Chapter III

  A Revelation of Great Horror

  The Enochians continued to fight valiantly against the Infernal onslaught as countless corpses lay heaped in gory mounds. Yet as more paladins fell, their phalanx shrank, forcing them to withdraw toward the portals to the Divine Realm. The commanders looked at the sea of remaining demons and knew only a miracle could alter the course of the battle.

  The realization of this miracle would soon come, but the Enochian’s deliverance would not arrive because of their unwavering courage or prowess upon the battlefield, but from the thunderous sounds of shattering stones.

  Both armies ceased fighting as the deafening echoes of countless avalanches reverberated throughout the valley. All eyes turned toward the looming eastern mountain range.

  There, they beheld a monstrous storm, grand in its scale and fury. The great tempest was steadily nearing, with bolts of multicolored lightning coursing through it in a magnificent display of terrifying beauty. It was too immense to gauge its true size, but it engulfed the mountains while blocking the entirety of the horizon.

  Each army watched in awe as the mountains below the storm crumbled, and they realized it was not the ferocity of the gale that destroyed them—two impossibly massive tentacles hung from the swirling clouds. They dragged along the ground, creating chasms in their wake while effortlessly smashing through the mountains. As it drew closer, four additional tentacles became visible through the haze, each larger than the two below. They stretched far beyond the valley as they extended from the sides of some unfathomable creature existing within the storm.

  Shock took hold of even the most hardened warrior as every noble soldier and vile demon realized they were little more than insects before this leviathan. Such a sight stripped away all bravado, ego, and hubris, for this was a horror beyond their understanding—a nameless and ancient monstrosity none had seen before.

  As the storm passed over the mountains, the opposing armies beheld a black wave approaching them, writhing and pulsating with life that swept across the barren terrain. The paladins realized it was an immense mass of this world’s twisted inhabitants. Myriad eyes reflected the fear and confusion of the Abyssal beasts as they attempted to escape the destruction behind them. With all other routes cut off, the native creatures that had once dwelt within the mountains fled toward the two armies.

  The horde charged in a mindless frenzy. Countless black tentacles and innumerable claws flailed wildly as they desperately tried to pull themselves forward at the expense of the others. Fear made them more dangerous as they were prepared to rip through the bodies of all who blocked their path to safety, their panic compelling them to target enemy and kin alike.

  The demonic soldiers looked to the Enochians, wondering if a temporary truce was possible. To their horror, they witnessed the rear of the Divine army withdrawing through the numerous portals.

  With the Infernal army focusing on this new threat, the primus decided now was the perfect opportunity to retreat and bolster their realm with their remaining forces. The clerics and mages were the first to evacuate, closely followed by the archers. The engineers recovered every siege weapon possible while abandoning the ones they could not quickly move.

  The paladins stayed behind, shifting the bulk of their forces away from the demonic army so they could face the oncoming threat. They re-established their phalanx; experience and discipline seamlessly governed their actions as they prepared to fulfill their duty and cover their brethren’s retreat. The tips of their spears glowed as they tapped into the power of their Divine souls.

  Meanwhile, the demons held to their chaotic nature and scattered in disarray as any semblance of cohesion collapsed amongst their undisciplined ranks.

  From high above, the fallen angels observed a dense fog emerging from the storm. The murky vapor flowed along the ground and steadily approached the slowest of the fleeing Abyssal creatures. Everything the fog touched was lifted into the air and drawn into the raging tempest. In desperation, the doomed monstrosities reached out with tentacles and claws in a vain attempt to grab hold of anything that might anchor them to safety. However, the force pulling them upward was insurmountable, and the helpless beasts dragged both kin and stone into the storm.

  The Infernal commanders realized the battle was over; no living power could stand against such an apocalyptic enemy. So they followed suit with the Enochians, and in voices that boomed across the valley, the fallen angels ordered a full retreat. They swiftly flew toward their own portals, returning to whichever nightmarish world they had emerged from.

  But their orders proved meaningless, as the entire Infernal army had descended into a riotous mess of competing demons whose only goal was to escape the incoming devastation.

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  The charging Abyssal horde slammed into the two armies. Black masses of twisted life swarmed over the demons as they plunged into the Infernal ranks. Savagery clashed against savagery as hook-covered tentacles ripped flesh from the demon’s bones while Infernal weapons pierced the countless eyes of the beasts. The brawl was sheer pandemonium, and chunks of meat and limbs flew everywhere.

  The paladins fared better as the twisted creatures crashed into their shield wall. The soldiers were pushed back, but their phalanx held as they thrust thousands of glowing spears into greasy flesh. Slimy corpses piled high, oozing foul yellow blood that churned the stomachs of even the stoutest fighters. However, it was not long before the abominations used their innumerable tentacles and limbs to haul their bodies over the defenders’ tall shields, crushing the soldiers under a torrent of ravenous mouths and undulating flesh.

