Dark elves raided the tribe that night, they killed every life form in their way and proceeded to eat them. Once calm and wise race had now turned into blind, blood thirsty monsters. They had the same silhouette as regular elves but they were abnormally big and had  purplish hues throughout their body, like patches of  blood clots, their mouths always salivated, to taste flesh. They had fangs for teeths and  incredibly sharp nails. Dier was an understatement for this situation, It was a cursed force of nature mutated to raise hell in the land of the lithores.

***

The palace under belly was unusually lit.  Cries of a woman echoed within the tunnels of dirt and fodder. The chief along with his guards and Simha's mother were watching as Simha was chained to the wall, head down.

He was about to be beheaded in front of his mother who screamed for mercy at the chief's foot.

Uncertainty was written all over the chief's face as he held her by her shoulders. He tried to find a reason to calm her and talk her out of it, shamelessly.

"You  knew this was coming. At this rate the Elmarians will invade our lands, he must fullfill his purpose. His death will bring me victory and prosperity...US!, bring us prosperity, that is what the demon said" he justified for the brutality he's about to commit. He moved her aside and gestured to the executioner.

"This is going to work" the chief calmed himself as well.

His mother's scream amplified when  they drew their steel.

Simha on the other hand was emotionless. He didn't even bother to flinch at anything happening around him. All he thought of was  the death of his friends who were trying to transport him out of Ethenio. He was forced to watch as they bled to death in front of him.

The bell began to  ring in successions of three seconds, which is usually a matter of utmost importance. The alarming chimes of the bell reached the sewers and towns afar. Carnage and chaos all around, the painful howls of dying lithores came to an end when almost all the tribe folks of the outskirts were killed mercilessly.

The palace bell rung one last time in the distance, Ominously as the dark elves munched on the corpses. The chief ignored the emergency alarm and wanted to see the sacrifice through. His motivation and morality was defeating him as he stormed out of the tunnels leaving the Gaurds in charge.

***

An old cottage home with two openings filled with giant rolls of dry grass straws arranged vertically along the walls had people hiding in it. An old man emerged out of the front entrance with teary eyes. He gestured to the children to get out of there as he become the beit.   An elf noticed the man and growled at him. The children escaped through the oposite end.

"The bastard boy will be submitted to the demon now. All our sufferings will end" the old man shouted. He slowly began to laugh and cry at the same time as he saw his death piercing towards him.

The elf jumped on the old man and bit his head, his scull was uncomfortable to latch on to, the elf switched its biting position several time as it scratched all over his face with its fangs.  All the while the old man screamed in agony. The elf was irritated. It held the old man by his leg and whipped him and banged him on the ground until he stopped making noises. Another elf joined and began to fight for the body, they tugged the corpse and  ripped it improperly while  bloody organs rained all over in chunks.

People in hiding were discovered one by one. A woman with a babe was driven out of a flaming house, she instantly gave up and knelt down at the sight of a hungry and mad elf. A man jumped in front of her, who was eaten alive by them before he could react. The shocking sight of fatality messed with her brain. She became motion less. Tears ran down her blank face as she freed her hands. The babe fell off of her and began to cry.
A couple more elves gathered in curiousity, the one in the front picked up the babe and squeezed it within its hand while blood oozed through the finger gaps. The infant's scream instantly turned into a  high pitched squeak followed by soft snapping of bones. The creature  then opening it's fingers wide as blood settled within the palm was driven down its wrist, all the gathered elves started licking it's hand  frantically. The mother let out her finally scream while being dragged  aside and decapitated.

An hour later the emergency bell, the mages and soldiers of Ethenio arrived at the town.

"Faithful eyes of  the Gods!!! What is this?" a mage asked

The head mage got off from his horse and walked closer towards several heads of children spread across randomly on the bloody floor. The heads were of the children for whome the old man gave his life. The head mage  raised his hands and the floor Shook, the dead bodies sunk into the ground. Giving them a quick burial.  He dropped his hand and shut his eyes while remembered the kids who used to feed his horse and gave him flowers whenever he visited.

The head mage's magical projections spiked. Making the horses unstable. including the elves.

" Vasu, rescue. Every. Single. Person; and Move as far... As you can" he said while fighting the urge to cry.

The elves emerged drenched in blood,  more than a dozen joined behind,  They growled and roared literally turning into an animal on all fours.

The soldiers obayed his order by going around the back into the town to avoid getting in between the Elves and the head captain, Vasu stood alongside and unwrapped his scythe. The Head mage grew more and more vengeful as his magical protections materialized into visible light around his body, his eyes glowed a bright yellow, his veins bulged. Vasu was struggling to stand next to him as his foot hold was slipping away inch by inch.

"THEJO SEN!!!"

