Claire tightened the straps on her leather gauntlets, her eyes scanning the faces of the warriors gathered around her. They were a mix of seasoned veterans and younger fighters, some barely older than Sam. Their expressions ranged from grim determination to barely concealed fear. She couldn’t blame them. What they were about to do wasn’t the kind of fight anyone prepared for, and the demons pressing closer to the village weren’t ordinary foes. They were ruthless, savage, and unrelenting.

  Caross stood beside her, his large hands resting on the hilt of his sword. He looked calm, but Claire knew him too well. Beneath that calm exterior, he was wound as tight as a spring. He didn’t like the idea of splitting up the family like this, not with the demons breathing down their necks. But they had no choice. If Sam and Isonorai’s team could create the barrier at the narrow passage, that would buy them some time. Meanwhile, it was up to them to make sure the roads leading to the village were lined with traps—explosives provided by the village elder.

  The explosives were old, dusty, and looked unreliable at best, but they were all they had. The village elder had handed them over with a weary sigh, muttering about how they hadn’t been used since the last great war, and he couldn’t guarantee they’d work as expected. But if they did work, they could thin out the demon numbers significantly before they even reached the village. It was a risk they had to take.

  “Alright,” Claire said, her voice steady as she addressed the group. “We all know the plan. We need to set these traps along the main roads leading to the village. There are only a few roads the demons can use, and if we can take out even a small portion of their forces, it’ll give us the advantage.”

  Caross nodded beside her, stepping forward. “We’ll be splitting into three teams,” he said. “Each team will take a different road. Set the explosives where they can do the most damage. We’re not looking to collapse the roads entirely—we still need to be able to get through if we have to retreat. But we want the demons to feel it when they try to come through.”

  The warriors nodded, though some of the younger ones exchanged uneasy glances. Claire saw the doubt flicker in their eyes, and she understood it. She felt it too, deep down. But there was no room for hesitation now. Not when the survival of the village was at stake.

  “You two,” Claire said, pointing to a pair of young warriors standing at the back. “You’ll be with me. We’re taking the southern road. The terrain there is rocky, so it should give us an advantage when setting the traps. The rest of you, follow Caross. We’ll meet back at the village when the job’s done.”

  With a final nod, the group split up. Claire led her small team down the narrow southern road, the weight of the explosives in her pack digging into her shoulders with each step. The air was cool, but she could feel the tension building in her chest. Every crunch of gravel beneath their boots sounded too loud, too exposed. She kept her eyes on the trees that lined the road, half-expecting a demon to lunge out at them at any moment.

  One of the young warriors—barely more than a boy, really—spoke up as they walked. “Do you think... do you think these explosives will work?”

  Claire glanced at him, her face unreadable. “They’ll work,” she said, though she wasn’t entirely sure herself. “And if they don’t, we’ll improvise. That’s what warriors do.”

  The boy nodded, his lips pressed into a tight line, but Claire could see the fear in his eyes. She wished she could offer him more reassurance, but the truth was, none of them knew what would happen once the demons came in force. All they could do was prepare and hope for the best.

  When they reached a sharp bend in the road, Claire motioned for the group to stop. “Here,” she said, dropping to one knee and pulling one of the explosives from her pack. It was a crude device—nothing more than a bundle of old powder wrapped in cloth with a short fuse sticking out of it—but it would have to do.

  She handed the explosive to the boy. “Dig a hole there,” she instructed, pointing to a spot just off the road where the ground was soft. “Bury it deep enough that it won’t be noticed, but not so deep that it won’t go off.”

  The boy swallowed hard but nodded, dropping to his knees to dig. The other warrior, a girl who couldn’t have been more than eighteen, knelt beside him, helping to hide the explosive in the dirt. Claire stood guard, her hand resting on the hilt of her sword, her eyes scanning the surrounding trees. She didn’t trust the quiet. Not out here. Not with demons on the loose.

  As they worked, the girl glanced up at Claire, her brow furrowed. “Why do you think the demons are attacking us now? What do they want?”

  Claire kept her gaze on the road ahead. “Revenge,” she said quietly. “They’re here for Sam. But that doesn’t mean they won’t tear apart everything else in their path.”

  The girl’s eyes widened, and she exchanged a glance with the boy beside her. “Sam? What did he do?”

  “It’s not what he did,” Claire said, her voice hardening. “It’s what we all did. Years ago, we killed their commander. Sam was only a baby, but he... he killed more demons that day than anyone else. They’ve never forgotten.”

  The girl’s hands froze in the dirt, and for a moment, the only sound was the wind rustling through the trees. “And now they’re back for him,” she whispered.

