Evanescence of The HeroesBeckBeck’s palms came to rest upon blond hair as he bid goodbye to his little brothers. Agni and Isa had meant the world to him. Even more so after their parents passed away, leaving Beck responsible for their lives. He never compined though; the twins made it very easy for him. Isa would get the groceries and cook for the family, while Agni would do most of the chores around the house. Beck’s job was to earn a living, as the only adult in the household – something he managed well enough – despite the wage for town guards being mediocre at best. In the end, what mattered was that it was enough. Enough for them to survive. Beck was happy to see his brothers grow up healthy, and it was enough for them to see Beck happy.

  As Beck stepped out of the small wooden house he had called home for all of his life onto the cobbled pathway, he felt the chill breeze of the spring morning invigorate him. It was going to be a good day at work. He began his usual morning rounds around the town, pnning to report to the garrison afterwards. With a pep in his step, he made it to the baker’s establishment for the survey. After exchanging pleasantries, he began the questioning. It was the same few questions every day; “Did anything suspicious happen during the night?”, “Have you seen anything unusual around the town?”, “Did the water come out clean from the well?”. There had been peace for a long time now. Long enough that Beck knew what the answers to these questions were going to be. He wondered what the point behind all this even was, but he was so close to being promoted to the guard captain that he couldn’t be zy with his duties now of all times. “Best not to overthink it.” He thought. He was going to be the youngest captain in the history of Sunstone Town. His new position would finally raise his pay to be stable enough to propose to the Baker’s daughter, Rose.

  As if summoned by his thoughts, there she was. Beautiful as always, auburn hair cascading down her shoulders like a waterfall; gleaming emerald eyes locked onto his baby blues; fair, porcein skin begging to be felt; the simple but elegant dress perfectly hugging her curves; the grace with which she walked…and everything else that Beck could endlessly think about for every moment of every day. He was madly in love with her, which, to his amazement, she reciprocated equally. A sting touch of their hands, one true love’s kiss, and sweet nothings were exchanged before the couple parted ways and Beck resumed his duties.

  Up next was the bcksmith, where he would inspect the condition of the weapons and armor and check if there were enough in reserve to arm the militia in case of emergencies. It was a fairly strict inspection, and his superiors insisted that it was ‘absolutely necessary’. The Tavern was next, where he’d ask the barkeep about suspicious guests, rumors floating around town, and deal with any drunks causing a scene. Wherever he went, he’d be greeted with smiles and ughter. Beck was beloved in the town; After all, everyone knew him as the responsible kid struggling alone to raise his siblings.

  After a while, having finished his rounds within the town, Beck inspected the town’s perimeter, surveying the various gates, the guards there, and seeing if the walls were in top condition. His best friend Samuel helped him with this part of the town survey, and they spent their time together chatting about everything and nothing at the same time. Sam had always been there for Beck – at his lowest, and highest. Beck was already pnning how he’d ask Sam to be the best man at his wedding.

  The pair arrived soon after at the garrison, in front of Commander Lilian, her red eyes boring into the two men. They were five minutes te – a grave offence for the ever diligent Lilian. Before they could protest, they were running ps around the courtyard as punishment. Then came the combat drills, and the sparring. To say Beck was skilled would be an understatement. Proficient with every weapon, with reflexes sharper than soldiers with decades more of experience, and the strength to wrestle lions to the ground, Beck was a genius. It was as if every muscle in his lean frame knew it was made for combat. Even Lilian herself used to have a hard time sparring against his relentless assault. It was a shame he was born a commoner in a remote border town; Beck would’ve made for a stelr knight.

  It had been a quiet day for the militia. The afternoon was filled with ughter, dice games, and guards taking a well-deserved break from their duties. Then, the first sign of trouble appeared. A watchman stationed on the southwestern watchtower lifted a hand to shield his eyes from the scorching afternoon sun. Something wasn’t right. The birds weren’t singing. The wind carried an unfamiliar stench. Faint. Something that smelled of charred meat and sulfur. Soon after, a wiry hunter came sprinting toward the southern gate. His face was pale. Too pale. He gasped for air, barely stopping before smming into the gate’s outer wall. “Get the commander!” he coughed. “They’re coming! South! From the Valley! Hundreds of them!” All in one breath. Laughter ensued. A few men scoffed, some rolled their eyes. A demonic horde in broad daylight? Without any prior signs? After so many years, all of a sudden? The notion was Ridiculous. “Have you been chasing shadows again, Valric?” a voice called out. “Look at me. Do I look like I’m lying?” Valric’s shaky voice was filled with something nobody could ignore.

  A shout from the watchtower broke the moment. “GET THE COMMANDER! NOW!” Guards scrambled to the walls, some grabbing their bows, while some went to get the commander. Soon, Lilian, Beck, Sam, and everyone else was on the ramparts. From atop the walls, the view of the southern valley stretched for miles. Figures moved unnaturally through the ndscape. Some lumbering, some crawling, their forms dark and twisted. Then, the wind carried a sound – the sound of countless footsteps marching, no – charging in unison. The Demons were here.

