an act that would have been considered magic two centuries ago, teleporting Argus halfway across the Vespr estate.

"Father," Argus whispered, his voice filled with both longing and uncertainty. "He did something... something extraordinary to save me. But where is he? Where is everyone?"

The desperate plea from his father echoed in his mind—a plea to find the underground passage hidden within the family library. "I have to find that passage," Argus thought, his heart pounding in his chest. "It's my only chance to survive."

Through blistering heat, Argus moved with urgency, his young legs carrying him forward despite overwhelming fear. The crackling of burning timber accompanied his hurried steps, a haunting soundtrack to his desperate quest for safety.

He reached the imposing metal double doors that led to the Vespr library and pushed them open, hoping to find solace or answers within. The creaking sound of the doors reverberated through the chamber, making him feel as though he was stepping into a forbidden realm.

As the doors slammed shut behind him with a resounding thud, Argus gasped for breath, his heart pounding in his chest. The abrupt silence inside the library contrasted sharply with the chaos outside, enveloping him in an eerie stillness.

Flickering flames cast dancing shadows on the walls, transforming the once serene library into an eerie and foreboding chamber.

Determined to find a lifeline amidst the chaos, Argus frantically searched each section of the library. His small hands reached out for books, manuscripts, and ancient tomes.

He ran his fingers over their worn spines, hoping to discover something—a clue, a spell, a glimmer of understanding that would allow him to escape from this devastating tragedy.

"Please, let there be something here," he whispered to himself, as if the library itself could hear his plea.

With each book he examined, he hoped to stumble upon a solution, a lifeline in the face of unimaginable darkness.

And then, among the twelfth row of books, his eyes were drawn to a single volume—a thick book titled "The Symmetry of Sacrifice."

Recognition struck him like a bolt of lightning.

"Father's grimoire," Argus said, his voice a mix of surprise and concern. "Why would it be here? He needs it!"

Argus hesitated, torn between escaping and delivering the book to his father. With a surge of determination, he snatched the grimoire from the shelf and cradled it in his arms. Its weight provided an odd comfort, a tangible connection to his father's presence in the face of unimaginable tragedy.

"If I get this to him, there might be hope," Argus thought, gripping the grimoire tightly.

Leaving the library, Argus rushed outside, eager to escape the suffocating embrace of the burning mansion. But as he stepped into the open, a horrifying sight greeted him, causing his breath to catch in his throat.

"The heads... they're... Oh no," he trailed off, his voice trembling. The gruesome scene sent waves of nausea and disbelief coursing through him. The once-picturesque grounds of the Vespr estate had turned into a nightmarish tableau of death.

The decapitated heads of his aunts, uncles, and cousins, strewn across the concrete, like macabre sprinkles on a nightmarish cupcake.

Amidst the display, he spotted his father's lifeless body, his head gruesomely separated—a haunting image that seared into Argus's young mind.

Tears welled up in his eyes, blurring his vision as he struggled to comprehend the brutality before him.

No... Father," Argus choked out, his voice barely audible amidst the chaos. He sank to his knees, the weight of grief and shock pushing him towards unconsciousness. The grimoire slipped from his grasp, falling to the ground with a thud that mirrored the fading hope in his heart. As it hit the ground, the ancient tome seemed to come alive, emitting a faint, ethereal purple glow that gently illuminated the surrounding darkness.

In that moment, little did he know that the flames consuming his world were merely the prelude to a far greater cosmic upheaval. And his journey, fueled by loss and determination, would lead him to confront ancient powers, formidable adversaries, and the ultimate truths of the universe itself.