The village was silent.
Not the usual silence of a quiet night, where the occasional rustling of the wind or the distant hoot of an owl provided comfort. No, this was a silence so absolute it felt unnatural, as if the very land itself was waiting for what was coming.
And we all knew it was coming.
The Aberrations had been watching us, testing us. But tonight, they wouldn't be lurking in the shadows.
Tonight, they would attack.
Preparing for War
Every able-bodied man and woman stood in formation just inside the village barricades, clutching weapons with knuckles white from tension. Some held bows, others spears, and a few had old, rusted swords that had been passed down from ancestors who had once known war.
I moved through the lines, checking each fighter, adjusting stances, tightening grips. I could feel the fear in them, but I didn't let it show in myself.
Fear was a beast that fed on itself.
If they saw me afraid, they would fall apart before the battle even began.
Beside me, my father paced along the front lines, his own hunting blade already drawn, his sharp gaze scanning the tree line. He was calm, but I knew better.
He wasn't calm. He was ready.
"Any sign of them?" I asked.
He shook his head. "Not yet."
But they were there.
I could feel them.
The Drums of War
It started as a whisper.
A distant hiss, so faint it could've been mistaken for the wind. But then it grew, a deep, guttural chorus that seemed to come from every direction at once.
The villagers stiffened, eyes darting around in panic. The torchlight flickered, casting eerie shadows across the barricades.
Then, the first red eyes appeared in the darkness.
One pair.
Then another.
And another.
Until the entire tree line was lined with them.
A chill ran down my spine.
They weren't just attacking.
They were surrounding us.
Then, the night erupted into chaos.
The First Wave
The Aberrations moved like a tidal wave of darkness, their twisted forms leaping over the barricades, claws gleaming in the moonlight.
"Archers! Loose!" Elder Haldir shouted.
The first volley of arrows whistled through the air, striking the creatures mid-leap. Some fell, writhing in pain, but many more kept coming, unfazed by wounds that would have killed any normal beast.
Then, they were among us.
The first scream tore through the night as a villager was dragged down, his throat torn out before he could even react. Blood splattered across the dirt as others rushed to fill the gap, driving spears into the grotesque forms that swarmed forward.
I had no time to think.
I moved.
The first Aberration lunged at me, a massive wolf-like creature, its body contorted in unnatural ways. I ducked low, sliding beneath its swipe, my dagger glowing with mana as I drove it into its underbelly.
The creature screeched, thrashing wildly before collapsing.
One down.
Hundreds to go.
A Battle Unlike Any Other
The village was a battlefield.
Fires burned where torches had been knocked over, illuminating the chaos in a flickering, hellish glow. The sounds of metal clashing, of screams, of snarls—it was deafening.
I parried another attack, twisting my body as an Aberration's claws scraped against my reinforced forearm. I retaliated instantly, slicing its throat open in one fluid motion.
But they just kept coming.
To my left, I saw Ronan, the village hunter, struggling with one of the creatures. He had managed to wound it, but his movements were too slow.
The Aberration lunged at him—
And I was too far away.
Then, an arrow pierced the creature's skull, dropping it instantly.
I turned to see Elara, her bow still raised, her face pale but determined.
"You're a good shot," I said, panting.
Her grip tightened around the bowstring. "I'm a fast learner."
I nodded, turning back to the fight. "Good. We're going to need you."
A Village Holding the Line
For what felt like hours, we fought, the villagers holding against impossible odds.
At first, it seemed like we had a chance.
But then, they started to adapt.
The creatures became smarter, dodging arrows, feinting attacks, working together in ways that beasts never should.
And worst of all—
They were still holding back.
My father noticed it too. He kicked an Aberration's corpse aside, breathing heavily as he turned to me. "This isn't all of them."
I wiped blood from my face, frowning. "Then where are the rest?"
His answer came before he could even speak.
A horrible, piercing screech echoed from the other side of the village.
My stomach dropped.
That wasn't just another Aberration.
That was something worse.
The True Enemy Appears
I ran, my legs burning as I pushed through the chaos. I didn't know what I was expecting to find.
But when I reached the other side of the village, I froze.
There, standing at the broken barricade, was a creature unlike the others.
It was tall, its body covered in a shifting, smoke-like substance, its face hidden behind a jagged bone mask. Unlike the others, it wasn't attacking.
It was watching.
And when it saw me, it **tilted its head—**like it recognized me.
My grip tightened on my dagger. "What the hell are you?"
The creature's lips curled into a smile.
And then, it spoke.
"You are not ready."
A New Terror
My breath hitched.
It spoke.
Not in growls or howls, but in words, clear and deliberate.
The battle still raged behind me, but it felt distant, as if this moment existed outside of time itself.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
The creature tilted its head again, as if amused.
Then, it lifted its hand.
A pulse of dark energy rippled through the air, sending a shockwave that rattled the entire village.
And suddenly—every Aberration stopped fighting.
They froze, their bodies stiff, their red eyes turning toward the creature in unison.
And then, in perfect synchronization—
They retreated.
They vanished into the darkness, disappearing into the trees as if the battle had never happened.
Aftermath
For a long moment, no one moved.
The village was in ruins. Fires crackled, the stench of blood thick in the air. Bodies—**both human and Aberration alike—**lay motionless across the dirt.
But the enemy was gone.
And I had no idea why.
I turned back toward the creature, my breath still heavy. "Why?" I asked. "Why leave now?"
The figure didn't answer. It simply stepped backward, its form fading into mist, disappearing as if it had never been there at all.
A cold dread settled over me.
This hadn't been a battle.
It had been a warning.
And the message was clear.
We were not ready for what was coming.