Hell Beast

The Prophecy

I follow my parents back through the door which releases the animals. It smells of blood and bones. In the back is a large door which leads to the outside.

Just as we reach it, they turn right, to a far smaller door. I follow. The door creaks open, hitting us with a burst of musty air. A stone staircase winds down into darkness. My mother lights a torch and leads all of us down.

The air is thick with dust. I don't think anyone has been down here in hundreds of years. It is cool, sending shivers down my back.

After descending the long staircase, we hit a landing which extends into a short hallway. I follow my parents to a heavy wooden door at the end. They push it open and lead me inside.

It looks like a torture chamber. There are different weapons and strange devices lining the walls. There is a large wooden table sitting in this  center, with books and papers piled on top of it. Some look ancient, but a few look modern.

There are three chairs, two on one side and one on the other. It is clear where each of us should sit. I sit in the single seat, and my parents sit in the others. There is a moment of awkward silence, and my mother then begins speaking.

"How much do you know about... Our world?" She questions.
"Um... Just... How we were cursed, and all that you told me. The Devil's Touch thing."
"What else?"
I dig around in my memories.
"There was a cousin... He told me that I have to fight someone. That I'm the chosen one or something."

My mother solemnly nods, and my father remains silent and still.

"What do you know about the light borne and the dark borne?"
"The what?"
My mother deeply sighs, like I am a disappointment.

"Okay. When our family was first cursed, it was a dark borne curse. Dark borne are Devils, Vampires, Wolverines, creatures of the dark. What you do not know is that the same day we were cursed, another was cursed with a light borne curse. Light borne are the Dragons, Angels, Satyrs, creatures of the light."

"So what does that have to do with anything?" I interrupt. My father shoots me a glare.

"Over the years, the bloodlines have become tainted," my mother says, not missing a beat. "There have been marriages between the families, intertwining the dark and light blood. There has not been a pure child for a few hundred years."

My heart begins to beat a little faster, though I am unsure why. My mother takes a breath.

"That is, until you," she continues. "You are the first pure dark borne in hundreds of years. We were unsure, until we saw your thirst for blood. You are definitely the One."

"The 'One'? What does that even mean?" I question.

"Well..." My mother begins, "there's an old scripture about the pure borne. A prophecy. And we think it is about you. It fits perfectly."
"Well, what is it?"

My mother pushes an old scroll towards me. I slowly unravel it, nervous.

The light and dark cannot exist together
The last pure battle of the full moon
A Dragons Fire and Devils Touch
Will fight until there is only one.

I look up at my mother, not quite comprehending.

"So... I'm the one with the Devils Touch... And... I'm supposed to fight a Dragon?"
"The one with the Dragons Touch, yes. The pure borne from the light."
"When?" I ask, insanely nervous.
"I'm... Unsure. A full moon. Most likely sometime near."
"And... It's for the existence of the light or dark?"
"Exactly."

I take a deep breath. I could walk away, say no and let it come kill me eventually. Or... I could kill it and keep the dark alive.

"How do I beat a Dragon?"