The Unbidden: The First Tome (Side Stories 1) (Long Parts)

Wizard and Incipiency (Part 2)

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The attacking army was nothing I had ever seen before in my life; I had only ever read about the powers that could create such monstrosities. The army I had been tasked with identifying the banner of was an army of demons. There was no question why a banner was not flown!

I saw the marching troops approaching from far away after using a Scouting Hawk Familiar token I kept for safe keeping. It was destroyed shortly after spotting the army by some sort of demonic power. The demons were only a few miles ahead of the winding road before me. Thankfully, there were plenty of trees to hide around.

I steered Yairos into the packed foliage and carefully maneuvered him about a mile in before tying his reins to a tree. He made low neighs of protest, but did not resist with any genuine force.

"Manifestum en ye'voli sigillum ul-trove frangere mortra circa daemones," I chanted on the reins.

If any of the demons drew near, I wanted to ensure the horse I had raised since birth would have a chance to escape. I turned my attention in the direction of the oncoming force. I did not get a close-up visual from the familiar, but even at a distance they appeared nasty, horrific, and sickly.

I steeled myself for a possible confrontation with them, but wanted to avoid it as much as possible. Thankfully, I had the advantage of being in and near the forest. My people possessed a heavy connection with nature. As a result of that deep connection, we were able to pull off feats others could only hope to with the aid of magic.

Closing my eyes, I focused on the natural essence persistent throughout the forest. As I connected to the strands of nature, my body felt lighter than even the air itself. I felt as one with the forest, and through it, I began to hear and see the demons from afar as though I were within earshot.

"Δεν μπορώ να περιμένω να καταβροχθώ περισσότερες γυναίκες!" one spoke, laughing gutturally.

They spoke in a language completely foreign. It sounded like ancient tongue. Gruff, coarse, and at certain points even sounding like portions of an incantation when casting. The demons had wild and varied appearances, all of which made me sick to my stomach.

They were rough-housing with one another and sometimes even ganging up and murdering one of the other demons. The scariest part about the violent manner in which they murdered one other, was how they would split into two separate beings and rise again.

There was a heavy feeling in my chest. Something I had only felt a few times before, but one I could not pinpoint no matter how hard I concentrated. I moved my consciousness through the trees and plant life farther back, searching for some sort of leader.

The army was massive. I travelled for several minutes before reaching the rear echelon. As I drew near their leader – a humanoid-shaped creature from afar – I passed even more varied creatures of increasingly larger sizes.

Upon reaching the rear, I was taken aback at seeing an apparent human sitting atop a throne of bone and sinew as though it were the most comfortable seat in the world.

I watched him as he silently watched on for several minutes until the smug look on his face vanished. His eyes searched around until he glanced in my direction. He simply glared at the area my consciousness sat for some time; eventually his eyes snapped in the direction of the forest.

I analyzed every move he made, completely oblivious at first, until I realized the specific direction he gazed was where my body was. I hastily retreated back, passing several winged demons along the way.

They were coming straight toward me. Just as I became whole, the seal on Yairos' reins broke with a loud snap. He whinnied and reared up in a panic, then began galloping off in the opposite direction of the demons.