Chapter 1 - The Broken Hope
The battlefield was silent except for the crackling of burning debris.
The sky had already been consumed by darkness. Even the sun was gone now.
All warriors moved slowly, and those who could no longer walk were carried by their companions.
One by one, the surviving warriors reached the Seal Lock, the very heart of the world's last hope.
And what they found there froze their blood.
Dravyss lay broken.
Blood had gathered beneath her body into a crimson pool. One of her wings was almost completely destroyed.
Zyphus was the first to understand.
His knees buckled.
Zyphus: "Noooooooo!"
Violet stepped forward, placing a trembling hand on his shoulder. Her eyes were already wet.
Wraith (low): "Where... is Strom?"
Nobody answered her and it made her heart started racing.
Despite all the pain, she ignored her injuries and began walking through the battlefield alone.
Step after step.
Until she finally saw him.
Near the seal, laying unconscious.
Wraith immediately dropped to her knees beside him.
Wraith: "Strom?"
No response.
She grabbed his helmet and shook him desperately.
Wraith: "Strom!"
Still nothing.
Quickly removing his helmet, she tried again.
Wraith: "Strom... please."
His eyes snapped open in seconds then...
Strom: "Did we wi..."
His voice stopped mid sentence as his eyes caught the void ahead of them.
The sky above had become an endless black vortex.
Moments later everyone slowly gathered near the seal.
The surviving warriors.
The defeated heroes.
All together.
Strom (lowered his head): "I wasn't... enough."
Zyphus: "Not your fault..."
(A pause...)
Zyphus: "...we all failed."
The remaining warriors sank to the ground because the weight of defeat crushed them.
Memories of battles, victories and laughter felt distant now.
Like they belonged to another life.
Strom (looking around): "We lost everything... Everything"
Wraith (holding his hand): "But you tried."
Strom: "It doesn't matter anymore."
Nearby, Dravyss slowly opened her eyes, and what her eyes saw was...
Broken warriors.
Broken hopes.
Broken dreams.
Her gaze finally stopped on Strom. Something inside her seemed to break.
Dravyss (breaking): "Forgive me... Strom."
Even with all those injuries, she forced herself to stand.
Blood still dripped from her shattered wing.
With a single beat of her wings, she rose into the darkened sky.
Then another.
And another.
Within seconds she disappeared beyond the horizon.
Gone.
Everyone watched in silence.
Even the Dragon Guardian had left and that makes the fear spread faster than anything.
Zyphus (shocked): "Did she just..."
Strom (shook his head): "No. She won't leave us. She'll come back. I know she will."
Astrid (voice cracking): "Really? This... this can't be real."
Sam: "Tell me it's a lie, she is fearless."
Wraith (believing him): "What's the plan, Strom?"
For the first time, he didn't have an answer.
Strom: "I... I don't know. We didn't plan for this."
Zyphus: "Then it's clear... she left us to die."
Strom: "No. No, she won't leave us to die. Not me."
Violet: "She's not some noble-hearted guardian. She's a stone-hearted dragon."
Strom (snapping): "Watch your tongue. She'll come back. She won't leave me. I'm her son."
Zyphus: "You're just a human, Strom. And she's a dragon."
Violet: "She even left you. She doesn't love anyone."
The air went still.
No one moved.
No one spoke.
Wraith (whispering): "Strom... did she really leave us to die?"
Strom stared at the horizon where Dravyss disappeared.
Strom: "I don't know."
His voice was barely above a whisper.
Strom: "But until my last breath... I won't believe this."
No one argued after that because no one had the strength anymore.
The darkness continued spreading across the sky.
Around the broken seal sat warriors, knights and heroes...
Waiting for the end.
Only Strom kept staring toward the horizon.
He didn't know if Dravyss would come back. If she still cares...
But until his final breath...
He would keep believing.
Chapter 2 - The Last Jokes
The air was heavy, like the world itself was holding its breath.
Then everything around them started changing.
Slowly...
As if the world itself was preparing for a new ruler.
The oceans went still. Their waters lost all color and turned black.
The wind felt wrong. Suffocating. Every breath carried the weight of an unseen presence pressing against the planet.
Animals began behaving strangely. Birds vanished from the skies. Forests fell silent.
It was as if every living thing already knew who was coming.
Light died little by little until there is nothing but only darkness remained.
The whole world was being consumed.
In the broken war ground:—
All of the surviving warriors sat in silence, waiting for death.
The hope of victory had died with Grimvalvor.
Some sat beside their friends.
Others sat beside the bodies of those who would never stand again.
Only Strom stood alone near the edge of the ruined battlefield, staring at the horizon.
Still waiting.
Zyphus and Violet sat far apart from one another and for the first time in years, neither knew what to say.
Than Sam finally broke the silence.
Sam: "Well... this can't be that bad, right?"
Wraith: "What?"
Sam (forced a grin): "We tried to defeat Grimvalvor and failed. So this time we'll just skip the middleman and challenge the Demon Lord himself."
Astrid: "Shut up,"
Zyphus: "But we are never gonna defeat him."
Sam (blinked): "Huh?"
Violet: "We're too small for him. He wouldn't even waste his energy fighting us."
Wraith (asking): "Then how does he kill people?"
Zyphus (takes a deep breath): "He's not like other enemies."
Everyone started listening to him carefully.
Zyphus: "He's a shadow. A cosmic one. He doesn't fight fair."
Violet (continued): "He plays with your mind first. He feeds on suffering... guilt... trauma... and fear."
Zyphus (nodded): "He won't kill you in seconds but... He'll make sure you beg for death every second."
Silence followed after that.
Even Sam couldn't think of a joke.
Astrid (finally spoke): "Heard that, Sam?"
(A pause...)
Astri: "You can't win. Now stop pretending."
Sam stared at the ground for a second then spoke again.
For once, his smile disappeared.
Sam: "If I stop joking..."
