The most profound solace lies in understanding, this ancient, unseen stream, a shudder before the beautiful. In the cold hours of the midnight moon, the king of Apocrypha arose from his throne. His appearance was unlike anything the world has ever seen; his face was dark, pale, and far too demented to be called pure. During this time, he began to remember how it all started and how he became what he is now: a king of darkness, a knight of the dark embrace, and a demon wolf. He walks from his mighty throne and opens the doors leading to the rampart where he can see everything from his kingdom to the world's outer reaches.

His name is Mephiles, the Demon Wolf. He ruled with an iron hand, and his ultimate desire in life was to give a new beginning to a dying world. A world cast away from the heavens and where demonic creatures are abroad in the night. He looks up to the sky and watches the stars along with the moon; for a short while, he felt his massive power engulf everything inside of him. He almost forgot what fear felt like, and there was a time when he would have been terrified by a shriek in the night.

He stood there on the balcony and awaited his greatest enemies to fight death and end his reign upon the earth. He was a brave man who seemed to never back down from any onslaught or battle. He had demonic-blood and wolf-blood inside his veins, his eye color is red and black, and his sword was crafted through metal and ancient nordic steel. As he stood there, he was carrying sand with him to commemorate the memory of a woman he loved long ago. She was taken from him, and once again, he was left with nobody to like, nobody to cheer him up, and nobody to tell him their true feelings about him.

Mephiles opened up his right hand and released the sand so that it can fly with the wind; once again, he was left with no peace and forced to rule alone. It was one of the many things that he'll never get back, and it will take him a very long time to throw away his sorrows. The demon wolf watched as the sands flew into the horizon and the night sky. The sky itself was filled with darkness, and the voices within the castle were gothic and horrifying to listen. Mephiles looked up into the air to remember how it all began and how everything he has ever done led to this moment.

For a long while, he stood upon the rampart and looked at every single star and the full moon. He looked up and began to look back at his earlier days before he became a demon king. This is his story. This is his tale. This is how a man who sought ambition and a kingdom began to change his life.

A dark fantasy of the devil passing through the lands of the earth and the wolf hiding from the moon. The Devil and the Huntsman.

Our tale begins at a full moon hovering in the sky and lightning striking at many trees. A man stands beside a massive cross that faced a large tower about ten yards away from where he stood. So much wind was blowing in his direction and never seemed to cease as he began to walk ahead along with a few other knights. There were about a dozen knights with him, and all of them carried swords and held them in defense. The young man also had a sword, a double-edged nordic sword which ran from his back to his knee.

His name is Julius of Romania, a prince of a late kingdom that fell into ruin by the demons a couple of years back. His brother was the true heir to the throne after his father dies, but the demonic elder dragon entered the world along with all the hordes of Hell. As a young teen, he was taken in service to the king of Midland, but those events are no more. The demonic invasions changed the way of life, and the most powerful of all the demons took the thrones of all the kingdoms. Julius took the knights with him to the dark tower to defeat whatever evil lurked inside of it; it was by the orders of his older brother.

His brother's name is Harald of Midland, the earl, and chieftain of Loftain. He is the man who makes sure his city is kept secure by its walls, which stay away from any stranger, especially the demons. For about fifteen years, Julius served as the leader of the knights and squires and was very skilled with the sword. He and his brother protected Midland's people from carrying on their father's legacy and never be afraid to act accordingly. Both of them swore their allegiance to their father, and both vowed to fight to the death against the night creatures.

Julius showed no pity or remorse towards his brother and never plotted against him; everything seemed pretty reasonable for the two of them. Both Julius and Harald had a wife, and each had only one child; Julius had a daughter, and Harald had a son. Julius's daughter was named Lagertha of Stockholm, and Harald's son was named Brant of Midland. They raised their children and made sure they were protected and kept safe from the night, and they were warned never to walk outside at night. And so, Julius and Harald remained loyal to each other and lived on to defend their people and home against the creatures of the night.

Meanwhile, on a particular night, Julius walked to the large, dark tower where a red light was shining around the building. The men who were with him became very fearful of what might happen if they walked any closer.

"Captain! What do you think we'll find in there?" A knight asked.

"Have no fear. A great evil lurks in that tower, and only we can put a stop to it," Julius answered.

"I've heard many things about that place. I've heard that a massive beast with large wings lives inside it," the knight said.

"I've fought numerous demons before. This isn't anything new for me. Any demon that stands in my way will meet my blade. So long as you are with me, they won't so much as leave a scar on your chest. Our swords are stained with salt... it's their greatest weakness and kills them instantly. I've done it before, and so have you."

"True, but this one creature is more powerful than a dozen night creatures put together. Even if we do get very close to that beast, he'll kill us all in a single heartbeat!"

