It was screaming, at least I think it was. With sounds of unparalleled anguish erupting around us, it was hard to tell exactly which inscrutable sounds


    were coming from the beast. I''d expected noises coming from the abomination''s mouth (which I still hadn''t located yet) to be reminiscent of a large


    creature. When it loosed its three tongue-tentacles from its peak however, the only thing I could hear was the unbearable wailing of many tortured souls. I


    assumed its maw was the hole on top that the giant flesh strips were attached to. It stood up on its six legs that ended in hooves. The fur on each


    appendage was so black that it almost looked like it didn''t belong to this world. There were no textures or shadow on them, just pure oblivion. Its horrid


    pupil was the same color, forming a contrast with the rest of the yellow eye. Almost as if they were two-dimensional. One of the three tendrils lengthened,


    and began approaching the ground. Gran hurriedly raised me up by my arm, and we tried to get away as fast as we could.


    "No you DON''t!" Hearrain stomped the ground with her left foot, and the resulting white spellcircle stamped itself violently into the ground around her.


    Minuscule particles of magic exploded out from the earth. She brought her hands together and raised them up. Miming the motions needed to use a sword, she


    swung them back down with great force. As she did so a transparent, four story tall sword with no wielder cleaved right through the encroaching horror. A


    tubular slab of flesh crashed on the dirt and a deep, primal bellow was heard from the sky.


    "FIRDEVIE!" the heroine screamed desperately. "GET HIM OUT OF HERE!" As she finished her sentence an arc of lightning spread out from the palm of her left


    hand, eventually becoming a sort of bow. An unstable line of electricity formed in her other hand. Like an archer, she brought the two pieces together and


    readied her shot. With its release, the projectile turned into actual lightning as it struck the gaping eyeball. Another low roar echoed across the heavens,


    but gran and I were too busy fleeing to see anything else.


    There were no thoughts. Only fleeing. People, afraid for their lives, were trying to get away as fast as possible. Still, no thoughts. The sound of another


    fleshy limb dropping on the ground. Terror had captured the people. I hear a sound, it is not too different from one that a shattering crystal would emit. A


    few seconds later, noises that seemed like the shrieking of a thousand tormented souls met my ears. Following this, a deafening boom shook the ground. We


    kept running. Finally, my mind was able to do something, and a dreadful realization crept up on me as the cogs of my brain turned.


    Our supplies were crushed under the towering monstrosity.


    "Why?" That query pulsed within me. Others followed. Did the Aldeofolda do this? Why like this? Why would they attack so soon after our presence was known


    to them? These remained unanswered. Finally, the beast emitted a last deafening clarion as it perished. Firdevie slid and halted, and I did the same.


    Looking back, I saw the toppled remains of the demon. There was an orifice on the peak, just like I had guessed. Lined with what looked like hundreds of


    shark like teeth, it was not too dissimilar to a horrid cave. Hanging downwards from the hole were the two tongues; one of them had a severed tip. In its


    entirety, the creature was truly colossal. Approximately, its height was that of a seven-story tall building. From any side it was just as wide as well.


    Two legs had been chopped off the front, but even without them its corpse was uncomfortably similar to a spider''s. Hearrain was standing extremely close to


    it, and she turned towards us as she got up. Without a word and accompanied by a muted flash of light she teleported in front of us.


    "Gather as many people as you can in the village center..." she ordered, panting aggressively. "We''re leaving right now."


    "Understood" replied gran. With that, Hearrain yet again disappeared with a subdued flash of light. I presumed that she had gone home temporarily.


    "We cannot rest just yet dear" she told me. "Follow me." I nodded, for I was too horrified to answer properly. Around us, many people petrified from fear


    were cowering. We slowly but surely made our way towards the nexus of the settlement as we notified them that the danger had passed. We encountered an


    extremely distressed Nacian on the way.


    "My God, what happened? It sounded like the depths of Crázap S?lmra were opening!"


    "You''re not too far off" replied gran. "The bastards sent a gigantic creature to drive us out of this place. Hearrain killed it."


    "Hísar bless her!" he shouted with relief. "Was she injured? Are you two alright?" he asked. "We aren''t wounded, but..." she began.


    Our supplies were crushed under the towering monstrosity. We had to depend on the generosity of our fellow Brórur if we wanted so survive.


    "I am so sorry for you" said Nacian. "Do not fret about your survival just yet, it is highly likely that everyone else has enough food and water to share


    with the two of you."


    "Good" replied Firdevie. "We''re trying to corral the people towards the center of the city. If you have extremely urgent business to attend to, help us."


    "I will. I''ll see you next to the gleamtree." He left us with great speed. "Follow me Farriz" grandma instructed. As I continued walking with her, a slight


    sensation crept up to my temples. A white border covering the edges of my sight came into being, and the Uche Sichüra gave us her orders. "Village


    Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.center, now." Every person around us obeyed the command, but we still encountered a few clueless people on our way. We told them what to do.


    Soon enough, we arrived at the bustling base of the gleamtree. An understandable spirit anxiety was permeating through the air. Some people took to


    embracing their loved as way to cope with the dread, while others seemed to be relatively unaffected. I was able to briefly spot Eirrír hugging his parents


    among the crowd. While waiting for someone (I assumed that someone to be Hearrain), my ceaseless curiosity got the better of me. That thing, that obscene


    disgrace of an organism was quite unique in its composition. Not one other being I knew was similar to it, and so I took to aiming the energy generated by


    my lack of knowledge towards my grandmother.


