The air hung thick with the stench of decay and the metallic tang of blood. A perpetual twilight shrouded the desolate landscape – the closed zone, a zone deliberately sealed off from the world, a dumping ground for the horrors no one wanted to remember.
It was a place of eternal twilight, where the sun never shone, and life, as Julius knew it, had ceased to exist. Now, it was soon to be their graveyard and he was utterly, irrevocably, out of his depth.
Just a week ago, Julius was hunched over textbooks, cramming for a mid-term he'd inevitably fail. Now, he was crouched behind Kaelan, a warrior whose very name seemed to radiate light in this oppressive darkness, the echo of monstrous roars and the sickening thud of steel meeting flesh the soundtrack to his new, terrifying reality.
"It's a breach." Kaelan groaned, his face contorting into a mess of frustration.
The breach. That's what they called it. A sudden, inexplicable surge of monstrous entities pouring from the abyssal depths of the other side, flooding the already ravaged land with a tide of teeth, claw, and unholy hunger. The two heroes had tried to fight alongside Kaelen but they proved to be too weak.
They had fallen.
"Huh?" Julius expected them to put up more of a fight. He was used to Kaelen being a pure freak of nature. I guess background characters will be-. Wait they're actually dead?
Julius heard a loud roar from the sky. He looked up in horror. Dark Dragons, creatures of nightmare whispered about in fearful legends, had descended from the poisoned sky, unleashing torrents of inferno that melted flesh and stone alike.
Julius had witnessed it, the sickening ballet of destruction, the screams of the two heroes who where now lost in the wind.
Now, only Kaelan remained.
Julius felt a weight on his shoulders, as if the grim reaper was standing behind him.
"I-I can't die here..." Julius stammered, wondering if this really was how it would all end.
Kaelan, with his golden hair hair perpetually tousled, his jaw set in a grim line, his eyes burning with a fierce, defiant light. Kaelan, who had taken Julius, a transmigrated student with zero combat experience and overwhelming anxiety, under his wing. Kaelan, the last bastion of Julius' hope. Kaelan was all Julius could have faith in.
"Stay behind me, Julius!" Kaelan's voice, usually warm and reassuring, was strained, taut with exertion. He was a whirlwind of motion, his blessed sword a beacon in the gloom, cleaving through the grotesque forms of the monsters that swarmed them.
Cadaverous hounds with eyes like burning coals, hulking brutes with limbs grafted from unidentifiable creatures, and shadowy figures that seemed to slither through the very air, all fell before his righteous fury.
Julius squeezed his eyes shut, bile rising in his throat. The sight of the carnage was unbearable. Limbs were severed, ichor splattered, and the air reeked of blood and something ancient and corrupted.
Everything was just... "Death." Julius felt choked out, this scene was overwhelming, almost sinking his mind into the abyss.
The world he knew, the Earth he loved, the world of comfort and predictability, was a distant memory, a dream fading with each agonizing second.
He was useless. Utterly, appallingly useless. He huddled behind Kaelan, a pathetic shadow against the warrior's radiant form, feeling the vibrations of each blow, hearing the sickening sounds of destruction, and wishing, with every fiber of his being, that he could wake up.
"Holy Aegis!" Kaelan roared, his voice resonating with power. A shimmering shield of golden light erupted around them, deflecting a wave of snapping jaws and clawing limbs. The monsters recoiled, hissing and spitting in frustration, but the shield wouldn't hold forever.
"Kaelan…" Julius choked, his voice barely a whisper. "Is this the end?"
"Focus, Julius!" Kaelan snapped, never faltering in his defense. "Just breathe. Think of something… anything else. This place is made to break your mind, don't succumb to it."
He was right. Julius was on the verge of a complete mental breakdown. He desperately clung to the fleeting solice offered by Kaelan's words. The sanity draining qualities of the other side were digging deep into his skin.
He opened his eyes slightly, just enough to see Kaelan's face. It was etched with worry, but beneath the concern, Julius saw a steely resolve, a determination that burned brighter than any darkness.
"Holy Rend!" Kaelan launched himself forward, his sword a blur. He moved with impossible speed and precision, a dance of death that left a trail of dismembered bodies in his wake. Each strike was infused with holy power, searing the flesh of the monsters and causing them to shriek in agony.
But they kept coming. Endless waves of them, driven by a primal hunger, a mindless devotion to destruction. The Grey Side seemed to be teeming with them, a bottomless well of monstrosities.
Julius could feel Kaelan flagging. The power emanating from him was becoming thinner, the light less intense. His movements, while still devastating, were becoming slower, more labored.
"Kaelan, we can't keep this up!" Julius managed, his voice stronger now, fueled by a desperate surge of adrenaline. He knew he was a burden, a liability, but he couldn't just stand by and watch Kaelan fight to the death for him. There had to be another way out.
Julius and Kaelan were both drenched head to toe in the blood of monsters, it was grotesque, they both smellt like death-incarnate.
"Kaelan?"
Kaelan didn't respond, his focus entirely consumed by the relentless onslaught. He parried a blow from a monstrous axe, the force of the impact shuddering through his arm. He retaliated with a swift, brutal cut, severing the creature's arm at the elbow.