(His voice lowered)
Sam: "...then all I'll have left is thinking about how completely screwed we are."
Nobody answered.
Because everyone understands one thing now.
Sam wasn't making jokes because he was foolish...
He was making jokes because he was scared.
Astrid (deep breath): "If we're really going to die..."
She stood up and started walking forward, her sword fell to the dirt but she didn't care anymore.
Then she walked toward the Seal Lock and stared directly into the endless void that had replaced the sky.
Astri: "FUCK YOU, SON OF A BITCH DEMON LORD!"
Her voice echoed across the ruined world when no one answered except the thunder far away.
Sam (laughed): "I swear he wasn't expecting that."
A few warriors chuckled, then another joined in.
And another.
Soon curses were being thrown into the darkness from every direction.
If they couldn't defeat him...
They could at least tell him exactly what they thought of him.
Yet among all the shouting and anger, one person remained silent.
Strom.
His eyes stayed fixed on the horizon.
Deep in thought.
Because more than anyone else alive...
He carried exactly what the Demon Lord loved.
Trauma.
Guilt.
Suffering.
Fear.
Enough to feed a monster like him twice in a row.
Strom (thinking): "What if I just... don't fear him?"
And in a world where hope had already died...
There was still one stubborn 'Human' still refused to let go.
Chapter 3 - Red Eyes Above
Everything was silent, until suddenly people started gasping in fear.
Strom turned around and for a moment even he stood frozen in disbelief.
Two monstrous crimson eyes stared down from the darkness.
Below them stretched a smile so unnaturally wide that simply looking at it made people's blood run cold.
Demon Lord: "Mmm... fear. I love it."
His smile widened even more.
Demon Lord: "Every heart beat is mixed with endless fear."
No one answered.
There was nothing anyone could possibly say.
Demon Lord (casual): "I brought a little surprise with me."
Something massive suddenly fell from the darkness.
BOOM!
The impact shook the battlefield.
Dust and debris exploded into the air.
As the smoke cleared...
Everyone froze.
It was the severed head of the Guardian Dragon herself.
Dravyss.
Blood still dripped from the torn neck and her eyes remained frozen open...
As she was terrified before dying.
Demon Lord: "She tried to escape."
(A pause...)
Demon Lord: "So I freed her forever."
Silence.
Pure silence
Nobody moved, nobody blinked even breathing seems to stop this time.
Wraith's hands started trembling, gripping Strom's hand tightly but... Strom suddenly stepped forward.
His mind refused to accept what he was seeing.
Step after step.
The closer he got, the worse it felt.
When he finally reached the head, he slowly placed a hand on her scales.
Cold.
Strom (thinking): "That's wrong."
He touched the scales again then the neck and scales once more.
Strom (thinking): "Dragon blood stays warm longer."
For a second everything comes together then fear vanished.
His trembling stopped and hand slowly closed into a fist, in pure anger.
Then he placed his foot on Dravyss's jaw.
Strom: "Nice try, kid."
The battlefield went silent again but this time for a completely different reason.
Even the Demon Lord stopped smiling.
Demon Lord (impressed): "Interesting."
For a brief moment the crimson eyes vanished from the battlefield.
His vision spread across the entire world.
Cities.
Forests.
Mountains.
Oceans.
Everywhere he looked, people were afraid and shaking and he clearly loved every single second of it.
Then his gaze finally stopped on Grimvalvor.
The fallen knight still remained kneeling where he died.
His armor was torn apart with skin.
His body carried more wounds and arrows than uninjured flesh.
Yet even in death...
His hands still gripped his sword and head remained lowered in respect toward his master.
Even after everything he endure, even after death.
He completed his mission.
He kept the words of his lord.
For the first time, the Demon Lord's voice softened.
Demon Lord: "You were the most loyal servant in all universes, Grimvalvor."
(A pause...)
Demon Lord: "Take your rest now."
Silence followed.
Not even the wind dared to move.
Chapter 4 - The Crimson Rain
The Demon Lord's eyes returned to the battlefield.
Out of all the places in the world, this was his favorite because the people here actually understood what was happening.
The fear here was real.
Then his gaze stopped on Strom.
The human was sitting on the ground drawing something with a broken stone.
It was a drawing of a cockroach being crushed beneath a boot.
And an arrow pointing at the insect with the frame:— "The Ugly Demon Lord."
Demon Lord: "You think being cool is enough to defeat me, huh?"
Strom (smirking): "I'm not being cool... I was born cool."
Wraith (instantly): "...No. I don't think so."
Strom (annoyed): "Can't you just let me be cool in front of him?"
For the first time since arriving, the Demon Lord didn't answer immediately.
He simply watched.
Silent.
Calm.
Dangerously calm.
The longer he stayed silent, the more uneasy everyone became.
Wraith (uncomfortable): "What is he going to do now?"
Demon Lord: "Nothing, sweetheart. Just thinking of how I'm gonna kill that pest."
Before Wraith could react, Strom stepped forward and grabbed her hand.
Then he looked directly at the crimson eyes.
Strom: "She is mine... Go find someone else."
A few people actually laughed.
Short and Awkward.
But the joke landed properly.
Then...
BOOOOOOM!
A heavy thunderous crack shook the entire planet in seconds and all laughter vanished.
People started screamed.
Warriors grabbed their weapons.
Everyone thought it was the end and The Demon Lord...
He just simply smiled, watching everything.
Demon Lord: "I love when people fear me."
Strom: "Wanna know what happened to the last guy who loved people's fear?"
The Demon Lord didn't answer just narrowed his eyes.
Strom: "He was burned like paper."
Demon Lord (remembering): "Ah, yes... Death Stalker."
(A pause...)
Demon Lord: "My weakest servant. Forget him."
Zyphus (shocked): "Wait... so indirectly... you're the reason he woke up?"
Strom (awkward): "Ahhh... yeah. But at the time we didn't know that, so... equal points, I think."
