Synthetic Survivor: Machine Age

The sun was only a few hours away from rising but the moons were still in full light. Only the storm clouds above shielded the foxmen from turning.

The knights did not have a clear explanation what would happen if the light of the double moon sonata struck them. The captain was only warned by the foxman that they must not let them turn.

The fox family covered themselves with the sheets of the villagers that were massacred. The entire village was not spared, not the women nor the children.

The knights made sure to hack and slash everyone inside the village. The foxman that was reluctant at first to face off against the villagers became the most ferocious and massacred the ones who managed to escape the knights.

His mouth and his body covered in their blood. He gnawed and clawed them to their deaths without remorse. He did, however, let his victims curse him before he delivered the final blow.

He took p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e in their despair. The same despair that they caused to the other demihumans in and around the borders of the Theocracy. For the foxman, what he did was merely vengeance.

He was vengeful and hated the Theocracy so much. His hate, however, did not extend to all humans in general. What prevented him from hating every human because there were states like the Dioz Kingdom who actually accepted them as who they were. Dioz was like a shining beacon in the darkness of their world.

When he heard that Dioz would send a rescue as long as they send out the proper magic signature, he scoured far and wide, avoiding the hunters sent by the Theocracy.

He led his family through the wilderness, forced to live like the lower animals that were very much like them but less intelligent. Over time their sanity began to fade and he feared that his children would become like the wild beasts that roamed.

To his luck, he found a magic crystal hidden inside a cave. Beside the crystal was a skeleton of a mage from an unknown sect. He knew the skeleton was a mage because of the clothing it left behind. The clothing resembled the uniforms of the Theocracy mages that hunted them down but were different in color. While the Theocracy sported the different shades of blue, this skeleton had a black uniform.

Once he took the crystal, it let out a cry. The cry was loud and echoed our of the cave and into the wilderness. It alerted a nearby hunter group of mages and they were now in hot pursuit. The foxman still took the magic crystal and he dashed out of the cave and into the woods. Just as he came out, the hunters arrived.

They threw at him fireballs and ice crystals but failed to hit him. Instead they chased him down the wilderness and into a river. The foxman with all his might jumped over the rather violent river but fell short. He was taken by the rapid water but held on tightly to the magic crystal.

The mages saw him byron did not pursue him further. Because at the end of the river was a waterfall, and judging by the speed of the river, the foxman would not survive the fall.

The foxman noticed the edge of the waterfall too late and he fell. Crashing into the river below, he used his arms to protect the crystal but were in turn broken.

The crystal activated and that activation actually saved him. The crystal had cast a sort of protection magic around him, saving him from certain death. The foxman then swam to the edge and lifted himself onto solid ground.

Tired, he lied there alongside the crystal. The crystal glowed bright beside him.

"Thank you.. for saving me" he told the crystal.

Unsure if the crystal would even understand or if it was alive af all did not stop him from thanking it.

The crystal had aided in his healing process and now he was well on his way back home to where he left his family.

He left his family near a lake to the west of where he was. They were sheltered inside a hut over the river. The hut was abandoned when they first found it and due to the seclusion of the place, he decided it was best for them to stay there.

He was returning to his family proud of what he had accomplished, they were now a few less steps away from being saved from the nightmare and fear.

When he returned to the lake. There was nobody outside the hut. He pondered why that be but he assumed that they were inside as to prevent anyone passing by from seeing them.

He shouted their names. He shouted that he had arrived bu there was no response. The crystal then glowed brighter than it ever had before when it first shone its light on the foxman.

It's blinding light hurt his eyes and he let go of it. It fell to the ground and bounced but did not crack. It's bright light then disappeared in a slow manner.

Then, his family came out of the hut. His wife and children came out and waved at him.

He was delighted and waved back, he waved at them to come. They did and they dived into the river and swam across. They met by the shoreline and hugged. Though he did not know why the crystal glowed, at least it was still there.

His wife insisted that she'd hold onto it and he gave the crystal to her. The family then headed out to a nearby village. The nearby village was the only place they could hide from, the wife insisted.

The foxman was surprised at his wife's new attitude. Was she optimistic because help would soon arrive? That's what he thought and he went with it.

Little did he know, his family were merely illusions made by the crystal.

When the hunters left him to die in the river, they came across the hut and found his family.