  Their phalanx collapsed, and the paladins were scattered as they fought for their lives. Yet the beasts of this world did not press their advantage; instead, they fled towards the salvation that hopefully lay beyond the valley’s western mountains. The paladins anxiously watched the creatures’ retreat, fearing the horde would attempt to breach their portals. Thankfully, they passed by without noticing and continued westward.

  The paladins reformed their shield wall, but all that remained were the crumbling Infernal legions and the leviathan that drew closer. As the colossal nightmare approached, it uttered a single word, thunderous and terrible; it was a word no tongue of any known race could ever hope to reproduce. It traveled like a shock wave, colliding with the beleaguered armies. The sheer power of it scattered the lesser demons like dried leaves in the wind, leaving the stronger ones injured and dazed.

  Once again, the paladins fared better as they braced behind their shields. But they were not immune to the impact, and some struggled to remain upright while others dropped to their knees in a daze. As the stronger warriors helped their injured brethren stand, they watched the fog creep closer. Their hearts sank; no weapon could hope to harm this terror.

  Finally, a horn blared, signaling their retreat. The evacuation was successful, and every portal to the Divine Realm was safely closed, save one. There was nothing for the paladins beyond escaping with their lives as hundreds of thousands raced toward the remaining portal. Their muscles burned, and their lungs greedily gasped for air as they pushed forward. They ran with every bit of strength and determination, but the fog was overtaking them.

  As the haze thickened, the paladins found it challenging to run. Before long, the wounded and those aiding them were lifted off the ground and sucked into the lightning-filled clouds. The bodies of the fallen soon followed, rising into the air as a jumbled mass of angelic, demonic, and Abyssal corpses, all doomed to a shared fate.

  The remaining soldiers abandoned their shields and discarded their breastplates. Some attempted to fly, hoping the strength of their unused wings would carry them to the safety of the lone portal. Light emanated from their backs as they expanded their angelic wings in a desperate attempt to counter the creature’s pull. But it was too late, and the fog pulled them into the tempest mid-flight, their screams drowned by the lightning erupting around them.

  The Infernal army echoed with shrieks and roars as thousands were dragged upward, their shrill cries of panic and rage becoming one with the howling winds. The portals to the Infernal Realm closed, leaving countless demons behind. The remaining legions were stranded, doomed by the cold indifference of their leaders.

  Great bolts of lightning crashed down, creating massive craters across the terrain. This nightmarish assault further terrorized the demons yet mattered little to the surviving paladins, who had finally reached salvation. Fortunately, the mages had widened their path home, allowing them to escape through the portal by the hundreds.

  The survivors streamed into the courtyard of a mighty fortress on the Divine world of Calendraya. The paladins were greeted by crystal blue skies and a gentle breeze as they basked in the invigorating warmth of the Divine Light, which blazed like a shimmering silver star high above. The battered soldiers breathed a sigh of relief as dozens of mages attempted to close the portal. But the fog was billowing through, thwarting their efforts.

  As the mist flooded into Calendraya, it drew in everything it touched. Supply carts lifted into the air, trees uprooted, and the stone walls collapsed as the fog dragged everything into the Abyss. Screams echoed throughout the crumbling fortress as everyone except the mages flew into the air, soaring away from the destruction.

  The mages cast protective spells, anchoring their feet to the ground while shielding themselves from the debris. They poured their remaining energy into one last desperate attempt to force the portal closed, but it was to no avail. The encroaching leviathan sensed the incredible energy, and in its infinite hunger, the fog streamed into the sky and toward the Divine Light.

  Panic gripped the mages as their power waned, and they feared what would happen if the invading force reached its destination. Despite their efforts, their strength inevitably failed, and they were sucked into the Abyss. No one was left to stop this onslaught, and the fog spread across the landscape, greedily taking everything it touched.

  The survivors understood why the fallen angels had closed their portals. The calculating devils had realized that losing their remaining forces was a small price to pay if it ensured the survival of the Infernal worlds beyond. The paladins’ retreat had doomed them all, and regardless of who their foe was, the Enochians believed the Divine Realm was fated for annihilation on this day.

  As the fog glided toward the city of Loinas, a bright flash illuminated the land. Three radiant figures emerged from within the Divine Light and descended to Calendraya. They were beings of pure energy that held the shape of an Enochian yet were far grander in size and magnificence. They extended their hands and shot golden beams into the portal, obliterating the fog as they slowly sealed the rift. The remaining mist began to dissipate, scattering in the soft winds. Every surviving Enochian dropped to one knee, bowing their heads before their lords.

  The day had been bittersweet. The Infernal army was decimated, thwarting the invasion. Yet their victory came at a tremendous cost. The paladins were the heart of the Divine army; now, a fraction of their once formidable strength remained.

  Questions regarding the leviathan remained unanswered. Until now, the eldritch being had been ignorant of the Divine Realm, but it would undoubtedly lay in wait, timeless and patient, forever craving the delicacies it had sampled. Many of the survivors wept, not only for their lost comrades, but from the knowledge that terrible horrors roamed just beyond the confines of their realm.