Chapter-8 Birth

In front of Chen Heng suddenly window popped up, and before he could react 

his, body involuntarily function for him, and Chen Heng lost consciousness

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In, a magic world

"Push! Push my lady! Push!"

it felt arduous... oppressive. Then Chen Heng felt himself being pulled out by a strong force both inside and outside.

With cold dread, he suddenly understood.

'oh crap...' 

Chen Heng realized two things the moment he emerged from the young woman's womb

first. He wasn't being born in some metropolitan hospital... they weren't even indoors

Talk about bad luck,

Two. The lives of people currently around him were in grave peril.

Talk about another bad luck,

He couldn't see or hear very clearly, but he could at least discern the urgency in their voices.

what had gone wrong?

what was amiss?

why were these people in such a hurry?

he received no answers to those questions, though

He was swaddled in the clothes of the lady who had just given birth to him and placed in some bushes.

"Don't worry, my lady. I am sure the child will be safe, he is born with the favor of God in the world. We will come back for him... but we cannot afford to lose you"

The ladies cried out to the young woman as she strained to reach for her child

she was pale and exhausted, looking like she might perish at any movement.

Yet she struggled vehemently to reach for her infant but was restrained by other ladies who assisted her in the successful delivery.

A old man in ceremonial grab suddenly arrived, his face rugged but hinting at an experienced warrior

"We must depart immediately. We cannot linger any longer."

The ladies nodded toward him.

He stepped forward, and his hands moved swiftly, striking the young woman's neck gently. All her strength vanished as she lost consciousness.

then he lifted her in his arms.

then he bent, and slowly touched the feet of the Chen Heng

"Let this world know your brightness" he spoke slowly

the soldier standing beside the man spoke

"Please, you must ensure her safety. We will safeguard the child. Do not worry, we shall shield him at the cost of our lives." the soldier vowed.

looking at the soldier, the man hummed in response, 

and with a curt nod, he took flight, disappearing into the distance.

The three soldiers, who stayed behind looked at each other with bittersweet smiles.

They turned toward the infant, their eye clearly showing reverence for him

"Child of the prophecy, one who will free the world from the clutches of evil, we will gladly surrender our lives to protect you," the one in front said

Chen Heng had some basic understanding of the language of the world

and, looking at the sudden resolve of the three soldiers, Chen Heng didn't know what to say

He could only blame his current condition on his bad luck,

"stay protected young one." the one on the side said

then, he began to mumble something, immediately the grass grew and intertwined completely enveloping the infant within their embrace. 

then three separated from where the infant was and ran toward the place where they had just come from.

They ran as far away from the baby as they could until they reached a narrow road.

Unfortunately, the movement they did, someone... or rather, something... tore through the very space before.

they froze but, there was no fear in their eyes, unable to move as the creature oozing black smoke, revealed itself.

It fully sounded in black metallic armor, the only visible area being the visor, which glinted with a malicious crimson light that flowed like traces of fire.

It dragged a large thorned sword behind it.

The Three soldiers shook with terror as the creature looked at them, as prey

It paused and tilted its head slightly. then next second, it vanished, reappearing behind them in the blink of an eye.

It swung its sword upward, inflicting a crude gash on the back of the nearest soldier.

The soldiers of the trio quickly joined their hands and began to mutter, but the creature's metal-clad hand entered one of their mouths and tore it apart.

It immediately grasped the third one by the neck, raised him, and stabbed the thorned sword into his belly, his viscera spilling forth.

The man let out a shrill scream as the dark being twisted its sword, his eyes widening and nearly popping out, even as they became void and lifeless.

The creature dropped him and turned to the next soldier whose mouth it had torn, but he was nowhere to be found.

Unfazed, it turned around to inspect the surroundings and, upon detecting a trail of blood, shot forward like a whistling arrow.

The Soldier was doing his utmost, running while clutching his torn jaw together, blood dripping between his fingers, down his throat, and onto his garment.

he was in immense agony, but he didn't stop.

he had to lead the creature as far away from the infant as he could. That was the entire essence of this plan.

His face held such determination, even though his jaw was hanging loose.

he kept running and running, but no amount could have been enough to outrun the dark knight.

It appeared before him, emerging from the wind, and swung its sword around.

With a slight sound of the crude blade slicing through the air, the man's head rolled into the embrace of the dark skies and toppled to the ground.

His headless body slowly crumbled.

The knight stood motionlessly for a few minutes. 

Then it turned its head around to inspect if any other creatures survived.

After a while, it vanished into thin air.

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Thank you for making it through the eerie depths of Chapter 8! You've braved dark hallways, creeping shadows, and characters who clearly don't understand that "don't go in there" means… don't go in there. Your courage and persistence are as admirable as your tolerance for questionable decisions in the face of doom. I owe you one (or maybe two) extra night-lights.

If your heart raced, if you had to peek over your shoulder, or if you questioned every sound in your house—mission accomplished! I can only apologize for any lingering chills. But hey, who needs peaceful nights, right?