Hardly anyone remembered what the world used to be like. Hardly anyone was old enough to have experienced what the world used to be like. Elders passed down stories of a time when humans weren't cowering in fear for their lives every moment, a time when everyone (generally) lived peacefully, freely, ignorantly...
Those who had lived previous to the New Dark Ages realised they had taken it all for granted. Many believed there was no way of going back to those days...
When the demons rose, some challenged their authority, but they were ultimately targeted, killed, and forced to go into hiding. Those who survived 'The Opposing' in the early days rallied together and formed the 'Blaze Rebellion', gathering their forces in a hope to stomp out the darkness and push the demons back underground.
(Y/n) and her family, however, wanted no part of this. When agents came knocking, urging them to join the rebellion and rise against The King, they all refused. They believed that if they avoided the rebellion and stayed out of trouble, they could sustain a somewhat normal way of life in this new world.
(Y/n) would be lying if she told you that she didn't sometimes think about joining the rebellion.
It's just some silly dream,
She told herself.
Besides; your family needs you here.
Readjusting the bag over her shoulder, (Y/n) ambled through the busy market. She was sent into town with the exact amount of money she needed to buy food for her family for the week.
"Get there and come home as quickly as possible, alright?" her mother had fussed over her before she left.
"I'll be fine, ma,"
"She's right, dear. She's been into town countless times before." (Y/n)'s father reassured his wife.
"I'm coming with you!" (Y/n)'s little brother announced.
"No, Joey, you have to stay here. You're too little." His mother scolded him.
"But muuuum!"
"It's alright, Joey, I'll take you into town one day soon!" (Y/n) promised.
"Really!?"
"Really." She ruffled her brother's hair. "Now, I'll be back soon. Don't get up to too much trouble."
"Bye, dear. If you come across any demons, try your best to avoid them!" her mother called as she walked out the door.
"Don't worry, ma, I will!"
----
Continuing down the stalls of goods, (Y/n) bowed her head slightly as she passed a demon soldier. (Y/n)'s parents had taught her that if she caused no trouble and respected demons, she'd never go wrong and she'd stay out of trouble.
Once he'd passed her, (Y/n) ducked into one of the stalls to inspect the various foods and other edible goods sold there. Deciding there was nothing she needed, she ducked back out again, only to be barrelled over by someone who seemed to be running past.
As they both fell to the ground (Y/n) heard some people in the crowd 'ooh!' and startle, but no one attempted to help either of them. Instead, they all went back to whatever they were doing, some people even stepping over the two to go on their way.
(Y/n) sat up, rubbing her head for a moment before seeing the person she'd run into- they were cloaked, so she wasn't able to tell their species or gender. But it appeared that they'd dropped their bag, which (Y/n) also realised she'd done.
"Sorry, that was my fault- are you okay?" she tried to apologise, but the mysterious person only snatched up their bag and started running again.
"Weirdo..." (Y/n) muttered after a moment, picking up her bag and dusting herself off. What an odd encounter. Nonetheless, she had to buy food for her family, so she didn't dwell on the stumble for long.
Seeing the stand selling bread, (Y/n) ducked in to select a loaf. Her family were farmers, yes, but very poor farmers. Since the take over the entire world seemed to have grown rather cold... which was no good for crops on any given day. This just happened to be one of those times where they couldn't produce enough crop to sustain themselves. That's why (Y/n) was here, buying food.
"Just one of those, please," (Y/n) stated, pointing to a rather small loaf of bread on a shelf behind the counter.
"Sure thing." The lady replied, pulling it down. "That'll be three gold pieces."
(Y/n) nodded, turning and opening her bag. It took her a moment to realise that the gold wasn't in there. She rummaged around, but with no luck.
"One moment please," she laughed nervously, giving the lady a shaky smile.
Where's it gone!?
She thought frantically. But then she realised that this wasn't her bag. There were rolled up bundles of pages in it, along with a few pens. Her stomach dropped suddenly.
