Writing prompt from "Of Monsters and Us" (Wattpad Fantasy, 2021): " The land has been ravaged by disease and famine. Creatures who were once thought to be extinct or imaginary have risen from the shadows, and the humans are now the prey. Write your creative telling of either side - the monster hunting the humans or a hero who emerges victorious against their attacker."

Story word count = 995

"Generations ago, the Magic came, promising peace and prosperity. But ultimately, all it delivered was suffering and desolation. Why? Because power corrupts men. It always has and it always will." I explained this to the auburn-haired little girl who clutched my hand as we trudged along the forested trail.

"The Magic did not deliver the evils of the world, for they already existed, but rather amplified them. How much more dangerous was a mage than a mere man? How much worse became entitlement without limits?" She gazed up at me with widened green eyes, still too innocent to understand. Soon enough, she would.

"The most powerful mages became warlords, carving lands into kingdoms, and civilization devolved into feudalism. In their thirst for power, they fought endlessly among themselves, and the people suffered." The little girl nodded as if she understood.

I continued the history lesson that my audience did not comprehend. "The mages cast dark spells on each other's realms, poisoning lands and waters. Was it any wonder that famine and disease spread? Cruel imaginations gave rise to ancient mythical monsters. Again, the people suffered. Eventually, these terrible beasts escaped the control of their creators and wandered the countryside with a hunger for flesh, especially human. To end them, little one, that is my holy quest, a burden thrust upon me."

Monsters ravaged the tiny village once her home, killing everyone but somehow sparing her. I did not know her name, she would not speak it, nor any words at all.

I sighed. "Long gone are the mages. Those that did not die at the hands of others now roam the lands as monsters themselves. The Magic took a terrible toll, eating away their humanity and transforming them into mindless beings, existing but to consume blood and soul. It would be well if you never meet one, my little girl."

Normally, a person would be foolish to venture into a dark forest such as this, where sprawling limbs and rocky hollows hid all sorts of vile creatures. But I was not afraid, for I bore the anti-magic.

As sure as my quest, a rustling of the underbrush revealed a monster. The massive lizard stalked, low and lethal. Dark overlapping scales shimmered with each movement as curved black talons punctured the forest floor. Phlegm dripped off the fangs that lined its mouth, each like a wet dagger. Blazing red eyes like the fires of hell regarded us, but it was the faint gurgling growl that sent a shiver down my spine. Through my inner eye, I saw the magical aura that burned within an empty soul.

"Fear not, little one." I wrapped a protective arm around her shoulder as she trembled behind my legs. "I have defeated many such beasts."

The ancient texts hinted of the Magic's bane, of a null force that consumed enchantment and banished spells. Scholars scoffed at this as idealistic ramblings, more so an idle wish than truth. Yet, here I am.

Raising my arms, I allowed the Null to come forth. It hungered for Magic like the monsters hungered for flesh. The black tendrils swirled out in angry turbulence, eager for the kill. As the monster leaped, so did the Null, wrapping the beast in constricting coils, and predator became prey. Mournful howls pierced the forest quiet as the Null feasted. From earth the monster came, to earth it returned.

I took back the Null, tucking it safely into the far reaches of my soul. The contentment of one less monster in the world should have sated me, but something else was wrong, something close, something magical. I did not see the creature nor hear it, rather sensed its blinding aura coming at me. Diving to the side, I pulled the girl down to safety in the brush with me. Long dark claws in place of hands shredded my cloak as they flashed by.

I jumped up and drew an obsidian knife to face the foul mage, urging the little girl to stay behind me. Dark abyss eyes stared back. The mage stood upright like a man, but was no longer human. The few lucky enough to survive an encounter had not fully conveyed its grotesqueness. Although lanky and twisted, it paced about with the fluidity of a panther. The skin not covered with coarse brown hair had the pale color of death. It hissed, revealing jagged teeth.

With such concentrated Magic, the Null would not remain contained, and it burst out in a cloud of churning rage. Fingers of blackness attacked the mage like striking vipers. In response, jagged blue-white bolts erupted from the mage's claws, burning away at its attacker. Moving at the speed of lightning, the mage darted away, disappearing among the trees.

Before I could react, it was on me, pinning me to the ground on my back. A swipe knocked away my knife. With a single razor-sharp claw, the mage drew a thin line of blood from my cheek, then lapped at it up with a long rough tongue. It raised a clawed hand to deliver the killing blow, but before it could, a swirling column of the Null struck, rolling the monster across the ground.

But the Null came not from me, rather from the girl.

Regrouped, my own Null joined the fight, twining a thousand black strands around the writhing mage like a spider's web around a fly. A blazing ball of Magic burst out from the body and the Null fed on the gluttonous feast until there was no more. It was over.

We embraced each other, the girl and I, and new hope blossomed within me. As an old man, I knew that my quest would require more than one lifetime. Praise be to the Creator who heard my prayers and led me to her!

"I need to give you a name." As I brushed the hair from her eyes, a thought came. "It shall be what you offer, little one. Hope."