Zyphus (eyes narrowed): "If the world wasn't about to end, I'd definitely break your neck."
(A deep breath of exhaustion...)
Zyphus: "But since we're all gonna die, just forget it."
Strom: "You really think this black shit can kill us?"
For the first time, the Demon Lord's smile disappeared.
Demon Lord (cruel): "You will see what fear truly looks like... kid."
The sky split open.
A massive crack stretched across the heavens like a wound.
Then blood began to fall.
Not drizzle.
Not drops.
A heavy rain of blood that painted rivers, mountains and skin crimson.
Across the world people froze in terror.
Children cried.
Entire cities started praying to gods.
But it wasn't the blood that terrified them.
It was the presence.
That smile.
Those eyes.
The feeling of something watching from inside your skull.
The air itself tightened around the world like reality was holding its breath.
Within minutes everything was red.
Blood on the ground, on the river, on mountain etc.
Blood everywhere...
Everywhere.
Chapter 5 - What Do You Fear?
By the time the rain finally stopped, everyone was drenched in blood.
Not because they were wounded or sick.
But because he wanted them to... This was the first step of the ritual.
Now...
The Demon Lord could touch fear itself.
Demon Lord: "Everyone fears something..."
Children:—
A small child woke up inside his room, nothing much everything here seemed normal.
Quiet & Peaceful.
Then he heard something moving beneath his bed.
Scratch...
Scratch...
Scratch...
His heart immediately started racing.
Kid: "Mom...?"
No answer.
Kid (louder): "Mom!"
Still nothing.
Gathering all his courage, he slowly leaned down and looked beneath the bed.
Nothing.
The child sighed in relief and climbed back under his blanket.
Then a pale hand slowly emerged from beneath the bed...
---
A Knight:—
A knight stood before the gates of a burning castle.
The battle was already lost.
In front of him, his king lay dying.
King (weakly): "Please... protect my queen."
The knight immediately knelt beside him.
Knight: "I swear it, my king."
The king smiled for the last time before his eyes closed forever.
The knight stood up and tightened his grip around his sword.
He had made a promise.
A promise he would never break.
Then he turned around.
And froze.
The queen was already dead, laying on the ground when a spear pierced straight through her chest.
Knight (breaking): "Nooooooo!"
---
A Mother:—
A woman walked home from the market with her two children.
Daughter: "Why didn't you buy sweets?"
Woman: "Because you've already had enough this week."
Son: "So only vegetables again?"
Woman (laughing): "Yes. Vegetables are good for you."
Then suddenly someone shoved her from behind, she fell to the ground.
The basket rolled away.
But when she looked up again...
Her children were gone.
Gone.
Then she heard screaming.
Her daughter was being dragged away by shadowy demons.
Her son lay motionless nearby when blood trickled down from his forehead.
Woman: "NO!"
She ran toward them.
But every step only made them seem farther away.
---
A Warrior:—
An old warrior sat peacefully on a cliff, watching the sunset.
Then he heard a voice.
"Why only you?"
His body froze in place because he recognized that voice.
Slowly he turned around.
All of his companions stood behind him.
The same companions who died years ago.
"Why did you survive?"
"Why not us?"
"What was our fault?"
"Why aren't you here with us?"
The old warrior's breathing became uneven.
Fear consumed him completely.
And before he even realized what he was doing...
He stepped backward and fell off from the cliff.
---
A Healer:—
The entire hall was filled with wounded warriors.
Broken bodies.
Broken spirits.
The healer entered carrying herbs, medicine, and supplies.
One by one she treated the injured.
Bandages.
Potions.
Spells.
Then one patient died.
Then another.
Then another.
And another.
Until silence filled the room.
The healer stood alone among countless corpses.
A graveyard she couldn't stop.
Then her eyes landed on a wooden table nearby.
Two bowls sat side by side.
One contained healing herbs but the one other contained poison.
Her hands slowly began to shake.
The bowl she had been using...
Was the poison.
Healer (breaking): "What have I done..."
---
Across the world, fear spread like wildfire in dry grass.
Humans.
Animals.
Birds.
Every living thing was being consumed by different nightmares.
Every living thing...
Except one place.
The battlefield.
Because the people in the Demon Lord's favorite place...
Could wait a little longer.
Chapter 6 - Where Warriors Break...
His presence returned to the crimson battlefield.
Demon Lord: "Now... let me show you what a real nightmare looks like."
The world felt wrong.
No rain.
No blood.
And not even the crimson eyes.
Just silence.
Not the peaceful kind.
The kind that makes your own heartbeat sound like thunder.
Strom blinked slowly, he was angry.
Angry enough to kill.
The dragon blood inside his veins felt hotter than ever before.
But everyone else...
They stood motionless.
Like statues.
One by one, they slipped into their nightmares.
Zyphus:—
The Diamond Knight stood in the ruins of his kingdom.
The battle was over and they had won.
At least...
That's what he thought.
He walked through the battlefield, searching for survivors.
Then he heard a familiar voice.
Violet: "Zy..."
His heart nearly stopped for a moment then he turned around.
Violet was lying on the ground.
Broken and bleeding when a war axe buried deep inside her chest.
Violet: "You promised me... You said you'd protect me."
(A pause...)
Violet: "Then why didn't you come?"
Zyphus: "Violet... what happened?"
Violet: "You left us to die..."
Her voice slowly started to fade away.
Violet: "Why didn't you save m..."
Silence.
She died before finishing the sentence.
And Zyphus had no answer.
---
Wraith:—
Wraith stood inside her kingdom when everything looked peaceful.
Happiness for all.
Wrong for her.
Then she saw herself.
A younger version of her.
The little princess walking toward the main hall.
Wraith (low): "No..."
She immediately followed.
Her feet felt heavy, too slow.
When she entered the hall, she saw the memory she hated most.
Aurora lay unconscious.