When she'd run into that other person, and they'd both fallen... they must've accidentally mixed their bags up.
"Hey, you!" a demon guard called, making (Y/n) look up worriedly.
"M-me?" she asked, her voice shaking intensely.
"Yes, you! What have you got there?" he nodded to the bag full of papers.
"I-I-"
But before she could form the words in her mind, he snatched the bag up, pulling out one of the pieces of paper and unrolling it. His eyes widened, and he turned to her with an expression of alarm.
"It's a rebel!" he shouted, effectively gaining the attention of everyone around them. Several more demon guards rushed over, two of them grabbing hold of poor (Y/n).
"N-no! Wait! Please! Y-you don't- you don't understand!"
Ignoring the flailing girl, the guards dragged her out of the market, everyone clearing out of the way to let them pass.
----
"I'm not a rebel! I swear to you!" (Y/n) exclaimed as she was thrown violently onto the floor of a cell.
"Tell that to The King, insurgent scum!" one of the guards spat back before they sauntered off.
"No! You have to believe me!" she ran forward, almost trying to squeeze herself through the bars, reaching out desperately to the doorway where the guards were disappearing through.
"Please! Let me go! Wait! Please! Please...!"
After a moment she realised that the guards weren't going to be coming back. And they certainly weren't going to believe her. She curled up in the corner of the room, her mind buzzing.
How are my family going to know where I am? What kind of trouble have I been mixed up into?
She felt her eyes begin to water.
How will I ever get out of here..?
There was no way to tell how long she'd been sitting on the dirty floor of the prison cell. It felt to her like she'd been trapped in there for forever.
(Y/n) startled suddenly at the sound of a door opening, followed by footsteps into the dungeon-esque part of the castle. At first, she thought it to be one of the guards returning to check on her, but these footsteps weren't as heavy or clumsy as any of the demon guards'. It was someone else. Had someone come to save her-?
"Alright, lass, don't make this any harder than it needs to be." A man spoke as he stepped in front of (Y/n)'s cell. "Where's the rebel base? What were you doing with those plans?"
"What?" (Y/n) asked breathlessly. "I'm not- I'm not a rebel, I don't know where the base is- I-I don't know what those plans were, I swear!"
"It's alright, lass," the man's voice- which (Y/n) now caught on to have an Irish accent- softened. "I believe ya."
"R-really?" for the first time since she'd gotten thrown in here, (Y/n) felt hope spark within herself. Was she going to get out of here?
"No!" he exclaimed rather harshly, laughing to himself. "It's amazing how gullible ye humans are, did you really think I'd believe that bullshit? Are ye a spy, then?"
"N-no," (Y/n) stood up and rushed over to the cell bars frantically. "I'm not a spy or a rebel! I'm innocent!" she clutched onto the bars, staring helplessly at the man who'd come to interrogate her.
"What's ya name, then?"
"I-it's (Y/n)... w-who are you...?" the man didn't respond, only rolled his eyes and crossed his arms.
(Y/n) studied him for a moment, her eyes growing wide with realisation- she was so overcome with fear and panic before, that she hadn't even realised who she was talking to until this very moment.
"A-Antisepticeye...?"
"So you do know me! How delightful." He took a step towards the cell bars, making (Y/n) jump back in fear.
Antisepticeye was one of 'The Big Three'. The three most powerful demons in the entire world, the three demons who had successfully brought all of demonkind out of the shadows and into the Overworld to wreak havoc.
"Now maybe you'll confess all ye rebel information to me."
"I'm not a rebel, and I'm not a spy, I'm just a simple farm girl who lives with her family at the edge of town, please, you have to believe me!"
Anti took another step towards the cell, once again making (Y/n) take a step back out of pure fear.
"We'll just have to see what The King says, won't we now, lass? But I've never known 'im to be a sympathetic guy." And before (Y/n) could argue or plead any more, Anti seemed to blur away, leaving behind a few clouds of greenish smoke.
