ASTRUM

Prologue

The sound of their beating hearts was loud enough to drown the din of the chaos around them. She pressed the baby in her arms closer to her chest, ducking his fair head under her chin.

The doors in the ground were flung wide open and bright white light spouted out of it, illuminating the dead corpses and debris lying around the doors with a deadly glow.

The portal was so close- just a few steps more to sanctuary.

Death and destruction encompassed the fleeing couple as they sprinted across the green courtyard. The screeching of Daemons and shrill human screams were carried away by the wind.

A red brick suddenly fell onto her path, and she quickly leaped aside to avoid it. Glancing up, she registered the brick building on her left head right towards them. Something ploughed into her at that moment, thrusting her away from the crumbling building.

"Cover Tristan!" her husband yelled, flinging his arm before his wife and child. A golden holographic shield materialized over his forearm, and she joined him with her own silver one. They winced as detritus came crashing at them.

Once the volley of falling rubble was over, they continued their race to the doors. Men, who had been battling Daemons, and were now crushed under the weight of the fallen rubble, cried for help, but they ignored them. They had to, if they were to survive themselves.

Baby Tristan howled at the top of his lungs, and much to their horror, Daemons were drawn to the noise. 

Panic and fear forced her to stop and stare at the hundred to thousand dark terrifying shadows coming towards her with their eyes full of hunger. She had no escape from this battle. She looked at her baby boy, his green eyes were full of innocence and beauty. She wanted nothing more than to give him a life he deserved. Away from battles and violence that existed in this corrupted world she was forced to live in. 

She glanced at her husband and a silent agreement was passed between them. She rested the baby in one hand and extended the other.  A silver sword materialized into her grasp and its symbols spoke to her as if it was her own voice with a thirst for blood and war. She was aware of her husband's golden dagger with symbols that spoke of peace and harmony colliding with hers as they stood side by side. 

The daemons came closer and she was the first to slash her holographic weapon through it's body. Her training instincts took hold of her as she killed one daemon to the next, aware of her husband's movements next to her. 

She was no longer thinking as she cut through daemons. They disappeared into thin air, leaving smoke that brought the reek of blood. Tristan was wailing, his small body shaking  in her arms, but she couldn't afford to comfort him at the moment. 

She ducked just as the last of the daemons sprang towards her, snarling, its razor sharp teeth aiming right for her head. She turned to stand but was too slow. It dug its claws into her shoulders and opened its jaws wide. Sheer pain shot through her shoulders, and she screamed. Then, the most horrifying sound escaped the daemon and it vanished leaving no trace of it's existence. She turned to see her husband, his face and blond hair soaked with sweat and blood. She could feel panic clouding her thinking. Is it his blood? Is he hurt?

She quickly regained her focus as Tristan shifted in her arm. She took hold of her husband's hand and he whimpered as if her touch hurt him. "We have to keep going. Please, can you walk?" she asked as he collapsed. 

"Go! I..." he said as he took in a shaking breath. "I don't think.."

"I am not leaving you. Not when we are this close to escape. I will carry you if I have to", she shouted at his ear over the noise. 

Too tired to protest he gave in and slowly got up. She took his arm and slung it over her shoulders. With their strengths combined they slowly neared the doors, its light giving her hope for another chance at life. For both of them.

She gave the baby to him and allowed him to jump through the hole created by the marked double doors with an ancient language that only she understood. As her husband vanished leaving a soft glow she heard an ear-piercing human wail. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a woman drop to the ground, lifeless, as a daemon passed through her and vanished. It was clear by the woman's swollen belly that she was pregnant. A man who she imagined to be the woman's husband, knelt next to the body and gripped it tight. She could see tears streaming down his eyes as he rocked back and forth cradling her body, muttering something over and over, pushing her dark hair back. She recognized he was muttering the words to honour the dead.

But there was nothing she herself could do to help. The daemon, reappearing, brought her back to her senses. 

She jumped through the hole just as it leaped at her, leaving the world of chaos and destruction, the trace of her old life and the family she had since her childhood behind.