Sifen stood nearby holding his newborn daughter.
Little Wraith smiled.
Wraith (child): "Father! May I hold her?"
Sifen (cold): "No."
Wraith (real): "No. Not this time."
She sprinted forward with full speed and her sword flashed with full force.
Sifen's arm hit the floor...
Without hesitation she snatched her little sister away.
Sifen collapsed screaming in pain.
Because of that all guards immediately attacked her with weapons.
But Wraith didn't care.
This time she would save her, no matter what.
Her blade moved like a storm.
One knight.
Then another.
Then another.
Her blade didn't stop the entire hall filled with countless corpses.
Wraith: "I won't lose her again."
Then suddenly...
Someone shoved her from behind.
She fell hard.
The child slipped from her grasp.
Wraith instantly stood up.
And froze.
Her little sister lay on the cold floor and sifen stood near her, holding his massive axe.
Wraith: "STAY AWAY FROM HER!!!"
She launched forward with full speed then...
SLASH!
Sifen's head rolled across the floor when Wraith herself landed several meters away.
Wraith: "You died for me that day."
Then...
The falling axe finally landed.
Its blade dropped directly on the child, then silence shattered like broken glass.
Wraith (child version): "You failed again."
---
Astrid:—
Astrid stood in her burning village and her father was still alive this time.
Still fighting.
Astrid: "Dad!"
She immediately ran toward him.
Bruce: "Astrid! Go north."
Astrid: "Dad, we have to leave or they will kill you!"
Bruce: "We're knights."
He smiled.
Bruce: "We either live saving others or die protecti..."
Then suddenly a massive blade pierced through his chest.
Astrid (eyes wide): "DAD!!!"
She cut down the demon instantly but before she could reach her father...
Her eyes moved upward.
Toward the bell tower where a figure was walking slowly.
It's her mother, walking on the edge.
Smiling.
Too widely.
Too unnaturally.
Flora: "Bye."
Then she jumped.
---
Sam:—
Sam stood in his hometown, when demon soldiers flooded the streets.
His family was being dragged away in chains.
He immediately cast a spell but nothing happened.
No mana.
So he grabbed a sword and charged forward.
Again.
Again.
And again.
Every attempt ended the same way.
Thrown aside or pushed back.
Then a giant demon grabbed Lisa.
Sam: "NO!!!"
She screamed for him, begged for help, but that Demon just kept walking.
He started running towards her, but every time he got closer...
She became farther away, but he didn't stop, he just kept trying. Again and again.
Until a voice echoed from nowhere but...
Everywhere.
"You were never enough."
---
Natalya:—
She stood in the backyard of her home, in the quiet evening.
Then she smelled smoke and turned around and froze in terror.
The mansion, her house was burning.
Natalya (shocked): "No..."
She sprinted toward the door to try to unlock it but it was locked.
Locked from inside.
She slammed against it.
Again.
And again.
Even when her hands started burning, she tried disparately.
Then a voice came from the window.
Leo: "Sis!"
Natalya instantly reached the near window, and there he was trying to break free.
Leo stood inside.
Terrified.
Leo: "Mom isn't moving and humans are hurting dad."
His voice shook.
Leo: "I'm scared."
Natalya: "Hold on!... I'll get you out!"
She grabbed a nearby iron rod and smashed the glass.
Again.
Again.
And again.
Then suddenly a hand pulled Leo back deep in flames, when he screams for help
Natalya: "LEO!!!"
---
Thane:—
Thane stood in a crowded marketplace with his daughter.
People pushed past each other from every direction.
His Daughter: "This is boring."
Thane: "I know, sweetie. Just two more things and we're going home."
The crowd grew thicker.
Thicker.
Thicker.
Then...
The small hand in his grasp slipped away.
His smile vanished.
Thane immediately turned around.
Thane: "Sweetie?"
Nothing.
He pushed through the crowd.
Searching.
Calling.
Running.
But every face was a stranger and every road looked the same.
But still his daughter was gone.
Without a trace.
---
When the reality snapped back on the crimson battlefield...
Strom looked around.
Every warrior.
Every knight.
Every friend.
Trapped inside their own personal hell.
Even breathing felt heavy.
Then the Demon Lord's voice echoed directly inside his mind.
Demon Lord: "Everyone fears something... And now their fear belongs to me."
His laughter echoed like thunder.
Demon Lord: "Don't tell anyone what you see that makes it more fun."
Strom slowly turned around.
His eyes glowed blue, filled with pure rage.
Strom (angry): "What have you done?"
For the first time...
The Demon Lord looked shocked, the entire world was trapped inside his nightmare.
Yet one human still stood before him.
Unaffected.
Demon Lord (furious): "Why aren't you inside a nightmare?"
Strom (cold): "Not everyone falls for your pathetic mind games."
Chapter 7 - The Night of Knight
The Collapse of Reality
In an instant, the air shifted. The ground split into cracks. Everyone was yanked back into what looked like the normal world-yet the sky above was wrong.
A suffocating weight pressed over them. One by one, knees hit the ground.
Zyphus stumbled forward and immediately wrapped his arms around Violet.
Zyphus (desperate): "Don't leave me... please... please..."
He held her so tightly it was as if letting go would make her disappear.
Violet looked up at him with trembling eyes.
Violet (shaking): "No... I saw that. It's not true..."
She swallowed hard, a few tears rolled down her cheeks.
Violet: "Zyphus... am I adopted?"
For a moment, his blood ran cold, his grip loosing around her, but no answer came out.
And 'his' silence became 'her' answer.
Violet (crying): "You never told me... Why?!"
Her voice started breaking apart.
Violet: "I don't belong to your family?! Why... WHY?!"
Her sobs echoed across the battlefield while Zyphus could only stare at the ground.
Ashamed.
Broken.
From the other side came a scream.
Astrid (screaming): "WHERE'S MY MOM?!"
Astrid: "MOM!!!"