  “LIGHT THE BEACONS! TO ARMS!” The iron bell of the watchtower rang three times – the signal for a hostile force approaching. Shouts echoed through the streets as panic set in Sunstone Town. The idea of a demon invasion was still absurd to young Beck – something he struggled to process even as he was ordered to gear up and begin evacuating the vilgers. Even as he saw the look of terror on Lilian’s wrinkled face, her red hair seemingly charged with fear. Even as he ran into the town, all geared up, ready to evacuate every townsperson. His body seemed to move before his mind as he ran to the different houses, establishments, directing people to the evacuation point in the north. Lilian, in the meantime, made sure that no effort was spared in preparing the militia for the incoming battle.

  A herald was sent in the form of an owl to call for heroes. Reinforcements. Anything at all. It had been decades since the st demon invasion, but it was now up to the Militia to defend this town for as long as possible until help arrived. Beck was assigned to the back-line, to defend the lives of the townspeople. Lilian would command the front-line and hold off the demons. It was a desperate pn. The demons had magic, and magic was terrifying. They were, however, uncoordinated. A small enough invading force and it would be fine.

  With the defense now in motion at the front lines, Beck, at the evacuation point, did a quick head-count of the townspeople, just to be sure he’d gotten everyone.

  Where the hell were Isa and Agni?

  Unable to spot his brothers in the crowd, Beck, almost in a frenzy, ran back towards his home, ignoring everything else. He saw nothing, heard nothing else in his mad dash. Bursting through the door, he found Isa and Agni hugging each other under the living room table. A wave of relief flooded his body as he hugged them, kissing their foreheads affectionately.

  “Let's go. Let’s get you both out of here, okay? Everything’s going to be fine. I promise.” He assured them.

  “Okay…” Two meek voices answered.

  The trio made their way out, and upon turning his head towards the South, Beck instinctively covered Agni and Isa’s eyes. The gate in the south was crumbling, as the situation seemed dire. Demonic silhouettes appeared in his view, trails of magic visible oozing from some of them. Beck crouched down in front of his brothers, blocking the scene from their vision with his body.

  “Run to the North. Do NOT look back. No matter what you hear…no matter what you see. Keep running. I will protect you. Trust me.” He said with as much confidence as he could muster. The twins didn’t reply. They simply nodded their heads, and started dashing towards the north. Beck himself turned in the opposite direction, and took a moment to steel himself. He would fight at the front lines. He’d protect his brothers. He’d protect the love of his life. He’d fight alongside his best friend.

  The sky was bck with smoke. Splinters – the size of spears – from the gate’s shattering littered the cobblestone amidst bodies. Some whole, some not; all bloodied. By the time Beck got there, the gate was gone. Not breached, not breaking. Gone. The air was thick with the scent of blood and burning wood. A peaceful, zy afternoon had now turned into a nightmare of cw, fang, fire and steel. Demons poured in from the missing gate like a flood of death. “HOLD THE LINE, DAMN IT!” Lilian’s husky voice boomed over the chaos of the battle. Her greatsword was slick with bck blood, her armor dented from the initial csh. The town militia – what remained of them, formed up in defensive positions on her orders. They were all that stood between the demons and the town proper. Beck, and Sam prepared themselves for their stand against the infernal forces. Today they weren’t just town guards. They were soldiers. They formed a shield wall with the others, spears gripped in hands slick with sweat inside their gauntlets. Hearts hammering against their ribs, they braced for the charge.

  The impact was a nightmare. A rge four armed behemoth of a demon charged into the shield wall like a falling boulder, sending the men sprawling. Spears pierced its hide as it howled in pain, but it kept moving, grabbing a militiaman and tearing him in half. To its right, a crossbow bolt pierced another demon in its eye, leading to an enraged swipe before it colpsed. Another demon, small but fast, leapt over its fellows, nding directly in front of Beck, leaving him barely any time to react before it lunged– jagged teeth snapping inches from his face.

  Instinct took over.

  Beck thrust forward, his spear tip piercing its chest. Instead of dying, though, the creature grinned– a malicious grimace– grabbing the shaft and yanking him forward. He stumbled, barely dodging a ssh from its cws. The ground was slick with blood. Before it could attack again, a ssh cleaved its head from its shoulders. “WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING, BECK!?” Lilian bellowed, yanking him up from the ground. “GET YOUR SHIT TOGETHER!”. Beck spped himself back to reality. He couldn’t afford to blunder. The militiamen all pushed back the best they could, but the demons were faster, stronger, unrelenting– their scaled, tough bodies wearing the soldiers down. The archers on the rooftops rained down arrows, but the demons reacted by jumping onto the buildings, dragging men screaming into the streets for sughter. The left fnk was colpsing as well, with a massive horned demon swinging a fming axe, cleaving through multiple men at once. Just then, a group of the militiamen wielding firebombs managed to ignite a cluster of demons, setting them abze and gaining some ground. It was a brutal fight. Sam, Beck, Lilian and a few of the most skilled fighters were managing to hold back the onsught by sheer skill alone as the fires and destruction spread, choking the air with ash and smoke.

