Esmeria

The villagers, entranced and armed with whatever they could find—pitchforks, spears, and rusted tools—charged at Barbartos with murderous intent. Their faces were eerily blank, their movements robotic, driven by Aladiah’s malevolent magic. Barbartos dodged and parried, desperate not to harm them, but the relentless assault left him little room to breathe. Aladiah stood in the distance, her smile widening as she watched the chaos unfold.

Barbartos’ mind raced as he fended off the villagers. He couldn’t bring himself to strike them down—they were innocent, trapped in Aladiah’s cruel spell. But his hesitation came at a price. As he blocked another wild swing, a sudden, sharp pain pierced his back. He hissed, turning to see Sten, the village’s best hunter, standing a few yards away, bow drawn, his eyes cold and vacant.

"Of course, you’d be one of the first to fall under her spell," Barbartos growled, yanking the arrow from his back with a grimace. Blood soaked through his shirt, but he barely registered the pain, too focused on the nightmare before him.

"Stop this madness, Aladiah!" His voice was raw, echoing across the village square.

Aladiah's expression remained serene, though her eyes sparkled with amusement. "Why don’t you just kill them?" she said, her tone laced with mockery. "It would all be over in an instant. Or has the demon grown soft?"

Arrows whizzed through the air, some striking the ground while others found their mark in the flesh of villagers, who didn’t so much as flinch as the shafts embedded themselves in their bodies. Sten kept firing, his expression as blank as the others, oblivious to the destruction his arrows caused.

Barbartos deflected another blow, but his eyes widened as he noticed the villagers had arrows embedded in their bodies, some barely reacting to the wounds. His heart sank when he saw that one of Sten’s arrows had missed him entirely and lodged itself deep into a villager’s leg. Panic surged through him—Sten’s reckless shots weren’t just aimed at him, they were hitting the very people Barbartos was trying to protect.

Cursing under his breath, Barbartos found himself in an impossible situation. He wasn’t just defending against the frenzied villagers; he now had to fend off Sten’s arrows, trying desperately to keep the villagers from harm even as they attacked him. His movements became erratic, blocking, dodging, and deflecting, saving one villager after another from the stray arrows that rained down like deadly needles.

“This is disgusting! I despise you angels—so righteous, yet so cruel!” Barbartos snarled as he knocked a spear from a villager’s hand, his voice strained with fury and frustration.

Aladiah didn’t even flinch. "The feeling is mutual, demon," she replied, her tone cold and venomous. She watched with a smirk, enjoying the torment Barbartos was enduring as he fought a losing battle, forced to protect those who had been turned against him.

The soft glow of Aladiah’s magic illuminated the scene, casting flickering shadows in the torchlight. Barbartos’ strength was waning, his breathing labored as the relentless attacks continued. He knew he couldn’t keep this up for long—he had to find a way to stop Aladiah without harming the villagers, but the window of opportunity was closing fast.

An ominous howl echoed throughout the village, sending a chill through the air. From the darkness, a pack of Snaegulvars emerged, their glowing eyes locking onto the group, encircling Barbartos, Aladiah, and the villagers. Their ice-covered claws dug into the ground, their snarls promising violence.

“There’s so many of them! What have you done, accursed angel?!” Barbartos growled, his eyes darting between the advancing beasts.

Aladiah's expression remained cold, her silver eyes glowing faintly. “I have done nothing. But now that you’re cornered, you reveal your true colors. Did you summon these creatures, hoping to slaughter the villagers?”

Barbatos clenched his fists, fury rising in his chest. “There can’t be this many Snaegulvars if you did nothing! They are drawn by anger—these beasts are the materialized souls of wronged animals!”

Aladiah’s lips curled into a mocking smile. “Ah, I see. Do you need a reason to kill anything that isn’t human?”

“Curse you!” Barbartos spat through gritted teeth.

Suddenly, the Snaegulvars charged, their icy fangs and claws bared—rushing straight for Aladiah. But before they could reach her, the entranced villagers, without hesitation, threw themselves into the fray. They acted as human shields, their bodies colliding with the beasts, protecting Aladiah without regard for their own lives.