Her usual warrior strength was gone, what stood here was a child calling out for the only face left for her in this world.
Sam clutched his head with both hands.
Sam (breaking): "I failed... I couldn't save them."
His voice started trembling.
Sam: "Why am I not enough?... WHY I'M SO WEAK?"
Nearby, Thane dropped to his knees.
His hammer slipped and crashed into the dirt.
Thane (empty): "How useless I am... I couldn't even save her."
Natalya's nightmare hadn't ended.
It was just continuing, her life is her living nightmare.
Natalya (screaming increasing): "no... No...NO!"
The Demon Lord watched everything with pure satisfaction.
Demon Lord: "See, boy? You think you don't fear me."
His smile widened a little more.
Demon Lord: "But the fear of the whole world is enough to feed me."
(He continues...)
Demon Lord: "And... you will learn what a real fear truly looks like."
Strom (furious): "You brat, What have you done?"
Demon Lord: "I simply dragged them back... Back to the things they were running from."
Strom (cold): "Fight someone from your own league!!!.
Strom: "I challenge you."
(A pause...)
Strom: "You think you're powerful? But no, you're nothing... Just a giant piece of shit."
For the first time...
The Demon Lord stopped smiling.
Demon Lord (serious): "Challenging me huh?... Let's make it personal this time.
Dark energy exploded from beneath the ground.
A massive claw burst upward and wrapped around Strom's body.
He struggled but couldn't break free, then his eyes turned completely black.
---
Fear of The Dragon Knight:—
He was standing in a dark forest. The fog coiled like snakes around the trees. His spear felt heavy in his hands until it was suddenly useless.
Strom instantly recognised the place, then he tried to run away...
But a gigantic claw closed around him.
Dravyss.
She stood there... but motionless.
No expression and no emotion on her face.
Just a silent statue holding him in place.
Strom (panicking): "Mom!... Mom, what are you doing?!"
Then footsteps echoed through the forest.
A family emerged from the darkness.
A father carrying wood.
A Mother humming softly.
And a small child holding her hand.
Strom's heart nearly stopped for a moment.
He knew exactly what was about to happen.
Strom (terrified): "No... No... No... not this... PLEASE!"
He slammed his spear against Dravyss's claw.
Again.
And again.
And again.
But Nothing happened.
Strom (screaming): "MOM, PLEASE!"
Then another figure appeared from the darkness.
Darkius.
The Wizard himself.
The man who destroyed everything.
The moment Strom saw him... His spear slipped from his hand.
He had always known who killed his parents.
But this time it's going to be different...
Blinking wasn't allowed in the game of Demon lord, as the real nightmare started he was forced to watch it.
His father fought desperately.
And still Failed...
His mother held her son tightly while tears rolled down her face.
Rose (begging): "Please... Not him."
Every blow, every stab-Strom felt it. He wasn't just watching it he was living it.
Strom: "STOP! PLEASE... I CAN'T-"
And then everything went silent, then slowly the cave started turning into a house.
The old house of Darkius...
He saw himself, not current him but a version that existed years ago.
As he left the house in anger.
Then Jack emerged from the bushes, slowly stepping inside.
Strom (angry): "You worthless dragon! Leave me alone!"
Something changed after that.
Dravyss's grip loosened.
Strom instantly broke free and sprinted toward the house, without turning back.
He burst through the door.
Jack was about to slam Angela's head into the wall.
But Strom threw his spear at him.
And without even touching them... It simply passed straight through them.
Like air.
He tried to punch but... still same result.
Again. Nothing.
Again. Nothing.
He was there.
But he wasn't.
Just a witness, who can see everything but can't change anything.
His hands began trembling and eyes filled with tears.
Then suddenly he heard someone crying.
Everything around him became darkness in seconds, no house, no jack.
No Angela.
He turned back and froze because Dravyss stood there Crying.
Strom (shattered): "I'm sorry."
Dravyss: "So this is what I am to you."
Strom: "Mom... Please. I didn't mean it."
Dravyss (she lowered her head): "From a mother...
(A pause...)
Dravyss (sobbing): "... To worthless dragon."
Strom: "I'm sorry, Please... please forgive me."
But she didn't listen to him, she just lowered her head.
Then spread her wings.
Dravyss (breaking): "No one ever loved me."
With a single flap...
She disappeared into the darkness.
Crying and sobbing.
Leaving him behind.
Alone in the endless Darkness.
---
Strom suddenly woke up and coughed blood onto the ground.
His dragon blood had fought against the nightmare.
But this time...
It wasn't enough.
The Demon Lord had focused entirely on him.
After breaking the world.
He broke Strom personally.
By the time when Strom finally opened his eyes...
Everyone was still trapped in their suffering.
Everyone except one person.
Wraith.
She sat beside him.
Holding his hand.
Her head rested against his chest while she quietly cried.
Strom stared into the distance stone.
Strom (low): "They were right."
Wraith slowly looked up, confused.
Wraith: "What?"
Strom (empty eyes): "She left us... She left me."
Wraith (crying): "What are you talking about?"
Strom (breaking): "Even after all these years..."
This time his voice break from inside.
Strom: "I'm still that orphan kid outside of the cave."
Chapter 8 - When Hopes is Dying...
All around, silence wasn't silence. It was grief, shivers, and muffled sobs.
Zyphus, the fearless knight people believed in, now sat on the ground hiding his tears because the truth he had protected for years was lingering in every breath.
Violet stood nearby, her expression twisted, not from anger or fear but...
Guilt.
Because she had used venomous words against the one who had never left her side for a second. She wanted to apologize, but her body refused to move.
Fear wasn't just an emotion now. It was in the air, thick enough to choke on. The ground itself seemed to pulse with it.
Then suddenly the presence came back.
The Shadow of Endless Suffering was back.
Demon Lord: "I respect your courage, knight... You made me focus only on yourself, but I think you learned your lesson about fear."
