A Story from Therona, my fantasy world
A horned woman stood in the forest of cherry blossom trees as the sun began its descent and the moon shone upon the land. Even so, she could see the flames and forks of the humans approaching. Tensions between the humans- who already lived on the surface- and the demons- who migrated from the depths- were at an all time high. Demons had been accepted into a village deep in the Takagama Islands, and it was clear the humans from the other nations were deeply dissatisfied with this course of action. Even when the angels of the heavens, whom the humans worshiped like gods, told them to accept the demons as the humans had accepted the angels, the humans took it as a test of faith, and decided to hunt the demons.
"One of them! Arm yourselves!" shouted the army of humans approaching the forest.
"Ah yes, attacking an unarmed maiden in the forest with spears and fire. How honorable. Such things will surely earn you favor with the divine," said the horned woman.
"Silence, damned one! You and your kind do not belong here! Return from whence you came, or face the consequences of your actions!" shouted one of the humans in the front. Some others agreed and cheered, while others stayed silent and held their weapons firmly.
"You preach the word of peace and acceptance, yet when you see the demons from the depths below, you shriek and cower before us, and have your strongest and bravest fight us, rather than protecting the young and weak from the monsters that plague your land," said the horned woman, crossing her arms.
"Monsters? Hah! You are the monsters here! Your horns and wings, your tails and eyes, they are unnatural! They are an afront to the Mother Goddess and her children!" shouted the humans.
"We're the monsters? You seem to be sorely mistaken. Let me put it this way. You've become the very thing you swore to destroy," the horned woman said. One of the humans was about to say something but she stopped him, "When we first arrived here on the surface you concocted lies about us. You said we were murderers, savages, here to take over the surface one life at a time, and that we were worshippers of The King of Order. All because the place we came from is beneath yours. Yet now, you are the ones who do these things. You siege our villages, kill our men, imprison our young, and ensure that the survivors- if any- have no homes to return to after you bring destruction. If anything, you are the ones who worship The King of Order. Much like him, you spread messages of peace and goodwill, while in reality you sow seeds of destruction and entropy, staining the land of the Mother Goddess with the blood of innocent depths dwellers. So tell me, who are the real monsters here?"
The humans stood silent. They looked angered and offended that a demon would even suggest that the humans were the monsters.
"I will now leave you with a choice. For those of you who value your lives, leave this place and return to your families, and give up this foolish crusade. For those of you who would lay down your lives for this belief... make peace with the gods you worship, for they cannot save you now."
The humans stood stalwart. It seemed they didn't take the horned woman's threat seriously. Of course they wouldn't. They thought demons were too afraid to even get close to them, after all, they had symbols of the Mother Goddess on their person.
"We shall not return and rest until every demon is purged from the surface. You and your kind will be known as monsters who threatened the peace of the surface, just as you have." said one of the humans in the front.
"Very well. I pray to the Lord of the Depths, forgive me for what I must do," whispered the horned woman.
The humans began to charge at the horned woman. Or rather, they attempted to begin charging. In an instant, the land around them, fertile and verdant, became a desolate wasteland covered in ebony flames that could only come from the deepest depths of the abyss. The horned woman stood at the center of the desolate land she had created. The ashes of the human army sat on the ground as the fire around them crackled. The horned woman would turn around, and retreat into the forest. Her job was done, and she ensured to ask for the forgiveness of the Mother Goddess.
To this day, the desolate plane in the middle of the forest remains, confusing travelers and making historians wonder who exactly the woman was that day.
