Martial Destiny

The darkness was increasingly taking over the world. Julius was sitting in front of a campfire, watching the flames burn. He and the other players were all gathered in an open space, in the northeast part of the village (with the elder's cabin at the center).

They were close to the wall, so every player could hear the screams of the men and women outside.

Even though most of them were trying not to pay attention to the sounds, it was obvious they were being affected by the demons.

Julius, like all the other players, thought that once the screams stopped, the situation would improve.

Unfortunately, they couldn't have been more wrong.

As the night deepened and the screams slowly began to fade, the players sighed in relief. The immersion in the game was so strong that they had almost forgotten they could leave at any moment.

Because of this, they truly felt in danger at that moment, so when the desperate screams and pleas for help finally stopped, most of them felt a relief they had never experienced before.

A relief that only someone who had narrowly escaped life-threatening danger could feel.

For one or two hours, things really calmed down, making everyone breathe a little easier.

But it was during this time, as people started talking normally again, that things began to feel strange once more.

The outside was eerily quiet, completely different from what had been happening just a few minutes earlier, but this deafening silence was replaced by a feminine voice.

"Hey, is anyone there!?" A distressed and beautiful voice made everyone present feel the hairs on their bodies stand on end again.

"A survivor?" A swordsman with a long sword on his back asked.

"Yes, I survived against those demons. Please open the gates for me! I don't know when they will come back." The woman's voice clearly sounded more emotional, as if she had seen the light at the end of the tunnel.

Considering the screams and how dangerous things seemed outside, everyone understood why the woman sounded so relieved.

All around the campfire, conversations ceased, and everyone looked in unison toward the wall.

No one there could see what the woman looked like, as the wooden walls had no gaps. So, most of them didn't know how to react, as they couldn't be sure whether it was really a woman asking for help or a demon trying to deceive them.

Everyone started looking at each other, searching for someone who knew what to do in such a situation.

Time passed slowly in that moment, and no one among the players inside had spoken since the swordsman, making the woman feel desperate again.

At least, that was the feeling her voice conveyed.

"Hey, is anyone still out there!? Please open the gates, I don't know when the demons will come back." She sounded like she was begging for help, and her beautiful voice made some players' hearts melt.

"Sure, let's do it, everyone. We can save at least one player from those demons!" The swordsman with the long sword spoke again.

This time, he was trying to convince the group that it was okay to let the woman in.

Julius was paying attention to the woman's voice, trying to identify anything suspicious, but he couldn't find anything.

"Still, I feel like something is wrong," Julius thought, noticing someone beside him standing up. Instinctively, he grabbed the person by the arm.

The player who had stood up was an assassin with a pair of daggers on his waist.

"What are you doing!?" The assassin asked, somewhat irritated.

"I don't think it's a good idea to let her in," Julius was honest. Even though he didn't want to get involved in any conflict, the decisions made here would affect him too.

"Are you telling me to leave people out there!? I don't want to hear those horrible screams again!" The assassin, knowing it was a bad idea, still had an overwhelming desire to open the gate.

"Yeah, we should let her in!" The swordsman, who had earlier been alone in the crowd, took the opportunity to try to convince more people to join his side. "Come on, everyone! If we leave her out there, it's only a matter of time before we hear the screams for help again, and this time it will be our fault!"

Even though they didn't know why, both the assassin and the swordsman felt like they should let the woman in.

And it wasn't just them; many other players also felt the same.

As soon as one of them spoke up, the others followed.

"Yeah, we should let her in!"

"What kind of monsters are you!? Didn't you hear the screams? They were really suffering, and you want that poor girl to go through the same!"

"Open the gates!"

'What's happening?' Seeing that a significant portion of the players present had quickly accepted the idea of opening the gates, despite knowing that it was the wooden wall keeping them safe, made Julius even more suspicious about the situation.

"Hey, wait a moment. I don't think it's fair to put everyone here in danger, including yourselves, for someone you don't even know!" An archer protested against the idea of opening the gates.

And once again, it only took one person to speak, and the others followed suit. This time, those who were against the idea stood up.

"True. Leave her out there!"

"She should go back to where she was hiding!"

"No one told her not to listen to the warning!"

Two opposing groups formed, and it seemed that they were about to clash quickly.

This was completely absurd, as no one there knew the girl!

A heated discussion started between the two groups, with the majority supporting the opening of the gates.

'Why did so many of them change their minds so quickly?' Julius clearly noticed that some players who had seemed against the idea of letting the girl in changed their facial expressions as soon as they heard her voice.

'It seems like they've become different people.'

If things continued like this, it was obvious which side would win the argument.

"Hey, don't leave me out here! I'm scared they'll come back!" Again, the melodious voice sounded from outside, making more changes happen.

If before, some players' behavior was already strange, now things had gotten even more bizarre.

Some of the players who had been protesting against the idea of letting the woman in changed their minds and started supporting the other group.

'She looks like a defenseless girl. What harm could she do?' This time, even Julius thought about whether it was worth leaving her outside.

It seemed like the girl's words carried some kind of enchanting magic that made people side with her.

Some people appeared to be naturally resistant to it, as there were still a few who were looking at the situation more logically.

Even with some contrary thoughts, Julius kept his initial position.

'I have to be careful. Or I'll end up like those guys!' The first players to fall under the woman's enchantment were becoming increasingly more animalistic in their behavior.

As if the enchantment was growing stronger in them, turning them into irrational beings.

BOOM

An explosion sounded from somewhere in the village, causing Julius to turn his attention back to the environment.

'The enchantment worked on me too…' He realized that he had been so immersed in the situation that he hadn't noticed the chaos all over the village. 'The players aren't the only ones acting strangely; the NPCs are too.'

Julius saw several fights breaking out in all directions, and most of them seemed to have started the same way: because of the girl!

'She's really a demon.'

"HAHAHAHHAHAHAH." Along with Julius's thoughts, the owner of the melodious and beautiful voice was now laughing maniacally.

"Hehehe. Now that the ranked ones are here, these foolish humans won't stand a chance."

"Just a few words, and these idiots are almost killing each other."

"And to think they are just the lowest-ranked of the house of Lust."

Voices similar to those that the players had heard earlier in the night began to sound from outside, showing that the demons had really returned.

'No! I don't think they ever left!' Julius drew his worn sword, preparing for the chaos that was clearly about to happen.

He wasn't the only one. Several other players also drew their weapons, showing that a confrontation was becoming increasingly likely.

The swordsman with the long sword was standing right in front of Julius. He held the sword with both hands, and it was possible to see dark veins running across his body. To complete the picture of madness, the long-sworded swordsman was foaming at the mouth, spewing some kind of black sludge.

Outside, the demons seemed to be growing more excited by the chaos building inside. Their twisted laughter echoed from the wall, a sign that they were relishing the breakdown of the players' unity. 

"Shut up, idiots. Prepare to come in. Let´s hunt some of this pathetics humans and steal their destinys!!" The beautiful and melodious voice sounded once more. This time, she was commanding the demons who had been tormenting the other players earlier.