C#2: Prologue-II — The Miracle
The fire had burned lower now, its warmth weaker than before.
The children felt it.
One of them swallowed, fingers curling into their sleeves.
"…Then what happened next, Grandfather?"
The old man did not answer immediately.
His gaze stayed on the dying embers. When he finally spoke, his voice was quieter than before.
"That," he said slowly, "was the darkest moment of the Great War."
---
The demons began to win.
Not all at once—slowly, relentlessly.
They poured across the battlefield like a black tide, cutting down humans without hesitation. Soldiers fell in rows. Entire villages vanished before sunrise. The wounded screamed until their voices gave out, and no one came for them.
Even the bravest warriors began to falter.
"The demons showed no restraint," the elder said."To them, suffering was nothing more than fuel."
Despair spread faster than blood.
---
Even the guardians felt it.
The White Tiger was surrounded, its movements slowing beneath endless assaults.
The Black Tortoise was forced back, step by grinding step, its shell cracking under the weight of the tide.
Even the Phoenix's flames burned dimmer than before.
And the Golden Dragon—
It was trapped.
Locked in combat with the Ancient Demon Lord, whose power now overflowed with the presence of the Abyssal Leviathan. Each clash tore the sky. Each strike made the earth tremble.
The Dragon wanted to turn back.
Wanted to help the others.
But it could not.
---
One by one, human champions fell.
Their weapons shattered.Their bodies failed.Their resolve broke.
The Demon Lord laughed.
Fed by despair, strengthened by death, it began to overwhelm even the Golden Dragon.
"That," the elder said, his eyes reflecting the firelight,"was the moment humanity stood on the edge of extinction."
---
Then—
Someone prayed.
Not loudly.Not with grand words.
Just desperately.
And the heavens answered.
---
The sky began to change.
Dark clouds parted, and a soft light seeped through, spreading slowly across the battlefield. The screams faded. The wind shifted.
Then—
NEIGHING
FLAP
FLAP
Every head turned skyward.
---
From the heart of the light descended a presence so overwhelming that even the guardians froze.
A vast winged form emerged.
Pure white wings stretched across the sky.Its body radiated holy power.Its eyes held an unshakable resolve.
"The Guardian Pegasus," the elder whispered.
---
Its aura washed over the battlefield like a cleansing tide.
Fear retreated.Despair dissolved.
Wounded soldiers felt strength return to their limbs.
Some who had fallen… rose again.
Even the guardians felt their spirits steady.
"The Guardian Pegasus," the elder continued,"was hope given form. Second only to the Golden Dragon… and the sworn enemy of darkness."
---
The demons panicked.
For the first time, they hesitated.
Even the Ancient Demon Lord stiffened—feeling something it hadn't felt in countless ages.
Fear.
---
The sound grew louder.
FLAP
FLAP
FLAP
FLAP
The light intensified.
And then—
Another figure appeared.
---
Riding beside the Guardian Pegasus was a warrior clad in radiant armor. A blade shimmered in their grasp, reflecting divine light like a falling star.
"A human…" one child whispered.
The elder nodded.
"The Pegasus Knight. A champion chosen by the Guardian Pegasus itself."
---
They did not hesitate.
Pegasus and rider dove straight into the demon army.
What followed was not a battle.
It was a cleansing.
---
Holy energy erupted outward.
In a single moment—
Nearly half the demon army vanished.
Not burned.Not crushed.
Purified.
Even the Demon Lord staggered, its power disrupted by the divine wave.
---
The battlefield turned.
Champions regrouped.Guardians surged forward.Hope spread like wildfire.
The Pegasus Knight carved through enemy lines, every strike guided as if by fate itself.
Where they passed, demons fell.
Where they stood, humans rose.
---
The elder fell silent.
The fire crackled softly.
One child finally whispered, "Was that… a miracle?"
The old man smiled faintly.
"Yes," he said. "That day, the world was saved by a miracle."
His gaze drifted—once more—to the quiet child sitting just beyond the firelight.
"And miracles," he added softly,"always come at a price."
The wind whispered through the trees.
And far away…
Something ancient watched.