Strom (afraid): "...How... how do you know that?"
A wide smile appeared on his face. If cruelty had a face, it would be his student.
Demon Lord: "I know everything. Every corner of your mind, every memory... every weakness. And I know..."
His smile stretched even more.
Demon Lord: "Your precious Dragon Mother won't be coming back to save you... Ha ha ha."
That laugh didn't just echo. It crawled into everyone's chest and settled there like ice. Even the strongest among them couldn't stop the flicker of fear in their eyes.
He spread his arms wide as if embracing the earth itself.
Demon Lord: "This is what I love... When no one dares to meet my gaze. When every hope dies."
The earth itself seemed to hold its breath. Everywhere those burning red eyes turned, people looked away.
Demon Lord: "After centuries, this universe finally gave me what I wanted... Strong, afraid people."
The sky bled darker. Clouds twisted like writhing creatures. The air grew heavy as if the world itself was being swallowed.
Demon Lord: "And you, knight... I'll kill you last. Your punishment is to watch everyone die before you do."
Strom didn't argue. He had nothing left to say now.
He simply walked away with his head lowered, then sat on a rock. His hands locked around the jewel hanging from his neck.
The Pendant of Dragon Aura.
His grip tightened around the gem. Then his arm flicked slightly, but the force was enough to break the chain.
Then he placed the pendant on the rock...
And accepted his fate.
And then...
Real chaos started.
Cities crumbled in the distance. Towers split apart. The ground tore open in jagged lines, swallowing forests and villages alike.
People all over the world collapsed, fainting, shaking, their minds breaking under the weight of despair.
Natalya's body went limp.
Sam's head hung as he fell unconscious.
Violet staggered before her knees buckled, but Zyphus caught her, pulling her into his arms.
Zyphus: "It doesn't matter who you belong to, you are always my sist..."
He fainted mid-sentence.
One by one, everyone dropped to the ground unconscious.
Everyone except one.
Except Strom.
Because the Demon Lord wanted him to witness everything.
Strom (low): "The end is here."
The Demon Lord wasn't a weird looking monster. He was simply a Shadow of Unbearable Pain with a humanoid body and a massive tail.
His arms spread wide as he embraced the earth before tearing it apart, his own way of saying goodbye.
But then...
A blinding golden rift split open at the far edge of the solar system.
The brightness was so intense it felt like another sun had appeared.
From within the portal, a thunderous voice shook the void.
?: "Stay away... bitch."
Strom instantly recognized the voice, he turned toward the sky and there he saw...
A small golden light piercing through the endless darkness.
A ray of hope.
It was the Guardians.
Dravyss, in her full war armor, holding her Divine Spear, charged straight toward the cosmic shadow.
Behind her, more titans emerged.
The Dragon Council.
The strongest of their kind.
The Demon Lord: "So... the babysitter came back."
Dravyss didn't respond with words but struck first.
No one answered with words this time.
Instead, violence spoke.
Vythorn, the Flame Tyrant, blasted cosmic flames at him.
Seryth, the Storm Bringer, unleashed a spiral of heavenly cyclones.
Dravyss drove her spear straight into his chest until the blade came out from the other side.
Drassa, her sister, launched a blazing psychic spell. The blast shook the galaxy as everything turned purple for a second.
More Guardian Knights attacked him without hesitation.
All guards wielded celestial and divine weapons with armor forged by the gods themselves.
And all Guardians stood in their Titan Forms, each one with a massive ten-thousand-foot body and fury burning in their eyes.
Dravyss: "You've already enjoyed your little freedom! Now crawl back into your hole."
The Dragon Council cast a spell that chained him, burning his flesh with celestial holy energy.
His body was locked in place and all the dragons stood in a circle around the helpless shadow.
Vythorn landed a powerful punch on the Demon Lord's face, the impact so brutal even the galaxy trembled.
Vythorn (angry): "You shouldn't have come back."
Chapter 9_ Not Again...
As the Demon Lord was chained, his influence over the earth began to fade.
The endless void slowly disappeared and sunlight touched the ground once more.
The crushing weight in the air and the feeling of unease gradually faded away.
People began to regain consciousness. There was no longer a presence hunting them through their own minds.
One by one, they woke up.
Zyphus opened his eyes while still holding Violet's hand.
Wraith slowly woke, breathing heavily.
Across the world, people were finally free from his trap of nightmares and endless suffering.
Seryth: "Now go back where you belong..."
The Demon Lord stood there with his body bound by chains, weapons buried deep into his flesh, and his head lowered.
Vythorn gripped the chains and tried to drag him forward, but...
He didn't move and it's not because he was too heavy.
He simply refused to move.
Drassa stepped forward and grabbed his head.
The moment she saw his face, her eyes widened in terror.
And she wasn't the only one.
Everyone nearby suddenly felt uneasy.
Because.
He was smiling...
Demon Lord: "No... Not again."
A massive burst of dark energy exploded outward and after that everyone around him was thrown aside.
The spell missed no one.
It struck everyone at the same time and forced them back into their normal size.
And then...
His smile stretched even wider.
He ripped Dravyss's Divine Spear out of his chest and snapped its handle with his bare hands.
The effects of the Suppression Spell still remained.
No one could transform again.
All dragons were trapped in their normal forms, ranging between 250 to 500 feet tall.
And thus began the so-called war of...
"Not Again."
The Demon Lord moved first.
He grabbed Dravyss and slammed her into the earth near the Seal of Eternity.
Not an incident but for a purpose, a message for Strom.
A reminder of how fragile hope truly was.
One final punch landed and Dravyss didn't move again.
Vythorn tried to burn him alive and completely failed, but Demon Lord didn't forget who had punched him earlier.
So he repaid the favor.
By ripping one of Vythorn's wings straight from his body.
Vythorn crashed to the ground screaming in agony.
Seryth was thrown all the way into the asteroid belt surrounding Earth's orbit and smashed headfirst into a massive rock.
