Chapter 1: The Awakening
The battlefield was a cacophony of screams, clashing steel, and guttural roars. The sky burned crimson, and the air was thick with the stench of blood and smoke. Bodies littered the ground, both human and monstrous, their twisted forms illuminated by the flickering light of distant fires.
Amidst the chaos, a man lay sprawled in the dirt, his breath shallow and unsteady. He stirred, his head pounding as if it might split in two. Slowly, he opened his eyes, blinking against the suffocating heat and light.
When he sat up, confusion hit him like a tidal wave. This wasn’t the city street where he had fallen. He wasn’t lying in a pool of his own blood, staring up at flickering streetlights. No, this was something else entirely.
He turned his head, his breath catching in his throat. Armored men and women fought desperately against creatures he could barely comprehend. One soldier swung a blade at a monstrous beast with too many limbs, only to be struck down by a barbed tail. Another shouted orders, rallying a small group to form a defensive line against an advancing horde.
The creatures were grotesque—massive and otherworldly. Their limbs bent at unnatural angles, their glowing eyes filled with malice. Their shrieks pierced the air, and each step they took left deep gouges in the earth.
“What the hell…?” he whispered, his voice trembling. He scrambled back, his palms slick with mud and blood.
A horn sounded in the distance, a deep, mournful note that made the ground tremble. The fighting slowed as something massive emerged from the smoke—a shadowy figure towering over the battlefield. Its body was shrouded in darkness, its shape barely discernible save for the faint glow of seven sigils hanging from a chain around its neck.
The man froze, a cold sweat breaking out on his skin. The shadow didn’t move like the others; it loomed, its presence alone enough to drive soldiers to their knees. He could feel its gaze—or whatever it used to see—locking onto him, though it had no face.
A soldier, bloodied and limping, stumbled into view. His armor was dented, his sword slick with ichor. When he saw the man lying in the dirt, he cursed under his breath and rushed over.
“You!” the soldier barked, grabbing him by the arm. “Are you insane? Get up!”
The man stammered, his voice barely audible. “I—I don’t—where—”
“No time for questions!” the soldier interrupted. He hauled the man to his feet with surprising strength and shoved him forward. “Move, now! If you stay here, you’ll die!”
The man stumbled, his legs shaky and uncooperative. He glanced back at the shadowy figure, which had started to move, its enormous form gliding across the battlefield like a living nightmare.
“Eyes forward!” the soldier snapped, yanking him along. “There’s a shelter nearby. Keep moving!”
They weaved through the chaos, dodging fallen bodies and stray strikes from both man and monster. The man could barely process what he was seeing. A group of soldiers desperately tried to hold a narrow pass, their shields splintering under the weight of a monstrous hammer. Another man fell, screaming, as claws tore through his chest.
“Why is this happening?” the man asked, his voice trembling.
“Ask me later,” the soldier growled. He glanced over his shoulder, his expression grim. “If there is a later.”
They reached the edge of the battlefield, where a narrow path led toward a ruined structure. The building’s walls were scorched, and its roof had caved in, but soldiers were using it as a makeshift shelter. The sounds of battle dulled slightly as they approached, but the tension in the air was suffocating.
The soldier shoved the man inside and turned to leave. “Stay here,” he ordered. “Don’t move until it’s safe.”
“Wait!” the man called after him. “What’s going on? Where am I?”
The soldier paused, glancing back with a weary expression. “You’re in a nightmare, stranger. Pray you wake up before it’s too late.”
And with that, he was gone, disappearing back into the chaos.
The man leaned against the wall, his heart racing. He slid to the ground, gripping his head with trembling hands. He didn’t know where he was, how he’d gotten there, or what those things were. All he knew was that this wasn’t a nightmare.
It was real.
