Daniel and Rosenda woke up suddenly after falling through a portal, feeling a sharp pain in their heads. Their bodies still trembled from the impact. They struggled to rise, their gazes filled with confusion.
—Where are we? —Rosenda asked, furrowing her brow, her voice filled with fear.
Before them stretched a ghostly meadow, covered in blood-red grass. The breeze hissed ominously, and the fog obscured the horizon, hiding any sign of a possible way back.
—I don't know. But this place feels... cursed —Daniel replied, scanning the landscape with a racing heart.
A shiver ran down Rosenda's spine. With an instinctive gesture, she clung to Daniel's arm, seeking some security in the uncertainty. Together, they moved down the crimson grass path, their footsteps resonating over the dry, cracked earth.
When they reached an open field of the same ominous hue, a sense of dread began to consume Rosenda.
—I don't understand any of this... —she murmured, her voice trembling.
Daniel didn't respond immediately. His senses went on high alert when the ground shook with overwhelming force. Dust and small rocks lifted around them as the air became charged with threatening energy. Rosenda let out a stifled scream, clinging tightly to Daniel. He embraced her, trying to calm her as the rumble subsided.
—Calm down, sweetheart, it's over now —he whispered, his voice steady despite the chaos.
—Thank you, love —she replied, feeling slightly safer in his arms.
But the calm didn't last long.
A golden flash streaked through the air, and in the blink of an eye, a celestial figure materialized before them. Its beauty was otherworldly, its appearance combining both masculine and feminine traits with unsettling perfection. A pair of golden wings spread from its back, reflecting an unreal light. Its twisted smile dripped with mockery, but its eyes burned with lustful fire.
It was Asmodeus, the demon of lust.
Beside him, another figure appeared. His wings were forged from a mixture of silver, bronze, and gold, and his body was adorned with floating coins and bills. His presence exuded a suffocating aura of greed.
Mammon, the sin of greed.
Asmodeus let out a disdainful chuckle and turned his head toward his companion.
—Well, well, this is delightful, don't you think, Mammon? —Asmodeus said with a lustful grin.
Mammon returned a sharp smile as he drew a solid gold sword.
—I love the drama! —he shouted with joy.
The atmosphere turned suffocating in an instant. The air vibrated with dark energy as Asmodeus raised a grotesque sword that seemed to pulse like a living organism. Rosenda felt a pang of revulsion in her stomach.
Daniel clenched his fists and stepped forward, shielding her with his own body.
—How romantic. Makes me want to vomit. Nothing like lust to break that cheap illusion. —Asmodeus mocked.
Mammon rolled his eyes in annoyance.
—Calm down, lustful. We've got work to do. —he said, preparing to strike.
With brutal speed, Asmodeus attacked Daniel, forcing him to retreat. But in that moment, the young man remembered Jesus' words: Asmodeus' weakness was true love.
Daniel took a deep breath and closed his eyes, focusing on his faith.
—What are you doing? —Rosenda exclaimed, her heart tightening.
Before she could react, Mammon launched a fierce blow toward her, knocking her to the ground. His golden sword gleamed, ready to pierce her.
But a burst of light exploded from Daniel, projecting as a radiant wave that threw the demons far from them.
Rosenda, stunned, got up.
—How did you do that? —she asked.
—I prayed to Jesus —Daniel replied with a calm smile—. And He gave me the power.
Inspired, Rosenda closed her eyes and repeated his action. A divine glow enveloped her, making her shine with celestial light.
The demons, now cornered, roared with fury. Asmodeus lunged at Daniel with a desperate attack, but he easily dodged. Rosenda, with renewed courage, counterattacked with a precise strike.
Daniel's sword pierced Asmodeus' chest, who let out a scream of rage and pain.
—You may have won today... —he whispered with a twisted smile—, but you will never be rid of us.
His figure faded into a hologram.
