MMORPG: Rebirth of the Shadow Mage

The ancient, abandoned temple was a sad and desolate sight. Once a place of worship and reverence, it was now crumbling and overgrown by red moss, its once-majestic columns now cracked and weathered.

The temple's massive doors that had once guarded its entrance were now hanging on their rusty hinges, their wood rotted and their hinges rusted. Red vines and weeds grew up the sides of the temple, their roots cracking the stone.

Crack...

Something within the structure shook and a loud sound of breaking followed after...

...

Leo was looking around the hall with a distorted facial expression. He expected the demon to barge into the room, either from the main entrance or from the massive hole in the wall.

Unfortunately, the demonic creature had planned otherwise, demolishing the ceiling and making the debris fall directly on Leo's head.

His eyes widened, but his body reacted, moving to the side and hiding behind the Shadow Protection he had casted above his head.

Thud...

Soon the massive stone debris fell on him, shattering the shield and leaving Leo defenseless.

'Shit!'

Moving in between the falling rocks Leo almost dropped the potion hidden in his alcove, but managed to grab it at the last second.

As the collapse of the ceiling finally stopped Leo was half covered in a thick layer of dust while his face was half painted with blood, one of the smaller pebbles had hit him in the head.

"That hurt!"

Touching his aching head Leo frowned, feeling a bump rising on his forehead.

Turning his head towards the altar Leo frowned seeing it being untouched by the collapsing ceiling. It was as if the chains blocked all the debris falling onto it.

Leo didn't have any more time to think, because soon a silhouette of the nocturnal demon fell through the ceiling.

Thud...

As the demon landed down on the ground, its massive weight caused the stone floor to crack and crumble beneath its feet. The demon looked around, taking in its surroundings with a cold, calculating gaze. It sniffed the air, sensing the presence of Leo. The demon's horns gleamed in the dimly lit hall, a sign of its power and authority.

Feeling the gaze of the Nocturnal demon Leo shivered. It was much more powerful than the one's in the daylight, it was also an elite one.

'I should've found another place...'

Cursing Leo saw or rather felt the gust of wind brush against his side and soon blood spurted out of the massive claw wound on his chest.

'Shit!'

Quickly drinking a HP potion Leo felt another breeze of wind, but this time managed to place his eerie staff in the way of the attack.

Clank...

Even though his main body was protected, his hand, holding a staff, went numb and Leo was flung to the other side of the room.

Leo winced in pain as he struggled to get up off the ground. He had been thrown against the pavement a few times before, but this one had the most painful impact. His left arm was throbbing in pain and he could feel a warm liquid trickling down his forehead.

Despite his injuries, Leo knew that he had to quickly recover, or else he'd be killed in a few moments. Gritting his teeth and gathering all of his remaining strength, he lifted another HP potion above his lips, trying to consume its contents.

'This bastard!'

Seeing a rapidly approaching figure at the corner of his eyes Leo cursed and stumbled to the side barely evading the monster's claws.

Scratch...

The demon's massive claws bruised against one of the chains guarding the altar, Leo was thrown nearby it.

The metal snake seemed offended as it begrudgingly went after the demon's hand.

Phush...

Warm blood trickled down the monster's arm, but it ignored it. Gripping the metal chain the beast tensed his muscles and ripped it apart from the altar.

Clank... Clank...

As soon as the chain was no longer connected to the foundation of the altar its movements became slower and slower and finally it stopped moving altogether.

As if feeling their relative killed the other chains lunged at the demon, but it moved further away from the altar, so they couldn't reach him.

Looking at the demon's eyes Leo noticed no hesitation or fear within them and cursed. The demon already knew about the altar and could rip the chains if needed.

'I should escape...'

Looking at the demon's cold, yellow eyes Leo felt that the best choice of action would be to run as far as he could.

Rumble...

Suddenly something dark extended from the demon's body and rushed towards Leo aiming to pierce through him.

Clank...

Leo's Shadow Protection just came off cooldown and he had to immediately use it again to block the monster's attack.

Looking at the pair of obsidian daggers hanging suspended in the air, above his shattering shield Leo paled.

The weapons' glossy surfaces reflecting the dim light of the hall was menacing, yet beautiful at the same time. They had been imbued with some kind of magic, allowing them to levitate and move on the command of the demon. The daggers seemed to pulsate with a strange energy, as if they were alive and eager to taste the blood of their enemies.

'Shit!'

Throwing himself to the side Leo barely managed to avoid one of the daggers stabbing into his chest.

Rushing through the hall he quickly splashed all the blood he had on chains to the altar, making them dance in joy.

It seemed that the blood empowered them, because all of them suddenly became longer and lunged towards the demon, who still had a calm and calculating look plastered across his face.

'Shadow Soldiers...'

Summoning some of his Shadow Soldiers Leo went to hide behind the altar.

[ +12 Shadow Energy ]

Leo's shadow soldiers were killed a second, he was even kind of surprised that chains fed with blood could still fight that monster on equal footing.

The demon lunged forward, its sharp claws glinting in the dim light. The chains responded by coiling around its legs, trying to trip it up and bring it down. The demon snarled and struggled, but the chains were strong and determined.

The demon managed to break free and swipe at the chains with its claws, but the chains were too quick and dodged the attack. They slithered along the floor, wrapping themselves around the demon's arms and torso, constricting it and making it difficult for it to move.

The demon roared in frustration and casted some kind of empowering spell, using it to break free from the chains once again. The two beings continued to fight, the demon using its strength and magic while the chains used their agility and cunning to try and take it down. The battle raged on, the sound of clanging metal and snarling filling the hall.

Looking at the scene Leo unknowingly frowned, it reminded him of his bitter past life.

Clank...

Suddenly one of the chains managed to wrap itself around the monster's neck.

Roar...

Despite the demon's efforts, the chain was too strong and too determined. Soon other metal snakes followed the first one, they continued to wrap themselves tightly around the demon, constricting its movements and making it difficult to breathe.

The demon's empowering skill duration has ended and it probably had a cooldown.

The demon screeched with immense anger visible within its eyes, but its efforts were in vain. The chains held strong, slowly strangling the demon until it was no longer able to move or resist. The demon let out a final, pitiful cry before falling silent, its unconscious body collapsing to the cracked stone floor.

The chains had succeeded in their mission, killing the demon and protecting the altar from its evil presence. They slowly untwined themselves from the demon's body, grabbing it by the leg and dragging it on top of the altar.

'Shit...'

Not wanting to witness the gruesome scene Leo covered his ears and rushed out of the room.

***

Opening the VR Pod Leo yawned, it was already morning and he had to prepare for school, had it not been for his unexpected trip to hell he would've enjoyed the softness of his pillow for the whole night.

'Stupid wyvern...'

Cursing in between his breath Leo left his room walking towards the kitchen.

"Careful!"

Leo was almost hit by a flying pat coming directly at his face.

"What the hell is happening?"

Flabbergasted, he looked around the kitchen trying to identify the near cause of his death.

"Sorry..."

Leo's father was scratching the back of his head with an apologetic expression visible on his face.

"Don't tell me you've tried to cook..."

Looking at his dad with a wary glare Leo unknowingly took a step back. During the three weeks he had spent away from the Fragmental, he and his parents had gotten even closer. They also found out that Leo's father can make deadly poison out of anything.

"Did you at least put on a gasmask?"

With a grin Leo spoke, taking the fallen pan off the ground and proceeding to help his dad cook the breakfast.