A demon crawled towards you and you swung your sword slicing its disfigured arm off. You watched it shriek in discomfort as it continued coming your way. You couldn’t even count how many evil spirits you have killed or how many were still coming.

When another demon grabbed you from behind it sunk its fangs into your neck and you felt an unpleasant tingly sensation numb your right arm.

Turning around, you stabbed it as it dissipated into dust. Another demon seized your right leg and dragged you across the hard turf. It snarled at you showing you its sharp fangs while maggots dripped from its mouth. You tried to kick it away but its firm grip and the sinking of its claws into your skin made you wail in pain as tears filled your eyes.

You swung your sword at it nevertheless it morphed dodging your strike. When you missed and lost grip of your sword it sank its fangs into your leg. You could feel every inch of its sharp piercing teeth dig into your thigh deeper and deeper. From its mouth, a black liquid oozed into your thigh as the veins on your hands began to darken and your body grew numb.

A bright light blinded your eyes and for a moment the world around you appeared colorless. When you could finally see again, in the distance of that dark place a bird with broad elegant wings landed on the ground triggering dust to rise.

Fading in and out of consciousness you blinked to force yourself to stay awake.

The bird, a beautiful flaming paragon, was stunning in appearance. Atop its head were long extensive fire flames that burned an exquisite crimson red. Its tail feathers were excessively long and sparks of fire ignited from them. The sight of the phoenix terrified the demons as they shied away in capitulation. The demon with its teeth hooked in your thigh drew its mouth away and dissipated into dust.

In the mist of your half-conscious mind, you watched the astonishing phoenix fold its wings and transfigure into a young man. Your vision began to blur and you blinked swiftly hoping it would help you see better. All you could make out was his brilliant red garb that beamed in illumination. His black hair was lustrous and long and swaying in the wind. The dark twilight you were originall