Evolution begins with an ant colony

In the heart of the Frostgate Barrens, was in total chaos, as the once peaceful city became a battleground. Emily and her demonic army had completely shattered the peaceful night, bringing terror and destruction to the citizens. The citizens ran for their lives, as they all tried despretly to evacuate.

The casualties of the soldiers and adventurers started to mount up as the demons cut through their forces like they were nothing. The streets were stained with the blood of those who fell victim to the demonic rampage. Buildings crumbled under the endless attacks from the demons, adding to the sense of impending doom.

The once lively bars and the adventurer guild, now silent witnesses to the unfolding tragedy, stood as reminders of the city's vulnerability.

The fact was, a battle with a demon was disadvantageous to regular humans, as they would slowly be corrupted by their very presence. Despite the impossible odds, the soldiers and adventurers fought the best they could to protect their home, while the rest of them did their best to help the people evacuate.

Evacuation efforts were met with confusion as citizens desperately tried to flee, guided by the flickering light of magic lamps.

Among the adventurers assisting the guards with the evacuation of the citizens was Bellua, an elf mage with purple and white robes, green hair, and purple eyes. "Slow down, no pushing, please!" she yelled at the people as she tried her best to organize them, attempting to smooth out the evacuation process.

She also cast a protective barrier over their heads to prevent incoming airborne attacks from the demons in the skies.

"Whoever thought the day would come when we would face an actual demon invasion," a man's voice spoke up from behind her. Bellua turned around to face the source of the sound, spotting Zeki, a handsome man with a slightly slender frame. He was an alchemist with bags under his eyes due to lack of sleep.

He usually spent his nights engrossed in research, but it seems the demons had other plans for tonight's schedule.

"I would have loved it if I were able to obtain one of the corpses of the dead soldiers so I could research on exactly what this 'Demon's curse' truly is." He walked up to one of the corpses of the dead soldiers who fell victim to the curse. Their bodies were slowly breaking down, and their very blood that was spilled on the icy cobblestone floor seemed to evaporate rather than get frozen.

"It's quite interesting how the curse seems to drain the life force of those who are afflicted by it. It really makes you wonder where all the drained life force goes." He crouched down as he examined further, gesturing inquisitively. His gaze held genuine curiosity as he seemed to lean in even closer.

Zeki then mumbled as he blushed slightly, his face showing a bit of delight, "If I can learn how it works and create a cure, the money I would make, the fame," he chuckled, "if I do make a cure, my name will be remembered for generations to come, leaving my unforgettable mark on history." His breaths became slightly labored as he slowly breathed out; they were visible due to the cold temperature, but it seemed like that wasn't the entire reason.

Bellua walked up to him, pulling him by his left shoulder as she yelled at him, "There you go again. The whole world could burn for all you care, as long as you could continue your beloved 'research,' you wouldn't care." She tried to pull him up as she added, "Come on and help me with the evacuation.

Seems you are jobless since you have the time to gaze at the bodies of dead people like some sort of pervert." Her facial expression showed her disgust with his behavior.

Zeki gazed at her as he then let out a sigh and proceeded to get up on his feet. He faced her, leaning in close slightly, catching her off guard as he said, "Pursuing the art of alchemy to its mastery is my lifelong dream, and yes, just like you said, I would gladly watch the world burn if it meant saving it would disrupt my research."

Bellua, slightly irritated, responded, "Doubt it. You should get your priorities straight. If the world were to burn, where exactly would you do that precious 'research' of yours?"

Zeki then stood upright, gesturing inquisitively as he mumbled, "There is some truth in what you are saying." He paused for some time, then added, "Seems I would indeed have to support if I want to continue my research."

"About time you realized that," Bellua mumbled as she gazed at Zeki with a nonchalant expression. Suddenly, a demon landed directly on top of the protective barrier Bellua had cast. The yellow translucent barrier began to crack as the demon continuously threw heavy punches at it.

Bellua began preparing another spell to fire at the monster, but then Zeki spoke up, stopping her. "I'll handle it," he said.

"Sure you can? You look like you could fall over at any moment," Bellua mumbled, skeptical about whether he had the strength to do anything, considering he hadn't gotten any sleep for days.

Zeki chuckled as he mumbled, "Come on, Bellua, don't you know what I am? I am an alchemist; I have a potion for everything." He suddenly dug his hands into his coat and pulled out a glowing blue potion bottle. The bottle itself was shaped like a waning crescent moon. He removed the cap, chugged down the potion, and the bags under his eyes seemed to disappear.

He let out a sigh, used his tongue to lick what little of the potion was at the edge of his lips, and then cast the bottle aside, saying, "Alright, time for me to have a go at this." He stretched out his hands and began casting a spell, drawing a circle with his hand midair.

Purple lines of mana appeared in the air, slowly turning into magic circles. The spell was complete, and suddenly, the air around the demon seemed to harden and turn into stone, causing the demon to be stuck there, petrified.

"Behold the power of my alchemy!" Zeki exclaimed as he gazed at the demon-turned-statue. Bellua, looking at the barrier that was still cracking, spoke with a nonchalant tone, "Yeah, really creative genius. You were supposed to get the demon off the barrier, not leave it there and make it heavier in the process."

In the frigid air of the Frostgate Barrens, a voice cut through, suggesting leniency for Zeki. "You should give Zeki some slack, Bellua. The only thing he's really good for is making those outstanding potions of his." As the words lingered, a massive shard of ice struck the demon-turned stone statue, shattering it just after the protective barrier was broken.

A figure descended from the sky, a young man with a handsome face, dressed regally in white and blue attire. His white hair and glowing blue eyes gave him an ethereal quality. The air around him seemed to grow even colder as he landed, struggling to catch his breath.

"My Lord," Zeki and Bellua exclaimed simultaneously, both dropping to their knees and bowing their heads in reverence. The man they paid their respects to was none other than the lord of the territory, Lord Yandol Von Frostgate.

"Both of you should rise. This isn't a time for you to show your respect. We are in a state of emergency," Yandol spoke with a serious tone as he surveyed the streets, noticing that most citizens had already evacuated as he ordered. Zeki and Bellua got on their feet and replied in unison, "Yes, Lord."

Yandol then inquired, "I see the evacuation is going well. So, where is the commander that is leading all these demons?" His tone suddenly turned serious as he added, "I would love to personally make them pay for what they have done."

Meanwhile, as Magzi stood in front of Emily, she started to notice a slight drop in her strength. She glanced over at her left hand and noticed a purple crack starting to appear on her skin.

Inwardly, she mused, "This must be the demon's curse that I heard about." She glanced over at the bodies of the soldiers Emily had slaughtered; their bodies had completely broken down due to the purple cracks that rippled all over their skin.

"Having second thoughts, are we?" Emily yelled at Magzi as she noticed she seemed to be lost in thought, glancing over at the bodies around her. Emily added, "Seems you are starting to understand there is no hope for your victory in this battle."

Magzi narrowed her gaze at Emily as she replied, "You can only say that after we've all fallen."

Emily chuckled as she then mumbled, "I admire your warrior spirit, but the sad truth is that spirit alone won't help you survive this battle."

Magzi then replied with a serious tone, "Why don't you get over here? Let's find out."

Both of them then locked gazes as they charged at each other, ready to do battle. Continue reading at My Virtual Library Empire