Note: This is chapter 47 or Chapter One of book two. Only the first four chapters of book two will be posted. If you want to read the full story, it is on Amazon.
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["I was lonely
Until I found the family
They showered me in love
When I didn't know it
I was lost
Until I finally accepted me
Learning that there was nothing wrong with being different
But nothing prepared me for
Learning the truth about my identity
Nothing prepared me for
Learning about my family
And nothing prepared me for
The destruction of a world caused by me."
-Endru]
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The Country of Syn was in ruins.
A year ago, when the demons and dragons came, they raised destruction beyond what anyone could understand. It was ten times worse than when the creatures came.
Half of the population dwindled while they destroyed cities and villages beyond recognition. There was no division anymore because there were no towns to have them.
And the creatures that were present met the same fate as humans. Only a few medium-levels and most high-levels survived; the beasts hid away, barely coming out.
Even though division did not exist within the humans, it did with the demons and dragons.
On the left side of the country laid the Demons' Territory. They owned the forest, and most of the Poor and Hunters/Soldiers City remains.
They were called the Forest of Demons and Sazriran's Throne. No one dared to enter the area, as the demons were the type to kill first and never ask questions. Unless a person has something valuable to King Sazriran, there is no other reason to go there unharmed.
On the right side of the country laid the Dragons' Territory. They owned the mountains and caves, taking over the remains of Farmers/Owners and Rich City.
They were called the Caves of Dragons and Parcarath's Throne. This area was more accessible to pass through than the demons because the dragons allowed it, but only if you pay the toll: something of value to you. If a person cannot pay it, then their life is forfeited.
In a small part of the country, far from both sides and in-between them, laid a hidden spot that housed humanity.
The remaining population hopes that someone could save them from the beings that took over their world.
One day, a hybrid would understand that their destiny leads to the point of learning their origin and ending what their parents hoped to stop.
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Endru was crouched on top of a tree branch with a bow and arrow in his hand. He was silent, slowing down his breathing, as he kept his wings tightly closed on his back.
He was watching an Orto: a medium-level creature that resembled a large panther, except they were blind, and although they were fast, they could disappear at the drop of any sound.
Endru had the string on his bow pushed back while his arrow pointed at the Orto; it was 250 yards away.
He does not know how long he has been sitting in the tree as time was no longer relevant. There was no such thing as morning time, nor nighttime since the beings came. They plugged the sky into a constant red one that never changed.
Suddenly, Endru heard something hopping towards the tree he was on. And if he caught the noise, that meant the Orto did too. The creature popped its head up from eating the grass; its ears were twitching.
He watched as the body began to become transparent as the creature was getting ready to disappear. Endru cursed as he quickly shot out his arrow. It hit its mark.
The Orto hit the ground with a thud as blood started flowing from the wound. Before he went down to collect his prize, he asked the tree, 'Who is coming, that almost made me lose my kill?'
'Tis the one thee calleth Lyn that is coming near.' The tree answered.
Endru pinched his nose before jumping off the tree, landing on his feet. He stretches for a second, as his back and legs were stiff for crouching for so long. After he finished, he set the bow on his back, stretching out his wings a bit so they wouldn't hit against each other.
Once he started walking, Lyn came through the bushes, hitting against his leg. 'My person! I've been looking all over for you!'
Endru cares for Lyn, he even came to love it, but sometimes he cannot help but want to throw the beast to the wolves. 'Lyn, you were supposed to stay in the village, not come here. You almost made me lose our food for the week!' He couldn't help but fuss.
Lyn's ears fell a little as Endru fussed at it. The creature was sad that it upset its person. But his person did not leave a note saying where he was going. When Lyn woke up, it was alone (well, not entirely alone).
'I am sorry. Yo' left with no note. I didn't know where yo' was.' Lyn dejectedly answered.
Endru sighed as his face began to soften; he learned, long ago, that he couldn't stay mad at Lyn, even if he tried to. He picked up Lyn, ignoring how massive the creature is; the thing was almost 40 pounds!
He walked them to where the creature was; he needed to hurry over before someone, or something stole his kill. 'It is fine, Lyn. I should have left a note, but next time, ask the others where I went. I do not want you to enter here.'
The forest he was in was the Forest of Demons. He was on the outskirts of it to hunt for food because many creatures still hide in the forest.
Nevertheless, he always made sure not to venture deeper into the area because he did not want to get caught by the demons.