  Claire nodded. “But they’ll have to get through us first.”

  With the explosive buried and the trap set, they moved farther down the road, repeating the process every few hundred yards. The tension in the air grew thicker with each step, and Claire’s heart pounded louder in her ears. She couldn’t shake the feeling that time was running out. Every second they spent here, the demons were getting closer. And soon, the fighting would start again.

  By the time they reached the end of the southern road, Claire’s body was aching from the effort, and her pack was considerably lighter. They had set all the explosives they had, and now it was just a matter of getting back to the village before the demons arrived.

  “Let’s move,” Claire said, motioning for the others to follow. They turned back toward the village, their pace quickening. The boy stumbled slightly, his breathing heavy, but he didn’t complain. They all knew what was at stake.

  As they neared the village, Claire could see the faint outline of the barrier rising in the distance. Sam and Isonorai’s team had done their part. Now it was up to them to make sure the demons didn’t reach it before it was finished.

  They had set the traps. Now all they could do was wait—and hope the demons walked right into them.

  When they arrived at the village, Caross and his group were already there, looking equally worn but determined. He caught Claire’s eye and gave a brief nod. “It’s done,” he said simply. “Now we see if it works.”

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  Claire wiped the sweat from her brow and adjusted her gauntlets. “We’ll find out soon enough.”

  she stood near the village entrance, the cool night air brushing against her skin as she scanned the horizon for any movement. The silence was unnerving, broken only by the occasional shuffle of a foot or the crack of a branch in the wind. The village was still, and despite the traps they had set along the roads, Claire felt a deep unease settling in her gut.

  Caross walked up to her, his face grim. He was a big man, broad-shouldered and tall, but tonight even he looked worn, his eyes shadowed with fatigue. "They're coming," he said, his voice low. "It’s only a matter of time now."

  Claire nodded. “How are the warriors?”

  “They’re ready. Or at least, as ready as they’ll ever be,” Caross replied, his gaze shifting toward the village square where the rest of their makeshift forces were gathered. The village warriors stood in small groups, sharpening weapons, checking armor, and casting nervous glances toward the forest beyond the village. A handful of the village’s magic users were near the center, murmuring among themselves, their hands twitching with nervous energy.

  “They’re scared,” Claire said quietly, watching them. “We all are.”

  Caross sighed, running a hand through his greying hair. “We don’t have a choice, Claire. We fight or we die.”

  She turned to him, her eyes hard. “I know. But these aren’t trained soldiers. They’re farmers, blacksmiths, tailors—people who’ve never seen real combat.”

  “They’ll see it soon enough.”

  The village elder approached, his old staff clacking against the ground as he walked. His face was worn and weathered, like the bark of an ancient tree, but his eyes were sharp. “The traps are set,” he said in his raspy voice. “If they come down those roads, they’ll feel it. Let’s hope the old powder holds.”

  “It’ll have to,” Claire replied, her voice firm despite the uncertainty in her mind. She wasn’t sure if the explosives, with all their age, would function the way they needed them to. But they didn’t have time for doubts.

  The elder nodded, looking toward the darkened forest in the distance. "We’ve done what we can. Now, we wait."

  They didn’t have to wait long.

  It started with a distant rumble, barely perceptible at first but growing louder with each passing second. The ground vibrated beneath their feet, and then, from the shadows of the trees, the first demons appeared.

  The sky seemed to darken as they emerged, their black forms moving like a flood of nightmares over the land. Red eyes glinted in the moonlight, and the demons moved with a terrible, predatory grace, their claws scraping against the earth. At their center, massive figures loomed, commanding the smaller demons with growls and roars that echoed across the village.

  The air grew heavier as the first demons stepped into view, their monstrous silhouettes rippling against the moonlit horizon. Claire’s breath hitched as she took in the sight—a tide of death rushing toward them, claws gleaming, red eyes glowing with feral hunger. These weren’t just creatures. They were forces of destruction, incarnations of malice.

  “They’re here,” Claire muttered, tightening her grip on her sword. The cold steel felt heavier tonight, as if it understood the weight of the battle to come.

  Caross drew his blade beside her, the sharp ring of steel cutting through the tense silence. “Everyone, hold your ground!” he bellowed, his voice booming over the murmurs of fear that rippled through the villagers behind them.

  Claire glanced at the gathered warriors, her heart sinking. Some of them looked ready to bolt, their hands trembling as they gripped their makeshift weapons. Farmers wielding scythes. Blacksmiths holding heavy hammers. Young magic users clutching staves, their palms already slick with sweat.

  This wasn’t an army. It was a desperate collection of people fighting for their lives.