Drassa tried to cast another spell, but before she could finish, a Guardian Knight came crashing down onto her.
Both slammed into the ground.
Their wings are broken and bodies tremble in pain.
The Council Dragons were thrown across galaxies like toys and crashed into distant planets with devastating force.
The Guardian Knights continued fighting, but they were still overpowered with ease.
They weren't losing because they were weak.
They were losing because the Demon Lord adapted to everything.
He understood that size and wings were among their greatest advantages.
So why not take them away?
Demon Lord: "I'm not that old Shadow who was captured so easily..."
For a moment, everything went silent.
Then his voice echoed across the galaxy.
Demon Lord: "This is my rebirth as the real Lord."
(A pause...)
Demon Lord: "THE DEMON LORD."
Chapter 10 - 1v1
Now it felt like destroying hope was the Demon Lord's favorite hobby.
He was winning clearly, and if he didn't end the fight in a single second, then it simply meant he was enjoying it.
Some Guardian Knights were still fighting him, but all the strongest warriors were already down.
Drassa wanted to stand, but every time she tried, her eyes filled with tears of pain.
Her ribs were broken.
The knight who had fallen beside her tried to help her. Both of them were completely battered, yet neither of them stopped trying.
Dravyss lay unconscious in the distance.
Not a small distance.
A massive one.
From the battlefield, everyone watched hope die slowly as dragons fell one by one.
Astrid: "They should leave and save themselves."
Thane: "No one can defeat him."
Strom wasn't watching the fight anymore.
He stood completely still, like a statue, his eyes locked on Dravyss only.
When her tail moved slightly than his breathing returned.
He immediately started looking around in panic, searching for something.
Sam: "Strom, what are you doing?"
He didn't answer but finally found it.
The pendant lying on the rock.
He grabbed it and immediately started running toward her.
Even though his body hadn't recovered, he still believed in his guardian.
Wraith: "Where are you going?"
Strom: "She needs her stone."
He ran with everything he had left.
But slowly, more dragons fell.
From where he stood, Dravyss looked like a distant mountain.
Still he runs, he pushed his body to its limit.
Then suddenly his body stopped for a second.
His vision darkened completely and heartbeat vanished for a moment.
He collapsed hard onto the ground.
A second later he regained consciousness and started forcing himself up and started running again.
His body was giving up, but his mind kept replaying one sentence.
"Worthless Dragon."
Even if it had only been a nightmare.
Even if the Demon Lord had manipulated everything.
He still believed he had hurt her.
And again his body failed, this time lungs stopped working properly.
Then legs stumbled, and he crashed.
His face slammed against the rocks.
For a moment of silence then he started crawling because he refused to stop.
Strom: "She is my... life."
Meanwhile, Vythorn was flying again, but only because Seryth was helping him.
The two brothers flew together and somehow still managed to land blows.
Flames and storms struck together.
Even after losing one wing, Vythorn never stopped punching him.
Those who still had the strength to fight never stopped attacking.
The Council Dragons cast spells from a safe distance.
Demon Lord: "Afraid of me?"
But the Council Dragons were only strongest when they combined their power together.
And because nobody believed the Demon Lord would become this strong, not every Council member had come.
Strom had already crossed a massive distance and now his strength has faded completely.
He was just a human body reaching its limit.
One hand still held the pendant.
The last thing he had left.
He crawled.
Forward.
Forward.
Forward.
Then stopped...
He collapsed in the distance,
Close enough to see her but...
Far enough that he couldn't reach her.
And finally...
The struggle ended with him.
The Demon Lord was clearly enjoying every moment.
He had waited hundreds of thousands of years for revenge and he wasn't about to let it go.
Meanwhile, Dravyss slowly opened her eyes to gain Consciousness little by little.
She looked around and everything was breaking apart.
Everyone was dying slowly.
Then her gaze stopped on a body several kilometers away.
One hand still held her stone.
Strom.
But he wasn't moving anymore.
Then her eyes noticed the blood around him and the trail he had crawled all the way toward her.
Tears filled her eyes as realization struck.
Just because she needed help...
He had nearly killed himself trying to reach her.
Her gaze shifted toward her arm.
The broken gauntlet had shattered, and pieces of metal were buried deep inside her scales.
Slowly, she tore the remaining armor apart.
Then pulled every piece out.
Blood flowed from her wounds like water from a river.
Dravyss: "Give me strength... Mother Goddess."
She didn't walk toward her stone but...
Straight toward the Cosmic Shadow.
Slowly.
Weakly.
Yet still willing to fight.
The remaining dragons stared in shock as they saw her walking towards death once again.
Young Guardian Knight (shocked): "How is she still standing?"
Drassa: "You forgot?"
Guardian Knight: "Forgot what?"
Drassa: "She is called the Daughter of War Goddess."
Meanwhile, the Demon Lord threw Vythorn directly into Seryth.
Both brothers crashed into a field of asteroids, impact so brutal even asteroids shattered.
Yet instead of begging for mercy...
They both started laughing.
The Demon Lord paused in Confusion.
Demon Lord (furious): "Why are you laughing?"
Seryth: "Look behind you, fool."
He barely had time to turn before a massive claw wrapped around his throat tightly.
Dravyss.
What stood there was Dravyss in her colossal form.
Fifteen thousand feet tall.
She didn't speak but fist did.
A jaw-shattering punch slammed into his face.
Then another.
Then another.
But The Demon Lord didn't hold back either.
His claws tore into her flesh.
Ripping away pieces of her armor.
This battle was different this time...
Brutal.
Dravyss was simply too angry to be stopped.
Her claws grabbed his jaw and smashed his head into her knee.
Then came punch after punch directly into his face until her knuckles were covered with black blood.
The Demon Lord's tail wrapped around her arm.
He ripped away half her armor and nearly tore out the chest stone itself.