Mammon tried to deliver one last devastating blow, but Rosenda stopped him with a precise move, also vanishing him in a simple reflection of light.
Daniel and Rosenda exchanged a look of relief, but the feeling of victory vanished when the ground cracked open and a dark current dragged them mercilessly. They plunged into an abyss, emerging in an unknown sea, surrounded by the vastness of an infinite ocean.
In the sea, it was dark. Ruwi and Valeria were flying at full speed, feeling the wind slice across their faces as Leviathan pursued them with immense fury. The creature emerged from the depths with a thunderous roar, its scaled skin glowing with the reflection of lightning that illuminated the sky. The sea, stirred by its rage, rose in massive waves that threatened to swallow everything in their path.
Meanwhile, on the rocky shore, Daniel and Rosenda fought to escape the ferocious creature. The tension surrounded them like a shroud of palpable fear. Every step they took on the slippery rocks felt like a battle against nature itself.
—How do we stop it? —Daniel asked, panic pulsing in his voice as he tried to catch his breath.
—I have no idea —Ruwi replied, clenching his fists, feeling the pressure of the moment sink into his chest like an invisible claw.
Valeria, trying to calm her rapid breathing, looked at them with a frown.
—And where have you two been? —she asked, her voice barely audible amid the storm's roar.
—Facing Asmodeus and Mammon —Rosenda replied, her gaze quickly scanning behind them, fearing that Leviathan was too close. The memory of the battle still burned in her mind: the flash of swords, the dark force of the demons, and the feeling that they had barely escaped with their lives.
Leviathan's roar echoed again, louder, more ravenous. The creature lifted its enormous head above the waters, its eyes glowing like burning embers. The pressure in the air became unbearable. Ruwi felt a shiver run down his spine as his mind wandered to the ancient stories about the beast. Only God could defeat it... But his faith told him he couldn't just stand by.
He took a deep breath, his decision already made.
—What are you doing? —Daniel exclaimed, alarmed as he saw him stop abruptly.
—Go, I'll handle this —Ruwi said firmly, his gaze reflecting unwavering confidence.
—What?! —they all shouted in unison, shocked and terrified by his determination.
Ruwi drew his sword, and in an instant, his body began to emanate a golden light that pierced through the storm like a divine lightning bolt. Leviathan roared and lunged at him, its gigantic mouth opening wide to devour him in one bite.
Fear gripped his friends. Daniel felt his knees weaken, tears flowing uncontrollably from his eyes. Rosenda covered her face, unable to witness what seemed like certain death. Valeria, her heart pounding, couldn't look away, her mind refusing to accept the inevitable.
Just as Leviathan's mouth was about to close on Ruwi, the light from his sword exploded with blinding intensity. A dry impact echoed in the air, followed by a chilling crack. With a single move, Ruwi had struck the creature's neck with all the strength of his faith. Leviathan stopped dead in its tracks... and vanished in a burst of luminous fragments.
Silence fell like a mantle over them. The storm dissipated instantly, the sea returned to calm, and the sand lay still beneath their feet.
But then, the truth hit harder than any battle: it had all been a hologram.
Relief came immediately, but so did Daniel's anger. Without thinking twice, he closed the distance between them and punched Ruwi in the stomach.
—You're an idiot! You scared the hell out of me! —he said, his voice trembling with a mix of anger and relief.
Ruwi doubled slightly from the impact, but instead of complaining, he smiled warmly and embraced Daniel. After a few seconds of resistance, Daniel ended up returning the hug. Valeria and Rosenda approached, their relieved smiles reflecting the weight that had lifted from their hearts. They melted into a group hug, knowing that, beyond the danger, the only thing that truly mattered was that they were still together.
Suddenly, a blue glow illuminated the ground in front of them. A portal appeared out of nowhere, spinning with pulsating energy. Their bodies tensed, uncertainty clouding their thoughts. There was no time for celebrations; their adventure was just beginning.