It was the middle of the night. Darkness engulfed the plains between Sylva and Haglendi, but the full moon allowed one to see shadows of a few trees and shrubberies for as far as the eye could see. The vast savanna lay dormant in the night, only the sound of a few chirping crickets and the softly rustling wind could be heard.
That silence, however, did not last too long. With thundering steps, a horse galloped across, leaving trails of dust in its wake. A man sat atop its saddle, urging his steed to go even faster. He had a buffed build and a slightly dark complexion, traits common to citizens of Haglendi. He donned an exquisitely embroidered red robe with a finely made cuirass strapped firmly on his chest and back. That once beautiful robe had been shredded in some places and his cuirass had numerous scratches and dents all over, a sign that he'd just fought in a devastating battle.
Ishwar, the man in mention, was extremely tired but his expression remained vigilant as his golden eyes scanned his surroundings for enemies. His turban had long since loosened but he didn't have time to care about it. He looked behind a couple of times, checking to see if he was still followed. After a few looks and not seeing anything, he thought he was finally safe. But that was merely wishful thinking.
The moment he faced the front, his horse reared backward, startled by the grotesque monster that suddenly appeared before them. Caught off-guard, Ishwar fell and his horse galloped away in fear.
"N-n-no... C-come back." He said as he reached out for his steed. But his call wasn't heard.
As the shadow of his horse gradually disappeared into the darkness, so did his last hope of surviving. His heart sank.
A lot of people died just to get him out of the chaos. Just to let him escape. Most of them were people whom he knew. He could still see their faces when he took one last look at them. The relieved expressions they wore, believing he would save the remaining people from their deaths. They believed their sacrifice wouldn't be in vain.
He was supposed to reach the neighboring kingdom of Sylva. He was supposed to ask for their help--No, beg for their help. Even if he had to drive himself to the dirt, he would do it just to save them. But now...
But now what?
He had no way to escape. He could try outrunning it with his skills but the savanna was too vast and there was nowhere to hide. If it was fast enough to outrun his horse, it would only be a matter of time until it caught up to him.
His gaze turned to the monster. Under the moonlight, he could see the outlines of its monstrous appearance. Its back was hunched but it still stood as tall as two grown men. Its whole body protruded with overgrown muscles. Its sharp claws, similar to that of curved daggers, were drenched in blood.
On some parts of its body, there were numerous injuries. Arrows stuck out of its legs and arms. A sword was pierced through its back to its abdomen. But it showed no signs of pain.
The only thing that showed it was once human was its face. It retained most of its human features. The only changes were its horrifying red eyes, fangs, and its vicious expression.
But Ishwar knew it was not human anymore. It's nothing more than a havoc. A being incapable of thought and emotion. All it could do is kill and kill and destroy.
Although it was only forced to become one, the effects are still irreversible. Ishwar knew this and so he cleared his heart of any hesitation. He didn't stand a chance against this monster. After all, it would take at least five skilled men to take down one havoc. But he didn't have much choice in the matter.
With trembling hands, he unsheathed his curved saber and prepared for a battle. Upon seeing his weapon, the monster roared viciously but to Ishwar, it sounded more like an ear-piercing shriek. The sound made him slightly dizzy but he shook his head and planted his feet firmly. He faced the havoc with determination. If he was going to die anyway, he might as well die fighting.
The fight lasted for almost an hour. At this time, Ishwar had run out of stamina. He turned his tired gaze at the monster he had been fighting all this time. One of its arms had been cut off and it had sustained a lot more injuries. But it wasn't fatal enough. It slowly stood once more and turned its reddened gaze at Ishwar.
Blood spurted from its injuries as it trembled its way towards Ishwar but it showed no signs of dying anytime soon.
Ishwar cursed under his breath as he tried to stand, supporting himself with his curved saber. He grimaced as pain shot up from his chest, reminding him of the five deep cuts he gained from the enemy. The cuts were quite deep, almost reaching up to his bones. If it wasn't for his cuirass, he would have gotten way worse. He was only a second late to dodge the attack and now he's already in this weakened state. He'd already lost too much blood and had become light-headed.
I guess it was nothing more than wishful thinking to believe I would survive this, He thought bitterly.
When the havoc was near enough, Ishwar stretched out and slashed towards its throat but the enemy merely flung his saber a few meters away. Ishwar grimaced, his eyes following where the saber landed but made no effort to go and grab it. His light-headedness got worse and he dropped to his knees, his sight getting blurrier by the second.
He looked up at the havoc as it prepared to slash at him. His gaze was unfocused but he was sure this one attack would turn him into a mangled corpse. He thought it was just what he deserved.
By dying here, he failed to save hundreds. Young and old, warriors and normal citizens. All were people who believed he, as their prince, would save them. Some even sacrificed their lives to get him here.
But he failed. And now, all he could do was die a horrible death to make it up to them.
His sight got even blurrier and his hearing had become muffled in the process. All he could hear was his hurried heartbeat and his uneven breathing. His blood loss got worse and it didn't take too long for him to lose all consciousness.
The last thing he saw with his blurry eyesight was a flash of red light and then everything turned black.
ns 15.158.61.8da2