But a devastating uppercut staggered him.
Dravyss seized his head and started dragging him towards the Seal of Eternity.
The Demon Lord resisted but she pulled harder.
All he could do was struggle.
Because her strength was overwhelming him completely.
One final pull brought him close enough, So instead of dragging him again...
She shoved him forward then crushed him with a planet-breaking punch.
His body slammed directly into the mouth of the seal.
Forcing him back inside.
He tried to push her away.
But another punch smashed directly into his face this time.
The Council Dragons immediately cast their spells.
A powerful force began dragging the Demon Lord deeper into the seal.
For the first time...
The Demon Lord was losing.
Demon Lord: "This won't end like this... I'll come back again."
Dravyss (cold): "Dare to come back again."
Then one final punch with full force straight on his face.
And the seal closed....
The Aftermath:—
The battlefield was quiet.
The sky, once torn apart by fire and claws, now rested beneath a pale golden glow.
The great dragons circled slowly above the ruined land, watching humans and Earth rebuild from centuries of scars.
For the first time in ages... peace felt real.
Dravyss glided down to where Drassa was lying, her colossal form shrinking to her hundred-foot Guardian size.
Dravyss: "Drassa? Are you okay?"
Drassa was still lying on the ground and didn't even try to stand up again.
Drassa: "Yeah. I'm fine. 👍"
Dravyss: "I don't think So!"
She helped her walk again with another knight supporting her from the other side.
Because Vythorn would never be able to fly again, his brother Seryth helped him move.
Strom finally woke up. His body was weak, but seeing the soft glow of the sun felt like heaven.
He stood up and took a deep breath of peace.
The Dragon Council opened the portal again, and everyone slowly walked through it. They had won, but victory came with sacrifice.
All the dragons vanished until only two were left behind.
Strom was slowly walking toward them, but his legs stopped like he was stunned for a second.
He realized that if he met her before she left, she wouldn't go.
And if she stayed, he might actually hurt her feelings.
So he slowly turned back and ran away.
Meanwhile, in front of the golden portal...
Dravyss: "You go."
Drassa: "You aren't coming?"
Dravyss: "No. I can't leave this place."
Drassa: "Come on, we actually won. And the human you mentioned, the one who has your stone, can protect them. Let's go home."
Dravyss (narrowing eyes): "And why do you think Strom alone can protect them?"
Drassa: "He kept him busy until we arrived. As a mortal, he's actually a hero."
Dravyss: "Sorry, but I still can't come with you."
Drassa: "We're still sisters, right?"
Dravyss: "Yes. No doubt."
Drassa: "Then come with me."
She extended her hand toward her, but Dravyss didn't take it.
Instead, she looked back at the ruined world and the little broken people who had survived hell.
Dravyss: "You know... all heroes need a place where they can call it home."
She knew that if she left, Strom would be alone again.
Forever.
Drassa (defeated by words): "Okay. Your choice."
Then she smiled.
Drassa: "Just say hi to him. At least I'm his crazy aunt."
Then she left, and the portal slowly closed behind her.
Almost like it already knew Dravyss wouldn't enter.
Then she flew toward the remaining survivors.
And there she saw everyone.
Except him.
Except Strom.
Dravyss (asking): "Where is my son?"
But nobody had an answer, only an awkward silence replied.
Dravyss: "Fine. I'll find him."
She followed the pull of her stone, only to find it lying on the ground beside his blood.
Dravyss (worried): "Where are you, Strom?"
She flew high and searched everywhere.
Later, she finally found him sitting beside a river stained red from the blood rain.
He was throwing rocks into the water. Tears fell from his eyes, but his heart was calm.
For him...
She was already in a better place, for him if he doesn't exist then it's already a better place.
Dravyss landed softly.
So softly that he never heard her.
Dravyss: "I'm still here, boy."
Strom instantly turned when he heard her voice.
And she was really there.
He didn't waste a second and ran forward then wrapped his arms tightly around her chest.
Strom (tears falling): "I thought you would leave me."
Dravyss: "Leaving you would be worse than death, son."
Back on the battlefield...
All the warriors sat quietly because survival didn't feel real.
It felt like a dream.
A good dream...
Natalya and Thane sat together until she finally broke the silence.
Natalya (low): "Don't cry. You look ugly when you cry."
Thane (wiping tears): "You talk like you look cute."
Natalya (still crying): "Maybe."
Meanwhile, near a large rock, three people sat together.
Sam.
Astrid.
And Wraith.
Astrid: "What did you see, Wraith?"
She didn't answer immediately.
But when she finally spoke...
Wraith (hollow voice): "Nothing."
Astrid: "Wraith."
This time the tears wouldn't stop.
She tried to hide them but completely failed.
Wraith (crying): "I failed her... My little sister died."
They both listened to her cry and there were no words they could say.
But Astrid knew one trick, she pulled her in a tight hug.
So much love that her ribs cracked softly.
Astrid: "Don't worry... You have a big sis now."
Then Sam also joined them.
Sam: "You know big brother applications are free."
On the other side, Violet sat quietly lost in thought, looking at the horizon.
Zyphus was walking toward her, planning to leave for home.
But halfway there he remembered that she knew the truth now...
Suddenly he couldn't walk forward anymore.
He felt like a stranger.
Like he had already lost the right to call himself her brother.
So he turned and started walking away.
But...
Violet: "Zy."
His steps stopped.
He barely managed to turn around before she wrapped her arms around him.
Violet: "I'm sorry."
Zyphus: "It's okay. I hurt you more..."
His voice softened a little.
Zyphus: "Forgive me, if possible."
Violet: "Big brothers don't say sorry... Remember?"
After that peace slowly began spreading again.
Real peace.
The whole world breathed freely once more, it feels like Earth again.
The Demon Lord might have been defeated this time.
But for once...
He truly succeeded in turning this place into a living hell.
And he would do it again...
If he ever got the chance.