  Then came the real horror. The demon general entered the fray. A massive figure, striding through the ruined gate, his armor bckened steel, adorned with motifs of skulls. His eyes glowing like fire, and his gigantic sword dripping with fresh blood. He didn’t rush. He didn’t charge. The battle was already his. A single swing and the left fnk was entirely annihited. Men and demons alike were hurled back in a shower of blood and bones. Beck watched in horror as Sam and Lilian charged towards the general swinging, in a st, desperate act of defiance…and the general caught it with his bare hand – only to say something in a tongue foreign to Beck. Not long after, he watched as two skulls were shattered like gss with a single blow. They were losing. Everyone knew it. Most of the men scrambled to run away from the scene, but that was in vain too. A single flick of the general’s wrist and rays of fire chased them down, one by one. There was no escape. Beck gritted his teeth. He would not run. He would not betray his promise to his brothers. Thus, he took his stand against insurmountable odds.

  Fending off the demons was taking everything he had, even without the general attacking him. He kept taking hits, one to his leg, another to his arm. His blond hair was painted red, his pale skin marked with injuries, his consciousness threatening to leave him at every moment, yet his eyes burned with willpower. He screamed, struggled, and stumbled his way around the battlefield, every kill giving him just enough adrenaline to keep going, until the demons suddenly backed off. Their general sought a duel. Beck faced him on his shaking legs. Before he knew it, the general’s sword came crashing down on him. Perhaps with some luck, Beck managed to deflect the incoming blow, feeling relief. It was short lived. Several blows followed, faster than he could react. His bones were shattered, his blood flowed freely, his vision grew blurry. Next thing he knew, he was on his knees, waiting for his end. He couldn’t move. Not anymore. He closed his eyes as the gigantic bde entered his field of vision.

  It is said that those chosen by the gods, in their st moments can attain divine inspiration – a piece of divinity itself – to make a final, desperate stand against fate. A chance to seize victory. Evanescence, they call it.

  In a blinding fsh of radiance, everything around Beck was pushed back. He rose to his feet, almost glowing, surging with power. With divine fury. A golden shield manifested in his grasp, and his battered armor gleamed as if reforged anew. His sword was sharper than ever. The demon general paused. For the first time, looking at the sight in front of him, he hesitated. A hero had awakened.

  The general let out a frightening roar, charging forward with a swing that could have split a warhorse clean in half. Beck raised his shield. The impact was cataclysmic. A shockwave tore through the battlefield, sending rubble flying. The golden shield held, absorbing the blow as if it was nothing but a light breeze. The general snarled, striking again– faster, harder, each swing fueled by rage. Beck stood unshaken. Every attack met his shield, and every attack failed. The demons around them, once howling with triumph, now watched in terror. Their unstoppable warlord was faltering. Beck lunged forward, his shield smming into the general’s chest, striking it with such power that the bckened armor cracked and his body was sent flying through the ruins. The demons wavered, then charged. All at once, with everything they had. Their blows connected due to the sheer number of them, but magic surged around Beck as he bashed his shield upwards, sending a lightning-fueled shockwave through the battlefield, sending them flying. The general unleashed his magic onto his own sword, and charged at Beck like a battering ram, to which Beck responded with a charge of his own, with his shield in front of him. The csh rippled and crackled with magical energy, with enough power that it shattered both of their arms into dust. Beck, with his other hand, however, in a final, desperate ssh, decapitated the general, spraying unholy bck blood everywhere.

  The demons did not fight anymore. They ran. They fled, screaming in terror like vermin. The unstoppable horde now broke and scattered like leaves in the wind.

  The town was saved. The losses were great, but there were survivors in the militia, a precious few.

  Beck stood there. Unmoving. One of the men approached him. “It’s over. We won, Beck. You did it.”. He smiled. A weak smile. He looked towards the bckened sky, as rays of light pierced through the smoke.

  “I kept my promise.” He sighed. Beck had given everything. He heard footsteps approaching. The townspeople were returning. Isa and Agni took to the battlefield, seeing the figure of their brother against a bloodied, broken, backdrop. They ran to him in a frenzy, concerned tears spilling from their eyes. They hugged him. They shook him. They called out his name. They screamed his name, and then they cried some more. Then they sobbed.

  The world had seen the birth of a new hero, but the twins had just watched their brother die.

  HushedHorizons

  HushedHorizons