"Phew..." I lay down on the bed after dinner, my muscles finally relaxing for the first time that day.
It had been a strange day, I thought. I already knew my father liked surprises... but this one truly caught me off guard.
Irritation and happiness — a tough mix to swallow.
And Fäste... what will it be like to wield it for the first time?
My thoughts spun like a loose wheel when the silver moonlight slipped through the window, falling directly on my face.
"Damn light..." I muttered, getting up to close the curtain.
But I regretted it the moment I approached the window.
Down in the yard of the ranch — it was there.
The same black dog from before.
It sniffed around the chopped wood, pacing silently, as if looking for something that didn't want to be found.
Thump. Thump. THUMP.
My heart pounded, faster and faster.
Carefully, I pulled the curtain slightly, leaving just a narrow gap. Enough to watch... without being seen. Or so I hoped.
Then I saw them.
"Five... six... seven..." I whispered to myself, counting.
Seven more dogs. Smaller, more agile. They followed the larger one like obedient shadows.
I remained still, in complete silence. The air grew heavier, as if the night itself was holding its breath.
And then something emerged from the thick mist of the forest.
An arm.
Wrinkled skin, long thin fingers, sharp curved nails — like claws tearing through the very fabric of reality.
My stomach turned.
Then came the legs. Or... something like legs.
Covered in dark fur, ending in hooves — grotesque goat-like limbs, disproportionate.
The muffled sound of hooves on wet ground merged with the silence like a wicked whisper.
Then the torso.
"My God..."
That was all I could think.
It had a humanoid shape, but no skin — just raw, pulsating flesh, soaked in blood that streamed thickly down to the ground.
And from its back swung a long, thin tail, with what looked like a blade at the tip — curved and cruel.
Then came the face.
Pig-like nose. Pointed ears. A pair of horns that grew upward like twisted branches.
But the worst were the eyes.
Empty.
No pupils, no light, nothing.
They weren't even looking directly at me... and still, I felt that darkness consuming me from within.
And that smile.
The same cursed smile I had seen on the dog.
A human smile, forced and unnatural — like something stitched with needles and pain.
Then I saw it completely.
The creature carried something wrapped around its waist — it looked like a whip, but its shape was strange, almost alive.
Its height was hard to guess... three? Four meters? It was huge — even more so from my perspective, since I barely reached two.
"What... is that?" I murmured, hypnotized.
I couldn't look away. The demon was sniffing the air, restless, as if searching for something very specific.
And then... it turned toward my window.
Time froze.
Before our eyes could meet, I felt something yank me backward.
It was my father.
"Da..."
He covered my mouth before the word came out.
"Shh." he said, signaling with his hand, eyes sharp. "Keep your voice down."
He removed his hand. I waited — the tension was unbearable.
"Father... what was that thing?"
He remained silent. Took a deep breath, heavy, as if the words weighed in his throat.
"It's a demon," he finally said. "A Beast-Fiend, to be exact."
"A demon...? But how did it get here? How did it get past the Frontier?"
Panic trembled in my voice.
"Calm down," he said more firmly. "It's rare, but sometimes, one slips through. This one... this one's dangerous."
I saw something in his eyes — not just concern.
Disbelief.
"Beast-Fiends aren't usually that big... something's wrong."
I knew that look.
The look of someone watching the world slip beyond their understanding.
Silence returned, thick and oppressive.
Then the pale moonlight through the cracked window projected a silhouette on the wall...
Two curved points — horns.
I swallowed hard.
Turned slowly back to the window.
And there it was.
The monster.
Empty eyes, black as a bottomless pit, stared directly at me.
And the smile... that wretched, demonically human smile — still there.
"Found... you."
The words came from its mouth in a guttural tone, like a whisper vibrating through my mind.
CRASH!
The window shattered into shards as the creature crashed through, arm extended.
The impact hurled us across the room.
We hit the far wall, wind knocked from our lungs.
"Huff... huff..." I gasped, watching the creature force its grotesque body through the window, slithering like a colossal serpent.
"Samo! Come!" my father shouted, grabbing my arms.
