Beast in the Shadow of the Night

The moon was full on the night of the attack, just visible through a thickening cloud cover, but not for long. Very soon the moon darkened, the clouds becoming a blanket of blackness, and heavy rain began pouring from their overripe canvases.

A beast the sound of thunder rode the lightning, streaking toward a nearby village. In the white, rapid flashes of electrical discharge its visage became clear. It was horrifically ugly, with the head of a goat, sweeping horns spiraling backward. The body was humanoid and muscular, though a thick layer of fur covered its entire body. Spindly legs attached to cloven feet looked too narrow and skinny to support its massive weight, yet somehow they did. When the bolt of lightning carrying the devilish monster finally struck the ground, it simply leaped from the impact site, ignoring the small crater the jolt produced.

A scout riding through the wind upon a great stallion spotted the newcomer, and reined his horse around as rapidly as possible, galloping back toward the lightly fortified village. "It's here; it's here!" he shouted at the top of his lungs, raising the alarm. Somewhere within the walls of the city a giant bell rang, along the palisade walls trumpets sounded, and in the streets the few people still milling about huddled together, whispering in each others ears, fear prominent in every word, "It's true! The prophecy has come at last!"

Outside, the town's mounted militia was gathering along with a company of men-at-arms – all that were available to defend the poor town. They didn't stand a chance.

The beast strode nearer, within arrow range, snorting when it spotted the throng of human bodies. Corpses, as far as it was concerned. Two volleys flew overhead, one behind and one just in front, but just before the marksmen could launch a third, the beast ran forward, faster than light, or so it seemed. All the soldiers could see was a bright streak of energy; all they could hear was the sound of thunder, and then the beast was upon them.

It zipped through the lines of men, cutting each and everyone of them down like a bolt of lightning. As each man fell, the crackle of electricity emanated from the place of injury, drowning out the screams of dying men. When the beast was finally through, everyone lay dead, smoldering bodies sizzling in the night.

The beast materialized seemingly out of midair and strode through the unguarded gate. It glared death at those few still around, yellow eyes gleaming mercilessly. A man of about thirty approached the beast, ignoring its fearsome appearance and terrifying glance. "Please sir, what is it you want? We are but a small farming village…"

"I have come to cleanse the world of sin – you are all in my way," it growled in a guttural voice. And with no further chance of conversation or action, the beast raced forward once more, becoming the deadly energy that ended lives in just milliseconds. It roasted houses, torched market stands. It left no man, woman or child alive. When all was said and done, the beast had left only one building standing – a large spire at the center of town: the bell tower. Those who rang the bells and maintained the belfry were all that remained alive – no more than a dozen people. They gazed forlornly at the scene around them, at the burning buildings, flames streaking skyward like praise to Heaven. Only they survived, and with solidarity and stoicism, they formed a pact.

Each holding the hand of the one next to him, they began a chant, "Seal the beast from the depths of Hell; bind the power of the sky as well." They spoke slowly and methodically, voices rising with each repetition. Soon a cloud surrounded the city, descending to the Earth just as the beast was about to ascend to the sky. The strange force trapped the beast, then encompassed its whole body in a glowing barrier. When this happened, the priests in the tower suddenly released each other's hands, each clapping his own together in one uniform strike. The barrier surrounding the monster began to condense, decreasing in size until only a small bubble was visible inside of which swirled the glowing mass of energy that was the Destroyer.

It was then that the beast – and the barrier surrounding it – suddenly flew skyward, only to descend rapidly to the ground below. The impact created a huge chasm in the ground through which the beast descended. After traveling miles into the Earth's core, the chasm closed again, disguising the fiery depths beneath.

With that feat, the group of monks breathed a sigh of relief, then collapsed to the stone beneath them, the life drained from their bodies. It had taken all their power to seal the demon, and as such, they all succumbed to the immense stress. The only thing remaining of the events of that day lay spread out along the chasm site. Words in a cryptic language legible to but a few read, "And here He shall lay forever dormant, the creature that came from the Sky to destroy the World, only to be cast into the depths of the Abyss with no hope of escape. The peace of the world shall forever be maintained."