Sten, still under Aladiah’s spell, kept firing arrows at the Snaegulvars, his glazed eyes focused solely on defending her. But as he pulled back his bowstring for another shot, one of the Snaegulvars noticed him. With terrifying speed, the beast lunged at him, its powerful jaws locking around his neck. Blood sprayed into the air as Sten collapsed, lifeless, the creature’s teeth tearing through flesh and bone. His body fell to the ground in a heap, and the other villagers, oblivious to their comrade’s death, continued to defend Aladiah, mindlessly offering themselves as sacrifices.

Barbartos watched in horror as the scene unfolded. His heart sank deeper, knowing that Aladiah's twisted magic had turned these once peaceful villagers into pawns, and now they were being slaughtered by the very creatures they had no chance of fighting.

Barbartos stood frozen, helpless as the villagers—one by one—fell to the vicious onslaught of the Snaegulvars. Blood soaked the ground, their lifeless bodies scattered across the village square. He could barely move, torn between trying to protect them and fending off the beasts.

When nearly all the villagers had been slaughtered, the Snaegulvars, relentless and unfeeling, turned their focus back to Aladiah. Without hesitation, they lunged at her in a final, desperate attack.

Aladiah clicked her tongue in annoyance. “Tsk, useless humans. Can’t even complete a simple task.” Without even flinching, she raised her hand and cast [Light Crusher]. From the sky, a blinding light descended, crashing down with divine fury. The Snaegulvars were obliterated in an instant, their bodies reduced to dust under the radiant force of her spell.

Barbartos, panting from the fight, stared at her in disbelief. "You… you could have defended yourself all along! You didn’t need to sacrifice the villagers like that!"

Aladiah turned to him, her eyes devoid of empathy. “Does a higher being need to intervene when lower beings willingly offer their lives?” Her tone was calm, as if the deaths of the villagers were inconsequential, a mere inconvenience.

Barbartos’ rage boiled over. “You angels are truly despicable!” he spat, his voice trembling with fury and grief.

But Aladiah only smiled, her cold, detached expression never faltering. "Perhaps we are. But we do what is necessary."

The village square was alive with chaos as the Snaegulvars circled like predators, their eyes locked onto Aladiah. Barbartos stood resolute, his icy demeanor hardened by the cold grip of rage. He wouldn’t let anything, not even the Snaegulvars, deter him from his singular goal: to eliminate the angel who had manipulated the villagers.

As the first Snaegulvars lunged at Aladiah, Barbartos didn’t hesitate. He hurled an [Ice Bolt] toward her, aiming to pierce her heart with his magic. But Aladiah responded in kind, conjuring a [Light Bolt] that met his spell mid-flight, creating a blinding explosion that momentarily illuminated the darkened square.

“Is that your best shot, demon?” Aladiah taunted, her confidence unwavering even as the Snaegulvars lunged past her, intent on tearing her apart.

Barbartos clenched his fists, anger bubbling beneath the surface. The Snaegulvars may have been attacking her, but he wouldn’t waste time on them. He sidestepped a charging beast, letting it pass, and focused his energy on summoning an [Ice Spear], which he thrust toward Aladiah.

She dodged deftly, her movements graceful as she countered with a [Light Spear] of her own. The two spells collided, sending a shockwave through the square. Barbartos barely managed to maintain his footing, his eyes locked on Aladiah.

As Snaegulvars continued to rush her, he felt a sudden rush of fury. “You’re nothing but a parasite, Aladiah!” he shouted, channeling his anger into another [Ice Crusher] aimed at her.

With a flick of her wrist, she shattered his attack, her laughter ringing out as she effortlessly evaded his onslaught. “You’ll have to do better than that if you want to kill me!” she mocked, even as the Snaegulvars swarmed around her.

Barbartos was undeterred. He unleashed another [Ice Bolt], this time striking a Snaegulvars that had dared to approach him, freezing it solid before sending it crashing into another. He wouldn’t be distracted; the real threat was Aladiah.