"Do the dead frighten you, sir knight? Need I remind you why you've come with me on this important task? How many demons have you slain already? Hundreds? Thousands?"

"Hundreds, captain!"

"Then, you must know that the demons will get progressively stronger and more challenging to defeat. It depends on how many of them you have put to death. It differs from how much knowledge you have about the night creatures. The hordes of Hell already know me too well. They will do anything and come up with new ideas to try and take me down. But that's not happening on my watch... I will cut them all to pieces until I draw my last breath."

"Of course, captain! Your word is absolute. The demons are petty and pathetic. Their rule is weak."

"That's the spirit. You speak like a true knight of Midland! Now, stay close to me... that goes for the rest of you. Any creature that comes our way strike them down. Fight as if your lives depend on it. Let's put an end to this madness."

And so, they obeyed the word of Julius and continued to stay behind him as they draw closer towards the high tower. Even though they were exceedingly afraid, they still followed their leader's command and had to put their trust in him. Then, Julius pulled out his greatsword and prepared for anything to come his way as the night was already upon them. The night showed them that the demons would devour them if they don't do anything to defend themselves. He made sure to stroll to make sure he doesn't lose his comrades who were still behind him.

And before any of them could make a sound, they looked up and saw that the moon began to change color. They witnessed before their very eyes that the moon is being stained with blood, and it triggered the demons to hunt down their prey.

The knights who were with Julius held onto their swords and prepared themselves for an onslaught against the demons. They all began to hear loud shrieks of terror and saw many things climb all over the trees that were around them. The forest used to be quiet during the night, and the air is always cold and seemed to breeze all over anyone who walks in the night. Everyone stayed behind their leader to either die by his side or live long enough to tell the tale to their other comrades. Suddenly, one of the demons landed in front of them and pulled out its sword to fight back as the night is upon them.

Some of the night creatures were well-prepared to fight against any human, and the others mostly use their sharp claws as weapons. Then, Julius holds onto his greatsword and waits for the demon to come his way; he waits for him to try and deliver a killing blow. Typically, some demons stand and wait for their opponent to go to them and see if they can kill a human with one strike. With all of his strength, Julius uses his greatsword and slices the demon in two and watches as its blood splatters all over the trees. Some of the demons caught the sight of the blood and gore from their fallen friend, and they were all prepared to kill all the knights who walked in the forest.

Then, a few more demons began to charge quickly towards the humans; half of them carried swords, and the rest wanted to devour them whole. Julius stood there and was not afraid to act boldly alongside the knights, and he feared no demons. One of them ran as fast as possible towards the young swordsman and held onto his weapon to cut him down. But, the devil was too slow for Julius because he was much faster with swinging a sword than any of the night creatures. He turned his sword at the demon, and half of its body decided to fly out, and so much of its intestines fell onto the ground.

Julius's fellow knights knew the bravery of his swordsmanship and how much strength he carried with him. A few other demons started charging after him and his comrades; some of them faced the young swordsman by himself as the others went for the knights. Because the swords were dipped with salt and mostly crafted by silver, the knights were able to kill all the demons that stood in their way. The knights managed to have no scars or cuts on their bodies after defeating the small group of demons. Julius swings his sword with so much anger and fury against all of his opponents because he despised the night creatures in every way.

He only wished not to let down his people and not fail any of his duties or missions so long as he lived. He and his brother lived to carry on their father's legacy and restore order to the remaining regions of the earth. And so, all of the knights managed to defeat the demons in about two minutes, and so much blood covered their swords. They were all relieved to know that they were all still alive, thanks to Julius's strength and ability against his opponents. So much blood and gore have been stained on the ground, and lots of it was dripping from the trees.

"Steady, lads. We've already made it this far. They're going to wonder why we're out here," Julius said. The knights were still loyal to the swordsman and agreed that they should remain behind him until the night is over.

Julius and his knights continued walking on the trail that led to the grimy tower, and they all stopped for nothing. It would be an act of betrayal if any of them left their comrades and leader to run back to the village; they would wonder why Julius didn't return with him along with the other knights. As they walked, it became colder and harder to walk straight from the violent wind. Then, they all heard a loud howl in the air, and a few of them started gulping and began having shivers sent down their spine. None of them knew what would happen next, and they would not dare ask Julius the kind of question made to insult him.

Then, another howl was heard; this time, a loud noise seemed to combine a roar and a cry. They all stopped walking and noticed that the ground was shaking and some of the trees were falling. Before any of them could say anything to one another, they began to catch a sight of a giant creature flying from the tower. The animal had so much smoke puffing out of his body, and it had massive wings just as one of the knights foretold. The creature was an ancient beast who lived to send terror to all who defied him.