We dashed downstairs.
Straight to the kitchen — the door to the backyard.
"Damn it!" I heard him curse.
The iron bars.
We had used them to barricade the doors and windows... and now we were trapped.
The stairs creaked.
The creature was descending.
My heart raced.
Then I thought:
"Fäste... I need to get it."
My sword. It was in the living room. I was ready to run — but he stopped me.
"No, I'll go." my father said, determined.
Clip. Clop.
The sound of hooves.
The shadow appeared first.
Then it stepped through.
Still smiling. Still oozing that sickening presence.
It bent to pass through the doorway — and in its right hand, held my father by the neck.
"FATHER!" I screamed.
The beast hurled him at me.
We crashed through the barricaded door and landed outside.
Bark. Bark.
The dogs circled around, barking.
I couldn't move — injured. Helpless.
I watched my father unconscious at my side.
Then... darkness again.
"So..."
A voice. Familiar.
I opened my eyes.
A strange place. An endless dark void.
"You finally came to see me?" the voice said.
"Who are you?!" I screamed. My voice echoed in the nothingness.
"Who am I?" the voice laughed from all directions. "I... am... you."
From the shadows emerged a colossal, mythical creature.
The body of a dragon. Three heads — each with a different colored eye.
A hydra.
"So this is how it ends?"
Now the voice was hoarse. Grotesque.
It was the Beast-Fiend.
I returned to reality with a jolt.
My body burned. My eyes burned.
The fear... was gone.
What consumed me now — was rage.
"Still alive? Tough one," the monster mocked.
I reached for my sword. Even without training, I held it tightly.
A faint mist rose from my skin.
I turned to face him.
"What?" the creature flinched. "Those eyes... you're like me."
He pointed at me.
"Abandoned by the gods."
I saw my reflection in the blade.
Golden eyes. Slit pupils.
Like a serpent's. Burning from within.
I shut my eyes tightly.
"Trying to deny your nature, boy?"
"Let it out..."
"Aaaahhh!" I screamed, covering my eyes.
Then, driven by a savage instinct, I lunged.
Even I was surprised by my speed.
The creature couldn't react — its right arm was cut off by a wild, brutal strike.
"YOU BASTARD!" it roared, swinging a powerful punch.
I blocked by reflex — the impact threw me back, but I remained standing.
My whole body shook.
"Argh... wretched thing..." it growled, clutching the bleeding stump.
"Kill him!"
The dogs attacked. They bit my arms and legs.
I struck back — cut some — but there were too many.
I was pinned down.
The wounds burned. My blood poured.
That energy inside me — was gone.
And yet... I stood.
Facing the beast.
He drew his whip.
"You little shit..." he spat, spinning it overhead.
"I'll cut you in half."
A vortex swirled around him.
"This is it..." I thought, closing my eyes.
PHISH!
A light streaked through the air.
I opened my eyes and saw an arc of light strike the monster's other arm.
I turned toward where it came from.
Three knights.
One tall, dark-skinned, bald — wearing shining armor and a blue cape.
Two others beside him, faces hidden by helms.
"You two, help the wounded. I'll handle the demon."
"Yes, sir!" they answered in unison.
The leader ran to my father.
The other rushed the dogs — in seconds, they were gone.
"Hey, you okay?" he asked.
I nodded, collapsing to my knees.
Exhausted.
I watched the battle.
The knight and the monster clashed — swift and deadly.
Neither could hit the other.
"Tsk." the knight pulled back. "You're not just any demon."
The Beast snarled:
"You dare compare me to those pathetic minions? You face Daeva... Lord of Violence."
The name made him hesitate.
Enough time.
Daeva lunged and landed a crushing kick, flinging the knight back.
"If you hadn't caught me off guard, I'd have crushed you all and fed you to my hounds."
Then he transformed into a black dog and vanished into the woods.
The knight stood, using his sword as support.
He walked over to me.
"You held your ground well, boy."
With my last bit of strength, I asked:
"My father... is he...?"
"He's alive. He'll make it."
Relief.
And then... everything faded to black again.