Aiden stood in the center of a burning village, staring in shock as terrified villagers fled.
'What am I doing here? What is this place?' Aiden thought, overwhelmed and exhausted for reasons he couldn't grasp.
"Aiden! Let's play!"
'Lyra?' Aiden thought, turning to see his friend.
But it wasn't Lyra he faced. Instead, a taller woman with long black hair stood before him, her elegant figure accentuated by a flowing dress.
Her face, however, was obscured by a veil of smoke.
"Aiden… what are you doing here?"
Her voice stirred a wave of melancholic emotions in Aiden, drowning him in suffocating nostalgia.
"Aiden… run."
The surrounding flames encircled the woman, then engulfed her body.
Acting on instinct, Aiden rushed toward her, desperate to save her.
"Run… run, Aiden…"
. . .
Aiden jolted awake in the middle of the night, shaken by the nightmare he couldn't immediately make sense of.
Before he could dwell on it, a sudden ashy smell startled him.
'Is something burning?' Aiden thought, climbing out of bed to investigate.
The living room was silent, Lyra and Zetra still asleep in their room, and the smell didn't seem to come from inside the house.
Aiden stepped outside, scanning the village.
'Did someone's fire get out of control?' he thought as he walked. 'Doesn't look like anyone's awake at this hour.'
The smell grew stronger with each step, and Aiden's senses snapped to high alert.
'Wait… this smell… I know it.'
"HELP!"
A woman's terrified scream confirmed Aiden's fears, and he sprinted toward the sound.
Seconds later, he saw a young girl running down the street in panic, crying for help and rousing other neighbors.
"What is that?!" a neighbor shouted, pointing at a house.
Aiden followed their gaze and froze. The house was engulfed in raging flames, far too intense to be natural.
'This isn't normal fire,' Aiden thought, steeling himself and marching toward the blaze.
From the flames emerged a wolf-like figure with sharp, silver fangs and gray fur wreathed in fire.
"A DEMON!"
"RUN!"
Other neighbors screamed, realizing their homes weren't safe, and fled into the distance to escape the beast.
The demon's orange eyes locked onto Aiden.
"I don't like hurting animals, but I'd rather do that than become your dinner."
Dropping into a fighting stance, ready for the beast's attack, Aiden reached into his pocket and, with a confident smirk, gripped the small crystal orb tightly.
Nothing happened.
'What the hell? Why isn't it working? Why won't my magic activate?'
Before Aiden could find answers, the demon lunged, jaws snapping for him.
Aiden slid beneath it, dodging the bite. The demon, drooling molten lava, readied a second charge. Though his magic wasn't working, Aiden had no intention of going down without a fight.
But before the demon could strike, an arrow embedded itself in the ground between them, diverting the wolf's attention.
"Hey, demon! Come get me!"
Aiden turned to the voice—a man with brown hair and eyes, athletic build, and light clothing. A sword hung at his hip, and he wielded a bow, ready to fire more arrows.
The demon, locking onto its new target, charged with intent to devour. The stranger kept firing arrows, but they bounced off the wolf's hide harmlessly.
"Damn monster!" the man shouted, recognizing his arrows' futility and reaching for his sword.
But the demon was faster, unleashing a massive fireball that forced the man to dive aside, dropping his sword.
"Aiden! You okay?" Lyra and Zetra called in unison, rushing to his side, their faces filled with worry.
"Yeah, I'm fine."
"Where'd that demon come from?" Zetra asked.
"No idea, but now's not the time for questions. I need to help that guy, or he's dead."
Zetra and Lyra looked at the unfolding fight, terror seizing their faces.
"Luan, run! That demon's too dangerous!" Zetra shouted.
"You know him?" Aiden asked.
"He's… he's our brother," Lyra said.
That revelation, paired with the fear on Lyra's face, gave Aiden the final surge of determination he needed.
Aiden sprinted to the fallen sword and, without hesitation, picked it up.
It had been a long time since he'd wielded a sword, and it took him a moment to adjust to its weight.
"Hey, demon! Attack me—I bet my blood's delicious!"
The wolf abandoned its pursuit of Luan, fixing its furious orange eyes on Aiden.
Spewing even more lava from its maw, it charged at Aiden, who had no intention of becoming demon food.