Then, the demon lands onto the ground with a sizeable dragon-bone sword, which could light on fire and quickly kill any who comes in contact with it. The beast itself had massive armor with a large cape, and he had red eyes, which were standard for more powerful night creatures. Then, Julius held up his greatsword and pointed it at the deadly beast; the demon's appearance was proof enough that he needed so many answers from him.

"Who... are you?" He asked. Then, the demon force blows wind in his direction and forces him to stay down and remain on his knees.

"I've heard of someone such as you. Are you truly the best that the city of Loftain could give me?" The demon asked.

"What do you want?" Julius asked.

"It was not curiosity that led you here. You came here for a higher purpose. I can accept that."

"I cannot let you leave here, alive!"

"So be it!"

Then, the demon uses his sword, charges quickly towards the vast majority of Julius's knights, and cleaves them open. The young swordsman was blown away that such a demon could cut down so many men all at once. The devil would not back down quickly because he slaughtered ten out of twelve knights that were with Julius. There were only two knights left, and they were all fearful of what has happened to their allies.

"Go! Leave! Get out of here!" Julius shouted.

"But what about you?" One of them asked.

"Just get out of this forest. Get back to the city!" He shouted. Then, they all listened to him and dashed back to Loftain to wait for Julius after he deals with this powerful creature.

The monster was about to hold out his hand and kill those two knights by using dark magic, but Julius went behind him and held the demon by his throat. He then holds onto the demon's wrist and starts gripping onto it; he believed if he grasped the wrist hard enough, it would snap in two. Later, Julius pulls out his dagger and starts stabbing the demon on the back, and he watches as so much blood started splattering out of the demon's body. He wanted the beast to regret ever coming to him and being in his way as the night continued to be upon him. Then, Julius takes that dagger and runs it from his stomach up to his chest as he was filled with so much rage.

Finally, he uses the dagger and pierces the demon's right eye, forcing the creature to watch as he slowly pulls out the knife. But before he could do anything else, the devil elbows him in the stomach and shoves him back. Then, he pulls out his greatsword and starts swinging it at Julius as he defends himself with his weapon. They both clashed openly and did not take a single step back as they were trying to defeat one another. The swordsman and the mighty creature were valiant knights because of how much strength they all seemed to carry.

Because the demon had cuts and scars all over his body, he started to lose balance and stamina while fighting against Julius. Then, Julius uses his greatsword and stabs the demon in the chest with all of his strength and fury. He then pulls the sword back as so much blood, and gore began falling from the demon's body.

"Why do you stand in my way?" Julius asked.

"Are you truly the best that pathetic king can send?" The demon asked.

"You dare speak those words about my brother? I'll have your head!" He shouted.

"King Harald. Your brother? Then, the merger has begun. And there's nothing you can do to change it!"

"Why must I listen to such a vile creature such as you?"

"You haven't seen it, have you? Your ambitions, your desires, and your undoing. Your fate has already been sealed, and the day will come when all shall fear you and despair. There will be nobody left to defend. You won't be able to control your power, and it will control you. Your day of reckoning will soon be here, and you will be betrayed."

"No. You think I'll believe someone such as you?"

Julius stood before the powerful demon in all sorts of confusion and anger after being told about his fate, and he waited for the beast to say more things on the matter.

The mighty creature stood before Julius and answered him, saying, "The day will come when all is revealed on the day of reckoning. The advent of all the lords of Hell shall sound their trumpets and bring forth a new era. An age where the darkness shall eclipse light. An age of shorter days and longer nights. A time when the king of darkness shall rise and set forth a kingdom far greater than any kingdom humanity has ever known. The new king of Hell's army will never be defeated until his offspring rises against him."

"That will never happen. Who can command the forest and make the trees pull their roots out of the earth? That damnable era shall never come. Tell me, if your dark powers can see this far: will his sons or daughters ever reign in that new kingdom?" Julius asked.

Then the demon answered and said to him, "Don't you see? The games have already begun, the day of the advent shall come, and all of the humans shall witness the coming of their savior. Nobody will have the power to change that day. Nobody will so much as change the events that will come to pass. The old days are over... the world needs a protector to rule over all humanity. Not even you can undo anything that you humans will endure."

Then, the demon's wings started to grow, and he began to fly away from Julius and head elsewhere. He did not go back to the large tower because the red light was no longer glowing in the night. Julius saw that the tower is collapsing and all of its foundations were crumbling into many large pieces as it fell. The great evil was no longer controlling the cursed place, and there were no longer any black clouds in sight. Julius decided to head back home and give his report to his brother as he tried to keep his distance and tried to forget about all of this.

