Astaroth

## The Tragedy Of Arcacia

When you live in Arcacia, you tend to see and do many weird things, as well as getting used to them. Revenants stalking you here and there, vampires slaughtering the

## Appearances

### Portrayed by

TheDeathWaltzer

innocent, you get the idea. But when outsiders unexpectedly roam the outskirts of our community, the creatures of formidable strength are prone to become aggressive at these poor humans. Whenever we unintend to wander out of this community, the townsfolk of other colonies saw us as the monsters we see them as. So we stayed within our own society, where we are safe from the outside world.

That is, until I, Astaroth, sought to venture to the other colonies around us, not so I could investigate the human race, but to prove to the others that these colonies of humans have good faith and purpose, as I so wished to belong to not only the humans but to my fellow peers. So I set my journey across the community as the beasts of the borderlands set their gaze upon a mere mortal entering our foreboding boundaries. I'm sorry to say that this human didn’t happen to keep the body and soul together for long. Fortunately, I hoped to make things right by colliding our colonies with theirs.

As I swept through the bare hills of poverty and drought, I began to sense the coldness of the fears and anxiety haunting this place, following the dark corners of my reality. Thinking it was our society creating these ravaging times, not humans, only made me more determined to show how we can pose no threat to humans and prove that they wouldn't cause us harm. However, as I viewed an upcoming village atop a mountain, I acquired a sensation of premonition that fell upon me.

Upon ascending the mountains, I stood and watched as the bright sun plummeted toward the end of Arcacia. Realizing what horrible mistake I made, as if they sensed my dread, the children of the moon’s howls rang across the low valleys of the hills and ricocheted back up towards the tip of the village. Knowing the dangers I had placed myself in, I swiftly dodged the pitch-black trees and the twisted undergrowth. Their branches and vines attempted to cling to me like how claws slash through skin. Hearing the thundering stomps of the wolves, I ducked into the mouth of a foxhole, waiting for the retreating footfalls of the beasts to commence, but I heard nothing. Thinking it was safe to emerge, I hopped out of the hole and set my gaze on a figure that bolted towards a tree, then another tree, and another. A wolf was stalking the figure, unbeknownst of my presence. Then, I felt a harsh impact strike my head, and everything went black.

When I awakened, I observed the paint-peeling walls of what was believably the “Inn Of The Weeping Sparrow”, or so the sign on the wall said.  Realizing that I made it to the village that I attempted to discover, I left my room and descended the creaky old stairs into the parlor. I told everyone my idea in which to collide Arcacia with theirs. Everyone listened, but no one accepted or rejected my idea. This felt somewhat disrespectful, but when I saw the worried look on their faces, I knew it wasn’t worth talking to them.

So I headed towards the courthouse, hoping to find someone who would understand and accept my proposition. There I met the burgermeister and the duke, who told me that they would willingly introduce their villages to Arcacia. Little did I know after I left that the burgermeister and the duke were plotting to cause an unknown skirmish, purely undefined to me at the time. The only problem that stood in the way was where Arcacia was, but since I was from there, I decided to lead them on what they called a “celebration” instead of what was a more grisly meaning.

But being the naive little fool I was, I agreed to this thinking peace was at hand. As the sun set yet again, the village folk followed the burgermeister and the duke down the mountain and followed me while I traced back my steps from the days before, but they happened to bring some of their city troops with them, the reason why I did not understand until time decided to tell. While trekking back through the pitch-black trees and the twisted undergrowth, I noticed the stillness of the forest. I listened closely. Nothing. No birds, no crickets, none of the forest fauna were here, as if the woods itself was dead.

The burgermeister kept forcefully urging me to move along, while the duke started ahead, not knowing where they were going. So, I had to quickly lead back to the front and descend towards the bare hills. Yet again, none of the animals were present. Viewing the edge of Arcacia, the burgermeister thanked me but started to lead the group himself now, not knowing the beasts of the borderlands had already seen the cluster of people head towards the entrance. The beasts charged at the duke, but half a dozen of the troops headed for each of the beasts, destroying them within seconds.

Yelling at the burgermeister for their foolishness, I told him we didn’t have to kill the borderland beasts to make peace with us. Still, he made me realize that I was the one who had the folly, telling me that war was the goal instead, and ridding the world from a disgrace like Arcacia was something that must be done. Looking back at the border, the mob scampered the city like mice in a field. Only when I thought things couldn’t get any worse, I felt a familiar harsh blow vibrate through my skull, and back to the black darkness I went.

Awakening once more, I came to finally discern that the burgermeister forced me unconscious before. I perceived the nearest things around me, slowly acknowledging everything beyond my reach, taking in the foreboding plunder still lingering throughout what was left of Arcacia. Swaying through the blood-soaked paths and the dead corpses surrounding me, I started to smell things like charred wood and metal, dry smoldering leaves, and the suffocating smoke from all the havoc brought here. I looked at the burnt crisp trees and house structures that started to tower over me, and it suddenly made me feel unsafe, as if they looked down upon me for bringing this town to ruins. Comprehending this guilt-ridden thought, I realized something; I had started to believe humans would make peace with us, and I had wished to belong with them, but now, I loathe them.

But the fault is not the humans. The fault belonged to me. I wished I had never even stepped foot out of Arcacia. I wished I wouldn’t have thought to lead them right to the spot I stood upon. Feeling the loneliness for the lost souls around me, of the deceased humans and monsters alike, I could sense their shame, anger, and sorrow. I could sense them not wishing for me to belong with them, just as humans would wish to never belong with such abominable creations.

For the first time, I felt alone, despite the infuriated spirits among me. This anger turned itself into what I could only perceive as darkness, slowly consuming the light out of the corners of my eyes, and it shifted my fear into reality. At first, I felt mournful sadness brush its cold air against me and force me to weep for the dead, this fear of darkness still growing near. Then I started to suffer from terror as I was trapped, within inches was the darkness, yearning for me to give in, and then at last it contained me to see nothing, hear nothing, feel nothing.