She moved shakily towards a bed that protruded out from the wall of the cell, sitting down on it. She began to wring her hands anxiously.
In less time than (Y/n) had first expected, Anti returned. But all she did was stare worriedly at him again.
"Now look, human, either ya tell me where the Blaze Rebellion base is, or ye family suffers the consequences; got it?"
"No, please! Don't involve my family! They've done nothing wrong!" (Y/n) began to plead, rushing over to clutch the bars of the cell once again.
"Exactly, so you'd better start talkin'."
"But I know nothing! Please, you have to believe me!"
"Even if I did believe ya bullshit, I have direct orders from The King. Now if you're not gonna 'fess up, I have an execution to carry out. See ya later, lass!" Anti said in an almost sing-song voice, grinning from ear to ear.
"No! Wait, please!" (Y/n) began to cry, reaching between the bars almost as if she believed that she could reach Anti.
"You'll be next, don't worry. I'd say that I'm sorry for what I'm about to do, but then I'd be lying." Anti blurred away again in a fit of maniacal cackling that echoed painfully in (Y/n)'s ears.
"No! Please! You don't understand!" she wailed, well aware that Anti was long gone. (Y/n) stood in silence for a moment, then slowly sunk to the floor as she started crying again.
What had she ever done to deserve this?
What had her family ever done?
How could this have even happened?
(Y/n) and her family lived happy, simple lives, they stayed away from the rebellion to avoid things like this happening.
Her mother always told her that "The universe works in mysterious ways, but it makes sure to get you where you need to be at the right time."
Somehow, (Y/n) just couldn't quite see the universe's reason for having her end up in The King's dungeon.
Deep in thought, still crying, (Y/n) didn't notice the woman standing in front of her cell. The lady cleared her throat, effectively startling (Y/n) as she thought it was Anti coming back to finish her off.
"My apologies, Miss..."
"(Y/n)," (Y/n) sniffed, wiping her nose with her arm.
"My apologies, Miss (Y/n), but I was just wonderin'... word travels fast 'round here, and well- are you really with the rebellion?" the mysterious woman asked in what seemed to be a southern-accent.
"No! I'm not a rebel, honestly, I'm not! I've never spoken with the rebellion in my life- why can't people just understand that?" (Y/n) sniffed again, noting the woman's maid attire. "Who are you, anyway?"
"The name's Catherine." She paused, before pulling a hidden stash of keys from around her waist. (Y/n) watched on as she singled one of the dozens of keys out, using it to unlock the door to the cell before promptly opening it and gesturing for (Y/n) to come out.
"I'm so sorry that you've gotten mixed up in all'a this..." Catherine muttered sincerely as (Y/n) stepped tentatively out of the cell. "Don't worry, I'm gonna get you outta here."
"W-what? How?"
"I'm from the rebellion," she whispered, "I was sent here undercover to work as a servant in the castle; I know a way we can leave without gainin' any attention."
"Why are... why are you... helping me...?" (Y/n) asked in utter confusion.
"Because, hun," Catherine flashed a smile for a moment, "That's what the Blaze Rebellion does."
They rushed out of the dungeon and sped through the castle hallways, Catherine dragging (Y/n) by the hand the entire time.
They were approaching a back exit to the castle, and (Y/n) even felt her heart flutter a little with hope; but, suddenly, several guards shot out from around a corner, blocking them off from the door.
"Shit," Catherine muttered, and without missing a beat she pulled (Y/n) into another hallway to avoid them. A few more turns later and (Y/n) recognised the front entrance to the castle. They could hear the sound of armour rattling and feet thudding on the ground as guards seemed to approach from every direction.
Catherine darted her eyes around, realising that not both of them would manage to make it out- alive, that is. She turned to (Y/n) and grabbed her shoulders steadily.
"You need to get out of here, alright? You need to go the Blaze Rebellion, tell 'em what ya know, and help 'em win this war."