Unfortunately, he could not forget this fateful event that just occurred as he lived out his days as a mortal. As he walked, he could see so much blood and gore being stained on the trees, and he could see some of the dismembered body parts from his fallen knights. It would cause quite a stir amongst the people if they heard about demons slaughtering the humans in so many violent ways. He knew he had to keep his head out of the clouds and not forget about the dark future. A future of which he will never forget and an era that would cause calamity upon those who will not bow their heads before the king of the world.

A few hours later, the morning sun vanquished the horrible night, and there were not any more creatures around. Julius was relieved that he could see the sun again; it was something that he longed to see after spending the whole night hunting down demons. Meanwhile, a few men in cloth and robes were walking on the trail that led to a faraway home that was about ten miles away from Loftain. These men were no ordinary people to be taken lightly, and they were not men who would back down in a fight. They were strolling down the road as a day was beginning for the people of the region.

They were walking to Julius's house because they had relevant information to deliver to his family in secret. Julius had no idea if any of this because he was going back to the city to address the devastating news to Harald. The men had no business or quarrel to be dealt with anyone at the moment; they had no time to waste and nothing left to lose. One of the men is named Brynjar, who is the leader of the mysterious men who was delivering the news. They had to let his wife and daughter know of their father's fate and what would likely happen to them.

And so, they make it towards the front doors of the house and gazed upon it as the sun was slowly rising above the clouds. The house wasn't huge, and it only had three bedrooms and a small living room; it wasn't enough to fit so many people all at once. Brynjar walks towards the front door as everyone else stays behind him and begins knocking on the door. There was no answer for a few seconds, and nobody came to answer the door for a brief moment. Before anyone could do anything else, Julius's wife, Lucy, pulls the door open and sees all of the men who stood before her.

Lucy was very young and knew many things about suspicious men who carried important business along with them. She knew Julius for as long as she could remember, and she has always lived a happy life with him. She also knew that Julius is commonly never coming home on such occasions as the one from last night. Unlike her husband, she was never skilled with the sword and never taught herself how to use weapons. She stood before the men and waited for them to give their reason for being with her; they didn't want Julius to know that strangers were coming inside their home.

Then Brynjar said to her, "Greetings. I am Brynjar, and we are the brotherhood of Anduin. We have come here to remind you of the many things that shall soon occur. My sincere apologies for disrupting your morning. We cannot pick another time of the day to discuss some news with you. These are mostly having to do with Julius and his heritage."

"How do you know about us?" Lucy asked.

"I must know of the people whose fate has been sealed. It is my curse to learn and know the fates of those who have been purged by it," he said.

"How can you be so sure of this?"

"Don't be afraid. Even the severe consequences that your husband has endured always come with a hidden meaning. I am ready to share it with you."

"Would you like to have a drink?"

"No, thank you. We are not as thirsty as most people are."

"Is there anything that I can do for you? You must seem tired after walking for so long."

"Don't worry about us. We know how to take care of ourselves."

"Alright, then. You may enter."

Then, Lucy allows them to come inside her house with Brynjar leading the way; there were only five men with him. The wise man began to see the house and noticed that it was organized entirely and deeply cleaned. Lucy always made sure that her house was clean, and she taught Lagertha how to clean up on her own. The men of Anduin were ancient and were men of peace, even though the news they bring can cause quite an uproar. And before any of them could say anything to welcome each other, Lagertha walked out of her room and saw the older men with Lucy.

"Mother, who are these people?" Lagertha asked.

"Go back to your room, Lagertha. I'll call you in a few minutes," Lucy said. While turning away, the young teenager took a sharp look at the men of Anduin and saw eyes that carried fate and destiny with them.

It was indeed something that she would be forced to carry with her for the rest of her life, and she could potentially carry it along with her offspring. As she went back to her room, she keeps the door slightly opened to hear everything that the older man had to say for himself. Lucy allows them to sit down on the sofa as she brings up a chair to sit herself on. She was always respectful towards strangers and those who seemed to carry news about her family. Lagertha hides behind her door and listens to every word that Brynjar will say to her mother; she did not know if they were good news or bad news.

"I welcome you to my home. It's not much, but it's all I can afford," Lucy said.

"We appreciate the kind offer that you give us all. And we are honored to be invited by all who are pure of heart," Brynjar said.

"But that's not why you're here, is it?" She asked.

"Now that we are all situated and not outside where he can likely have a good glimpse at us, it's time that we deliver what is fated to happen."

"What on earth are you on about?"

"Julius of Romania, brother of Harald of Midland. The man whose brother was the rightful heir to the throne has been seeing visions. Visions that would most definitely endanger every single person he knows and loves. The day will come when his fate will take full effect, and there will be nothing he can do to change this."