Forced to Change the Story

The demon stood before Abel, its appearance embodying everything evil and monstrous. It was roughly human in shape, but that's where the resemblance ended.

Its hunched form was covered in a cracked, ash like hide that seemed to shift and ripple with an ominous energy.

Long, clawed fingers twitched and flexed as if eager to tear through anything in its path. Its eyes glowed a sickly yellow, devoid of emotion or thought, focusing entirely on Abel like a predator sizing up its prey.

A long, jagged mouth split its face, filled with mismatched, razor-sharp teeth that chattered softly, as though the demon was already savoring its kill.

It let out a snarl, a sound so low and ominous that it sent chills down Abel's spine.

"Remember, Abel," Kyle called from the sideline, his voice steady despite the situation, "it's a low ranking demon. It lacks tactics. Focus on what you've learned, keep your distance, and aim for weak points."

Abel nodded, gripping the bow tightly. His heart pounded in his chest, but he forced himself to draw the string and aim.

The demon wasted no time. With an earsplitting screech, it lunged at him with terrifying speed, its claws outstretched.

Abel panicked, loosing the arrow prematurely. The shot went wide, missing its mark by a mile. Before he could nock another arrow, the demon closed the gap.

Its claws swiped at him, but the armor's protective barrier flared to life with a sharp blue light, stopping the attack inches from his chest. The impact still sent Abel stumbling backward, his bow slipping from his hands.

"Stick to your training!" Vince shouted, but the words barely registered.

Abel scrambled to his feet, drawing the dagger from his belt as the demon circled him. Its movements were erratic, like a wild beast, but there was an unsettling precision to its attacks.

It lunged again, its claws aiming for his throat. Abel raised the dagger, but his grip was shaky, and his strike was clumsy. The demon swatted the blade aside with ease, sending it skidding across the ground.

Panic overtook Abel. He tried to recall the hand to hand techniques Vince had taught him, but his body refused to cooperate. Every step felt unsteady, every punch too slow. The demon's claws came down again, slamming into the barrier and forcing him to his knees.

Each hit drained the armor's energy, the blue light flickering weaker with every strike.

"Abel, move!" Jess yelled, but he was frozen.

The demon lunged again, its clawed hand slamming into his chest. The barrier held, but the force of the impact sent him sprawling.

He gasped for breath, the weight of fear pressing down on him as the creature bore down relentlessly.

Its jagged teeth snapped inches from his face, its breath hot and foul like rotting flesh.

Desperate, Abel rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding another attack. His bow was out of reach, his dagger lost in the dirt. He raised his fists instinctively as the demon turned toward him, its glowing eyes locking onto his.

"Come on, Abel, focus!" Jess called, her voice tinged with urgency.

Abel swung wildly, his punch connecting with the demon's side, but it felt like hitting solid rock. The creature didn't even flinch.

It grabbed his arm with its clawed hand, yanking him forward and throwing him to the ground. His head hit the dirt, his vision swimming as the demon loomed over him, preparing for another strike.

The blue barrier flickered weakly as the claws came down again, the impact rattling his entire body. He couldn't think, couldn't breathe. Every ounce of training was gone, replaced by a fight or flight response.

The demon screeched again, raising both arms for a finishing blow. Abel closed his eyes, bracing himself for the inevitable.

At the last second, a flash of light cut through the air. Kyle's axe cut through into the demon like butter, shattering the golden core at the chest, leaving the demon to slowly evaporate into nothing.

"That's enough," Kyle said firmly.

Abel forced himself to his feet, his entire body shaking. The fight had lasted only a few minutes, but it felt like an eternity. His armor flickered weakly, the blue light barely holding on. His hands were empty, his body aching, and his confidence shattered.

Everyone was speaking to him, trying to explain why he had lost so miserably, but their words were silent to Abel.

Even though the demon was dead, all Abel could see was its figure standing before him. The light from the teleportation circle reminded him of the demon's yellow glow.

Without realizing it, he walked toward the teleportation circle and stepped in, leaving behind the group and forgetting that he still wore Kyle's armor.

The group stared at the teleportation circle in stunned silence.

"Well, that went awful," Valerie finally said.

"Will he be back? He does still have my armor…" Kyle muttered, concerned about his belongings.

"Kyle, that's not important! You can buy a million of those armors! I'm worried about him," Jess said, her voice filled with concern.

"Oh, he'll be back. I'm sure of it," Vince said, though his tone carried confidence, an uncomfortable memory flickered through his mind, and he rubbed his head with a groan. "I'm going home to rest."

***

The sun had set.

Abel sat alone in his apartment, haunted by the memory of the demon. Every time he shut off the light, its twisted figure seemed to appear in the corners of his room, forcing him to keep the light on. He lay in bed, desperately trying to sleep, but the fear refused to let him rest.

Whenever he closed his eyes, all he could see were the demon's claws slashing at him and its sharp fangs tearing him apart.

If not for Kyle's armor, he would have been dead.

"This is insane! That was the weakest type of demon, and it was that strong! There are supposed to be beings a million times stronger than that in the story and the author expects me to make a major change to the ending?!" Abel muttered aloud, trying to process the enormity of his situation.

He wasn't like the others who had grown up fighting or were blessed with powerful abilities. He was just a teenager, shuffled from one home to another, who had barely engaged in any physical activity.

Abel found himself considering a different path. Maybe he could spend the rest of his time in this world living quietly, making the most of what life had to offer until his inevitable death. At least it would be better than the life he had back on Earth and he wouldn't have to face the future enemies.

To him, this seemed like the best option.