Where I am Needed

Chapter 1, The end is here

The End was the simplest way to describe it. It was happening before creation and the world's inhabitants. As fire fell from skies so black that they could be perceived as the maw of a great beast devouring the world before creation…..before God. Where there was once life and nature was replaced by barren wastelands scorched by the very sky that once was a part of its life. Cities lay in ruin with only few mighty towers standing, a reminder of Mans former glory, as the few Humans that remained lived in the ruins of their former homes. Where once lived millions now was home to hundreds. However Man did fight and they inevitably fell under the savage fist of Demon kind. Was Mankind alone in this fight? No they were not for Heaven had sent them a weapon more powerful than any blade or beast. Man has had this gift since their creation and throughout that time very few have seen the beauty and wonders of this gift as well as the power it brings. What is this weapon…..simple…..A good heart.

Atop the rubble of a destroyed structure stood a Human who watched the sky as blood poured from his wounds. He had gone alone to slay as many Demons as possible though he had killed many he did not go unscathed and had received many wounds from the feral beasts. Deep claw wounds covered his back and gushing wounds on his shoulders where Demons had attempted to take chunks out of his flesh, they weren't too far off, though the most severe was a deep cut jaggedly going down from the top right of his forehead to his chin this was not the worst part….the worst of it was the bleeding hole where an eye should be. A normal man would have died from blood loss or just the shock of pain or infection. Alas this was no man but a simple adolescent that was very far from normal. Was it determination or pride that drove him forward maybe a deep feeling of obligation or honour that needed to be defended? Was a higher power giving him the strength to go on?...Whatever it was it was deep and burning within his heart giving a fuel to his wounded physical form that allowed him to go on without fault.

Torn clothing and flesh adorned the Human. He pulled off what little remained of the cloth on his chest to reveal a battered and broken body yet it was toned and ready for battle. His hair a dark brown that fell down to his chin and touched the bottom of his neck. A dark grey eye looked beyond where he stood and into the wasteland before him as the holder of his attention was an enemy that he could feel….the enemy approached with heavy pounds that shook the earth. The Human raised a sword held in his right hand that was made from scrap metal and various other salvageable parts around the ruined cities of the world. It's blade was jagged and dull due to constant use and the Humans palms were cut and slightly bled due to the handle being poorly made with only some duct tape to protect the hands from the rusted and rough metal strut that through blocking blows had dug into the Humans hands and made the skin raw and bloody as the duct tape had been worn through battle.

As the enemy drew ever closer the shaking earth became ever more fearful….yet the Human was not. Fear, doubt and insecurity did simply not exist within his being as a malevolent force that fed upon such things approached with great haste. A beast emerged from the distant smoke of the wasteland it emerged a demon with iron hooves that scorched earth as its feet and breath exhaled as smoke, from its ugly nose. The beast was horned with blood red flesh and burning orange eyes that pierced the darkness that encompassed the world.

When the Demon was in clear sight across the dusty wasteland a deep scowl was presented by the human. Anger….no RAGE was evident in the Human's very being by his facial expression, the gritting of teeth and tensing of muscles. The Demon simply replied with a wide and sharp grin showing huge sharp teeth. The Demon began to laugh….Laugh loud enough that it echoed across the wasteland and all the way to the human. Along with the expression of deep anger was now angrily raised brow, creasing his forehead, as well as a crackle in the Humans throat. What was this small miniscule sound you ask?

It was as if a spark was ignited within the Human that exploded with a deep, embedded, emotion within the Human giving him untold power. Feeling this power he raised his blade to the sky then with this action from his chest came a might roar that spread across the barren landscape and reached the very heavens with its power and might. Little did the Human know he was not alone in this battle as Men and Women crawled from underneath the rubble that they hid under to find the bearer of this might voice that called their very souls to fight!

They looked to where the holder of such a voice stood before them with his vision fixed on the only road before him. They saw that he was not even a fully grown Man yet they saw how brave and strong this young Human before them was then instantly their hearts soared above the darkness of their world. The Demon himself had amassed an army to kill one troublesome Human however now there were many. The Demon laughed in the face of such weak creatures…..what many don't see or understand about Humans, even Humans themselves, is that they are strong and power when a gift such as emotion is so strong and powerful within them. When a Human is determined and set on the one road ahead of them…..they truly are the most powerful beings in existence with their hearts set and their minds decided…..nothing can stop them. They are to be feared…Yet most of all respected for the strength they possess not physically but within their hearts which will allow them to go on no matter the obstacle.

Behind the Demon were a thousand burning eyes accompanied by the gleam of two thousand blades. The Demon saw the shake or stir within the Humans and was about to being the charge when suddenly!

