Attack

One day, while the children were playing in the sun-dappled gardens of the castle, a ball flew farther than expected, landing with a soft thud on the lush green grass. Bazal, a stout boy with a curious nature and an insatiable appetite for adventure, volunteered to retrieve it. He was slightly taller than the others, with a round face, a mop of messy brown hair, and a smattering of freckles across his nose. As he walked towards the ball, he heard a strange, guttural sound - like the growling of a beast, but somehow more menacing. His curiosity piqued, Bazal picked up the ball and continued towards the noise, his eyes scanning the surroundings with a mix of fascination and trepidation.

Without realizing it, Bazal had wandered towards the forest that loomed at the edge of the castle grounds. The trees grew taller and the underbrush thicker around him, casting deep shadows that seemed to writhe and twist in the fading light. The strange sound grew louder, and he followed it, his heart beating faster with anticipation. The air was heavy with the scent of blooming flowers and the distant tang of something far more sinister. Suddenly, he stumbled upon a gruesome scene: a bizarre creature with seven legs was devouring a freshly hunted animal. A slimy, greenish substance oozed from its body, and its eyes seemed to gleam with an otherworldly intelligence. The creature's appearance was so repulsive that Bazal screamed, his voice echoing through the forest and sending birds fleeing from the trees.

The creature's ears perked up at the sound of Bazal's scream, and it caught his scent. With a sudden burst of speed, the creature charged towards Bazal, its seven legs moving with an unnatural gait. Bazal froze, paralyzed with fear, as the creature bore down on him. Its eyes seemed to burn with an inner fire, and its jaws were open wide, revealing rows of razor-sharp teeth. Bazal's breath caught in his throat as he realized he was staring into the face of a monster.

Bazal froze for a moment, his eyes fixed on the creature's razor-sharp claws and teeth. But as the creature took a step closer, its hot breath washing over him, Bazal's fear gave way to adrenaline. He turned and sprinted away, his legs pumping furiously as he desperately sought to escape the creature's deadly grasp.

Somehow, Bazal managed to outrun the creature and reached his companions, who were still playing oblivious to the danger. But the creature was relentless, and it quickly closed in on the group. The children's laughter and shouts of excitement turned to screams of terror as the creature attacked.

Pandemonium erupted as the creature tore through the group, its claws swiping wildly. Children ran in all directions, trying to escape the creature's deadly grasp. Some were trampled in the chaos, while others were left bleeding and crying on the ground.

In the midst of the chaos, Crown Prince Kaidën Darkhaven sprang into action. With a fierce cry, he thrust his wooden sword into the creature's eyes, momentarily blinding it. The creature let out a deafening screech, its earsplitting cry sending shivers down the spines of the terrified children.

As suddenly as it had appeared, the creature turned and fled back into the forest, leaving behind a trail of destruction and terror. The children, shaken and traumatized, were left to pick up the pieces. They were forbidden from playing outside, and the castle grounds were placed under heavy guard.

The incident left a dark shadow over the castle, and the children were forever changed by the terror they experienced. Lyra, who had taken on the life of Elianora, couldn't shake the feeling that something was off, that the creature's appearance was more than just a coincidence.

That fateful day marked the beginning of a terrifying new era. The appearance of the strange creature was not an isolated incident, but rather a harbinger of a far greater threat. As the days passed, more and more of these abominable creatures began to emerge from the shadows, their numbers growing with alarming rapidity.

It soon became horrifyingly clear that these creatures had developed a taste for human flesh. They seemed to be adapting, evolving, and multiplying at an unprecedented rate. Some of these "Carnifex" had six legs, others five, and some even had two twisted, nightmarish heads. But despite their varied forms, they all shared certain grotesque characteristics: a constant flow of slimy, greenish ichor from their bodies, and eyes that seemed to shift and writhe like living things.

The people of the kingdom were consumed by fear and dread as the Carnifex continued to appear, their attacks growing bolder and more frequent. The creatures' very presence seemed to darken the air around them, casting a shadow of terror over the land. And as the kingdom teetered on the brink of chaos, one thing became terrifyingly clear: the Carnifex were a threat unlike any other, and they would stop at nothing to claim the kingdom as their own.