  “Claire,” Caross’s voice broke through her thoughts. His gaze locked onto hers, steady and unwavering. “We’ve been through worse.”

  She wanted to believe him. But even as she nodded, her eyes drifted back to the horde approaching the village. This was unlike anything they had ever faced before.

  The demons surged forward, their guttural roars sending a chill through the air. The first wave hit the southern road, triggering the traps they had so painstakingly set. A thunderous explosion ripped through the night, the ground shaking violently as plumes of dirt and fire erupted into the sky. Screams and snarls echoed through the chaos as several demons were blown apart, their bodies thrown like ragdolls.

  “It worked!” one of the young warriors shouted, his voice tinged with both relief and disbelief.

  Claire didn’t share his optimism. The explosion had taken out a chunk of the horde, but the demons kept coming, their numbers seemingly endless. The traps had slowed them down, but not enough.

  “Don’t lose focus!” she barked, her voice sharp. “We hold this line!”

  Caross stepped forward, his massive sword swinging down in a deadly arc as the first demon breached their defenses. The creature, a hulking beast with razor-sharp claws, roared in defiance before its head was cleaved clean off. Caross didn’t pause, moving seamlessly into his next strike as another demon lunged at him.

  Claire joined the fray, her blade slicing through the air with precision. A smaller demon, quick and wiry, darted toward her, its claws aimed for her throat. She sidestepped, bringing her sword down in a vicious strike that severed its arm. The creature shrieked, black ichor spraying from the wound, before she finished it with a thrust to its chest.

  Around her, the villagers fought with everything they had. The young magic users unleashed blasts of fire and lightning, their spells illuminating the battlefield in bursts of light. But for every demon they struck down, another two seemed to take its place.

  “We’re getting overwhelmed!” one of the warriors shouted, panic creeping into his voice.

  “Stay together!” Claire yelled back, her voice cutting through the chaos. “Do not break formation!”

  She caught sight of Caross, his blade flashing as he carved through another demon. His movements were slower now, his breaths labored. He was strong, but even he couldn’t hold out forever.

  “Caross!” Claire shouted, her voice tinged with urgency. “Fall back toward the barrier! We can’t hold this position for long!”

  Caross nodded grimly, raising his sword to signal the retreat. “Everyone, back to the village! Move, now!”

  The retreat was chaotic. The warriors fell back in staggered groups, covering each other as they moved toward the safety of the village. The demons pursued relentlessly, their claws scraping against the ground as they closed the distance.

  Claire turned, raising her sword to parry a strike from a demon that had leapt at her. The force of the impact sent a jolt through her arm, but she held firm, twisting her blade to deflect the creature’s claws before driving it into its chest.

  “Keep moving!” she shouted, her voice hoarse.

  The group finally reached the village’s outer defenses, where the barrier stood tall and glowing faintly in the moonlight. Sam and Isonorai’s team had done their job. The barrier pulsed with energy, its surface shimmering like liquid glass. But it wouldn’t hold forever. They needed to thin the horde before it reached them.

  Caross turned, planting himself in front of the barrier. “We make our stand here,” he growled, his sword raised. “This is our home, and we’re not giving it up without a fight!”

  Claire took her place beside him, her eyes scanning the faces of the warriors around her. They were battered and bloodied, but still standing. Still fighting.

  “You heard him,” she said, her voice steady despite the fear gnawing at her chest. “This is where we hold the line.”

  The demons hit the barrier like a wave crashing against a cliff. The magic pulsed and flared, holding strong as the creatures clawed and snarled at its surface. The magic users behind the barrier focused intently, their hands glowing as they channeled their mana into the shield.

  But it wouldn’t last. Already, cracks were beginning to form, faint spiderweb fractures spreading across the shimmering surface.

  “Claire!” Sam’s voice rang out as he appeared at the edge of the square, his Shadow Sword gleaming in the dim light. He was covered in dirt and blood, but his eyes burned with determination.

  “You shouldn’t be here!” Claire shouted, cutting down another demon that had slipped through the line. “You’re supposed to be with Isonorai!”

  “She sent me,” Sam replied, his voice firm. “We’re done with the barrier. Now it’s time to fight.”

  Claire wanted to argue, but there was no time. The barrier was failing, and the demons were pouring through the gaps.

  “Then fight,” she said, her voice hard. “But don’t do anything reckless.”

  Sam nodded, stepping forward to join the fray. His Shadow Sword danced through the air, slicing through the demons with terrifying efficiency. Claire watched him for a moment, her heart tightening in her chest. He wasn’t the boy she had raised anymore. He was a warrior.

  And tonight, they would all fight like warriors.