The Human noticed the other standing battle ready behind him. Surprised by this but more heart lifted but it was the look in their eyes that made his soul blaze like a mighty flame, there was a shine of hope and a light within them that gave them the strength to face the monsters that had tormented and tortured them all their lives. They knew it and so did he.

Turning to face them his mouth opened with the same mighty voice.

"Humanity! I know you are scared and that fear resides still in your hearts! But that does not matter, not now! For that fear is beneath you all! You have come here to fight despite the chances of defeat and for that I cannot commend you enough! However I came here along followed by the doubt of others and expected to continue this journey alone yet with you all I know we can emerge victorious! They have taken everything from us! Our children, our lives and our world and drowned it all in darkness! Now you rise in the face of death and that is something the cowards will never understand! Now I ask you all to rise with me! Let us emerge from this darkness together! And in the light of our victory take our lives back! Together we will shed this darkness and feel the light of day I promise you that! Now together! As one! Will you fight with me!"

As if two worlds were colliding a powerful roar resonated across the destroyed world yet this was not from one single creature but thousands of Humans with blazing hearts ready to die for one another and ready to fight alongside their young leader.

"Now stare into the eyes of your enemies and let them know that yes we have fear! But it is knowing we are afraid that gives us strength! Now charge! Lets take back our home! Our freedom! Not just for us but for our children and their children! So let this be a story to be remembered that Humans are not fragile or weak! They will tell how Humanity stood against Hell itself and took back our world! Not just as one of us but all of us fighting as one!" The Human turned to face the Demonic hordes. "Will you fight with me! As one!".

The Earth shivered as it felt the thundering steps of thousands of unstoppable Humans charging with a powerful purpose behind their movements. The Demons could not believe what they were seeing…In place of what were mere cattle were now vicious and brave lions charging at great pace toward them. When they all collected themselves from the shock, which even the leader experienced, they too charged to meet the Humans in battle.

The smaller Demons met the Humans faster. Even though the Humans were armed with crude and make shift weapons they still fought with more heart and ferocity than the baffled Demons ever could. With his blade the young Human tore through the flesh and blood of the Demon ranks, deflecting attacks and making heads role along the way. Fire continued to rain from the sky as blood flowed across the land as if it was a ruby river that seeped into every crack in the decimated land just as it seeped into the torn shoes of the humans while they advanced on their path forged from the corpses of the Demonic hordes.

Where one Demon fell two more took its place. This is what it seemed like as the Demons numbers were steadily increasing despite their devastating loss at the hands of the Humans. Even in the face of such numbers the Young Human carried on, carving his way through flesh and bone. However as the battle slowly began to turn to the Demons favour the Humans began to flee, first it was one then two then three and the amount simply continued to grow. This event separated those who wanted to fight and those who were scared. The Young Human saw this and charged onward toward the Demon who had been confirmed as the leader. The Young Human with his one hundred strong army of men and women though the most important thing was not their gender nor their skin colour but their hearts.

Something was different about the Young Human the Demon could see that. It was something that repulsed him and sent a shiver down the powerful Demon's spine…..Something holy…..Angelic…..

During his thinking the Demon had forgotten that there was a Human with more strength and power that any Human should naturally have. The Young Human sliced through a small Demon to his right then spun around to decapitate one trying to get behind him before turning around to charge into a large muscular Demon, running his sword through its gut as well as jumping onto it which lead to the huge beast falling to the ground with a sickening 'thud'.

Standing as blood was shed everywhere as of the conflict he could see his brave one hundred warriors fighting with every bit of strength despite the danger of death or pain. Yet ahead of him he could see his target, goal or whatever you would name it. The one he came to kill…..he did not know the Demons name nor care however what he did know was that this Demon was vital in saving not just a part of the world nor a city or a nation but Humanity wherever it may be. There was no personal grudge of vendetta against the Demon it was just an obligation in his heart to do what is simply right. That was the right thing…..to save everyone in face of everything that was against him it was one life for many that was all that mattered in his heart. If he could save everyone for the living hell they were in then he could stop all the pain….all the sorrow and from that forge a new world where Humanity as a whole work together to avoid such pain and sadness a world where the value of friendship is understood and valued, unlike the world previous it where such true bonds were few.

From where he stood he looked into the Demons eyes, fire burned in them however it seemed that the fire was slowly being extinguished by something…fear? The Demon's stance trembled as he awaited the Human to charge like he had to his finest warriors. What was different about this Human? The Human was young….not even a man….yet he fought as though he had years of experience in war….though even that would not be enough for immortal Demons. It would take years to learn such skill and prowess….

