Leon the slayer | 1

The year was 1914.

In the continent of Grasada, war was just starting to break out.

The biggest empire of all time, the Holy Khulast Empire, held a vital spot in the middle of the continent and its neighbouring nations started noticing that as the years went by, this empire was only becoming more and more wealthy and powerful. Something had to be done, that is the fate of all large empires. The Khulast Empire went through many territorial wars in its early years but as its people were becoming more educated they realized that this couldn't continue. And so they begun living and prospering in peace. That peace though meant nothing to the countries around it who were starting to get scared of its power, and so the Empire found itself to be at war with all of the nations surrounding it. 

***

Barvada, small town in the west border of the Holy Khulast Empire,
1 Day before official declaration of war.

The sound of the roosters' crowing sounded through the entire town of Barvada, waking up a young gentleman living in this town named Leon Thaleus.
Leon got up from his straw bed and got ready for work, puting on his tunic and going to the kitchen for breakfast.
"Good morning dear." His mother was making cream soup, when she noticed her son coming into the room.
"Morning."  Leon took this scene for granted. That didn't mean he didn't enjoy spending his mornings like this, but he thought that this was the normal. He thought that nothing would change for a while.
"Where's dad?"
"Oh, he is out watering the fields."
"I told him I'd go with him!" A frown of disappointment appeared on Leon's handsome face.  
"He didn't want you to get too tired."
"But I keep telling him I don't get tired of work... He is the old man here, he should be the one getting tired!"
"Come on now Leon, you know how parents are!" Her voice was warm and caring like the sun.
"Yeah, I know..."
"Come on now, eat up and go see him."
A plate of some delicious looking soup was placed in front of Leon. It smelt like home.
Upon seeing this, his frown instantly got turned upside down.

After having his breakfast, Leon left his family's home and set out to meet his dad in the fields.
The moment he got out a cool breeze enveloped his fit body, swaying his medium length brown hair.
The cyan sky above was filled with giant clouds, but the sun was still visible.
As Leon was walking on the cobblestone path, making his way to the fields, the townsfolk were greeting him. Barvada was the perfect place to raise a family. Warm people, cool weather, and fertile fields.
Aside of practicality, this town's Distant snowy mountains and medieval looking homes made it an exceptionally scenic place for tourists coming in from other areas of the Empire.

In spite of being part of the Khulast Empire, this town had two major differences compared to the average city of the Empire.
Firstly, this town was way behind in terms on technological advancements. These last few years the Khulast Empire has been a leading force in terms of technology and innovation worldwide, thanks to its prosperity. With this town being far away from the capital, and next to the border, it was always a couple of years behind in that department. But of course that didn't stop its people from living quality lives.
Second, daemons could live freely.
Daemons are humans with a magical ability to transform at will. Their transformation consists of turning their skin into a hard but still flexible obsidian like texture, growing wings and horns, breathing fire, and having a detachable tail that can harden once detached and serve as a greatsword.
People in other areas of the empire feared daemons for their destructive power, and they believed in a superstition that once transformed, they can't control their strength and always end up going on rampages. Thus Daemons did not have the right to vote and people avoided interacting with them.
The people of Barvada hailed daemons as saints, due to the fact that in ancient times daemons always protected this town from invaders.
The only way to be able to attain full citizenship as a daemon, was to serve in the military and prove your ability to control yourself.

***

Leon arrived at his family's fields.
"Hey, dad! Why'd you leave without me?" He was visibly upset at his father for not bringing him to work.
"You were still sleeping when I left my dear! I couldn't bring my heart to wake you up."
Leon's dad put down his rake and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
He was a hardworking man. Due to the fact that Leon's family consists of daemons, including himself, the people of this town would often bring them food and presents, but his family still worked hard. After all, how could one find enjoyment in life without working an honest job?
He was average height for a man, and he never wore fancy clothes. His dark brown hair was cut short and he kept his mustache tidy. He had the eyes of an honest man and always spoke with sincerity.
"But you know I like helping you work."
"I know son, I know... I'll wake you up next time."
And after this short exchange they started taking care of the crops together.

***

Many hours passed. It was now afternoon.
Their family's farms were expansive, so they took a lot of time to care for.
In the days that they came to this fields his father always made sure to bring lunch and tons of water to take regular breaks. It was sort of a special occasion.
"Have you fed the goats today?"
"No, Leon. I've been here since morning."
"Alright. I'll take the corn and do this myself. You make sure to go back home now so mom doesn't feel lonely."
"Hahaha... you know, I wouldn't let you do this on you own, but I'm starting to see that my son is starting to become a grown man now."
"Is that a yes?"
"Go on Leon, I'll see you back home."
"Right!"

And so Leon begun making his way to the fields where his family's goats roamed. Hands full of buckets of corn.

***

After an hour of walking he arrived.
As soon as the goats saw the young man carrying food, they started making their way to him.
Leon saw them coming to his location, so he just left the food in the usual spot and started leaving.

By now it had become nighttime. The stars were all visible and shining radiantly.
Leon couldn't wait to go back home, but despite that he made sure to enjoy his way back. The dirt paths of Barvada were very pleasant to walk on, and the silence was refreshing. The pine trees on every side of the path gave off a delightful aroma, the smell of the forest.

"..!"
Suddenly, balls of fire started descending from the sky, lightening up the beautiful night sky. They looked like comets and they were about to fall upon the lovely town of Barvada.
Magical artillery. The neighbouring country to the west of the Holy Khulast Empire, Larkna, had launched their first attack, and they were aiming for what they thought was a hidden military base of the empire.
Larkna was well known for its advanced magic, especially when it came to their military, which was compromised of mostly wizards.
Artillery attacks like this one were a well known strategy from them.

"Mom! Dad!" Leon started running in a hurry. He didn't know what he was going to do when he got back but that didn't matter right now. All he wanted was to go back. Protect his family.
Running like this is futile.
Despite his father warning him against this,

"Ggrrraaaaghhh!" A terrible screech was heard in the middle of the silent forest.

Leon transformed.
His skin became as hard as steel, and he started flying back home with his pair of gigantic demonic looking wings, but despite his best efforts,
Impact.
The artillery landed on its target. His hometown went up in flames.
Even from high up in the air where he was, Leon felt like he could hear the screams of the people from the hellish ground.

By the time Leon had arrived, his town had become an inferno, buildings and people alike were reduced to ashes.
His house was near the center of the town, so to get to it he had to go through dense hellfire and smoke.
He arrived in his home with tooth and nail. Even though his skin was harder than armor, his lungs were still that of a human, so the horrible smoke had taken a toll on him, he was barely able to walk, much less fly.
All he could see in this hellish atmosphere  was ash and crackling bones.

"Graaaaaaaaaeeeeeh!" Leon fell to his knees and eventually passed out inside the flames. Even if he had the courage to get up and escape, he couldn't. There was no oxygen in a place like this.