demon woods

Charlene stood at the edge of the woods, her arms raised. “Stop—everyone stop! We’re being surrounded.”

Seth scanned the horizon, frowning. “Where? I don’t sense anything, Princess. I don’t see a soul.”

“They’re closing in—fast. Left and right flanks. They’ll be on us in seconds. Spread out, now!”

Seth paused, then closed his eyes. The sensation struck him like a wave. “You're right... they’re everywhere.”

“We can’t fight this many!” Seth urged, glancing at Charlene. “We need to leave—now. Use the portal before it’s too late.”

Charlene’s expression hardened, then broke into a daring smirk. “We’ve never faced an army before, but that doesn’t mean we should run. This might be our only chance to end this. Together, we can win. Have a little faith, Dad.”

Seth looked torn but nodded. He saw her confidence—her leadership. “What’s the plan?”

“We go high,” she said, scanning the frozen terrain. “Summon Heth.”

Asbeel approached and Charlene knelt, whispering something. He nodded and moved into position. Idris appeared beside them, alert.

“What do you need us to do, Princess?” Idris asked.

Charlene pointed. “Heth and Seth, climb the trees. Use your light bows—rapid fire. Hit them before they close in. Asbeel and I will go below.”

She held her hands up. Light bombs formed, glowing and multiplying.

“I’m placing hundreds in the forest. They’ll detonate on contact.”

Everyone followed her lead, setting bombs in the snow. As soon as they landed, the lights faded—hidden, waiting to be triggered.

“Idris, you’re bait,” Charlene declared, slapping his back hard.

“I’m what?” he blinked.

“B-A-I-T. Run across the frozen lake. Now, Unc! We’ve only got seconds.”

Idris groaned, muttering, “I’m nobody’s bait…” But he obeyed, walking toward the lake, slipping as he went.

---

Meanwhile, deep in the shadows of the approaching army, Satan’s forces marched. Forty-five—maybe fifty-four legions of demons assembled, a horde of darkness.

Satan growled, “Asmodeus. Come forward.”

Asmodeus hesitated. He knows. He reached for the stones in his satchel.

If I give him the remaining Fate stones, he might kill me right after...

He hesitated—and that was enough.

Satan snapped his hand with a mere thought. Bones cracked. Asmodeus screamed and dropped the stones.

“You can slither away now,” Satan spat.

Cradling his crippled hand, Asmodeus ran.

Only three stones remained—one each for the remaining lords: Lucifer, Beelzebub, and Satan himself.

“My Lords,” a scout whispered, “there’s one of them—on the lake. About fifty yards out.”

Each Demon Lord sat mounted on a beast. Lucifer rode a lion—enormous and radiant with corrupted majesty. Beelzebub straddled a starving she-wolf, its bones protruding through its mangy coat. Satan, on a chained leopard with a spotted pelt of gold and fire.

“Sound the horn,” Satan commanded. “March!”

---

The light bombs detonated.

BOOM! CRACK! THUNDER! The forest lit up like a battlefield. Explosions tossed demons like rag dolls.

Idris turned just as the chaos erupted behind him. “Oh no…”

The army poured through the trees in hot pursuit. There was no turning back. Idris picked up speed across the icy surface, slipping and skidding, muttering, “Come on, legs, don’t fail me now…”

The Demon Lords watched silently from the edge. They wouldn’t tolerate retreat.

Charlene’s voice whispered into Idris’ mind. Get them to the center of the lake. I’ll take it from there.

As the army surged behind him, the lake groaned beneath their weight.

Lucifer narrowed his eyes. “He’s getting away.”

“No, he’s not,” Satan snarled.

Lucifer lifted his hand—and snapped both of Idris’ legs mid-run.

He screamed and fell.

Charlene erupted from beneath the frozen lake like a rocket, catching Idris mid-fall.

“There she is,” Lucifer smirked.

Charlene flew him to safety without stopping to heal him.

---

Destiny, Argun, and Armaros burst through the skies, rushing to meet her.

“There are three Demon Lords left,” Charlene shouted. “They’ve got the last of the stones. Stop them!”

ReNew joined mid-air, landing beside Charlene with power pulsing around her.

“Sorry I’m late!” she grinned. “We are one!”

Charlene blinked. “Wait, what—”

“No time to explain. This bracelet? Makes you ten times stronger. Go kick some demonic butt!”

---

Asbeel launched his ambush from beneath the lake, snatching soldiers through the ice. Heth and Seth unleashed a barrage from the trees, their light bows cutting through the horde.

Armaros slid across the ice like a scythe, slicing cracks beneath the demons, dragging hundreds to their frozen doom.

Lucifer and Beelzebub retaliated, knocking Seth and Heth from the trees—but Argun opened a portal mid-air, catching them before they hit the ground.

Destiny stepped onto the lake and slammed her foot down, sending fissures racing across the surface. More demons plunged beneath.

Lucifer attacked Destiny as he had Idris—but Destiny caught the blow and reversed it, snapping off one of his horns.

His scream echoed like thunder.

---

Charlene had vanished—only to reappear behind the Lords.

Satan watched the carnage, eyes wide. “We… underestimated them. Retreat!”

The Lords turned, but it was too late.

Charlene unleashed a whirlwind of fire and ash, uprooting trees and slamming the Lords onto the ice.

Asbeel, below, cracked the lake’s floor open, awakening a tectonic fault. Lava burst from the core, transforming the icy lake into a lake of fire.

The Lords didn’t notice until it was too late.

Lucifer tried using the stones—but the heat melted them instantly. They became nothing but molten slag.

He leaped from his mount, clawing at a tree root.

Charlene advanced—until Lucifer, desperate, snapped a tree branch loose and hurled it. It impaled her thigh, pinning her down.

Charlene gasped in pain, blood pouring freely.

Gigi rushed to her side. “Don’t stop now. You’ve got this!”

Charlene gritted her teeth. She pressed through the agony.

Asbeel launched from beneath, jaws wide, and dragged Lucifer into the lake of fire.

---

On the shore, Gigi worked fast. “We’ve got to get this out. She’s losing too much blood.”

Seth and Heth arrived, crouching beside her.

“Okay, Princess,” Seth said, voice calm. “Breathe. Remember what I taught you.”

Destiny gave orders like a general. “Seth, Heth—break the branch off both sides. Argun, when they do—pull it. I’ll seal the wound.”

She leaned down, wiping sweat from Charlene’s brow. “This will hurt.”

“ONE, TWO—”

“JUST DO IT!” Charlene screamed.

SNAP. RIP. AHHHHH!

Charlene’s voice echoed across the battlefield.