    "Gran, what was that thing?" I asked.


    "It was a nullbeast" she answered while turning her gaze to me. "I will explain further once we have enough time." Waiting returned to me as the only option


    there was at the moment. I took to examining the nearby precipice. One thing I immediately noticed was Günnua?. She was right next to Cega, facing it. Her


    hands were delicately gliding through the air; she was casting a spell. I couldn''t discern the magical words as they were much too quiet to be understood


    while the surrounding commotion was still present. An occult circle was placed around the holy plant''s odd roots. Before long, a portal to a verdant


    landscape opened up within the ritual shape. Slowly, the tree of light was being pulled into it. There were no signs of Hearrain anywhere.


    "A nullbeast," whispered Firdevie, "is a creature that is created via the direct or indirect usage of a abyssal magic" she explained. "Abyssal magic is not


    an original form of magic, it was created by a false god named Debellare, whose name means ''to vanquish.''" Every word that was coming out of her mouth was


    like gold to me at that moment. "We call them Yenaig. They were a normal human at first. Upon attempting to add an aspect of godhood to themselves however,


    they twisted and morphed into a pseudo-concept. The only way in which they can manifest in the physical world is if someone calls for them. Each nullbeast


    is an extension of their psyche."


    "Why did it attack us?" I asked.


    "Most likely it was released onto us. The Aldeofolda know these kinds of magics intimately."


    Without so much as a warning, Hearrain apparated right in the middle of the large gathering of people. She hadn''t bothered to dim the initial gleam of her


    teleportation this time. The light shone violently as she made her entrance. Without much wait, she began speaking with a voice that encroached from all


    sides at once.


    "My kin, listen to me! I see that all of you have gathered your supplies, and are ready to leave. I don''t doubt that more hostile weaponry is on its way


    here. Follow me! We shall go east, to Aeyal Téift?osm?! It will be an arduous journey, but we have no choice. Follow me!"


    And so, the trend of the Brórur facing incessant continued for yet another generation. Without a home and without the guidance, we would traverse land and


    waste once more. Through solidarity and harmony, we would endure. Time could slowly trim away years and years, but our unshakable fortitude would protect


    us. Strife between ourselves would surely arise, but our people had braved harsher circumstances and would come out on top. We would live. Until the world


    goes cold, until the last flower withers away into dust. We will live. What else is there to do against those who wish to destroy a race of people? How else


    could we fight against those who wish to erase all ideas of opposition? Valiantly, we would defend our views, our art, our culture, our thoughts. Without


    such differences in human existence, the most valuable parts of humanity would vanish. Could a world in which only a singular collection of norms remained,


    be worth preserving? No. Our cause was just.


    I missed home. I missed my mother. She was cruel and unyielding in her punishments, but she was my mother. Very occasionally, she would say something nice


    to me. I missed that. The righteousness of our purpose didn''t make these feelings go away. If I went back, my father would not let me go to school. I would


    never be allowed to exist as a boy. Most days he wouldn''t hesitate to beat my mother until blood was on the walls. Without my help, what would she do? By


    continuing to live with my new family, was I leaving her to die? Was it selfish of me to leave her behind? Would I be able to handle being in a group that


    was fighting against destruction at every turn? Would war tear me down? If I stayed with my parents, how much would my father beat me? In which situation


    was I more likely to survive?


    I was only six years old.


    Crawling into a ball of despair on the ground, I cried. "Oh my dear, the kindest of the hearts I know," said Firdevie. "This will all pass. Everything


    will be fine."


    While Choking on my own tears, it was almost impossible to say anything. I sniffled. "I-I..." I managed to say. "I miss home..." I saw no shred of surprise


    on her face, only regret.


    "I w-want to b-be a boy, I-I-I want t-to go to school..." it was getting more and more difficult to speak. "Farriz..." gran managed to say.


    "I DON''T WANT MOM TO DIE!" I finally shouted, with what felt like a force that could power a supernova. I couldn''t see in front of me; the tears were


    flowing freely down my cheeks. "My boy, oh my sweet child..." Firdevie''s warm embrace. Her arms were truly a miracle for the sorrowful. If her smile was the


    sun, her arms were the moon. Always there. We did not hurry after Hearrain as we sat on the ground. Her soft caresses flowed touched my face like a gentle


    breeze.


    "Firdevie?" Nacian''s aged voice called out to us from behind. I heard him getting closer. "We must go, what is wrong?" he asked.


    "Nacian, what have I done?" asked the saint. "My son was safe, he was with his birth parents." She smiled at me. It was bright, like always. A lens of gloom


    was in front of its brilliance. "And I brought him into a war zone." Her brother stared at us, blankly. His eyebrows shifted slightly upwards as he


    responded.


    "His home was already a war zone. He saw his father open new wounds on his mother''s flesh. At least with us he can be himself, he can get an education." He


    stared at the both of us, intertwined. "Sister, you''ve done the right thing. We shall talk about this later. Come, we should follow the crowd."


    With great difficulty, even with gran''s help, I got up from the ground. We began marching along with our fellow immigrants. "A-are we going to a safe


    place?" I asked my grandmother. I could feel the tears running through my nose. "Of course we are darling, there will be no war there" she responded. The


    morning sun made it look like the gods themselves were shining their light on her. We began making our way towards the future.