They were massacred without remorse and their corpses were left strewed about inside the hut. The bloodstained walls and floor were a horrific show.

But for some reason, the crystal sensed that the people he sought after were dead and when doubt began to arise in his heart, it activated and gave it illusions.

These illusions felt real, they had a real body and acted similar. But they would soon disappear in a few days time. This was the horrible truth that befell the foxman later on.

The knights had covered the family with sheets and the threat of the moonlight was at the minimum. The captain and the foxman had agreed to start their trek.

The foxman covered himself with sheets too and went along. He walked alongside his family, holding onto the hand of his wife. The children were silent and did not speak a word.

They started their journey south, ignoring the dirt road that the knights has followed. They stopped near a lake, it was the same lake where his family was massacred.

"Captain, I suggest that we settle in that hut for awhile before we head out? Look, the clouds are moving away" the foxman was right. The clouds were moving away and he was still not confident that the sheets would prevent the moonlight from shining on their skin.

"The slightest exposure to that wretched light would start the transformation!" He warned. Reluctant at first, the captain of the knights accepted and the foxman lead the group.

After the knights had laid down some big rocks for then to walk on, they reached the hut.

"Something smells.. dead?" One of the soldiers smelled something rotten. It wasn't a rotten animal but a rotten human.

"Huh?" The foxman climbed up the hut.

And when he opened the door, he screamed.

"What is it?!" The captain drew his sword and rushed to his side.

"Oh heavens!" The captain saw it too.

The rotting bodies of his family were still there. Being fed on by flies and insects alike.

The foxman then turned around and saw what should have been his family. They removed their sheets to the shock of the knights around them. The moonlight had finally shone through the storm clouds and were at full strength. Shining on his family.

But his family did not change. He did not know what was going on. Then, his wife pulled out the crystal and looked at him in the eye. His children waved at their father.

They were illusions. But they were also the souls of his family.

"No-no! Please!"

The illusions began to fade. Little by little they lost their physical appearance. The foxman then ran out of the hut, pushing aside the captain and the knights who were with him.

He swam as fast as he could and when he reached them, they were already ceasing to exist.

"Why, why, please, don't leave me!" He begged for them to stay.

"I love you! Please don't leave me" the foxman began to cry. And as the moonlight shines on him too, he began to change.

But the change did not take full effect. He still had control.

His wife then held his cheeks while the crystal floated into the air above them.

His children walked around him and each held his hand while the other hugged him from behind. The foxman wailed loudly.

"Don't cry.." his wife whispered.

And with a kiss on the lips, his wife's finals words were..

"I love you"

"We love you too" their children said.

The scene was enough to make the knights emotional. Tears formed in their eyes, they then understood why the Dioz Kingdom had gone to great lengths to save the demihumans.

No matter how you looked at it, they were very much a lot like humans. They felt the same way as well. They had the capacity to love and they formed bonds like them.

They took had families.

They too had feelings.

They too had the right to live.

They were not demons, different they may be, they were still like humans.

His family then embraced him. Hugged him as tight as they could to make him feel their warmth one last time.

He reached and hugged them together as well. Cuddling them as much as he could.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't protect you! I'm sorry.. I'm sorry..."

And he felt their grips loosen and their bodies fade.

Until he was only hugging the thin air. His family transformed into orbs of light that floated up to the crystal.

The crystal then shined but dimmer than before.

The orbs gathered around the crystal and it began to transform. From a crystal, it turned into a sword that descended from the sky and landed on the fox man's hands.

"What is this?.."

He grabbed the sword and wielded it. The knights gathered around him. The captain had just gotten back from the hut. He checked on the corpses before he left. They were indeed dead and the life in their eyes and the magic in their veins had vanished completely.

He ordered his men to gather around the foxman. Judging from his warnings, the foxman would turn into a beast after being hit by the moonlight. They drew their swords and dreaded themselves to fight the demihuman that they were supposed to save.

The sword was magnificent, the light of the moon reflected against its clear body and it was clearly enchanted. The foxman was engulfed by the moonlight but he did not turn. He turned around and looked at the captain in the eye. He saw that they had their swords pointed at him. Although he wielded his, he lowered it. To show that he wasn't turning into a monster.

The knights did not lower theirs.

But he was silent.

And the knights were silent as well.

Nobody spoke a word.