(Y/n)'s eyes widened to the size of saucers.
"N-No! I can't! I-I don't want to be a part of the rebellion- I can't be a part of the rebellion! I just want to go back to my family!"
"I'm afraid it's too late, hun, you can't go back- not now. Not anymore. None of y'all are safe. Listen," Catherine took out a rolled-up piece of paper from her pocket, shoving it towards (Y/n).
"This is an encrypted map to the rebellion base. All ya gotta do is replace every third word with the corresponding numbered letter combination. Take ya family there, to the rebellion. Tell 'em Catherine sent ya. They'll keep y'all mighty fine an' safe. Now, got all that?"
(Y/n) tried desperately to grasp any kind of words to say. 'I can't do this!' 'My family will never agree to go!' 'But I don't want to leave you!'
But it was too late. The guards were all now within thirty feet of them.
"Go on, run!" Catherine cried out, shoving (Y/n) towards the door. "I'll hold 'em off!"
(Y/n) started running and didn't stop or slow down even slightly. She pushed open the door and kept sprinting, getting farther and farther away from the castle. She regretted not looking back, leaving Catherine to haul the consequences.
But she just kept running, faster and faster towards her family's farm.
When the farmhouse came into view (Y/n) almost immediately noticed that the door had been kicked in. Ignoring her aching muscles, she forced herself to continue running. She flung herself through the door, barely able to stop herself short upon the sight in front of her.
It was her family...
All of them...
Dead...
She just stood there, staring for a moment. Then tears finally began to prick her eyes as she shakily reached out an arm, unable to find the strength to run to them through the metallic taste of blood in the air.
Then she finally began to move towards her brother, slowly crouching down to him. He was completely motionless. Once again she reached out to him, brushing his shoulder lightly with her fingers before flinching back completely.
She shed a tear as she turned to look at her poor parents, who were holding hands in their deceased state. Crawling over to them, (Y/n) embraced them both tightly before she began to sob. After a moment she reached for the necklace around her mother's neck; a heart-shaped locket containing an old family photo.
(Y/n) tenderly untied the necklace and clutched it to her chest, reeling forward as she began to cry again.
She turned to look at her parents once more, just barely noticing something clasped between their entwined hands. (Y/n) leaned forward and gently pried their hands apart only to see their wedding rings laying in the palms of their hands.
Feeling the urge to cry again (Y/n) held it down as something more alarming came to mind; the fact that she realised she could smell smoke, quickly realising that the house was on fire.
(Y/n) hurriedly snatched the two rings and stood, dashing to the doorway, but pausing at the last moment to gaze back at her deceased family. After that, (Y/n) took off running through the tall grass behind the farmhouse, and into the forest at the edge of her family's property.
Coughing to clear the smoke from her lungs, she peeked out from the woods and watched as two demons rose from the flames and disappeared suddenly; but not before one of them threw one last fireball at the already burning structure. (Y/n) couldn't help but watch on as her childhood home, her family, and everything she'd ever known began to burn to ash.
She steadied herself against the nearest tree before sliding into a sitting position, slumping against the trunk, seemingly defeated. Although she was physically looking at her home, she stared off into the distance as she cried silently.
She wouldn't be able to tell you exactly how long she had sat like that, tears streaming down her face as she sat there quietly. All she knew was that when she looked into the sky she noticed that the sun had moved a significant amount since she'd left home that morning. How much of that time she'd spent sitting against that tree? A mystery to all.
(Y/n) finally drew enough strength to be able to stand, albeit shakily. She opened her curled hand to see her mother's locket and her parents' rings. She delicately unclasped the necklace, sliding the two rings onto the thin chain before putting the necklace around her neck and reclasping the mechanism.
(Y/n) stood there quietly for a moment longer before looking down at the last item sitting in her palm, the rolled up piece of paper Catherine had given her. Clutching it in her fist, she looked up at her burning home one last time before turning to stare into the woods.
I've waited long enough.