Plus, the King of Demons freaks him out. Their first encounter (not a real one), when the beings first came through the sky, was weird because the man called him "grandson" and caused a deep-seated fear in him to awaken. And he realized the figure in his dreams was that man.
Did he have foreshadowing dreams?
Anyway, Endru learned to stay clear from them. He also couldn't help but think about how similar he was to them, but he didn't believe he was a demon because he still looked a little different. 'Or am I one?' He thought. Only to throw the thought away, like he always does when he thinks about it.
He was in his mind during the whole walk. Lyn did not say anything but rested its head on his chest. If he did not see the creature's eyes looking around, he would have thought that Lyn fell asleep; it has been sleeping a lot.
When he reached the Orto, he held Lyn in one arm while picking up the dead creature with his other one. Even though he was carrying so much weight, he still brought them out of the forest.
It was a two-hour walk back to the small town that the rest of the population resided. Endru's arms were sore, but he was not exhausted.
'I can walk from here if yo' want me to.' Lyn mentioned as it saw sweat coming down Endru's forehead.
He shook his head, 'You are fine; I got it.'
Lyn stayed quiet after that as they made their way to their area in the town. The humans, who were walking around, gave Endru wary looks.
When everything turned for the worse, and the humans moved to rebuild them a safe-haven. They learned about Endru because he was with the family, moving into the area. The humans disagreed with it at first because of how similar he looks to the beings.
Nevertheless, the family fought for him to stay many times, to the point of the people begrudgingly accepting it, although they still showed their dislike.
Sometimes, Endru thinks the people are waiting for him to attack like a mindless creature so they can prove the family right.
Endru would never become like that, meaning those people would be waiting for a lifetime.
Once they made it to their home and away from the citizens' judging eyes, Endru used his feet to knock. He only waited a second before he heard a click and the door opening.
On the other side was an older man who looked to be in his late 30s. But his aura spoke of centuries of knowledge. The man had uniquely red eyes with grey hair. He had small horns on his head while his hands were similar to Endru's. The man even had a tail longer than his.
"Ah, welcome home. Do you need any help?" The man asked as he moved out of the doorway.
Endru walked in as he shook his head no, "Thanks for asking, but I got this Quin."
Five months ago, Quin sneaked into the town, appearing at their door. Everyone, minus Endru, was suspicious of him because of his appearance. Endru knew who the man was as he was amazed that the Kytil could turn into a human form.
Quin seemed to be surprised, too, because he said he woke up like that and decided to seek him out to help him get used to his new body. Endru agreed due to curiosity, convincing the family to let Quin stay.
He has been an excellent addition.
"Okay. I will return to Jonathon then." Quin answered as he made his way to the back of the house.
Endru hummed as the man walked away. He made his way to the kitchen, where he saw the mother teaching the kids how to prepare a dead creature to eat.
"Jalan, I need you to hold the knife firmer than that. Look at what your sister is doing." The mother told Jalan as she fixed his grip on the knife.
Carlyn smiled at the praise while Jalan dejectedly sighed. "I want to make new things, not learn how to cook food, mother."
"You need skills in basic survival, honey. When you get this right, I will let you go back to your projects." The mother answered, running her hands through her son's hair.
Hearing what his mother said, Jalan's spirit renewed as he looked determined. Endru softly chuckled at that before he cleared his throat.
"Little birdy!" The kids yelled simultaneously, dropping their knives as they made their way over to him. Lyn jumped out of his hold as he stood in front of the kids, acting like a barrier. Sometimes, Lyn and the children fought over him.
Carlyn and Jalan stopped when they saw Lyn trying to block them. They glared at the creature, and it scowled back. The twentieth showdown began.
Endru stepped away from them, making his way to the mother as he dropped the creature on the ground. It landed with a thud as the arrow was still in its head.
He bent down, pulling the arrow out as he stood back up. "I brought some food for the week."
The mother looked at the creature then passed him, glancing at the small blood trail. When she looked back, there were different emotions present on her face. "Endru, I am grateful for the meals you bring us, but can you please be a little cleaner. I am getting tired of cleaning the mess of blood trails."
Endru's face turned a little red as he looked down; he was embarrassed. "Sorry, I will clean it up right away." He quickly moved, grabbing a bucket that was near the fridge with a towel inside.
As he was getting ready to fill the bucket with water, he heard a loud crash in the house's back. Everyone froze at the sound. He dropped the bucket down, quickly making his way to the area with the family following behind him.
His hand was already reaching for his bow.
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Translations:
• 'Tis the one thee calleth Lyn that is coming near.'
It is the one you call Lyn that is coming near.