Before the Demon could ponder such thing sparks flew as a jagged blade clashed with his malevolent blade. It took the Demon General a few seconds to realise that the Human he was just thinking about had locked swords with him and currently, like the General, was figuring out what to do. The Human did not push hard yet applied enough pressure to hold the others blade at bay as to feel for the slightest amount of pressure being applied from the opposition.

Within a split second the Human slipped into the Demons guard and attempted to run him through which resulted in the Demon sidestepping however the incoming blade cut the Demons shoulder as it slid past as swiftly as water only to slide right back to defend its wielder. There was no attention to stance nor body language…only the eyes as the two foes stand motionless whilst peering into each other's eyes to read not just their actions but their very souls. A Demon snaked behind the Human ad was about to make a killing blow yet the sound of thin air being sliced said it all as the Demon was detached at the waist before a full second could elapse. The same sound rang again yet the older, more experienced, Demon General knew what this meant and met the Humans blade they pulled back and clashed again then again only a little faster then again yet harder. This game continued as speed and power increased each time their blades met, a vicious and dangerous game where one moment of ignorance meant death. From a distance this must have seemed like a blur of sparks and steel, a beautiful yet deadly sight, even if one was to get close they would find that some of their limbs were missing.

Maintaining the constant speed and strength to match one another was a tremendously straining task for both of their bodies; this could be seen from the sweat and bulging veins. It was then…in during a single moment of weakness did a million weaknesses reveal themselves, unbelievable how one's life is so hard to preserve yet so easy to take. During that moment shock, pain and fear were mutual feeling however the Young Human lacked the fear. As the moment passed a display of scarlet red spraying over the opponents and the landscape was, like a horrific rose blossoming to a massacre, presented to the audience of very few Demons and still the One Hundred Humans remained to see their leader fight the Demon with every ounce of strength in his body however both sides were disappointed to see that their leader….both amazing for their ability to stand tall with deep gaping wounds that oozed ruby fluids ever so slowly covering the fronts of their bodies, the blood slid down their legs and eventually hit the ground they stood on, merging with a twisted and disturbed ocean that which only the war that took place could produce. Ankle to neck there were deep, blood soaked wounds.

The Young Human began to shake and sway back and forward, unable to hold his body up any more. Demons began to cheer as the Human continued to lose balance yet something entirely different occurred as the grinning Demon General collided with the ground face first. Taking one step forward the Young Human tried to approach the Demons dying form yet taking steps were a demanding task but more importantly something felt wrong…..missing. Looking to where the mysterious sensation was felt however all that was there for him to gaze upon was shock and pain…Just below the right elbow was a bleeding, limbless, stump. He fell to the scorching ground and was seemingly lying opposite to his opponent, convenient as it seemed to be.

To any this fight would be over and that is what was perceived as the two warring sides, or what remained of them, looked amongst themselves and their enemies for guidance on what to do. Instead something magical happened, it began to rain. Hundreds of years since the Earth felt the moist grace of rain. Then something even more unpredictable happened, the two bodies began to twitch. Slowly and unsurely both Human and Demon slowly rose on their knees each looking opposite to one another. It was so quite beside that patter of rain that you could hear their bodies straining, bones creaked as muscles pulled them up to support them on their knees. Once stable on their knees they turned at the waist to meet each other face to face both snarling with furrowed brows and glaring eyes and was a Demonic right hand lifted to meet a Human left hand. When they met there was no competition or struggle only two warriors expressing respect for one another.

As the scene transpired all the blood began to be washed from barren wasteland and the hell fire had ceased to fall long to be replaced by the rain. New life was being given to the world…like it had been granted a rebirth, a second chance, not just for the world but for Humanity.

"What is your name Human?" The Demon asked genuinely, no sarcasm or underlying emotion just pure curiosity.

"Salvatore…..Yours?"

"Distruttore. You have a good name, strong with purpose". Salvatore relaxed and smiled to himself.

"And so is yours. Saviour and destroyer hm?" Salvatore mused at the coincidence of their names.

"It would seem so. If we meet again….I would be honoured if you would fight me with your fists".

"The honour would be mine".

They both began to laugh and the overwhelming pain and hatred they once felt was simply swept away like the blood spilt that day. Unfortunately both of their injuries had taken their toll and they were both being released from their mortal coil. Both hit the damp, muddy ground.

"Hahaha!"

"What are you laughing at Demon?"

"This is not the end Human….for either of us".

"Are you sure?"

"Certain! Nothing ever ends…it is simply born anew".

"B-Born…..anew?"

Everything went black for the two warriors as the world was drained of all colour, light and sound. Death soon took both of them….or did it? Are all things born anew or simply…rebirthed. In the darkness of death a light was seen.