Chapter 1 The cursed ring

Aiden sat down, took out a candlelight, and studied the ring on the desk carefully. It was a beautiful golden ring with some strange inscription on it, along with a beautiful red gem, making it even more beautiful. 'This is surely an expensive ring,' he said, with his eye glued to it.

Aiden had found this ring by the riverside in the evening and quickly took it home before anyone could find it. Aiden was a poor orphan; his mom died when he was twelve, and since then he had been alone. As for his dad, well, he hasn't heard from him.

With this ring he would surely live a good life and wouldn't be bullied by the villagers, he took the ring and put it on.

As soon as the ring touched his finger, Aiden was bombarded with horrific visions that made his blood run cold. He witnessed his village being viciously attacked by savage, inhuman creatures - monstrous beings with bat-like wings, razor-sharp claws, and fangs dripping with blood. These hellish beasts descended upon the helpless villagers, tearing them apart with ruthless abandon.

Aiden saw fathers desperately trying to defend their families, wielding whatever weapons they could find, but their efforts were utterly futile against the overwhelming onslaught of these demonic entities.

The air was filled with the agonizing screams of the villagers as they were mercilessly slaughtered, their bodies mutilated beyond recognition.

The visions were so vivid and visceral that Aiden felt as though he was right there, trapped in the heart of the carnage. He could smell the stench of death, hear the bone-chilling roars of the beasts, and see the terror-stricken faces of his fellow villagers as they met their horrific fate.

Fortunately for him there was a loud knock on the door

And then, just as suddenly as they had begun, the visions stopped. Aiden was left sitting in the silence of his small room, his heart racing and his mind reeling. He looked down at the ring on his finger, and he knew that he had to get it off. He couldn't bear the thought of experiencing those horrors again.

But as he tried to remove the ring, he found that it wouldn't budge. It was stuck on his finger, as though it had been welded there. Aiden panicked, trying to pull and twist the ring off, but it wouldn't come off. He was trapped, and he knew it.

Just as Aiden was trying to figure out what to do next, the knock on the door came again, louder and more insistent this time. Aiden's heart skipped a beat as he realized that someone - or something - was waiting for him on the other side of the door.

With a sense of trepidation, Aiden slowly got up from his chair and made his way to the door. He hesitated for a moment, wondering if he should open it, but his curiosity got the better of him. He slowly turned the handle and pulled the door open.

Aiden opened the door to see his friend Henry standing there, a look of mild concern on his face. "Aiden, there you are! I've been knocking for ages. Didn't you hear me?" Henry asked. Aiden felt a pang of guilt for not responding sooner.

"Sorry, Henry. I was... preoccupied with something. What's going on?" Henry's expression shifted to one of excitement. "The chief's daughter is having her birthday party tonight, remember? We're all supposed to be there to celebrate. I came to make sure you didn't forget."

Aiden's eyes widened as the memory came back to him. "Oh, right! The birthday party. I completely lost track of time. Thanks for coming to remind me, Henry."

"No problem, man," Henry said with a smile. "So, are you ready to go? The party's starting soon, and you know how the chief likes everyone to be there on time."

Aiden glanced back into his small room, his mind briefly returning to the mysterious ring he had found. But he quickly pushed those thoughts aside and turned back to Henry."Yeah, I'm ready. Let's go celebrate the chief's daughter's birthday," Aiden said, stepping out and closing the door behind him.

As the two friends made their way to the party, Aiden couldn't help but feel a sense of unease about the ring he had discovered. But for now, he was determined to push those worries aside and enjoy the festivities with his friend.

As Aiden and Henry made their way to the village field, the sound of music and laughter grew louder. The chief's daughter, Isabel, was having her birthday celebration, and the entire village had gathered to join in the festivities.

Aiden couldn't help but feel a lingering sense of unease about the mysterious ring he had found earlier. The visions he had experienced when he put it on still haunted him, but he didn't want to worry his friend Henry."I'm sure it's nothing," Aiden said, forcing a smile as they approached the crowded field.

Henry seemed to sense Aiden's distraction but didn't press the matter. "Come on, let's go join the party," he said, leading the way.As they entered the field, Aiden was immediately engulfed in the lively atmosphere. The villagers were dancing, laughing, and chatting animatedly, their faces lit by the warm glow of the torches and lanterns that dotted the space.