The Snaegulvars pressed forward, determined to reach Aladiah, but Barbartos remained focused on his target. He unleashed an [Ice Cage], attempting to trap her within its icy confines. The magic surged around her, but she responded with a [Light Crusher], obliterating the cage and showering the area with ice shards.

Barbartos felt a surge of adrenaline. He couldn’t allow her to keep escaping. He growled, pushing past a Snaegulvars that lunged at him. He retaliated with a swift [Ice Shield], deflecting another creature while still aiming for Aladiah.

“Your arrogance will be your downfall!” he shouted, unleashing a flurry of [Ice Bolts] toward her.

As the spells hurtled toward her, Aladiah summoned a barrier of light, blocking his attacks. “You really believe you can defeat me?” she replied, her eyes gleaming with confidence.

In that moment, a Snaegulvars lunged at her, its teeth snapping dangerously close, but she countered with a blast of radiant energy, sending the beast crashing backward. Barbartos used the chaos to launch himself forward, ready to strike.

But the Snaegulvars, relentless in their pursuit of Aladiah, swarmed around her, creating a barrier of teeth and claws. Barbartos dodged a lunging creature, keeping his focus on Aladiah, his magic swirling with determination.

He summoned a massive [Ice Crusher], intending to obliterate her, but the Snaegulvars' frenzy caused them to collide with her, momentarily blocking his shot. “Move aside!” he barked, frustration seeping into his voice as he fought to regain his angle.

With a calm smile, Aladiah retaliated with a [Light Bolt], forcing Barbartos to raise an [Ice Shield] to protect himself. The impact rattled him, but he quickly regained his footing, his resolve only growing stronger.

As the battle raged on, Barbartos felt the tide beginning to turn. The Snaegulvars, despite their relentless assault, were being picked off one by one by Aladiah’s radiant magic. He wouldn’t let this opportunity slip away.

He positioned himself directly in front of her, his gaze unwavering. “This ends now!” he shouted, channeling his energy into a massive [Ice Crusher] that surged toward her.

With a flick of her wrist, Aladiah prepared her own counterattack, weaving together her magic as the air shimmered around her. “You’re too late, demon,” she taunted, her power radiating with blinding light.

The two spells collided in a cataclysmic explosion, the force sending shockwaves through the square. For a brief moment, everything seemed suspended in the air—a perfect stillness before chaos.

Then, with a final, resounding impact, Barbartos felt the overwhelming force of her magic break through his defenses. He stumbled back, the brilliance of Aladiah’s power washing over him as he lost his footing.

As the dust settled, Barbartos lay on the ground, battered and beaten. Aladiah stood before him, her expression one of triumph. “You fought bravely, but in the end, you were just a fool,” she said, her voice echoing in the silence that followed.

The Snaegulvars had fallen, defeated by her light, and Barbartos realized the truth: he had underestimated her power. As darkness began to close in around him, he knew he had failed in his quest to eliminate her and protect Kelda.

“I knew you were the one,” Aladiah said, her voice soft yet resolute as she turned to the hypnotized Kelda, who stood motionless under her spell. “The Snaegulvars did not attack you, not even once. They were avoiding you.”

Kelda's eyes, still glazed and vacant, stared ahead as if she couldn’t comprehend the gravity of Aladiah's words. The air around them crackled with residual energy from the battle, but in this moment, the chaos faded into the background. Aladiah stepped closer, her radiant aura casting a warm glow over Kelda, contrasting sharply with the darkness that had just engulfed the village.

“Even if I die, I will not let you have her!” Barbartos shouted, his voice ringing with fierce determination.

With a dramatic flourish, he raised his arms toward the sky, calling forth the ancient powers that surged within him.

“O Lord of Frost, O Ruler of the Abyss,

To Thee I offer my life and blood,

Grant me the strength to ensnare this angel!”

As he uttered the final words of the incantation, the air around him shimmered with an ethereal glow, vibrating with an otherworldly energy. A bone-chilling wind swept across the battlefield, and the ground beneath Barbartos crackled with the awakening of icy power, his magic responding eagerly to his desperate plea.