The head mage shouted with a double voice, accompanied by one that of a female. His spirit. The light around him became brighter and flowed upwards lifting his hair along with it, the mage was standing on his toes as the pure energy around him balanced his body, a crater formed Beneath him, with that Vasu and everything around him was blasted away.

The head mage gestured the elves to come forward with his hand.  One of them charged forward like a rabbit dog, it closed in on the mage who just pointed his index finger at it. The monster dived towards him, while he touched the forehead of the elf who remained mid air right after the contact and shrunk into nothingness...

***

Dheer moved the Book away from his face after hearing the bell. He had just settled in for the night with his book as he refused to contemplate on the happenings of the day. He removed himself from  the warm pit of  his body molded into the bed and walked to the window all the while dragging the blanket along the way with his knee, curiosity engulfed him quickly as the chimes were in three second successions. He observed for hints of unrest in the bordering Towns but failed, instead he Heard footsteps at the door of his room. He uncovered the edge of the blanket which was connecting him to the bed and moved quietly towards the door, planning the mode of attack. His speed reduced when he realised his obvious disadvantages. A rare lack of Reach and Spirit Magic. But he was motivated enough to put up a fight. He recollected the Balargh style of combat that he learnt from Ashwa and clinched his fist with the thumb finger inserted between the index and the middle finger, making the thumb stick out of his fist, he raised his heel getting ready to jump.

The door opened and a soldier in bronze armour leaned in to enter. By then Dheer's thumb was millimetres away from the the Soldier's throat.  "YOUNG LORD!!!" The soldier cried in an unmanly voice. A gust of wind followed seconds after, pushing the door further open. Dheer quickly declined from the attack.

what If I hadn't stopped? ...

"What is the meaning of this?" He asked. The soldier cleared his throat.

"You are safe"  he said awkwardly "why wouldn't I be?, What's the destress signal for?" He asked as he peeked out of the door left and right.

"I was strictly adviced to stay at your side all night"

"Wrong answer" Dheer said as he turned away from him and folded his hands.

"Pythers intruded Kesgaurd, and are currently holding children for ransom" the soldier said.

"What does those snake heads want this time?"

"You must stay in bed my prince, it's all..."

"I order you to tell me what in Wahían's name is going on"

"They want an audience with you, young master" he said after bowing.

***

Tension piled in the Borderlands of Kesgaurd. Families are seen gathered at the town center where a camp of mages and soldiers had been set up. Mothers crying for answers were  kept at bay by the foot soldiers. "Please...my son is a mute, he can't even cry for help" a woman cried from the crowd, everyone else joined and the volume increased collectively.

"Please return to your homes and stay calm, every single child will be home safe and sound. I promise in the name of  God's Eye" Ashwa said as he finally arrived at the scene. His efforts didn't succeed understandably. He entered the tent where he found a man knelt within a pool of his own blood.

The tent of red cloth was lit within by candlelight and had a log on the middle to create a cavity around. The injured man was tied to the log, unconscious. Ashwa examined him as he entered. The man had snake skin burnt into his skin around his neck like a permanent fixation using heat.

"Pythers. 50. From the iron branches" a man said while closing in on Ashwa. He also wore an armor similar to that of Ashwa's.

"Why the children?" Ashwa asked.

"Ransom...for prince Dheer" the man said.

Ashwa sighed and turned towards the entrence.

"This gornt  isn't talking, he will...i need more time" the man added

"The Airentine?" Ashwa asked.

"He followed them. Must be deep within the iron branches by now" he replied.

Ashwa walked outside and summoned his horse. The man followed him.

"The prisoner is dead Zan. Clear the crowd and stand by the prince" Ashwa said as he climbed the horse.

Zan looked at the man and then at Ashwa. He then paid his respect at his departure with a bow. Ashwa's horse sprinted into the darkness away from the town.

***

The kingdom in the sky is in chaos. Unrest. The queen twirled her dress ends around her fingers anxiously as she gazed from the upside down bedroom balcony.  She walked back inside to her bedside to take a seat. Her face frowned. Lashes restless. Her lack of involvement in her son's safety is frustrating her more than her husband had imagined.

The door opened faster and louder than usual. The king entered the room furiously. The queen didn't dare to enquire, he walked back and forth as he entered rapidly.

"14 younglings are probably dead while we have nothing on them. Not even an asset to question" he said aloud.

"What is the point of such extreme ordeals? What exactly do they want with our son" she asked half way to a sob.

The king stopped and stared at her then slowly approached.

"The very thing you've been denying all this time" he angrily whispered. She dropped onto the edge of the bed. Shocked.

"The third person to host sak'A'han. Third coming of Simha the  Annihilator of evil" He said as he walked away from her. 

"Who is also valuable as a sacrifice for wellfare" he said softly.