Aiden quickly found himself caught up in the celebration, his earlier worries temporarily forgotten. He joined his friends in dancing and enjoying the delicious food and drinks that were being served.

But even as he lost himself in the revelry, Aiden couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. He glanced down at the ring on his finger, its faint glow barely noticeable in the flickering light. The sky was lit up by beautiful fire crackers.

In a nearby hill a man in his late thirties dressed in a black robe, holding a staff with a magical-looking gem on the end. Behind the man, was a large number of beastly creatures. "I can sense the ring, it's here attack at once" he ordered and the beastly creature charged forward heading to the field.

As the night wore on, the celebration reached its peak. The villagers were having the time of their lives, and Aiden was caught up in the joy and laughter. But suddenly, the music stopped, and a loud roar echoed through the field. The villagers' smiles faltered as they turned to face the darkness beyond the torches' reach.

That was when Aiden saw them - the beasts from his visions, emerging from the shadows, their eyes glowing with an otherworldly light. The villagers gasped in terror as the creatures descended upon them, their sharp claws and teeth tearing through the crowd.

Aiden's heart raced as he tried to process what was happening. The beasts were just like the ones he had seen in his visions.

The villagers were screaming and running for their lives, but the beasts were too fast. They tore through the crowd, their claws ripping apart anyone who stood in their way, some were eaten alive.

Aiden stood there lost in his own thoughts, he knew that all this was his fault and the reason why they are here is because of him. "Let's go!" Henry yelled bringing him back to reality.

Aiden snapped back to reality, his mind racing with guilt and fear. He knew he that the beasts were after him, so he had to escape.

Aiden and Henry ran as fast as they could through the forest, the sounds of the chaos and carnage behind them.

Aiden's heart was pounding, the guilt and fear gripping him tightly."What are those things?" Henry shouted as they raced through the undergrowth, narrowly avoiding the grasping claws of the pursuing beasts.

"I-I don't know," Aiden stammered, his voice shaky. "But I think they're after me!" He said. "what do you mean!".

"Henry, look out!" Aiden yelled, but it was too late.

A winged beast swooped down from the sky, its talons outstretched like razor-sharp claws. Henry tried to dodge, but the beast was too quick. It snatched him up in its grasp, and with a deafening screech, it took to the skies, flying away with Henry struggling in its claws.

"Aiden, help me!" Henry screamed, his voice echoing through the forest, his eyes wide with terror.

Aiden watched in horror as the beast flew circles above him, Henry's screams growing fainter. Then, with a brutal swipe of its claws, the beast ripped Henry's body in two, his limbs torn from his torso like rag dolls. Aiden's friend was ripped to pieces, his body parts scattered across the forest floor like confetti.

"No! Henry, no!" Aiden wailed, his voice shattered with grief, his eyes fixed on the spot where Henry's body lay mutilated and still. He collapsed to the ground, his mind reeling with guilt and sorrow.

He knew that his life would never be the same again, he felt down on his knees as he wept for his dear friend.

Aiden's grief was short-lived, as a new vision suddenly overtook him, pulling him into a nightmarish realm once again.

In this vision, Aiden found himself on a vast, blood-soaked battlefield. The ground was strewn with the lifeless bodies of human soldiers, their weapons scattered amidst the carnage.

And in the center of this hellish scene, Aiden saw himself, cradling the lifeless body of a beautiful young woman in his arms.Tears streamed down Aiden's face as he gazed upon the girl's pale, serene features, her eyes closed in eternal slumber.

All around them, the winged beasts from his previous visions descended, their claws and fangs tearing into the fallen soldiers, feasting on the dead with savage hunger.

Aiden was the only human left standing, a solitary survivor amidst the devastation.

He held the girl close, his heart breaking as he realized that he had somehow failed to protect her. The weight of his guilt and sorrow threatened to crush him, but he refused to let go, unwilling to abandon her even in the face of the monstrous horde.

As the beasts circled closer, their glowing eyes fixed upon Aiden, he steeled his resolve, determined to defy the forces that had brought this calamity upon him and his people.

He knew that he had to escape this hellish vision, to find a way to stop the horrors that were unfolding.

Clutching the girl's lifeless body, Aiden let out a anguished cry, his voice echoing across the devastated landscape. In that moment, a surge of power coursed through him, and he felt the ring on his finger begin to glow with a blinding intensity.

The vision began to blur and distort, and Aiden felt himself being pulled back to the physical world...