"Holy Nova!" He unleashed a burst of radiant energy, incinerating a cluster of monsters that had closed in on them. The light flared, casting long, dancing shadows across the desolate landscape. For a moment, there was respite, a brief lull in the carnage.
Kaelan stumbled back, his breathing ragged. He looked at Julius, his eyes filled with a profound sadness.
"It's hopeless," he said, his voice barely audible above the groaning of the monsters. "They're too many. We can't win. At least not when I'm in this state..."
Julius felt his heart plummet. Hope, the fragile ember that had flickered within him, threatened to be snuffed out entirely.
"Then… then what do we do?" he stammered, his voice trembling.
Kaelan lowered his sword, the light fading from its blade. He reached into his tunic and pulled out a small, intricately carved amulet. It pulsed with a faint, warm light.
"This," he said, handing the amulet to Julius. "This will get you through the Black Wall."
"The Black Wall?" Julius asked, assuming Kaelan meant what he was thinking.
"The barrier of black magic," Kaelan explained. "It's impassable, unless you have something like this. It will allow you to bypass it, to return to the other side. I didn't want to use it on my own, you need this."
Julius stared at the amulet, his mind struggling to process what Kaelan was saying. He was telling him to run. To abandon him and escape.
"But… but I can't just leave you!" he protested, his voice cracking with emotion. "You'll die here."
"You have to," Kaelan insisted, his voice firm. "You're just holding me back. I can't protect you and fight at the same time. I need you to survive."
"But… what about you?" Julius asked, tears welling in his eyes. He hadn't been this emotional in years, but now he had seen thousands of creatures die, he felt like the world was far more cruel.
Kaelan managed a weak smile. "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine."
Julius knew he was lying. He saw the exhaustion in Kaelan's eyes, the grim acceptance of his fate. He saw his muscles twitch uncontrollably, as if his body was about to explode.
"No," Julius said, shaking his head. "Do I have to do this?" I mean won't I just die on the way back? Surely we can get another solution?
Kaelan grabbed Julius by the shoulders, his grip surprisingly strong. "Listen to me! You're not a fighter, Julius. You're a student, someone not from this place You have a life to live, a future to build. Don't throw it away here, in this hellhole. If you really want to go back, leave now. I will be fine."
He paused, his gaze softening. "Promise me, Julius. Promise me you'll go back. Promise me you'll live."
Hot tears streamed down Julius's face. He knew Kaelan was right. He was a burden, a liability. Staying would only ensure their demise.
"I… I promise," he choked out, his voice thick with emotion. "So don't die, Kaelan, you need to live."
Kaelan released his grip, a flicker of relief in his eyes. "Good. Now go. Run as fast as you can."
He turned back towards the approaching horde, his sword blazing with renewed light. "Don't look back, Julius. Just run!"
Julius clutched the amulet tightly in his hand. He hesitated for a moment, torn between the fear of dying on the way out and the obligation to fulfill his promise. But Kaelan's words echoed in his mind, urging him forward.
He turned and ran.
He didn't dare look back. He focused on the ground beneath his feet, the desolate landscape blurring into a grey haze. The sounds of battle followed him, the roars of the monsters, the clang of steel, and Kaelan's defiant shouts.
He ran until his lungs burned and his legs ached. He ran until he could barely breathe. He ran until he felt like his heart would explode. He tripped several times, cursing the poorly kept terrain.
Finally, he saw it. The Black Wall. A shimmering, impenetrable barrier that separated the Grey Side from the rest of the world. It pulsed with dark energy, a tangible manifestation of the despair and corruption that permeated this forsaken place.
He reached out with the amulet, his hand trembling. As the amulet touched the Black Wall, the energy subsided, and a small gap appeared in the barrier. He squeezed through, feeling a jolt of energy as he passed from one side to the other.
I guess only one person can use the amulet, he didn't want to leave me behind.
He stumbled and fell, collapsing onto the relatively clean ground on the other side. He lay there for a moment, gasping for breath, his body covered in monster guts.
He looked back. The gap in the Black Wall was closing, the shimmering barrier solidifying once more. He could still hear the sounds of battle, but they were fainter now, muffled by the impenetrable wall.
He strained his ears, listening for Kaelan's voice. He wanted to hear that he was still fighting, that he was still alive.
Then, he heard it. A roar, unlike anything he had ever heard before. A sound that shook the very air, a sound that resonated with the primal power of a god.
It was Kaelan's voice, but it was deeper, more powerful, more… otherworldly.
"BLADE ART: EXODIAAAAA!!!"
He heard the roar again, followed by a blinding flash of light that pierced through the Black Wall, illuminating the desolate landscape.
Then, silence.
Absolute, deafening silence.
He won?
Julius closed his eyes, sweat streaming down his face. He knew what had happened. Kaelan had unleashed his final move, a last, desperate act of defiance against the overwhelming darkness. Perhaps it had wiped them all out, including himself.
He didn't know if Kaelan had survived. He didn't know if he had made a difference. All he knew was that he was alive, and he had a promise to keep.
He stood up, his legs still trembling. He looked back at the Black Wall, a monument to the sacrifice of a hero he barely knew.
"I won't forget you, Kaelan," he whispered, his voice barely audible above the wind. "I promise."
He turned and walked away, leaving behind the closed off zone, the horrors he had witnessed, and the memory of Kaelan who had given him a chance to live.